Chapter 23: The Black Bear

Chapter 23: The Black Bear

The summer heat was scorching, and the streets were mostly empty, with only a few scattered stalls still hawking their wares.

Chen Shuoan was so hot he was about to lose his mind.

Right now, all he wanted to do was eat and sleep—he couldn't care less where these three fools were dragging him off to.

Zheng Yuanzhi led the way ahead, while the other two each clung to one of Chen Shuoan's arms, bouncing along like a couple of girls on a shopping trip.

Chen Shuoan: "..."

If they kept clinging to him like this, he was going to boil alive.

His sharp eyes spotted a theater house at the end of the street, visible through the air distorted by the blazing sun.

"We're here." Zheng Yuanzhi looked at it from afar, his voice barely a whisper.

Chen Shuoan snorted in disdain. "Noob."

What?

What the hell was he saying now? What kind of gibberish was that?

Zheng Yuanzhi was utterly bewildered—clearly the victim of his own ignorance—and led the group toward the place anyway.

The theater house was grand in its decor, with a threshold boldly built from gold bricks, and the green gauze curtains flanking the entrance were embroidered with silver thread.

Chen Shuoan was so awestruck by the display he didn't dare take a step through the door.

Seeing the guests arrive, the shopkeeper rushed out to greet them, his eyes crinkling into slits as he smiled. "Young masters, you've finally arrived. Please, step inside."

He then led them deeper into the establishment. There were so many people packed along the way that Zheng Yuanzhi and the others could barely find a place to stand, let alone push forward.

Chen Shuoan was utterly shocked and couldn't help but lightly tug at Li Wei's sleeve beside him, whispering, "What exactly is this place? A cult or something?"

Li Wei, however, was psyched. "There's a show today—not singing or dancing, but animals."

Chen Shuoan understood and got excited too, never expecting he'd get to see a monkey show up close.

After the group finally fought their way through the crowd and reached the private booth, Chen Shuoan spotted Qin Zhonglian.

"Well, if it isn't Brother Qin! Long time no see—missed you tons!"

Chen Shuoan exclaimed in delight.

The tall, slender man by the window turned his head, his expression as smug and aloof as ever. He let out a cold laugh. "It's only been a day. If the Sixth Prince heard you say that, he'd probably give me the cold shoulder for days."

Chen Shuoan had no idea why the conversation had to bring up Yuan Rang, so he just laughed it off with a vague "haha."

"We have Brother Qin to thank for this—scoring us such a great spot—nice and quiet." Zhang Chenggong fanned himself vigorously with his folding fan, drenched in sweat, not giving a damn about his appearance as his black hair plastered across his face.

Seeing him like this, Chen Shuoan casually remarked, "Zhang Chenggong, there's a girl staring at you."

In that instant, Zhang Chenggong's pretty-boy image was instantly back in full force. He snapped his fan shut, elegantly swept the hair out of his face, and asked dramatically, "Where?"

He didn't see any girl—but he sure heard the other four howling with laughter.

Zhang Chenggong: "..."

I bare my soul to you, and you play me for a fool.

Zhang Chenggong heard his own heart crack.

He gritted his teeth, red-faced with embarrassment and fury, and lunged at Chen Shuoan. "Where the hell would a girl come from in a private booth?! Chen Shuoan, I'm gonna kill you today!"

Chen Shuoan burst out laughing and ducked behind Zheng Yuanzhi.

After all that ruckus, everyone was naturally starving, so they called for the waiter to bring out the food.

Qin Zhonglian was going for the last meatball when he watched it get snatched right off his chopsticks and vanish into that thief Li Wei's mouth.

Qin Zhonglian: "..."

Damn it. These bastards were a bunch of shameless animals.

Li Wei was feeling mighty proud of himself. Seeing Qin Zhonglian's face full of curses he couldn't seem to spit out, he chewed on the meat and mumbled, "Naughty boy, your young master here has to hand-feed you."

With that, he picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a huge wad of leafy greens, and plopped it into Qin Zhonglian's bowl, watching with satisfaction as Qin Zhonglian's face turned just as green as the veggies.

Then, with zero fear of death, he added, "Don't be ungrateful."

Zheng Yuanzhi, sitting across from him, finally snapped. Veins bulging on his forehead, he furiously wiped the bits of meat that Li Wei, that little brat, had sprayed all over his face, and said through gritted teeth, his face ashen, "Even eating can't shut that damn mouth of yours. If you spray shit all over me again, I'll sew your damn mouth shut."

Before Zheng Yuanzhi could finish his scolding, Qin Zhonglian, who'd had it with Li Wei for a while now, cracked his knuckles with a soft "pop." He reached out, grabbed Li Wei by the collar, and yanked him close, grinning darkly. "Then let your young master here teach you how to spell 'ungrateful.'"

Chen Shuoan and Zhang Chenggong were loving the show—this tense, explosive atmosphere was the perfect appetizer.

By the time the five of them finally finished their meal, the show downstairs was about to start.

Li Wei, who'd just been thoroughly put in his place, mysteriously sidled up to Chen Shuoan and said, "The guys running these shows are all Hu people. I saw one on the street yesterday—about as tall as my family's front gate, built like a bull."

"Hu people? They've come all the way to the Central Plains?"

Chen Shuoan was full of surprise.

"Nothing to be shocked about. Trade between the two regions has boomed in recent years, and Shuobei was the first place the court opened up to the Hu. And since the start of this year, a handful of them have slowly trickled into the capital," Qin Zhonglian explained. "But they can't stay long—these folks should be leaving in a few days."

No wonder so many people showed up for today's show.

Chen Shuoan understood and focused his attention on waiting for the show to begin.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted from downstairs. Chen Shuoan craned his neck to look down.

Well, well—today's main attraction had arrived.

It was a massive black bear. Its huge snout was an unhealthy shade of red, and its eyes were bloodshot as it bared its teeth at the crowd below.

The bear's fur was thick and glossy, its head broad with a jutting jaw, its neck short and thick, ears small, eyes beady, and its limbs powerful. Its paws were wide and thick, making it look utterly formidable.

Zhang Chenggong couldn't help but shudder at the sight, rambling nervously, "What if it doesn't mean any harm but doesn't know its own strength? What if it just wants to pat me, but one swipe and I'm dead?"

Chen Shuoan patted his shoulder to reassure him, then offered comfort: "What do we do? We give you a big fancy funeral, local style."

Zhang Chenggong: "...Screw you."

Chen Shuoan settled into the soft cushion and started talking out of his ass. "This kind of bear is actually shy and pretty friendly to people—it doesn't bite. Slowly bring the back of your hand near its mouth, and usually, once it gets a whiff of you, you're good. If it does bite, then I guess I was wrong."

Zheng Yuanzhi: "..."

Zhang Chenggong: "..."

Qin Zhonglian: "..."

Li Wei: "..."

So speechless. Last time I was this speechless was... last time.

"Truly, listening to you talk is like listening to a whole lot of nothing." Li Wei said, as if a light bulb went off.

Zhang Chenggong had an epiphany after hearing that and even started connecting the dots: "You can tell right away that Shuo'an was just kidding. Everyone should stay far away from wild beasts in daily life. Don't think the odds of getting attacked by a fierce beast are low—danger's lurking right next to you. Think back to the injuries Zheng Yuanzhi once suffered—always remind yourself to guard against trouble before it happens."

Zheng Yuanzhi: "..."

Get bitten by a wolf once, and a dog will nag you about it for life.