Chapter 154: A Brief Account of Eating Breakfast

Fei Yu held a cloth bag and two bundles of straw.

The bag held noodles, while the straw bound a pig's trotter and a half-dead carp.

Yan Jing looked at Fei Yu, and Fei Yu looked right back.

Yan Jing blinked and nudged Old Master Liu with his elbow.

Old Master Liu immediately caught on. "Young Master, what was that?" he asked loudly. "I didn't quite catch it."

"I said, there seems to be a huge spider on the ceiling!"

Yan Jing tilted his head, gazing up at the cracked tiles of the roof.

It was suffocatingly clean. Forget spiders—there wasn't a single cobweb in sight.

Even so, Old Master Liu followed his gaze.

"Indeed. I think I just saw it too."

The two of them kept their heads tipped back, neither daring to meet Fei Yu's eyes.

Only when Fei Yu hummed a little tune and strolled past did they quietly lower their heads, hunching over to whisper.

"Do you think she heard?"

"I don't know. Hard to say."

"Master Liu, don't mind how arrogant this little maid is acting now. The day my temper flares, I'll definitely put her in her place!"

"You are mighty, Young Master."

Satisfied, Yan Jing nodded, straightened up, and shouted toward the kitchen, "Xiao Yu, are we having pig's trotter noodles for breakfast today?"

"Not a chance!"

Fei Yu walked out of the kitchen with a white steamed bun in hand. She leaned against the doorframe and took a huge bite.

"Young Master, if you want to eat my hand, why don't you just take a bite? Why bother with noodles!"

"Here."

She extended a pale hand and smiled.

"A bite is a bite wherever you get it! The one at home is even free! It's a bit rough, but you can make do, Young Master."

“...”

She had definitely heard him.

Behind Yan Jing, Old Master Liu whispered, "Go for it, Young Master! Go for it!"

“...”

A few seconds later, Yan Jing led Old Master Liu out the door.

"I don't have much of an appetite today. Let's just eat out!"

"Eating at home every day gets boring!"

Fei Yu remained leaning against the doorframe, a faint smile on her face.

"Does Miss Ruyan know how to make noodles too?"

"More than that—hers are smooth and silky!"

"Young Master Yan" stubbornly flicked his sleeve, forcefully marching Old Master Liu half a li down the road before glancing back.

"Stop looking, Young Master. She didn't follow us,"

Old Master Liu said.

"Ahem..."

Yan Jing coughed lightly. "Don't worry, Master Liu. I have money on me."

Out of the money they had taken from Wei Bufan yesterday, minus the pocket change he had given to Fei Yu and Old Master Liu, he had kept the lion's share. Right now, he had around a hundred pieces of Fragmented Weird Silver on him. Converted into gui yuan, that was over a thousand.

The purchasing power of gui yuan in Bianliu County was far greater than that of the Eerie Coin in Old Sin City. If one did the math, it was a considerable fortune.

Moreover, he had one whole piece of silver, equivalent to a hundred fragments.

"Let's go! We'll eat in here!"

Yan Jing pointed to an alley on the right.

Old Master Liu looked in the direction he was pointing, astonishment flashing in his eyes.

Because that alley housed Wanhua Fang.

The largest gathering place for unlicensed prostitutes on South Main Street.

Naturally, he wasn't foolish enough to think Yan Jing was actually going in there for breakfast.

For Yan Jing to visit such a place at a time like this, the underlying intent was obvious.

"Alright, Young Master, let's eat in there."

Old Master Liu nodded.

Thus, the two of them walked into the alley.

The alley where Wanhua Fang was located was called Wanhua Alley.

It looked no different from any ordinary alley.

The lighting was dim, the air murky, and the scattered bluestone slabs bore a path trodden by countless rough cloth shoes.

Wanhua Fang was previously one of the Luo Family's subordinate properties.

After the Luo Family fell, there was no such thing as selling off these lower-level businesses. The people here clearly no longer recognized Eldest Young Master Luo, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Luo Sheng had put in some effort to rebuild bridges with a few people inside, but ultimately, things had changed.

Yan Jing and Old Master Liu walked past a series of doors. If there was a spot of cinnabar on the wood, it was a prostitute's residence; if not, it was a guard's quarters—a clean spot.

Generally, no one in Bianliu County cared about unlicensed prostitutes, because Bianliu County simply had no one in charge.

However, if the factions from the other streets ran short on cash, they would organize a sweep under the guise of maintaining order. When that happened, any discovered prostitutes would have to pay to avoid trouble.

If they refused, the woman would be divided among the other factions.

As for whether she ended up as fertilizer or was turned into fine jewelry, that depended entirely on her luck.

Of course, this all started happening only after the Luo Family's downfall.

Before their fall, everyone had lived in peace.

The two walked all the way to the 108th door. Yan Jing reached out and knocked.

There was no movement inside.

So, Yan Jing knocked again.

This time, a clamor erupted from within.

Most of it was crude cursing, with a few remarks even worse than the usual street insults.

Eventually, a single voice spoke up, and the other noises gradually died down.

The voice immediately followed up, "In broad daylight, are you begging for food and drink, or asking for money?"

"Begging for food and drink."

Yan Jing replied.

"Where would there be food and drink during the day?"

Hearing they were asking for sustenance, the voice softened slightly. "Whether it's white steamed buns or plump peaches, we don't have any."

"Luo Family members. Please accommodate us."

Yan Jing said with a smile.

“...”

The person remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "Go to number 105. There's food and drink there."

"Alright, thank you."

Yan Jing smiled, leading Master Liu to the door of 105, and knocked.

"Who is it?"

A wary voice called from inside.

"Begging for food and drink. I already asked the sister at 108."

Yan Jing replied with a smile.

Creak—

The door opened from the inside.

Inside sat a table set with a few bowls of plain broth noodles, a few specks of chili oil floating on top.

Several women lounged carelessly around the table in extremely bold postures. Their clothing was so thin that an errant movement would easily reveal patches of pale skin.

Seeing Yan Jing, the woman sitting furthest back smiled and said, "Young Master Luo, long time no see."

"Long time no see, Sister Hua."

Yan Jing cupped his fists and said with a smile, "I haven't eaten anything this morning, so I came to beg for a bite."

"This is the first time Young Master Luo has come begging for food."

The woman put down her chopsticks and chuckled. "How about... I serve you myself?"

"Whatever works."

Yan Jing led Old Master Liu inside.

Unexpectedly, the woman suddenly waved her hand, covered her mouth, and began to laugh.

"Forget it, Young Master Luo. Forget it for today."

"Why forget it?"

Yan Jing looked at the noodles on the table, a hint of displeasure in his tone.

"I can already see the food."

"And you promised to do it yourself."

The woman followed Yan Jing's gaze and happened to catch sight of a half-exposed pale breast—like a white steamed bun—on the woman beside her. She laughed.

"For no other reason, Young Master Luo, than I woke up in a foul mood and it hasn't faded. Your interruption ruined any desire I had to entertain guests."

"Then why let me in?"

Yan Jing's tone grew even more displeased. "Wanhua Fang doesn't make a habit of going back on its word, does it?"

"There is no 'why', Young Master Luo. Whether you think I'm just messing with you or doing it on purpose, it sums up to one sentence: our Wanhua Fang no longer wants to do business with you, Luo Sheng. From now until the end of time."

The woman giggled.

"As for what 'word' or reasons you're digging for, our Bianliu County has never bothered with reason."

"Times have changed, Young Master Luo. You aren't the young master you used to be. Please leave."

"If you want to eat steamed buns, go scrounge around on the roadside."

Clearly, the woman had let Yan Jing in on purpose.

After she spoke, the other women beside her also began to laugh, looking at Yan Jing as if he were an idiot. For a moment, the room was a flutter of trembling, laughing figures.

Not long after, Yan Jing and Old Master Liu were chased out.

Before closing the door, the woman sneered and said, "If Young Master Luo really wants to know the reason, I'll tell you. Everyone in this room today is on her period."

"Next time you come begging for food, pick a better time and bring more silver. If I happen to be in a good mood, I might just do a day's business with you, Young Master Luo."

"And let you taste what white steamed buns are really like."

"The world isn't what it used to be. Do you really still think you're a young master?"

The woman spat on the ground.

The door shut.

The two men squatted on the ground. Yan Jing looked at Old Master Liu.

"What now, Master Liu? We haven't had breakfast yet."

"How about..."

Old Master Liu looked at Yan Jing, choosing his words carefully. "I go to East Street and buy some?"

Hearing this, Yan Jing nodded.

"Make it quick."

Old Master Liu left, and in less than fifteen minutes, he returned with a few large meat buns and a bowl of plain broth noodles packed in a bamboo bowl.

The two found a corner, squatted on the ground, and devoured their breakfast.

Old Master Liu gnawed on the buns, while Yan Jing ate the noodles.

This scene wasn't unfamiliar to Old Master Liu; he understood the man beside him.

No matter how immense the anger in his heart, once the meal was finished, that fury would be swallowed back down, bit by bit, along with the noodles.

In the few years before he left Minhu, whenever the two of them had doors slammed in their faces, this was generally how it went.

He liked to wait for the right moment before acting, and he liked to talk about honor and morality, because those were things highly valued outside of Bianliu County.

But this was Bianliu County.

Here, honor and morality were useless.

Just like Wanhua Fang, which had relied on the Luo Family to get through countless days and nights.

Now that the Luo Family was gone, upon seeing Luo Sheng, they humiliated him exactly as they pleased.

Deliberately choosing a room full of women on their periods to call Yan Jing over.

That woman, perhaps taking out her menstrual irritability, had vented it directly onto Luo Sheng.

If this had been a few years ago when the Luo Family was still around, pulling a stunt like this in the morning would have meant losing her life before the sun was fully up.

But in the end, everything had changed.

Just as Old Master Liu's thoughts were wandering, a sudden smash exploded beside him.

He stared in astonishment at Yan Jing, who had smashed his bowl and stood up.

"Young Master, what are you..."

"I'm not eating."

Yan Jing wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"It has no flavor. It's terrible."

"Not as good as what Xiao Yu makes, nor as good as what they had on their table."

As he spoke, Yan Jing furrowed his brows.

"Master Liu, before you came back, I hadn't thought it through clearly."

"Tell me, what kind of place is this Bianliu City? Since I was little, my father taught me how to write the words 'honor' and 'morality'. Forward stroke for honor, backstroke for morality. I can remember every brushstroke even in my sleep, but in the end, it destroyed him."

"I've been out in the world for so many years; logically, I should have learned a thing or two. Yet coming back here and relying on those same two words, I'm about to be destroyed as well."

"You saw what happened yesterday. If there hadn't been a reason for it, I wouldn't have done that."

"But from just that one incident, I figured it out. Some things shouldn't be handled that way."

"In a given land, you have to follow that land's rules."

"Young Master, are you..." Old Master Liu stood up, a faint light glowing in his eyes. Before he could speak, however, Yan Jing raised a hand to stop him and continued, "Master Liu, that's how it is right now. There's no need to say much else. I just want to eat the bowl of noodles on their table. Tell me, can I eat it or not?"

"You can."

Old Master Liu nodded.

"Truly?"

"Truly!"

"Alright, then let's eat!"

Yan Jing nodded and strode back to door 105, pounding on it forcefully.

"Who is it?"

Inside, it was the voice of the woman who had been sitting furthest back in the room again.

"Luo Sheng, begging for food and drink."

A moment later, the door was pulled open.

The woman walked out from behind it, leaning against the frame as she sneered, "Weren't you just—"

Before she could finish, Yan Jing thrust out his hand. From his sleeve, two birds darted out and pecked straight at the woman's eyes.

The woman was just about to scream when Yan Jing reached out and clamped a hand over her mouth. Then, a Paintbrush materialized in his hand, tracing a light circle. In an instant, the women inside the room went limp, collapsing weakly.

At that moment, Old Master Liu darted out from behind, moving like a fierce tiger. He dashed up to the women and, using his hands like blades, struck quickly. The women slumped entirely to the ground, staring at the two men in sheer terror.

Yan Jing reached out, gripping the bleeding-eyed woman by the neck, and asked coldly, "Now I'm asking you for food and drink. Do I get it or not?"

With her mouth covered, the woman couldn't make a sound. She could only nod frantically in terror.

"Then go make it! I want plain broth noodles!"

Yan Jing sat down on a chair, his gaze icy.

"Have it done in five minutes. If it's not done, for every minute you're late, I kill one person."

He released his grip. Enduring the excruciating pain, the woman staggered toward the kitchen.

The moment she stepped inside, she let out a shout, and several burly men poured out from a door in the back kitchen.

Sensing her backup had arrived, the woman started to smile, ready to spew some ruthless words. But before she could speak, every single one of those burly men collapsed to the ground in agonizing pain. Old Master Liu had struck again. Not only did he cripple their lower halves, but he also found a way to render them completely mute.

Through the bloody blur of her eyes, the woman realized what had happened. All the color drained from her face in pure terror, and she slumped to the floor.

Yan Jing walked over to the side, picked up a knife from the kitchen, and stepped up beside the woman.

"According to the rules of the Luo Family!"

Yan Jing declared, "Those who go back on their word have their hands chopped off!"

"No, no, no, no, no, no!"

The woman shook her head desperately, scrambling backward on the floor in terror. But Yan Jing raised the knife and brought it down. With a swift shink , a pale arm flew into the air.

Blood spurted out like a fountain.

Yan Jing turned around to look at the others, who were paralyzed on the ground in abject horror, and said coldly, "According to the rules of the Luo Family, those who aid an evildoer have their legs broken!"

A moment later, terror hung thick in the air of the cramped room. The heavy stench of blood mixed with the scent of cosmetic powder. Scattered across the floor were twisted, broken legs and pools of crimson.

Everyone stared at the center of the room in sheer horror, as if looking at Evil Ghosts.

Sitting at the table, Yan Jing and Old Master Liu aggressively slurped up the freshly cooked noodles.