Zhang Chen looked at his own clothing, having changed into coarse linen garments to avoid drawing too much attention upon entering the county town.
A bitter smile appeared as Zhang Chen regarded his ensemble, realizing that he too counted as an ordinary citizen.
"Don’t think too much about it. You’re not like them. You’re a deity! You can treat any noble equally," Xie Lingyun said to Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen shook his head, "I’m not lamenting my identity because I know that identity and status actually come from power. As long as I have strength, what difference does it make if I’m a slave? Even the Emperor would have to show me respect. I’m just reflecting on the hardships of this world!"
While speaking, Zhang Chen poured a cup of tea for Xie Lingyun. Xie Lingyun instinctively picked it up, but after looking at the cup and the tea, she silently put it down.
Zhang Chen noticed Xie Lingyun’s actions but said nothing, understanding her disdain for the shabby eatery.
Zhang Chen quietly took a sip of his tea while observing Xie Lingyun, who seemed untouchably heavenly. Her regal aura was completely out of place with the modest restaurant, making him feel an invisible divide between them, as though they were in separate worlds despite sitting together, with him in the mire and her on the shore.
Xie Lingyun, sensitive to the change in atmosphere, broke her gaze from the window and looked at Zhang Chen. She then lowered her head, picked up the cup with her delicate hand, took a silent sip, and praised, "Hmm, the taste is unexpectedly good!"
Stunned, Zhang Chen watched Xie Lingyun, and the invisible divide suddenly vanished. At that moment, Xie Lingyun seemed to step into the mire, standing alongside Zhang Chen.
"You’re truly unexpected," Zhang Chen remarked to Xie Lingyun.
"No, more accurately, you underestimated my desire to befriend you!" Xie Lingyun blinked at Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen believed Xie Lingyun, as she was pure-hearted and innocent at the moment, incapable of deception, and genuinely sincere.
"I said I wanted to find the beggar leader of Goulan County, yet you brought me to eat, and to such a small restaurant. Could it be that the beggar leader is here?" Zhang Chen inquired.
Xie Lingyun shook her head, smiling, "The beggar leader is not in the restaurant, but appears daily at the stall across the street."
Xie Lingyun pointed to a nearby ’offal’ stall; in modern terms, offal referred to sheep and cow organs.
Zhang Chen’s eyes turned to the distant stall where the vendor skillfully sliced various organs and placed them in the braised soup for steaming.
As they spoke, eight dishes and a pot of aged wine were served.
All eight dishes were hearty, featuring braised pork, stewed pig head, and other meat dishes, yet neither Zhang Chen nor Xie Lingyun picked up their chopsticks. Their eyes remained focused on the street.
At that moment, a figure in a yellow robe slowly walked across the street, wearing coarse linen garments, clean and tidy, appearing to be in his forties with meticulously managed hair. He arrived at the braised offal stall, sat down, and ordered a portion of offal, delighting in the steaming dish.
"Could this person be the beggar leader?" Zhang Chen asked.
Xie Lingyun shook her head with a wry smile, "No, he’s just a surprise! This person is one of the top experts of the Confucian school, known as the Young Master, hailed as the youngest Great Scholar of the school, having received half of the Academy’s true teachings and was taken on as a disciple by Mr. Da, becoming a pillar of the school, overseeing major affairs of the Academy. He must have come for Chen Sanliang."
At hearing this, Zhang Chen was stunned, "This person is the Young Master? Why is he here eating... eating something so disdainfully regarded by nobles?"
"He’s a maverick of the Confucian school! Though not as bold as Chen Sanliang, he follows his own heart rather than external rules, hence acting with such freedom. Eight years ago, he came to Goulan County to persuade Chen Sanliang’s return to the Academy, stumbled upon this place, and took a liking to its offal. Since then, he’s visited here every time he comes to the Northern Land."
Incredulously, Zhang Chen looked at the Young Master, filled with curiosity, unable to imagine such an eccentric person.
Golden Light flickered in Zhang Chen’s eyes as he stared at the Young Master across the way, heart suddenly alarmed by the overwhelming white glow surrounding him, far more intense than Chen Sanliang’s.
As if his radiance was like a bright sun, while Chen Sanliang’s was merely a firefly.
"This is a true scholar with his own ideas, a Great Cultivator," Zhang Chen thought, astonished by the Young Master’s immense Spiritual Power, clearly adept in the Technique of Yin Spirit cultivation, though unaware of his level.
"What level is he?" Zhang Chen asked.
"Unknown! No one who has seen him act survived to tell," Xie Lingyun replied, "Don’t underestimate him. It’s said he’s perceived the power of Words Become Law, even my father said he was born in the wrong era, as a giant if born in the God and Demon Era."
As they chatted, a ragged beggar slowly approached along the street, passing the offal stall, eyes turning to the Young Master, suddenly rushing forward, spitting right into the Young Master’s bowl.
"Holy shit!"
Startled, Zhang Chen’s hairs stood on end, "There’s someone courting death like this?"
Surely that beggar was done for!
Even Xie Lingyun was dumbfounded, unable to speak for a moment.
The Young Master stared blankly at his bowl of offal, then at the beggar, eyes full of confusion.
The beggar grinned cheekily at the Young Master, "Sir, do you still want this bowl of meat soup? If not, how about giving it to me?"
"F*** you! Playing tricks on me, your grandpa?" the Young Master snapped back to reality, seeing the beggar reach for his bowl, enraged beyond measure, slapping the beggar flat, eyes spinning unable to get up.
The Young Master, still unsatisfied, cursed while straddling the beggar, unconcerned with filth, delivering a beating, leaving the beggar with a swollen face.
Then the Young Master returned to his seat, while the beggar, unperturbed, cheekily praised, "Sir, you beat me well! Since you’ve done it, why not bestow me the meat soup?"
"Watch closely, I’m never one to lose out. Look carefully as I show you how I eat. Dreaming if you think you’ll get my offal!" the Young Master declared disdainfully, grabbing chopsticks, stirring the offal, and eating without changing expression.
He not only ate it but relished every bite.
"Hmm, don’t say, the taste is really good," the Young Master praised while devouring the meal.
The beggar stared dumbfounded, confused by the unexpectedly audacious man.
Upstairs
Zhang Chen’s stomach churned, while next to him, Xie Lingyun retched, "Ugh..."
"I’ve never admired anyone, but this guy is an exception!" Zhang Chen quickly sipped tea to suppress his nausea.