Chapter 7: Plain Noodles, Priceless Kindness, and Perilous Admissions

“Boss!” Zhang Liang called out, waving towards the shop from his street-side table. “A bowl of beef noodles, but hold the beef!”

The shop owner eyed Zhang Liang’s attire, then, after a moment of silence, replied, “Coming right up!”

Upon hearing Zhang Liang’s peculiar request, patrons at the neighboring tables erupted in muffled snickers.

“It’s just plain noodles, why insist on calling it ‘beef noodles without beef’?”

“Haha, does he actually believe ordering beef noodles will make him feel successful?”

“He’s like those who earn thirty silver coins a month yet claim a monthly income of 0.3 gold. No wonder he’s a beggar.”

The conversation from the nearby table instantly made Zhang Liang’s ears burn with discomfort.

Yet, they weren’t entirely wrong; in the past, he had indeed been utterly destitute.

Any money he acquired was meticulously saved for emergencies—perhaps for cold medicine or bandages—rarely was it ever squandered on the luxury of dining out.

‘But in this life, I’m rich!’

“Boss! Add ten catties of beef!”

Instead of surprise, those who had previously mocked Zhang Liang now laughed even more boisterously.

“Haha, he’s flustered now, he’s truly flustered.”

“Ten catties! He probably doesn’t even know how much that is.”

“This is hilarious. It’ll be even funnier when he can’t pay.”

Before Zhang Liang could even register his displeasure this time, the beef shop owner slammed his bone-chopping cleaver onto the cutting board with a resounding thud.

“You lot, get out! My shop won’t be serving your kind anymore!”

Startled by the owner’s outburst, the hooligans flinched, retreating while muttering curses, clearly fearing the cleaver might suddenly fly their way.

“Here, your plain noodles.” The owner placed two bowls of noodles on the table, then pulled a stool from beneath it and sat down. “Is this your first time in the city?”

In his previous life, Zhang Liang had indeed entered the city, but an unfortunate incident had branded him a fugitive, forcing him to live in its hidden nooks and crannies.

Walking openly on the main streets and enjoying noodles at a street-side stall like this was a first for him.

“Yes,” Zhang Liang replied, picking up his chopsticks and stirring the noodles.

He then discovered beef hidden beneath, prompting him to ask in surprise, “Isn’t this beef noodles?”

“They’re plain noodles.”

Ignoring Zhang Liang’s bewilderment, the owner urged him to eat quickly before the noodles clumped together.

“Boss, aren’t you going to do any more business?”

“It’s past mealtime now. Those few dogs were my last customers.”

“……” Zhang Liang glanced at the identical bowl of noodles before the owner, then fell silent for a moment.

As Zhang Liang remained silent, the owner took a deep breath, a wistful expression clouding his face.

“I once had a friend,” the owner began, slurping some noodles, “who was just like you.

He came to the city knowing nothing and was often ridiculed.

He swore he wouldn’t return home until he struck it rich, but he hasn’t been back in over a decade.”

The owner looked earnestly at Zhang Liang. “Don’t follow in his footsteps,” he advised. “If you find you can’t make a living in the city, returning home isn’t necessarily a bad option.

Above all, never stray onto the wrong path.”

After the owner swallowed his noodles, Zhang Liang looked down at the bowl before him.

The noodles had been cooked together, and the bowls were taken from the same basket, so it seemed unlikely they were poisoned.

‘Something out of the ordinary always signals mischief,’ Zhang Liang mused. ‘He insisted these were plain noodles when they clearly contained beef.

I even suspected he wanted to poison me and sell my body.

It seems I was overthinking things.’

‘If I eat this and then he takes an antidote, I’ll just snatch it from him.’

“I have nowhere to go back to,” Zhang Liang said, slurping some noodles.

His eyes widened in surprise. “Oh! Boss, your cooking is excellent!”

“Haha, I’m still hoping to get rich with this skill!” The owner immediately clapped a hand over his mouth after speaking.

“……”

‘Well, well, so your friend was you all along. This must be the legendary ‘friend from thin air’ tactic.’

“Ahem, ahem,” the owner cleared his throat, trying to dispel the awkwardness. “What are your plans now that you’ve come to the city?”

“I plan to enroll in the Holy Spirit Academy to study.”

“You?” The owner leaned back a few degrees in astonishment. “No, no, no, you absolutely mustn’t go there.

Every year, people die during their admissions process; it’s far too dangerous.”

After a series of questions, Zhang Liang began to grasp the situation.

Numerous individuals aspired to join the Holy Spirit Academy each year.

Adhering to the principle of ‘survival of the fittest,’ the academy administered extremely rigorous entrance exams, inevitably leading to accidents.

Consequently, fatalities occurred for a myriad of reasons; in essence, the methods of ‘kicking the bucket’ reached new heights of creativity.

Zhang Liang was utterly dumbfounded by one particular method: performing squats until one’s buttocks prolapsed, then dying from severe hemorrhage.

‘Seriously, they might as well rename it the “Fancy Ways to Kick the Bucket Test”!’

‘No matter, it’s hardly an issue.

I am the venerable Sword Demon Overlord, a world-ending villain! What great storms haven’t I weathered?

A mere entrance exam can hardly stump me, can it?’

“Boss, don’t underestimate me. I’m incredibly formidable.”

“Haha, I was even more arrogant than you back in my day.”

Zhang Liang chatted with the owner for a while and found him to be a genuinely good person, like a seasoned elder.

The owner shared many of the city’s rules and customs with him.

He explained where the wealthy districts were, the commoner areas, and which places had high or low consumption.

Having finished his noodles, Zhang Liang realized he needed to find a place to stay.

Zhang Liang intended to pay, but the owner refused, stating that he offered a complimentary bowl of noodles to every fated newcomer striving to make their fortune in the city, hoping for good luck.

“Then I’ll be off! Thank you for the meal.”

“Next time you come, though, I’ll be charging!”

The owner stood and waved to Zhang Liang.

Despite his somewhat fierce appearance and the large scar across his face, he was undeniably a good man.

Though partially concealed, Zhang Liang still noticed the prosthetic on his right leg.

‘This boss, too, must be a man with a story.’

It was the first time since Zhang Liang had arrived in this world that he truly felt someone’s genuine kindness.

As a gentle breeze swept past, Zhang Liang felt a profound sense of relaxation and inner peace for the very first time.

‘This boss is worth befriending; I’ll have to patronize his shop more often in the future.’

****

The city night was vastly different from the forest’s stillness, ablaze with lights and bustling with surging crowds.

With the Holy Spirit Academy’s enrollment day fast approaching, the city was teeming with outsiders.

This, however, led to a severe problem: every inn and hotel was fully booked!

Zhang Liang had already visited over a dozen inns, only to receive the same answer at each: even extra money wouldn’t secure a room.

More astonishingly, many had been residing there for a month already, fearing they wouldn’t snatch a room otherwise.

‘Damn it! This competition is twisted into a knot!’

Now, carrying a substantial sum of money and having gone days without sleep or a bath, Zhang Liang absolutely refused to sleep on the streets again.

Consequently, he headed directly to the high-end district, stopping before a grand hotel whose entrance was lined with luxurious carriages.

Zhang Liang sat by a fountain, gazing at the resplendent building.

This was the Zeus Hotel, the empire’s most luxurious international royal-class hotel chain.

Only wealthy merchants and nobles of esteemed status could afford to stay here.

‘Surely such an opulent place wouldn’t be fully booked,’ Zhang Liang mused.

Neither in his previous life nor this one had Zhang Liang ever stepped foot into a hotel of such grandeur.

It felt as though the world before him was utterly alien to his understanding.

‘How should I greet them once inside? Will anyone even come to receive me? How do I book a room? Is it expensive? And given my beggar-like attire, will I be scolded if I just walk in?’

A multitude of questions swirled within Zhang Liang’s mind.

‘In the past, if anyone displeased me, I’d simply beat them.’

‘But brawling in such a high-class establishment would be unseemly.

After all, I am a villainous BOSS; I have a certain image to uphold.’

At that moment, Zhang Liang felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

Having gone without sleep for days, and now having just enjoyed a hearty meal, the moment he sat down to rest, a crushing wave of drowsiness instantly assailed him.

‘I need to get a room and sleep immediately, or I’ll collapse from exhaustion.

My heart is pounding.’

“Where did this beggar come from? Get lost!”

Just as Zhang Liang was about to enter, he was suddenly kicked from behind, sending him sliding on his rear and tumbling into the fountain.

‘Damn it! Who dared to ambush me?!’

[Fates’ Entanglement x10]

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