BXBX NOVEL Chapter 55 A Family Outing
"I do."
Ikasa looked him up and down. His head was balding and he looked like he had a thick figure that was starved to thinness.
Feng Yan seemed surprised to see him.
"Chu Kuang! Are you leaving your gambling den at last?"
He laughed while caressing his own hairless head.
"Haha, I have played and wasted my life for long enough. Now that there is a chance to get out of this hell, I need to grab it with both of my hands."
Feng Yan introduced the guy to Ikasa.
"He was my Vice-Captain before he was promoted to be the captain of his own team. Don\'t be fooled by his current appearance. He is also close to breaking through to Sense Realm."
\'I found a diamond in the rough!\'
His heart jumped with joy. He cupped his fists to greet the man.
"I never expected such a powerful person to be hiding in the slums."
He said with a genuine smile. Feng Yan smacked Ikasa\'s head lightly.
"If I, a powerhouse in Sense realm, is eking it out in the slums, why can\'t he be doing the same?"
"You are an infamous criminal, Red Eye. He is an innocent follower. Naturally, he should be able to find many jobs."
Feng Yan nodded as if his vanity was satisfied by the answer, and his pride appeased.
\'Old man, I am not praising you! Your skin is just too damn thick.\'
Ikasa ignored Feng Yan\'s antics and focused on Chu Kuang.
"Uncle Chu, please write down the names of every person here who is willing to follow us to Birch City."
He tossed him a gold coin.
"Here. Buy the writing necessities and spend the rest on whatever you want."
Chu Kuang\'s eyes shined, and he quickly pocketed the coin. Feng Yan narrowed his eyes at his action and warned him with an \'I am watching you\' gesture.
After tossing the coin, Ikasa turned to the people.
"Everyone who wants to go with us, register your name with Uncle Chu. If you are good at something, you will get a higher salary. We will be back tomorrow. So those who are registering, be ready to leave tomorrow."
After saying his piece, he invited Feng Yan to the waiting carriage. They were going to the Four Seasons Restaurant.
An hour later, the group of eight was sitting in the VIP area on the highest floor of the restaurant. Ikasa was selecting the dishes from the menu. Feng Yan looked visibly uncomfortable at the beautiful waitress\' stare.
The kids took in their ambiance with awe and wonder. They looked at the eastern flood dragons cleverly designed as the supporting pillars. The moon pearls embedded in the mouths as dragon balls amazed them. They could not believe that those pebble-sized pearls could emit light without any heat.
All the kids were busy looking at the decor with curiosity except Luo Qiqi. She was stealthily glancing at the dishes being served from the kitchen and enquiring about them in a hushed voice.
To a foodie like her, this was her heaven. If all the saliva she had gulped could be gathered, it would easily fill up a bucket. And this was excluding the drool that dripped from the corner of her mouth!
Her eyes shined every time a dish was sent out from the kitchen. When the waitress served it on a table downstairs, her face would sour. When another dish went downstairs her stomach growled.
In the silence of the table, the rumble was heard by everyone. Her face flushed with embarrassment. She angrily looked at Ikasa who was still reading the menu.
"Big Brother, order quickly! What\'s taking you so long?"
Ikasa was reading through the name to find any dish with a name that resembled what Luo Qiqi wanted.
\'Where are the dumplings? Where is the sweet and sour meatball?\'
Ikasa looked through the list of dishes baffled by the names. These names were even weirder than the names of his manuals!
He called the waitress to ask for help. But then he saw the hungry, hopeful faces looking at him, pleading to be fed. He changed his mind.
\'I\'ll know what the dish is when I look at them anyway. Since I don\'t have to pay, let\'s unleash the little beasts… Ahem, kids.\'
"Miss, bring me one of everything on the menu!"
The waitress looked at the party of eight and then looked at the 32 dishes on the menu.
"Are you sure, Sir?"
"Yes, bring one of each dish. Don\'t worry, I can afford it."
By \'I can afford it\', Ikasa meant Xue Family can afford it. After all, this meal was on them.
The waitress closed the door behind her. Once she was gone, Feng Yan let out a sigh of relief. He was constantly under the fear that someone would recognize him.
To his relief, his fears were unfounded. After 18 years, unless he roamed on the street shouting he was Red Eye, no one would recognize his scraggly bearded face or his sunken eyes.
As they waited for the food, Feng Yan and Ikasa exchanged a glance. It was time to broach the subject of their impending move to Birch City.
"Kids…"
"Xin Ruo "
Feng Yan and Ikasa spoke at the same time. They looked at each other and Feng Yan motioned to Ikasa to continue.
Their exchange was seen by the kids and Xin Ruo. They had an inkling that they were about to receive some very serious news concerning the events that took place today.
"First of all, I would like to congratulate you all, for successfully defending our home."
Ikasa started by clinking the glasses with the kids. After the children were secure in their prowess, he started to move to the serious subject.
"Today\'s attack was not totally unexpected. It was anticipated by me and your Father a few days ago. And we expect the Li Family to attack again."
Xin Ruo glowered at the two men for hiding this important information from her.
Ikasa chose to ignore her stare and continued with his speech.
"In lieu of this, we have decided to move to Birch City. We will depart tomorrow afternoon. So be ready."
Annoyed at being ignored, Xin Ruo cleared her throat to draw his attention.
"Ahem."
Ikasa could pretend not to see her glare but now he was forced to look in her eyes.
"Why did you choose Birch City? Why not Beech City?"
He had expected this question to come sooner or later. But he had never expected Xin Ruo to be the one questioning him.
After Xue Mi had proposed a deal to move to Birch City, Ikasa had done some reading on Birch City.
Even after going through every source available to him, he couldn\'t find a reliable source detailing the power structure of Birch City.
At last, he had to rely on his predecessor\'s memories and investigate for himself when he reached Birch City.
For now, he was going to use the knowledge he inherited to answer Xin Ruo\'s queries.
"Firstly, the deal I have secured only offers us a way to Birch City. We don\'t have a choice but to reach Birch City before planning further."
"Second, If we decide to do business in Birch City, we have an ally, City Lord Zhen, to back us up. He needs our help to stand tall against the Hu Clan so it will be a mutually beneficial relation unlike the one with Li Fan."
"And you asked why not Beech City? Your Father can tell you the answer better than me."
Ikasa and Xin Ruo turned to Feng Yan. The kids noticed something amiss and started paying attention to the conversation between adults.
"Beech city has become chaotic without any semblance of order. The City Lord went missing in the anomalous space that opened up near the City and since then Mercenary groups have taken charge of the City."
Ikasa had heard of such rumors but Feng Yan, who regularly mingled with mercenaries, knew better. So he let him explain the gravity of the situation.
"We are not an established force with enough power to be safe in that City. Do you still think we should consider Beech City?"
Ikasa challenged Xin Ruo. She faltered and couldn\'t form an acceptable reason. From the beginning, it was not about the decision itself, it was about her being left out of the process.
Now that she had made her dissatisfaction known, he could think of a way to appease her. But he would not compromise with being challenged as the decision-maker.
Before the atmosphere could grow any tenser, the waitress arrived with plates of food. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The kids turned their attention to the delicious aroma emanating from the food. Even adults on the table couldn\'t help but take another whiff.
The waitress served the food to the guests and began to introduce the dishes.
"This is the first dish on the menu, Rainbow on the Plate."
While others looked at it with fascination, Ikasa frowned.
\'I am paying 3000 coppers for Yangzhou Fried Rice?! Even in the Mamy restaurant, it costs less than 300 coppers!\'
The waitress put the other dishes on the table.
"This is the Rooster praying to the Heavens. This dish, next to it, is Earth\'s Blessing, a specialty dish of our restaurant. Its fillings consist of precious roots like 10-year-old Ginseng, Ginger, Blood-replenishing roots, and Luobo roots."
Ikasa translated her fancy names to the names of foods he knew.
Rooster praying to the Heavens was nothing but Roast Chicken. The Earth\'s blessing was a dumpling with an unusual filling.
When the waitress lifted the cloche from the next dish, Luo Qiqi exclaimed.
"Sweet and Sour Meatballs!"