Breakfast Is on Me

Qin He did not have any particularly deep impression of Horse Butcher. After all, he had only been at the Corpse Burning Facility for half a month.

Just then, Xu Changshou emerged from Room Number Two carrying an ash bucket. Faint heat still rose from it.

"Sir, whose ashes are these?" Qin He asked curiously.

Xu Changshou tapped the ash bucket with the saber at his waist. "The corpse Horse Butcher burned."

"Then Horse Butcher..."

"Who knows how he died? His whole body had rotted away." Xu Changshou shook his head. Horse Butcher had been one of the most capable Corpse Burners at the facility. He had handled several rather unusual corpses without any trouble.

Now that he was dead, finding another capable Corpse Burner would become a problem.

The Corpse Burning Facility had performance standards too. It did not matter how many Corpse Burners died when things went wrong, but if a corpse escaped and caused trouble, that was another matter entirely.

Like when that Mutated Corpse attacked Lord Liu's nephew last time.

Thinking of that, Xu Changshou could not help glancing at Qin He again.

It seemed that a rather sinister female corpse in red had been assigned to this fool last night.

Hah, and he was still alive.

Good thing.

The more Xu Changshou looked at Qin He, the more pleasing he found him. He asked, "Have you eaten this morning?"

"This one was planning to buy steamed buns after collecting his copper coins," Qin He answered honestly.

"Keep your copper coins. Eat with me this time."

"N-No, how could I let you spend money on me, sir?" Qin He froze for a moment, then hurriedly waved his hands.

"Enough nonsense. Move it." Xu Changshou shot Qin He a glare and left with the ash bucket.

Qin He was utterly baffled. He could not figure out why Xu Changshou was treating him to a meal. It was far too unexpected.

Ordinarily, let alone treating him to food, they would not even spare him a proper glance.

Qin He could hardly be blamed for being confused. There were two reasons for this: one was Xu Changshou's personality, and the other was what had happened recently.

First, his personality. Perhaps because his ancestors had once been wealthy, Xu Changshou was rather unconventional when it came to making friends.

Other people made friends with those who could benefit them, those who could bring them advantages—preferably the rich and powerful sort. But Xu Changshou was not like that.

He never looked at such things when making friends. What did he look at? His mood.

If he was in a good mood today and saw a fisherman by the Grand Canal who seemed amusing, he would hop aboard the boat and learn to fish from him. Once strangers, twice acquaintances, and just like that, a friend was made.

Tomorrow, he might see a street performer whose tricks were wonderfully entertaining. He would go over, treat him to a meal, and make a friend.

The day after tomorrow, he might hear that the Tofu Beauty widow at the mouth of the alley had caught a chill. He would run over in the dead of night to help her grind tofu, only to be driven out by Tofu Beauty with a shoulder pole. Well, that friendship did not work out.

That was simply the kind of man he was.

He loved making friends and had made quite a few, all according to his mood.

Was that personality good? It was. Why? Because he lived happily.

But it was not good, either. Why? Making so many friends cost money. He had spent years in business, and all the money he earned had gone where? Into wining and dining with friends, of course.

Xu Changshou simply felt that Qin He suited his eye.

Never mind that Qin He had saved him when burning the assistant minister's nephew a few days ago. Qin He's looks alone were quite good.

Though he was blackened by smoke and fire, almost like a beggar, he was full of spirit. His back was straight, his eyes bright, completely unlike the other Corpse Burners, who looked like walking corpses.

Xu Changshou liked people who were different. Different people were interesting.

As for the second reason, that had to do with what had happened recently.

Xu Changshou used to spend his night shifts drinking and eating with the other three guards on duty. But ever since learning that those three were in league with one another and might push him out to take the blame and face punishment one day, it was already good enough that he had not stabbed them with a knife. How could he still be in the mood to eat and drink with them?

Yet he happened to like having someone to chat with while eating. Otherwise, his throat would not open and he could not swallow.

There was no one else around today, and Qin He looked rather pleasing to him. Fine, Qin He it was.

And so, the two left the Corpse Burning Facility and arrived at the busiest market street by the Grand Canal.

"Sir, what are we eating?"

Qin He tucked both hands into his sleeves and followed close behind Xu Changshou, step for step.

Though he had gained quite a few abilities by now, and Xu Changshou might not even be stronger than him, Qin He still felt somewhat uneasy around him.

It could not be helped. Although the guards at the Corpse Burning Facility were lowly Clerks, they held the Corpse Burners' lives in their hands. If they disliked someone, they could assign him the most troublesome corpse. Within ten days, he would surely die.

Qin He had yet to straighten out that knot in his heart.

Xu Changshou turned around with a grin. "The tofu pudding and fermented mung bean milk at the alley entrance taste very good, and the scenery is nice too. I'll treat you to that."

Qin He did not know what Xu Changshou was grinning about, but he thought tofu pudding and fermented mung bean milk were not the sort of food that filled one's belly. If they ate that, he would probably still have to spend his own money on steamed buns, so he said, "Sir, how about I just have mixed-grain steamed buns? That's what I usually eat."

Xu Changshou was displeased the moment he heard that. Hah, was this little fool looking down on him or something?

Steamed buns made with half tree bark and half moldy flour—was that food for people? It was pig slop.

His temper flared. No tofu pudding, no scenery. Today, he had to broaden this foolish boy's horizons.

Tang's Restaurant, here they came!

Thus, the two arrived at Tang's Restaurant once more.

Tang's Restaurant was the same place where Qin He had eaten yesterday.

The proprietor, Tang Tiankui, and the waiter were slurping noodles when they spotted Qin He from afar. Oh, that gentleman who had eaten over sixty bowls of noodles yesterday was back.

Then they saw that another gentleman stood beside him: Master Xu from the Corpse Burning Facility.

Master Xu was a regular customer at Tang's Restaurant. Every few days, he would come here to treat friends to a meal.

Tang Tiankui politely welcomed Qin He and Xu Changshou into the restaurant and seated them separately.

"Gentlemen, what would you like?"

"The usual. And bring another pot of wine."

"Certainly. And for this gentleman?"

"I... I'll have noodles again." Qin He hesitated, not daring to order anything else.

"Noodles?"

Xu Changshou's face twitched when he heard that. Coming to a restaurant for noodles?

The proprietor would look down on him before long.

But he could not be bothered to say more. A little fool born among refugees probably did not know how to order anything else, so he said to Tang Tiankui, "Noodles it is, then. Give him a generous portion. Make sure he eats his fill."

"Rest assured, Master Xu. I just brought in two loads of flour yesterday. I guarantee this gentleman will eat his fill." Tang Tiankui beamed as though he had received an imperial decree and hurried away.

Xu Changshou was left staring for a long while, unable to understand why he was so happy.

Before long, the noodles arrived.

Tang Tiankui and the waiter carried them over together.

Good heavens, the thing holding those noodles looked so large that anyone unaware might think they were serving foot-washing water.

A huge basin filled to the brim with noodles topped with shredded meat.

Xu Changshou was so shocked his jaw dropped. Before he could speak, Tang Tiankui wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Qin He, "Sir, have this basin first to tide you over. I'll have the kitchen keep making more."

Xu Changshou: "..."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony, sir."

The food stirred Qin He's Corpse Eating Immortal Skill. His stomach growled with hunger. After offering an apology, he picked up his chopsticks and got to work.

"Slurp, slurp..."

Like a dragon drawing in water, Qin He sucked down that huge basin of noodles in a few mouthfuls. Xu Changshou did not even see him chew.

Xu Changshou stood dumbstruck. From childhood to adulthood, he had never seen anyone eat like this.

What came next shocked him even more.

The moment the first huge basin was emptied, Tang Tiankui and the waiter carried over another.

They were busy beyond measure.

The second basin was emptied.

Xu Changshou: "..."

The third basin was emptied.

Xu Changshou: "..."

The fourth basin was emptied.

Xu Changshou: "..."

The ninth basin.

The tenth basin.

Qin He finally let out a full belch. Scratching his head, he looked at Xu Changshou with some embarrassment. "Please forgive me, sir. This one has quite a large appetite, heh heh heh."