Chapter 10: Feeding

“Forget it; since you’re the first customer in our store, I won’t count the extra. I’ll throw in the extra ointment for you.” Tang Xin looked at a stack of bills in a good mood, happily sheathed her dagger, put on the scabbard, and stuffed a bamboo box into Wang Jiao’s pocket. “You’ve really taken advantage!”

Damn, using force to coerce him into buying subpar products at a high price, and in the end, calling it an advantage—how shameless.

On the surface, Wang Jiao squeezed out a pleasing smile and said, “Thank you, thank you.”

“Welcome to come again. Remember, it’s called Tangmen Hemostatic Ointment.” Before leaving, Tang Xin put the remaining bamboo box in her pocket and didn’t forget to promote the future store.

“Sure, sure.” Wang Jiao nodded repeatedly. As long as he could get rid of this plague, anything was fine. He firmly remembered the five words “Tangmen Hemostatic Ointment” and vowed to avoid them in the future.

Seeing the two pests walk away, Wang Jiao shouted to his subordinates, “Come and help me.”

Other stall owners took advantage of the chaos and slipped away. Wang Jiao couldn’t care less. Today, he went out without checking the almanac, and things went downhill!

On the other side, Tang Xin’s face was full of smiles after entering the city. She counted the money in the wooden box over and over again. She sighed. “What kind of business is this? Robbing directly is much faster, and it’s a risk-free deal.”

Although money was just a number for her, being looked down upon continuously today and finally selling a tube of ointment made the loose change in her hands look particularly pleasing.

“What do you want to eat? My treat.” Tang Xin shook the bills, exuding a somewhat nouveau-riche vibe.

Yan Hao resisted the urge to comment. He was a bodyguard, and his master should take care of his food and lodging. Besides, his salary was deposited into an account in his name every month.

Touching the long sword at his waist, the one she gave him, he decided not to argue. “Barbecue.”

Tang Xin agreed.

There is a part of every person on every planet who makes a living by hunting. They go out in the early morning to hunt, return to the city in the afternoon, and sell most of what they catch in the market to exchange for money.

With money in hand, Tang Xin directly found the place where wild beasts were sold and bought two fat rabbits.

While paying, she turned around and smiled at Yan Hao. “You’re in luck. I’ve studied medicinal cuisine. When roasting rabbits, we can roast them with herbs. It’s tastier and good for the body.”

“…”

Yan Hao, who inexplicably thought of Wang Jiao as trying to buy his freedom with money, remained expressionless. “Two rabbits, one for each person; whoever roasts it eats it.”

Anyway, he was strong, and he would never accept coercion.

Tang Xin was both angry and amused, and a little helpless. This situation was not right! She was the first pharmacist—the first! No matter where she went, she was never disliked.

“Do you plan to barbecue?” The stall owner was a young man with a cheerful smile. He overheard their conversation and casually pointed, “Next to us is my backyard. You can barbecue there. Free firewood, and we provide small knives and utensils.”

Tang Xin was surprised. “It’s quite convenient and very thoughtful.”

The young man chuckled. “Providing convenience to customers means more returning customers. Otherwise, how can I afford to buy a house?”

The man took the money and handed over the skewered rabbits. Each rabbit was skewered with a stick, so with two rabbits, there were two sticks.

Yan Hao took the initiative to take the rabbits and held them in his hands, following Tang Xin to the courtyard.

Upon entering the courtyard, Tang Xin discovered that the young man was modest. There were well-constructed fire pits everywhere in the yard, just waiting for a fire to be lit, and then the skewers could be placed on the fire to roast. There were also charcoal grills where the game could be cut into small pieces and grilled.

Yan Hao silently started two fires, carrying the two rabbits and letting Tang Xin choose first.

Without saying much, Tang Xin casually took one, placing the skewer on the fire to roast.

In just a short while, the air was filled with the aroma of meat.

Tang Xin occasionally turned the skewer, using a small knife to make cuts on the rabbit to ensure even heating and easier cooking.

When the surface of the rabbit turned a light yellow and drops of oil fell into the fire, making a crackling sound, she took out two blue grasses from her ring, stuffed them into the belly of the fat rabbit, sprinkled some salt, and continued to roast.

Blue grass was a rare edible herb that was sweet in nature and could warm and nourish the meridians, moisturizing the whole body.

When the surface of the rabbit turned golden yellow, Tang Xin took the skewer off, cut a few pieces of rabbit meat with a small knife, put them on a plate, and then placed the skewer on the plate. She walked to Yan Hao’s side, sat down, put down the plate, and picked up a small piece of rabbit meat with a bamboo skewer, offering it to his mouth. “Eat.”

“…”

Yan Hao, with an ice-cold expression, thought she had given up.

Thinking about the thick book she exchanged in the warehouse, Yan Hao really wanted to ask if all the herbs were ready. Did she know what herbs were put inside? Was she sure the ingredients wouldn’t be lethal? “I have; you eat it yourself.”

“You’re my bodyguard, so you have to eat.”

He never knew that being a bodyguard had such a duty; it was not mentioned in the bodyguard’s rules.

Yan Hao insisted, “The Tang family didn’t teach that bodyguards have to eat the meals made by their masters.”

“But you’re not a bodyguard from the Tang family; you’re my personal bodyguard.” Tang Xin asserted confidently, bringing the bamboo skewer closer to his mouth again, “Eat.”

Cracks appeared in the ice-cold expression, and Yan Hao gritted his teeth. Closing his eyes, he took a bite of the meat, treating it as a poison test.

Seeing him obediently eat the meat, Tang Xin laughed heartily and then inserted another piece of meat into his mouth and said, “Continue.”

Yan Hao looked around, seeing the medical hall not far away, feeling slightly relieved, and took the second bite. Anyway, the master had credit points, so if there were any side effects after eating, he could immediately rush to seek medical attention.

As he finished one bite after another, emptying the plate of meat that Tang Xin fed him, she was extremely happy. Just as she was about to cut more to feed him, Yan Hao couldn’t help but ask, “Is it also the duty of a bodyguard to accept the master’s feeding? Can’t I do it myself?”

Tang Xin was momentarily stunned. Because she wanted to force him to eat the meat she roasted, she fed him the first bite and unconsciously continued to feed him. She threw the skewer of rabbit she had just roasted to Yan Hao, like tossing a hot potato. “Eat it yourself.”

Since their first meeting, he knew she had ulterior motives. Sure enough, it’s exposed now, still pretending.

Yan Hao caught the skewer steadily and said, “The one I roasted is for you.”

Tang Xin refused with a proud face: “Yours doesn’t taste as good as mine.”

Yan Hao, slightly helpless, said, “Just bear with it. I haven’t touched that one. If you don’t like it, you can roast it again.” Sharing a portion of rabbit meat seemed too intimate; he couldn’t accept it. Why couldn’t the master be a bit more reserved in her attempts? It’s full of schemes.

Thinking about this, he couldn’t help but feel miserable; he still needed to endure three years before gaining freedom.

“Alright.” Tang Xin admitted her mistake. After all, she forced Yan Hao to finish her portion. So she stuffed in the blue grass, sprinkled some salt, and started the process again.

When the aroma filled the air, she couldn’t resist using a small knife to cut a small piece and taste it.

Hmm, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with a sweet and fragrant taste, like honey. Taking a bite, it was as delicious as she remembered.

Satisfied, Tang Xin wanted to hum a tune. However, when she looked to the side, she saw Yan Hao finishing the rabbit meat, sitting upright, and instantly had a black line on his face: “What are you doing?”

Yan Hao uttered four words: “Cultivating after eating.”

Tang Xin shrugged. She couldn’t understand the mindset of a cultivation fanatic. Perhaps it was because of Yan Hao’s diligence that he had the strength he has now?

In reality, Yan Hao was always prepared.

Although he didn’t deny that the rabbit meat was delicious, he saw firsthand what his master stuffed into it. If he were to be poisoned after eating the rabbit meat, he needed to save some energy to rush to the medical hall himself. If he were to be treated by his master after the poison took effect, he would truly have nowhere to cry.

But as he waited, Yan Hao suddenly felt something was off. As a martial artist, he was acutely aware of the health of every part of his body. Not long after finishing the rabbit meat, he faintly felt a warm flow passing through his right calf.

Yan Hao was surprised; his right calf had suffered a serious injury before, and it wasn’t promptly treated at the time. Although it was later healed, whenever it rained or the weather became damp, he would feel that his right calf couldn’t exert force, and occasionally, it would ache.

However, now, after the warm flow passed through his right calf, he surprisingly felt much more comfortable. Whether it was his illusion or not, he felt that his right calf had gained a bit more functionality. Even the occasional aching symptoms were lighter than usual.

Yan Hao turned to look at Tang Xin, his gaze full of suspicion. Did she really understand medicine?

Tang Xin was enjoying her meal. Feeling Yan Hao’s gaze, she looked back with a smile, triumphantly saying, “How is it? Do you feel the warmth in your body? Let me tell you, I’m very skilled; everyone calls me a divine doctor! Number one in the interstellar rankings!”

Yan Hao laughed dumbfoundedly. Regardless of whether what she said was bragging or the truth, just seeing her nibbling on the skewer, looking pleased with herself, made it hard to respect such a so-called divine doctor.

“Hurry up and finish your meal, divine doctor.”

Tang Xin angrily took a bite of the rabbit meat. Was he treating her like a child? There was no sincerity.

After she was full and satisfied, she suddenly felt that life was complete. She stood up and said, “Let’s go back to the hotel to sleep.”

Yan Hao stood up as well and took the initiative to ask, “May I inquire about the master’s future plans?”

Tang Xin blinked and replied seriously, “I plan to eat, sleep, and run a stall every day. Until I meet the patron who appreciates my ointment I’m still playing the divine doctor game.”

Even facing the new master, Yan Hao often found himself speechless. Unlike in the Tang family, where he might not speak often but had plans in mind, Now, he had no idea what his master would say next.

His point was that, with only a little over two hundred credit points on hand, they couldn’t sustain eating, drinking, and sleeping in hotels for long. Tang Xin seriously listened to his advice, considered for a moment, and said, “How about we actively provoke someone to come looking for trouble and extort some money?”

Yan Hao discovered that when facing the new master, he often had no words. Unlike before, he might not speak often, but he had strategies in mind. Now, he had no idea what his master would say next.

What he meant was that the money wasn’t much, and they needed to find another way out as soon as possible, not just rely on selling medicine. But listening to the master’s suggestion, it seemed like finding more people to swindle money from would help them hold out a bit longer.

Their train of thought was completely out of sync.

On the side, Tang Xin continued talking, “I won’t hide it from you; my level of attracting hatred is quite high. Once the title of divine doctor is known, how many people will envy, be jealous, and hate me, wanting to rush at me? The highest level for warriors is level nine, and I haven’t heard of anyone reaching that in the entire interstellar space. If Wang Jiao, a level four, dares to stir up trouble outside the Huangsha City, I estimate that the overall level on this planet isn’t high.”

“As long as we work together, we can’t help but get rich. What do you think?”

What else could Yan Hao say? He could only remain silent.