Xie Jianyu gaped at Zhang Fengxi.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in bewilderment.
Zhang Fengxi did not reply to him. He addressed the angry townsfolk instead.
"Everyone, good morning!" he said while waving his hand at the crowd in a friendly manner. His other hand was clutching Xie Jianyu’s upper arm, holding him like the prisoner he was not.
"Did my little brother here do something to upset you? Please forgive him, he is just a silly young man!"
"Unhand me!" Xie Jianyu hissed at the alpha, but the latter remained unimpressed.
"Oho, your little brother?"
The middle-aged man caught up with the crowd. A corner of Zhang Fengxi’s mouth tugged up when he came face-to-face with the spokesman of the town.
"You two seem to come from a very rich family. Your brother here has insulted the entire Rainbell Town. How do you plan on making amends?"
Xie Jianyu pulled at his own arm, trying to free himself from Zhang Fengxi’s grip.
"I did no such thing!" he defended himself. "I just..."
But in the next moment, Zhang Fengxi grabbed the back of Xie Jianyu’s head and forced him to bow his head. He too, performed a deep bow in front of the crowd.
"We are terribly sorry. Senior, you are an elder of this town. Your benevolence reflects Rainbell Town’s goodwill toward visitors. We are very grateful for your help."
The middle-aged man smacked his lips impatiently.
"That is not what I meant by making amends! I am talking about money!"
Zhang Fengxi smiled.
"I had some money with me, but I already spent everything to buy a lot of ingredients. You see, we are opening a new restaurant in this town."
The crowd went slack-jawed.
A restaurant in this dead town? If this ignorant young man wanted to make some money, he should open a funeral house instead!
"Do I look like an idiot??" the middle-aged man cried out. "What restaurant? What ingredients?? If you truly have a shop in this town, I am going to eat my own pants!!!"
Zhang Fengxi grinned roguishly.
"Is that so? In that case, let me prove it to you. Everyone, kindly come to the Orchid Alley for lunch today, every meal is on the house!"
Afterward, Zhang Fengxi dragged Xie Jianyu away from the stupefied crowd.
"Zhang Fengxi, are you insane?" Xie Jianyu snapped. "What restaurant are you talking about? Are you throwing away your military post for a more fulfilling career in the mortal world???"
Zhang Fengxi chuckled.
"Crown Prince, you are a strong martial artist and a remarkable presence in the Heavenly Realm, but you possess zero charisma."
"...!!!"
Xie Jianyu glared at the alpha who dared to mock him.
"Why, you!!!"
"We are here."
They arrived in Rainbell Town’s Orchid Alley. This part of the town was practically a ruin, so no one lived there. And yet, in the middle of the ruin, a building miraculously withstood the bitterness of the war.
The red gate swung open and revealed a few members of the tiger clan. As soon as they opened their mouths, they had something to report.
"Prince Fengxi, the furnace is ready!"
"Good!"
"Prince Fengxi, all the vegetables have been peeled and cut!
"Wonderful!"
"Prince Fengxi, we have hauled water from the nearest river!"
"Excellent!"
Xie Jianyu scoffed.
"All nearby water sources are contaminated with blood and rotting corpses..."
"Reporting to the Crown Prince, we hauled water from the nearest river with clean, fresh water," a servant with bright eyes replied.
"..."
Zhang Fengxi sneered.
"Any more complaints?"
Xie Jianyu flicked his sleeve angrily.
"I am leaving," he announced.
Zhang Fengxi quickly grabbed his sleeve.
"Oh, no, no, you are not leaving."
"And who are you to stop me?"
Zhang Fengxi then took out a shiny badge and flashed it before Xie Jianyu’s face.
"I have successfully asked the Emperor to make me your helper during these three days."
Xie Jianyu was baffled.
Helper? What? He did not require a helper! It was just a small job at the Human Realm!
"Thank you, but I have everything under control," Xie Jianyu said arrogantly.
"Oh? Didn’t you come here to gather intelligence about the situation at the Human Realm? The way I saw it, you almost beat them up with your Winter Frost."
Heat crept up Xie Jianyu’s face.
He snapped angrily, "I didn’t plan to beat them up!"
"Then? Did you plan to play hide and seek with them, instead?"
"..."
Zhang Fengxi chuckled. He walked around Xie Jianyu in circles and taunted the Crown Prince with a soft voice, "I already invited them all for lunch today. Do you not think that they will open up more to strangers when their bellies are full?"
"...."
Xie Jianyu pursed his lips. He said nothing in reply, but he ended up stepping into the restaurant instead.
Inside the building, there was a lot of work left to do. Many servants were busy cleaning the floor and setting up tables. Some even climbed on high chairs to remove spiderwebs from the corners of the ceilings.
Xie Jianyu coughed lightly when some dust entered his throat. He went to sit near the window to get some fresh air.
"May I join you?"
The chair opposite him was pulled aside. Zhang Fengxi took a seat without waiting for Xie Jianyu’s reply.
Xie Jianyu raised his eyes and looked at Zhang Fengxi.
"What did you really come here for, Zhang Fengxi?" he asked. "Don’t tell me that you hear the human beings cry out their eyes day and night."
"Hahaha, of course not. Xie Jianyu, you refused to see me and ran off to the Human Realm, so you left me no choice."
Xie Jianyu lowered his gaze.
"I was busy," he said, lacking a better excuse.
"Oh?"
Zhang Fengxi leaned forward and tilted his head to the side to catch a better glimpse at Xie Jianyu’s face.
"So busy that you can’t even spare a minute to talk to your friend?"
Xie Jianyu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Oh, how he hated the word.
That was all Zhang Fengxi had ever seen in him. A friend, nothing more.
Before Xie Jianyu started wallowing in self-deprecating thoughts, his conscience kicked in.
"You are being ridiculous," a cold voice sneered in Xie Jianyu’s head. "He is getting married to Liu Wenyuan soon. You need to focus on your own upcoming marriage."
"Oi, Xie Jianyu, are you listening to me?"
Xie Jianyu had unconsciously closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Zhang Fengxi was waving a hand in front of his face.
"What do you want from me then, ’Friend’?" Xie Jianyu smacked the hand aside.
The alpha who sat opposite him grinned. He took out a piece of paper from his robe and started reading from the top.
"First of all, I need to know your favorite food."
"....."