The Greatest Cruelty in the World

Chen Xu sat where he was, listening to the Rat Demon's shrill voice, and felt an icy chill shoot straight up his spine.

Lin Qi carried an evil aura. He was no good person?

Chen Xu kept his expression calm, but his mind raced.

If his current [Cursed by Misfortune] state had indeed been caused by some petty villain, then according to the Rat Demon, could that villain be Lin Qi standing before him?

They had been classmates for years. Chen Xu truly did not want to think ill of his friend over a few words from a demon, but no matter what, there was no harm in being cautious at a time like this.

Chen Xu's thoughts whirled, and a bitter expression immediately appeared on his face. He sighed. "Brother Muxian, that person you mentioned may be a famous physician, but with my leg injured to this extent, can even a famous physician truly cure it?

"I should let you know, Brother: the greatest cruelty in the world is nothing more than gaining hope, only to lose it in the blink of an eye. Call me a coward if you wish, but I will not seek treatment for this leg today."

"This..." Lin Qi had never expected Chen Xu to refuse him for such a reason, and for a moment, he was left speechless.

Only after a while did he find his voice again. He hurriedly urged, "Why must you be like this, worthy brother? That famous physician is a recluse of the Northern School. Ordinarily, one can scarcely catch sight of him, and he will not remain in Jichuan County for long. If you miss today, it will be difficult for you to see him again!"

Chen Xu merely shook his head, his expression resolute, looking as though grief had surpassed death itself. He said flatly, "Brother Muxian need not persuade me further. If I miss it, then let it be my fate."

Fate!

When had Chen Xu ever been someone willing to bow to fate?

Yet as he spoke, he carefully observed the changes in Lin Qi's expression without revealing a trace.

The anxiety, helplessness, and even anger on Lin Qi's face all seemed entirely genuine and reasonable.

"Brother Chen truly will not go?"

"I will not!"

"Even if it destroys your future and leaves you with no chance to turn your life around, you still will not go?"

"I will not."

"What if I knock you out and carry you there?"

"Brother Lin must be joking."

"You... sigh! Chen Xu, Chen Xu, you truly are...!"

Lin Qi flicked his sleeve and rose, striding out of the kitchen.

At first, his footsteps were hurried and heavy. Then they gradually slowed. In the end, they stopped beside the courtyard gate.

With his back to Chen Xu, Lin Qi's silhouette seemed filled with helplessness and desolation.

Every gesture was nearly flawless.

But was he truly without flaws?

No. The subtle shifts in a person's expression were difficult to control.

When Lin Qi had just spoken of knocking Chen Xu unconscious, his eyes had turned bloodshot and his gaze had suddenly deepened. The faint greed within them was almost exactly the same as Old Madam Lai's expression whenever she mentioned egg pancakes!

At that instant, the words from his dream that morning suddenly flashed through Chen Xu's mind: Unenviable Sheep, Bone Rot.

Terror crawled through his chest. Chen Xu gripped his cane tightly, slowly rose to his feet, and followed Lin Qi to the courtyard gate, determined to carry the act through to the end.

Lin Qi turned around. The two scholars met each other's eyes as the cold wind of early spring suddenly swept through the courtyard.

Just as the atmosphere was about to plummet, Chen Xu abruptly raised his hand and slammed open the courtyard gate, then gestured outside.

"Brother Lin, I shall see you off. Please!"

Creak—

At the same time, the gate of the eastern neighbor's courtyard suddenly opened a crack.

The sound of Chen Xu opening his gate had alerted Old Madam Lai, who loved nothing more than prying into gossip!

Old Madam Lai's gray-haired head quietly poked through the crack. Curiosity gleamed in her cloudy eyes as she looked over.

Lin Qi's expression changed at once, and he revealed a helpless smile. "Very well. Nothing should be forced, indeed. Worthy brother, please go back inside. Take good care of yourself. I will visit you another day."

With that, he cupped his hands in farewell, turned, and strode away.

Old Madam Lai's eyes rolled curiously for a while. Only after Lin Qi's figure had completely vanished did she ask Chen Xu, "Scholar Chen, was that your classmate? He wore silk and jade. Wasn't he much wealthier and more distinguished than you?"

Chen Xu quietly let out a breath. His palm was drenched in sweat around the cane.

He had deliberately opened the gate with force just now to draw Old Madam Lai over with her curiosity.

Lin Qi's immediate retreat meant either that he had not yet intended to tear all pretenses apart with Chen Xu, or that he feared his reputation and the established order and did not dare tear all pretenses apart at this moment.

Either way, it proved that even if Lin Qi possessed some sinister methods, those methods should be limited. He was not utterly impossible to contend with.

Of course, while one could despise the enemy strategically, one had to take the enemy seriously tactically.

A powerful sense of crisis had already enveloped Chen Xu's heart. He immediately fobbed Old Madam Lai off with a few words, shut the courtyard gate, and hurried back into the kitchen.

He now possessed three talents, and the most crucial one at present was: [I Become Stronger Whenever Diners Praise Me]!

The Cauldron Scripture prompted:

[1. For every 10 praises gathered from diners, my Vital Blood can increase by +1]

[2. Upon accumulating 100 praises, the Essence Gate and Spirit Gate can be unlocked]

[3. Upon accumulating 1000 praises, the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll can be unlocked]

Chen Xu decided that he needed to immediately expand his group of diners. His short-term goal: gather one hundred praises at once!

In the kitchen, Chen Xu thought over what he should do next while clearing away the bowls and chopsticks from the small table.

There was still half a pot of rice porridge left, while all the egg pancakes had been eaten. Chen Xu simply took out every egg and all the flour in the kitchen and fried another thirty pancakes.

He took out the bowl the Rat Demon had used the previous night and specifically filled it with a bowl of porridge. He also set aside five egg pancakes, then cut the remaining twenty-five into small pieces and packed them into a basket.

The basket was covered with steaming cloth. Carrying it, Chen Xu left Ping'an Alley.

He walked slowly with his cane. When he reached South Market Street, he lifted the cloth and handed out egg pancakes to the street vendors.

He began with the Tofu Beauty at the street entrance.

Fourth Daughter Rong's almond eyes slanted upward, and her crisp voice carried the boldness of a market woman. "Oh? What's this? The scholar from Ping'an Alley has stopped studying? Are you planning to change trades and become a cook?"

The others burst into laughter. Chen Xu kept a straight face and made up a story. "The sages said that the five flavors within a cauldron are like the Five Flavors of Life, and that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.

"This humble one is dull-witted and has struggled to understand their meaning, so I thought of a clumsy method. Why not use the smoke and fire of this mortal world to interpret the five flavors of life?

"Madam Rong, have a taste. If you find this egg pancake acceptable, simply trade me a small piece of tofu for it. If you find it unpleasant, then consider the egg pancake a gift from me to Madam Rong."

The moment he opened with "the sages said," he stunned everyone into silence.

The common folk of this era still admired scholars. They said that of all pursuits, only study stood above the rest. Ordinary people found it difficult to see farther afield; they only knew to hold official rank and scholarly achievement in awe.

Chen Xu's leg was lame and he looked utterly downcast. Carrying a basket through the streets and giving food away would inevitably have invited contempt.

But he had begun with two "famous sayings." Who would dare look down on him so casually now?

Fourth Daughter Rong dared even less. She hurriedly wiped her callused hands on her apron, picked up a piece of egg pancake, and cautiously put it into her mouth.

Then her eyes widened.

"H-how can it be this delicious?"

[Praise +1]

Fourth Daughter Rong's face was full of disbelief, and she blurted out, "Heavens! It's even tastier than the pancake my dead man secretly snatched from his mother's pot for me ten years ago!"