Coleman's Mishap

"Oh, sister, why are you here?"

Just as she reached the doorway, the woman looked in surprise at another woman busy in the open-air kitchen.

This was Xier, the woman's own sister.

"What, is Xiya not happy to see her sister?"

Holding a spatula in her hand, Xier teased with a smile.

"And why did you go out all by yourself? You're still pregnant, how dangerous!"

As she spoke, she hurried over to help her walk.

At the same time, she also noticed the little boy, Coleman, standing nearby.

She signaled to her sister with her eyes, asking why she had brought a child back from her walk.

Xiya noticed her sister's gaze, looked at Coleman, and blinked.

"He is a friend of Mr. Ku'er Ya, little Coleman. He came over to buy some sweet cakes."

Xiya briefly explained how this little white-haired boy had arrived.

While explaining, she pushed Xier toward the courtyard, signaling to Coleman with her eyes to come inside.

Upon hearing the word "sweet cakes," Xier's eyes lit up.

"That's perfect! I just baked some, he can take those. No need for money, they're just cakes; if a child likes them, he should take plenty!"

Hearing her sister say this, Xiya's expression turned complex for a moment, but she forced down the words of refusal.

She spoke reluctantly, "Oh, sister, I love your cakes, but just let little Coleman take the ones Carter made!"

Carter, Xiya's husband, was the man currently chopping wood in the yard.

Hearing his name, the man instinctively turned his head to look for his wife.

He wiped the sweat from his brow with the towel draped over his shoulder, looking at his wife with some confusion.

What happened? Why call me?

Years of marriage allowed the two to communicate simply without words.

He stared as Xiya blinked and gestured at him.

Following her gaze, he realized it was about the cakes his sister-in-law had made.

He couldn't help but gasp inwardly.

His sister-in-law was great at everything in the kitchen, except when it came to sweet cakes—she would dump in an insane amount of sugar.

After making them, she never ate them herself, instead enthusiastically giving them away.

Because the people in the tribe were tactful, no one had ever explicitly told Xier that her cakes were too sweet, only offering gentle hints.

But this honest and carefree sister never understood the subtext of the tribespeople.

Instead, she was convinced her cakes were delicious!

Every few days, she would run over to their house to borrow the large pot to make them.

These cakes definitely couldn't be given to a guest!

They would be choked by the sweetness!

Besides, if his sister accidentally found out her cooking wasn't good, wouldn't that crush the enthusiasm of someone who had recently become so passionate about cooking?

No, no, he had to find a way to stop her!

The Kurta people, generous, honest, and kind, would never crush someone's enthusiasm, nor would they mistreat a guest.

He first welcomed his wife inside, supporting her as he spoke to Xier.

"Indeed, Xiya has been very fond of your cakes lately, but I happened to make some as well. Why don't we let our little guest take the ones I made instead?"

If you eat too many of those cakes of yours, you'll get sick!

Watching the three of them politely deferring to one another, Coleman felt like laughing.

What a simple and kind group of people.

From the few words exchanged between the couple, Coleman had already realized that the cakes made by this sister probably weren't very good.

But the couple's tact and subtlety, combined with the sister's obliviousness, all made Coleman want to laugh.

How should he put it? It was actually quite cute.

But this shouldn't be the reaction of a race targeted by the black market toward an outsider.

They should be vigilant and alert.

Instead, they were letting him in without a shred of suspicion.

If things continued like this, when Ku'er Ya decided he no longer wanted to deal with this mess, it would be very difficult for these people to escape a fatal disaster.

Money makes the world go round.

The Scarlet Eyes, after all, were not cheap.

It was hard to say whether some villain might not take a desperate risk.

"Ah, please don't argue, ladies and gentlemen. I'll just take a little bit of each, alright?"

With a smile, Coleman tried to smooth things over, appearing somewhat helpless.

As the gazes of the three were drawn to him, Coleman blinked.

He bowed like a little gentleman, then spread his hands, feigning innocence: "I am very sorry to disturb you. But my father asked me to return quickly, so..."

He offered an apologetic smile and scratched his head, pretending to be embarrassed.

Xier slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing.

That was true; with a kid like this, his family wouldn't be comfortable letting him stay out for too long.

Thinking this, he spoke while walking: "Wait here, I'll go get you some flatbread!"

Taking the steps two at a time, he picked out a piece of bread at the perfect temperature and handed it to Coleman.

"Want to try it?"

At this, his younger sister Xiya and brother-in-law Carter watched Coleman nervously.

They felt that something was terribly wrong.

But there was no way to stop it; they could only watch as the child ate the bread.

Coleman, prepared for it to taste awful, took a bite.

High-concentration honey melted in his mouth, surprisingly sweet.

But for Coleman, it was still lacking a bit.

It wasn't as sweet as the Quantang coffee he brewed himself.

Nor was it as sweet as the cake his mother made.

Still, the taste wasn't bad; it barely met his standards.

However, Illumi probably wouldn't be able to eat this. He hoped that whatever that man made wouldn't be this sweet.

If it were still this sweet... Coleman wouldn't save any for Illumi.

Anyway, he wouldn't eat it, so it might as well all go into Coleman's stomach.

Hmm, in that case, he would buy his brother that brand of chocolate wafers he liked best on the way.

He could also pick up some desserts or something similar.

Having planned his fallback in his mind, he didn't stop eating.

In just a few bites, the sugary bread was finished, and Coleman wore a beaming smile.

"Mmm, it's delicious!"

With unsparing praise, Coleman said with a smile: "Could you help me pack some up? I think my brother would like it too."

"Of course, of course you can!"

Xier was overjoyed to be complimented by the child!

He felt that finally, someone was able to appreciate his food.

Honestly, he had offered to make it for them, yet their expressions had been so reluctant.

It was clearly delicious!

"Brother, may I take some of your bread back as well?"

Asking kindly, Coleman added: "I can pay a certain amount of gold coins to purchase them."

The man was stunned, then laughed: "Of course you can, but there's no need for money. This stuff isn't worth much."

"No, no, no. As long as something has been processed, it has its value, because it contains the effort and emotion poured into it by the maker."

They were priceless, but for the sake of market circulation, people had to agree on a standard to allow products to flow.

The man thought for a moment and didn't dwell on the matter with Coleman.

He decided that when the child offered the money, he simply wouldn't take it.

"Follow me, I'll go pack some for you."

"Sister Xier, you should pack some too; the kid likes it."

Xier was, of course, willing; even without Carter saying anything more, he went off to pack it happily.

As for Xiya, who was tired from walking, she was helped to a chair by Carter to rest.

Carter beckoned, signaling for Coleman to follow.

After a few turns, the two entered the house.

Carter left his back exposed to Coleman without a hint of caution.

Coleman had no ulterior motives; he simply waited quietly.

His mind uncontrollably began to wander.

Just as he was about to drift off into a daydream, he suddenly remembered Ku'er Ya's request.

After a moment of contemplation, Coleman decided to offer a bit of advice.

After all, relying on the charity of others was never as reliable as having strength of one's own.

No one could guarantee that a promise would always be kept.

After all, no one knew whether an accident or tomorrow would arrive first.

"Big brother."

"Hm?"

"Do you know about the black market?"

This word made Carter, the assistant to the clan leader, stiffen.

"Ah, I've heard of it."

Responding with a calm exterior, Carter felt his palms begin to sweat slightly.

"Then you should know, it's recommended to keep your guard up here."

Speaking lazily, Coleman let out a yawn.

"..."

"That guy Ku'er Ya has already killed no fewer than ten waves of people."

"..."

"You have to realize that the protection of others is limited, after all."

Carter remained silent, unsure if he was trying to evade the topic.

Coleman shrugged and said with a smile.

"Honestly, I already took a stroll around the village an hour ago, but unfortunately, not a single person here discovered me."

In other words, the entire village had failed to notice an intruder!

This was a very dangerous situation.

If this person wanted to stir up trouble, it would be effortless.

Watching the completely frozen Carter, Coleman walked over slowly.

His smile remained, and his movements were still polite.

Refined and gentlemanly.

He was no different from when he had first walked in.

The only person who had changed was the man himself.

Standing on his tiptoes, he took the packaged food box.

Coleman tossed a bag of gold coins onto the table casually.

"Consider this payment. Thank you for the biscuits; they were truly delicious."

With that, Coleman walked out, no longer caring about the man's reaction.

Carter did not go out; for a split second just now, he had felt the child's killing intent.

It was only for an instant, but it had rendered him unable to move!

Terrifying, unbelievable.

Sweat streamed down his face, his eyes filled with panic.

He wanted to move his feet, but he found that he had already been frozen stiff by fear, unable to budge.

But the thought that his wife might be in danger occupied the man's mind, and he began to struggle with all his might to control his body.

Having finally managed to drag himself to the doorway, he saw the child making his wife and sister laugh happily.

The smile on his wife's face was one Carter rarely saw himself.

This meant his wife was truly happy.

From a distance, Carter noticed that after taking the biscuits, the child bowed politely before leaving with grace.

He looked just like an ordinary young master from a noble family out for a stroll.

Finally, after seeing Coleman leave with his own eyes, Carter could no longer hold on; his body went limp, and he slid to the floor.

He gasped for air, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Who exactly was this child?

Had he come over just to offer a warning?

Meanwhile, Coleman, who had already left the territory of the Kurta Clan, didn't have so many thoughts.

The most important thing for him now was to find Illumi.

After all, he had only written on the note that he would be gone for three days.

Three and a half days had already passed. Even by bus, it would take until noon on the fourth day to reach the Heavens Arena.

Thinking of this, Coleman felt a pang in his jaw.

His brother probably wouldn't punish him, right?

Ah, probably.

He could only hope so...

. You are reading Hunter x Hunter: Ultimate Elegance by the great Miao Shijiu.