Chapter 1655 - 1641
"You did say it before, but now I want to hear it again."
Feng Luo shrugged. "I’m bored, just treat it like a chat."
Chu Ge inclined his head slightly. He pondered for a moment. Just a chat? Fine. It was the perfect chance to talk to her and ask whether she wanted to go back to her own space-time.
With that in mind, he made a "please" gesture. "Since you want to chat, why don’t we change the place and talk somewhere else, how about it?"
Feng Luo crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Chu Ge suspiciously, her appraising gaze sweeping him up and down. Chu Ge had never been this polite to her before, and he was actually taking the initiative to find a place to sit down and talk?
Since Chu Ge opened his mouth, of course she wasn’t going to be polite about it. "There’s a newly opened teahouse. Why don’t we go there and talk?"
Chu Ge nodded lightly. Ever since he’d arrived in Shuo State recently, he’d been worrying about the Vermilion Bird Star affair and really hadn’t taken a proper look around the area.
"All right, after you."
This new teahouse was at the T-junction a little way up the street in front of the Old Mansion of the Beggar Gang. The teahouse was big, and just from the signboard alone, it looked very prestigious.
Rumor had it the teahouse was opened by the Princely Heir of Prince Qin’s Mansion, and many rich merchants came here to show Prince Qin some face.
Because of that, it had gained the reputation of being a place for the wealthy to spend money.
Feng Luo had chosen this place exactly because of that reputation, and she had no idea this teahouse was opened by the Princely Heir of Prince Qin’s Mansion. If she’d known, she wouldn’t have come even if you beat her to death.
She stood in front of the teahouse, the smile on her lips carrying a hint of smug satisfaction. "How about we come here?"
Chu Ge looked at the imposing sign and could tell the prices here wouldn’t be low. He smiled faintly. It seemed Feng Luo was still thinking about that bit of reward silver Prince He Shuo had given him.
"Sure, as long as you’re happy, we’ll go with this one."
Chu Ge said with a smile.
Feng Luo grinned wide. "Generous!"
The teahouse was doing brisk business. When they went in, the main hall was already packed. The waiter saw Feng Luo in her beggar’s rags and walked over to her with a sour face, shooing her away. "Move it, move it! We don’t do charity here, don’t come bringing us bad luck."
Seeing his snobbish dog eyes looking down on people, Feng Luo planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Who are you calling bad luck? Is that how a waiter’s supposed to act? Who are you calling bad luck?!"
Because this teahouse had a very powerful background, the waiter’s back was ramrod straight. "I’m telling you, you little beggar, don’t push your luck. I’m warning you, if you don’t leave, I won’t be so polite!"
He pointed at Feng Luo and shouted angrily.
Because of his loud voice, the noisy chatter around them gradually died down, and everyone turned their heads to look over.
"Waiter, since when did your teahouse lower its standards so much? Even beggars can come in now?"
"Exactly! Hurry up and throw her out. If you don’t kick her out, we’re leaving!"
The people around them started jeering.
Feng Luo’s face was very ugly. She might be a beggar, but wherever she went, even if people didn’t show her courtesy, they wouldn’t be this rude to her, much less point their fingers in her face.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. These people were obviously bullying the weak with the strong, dogs relying on their master’s power and looking down on others!
With a smack, she slapped the waiter’s hand away and said coldly, "Don’t point your filthy hand at me!"
"So what if I’m wearing beggar’s rags? My beggar’s clothes are cleaner than you are—at the very least, they’re a lot cleaner than your heart!"
Feng Luo bit out each word, squeezing them through gritted teeth.
Being hit by a little beggar and even called filthy, the waiter’s temper flared instantly. "I see, you’re not here to beg, you’re here to make trouble!"
With that, he turned and bellowed toward the back kitchen, "Men!"
Almost instantly, three to five strong men poured out from inside. Just at a glance, you could tell these strong men were not to be messed with.
Feng Luo did know some martial arts, but her skills were barely enough to handle one or two at most. If they all came at her together, she really didn’t have any confidence.
She swallowed, shuffled over to Chu Ge on little steps, and whispered, "Can you handle these guys?"
Chu Ge had been watching coldly from the side. He hadn’t expected that in the modern world there were people who bullied the weak and looked down on others, and in the ancient world there were actually the same kind of people.
In his impression, he had always thought ancient folk were simple and honest. Looks like he was wrong about that.
"Waiter, who told you she was here to beg?"
Chu Ge spoke indifferently. He was the type who, if he could reason with words, would never start throwing punches first. And even if it came to blows, he didn’t need to use his full strength on these people—one hand was more than enough.
The waiter’s face flushed green with anger. "If she’s not here to beg, then she’s here to drink tea? A damn beggar like her has money to drink tea?"
Chu Ge clasped one hand behind his back, the corner of his lips lifting in a faint, mocking curve. "Seems your master never taught you a certain principle."
His tone was mild, not sounding angry at all.
Beside him, Feng Luo was getting anxious just watching. They’d already called people out to beat him up, and he still had the mood to stand here and reason with them?
"What principle?"
The waiter blurted out the question, then immediately regretted it. Why did he suddenly feel like someone was leading him around by the nose?
"Cut the crap! Beggars aren’t welcome here! Didn’t you hear what our customers just said? If this beggar stays, they’re leaving!" the waiter said viciously. "Besides, do you even know who opened this teahouse? This is not a place for nameless lowlifes like you to come!"
Dangerous sharpness shot out of Chu Ge’s eyes, stabbing into him like a cold blade. Feeling the dangerous aura in Chu Ge’s gaze, the waiter froze, fear making him take a step back. "I’m warning you! You’d better leave right now, or I really won’t be polite!"
Chu Ge let out a cold laugh, a cold laugh. "Not be polite to us? I’d actually like to see just how you plan to ’not be polite’ to us."
As he spoke, he suddenly stepped forward. The waiter only felt a blur flash before his eyes, then—smack, smack—two sharp slaps landed on his cheeks, and a searing pain spread instantly.
He clutched his face in terror, staring blankly at Chu Ge standing where he was, frowning. "Who hit me?!"
Chu Ge had moved so fast that even Feng Luo was stunned. She stared at Chu Ge in shock, wanting to say something, but she very clearly knew the situation right now—if she spoke up, wouldn’t she just be selling Chu Ge out?
Before she could say anything, she suddenly heard Chu Ge step forward and speak in a quiet voice. "I hit you. So what? You don’t even know who laid hands on you, and you still want to teach someone a lesson?"
Chu Ge gave a cold laugh, every word dripping with mockery.
The waiter’s face twisted with humiliation. He roared at the men around him, "What are you idiots standing there for? Hurry up and throw them out!"