Stall Owner

Slurp!

Chen Wu took another slurp of the noodles in his bowl before replying, "People from the authorities. It's nothing, just a small matter."

Ever since he parted on bad terms with Zhang Iron Ruler this morning, spies had been tailing him the moment he stepped out of the inn. It seemed that under the pressure of a promotion, the "Iron Ruler Silver Fox" Chief Inspector Zhang was highly efficient.

"So you are an expert from the underworld, my apologies," the girl said while eating her noodles.

The underworld? An assassin... that was indeed the underworld.

Chen Wu's mind raced for a moment before he caught on, looking up to ask, "Aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid of what?" Her chopsticks flew, and in the blink of an eye, the bowl of noodles had vanished.

Chen Wu was genuinely stunned; this girl's speed at eating noodles far surpassed his own, almost like a gale sweeping away fallen leaves.

Seeming to notice the odd look in Chen Wu's eyes, the girl across from him paused her chopsticks slightly and picked up a second bowl of noodles. "I practice external martial arts, and my technique is quite unique, so my appetite is larger than most people's."

"I didn't expect you to be an expert, no wonder you aren't afraid of a man like me from the underworld."

The girl's chopsticks didn't stop. "I wouldn't call myself an expert; I just practice to strengthen my body. When I was young, a fortune teller said I had a congenital deficiency and was fated to die young. External martial arts focus heavily on qi, blood, and the physical body, so my parents had me practice to replenish my vitality. I never expected to actually get the hang of it."

Gulp. The second bowl went down, followed by a large swig of noodle broth. The girl finally looked up with a satisfied expression, revealing a fair, clean face. "Boss, these noodles are really good! The broth is fresh, and the noodles are chewy. Is it a secret recipe? I don't think I've seen it anywhere else."

The boss happened to be delivering six freshly grilled lamb skewers and smiled, squinting his eyes. "There's no secret recipe for the broth, it's just the way they make it in Yu Province. It's only the noodles that are my exclusive secret."

"I didn't know you'd been to Yu Province, Boss." The girl took the skewers.

"I've spent my whole life huddled by the Yellow River, how could I ever go to Yu Province?" The boss shook his head. "Actually, it was a nephew of mine who got into the Sea-Pacifying Palace. One of his classmates was from Yu Province and taught him the method for boiling beef noodle broth."

"When my nephew first went to the Sea-Pacifying Palace, I even gave him some travel money. When he came back on holiday, he taught me the method. I tried it, and oh, this broth is really something. I use beef bones from Jincheng Prefecture to boil the soup, add my own unique noodles, and that's how this bowl came to be."

Mentioning the nephew who got into the Sea-Pacifying Palace, the boss's face beamed with pride, and he couldn't help but ramble a bit more.

Sea-Pacifying Palace? Wasn't that the place Guo Xuchu mentioned when he introduced himself? Why did it require an exam?

"What is the Sea-Pacifying Palace?" Chen Wu asked subconsciously.

At these words, the girl's movements slowed, her brows knitting together in such surprise that Chen Wu felt like finding an iron to smooth them out.

"How could you not know that?" the girl's voice rose. "Don't tell me you're one of those characters from a novel who hides in the deep mountains and forests to train, only coming out after you've mastered your martial arts?"

"Hahaha, little girl, you must be from a big city, right?" Before Chen Wu could decide how to answer, the stall owner laughed first.

"If my nephew hadn't gotten in, I wouldn't have known what the Sea-Pacifying Palace was either. Out here in the Northwest, we don't have the quick news of the big cities; there are many uneducated folks here, and we don't see much of the world."

Damn, I'm a 985 university graduate, and I've been labeled uneducated in an instant.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm from the countryside," Chen Wu said, trying his best to play the part of an uneducated man.

The girl across from him sized Chen Wu up, a flash of cunning crossing her face, and she continued eating her skewers without pause. "Hmm, then let me tell you about it."

"The Sea-Pacifying Palace, just like the Great Shun Academy of Sciences, was established sixty years ago during the Great Shun's voyages to the West... mmm, this meat is really good... almost all the high-ranking officials in the Great Shun Navy come from the Sea-Pacifying Palace. As the saying goes, 'First there was the Sea-Pacifying Palace, then there were the Great Shun warships.'"

"Anyone who gets into the Sea-Pacifying Palace, even if they just coast through and wait for retirement, can at least become a Navy Colonel based on their graduation grades and seniority. If they have even a little bit of talent, becoming a general is no problem at all."

"There's a Navy Admiral in Jincheng Prefecture, and I only just found out he came from the Sea-Pacifying Palace too," the stall owner added. "I never realized my nephew was so capable."

The stall owner, now in high spirits, pointed toward the Iron Bridge. "That Iron Bridge, see it? That was built by that Navy Admiral."

Wow. He knew Guo Xuchu had a strong background, but he didn't realize it was this strong. Right, Qiao Weisheng had said that the students Guo Xuchu taught had become Navy Admirals.

Chen Wu felt a sense of awe, but it didn't stop him from offering some polite pleasantries. "Congratulations, Boss. When your nephew makes it big in the future, you can just wait to bask in his glory."

The old man's face blossomed with a smile, but he waved his hand. "What glory would I bask in? It's his parents who will enjoy the real benefits. I'll be satisfied if, when I'm running my stall in the future, fewer people come here to cause trouble..."

"Boss, the lamb is great! Give me another six skewers, I want to take them to go." The girl placed six copper coins on the table, cutting the boss off.

The stall owner immediately collected the money and served the skewers, his movements smooth and practiced.

Seeing that there was only one skewer left on the boss's charcoal grill, Chen Wu suddenly felt an urge. He placed a ten-wen copper coin on the table, took the last skewer, and walked straight toward the spy not far away.

The spy had been pretending to admire the scenery, but seeing Chen Wu walk straight toward him, he looked nervous, one hand involuntarily clutching his worn-out sheepskin coat.

That acting is terrible!

Chen Wu found it amusing, handing over the skewer. "You've been following me for most of the day, brother. You've worked hard."

The spy was dumbfounded, about to raise his hand but stopping short. Chen Wu didn't say anything more; he shoved the skewer into the man's hand and turned to walk toward the Yellow River Iron Bridge, leaving the man staring blankly behind him.

"Heh, you're quite kind-hearted." A laugh reached his ears. Chen Wu didn't need to turn around to know it was the girl from earlier.

Ever since Monk Zhongcheng pointed out that the sensation of qi Chen Wu felt was a method of focusing the spirit, Chen Wu had been actively controlling it. Even though he couldn't see her, he followed the sensation of her qi, and her image appeared in his mind.

"The man is just trying to earn a living, it's nothing shameful," Chen Wu laughed. "Why should we working folk make things difficult for other working folk?"

The girl caught up, eating the skewer as she walked. "Hmm, you're quite an interesting person. The things you say don't sound like someone from the underworld at all."

"Is there really a 'way' that someone from the underworld is supposed to sound?"

"The underworld expert 'Maitreya Descended' Qi Lin is known as the leader of the world's profound arts, with countless followers in the White Lotus Sect, and even the Imperial Court fears him. Yet, three years ago, he was defeated by the 'Star-Pulling Sword' Guo Xuchu of the Sea-Pacifying Palace, and the White Lotus Sect has been quiet ever since." The girl's tone suddenly turned sharp. "After such a great battle, for someone to claim they are an underworld figure while knowing nothing about it—and even having to ask others about the Sea-Pacifying Palace—is quite suspicious."

Ah, this... she's ambushing me here!

"I'm from the countryside, I really don't know anything about the Sea-Pacifying Palace," Chen Wu played dumb to the end.

"Fine then," the girl stopped pressing. "Let me ask you something else."

"Do you know how to get to the office of the Jincheng Industry Promotion Gazette? The address says it's at the first household, second plaque, third ward, West Gate Main Street, Jincheng Prefecture."

"What are you going there for?"

"I wrote a few articles for them, and now I'm going to collect my payment."

"I read that paper too. What kind of articles did you write?"

It wouldn't be that trashy romance novel Legend of Dayu'er, would it? Chen Wu thought to himself, keeping the second half of his retort to himself.

"There's one called 'On the Great Harm of the Hen Crowning at Dawn.' Have you read it?"

What?! Chen Wu stopped in his tracks and looked at the young woman beside him, eyeing her askance.

The article from yesterday that attacked women for showing their faces in public was actually written by her! What kind of logic was this? She was so ruthless she was even attacking herself.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" The young woman's expression turned sly once more. "Jincheng Prefecture is located in the northwest, where the social customs are conservative. Writing articles of this nature makes it easier to get published."

"Why do that?"

"Sigh, the travel allowance provided by the Academy of Sciences this time is too meager. I've always had a large appetite, and it simply doesn't last, so I had to find a way to make ends meet."

"Earning a bit of meal money is nothing to be ashamed of!" Beneath her bamboo hat, the young woman smiled like a fox that had just stolen a chicken.

"You are both scholarly and martial, Miss. I am impressed!" Chen Wu didn't quite know what to say, so he changed the subject. "I'm not entirely sure of the exact address of the newspaper office, but if you go straight past the Iron Bridge, the first city gate you see will be the West Gate. You can ask for directions once you get there."

"Many thanks, brother!" The young woman cupped her hands in a salute. As Chen Wu watched her go, she swayed her slender figure and headed toward the West Gate.

She hadn't walked more than two steps before she stopped, turned around, and said, "Meeting today is fate. May I ask your name, brother?"

"This Humble One is Chen Wu."

"Chen Wu, I've remembered you!" The young woman turned back around and continued into the distance. "Since a underworld figure like you has already been targeted by the authorities, the day you face justice likely isn't far off. For the sake of today's encounter, I shall be the one to collect your corpse at the execution ground."

"No need to trouble yourself, Miss! This Humble One's delicate skin and tender flesh couldn't withstand the ministrations of an external-style martial arts expert like you." Chen Wu retorted immediately.

"Hahaha." The young woman didn't look back, her laughter undiminished. "My name is Wang Zhenyi. When you get caught by the authorities, don't you dare sell me out. Otherwise, I won't collect your corpse after all."

Wang Zhenyi...

Chen Wu couldn't recall the name.

He still couldn't recall where his weapon was.

Returning to the inn, Chen Wu greeted Old Ma and went back to his room. He lay on the bed, mentally calculating the assassination scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

Guo Xuchu, right, Old Jin would handle him. Zhang Zhihe, no problem, Monk Zhongcheng would hold him off. When the time came, Chen Wu only needed to deal with the match-fixing Qiao Weisheng and strike him in the left chest... strike the left chest... wait!

Chen Wu sat up abruptly from the bed.

Only then did Chen Wu realize a critical point: apart from that Dezhang Year Two Model revolver, he didn't have a single suitable weapon. He couldn't exactly shoot Master Qiao in the left chest when the time came.

This wasn't normal! Even that Dezhang Year Two Model had been bought by Old Ma just two days ago. Since he had transmigrated, he had been an assassin without a single weapon by his side.

After Chen Wu transmigrated, he had been single-mindedly focused on the idea that "within seven steps, a gun is fast and accurate," preparing to give the experts of this world a little "revolver shock," and had completely overlooked this detail.

Yet, no matter how hard he racked his brain, he simply could not remember what weapon he used, or where it had gone.