The round-faced young man chimed in, "I seriously suspect that his Wildfire Spear can not only act as a Gatling gun and a missile launcher but also as a laser cannon. Next time we fight the orcs, I bet one shot will vaporize the entire enemy camp."

The fat man nodded vigorously, "Right! That's exactly it! I saw it clearly from the city wall; there was even a scope on the tip of the Wildfire Spear, an infrared one!"

The dark, thin young man laughed, then suddenly stopped, looking at the fat man seriously, "You make up stories quite convincingly. Why don't you become a war correspondent? That would have more of a future than eating peanuts here."

The fat man rolled his eyes and tossed another peanut into his mouth, "This is called artistic license, get it? Besides, Lord Lin is already that amazing; me embellishing it just a tiny bit isn't too much, right?"

The group of young men burst into laughter, and the proprietress of the tea stall couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.

The dark, thin young man raised his tea bowl toward the fat man, "Fine, fine, you embellish away. Come, let's toast to Lord Lin, and to that divine Wildfire Spear of his that can act as both a Gatling gun and a missile launcher!"

Several bowls clinked together, splashing tea across the table. Their laughter drifted from the street corner, carrying far into the afternoon sun.

Lin Feng's mouth twitched as he walked past the tea stall without looking back.

The young men were talking wildly, but that kind of ease and happiness only comes after winning a battle; he didn't want to disturb them.

After walking a bit further, he passed a rice noodle stall. The stall wasn't large, set up with two pots—one for simmering broth and one for boiling noodles.

The broth pot bubbled away, with white steam rising in wisps under the sunlight.

A number of people sat around several low tables, including soldiers, Awakened, and civilians wearing coarse cloth clothes.

Feng Qingyan and Su Yurou were sitting at the table in the very back.

Feng Qingyan was burying her head in a bowl of rice noodles, her chopsticks moving quickly, her cheeks bulging.

Su Yurou sat opposite her, eating at a leisurely pace and occasionally looking up at Feng Qingyan.

"Yu Rou, this is really delicious!" Feng Qingyan swallowed a large mouthful, her chopsticks already reaching back into the bowl, unable to speak clearly.

"You have to try the soup; it's so savory it'll make your eyebrows fall off..."

Su Yurou smiled, lowered her head to take a sip of the soup, and nodded slightly, "It is indeed quite good."

Feng Qingyan finished her bowl like a whirlwind, pushed it onto the table, and waved at the stall owner, "Boss, one more bowl!"

Then, still craving more, she licked the corner of her mouth, her eyes still darting toward the pot.

Catching sight of a familiar figure in her peripheral vision, she looked up and saw Lin Feng passing by the stall.

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly. She put down her chopsticks and waved, her voice crisp and playful, "Lord Lin! Come over here, this rice noodle stall is delicious! I've already eaten two bowls and I still want a third!"

Lin Feng walked over, leaned his Wildfire Spear against the edge of the table, and sat down next to her.

Feng Qingyan immediately scooted to the side to make room for him.

Lin Feng looked at the two empty bowls stacked in front of her, then at the bowl of rice noodles in front of Su Yurou that was only half-eaten, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, "Is it really that good?"

Feng Qingyan nodded frantically, her eyes shining like two stars, "Really, really! You try it; if it's not good, I'll eat the bowl!"

Lin Feng waved at the stall owner, "One bowl, please."

The rice noodles were served quickly. The broth was clear, topped with a few green scallions and cilantro, and covered with thin slices of beef, the aroma wafting straight into his nose.

Lin Feng picked up his chopsticks and took a bite; the noodles were smooth and the soup was fresh—it was indeed quite good.

Feng Qingyan watched him eagerly, and as soon as he swallowed, she asked impatiently, "How is it? Good, right?"

Lin Feng nodded, "It's alright."

Feng Qingyan winked triumphantly at Su Yurou, "See? Even Lord Lin says it's good! I didn't lie!"

Su Yurou couldn't be bothered to respond and lowered her head to continue eating her own rice noodles.

Feng Qingyan held her third bowl, which had just been served. The halo of her protective shield flickered faintly around her, making her look as if she were glowing, like a goldfish guarding its food.

She stole glances at Lin Feng while eating and noticed that the beef in his bowl hadn't been touched yet. She hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Lord Lin, do you not eat beef?"

Lin Feng replied, "I do."

Feng Qingyan let out an "Oh," lowered her head in disappointment, and continued shoveling in her rice noodles.

Su Yurou saw this, the corners of her mouth curving up. She tapped the edge of Feng Qingyan's bowl gently with her chopsticks, signaling her to focus on eating and not think about nonsense.

Feng Qingyan pouted and behaved herself.

The stall owner was a woman from the Annan Kingdom in her forties, wearing a blue cloth apron and working with nimble hands.

She walked over carrying several small side dishes, smiling at Lin Feng, "Lord Lin, this dish of pickled bamboo shoots and this dish of pickled radishes are on the house. Thank you for saving our Thang Long City."

Lin Feng put down his chopsticks and nodded slightly, "Thank you."

The proprietress smiled until her eyes narrowed into slits, then glanced at Feng Qingyan and complimented her, "This young lady is truly beautiful, and she has good table manners too—she doesn't waste food."

Feng Qingyan blushed at the compliment and whispered, "I, my table manners have always been very good..."

Su Yurou smiled to herself on the side.

Lin Feng finished the last bite of his rice noodles, set down the bowl, and pulled a small handful of Gray Crystals from his pocket, placing them on the table.

He stood up, slung the Wildfire Spear onto his back, and nodded at the two of them, "Eat slowly. I'm leaving now."

Feng Qingyan waved her hands hurriedly, rice noodles still in her mouth, and shouted indistinctly, "See you tonight, Lord Lin!!!"

Su Yurou nodded gently, watching him leave.

After Lin Feng had walked away, Feng Qingyan put down her chopsticks, let out a long sigh, and rubbed her stomach. Looking at the three empty bowls in front of her, she turned to Su Yurou and whispered, "Yu Rou, did I eat too much?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Su Yurou looked at her seriously and shook her head ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) gently, "Not at all. You're still growing."

Feng Qingyan froze for a moment, then burst out laughing, her protective shield flickering so hard it almost shattered, "I'm already nineteen, what kind of growing am I still doing!!!"

She laughed, then sighed, "But I'm really tired today, so eating a little more isn't too much, right?"

Su Yurou didn't answer, just finished her last bite of rice noodles and set down her bowl.

...

After leaving the rice noodle stall, Lin Feng strolled around the main street of Thang Long City for a while longer, bought a few skewers of roasted blue sparrow eggs, and finished them while squatting at the base of the city wall.

The setting sun gradually slanted westward, dyeing the entire city a golden red. He brushed the dust off the hem of his clothes and walked toward the Council Hall in the center of the city.

The victory banquet was held in the Council Hall, and Nguyen Van Hung had brought in the best chefs from the Annan Kingdom.

The long table was covered with a dark red tablecloth and laden with specialty dishes from the Annan Kingdom: roast suckling pig with crispy skin and tender meat, golden-fried crispy spring rolls, crystal-clear green radish jelly, sticky rice in bamboo tubes wafting the fresh scent of bamboo leaves, and the sour and spicy aroma of fish soup hitting the nostrils.