Chapter: Lessons and Departures
The manor covered a large area and had plenty of empty rooms.
That evening, Mina cleaned out two bedrooms, and Maxi and Austin settled in for the night.
The Celsis Continent had no electronic devices. Nights were long, and Cheng Yu could only read books to pass the time.
In the study, dim candlelight flickered.
Cheng Yu sat with his legs crossed, holding a copy of The Encyclopedia of Plants and Animals of the Celsis Continent, studying seriously.
The author of the encyclopedia might have been a chef. Each entry about an animal or plant included notes on how delicious it tasted.
Mina, wearing her black-and-white maid outfit, walked into the study carrying a kettle. "Cheng Yu, the water's boiled."
"Pour me a cup."
Walking over to the table, Mina poured water for Cheng Yu.
Cheng Yu's eyes were drawn to the fluffy white tail swaying behind her.
He'd touched Mina's tail before—it felt just like petting a cat. He couldn't help but want to touch it again.
He reached out his right hand and gently stroked the tail fur with his palm.
Feeling Cheng Yu's gentle touch, Mina's pretty face flushed slightly. "Ch... Cheng Yu, what... what are you doing?"
"Touching your tail." Cheng Yu smiled.
"Oh. Be gentle. It's very sensitive."
Mina's favorability toward Cheng Yu had reached 100 points. She didn't mind him touching her tail.
As Cheng Yu stroked it, a strange warmth spread through Mina's chest. Her face turned even redder.
After touching the tail for a while, Cheng Yu pulled Mina into his arms from behind, holding her soft body close. He continued gently stroking the fluffy tail.
Mina didn't resist. She rested her head on Cheng Yu's shoulder, not daring to meet his eyes.
Her cheeks were flushed—showing the shyness of a young girl just beginning to fall in love.
Beastfolk didn't place much value on education. Cheng Yu knew Mina was illiterate. "I'll teach you how to read."
"Read?"
Mina blinked in confusion.
In beastfolk culture, orcs were born to fight. Fighting was the romance of orcs. Learning to read was... not what serious orcs did.
"It's useless to learn, so let's not bother."
Mina furrowed her brows, clearly uninterested in literacy.
Which proper orc learns to read?
Cheng Yu's tone turned firm. "In human society, reading is very important. You have to learn."
"Okay~"
Mina was like a child being sent to kindergarten for the first time. She looked reluctant, but she had no choice. She sat down beside Cheng Yu and began learning characters.
The two studied late into the night.
In the morning, red-haired Karl led the cavalry to Cheng Yu's manor. Cheng Yu sold buns as usual.
"Captain Karl, I'm heading to Snow City. You don't need to come for the next three days."
Cheng Yu planned to visit Snow City—the major city closest to Bailu Town—today.
Bailu Town was over 170 kilometers from Snow City. The trip by carriage would take a day and a night. He wouldn't be home for three days.
"The greatest joy of my day is eating your buns. Go and come back quickly." Karl had fallen in love with Cheng Yu's cooking.
"I will."
Soon after Karl left, Cheng Yu and Mina also departed the manor, leaving only Maxi and his teacher Austin behind.
Cheng Yu went into Bailu Town to hire a carriage. After negotiating the price, he and Mina set off for Snow City.
The carriage rolled slowly along the gravel road.
It had been half a year since Cheng Yu arrived on the Celsis Continent. This was the first time he'd left Bailu Town. He gazed out the carriage window.
On both sides of the road stretched farmland filled with green wheat. Farmers in straw hats weeded in the fields.
In the distance stood a medieval-style village.
After driving for half a day, the carriage left Bailu Town's territory and entered a desolate hilly area surrounded by dense forests and overgrown grass.
The sound of hurried footsteps came from the woods.
The carriage stopped. The driver up front screamed in terror. "Sir, this is bad! We've run into bandits!"
Bailu Town was located in the northern border region of the Black Sun Empire. The security situation wasn't great. The chance of encountering bandits in the wilderness was higher than encountering wild beasts.
When merchants traveled long distances, they hired mercenaries for protection or brought private bodyguards.
Bandits generally didn't rob caravans protected by mercenaries—it wasn't worth the risk.
When these bandits saw that Cheng Yu's group had only one carriage, they rushed out to rob without hesitation—like wolves spotting a lone sheep.
Cheng Yu and Mina got out of the carriage.
In the middle of the road ahead stood over twenty masked men holding machetes.
The masked leader spotted Mina, his eyes filled with malice. "Hahaha! Such a beautiful orc woman! Today's my lucky day!"
Beastfolk strength was equivalent to two or three ordinary humans. But the masked leader had over twenty bandits under his command. He wasn't worried about being unable to beat Mina.
Another bandit waved his machete. "Leave the people, the money, and the carriage behind, and get lost!"
Looking around, Cheng Yu grumbled, "Damn it. I get robbed the first time I leave Bailu Town."
Complaints aside, Cheng Yu wasn't afraid of these bandits.
With over thirty times the strength and defense of an ordinary person, regular swords and knives could barely scratch him.
Looking at the twenty-odd bandits, Cheng Yu reasoned that people who robbed travelers for a living must be pretty wealthy.
His mouth twisted into a wicked grin. "Hehehe. Hand over all your money, or I'll send you to hell."
The driver looked puzzled and shocked. Cheng Yu wants to rob over twenty people on the other side?
"Hahaha! This guy actually wants to rob us!"
"We're the robbers! Why are you robbing us?!"
"Don't overestimate yourself! You're asking for it!"
The bandits burst into laughter. They'd always been the ones doing the robbing. This was the first time someone had tried to rob them.
Seeing Cheng Yu act so arrogant, the bandit leader barked at his men, "Chop that guy into mincemeat!"
Over twenty men rushed toward Cheng Yu, murder in their eyes, machetes raised.
Grinning and looking fierce, Mina stepped in front of Cheng Yu, trying to protect him.
Cheng Yu knew Mina was no match for this many people. He pulled her behind him. "I'll handle them."
"Uh..."
Mina hesitated, then nodded slightly and stood back.
That day, five first-tier demon warriors hadn't been Cheng Yu's match. These ordinary humans might be numerous, but they were just a mob. They shouldn't be his opponents either.
A golden kitchen knife over twenty centimeters long materialized in Cheng Yu's hand, a golden dragon pattern etched along the blade.
The bandit who reached him first swung his machete down. Cheng Yu swung his knife in return.
Clang!
The Dragon-Pattern Golden Knife sliced clean through the bandit's machete. The momentum didn't stop. It cut the bandit's throat in one stroke. Blood sprayed.
"Huh. Killing people isn't that different from killing chickens."
As a chef, Cheng Yu had butchered chickens and ducks countless times. He'd long since grown used to the sight of gushing blood.
Besides, if he didn't kill them, they'd kill him. It was self-defense. No psychological burden.
When Cheng Yu killed the first bandit, the others rushed in. Cheng Yu dodged flexibly. Though he avoided several attacks, there were too many of them.
Some bandits swung at his head, some at his shoulders, some at his waist, some at his neck...
The machetes only nicked Cheng Yu's skin slightly. No blood flowed.
The bandits were shocked, an ominous feeling settling over them.
Generally speaking, anyone with such abnormal defensive ability was a high-tier warrior.
Cheng Yu raised his hand and punched one man square in the chest. The man flew backward dozens of meters instantly.
He swung his knife forward and cleaved half the head off the bandit in front of him.
He kicked to the left. The bandit spat blood and was launched dozens of meters away.
He elbowed to the right. The bandit's head twisted unnaturally, his skull cracked, blood leaking from all seven orifices. He died on the spot.
The bandits surged forward, trying to overwhelm Cheng Yu with numbers.
They attacked him, but could only scratch his skin.
Cheng Yu attacked them, and every strike killed or critically injured a bandit.
How is this even a fight?