Partnership

The Rat King then cast a faint glance over him, his tone remaining flat: "As for you, Gray Tail, have your hands and feet crippled, be thrown out of the town, and fend for yourself."

A single, understated sentence decided the fate of a beastman.

The guards did not hesitate. They stepped forward immediately, and following two sickening, crisp cracks and Gray Tail's shrill, short-lived scream, his hands and feet were cleanly disabled. He was then dragged out like a dead dog, leaving only a winding trail of blood and his fading wails behind.

Inside and outside the shop, there was total silence.

In the distance, several beastmen who had been secretly watching quickly pulled back their heads, their hearts filled with dread.

The Rat King then looked at Bao Chi, his tone softening considerably: "Bao Chi, you have been wronged. From now on, your shop's rent will be reduced by thirty percent. Manage your bakery well; I am quite fond of your craft. If anyone dares to come and cause trouble again, report my name directly."

Bao Chi was flattered and quickly bowed deeply, his voice choked with emotion: "Th-thank you, Lord Rat King! Thank you!"

The Rat King nodded slightly, then smiled at Cheng Shuili: "Little friend, are you satisfied with this outcome?"

"Lord Rat King is fair and just; it is truly admirable."

Cheng Shuili offered her praise at the right moment.

"Haha, you are too kind." The Rat King tapped the ground lightly with his staff. "The matter is settled, so I will not intrude any longer. Little friend, if you have free time in the future, you are welcome to visit the town often."

Cheng Shuili felt a stir in her heart.

Having finally met the Rat King in person, she did not know when she would have such an opportunity again; she could not let it slip away.

"Please stay a moment, Lord Rat King," she said immediately. "Do you still have any rocket launcher shells in stock? I would like to purchase some more."

The Rat King paused, pulled out a pocket watch from his pocket, checked the time, and gave an apologetic smile: "I am afraid I do not have time to discuss business with you right now."

He snapped the metal cover of the pocket watch shut, the crisp "click" sound ringing out with unusual clarity in the silent shop.

"I have an urgent matter that must be dealt with immediately." The Rat King swept his gaze over Cheng Shuili, then changed his tone, speaking politely: "However, I have noted your demand for weaponry."

He paused slightly on the word "demand," as if weighing the intentions behind Cheng Shuili's desire to purchase shells.

"If it is not urgent, you can wait until we meet again." The Rat King smiled slightly, leaning on his staff as he straightened up. "If you are truly in a hurry, you may contact me via letter once more."

He spoke with implication, seemingly hoping that Cheng Shuili would quickly use up those three opportunities.

Cheng Shuili did not reveal her thoughts, smiling as she watched the Rat King leave, surrounded by a crowd of beastmen.

Su Rui clicked her tongue twice and leaned in to whisper in Cheng Shuili's ear: "Does Boss like being surrounded by crowds like this? Should I call a few members when we return to the territory so you can experience it?"

Cheng Shuili: "..."

That would not be necessary.

Cheng Shuili turned around and met Bao Chi's grateful eyes.

Just a moment ago, he had been determined to properly thank Cheng Shuili, but now that he faced his benefactor, Bao Chi felt he could not find the words. He shrank back, revealing only a pair of ears as he asked: "Is there anything else you would like to eat? I can make it for you."

It was a truly simple and sincere concern.

Cheng Shuili smiled and shook her head. "I am in a bit of a rush. Next time something happens, you can ask the players who come here to buy things to bring me a message. These people know me and will surely deliver your words."

Bao Chi nodded vigorously, firmly memorizing the instruction.

With the matter concluded, Cheng Shuili was just about to leave the bakery when she heard a clamor of noise.

Cheng Shuili was just about to leave the bakery when she heard a noisy commotion approaching from afar. Several hyena beastmen crowded at the entrance, peering inside. They had clearly heard about the conflict earlier, and their faces wore expressions mixed with curiosity, fear, and a hint of sycophancy.

"Boss Bao Chi! Are you alright?"

The lead hyena beastman had a loud voice and a thick skin, acting as if they were not the ones who had come to cause trouble earlier. Now, they were actually here in a group to show concern for Bao Chi: "Hey, we are all brothers; you surely understand the situation. We were just doing what we were paid to do; there is no need to make things difficult for us, right? Who would say no to game coins?"

The lackeys behind him immediately chimed in, "That's right, that's right. We are all friends; there is no need to be so stiff, right?"

"Brother Bao Chi, you wouldn't really hold a grudge against us, would you? It was just your good luck that the Rat King happened to come by. I advise you to see the situation clearly. As for us brothers, although we were just doing a paid job, after interacting with you for so many days, we have truly been won over by your craft."

"How about this? We will become your apprentices, how about that? You can pay us the normal wage, we won't demand more. But this craft of yours—as the master, you surely shouldn't keep it to yourself, right?"

After the hyena beastman finished speaking, he winked at his group of brothers.

They then seemed to reach a consensus, as if they had shared a joke only they understood, and suddenly began to laugh together.

How shameless.

Cheng Shuili felt that if she heard another word, she would need to wash her ears.

They wanted to use the titles of "brothers" and "friends" to moral-kidnap him, while simultaneously trying to learn Bao Chi's livelihood for nothing.

They were certainly thinking wishfully.

Bao Chi's ears trembled with anger at their shameless rhetoric. He was poor with words and timid by nature, so he shrank his head, not knowing how to refute them, and only gripped his apron tightly.

Cheng Shuili saw his spineless behavior and knew she would have to step in again. She gave a light laugh.

The laughter was not loud, but it was like a basin of ice water, instantly extinguishing the hyenas' self-righteous guffaws.

The few hyenas then noticed Cheng Shuili and Su Rui standing in the shadows. Especially Cheng Shuili—her face was expressionless, and her eyes watched them calmly, yet they felt an inexplicable chill.

"Brothers?" Cheng Shuili stepped forward, her tone even, yet laced with biting sarcasm. "Friends? When you were blocking the door, smashing the shop, and threatening him, why didn't you think about being brothers or friends? Now that you see Bao Chi has caught the Rat King's eye, you want to climb up and occupy his favors?"

Her gaze swept over the hyenas, who now looked sheepish, before settling on the leader: "The sun hasn't set yet, and you are already starting to dream?"

The lead hyena's face turned pale then flushed, and he stiffened his neck to argue: "Wh-who are you? We are talking to Boss Bao Chi, what does it have to do with you? Do you know our relationship? How dare you interfere?! You shameless human, you had better get lost!"

"Me?" Cheng Shuili raised an eyebrow. "I am his partner, and the one who just invited the Rat King here to uphold justice. You tell me if it has anything to do with me?"

The title of partner might not mean much, but the moment she mentioned "invited the Rat King," the hyena beastmen looked at each other, then began to look up and laugh as if they had heard a joke.

"What is this human saying?"

"Ha? His Majesty the Rat King! How could he possibly be moved by a small human like you?"

"Don't joke around!"

"I think you have been scared silly!" The lead hyena, as if he had grasped a handle, raised his voice, full of bluster and arrogance. "His Majesty the Rat King is busy with ten thousand matters; would he run here specifically for an insignificant human like you? You don't even bother to draft your lies before bragging!"

The hyenas behind him joined in, letting out shrill, mocking laughter.

Only one hyena beastman looked uneasy; he reached out to tug at the leader's sleeve and whispered a few words.

The leader's arrogant aura deflated visibly.

He looked at Cheng Shuili with shock and suspicion, then glanced at the bloodstains on the floor that had yet to dry, his throat bobbing with difficulty.

"You... you..." He opened his mouth, but could not produce a coherent sound.

Seeing his state, the other hyenas gradually stopped their laughter, exchanging uneasy glances.

Cheng Shuili was not angry; she only looked at them as if they were clowns.

Once they were completely silent, she spoke slowly, her voice clearly reaching every hyena's ears: "Sorted it out?"

Her gaze swept calmly over the lead hyena, whose face had already shifted from bravado to ashen white.

"It seems you have."

Cheng Shuili did not wait for his answer, nodding to herself. "So, regarding what you just proposed, about wanting to be apprentices..."

She deliberately dragged out her tone, watching as the hyenas' hearts jumped into their throats.

"Are you talking in your sleep?"

Cheng Shuili's tone turned cold, the threat evident.

These hyena beastmen were accustomed to hustling; they might not know much else, but they were experts at reading the room!

The ability to trim their sails was engraved in their bones. The lead hyena's face instantly twisted into a smile so fawning it was almost distorted, and he bent his waist until he was nearly folded in half.

"Yes, yes, yes! We were talking in our sleep! It was us toads wanting to eat swan meat! You have a great heart, please don't lower yourself to our level!" As he spoke, he slapped his own head hard, as if he could slap the foolish words out of his mind.

"We are rolling away! Rolling away immediately! We will not dirty your eyes!"

The hyenas behind him reacted as well, bowing and scraping while retreating on their hands and feet, wishing they had grown more legs to escape.

"Stop." Cheng Shuili said faintly.

The hyenas froze as if hit by a paralysis spell, cold sweat pouring down.

Cheng Shuili's gaze fell upon them: "Remember, Bao Chi's shop is under the Rat King's protection from now on. You, and whatever monsters you know, keep your eyes peeled and your claws tucked in. If I hear of anyone else having designs on this place..."

She paused, leaving a terrifying space for their imagination.

"The Rat King could dispose of one Gray Tail, and he can dispose of a second."

Cheng Shuili watched with satisfaction as they shivered, then said: "Get lost."

"Yes, yes, yes! We remember! We definitely remember!"

The hyenas were granted a reprieve. This time, they scrambled away, running several times faster than when they arrived, disappearing into the street corner in the blink of an eye, leaving only a few wisps of dust behind.

The inside and outside of the shop finally became completely quiet.

Bao Chi watched this scene and let out a long, genuine sigh of relief, his long-tensed nerves finally relaxing.

He looked at Cheng Shuili, his amber eyes filled with indescribable gratitude: "Really... thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I... I would definitely have suffered. My recipe is ancestral; it is something I can never tell anyone. If you hadn't been here, I would have become a sinner to my family."

His voice was very soft, and his speech was stuttering.

Cheng Shuili could imagine how much he would have had to hand over today if she had not been there.

"Let the past be the past." Cheng Shuili comforted him softly, though she actually did not want to hear any more remorse or fear.

He was too cowardly.

If he were not a partner, Cheng Shuili would not have said another word to him.

But precisely because he was a partner, Cheng Shuili added one more instruction: "Remember this lesson and be tougher in the future. You are now a shop owner personally recognized and protected by the Rat King; you must have more backbone. Otherwise, every monster will want to take a bite. If you aren't fierce, your shop, your recipe, and even you yourself will be devoured by them."

Bao Chi nodded vigorously.

But judging by his expression, this seemed to be his nature.

It is easy to change rivers and mountains, but hard to change one's nature; for someone to change themselves, how could it be so easy?

Cheng Shuili frowned, thinking for a moment, and suddenly said: "If you feel that the beastman town is no longer suitable for your development and you want to open a shop in a place without disputes..."

She paused, then looked at him sincerely: "Black Feather welcomes you."

Cheng Shuili's words made Bao Chi lift his head abruptly, a flash of shock in his amber eyes, followed by a violent struggle.

He instinctively looked around at the shop, which was dilapidated yet filled with memories.

The oven, the wooden counter worn smooth by his touch, the familiar scent of wheat filling the air...

"I... I..." Bao Chi's claws tugged at his apron unconsciously, his voice as thin as a mosquito's. "This is the shop my father passed down... I never thought of leaving..."

His gaze was filled with fear of the unknown and a longing for stability.

Cheng Shuili took in his reaction, not surprised.

Her intention had only been to provide him with an option, a fallback.

But it was hard not to feel it was a pity.

Many people do not understand that constant change is for the sake of better stability.

Bao Chi clearly did not understand either.

"It is alright." Cheng Shuili's tone was calm. "I am just telling you that if one day you truly cannot stay here, you have a place to go. Black Feather will provide you with protection and give you a place where you can bake bread in peace."

These words were like a reassuring pill, allowing Bao Chi's tense expression to relax slightly.

He took a deep breath and nodded vigorously once more. This time, besides gratitude, his eyes held a bit more stability: "Thank you... thank you. I will remember."

"Alright, it is time for us to go."

Cheng Shuili turned, saying no more.

"Wait!"

Bao Chi called her back again, taking out a bulging, warm, and fragrant large package, which he solemnly stuffed into Cheng Shuili's arms. "Eat on the road... freshly baked, I didn't let them see it, it is all clean. If you can't finish it, eat it when you get back."

Cheng Shuili accepted this heavy token of sincerity, the corners of her lips curling upward: "Thanks."

She nodded at Bao Chi and left the bakery with Su Rui.