A Letter

Cheng Shuili did not speak. She looked at the smug Gray Tail, then back at Bao Chi, who was shrinking his neck and crouching down once more.

Even if she were slow-witted, she could taste the flavor of the situation by now.

Coming at such a convenient time, with such heavy implications in his words—Cheng Shuili certainly did not believe that those hyena beastmen had nothing to do with him.

She reckoned now that Gray Tail had deliberately sent those hyenas to cause trouble for Bao Chi. As for what his purpose was in doing so...

It was not yet clear.

Neither human spoke or made a move, and since Bao Chi was a timid soul, the shop suddenly fell silent.

Gray Tail seemed to relish this silence. He squinted his bean-like eyes, letting his gaze drift over Bao Chi's terrified face before sweeping it across Cheng Shuili and Su Rui, continuing in a tone that sounded like he was bestowing charity:

"Little Brother Bao Chi, I am doing this for your own good. That ancestral fermentation recipe of yours is a waste in your hands. You are getting harassed every other day, so how can you keep doing business? It would be better to sell it to me. You know who I work for. As for the price, that is negotiable. With this money, you can move somewhere else and run a small, honest business. Wouldn't that be better than living in fear like this?"

Bao Chi jerked his head up, a flash of anger crossing his amber pupils, but it was quickly eclipsed by fear. His lips trembled, but he dared not refute him immediately.

Cheng Shuili finally understood everything. It was all for that secret bread-making recipe of Bao Chi's.

First, send people to make trouble so he couldn't operate, then have the rent collector step in with threats and enticements. It was a classic combination of tactics to force him into submission.

But to say that this was ordered by the Rat King? Cheng Shuili did not believe it for a second.

She had interacted with the Rat King several times; how could that man possibly care for such petty gains?

It was likely that this guy was greedy for the shop's profits and was doing these dirty deeds under the Rat King's banner!

Cheng Shuili took half a step forward, placing herself perfectly between Bao Chi and Gray Tail. With an expressionless face, she asked in a flat tone: "You want to buy the recipe? In that case, how much do you intend to pay for it?"

Gray Tail finally looked at Cheng Shuili properly. He had thought she was just some human beggar from who-knows-where, but looking closely, he realized something was wrong.

This human possessed an aura similar to the Rat King's.

Gray Tail did not actually know what that aura represented, but he knew one thing: this human was either wealthy or influential!

In any case, offending her was not a good thing for Gray Tail.

Thinking of this, the smugness on Gray Tail's face instantly vanished, and the calculation in his bean-like eyes turned into uneasy suspicion.

He hunched his back, his tone unconsciously adopting a hint of respect, a complete change from his previous arrogance: "This... distinguished guest, do you know Little Brother Bao Chi?"

Cheng Shuili did not answer his question, only repeating calmly: "I asked you, how much do you intend to pay for his recipe?"

Sweat seeped from Gray Tail's temples. He rubbed his hands together and laughed dryly:

"This... this is negotiable, negotiable. It is just that Little Brother Bao Chi's business recently... as you can see, it is not peaceful. I am just thinking for his sake, fearing he won't be able to keep this ancestral craft. If it were snatched away by some low-life, wouldn't that be even worse? If it were sold to... ahem, if he could find a suitable buyer, he could get a sum of money to settle down and let the craft be passed on. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

He spoke smoothly, pointing out Bao Chi's predicament while distancing himself from the trouble.

Cheng Shuili sneered inwardly. This mouse-race beastman certainly knew how to trim his sails.

She stopped looking at Gray Tail and turned to ask Bao Chi: "Bao Chi, what do you say? Do you still want to keep this shop open?"

Bao Chi looked at Cheng Shuili, who was blocking the way for him, then glanced at the now-submissive Gray Tail, and his courage seemed to return a little.

He took a deep breath and straightened his body. Although his voice still trembled, his tone was firm: "I do! The recipe was passed down by my ancestors; I cannot sell it!" After saying this, he glanced at Gray Tail, then shrunk back behind Cheng Shuili as if afraid, muttering to himself: "The business finally got better... how could this happen..."

Business got better?

Cheng Shuili raised an eyebrow. That explained it.

When business was average, this bread shop had no value in Gray Tail's eyes.

Now that Bao Chi's business was booming and the rent payments were increasing, the greed of certain animals could no longer be suppressed.

Hearing this, Gray Tail sighed pretentiously, as if thinking for Bao Chi: "Little Brother Bao Chi, it is not that I must buy your recipe. It is just that you know the situation; if this continues, you won't even be able to run the shop. Here, beastmen without jobs do not have good fates. I am doing this for your own good. Sell the recipe, get the money, and buy a property in the beastman town. You can live well, can't you?"

If the earlier part had a hint of persuasion, this was a blatant threat.

If Cheng Shuili weren't here, Bao Chi might have already agreed.

But with this human here, Bao Chi took a peek. He had been collaborating with her for a long time; regardless of what happened, they were partners.

Although he didn't know what went wrong with the contract—he had been losing money on what this human sold—her fame in the human world seemed massive. Recently, humans coming to buy things were talking about "Crow-boss style," "Black Feather specialties," and "bread you don't have to fight for," rushing in to buy piles of it.

It was no exaggeration to say that his bread's fame was built by this human before him.

If not for her, the shop's business would never have been this good.

That was why Bao Chi had never negotiated to cancel the partnership.

Bao Chi took a deep breath. He lifted his foot but still lacked the courage to step out and face Gray Tail directly, so he just stayed behind her. His voice, though still trembling, was exceptionally clear: "Mr. Gray Tail, I will absolutely... absolutely not sell the recipe. This... this shop, I will continue to run it."

Gray Tail did not expect Bao Chi to suddenly grow a spine. He was stunned, and then his face darkened.

What he feared was the human with the extraordinary aura beside him, not this cowardly leopard!

"Fine! Fine! Bao Chi, if you don't want to be reasonable, then don't!" Gray Tail shrieked. "Do you think finding some human with unknown origins will help? I tell you, in the beastman town, if you are a dragon, you must coil, and if you are a tiger, you must lie down! The Rat King's rules cannot be changed by anyone! Just wait to be kicked out at the end of the month!"

He glared viciously at Cheng Shuili. Although he couldn't figure out her background, he couldn't show weakness now that he had said this: "And you, human! I advise you not to meddle in other people's business! Otherwise, you might not fare well in this beastman town!"

Leaving behind this harsh threat, Gray Tail snorted coldly and flicked his sleeves as he left.

Watching Gray Tail's retreating figure, Bao Chi's courage leaked away again. He looked at Cheng Shuili with worry: "Will he... will he..."

Bao Chi was clearly worried that Gray Tail would retaliate even more severely after Cheng Shuili and Su Rui left.

Since Cheng Shuili had come, she naturally wouldn't let that happen.

There were two choices: either Bao Chi stop running the shop and come back to Black Feather with her, or she write a letter to the Rat King right now and have him send someone to deal with this. The former was unlikely, as Bao Chi loved his little shop and probably wouldn't want to open one inside her territory.

And the latter... what if Gray Tail was really acting under the Rat King's instructions?

The moment that thought popped up, Cheng Shuili couldn't help but shake her head. She hadn't interacted with the Rat King many times, but she knew enough to understand his character.

Cheng Shuili pulled out a quill and parchment, describing Bao Chi's situation simply. Her tone was so polite and her words so earnest that even a stranger would have been moved to help, let alone the fact that this was caused by the Rat King's own subordinate.

Once the letter was finished and she put away the quill, a small mouse appeared from nowhere.

It pointed at the parchment, then at itself.

Cheng Shuili understood instantly. This was the Rat King's spy; they had likely been followed since they entered the beastman town. She didn't call it out, simply handing the rolled-up parchment to the mouse, saying faintly: "Please, make sure to deliver this to the Rat King personally."

The mouse nodded with human-like intelligence, clutched the parchment—which looked slightly oversized for it—and nimbly ducked into a hole in the corner, disappearing.

"This..." Bao Chi was dumbstruck.

"Don't worry." Cheng Shuili comforted him, and since Su Rui was still standing, she found a table and sat down.

Bao Chi looked at the small hole in the wall, then at the calm Cheng Shuili, his amber beast-eyes filled with a complex mixture of unease and hope.

"Will... will it really give it to the Rat King?" Bao Chi's voice was still trembling.

"It will." Cheng Shuili's reply was brief and certain.

She surveyed the shop, which looked dilapidated despite being tidied up, her gaze finally landing on the shallow scratch on Bao Chi's face. "Before the Rat King replies, we will wait right here."

Bao Chi sat down as well, but his body remained tense, his ears twitching from time to time to catch any movement outside.

Time seemed to pass incredibly slowly while waiting, with every second feeling like torture.

Just as Bao Chi was about to lose his patience, a flurry of chaotic, rapid footsteps came from outside the shop, accompanied by panicked pleas for mercy.

"Rat King, have mercy! Rat King, please have mercy! I will never dare again! I was blinded by greed..."

It was Gray Tail's voice!

Bao Chi stood up abruptly, and Cheng Shuili looked toward the entrance.

The previously arrogant and despotic Gray Tail was now being dragged by two mouse-race guards in black tactical gear, looking like a dead dog as they hauled him to the bakery door. He was shivering like chaff, his face covered in snot and tears, his carefully groomed mustache drooping, making him look wretched.

Following behind the two guards, a familiar figure in a luxurious silk robe, holding an exquisite staff, strolled in unhurriedly.

It was the Rat King.

He first swept a glance over the messy shop, his gaze pausing for a moment on the scratch on Bao Chi's face, before turning to Cheng Shuili with a beaming smile: "Little friend, we meet again. My subordinate was ignorant; I have brought him here."

The Rat King's voice remained gentle, even carrying his usual smile, but there was no warmth in his narrow eyes.

He tapped the floor lightly with his staff, and the two guards holding Gray Tail immediately understood, throwing him into the center of the shop like a bag of trash.

Gray Tail landed on broken glass and debris, wincing in pain, but he dared not cry out. He just curled his body up tightly and kowtowed to the Rat King like he was pounding garlic: "Rat King, have mercy! Rat King, have mercy! I know I was wrong! I will never dare again!"

The Rat King didn't even look at him, his gaze falling on Cheng Shuili with a hint of apology: "It is my poor management that caused you and your friend to be alarmed. The rules of this beastman town are for the convenience of everyone, not for some idiots to use for bullying or lining their own pockets."

These words were meant for Cheng Shuili, but also for the beastmen who were crowding around to watch.

This was an ugly matter, and while he could have pretended not to know, now that this human had brought it to light, he had to handle it. But this human had a sense of propriety and knew when to advance or retreat; he had laid out the steps, and now it was her turn to come down.

And Cheng Shuili's performance was exactly as he expected.

She stood up and nodded slightly: "Rat King, you are too kind. I didn't expect to disturb you to come in person."

"It is only right." The Rat King smiled, turning his staff toward the shivering Gray Tail on the ground: "This fellow, under my name, colluded with hyenas from other blocks, threatened honest merchants, and engaged in extortion. He broke the town's rules and tarnished my reputation. Little friend, how do you think he should be dealt with?"

Cheng Shuili did not answer immediately, instead glancing at Bao Chi beside her.

Bao Chi was completely stunned. Seeing the Rat King, whom he usually only saw from afar, standing in his own broken shop and personally punishing a subordinate for his sake, the immense shock left his mind blank, and he could only stand there in a daze.

Cheng Shuili knew the Rat King was giving her face, and also performing for her benefit.

She naturally would not overstep and decide the fate of his subordinates, but she would not miss out on the benefits that should be claimed.

"The Rat King is sharp-eyed and clear-headed. Naturally, it should be handled according to the town's rules." Cheng Shuili's tone was calm. "However, Bao Chi's shop was smashed, his business suffered, he was terrified, and his face was scratched... someone should bear the cost of these losses."

The Rat King looked at Cheng Shuili with appreciation; talking to smart people was easy.

He nodded and instructed his subordinates: "Did you hear that? All of Gray Tail's property is to be confiscated, converted into game coins, and paid to Bao Chi as triple compensation. Furthermore, find the best doctor to treat Bao Chi's wounds, and have the shop's losses repaired to its original state using public funds as soon as possible."

"Yes!" the guards acknowledged.

Upon hearing this, Gray Tail realized he had lost his position, his property, and was now burdened with triple compensation. His face turned ashen, and he collapsed to the floor, lacking even the strength to beg for mercy.