Chapter 91

"Done!" As soon as Luo Yu spoke, Tang Chuxue couldn't hide her joy. Those one hundred head horses were her ultimate goal. The root cause still lay in that great battle. Although it was her recommendation of Jiang Xingchen that led to the final capture of Pingjun City, being simultaneously ennobled as a second-class marquis with Wu Tianfeng inevitably invited criticism.

People had suffered countless casualties to earn their ennoblement, while Tang Chuxue, due to her fame and being the goddess in the hearts of all young people in the empire, received the greatest reward. That was simply too unreasonable.

At the age of twenty-six, Tang Chuxue had reached her current high position, and her pride was evident. She couldn't let others find fault with her. Therefore, after hearing the old man mention distilled liquor, she arranged today's plan. With the contribution of these one hundred head horses, she could silence everyone.

She first delayed Luo Yu for a few days, waiting until his patience was almost exhausted before bringing out Jiang Xingchen.

Today, Jiang Xingchen cooperated exceptionally well with her. First, he served a large braised carp, then a clear-stewed unicorn yellow sheep, and finally a scallion stir-fried mutton.

As the three dishes were served one by one, they continuously assaulted Luo Yu's taste buds, transforming his anger into surprise, making it impossible for him to calm down.

In this situation, Jiang Xingchen then brought out the strong liquor, which the orcs couldn't resist, along with the sheep gut strings Luo Yu sought. Luo Yu's psychological defenses were easily breached, and once the contract was signed, the Orc Alliance couldn't go back on it.

For Luo Yu, although his emotions were fluctuating and he found it hard to suppress his desire for the liquor, he was also clear that as long as he brought back the distilled liquor, no one would say anything. The orcs had no resistance to strong liquor. Therefore, he had already found an excuse for himself: although the head horses were a breed the Orc Alliance didn't sell outside, giving one hundred to the empire wouldn't help them develop, and after a few generations, they would revert to their original state. Plus, he would bring back the distilled liquor and sheep gut strings...

"One hundred head horses is not impossible, but I need one thousand pounds of such good liquor!" Luo Yu said with a wide grin.

"Phew!" Jiang Xingchen almost spat blood at the tent ceiling, cursing in his heart: "You damn bastard, why don't you just rob us? One thousand pounds, do you think you're buying grain? I'll die trying to get that much..."

His hands clenched so hard they made a cracking sound. Jiang Xingchen almost couldn't resist kicking this bastard in the face.

Tang Chuxue's eyes twitched, and with a hint of anger, she said, "It seems I really can't help you..."

With that, Tang Chuxue waved her hand and loudly ordered, "Someone, clear the table and see the guest off!"

"Hey! Don't!" Luo Yu's face fell. Tang Chuxue was too ruthless, not even letting him finish the meal. Not to mention the final amount, just being interrupted halfway through was unbearable.

"Can't we continue negotiating if you disagree?" Luo Yu quickly stopped the guards.

"Clan Leader, I don't think we can negotiate anymore!" Jiang Xingchen spoke, his tone extremely serious: "I can only produce one hundred pounds of this liquor in a year, even if I work my hardest!"

"Really?" Luo Yu was skeptical.

"If you don't believe me, clear the table!" Tang Chuxue, of course, supported Jiang Xingchen.

"I believe you, I believe you! Just one hundred pounds..." Luo Yu quickly said, then added, "It would be best if you could supply us one hundred pounds every year, the price is negotiable... Otherwise, I won't be able to explain it when I return!"

Jiang Xingchen and Tang Chuxue exchanged glances, understanding each other's intentions.

"The rest is up to you, you negotiate it yourself!" This was Tang Chuxue's meaning.

"No problem, thank you!" This was Jiang Xingchen's meaning.

After a moment of thought, Jiang Xingchen shook his head and said, "If we give you all one hundred pounds, we won't have any left to drink! How about eighty pounds?"

"No way!" Luo Yu shook his head decisively and said loudly, "One hundred pounds is the minimum, it can't be less!"

"It seems we really can't negotiate. What do the head horses have to do with me? In the end, I have to suffer, and I can't even keep two pounds of liquor for myself... Commander, it's not that I'm not giving the military face, but this matter..."

Seeing Jiang Xingchen about to end the deal, Luo Yu's forehead throbbed, and he shouted, "Are you negotiating or what? You just walk away when things don't go your way. I've never seen anyone like you... Fine, if you have any demands, just say them, but the one hundred pounds of liquor can't be less!"

Jiang Xingchen, interrupted, thought for a moment and said, "Alright, one hundred pounds of liquor all for you, I'll endure and not drink... But this year, I want one hundred head of beef cattle! We'll talk about next year later!"

"Hmm?" Luo Yu immediately became alert and asked, "What do you need the beef cattle for?"

"Of course, to raise and eat them. Can you deliver in winter? I'm the top chef, and I can make fish in winter, but it would be a shame not to have beef... If you're worried, just send bulls!"

"Alright! No problem!" Luo Yu finally smiled, not caring what Jiang Xingchen would do, as long as he sent bulls, there was no risk of them being used for breeding!

"Phew!" With his goal achieved, Jiang Xingchen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Tang Chuxue immediately prepared the contract, and Luo Yu quickly signed it, then dove back into the battle with the food and strong liquor.

Seeing Luo Yu's eating, Jiang Xingchen gained a new understanding of orcs. This guy was even more of a foodie than Zhao Danqing. The portions of the three dishes were large, especially the ten white flour pancakes, which almost all went into Luo Yu's stomach. Tang Chuxue barely touched them.

And that small jar of liquor, Luo Yu clung to it like a long-lost father, drinking two and a half pounds. Even if the distillation wasn't perfect, it was still at least 60 degrees, and he drank it all without passing out, just with a swollen tongue and a wobbly body.

At the end of the meal, Jiang Xingchen served rice porridge and mustard greens, and Luo Yu drank two large bowls, making Jiang Xingchen's stomach hurt.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Tang Chuxue arranged for Luo Yu to rest, and Jiang Xingchen returned to the kitchen. He and Meier hadn't eaten yet, and besides, the old man was still waiting.

"Kid! That clear-stewed mutton was great, make another one!" Seeing Jiang Xingchen return, the old man immediately walked over with a smile.

"Clear-stewed mutton is best with lamb legs; other parts are less tasty and take longer... Are you sure you want to eat it?" Jiang Xingchen said with a smile.

"Grumble!" The old man's stomach growled, his face turned red, and he quickly changed his mind: "Forget it, let's make dumplings instead. You and Meier can work together, it'll be faster!"

"Hehe, I'm just not good at this, I've never learned!" The old man said with a grin, not at all embarrassed.

Jiang Xingchen shook his head, ignored the old man, and started preparing the mutton...

A month later, the white, crystal-clear dumplings were ready. The old man was very proactive this time, preparing the vinegar and garlic early.

After working so hard, they were all hungry, and no one spoke as they ate quickly.

While waiting, Jiang Xingchen finally had the opportunity to develop the Mingzhi Array. Since he was already very proficient with the breathing technique and could control it at will, he didn't have to worry about the old man noticing, so he changed his breathing method at the table.

The effect of the fifth-grade monster meat was much stronger than the fourth-grade. As Jiang Xingchen changed his breathing method, a massive amount of energy flooded his mind. The Mingzhi Array began to spread from his chest downward.

This time, Jiang Xingchen noticed something clearly different from before.

Previously, he only knew that the primordial energy entered the mist, which then activated the array and eventually merged with his body. This time, he clearly felt that not only did the mist activate the array, but the primordial spring in his brain also vibrated imperceptibly, sending waves into the Mingzhi Array.

"Is the primordial spring also related to the array... It should be. Each array has its own function. How could the Tai Chu Array activating the primordial spring have no effect? What's the point of activating it if it doesn't do anything? I just hadn't noticed it before..."

As he thought, the array continued to spread downward, to his abdomen, waist, and hips, which made Jiang Xingchen extremely pleased. The array developed more slowly the further it went, and he initially worried that the fifth-grade monster meat wouldn't develop the Mingzhi Array much, but the current situation was completely unexpected.

During this time, Jiang Xingchen's eating speed was twice as fast as usual, putting a lot of pressure on the old man.

"Damn, why does this kid eat monster meat so desperately? The soup buns last time, and now this... Damn! Can't the ancestors indulge you? I'm competing with you!" For the old man, who loved good food, this was absolutely intolerable.

Thus, the two pairs of chopsticks began to battle, making it hard for Meier to get a bite.

Dumplings came one pot after another, and Jiang Xingchen showed no signs of stopping, having already eaten nearly eighty.

Soon, the old man, who had reached his limit, was stunned: "How can he eat more than that little bastard Zhao Danqing? This isn't scientific... Why am I using that tone again..."

Meier also felt something was wrong, but she had experienced her brother eating over a hundred dumplings, so she wasn't too worried, just asked a question.

Jiang Xingchen, multitasking, smiled and reassured Meier, saying he was just very hungry, and then continued eating.

In the end, when Jiang Xingchen stopped after eating one hundred dumplings, although the Mingzhi Array developed quickly, it only reached his knees and didn't spread throughout his body, which left him feeling regretful.

But Jiang Xingchen quickly shook his head, reminding himself not to be too greedy. After all, this development was already very fast, and he hadn't even figured out its function yet.

"Kid, why did you eat so much?" The old man, half-lying in his chair, was so full he didn't want to move.

Jiang Xingchen shrugged and said calmly, "When you're hungry, you eat more... Besides, this is monster meat. Eating less would be a waste!"

"Ha!" Meier couldn't hold back her laughter. The old man rolled his eyes at this explanation.

After resting for a while, the three of them got up to clean up and said goodbye to Tang Chuxue. They still had a lot to do at home.

Tang Chuxue knew about the mountain opening and didn't try to keep them, only saying to come again when they had time, without even a word of thanks. But Jiang Xingchen understood that Tang Chuxue was telling him, "I don't consider you an outsider."

Then, the old man transformed into a superhero, carrying Jiang Xingchen and Meier away from the First Legion.