The Story of Stewed Beef in Clay Pot, Shop Smashed (Third Update)

"Come on, let's have some Stewed Beef in Clay Pot. It's especially tender and soft, and it tastes best with a little white rice!"

As a local of Eastsea City, Xie Xie took the initiative to suggest it.

"Okay!"

Long Yuan had already been hungry for a while.

When they entered the shop, quite a few people were already seated inside.

"Xie Xie, you seem so familiar with this place. Do you come here often to eat?"

Long Yuan asked curiously. By the time he had reached this part of the novel Dragon King, it had become so tedious that he could no longer keep reading.

He did not know the details of the later plot.

He only knew that, at the end, Gu Yuena had been pierced through by Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Spear.

He felt regretful for Gu Yuena and sympathized with her as well.

Gu Yuena probably had never expected that she would ultimately be pierced through by her own husband's Golden Dragon Spear.

"My mother used to love the Stewed Beef in Clay Pot here the most. I come here every so often!"

As he spoke, Xie Xie led the two of them to a table at the very back and sat down.

"Oh, Xie Xie's here! You brought friends too. The usual?"

The owner was a middle-aged man. Seeing Xie Xie, he greeted him warmly, excitement appearing on his face.

"Mm, thank you, Uncle Li!"

Xie Xie nodded with a smile.

Before long, three portions of Stewed Beef in Clay Pot, three bowls of white rice, and two vegetable side dishes were brought to the table together.

"It's your first time bringing friends here, so the side dishes are on the house!"

Uncle Li said quietly. He rubbed Xie Xie's head, treating him as affectionately as if he were his own nephew.

"Thank you, Uncle Li!"

Xie Xie nodded to the owner again. Xie Xie, who had always loved cleanliness and was even somewhat of a neat freak, actually did not avoid Uncle Li's hand.

Uncle Li ran a restaurant, and his hands looked a little greasy at the moment, yet Xie Xie did not mind at all.

Xie Xie's behavior overturned Long Yuan's understanding of him.

"Eat up!"

Xie Xie urged Long Yuan and Gu Yuena to dig in, and the three of them began enjoying the food.

After one bite, both Gu Yuena and Long Yuan revealed astonished expressions. It was truly delicious.

Having trained together for three months, the atmosphere between the three of them was now very harmonious and warm.

"Uncle Li, bring ten more portions!"

Xie Xie called out to Uncle Li, because he understood Long Yuan's appetite far too well.

He and Gu Yuena had only eaten a little, while Long Yuan had already finished his.

Seeing Xie Xie order another ten portions, Long Yuan scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed look.

Still, he did not stand on ceremony. Once he became stronger in the future, he would simply help Xie Xie as much as he could, whether in forging or cultivation.

"Xie Xie, thank you!"

Long Yuan thanked him sincerely. "Haha, your name is easy to confuse. Is it Xie Xie, or 'thank you'?"

Xie Xie gave a bitter smile, and his eyes actually reddened slightly at that moment. "My mother gave me this name. She told me that she chose it to express gratitude for her encounter with my father.

She said the happiest thing in her life was meeting my father, but..."

At this point, Xie Xie's eyes had already grown moist, and his expression became unpleasant.

"Your mother, she..."

Long Yuan suddenly recalled some plot details. Looking at Xie Xie, he asked.

"My father was always busy and had no time to be with my mother. Even when she was gravely ill, he was still running around outside. Before she died, she did not even get to see him one last time.

I'll never forget that night. My mother wept as she let go of my hand, her eyes full of regret. I hate my father. I hate him..."

By then, Xie Xie was already crying uncontrollably. He lay facedown on the table and sobbed.

Gu Yuena and Long Yuan were also affected by his emotions. They felt miserable, and tears welled up in their eyes.

"Sigh... Ever since his mother passed away, he's often come here alone. He's still so young, yet he carries such heavy worries. Please look after him more!"

Uncle Li brought over the new Stewed Beef in Clay Pot at that moment. After setting it down, he rubbed Xie Xie's head and sighed repeatedly.

Before long, Xie Xie gathered himself, and the three of them resumed enjoying their food.

After leaving the restaurant, the three of them ate their way from one end of Snack Street to the other.

Seeing how much Long Yuan could eat, both Gu Yuena and Xie Xie were utterly astonished.

This Big Eater—no wonder he was so strong.

"Huh? What's going on over there?"

Just as the three of them started heading back the way they had come, Gu Yue suddenly spoke up.

Long Yuan and Xie Xie looked toward the entrance of Snack Street at the same time.

There was some commotion there, with quite a crowd gathered around.

It seemed to be near the Stewed Beef in Clay Pot shop.

"Don't tell me something happened to Uncle Li's shop!"

Xie Xie frowned and rushed over.

"You can't do this! You can't! This is how I make a living!"

The moment they reached the back of the crowd, the three heard a mournful cry. It was Uncle Li's voice.

They squeezed through the gaps in the crowd and made their way to the front.

The chaotic scene before them made their hearts sink.

The stove outside the Stewed Beef in Clay Pot shop had already been overturned.

Clay pots lay shattered all over the ground.

Beef soup had spilled everywhere, flowing across the ground.

The rich scent of meat rose with the steam, while the ground was a complete mess.

Uncle Li was lying at the entrance of his shop, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

His face was bruised and swollen; he had clearly been beaten. Pain and fury filled his expression.

Across from Uncle Li stood three burly men, led by a bald man.

His arms were bare, and a dragon-shaped tattoo covered them.

The other two were also tall and powerfully built, with fierce expressions. One look was enough to tell they were no good.

"Li, a wise man knows when to yield. On this street, no one who refuses to pay protection money has been born yet. You keep stalling me every day—do you think I, Guang Long, am some beggar who has to come here every day to ask you for a little cash?"

"If it weren't for the fact that your Stewed Beef in Clay Pot is actually pretty good, I'd have crippled you long ago!"

Pointing at Uncle Li, the bald man spoke viciously, frightening Uncle Li into backing away again and again.

"If you still don't pay the protection money today, then don't even think about opening this shop again!"

The bald thug's gaze was icy.

Though many people had gathered around, no one dared to speak up.

These three were notorious bullies on this street. No one dared provoke them.

"Brother Guang Long, it's not that I won't pay the protection money. It's just that my wife is seriously ill. What I make every day isn't even enough for her treatment.

If you smash up my shop too, I won't have any money left to treat her. She might not survive!"

"How about this? Once my wife gets better, I'll pay you more from now on. What do you say?"

Uncle Li got to his feet and bowed to the bald thug, humbling himself in the hope that the other man would show mercy and spare him the protection fee out of pity for his situation.

"I don't care whether your wife is sick or not. She doesn't sleep with me, so what does her death have to do with me?

If you can't pay up today, then get the hell out. Don't take up this spot!"

As he spoke, the bald thug kicked the stove at the entrance over with one foot.

In an instant, the entire Stewed Beef in Clay Pot shop became even more of a mess.

Uncle Li let out a grief-stricken cry. "Guang Long, you've gone too far! I'll fight you to the death!"

He struggled to his feet and charged at Guang Long.

Guang Long lifted his leg and kicked him, sending Uncle Li sprawling with a single blow.

"Fight me to the death? Don't forget, I'm a Soul Master!

You're just an ordinary person. Even if there were ten of you, you still wouldn't be my match!"

"Does being a Soul Master mean you can bully people?"

Xie Xie's voice rang out as he rushed in front of Uncle Li and helped him up.