What's the secret to a delicious crab burger?

What is this...?

Is this still Chinese characters? He can't understand how they're combined.

Completely bewildered, Shen Suqing was dragged to the city gate by Zhan Xinjia, who was incredibly strong. Of course, she had to inform Fu Shouan about such a big deal as the existence of man-eating monsters, lest Fu Shouan be eaten.

If he gets eaten, that brat Yan Xiyue will surely strangle him.

This is such a noble couple!

At first, Fu Shouan dismissed Zhan Xinjia's words with disdain.

He calmly clicked his tongue, sword in hand, a look of disdain on his face.

"Young man, sometimes it's possible to have nightmares and not be able to distinguish between reality and illusion. Monster? What monster? Don't you need to explain to us how you managed to sneak into Yaozhou City without our eyes watching?"

I've been guarding the city gate for ages, and guess what? You slipped through the net, didn't you?

"Don't I have any dignity left?"

"I'll explain to your second uncle!"

Zhan Xinjia was so anxious she wanted to slap Fu Shouan across the face right then and there. She glared at him fiercely, threw down the words "You wait!" and quickly disappeared into the night.

Not long after, Zhan Xinjia slipped back.

This time, she pinched her nose with one hand and disdainfully held up a twisted person through a tattered cloth with the other.

The twisted man became excited upon seeing a living person, baring his teeth and instantly breaking free from Zhan Xinjia's restraints. He then began to bite wildly on all fours, spreading a thick stench of rotting flesh.

In an instant, all the officers and soldiers on the city wall turned pale. With a "whoosh," they scattered like flies in a cesspool, crawling all over the ground in fright. Even Zhao Jiu and the others who had just escaped and reunited were stunned.

What the hell is this?!

Looking at the monster in front of him, Fu Shouan, who was questioning his own existence, opened his dog eyes wide in disbelief.

Perhaps drawn by his "burning" gaze, the monster, which had been attacking indiscriminately, paused for a moment and then slowly turned its head.

His face was withered and bluish, with eerie green pupils. He bared his teeth, which were covered in bloody strips of flesh. His tattered clothes, soaked in sewage and filthy, still bore fragments of heroes who had been bitten by innocent people.

Suddenly, he grinned and slowly revealed a terrifying smile to Fu Shou'an, then suddenly sprang into action—!

The instant the monster lunged at him, Fu Shou'an even felt a warm sensation in his crotch. He forgot to draw his sword, clutching his head and screaming in despair as he ran wildly across the city wall.

"Ah!! Holy crap!!! Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!!!!"

Zhan Xinjia: "..."

Shen Suqing: "..."

Zhao Jiu: "..."

Zhan Xinjia: "...Never mind this idiot for now, Lord Shen, I have something important to tell you."

After giving a brief explanation of Qin County and the story of the lonely old man to Lord Shen, Zhan Xinjia, who was exhausted from running around all day, leaned against the wall and sighed softly.

Sigh, she's hungry again.

"In short, we need to find this old man first. Maybe he has the antidote formula. However, I haven't figured out where he lives yet. If he has already moved, then we can only call him Jiji amidst laughter and joy."

After listening, Shen Suqing pondered for a moment and then said "okay".

Things weren't going well for him, but unexpectedly, Ah Zhi came to his rescue so much. What a clever and cunning kid...

A strange sense of pride welled up inside Shen Suqing.

Coming to his senses, he looked down at the well-behaved little girl in front of him, examining her carefully to see if she had been injured along the way.

Having just recovered from a serious illness, she still didn't look well.

Her small face, no bigger than a palm, was covered in mud, her hair was messy and disheveled like a little beggar's, and her clothes were dirty, tattered, and torn in several places. She looked quite disheveled.

At first glance, in the darkness, only a pair of large, clear black and white eyes blinked and stared at him.

For some reason, Shen Suqing, who is usually a clean freak, found her cute like this.

Or rather, she seems adorable no matter what.

Noticing the "loving" gaze of Master Shen, Zhan Xinjia, who was still very tired, forced herself to cheer up and started working again.

Sigh, fatherly love it is then, she won't be picky anymore.

The little girl tilted her head back and tried to put on a bright smile, her eyes crinkling and her dimples shallow.

Two slightly pointed little tiger teeth were particularly conspicuous in the dark.

"Hehe, what's wrong, Master Shen?"

"...It's nothing."

Even though he was feeling so heavy-hearted and facing such a perilous situation, strangely enough, as soon as he saw her cheerful smile, he felt a sense of relief, as if all the difficulties were nothing to worry about.

Shen Suqing unconsciously relaxed his eyebrows and eyes.

At first, he had selfish motives and didn't want the innocent girl to be involved in this matter. In order to prevent her from being targeted by the people of Lanjiang, he deliberately distanced himself from her and left her in Qin County.

Unexpectedly, in the end, he was the one who was being protected.

He was wrong, and he should find an opportunity to apologize to her properly.

He had preconceived notions that she was still young and needed adult protection, but he failed to consider that she was a proud child, resilient and spirited, who did not need anyone to shield her from the wind and rain.

She is capable of handling things on her own.

To Shen Suqing's surprise, even when facing such a bizarre and ferocious monster, the little girl was able to stretch out her hand to block him without hesitation, fearless and unwavering.

Her figure was so slender, yet she was full of courage and strength.

He even wondered if the trivial things he had done for her really deserved such a selfless repayment.

Is it really worth it for her?

"Master Xiao Shen?"

Zhan Xinjia waved her hand in front of him, puzzled.

There's something strange about Lord Shen.

He had seemed cold and distant before, as if he was deliberately keeping his distance from her. Now he looked dazed, gazing at her with a tender and melting gaze without saying a word.

The situation is critical and urgent, yet Master Shen is still daydreaming.

What is he thinking?

As Zhan Xinjia was wondering, she suddenly felt a warmth on her cheek.

The young man lowered his eyes, rolled up his sleeves, squatted down, and patiently used the softest and cleanest piece of fabric from his sleeve to gently wipe away the dust and dirt from her cheeks.

He only withdrew his hand when the little girl's soft, cute face had returned to its fair state.

Looking at her clean and refreshed face, Shen Suqing felt a sense of comfort and indescribable satisfaction. Taking care of her seemed to give him a special sense of accomplishment.

With his eyebrows lowered, he raised a finger to press down a few stray hairs sticking up on the top of her head, his tone unusually gentle without him even realizing it.

"Good boy."

Zhan Xinjia was stunned.

Under the moonlight, his gaze was as gentle as water, shimmering with beautiful fragments of light.

Just being gazed at like that felt like being enveloped in a stream of warm, clear water in spring, gently swaying with the rippling waves, causing her heart to pound wildly within it.

Why is he looking at her like that...?

This made her start to feel a little shy and narcissistic, thinking that Master Shen actually liked her a little bit too...

Zhan Xinjia's ears burned; she wanted to look away but couldn't bear to, and in the end, she could only awkwardly wipe her face with her sleeve.

Even someone as obsessive-compulsive as Xiao Shen wiped her face with his sleeve. Was her face really that dirty? So dirty that it was unbearable to look at? No matter how abstract she is, she is still a girl... and she wants to be more presentable in front of the person she likes.

Zhan Xinjia scratched his head awkwardly and stared down at the tips of his shoes.

After a moment of hesitation, she couldn't help but blush and look up at him, her wide, clear eyes misty and wet.

The two stared at each other silently, the atmosphere a little strange.

He gently stroked her hair with his palm, and a smile appeared on his lips as if he wanted to say something more. But just as he opened his mouth, Fu Shouan's shrill scream came from not far away.

"Holy crap!! I'm still being chased and bitten! And you two are flirting here?! Can you save me first?! I'll kowtow to you both, save me, save me! I'll get you a double room so you can talk it out, okay?!"

Zhan Xinjia: "..."

She stepped forward and kicked the twisted man who had terrified Fu Shou'an half to death, sending him flying off the city wall.

With a "splat," it should have shattered into a pile of hero fragments, if nothing unexpected happened.

Zhan Xinjia patted the dust off his palm.

"You, quickly take Zhao Jiu and the others to collect all the monster corpses and burn them. There are still dozens of live ones at the prefectural governor's mansion. Before things escalate further, wipe them all out."

Otherwise, with all this biting and biting, there probably wouldn't be any normal people left in the city in less than three days.

Having said what needed to be said, Zhan Xinjia walked straight toward Lord Shen.

"As for the two of us, let's go find the old man who is lonely and destitute... I think I have a solution, but it's a bit undignified."

Shen Suqing had no doubts.

The two walked down the city wall, stopping only when they reached the vicinity of the north gate. Shen Suqing looked at Zhan Xinjia with a puzzled expression.

"...Is there any way?"

To his shame, he prided himself on being learned and well-read, yet at this moment he couldn't think of any way to quickly and accurately locate an elderly doctor among hundreds of households.

However, since Ah Zhi said she had a solution, he believed her.

After all, his son is both capable and reliable.

Zhan Xinjia gave an awkward, dry laugh, rubbed his hands together, and tentatively pointed to the floor.

"Young Master Shen, may you lie down first..."

"Um?"

Despite some doubts, despite how undignified, despite how improper and uncivilized it was... for the sake of the greater good, Shen Suqing still spread out his robes and lay flat on the ground with some skepticism.

He had just lain down when Zhan Xinjia started shooting at 0 frames again.

She slid to his side on her knees, grabbed his collar, and began to wail, tears streaming down her face.

"Buhou!! Husband, don't die!!! I will definitely find the best doctor in the world to cure this incurable disease that even a god couldn't cure!!!"

What can she do? She only has one old method!