Chapter Twenty-Six: I'll Treat You to Instant Noodles

"no!"

Chen Qingyi refused righteously.

She had her reasons for refusing Yinhe. This man was elusive; he had left Liu Wei's mansion in Qibao Town at some unknown time, and he had followed Chen Qing here silently. It must have been premeditated.

Chen Qing couldn't be sure if he had seen him use his spatial ability to empty the garrison headquarters.

If he saw it, then he must have ulterior motives for following me.

Chen Qing didn't like people like that following him.

If he didn't see me, why would he follow me? He must have ulterior motives!

Yinhe looked rather dazed; it seemed she had no idea she would be rejected.

Chen Qing lowered her eyelashes slightly, and after thinking about it carefully, wondered if she had spoken too harshly.

What if I anger Yinhe, and he's a highly skilled martial artist who might injure someone? What if I don't return Li Yi?

Thinking of this, Chen Qing's tone softened, and she said pitifully, "It's not that I don't want to hire you, it's just that my father left me alone in Qibao Town without leaving me any money. I don't have any money to give you."

"I heard from Commander Liu that your hiring fees must be quite high, right?"

So that's the reason.

A smile suddenly appeared on Yinhe's indifferent face. The flickering candlelight in the room illuminated his porcelain-white face, and his smile made the whole room glow.

"It's free."

Chen Qing frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Things that are offered to you for free make you even more wary.

Why do I have to follow her?

Chen Qing really wanted to take out the Kagune and kill Yinhe directly, but she was afraid of offending the Cold Star Pavilion and preventing Li Yi from returning.

After much hesitation, Chen Qing could only say coldly, "Fine, since you insist on staying, I happen to need a dog by my side. Are you going to be my dog?"

She looked at Yinhe defiantly, hoping he would back down.

Silver Ear Fungus didn't seem to find this difficult and nodded gently.

"good."

Chen Qing was filled with frustration. This man looked so respectable, how could he have been turned into this?

They'd even do that to a dog!

"Fine, fine, I give up," Chen Qing could only accept helplessly. "I'm going to sleep. Since you're willing to be a dog, just find a place to rest in this room."

Xiao Wu was sleeping soundly, and Chen Qing went back to bed to rest without waking her up.

Lowering the curtain, Chen Qing saw through the light gauze that Yinhe seemed to still be standing in the same spot, motionless.

Suddenly, Yinhe moved. He lightly touched the ground with his toes and flew to the roof beam, where he lay down like a nimble swallow.

Her movement technique seemed to be better than Li Yi's. Thinking of Li Yi, Chen Qing frowned impatiently. She had to find a way to get Yinhe to send Li Yi back as soon as possible.

Damn Cold Star Pavilion!

Slowly, Chen Qing fell asleep. When she woke up, she heard Wang Zhong and Pei Xuan cooking outside. Xiao Wu had also woken up long ago. Hearing Chen Qing get up, Xiao Wu flew in like a happy little bird.

"Young Miss, you're awake! I'll get you some hot water to wash up!"

Her face was red from the cold, but she was very happy.

"Brother Pei caught a wild rabbit outside this morning! We can have roasted rabbit today!"

After hearing this, Chen Qing asked curiously, "Where did these wild rabbits come from in this desolate wilderness?"

"I don't know, so everyone is very happy."

Before leaving Qibao Town, Chen Qing had Li Yi inquire carefully, but they found no information about Xiao Wu's father and brothers.

I only heard that Commander Liu had previously sent a team of laborers to dig stones elsewhere.

Xiao Wu then decided to leave Qibao Town and slowly inquire about the whereabouts of his father and brothers.

She's in such a much better state now than when I first met her.

Chen Qing smiled, infected by the little guy's happiness, "Okay, go fetch the water."

She remembered that there seemed to be another person in the room, but when she looked up at the beam, she didn't see anyone.

Where are you?

The Milky Way emerged silently from behind the screen.

Just like that day in Liu Wei's study, it was as if he had some kind of invisibility spell.

He walked straight toward Chen Qing, his long legs moving like the wind. When he stopped two steps away from Chen Qing, Yinhe suddenly reached out and wanted to touch Chen Qing.

Just as Chen Qing saw him approaching, alarm bells went off in her head. Seeing that he was about to touch her, Chen Qing subconsciously slapped his hand away, "What are you doing?"

She was very unhappy about the offense done to Yinhe.

Yinhe looked completely innocent as she gently touched Chen Qing's furrowed brow bone with her well-defined index finger.

"It's wrinkled."

He murmured.

Chen Qing brushed his hand away, and had to lay down three rules for him: "Since you're going to be my bodyguard, you have to abide by my rules. I don't like dirty men, so don't get close to me easily; I don't like people who appear and disappear mysteriously, so make sure you're in my sight as soon as I wake up; and, do whatever I tell you to do, or get out of my territory."

From a certain perspective, Chen Qing is both tolerant and quite self-centered.

Only those she considers to be one of her own can receive her tolerance.

Yinhe's handsome face remained expressionless, only his pale blue eyes held a hint of bewilderment. "Okay."

He was like an iceberg melting on the surface of the Antarctic sea in the summer, his mind clear and transparent, but unfortunately, in this already cold winter, he could not arouse Chen Qing's interest in the slightest.

When will Li Yi be back?

"Seven days."

"Leave when he comes back."

Chen Qing ruthlessly ordered him to leave.

Xiao Wu brought in water and, upon seeing the stranger standing next to Chen Qing, exclaimed, "Young Miss! Who is he?"

Her shout brought Pei Xuan here.

Without Chen Qing's orders, Yinhe dared not leave.

Chen Qing introduced him to everyone: "His name is Yinhe. Like Li Yi, he is a member of Hanxing Pavilion. Li Yi has returned to Hanxing Pavilion these past few days, so he is staying with us to protect us for the time being."

"Wow! Brother Yinhe knows martial arts too?"

Xiao Wu thought Yinhe and Li Yi were the same kind of people, so he skipped over and looked Yinhe up and down.

"Brother Yinhe is so handsome!"

The little girl has an incredibly sweet tongue.

Pei Xuan stared at Yinhe warily, and immediately sensed something was wrong. Li Yi was already threatening enough, so why was there another incomparably handsome man?

Wang Zhong didn't say anything. He knew what kind of people the assassins from Hanxing Pavilion were, and he was only wary of them, not close to them.

Now that she knew when Li Yi would return, Chen Qing didn't plan to stay and wait for him. She intended to continue her journey, walking slowly and leaving marks for Li Yi whenever possible, so that she could catch up with them when he returned.

After breakfast, Chen Qing wrote a letter and placed it on the windowsill with a stone, so that Li Yiyi would see it when she returned.

"Let's go and continue on our way."

Yinhe replaced Li Yi and continued to explore the path ahead.

Qingzhou is north of Qibao Town. They don't need to catch up with Chen Zhenyan and his group; they just need to head towards Qingzhou.

The wind howled and the snow fell heavily all the way. There wasn't a single pedestrian in sight; everything was a vast expanse of white.

The carriage had a difficult journey, and sometimes the wheels would get stuck in the ruts, requiring the driver to get out and clear the snow.

The people rushing to catch the train will need to be replaced soon, otherwise it will be too cold outside.

Although Chen Qing only had to sit in the car, she was also tormented by the extreme weather and just wanted to get home to Qingzhou as soon as possible so she could get some rest.

In the cold and snowy weather, only delicious food can soothe the soul.

At lunchtime, Chen Qing asked Yinhe to find a sheltered gully. Pei Xuan skillfully set up firewood and the iron pot he had brought, shoveled snow into the pot, and brought it to a boil.

Chen Qing then lavishly exchanged ten packs of instant noodles and two pieces of braised beef from his spatial storage.

I spent forty points on weight loss.

For Chen Qing, it wasn't a particularly large amount.

After all, she now knows that she can sell things from the outside world to the system in exchange for weight loss points. As long as she is rich enough and provides enough good-priced items, she will eventually be able to empty out all the good stuff in the mall.

On a hot day, you should eat foods that make your body feel warm.

Once the water in the pot boiled, Chen Qing tore open the instant noodles and added the noodles and seasoning packet in turn. Before it was even cooked, the aroma of the instant noodles made Xiao Wu and Pei Xuan swallow hard.

"Sister Qing, what's this? It smells so good!"

Chen Qing had Yinhe slice the beef and add it to the pot, then fooled Pei Xuan by saying, "This is called instant noodles. I found it at Liu Wei's residence."

"Hmph! What a scoundrel! He hid so many delicacies in the mansion and let everyone go hungry!" Xiao Wu stomped his feet in anger when he thought of Liu Wei's actions.

Wang Zhongdu is already this old. As the steward of the Chen family's villa, he has seen a lot and eaten many good things, but he has never eaten instant noodles.

It smells so good it makes my mouth water!

Yinhe looked at the braised beef, then at his own sword. After a moment of silence, he used the sword to slice the beef into thin slices as thin as hair.

Chen Qing was very satisfied with this. He lifted the lid of the pot and let Yinhe put the beef slices into the pot.

"It'll be ready to eat in a little while longer, Uncle Zhong. Take out the dry rations and divide them up; you can soak them in the soup later."

Fearing that instant noodles wouldn't be enough to fill him up, Chen Qing decided to make do with dry rations.

The pot was bubbling and gurgling. Pei Xuan added another piece of firewood, and the group gathered around the fire to warm themselves. Even the coldest weather was dispelled by the fire.

Pei Xuan added another piece of firewood, which crackled and popped as it heated up. Chen Qing lifted the lid of the pot, and in an instant, a fragrant aroma and steam filled the air. Xiao Wu couldn't help but gasp, then leaned back and crashed into the snow.

"It smells so good!"

The allure of instant noodles for children goes without saying. Even someone like Chen Qing, who has tasted all sorts of delicacies in his past life, finds happiness in a packet of instant noodles occasionally. Let alone these country bumpkins who have never eaten instant noodles before.

A pack of instant noodles only costs three redemption points, which is two points cheaper than braised beef.

Chen Qing asked Wang Zhong to get bowls and served each person a full bowl of instant noodles.

First, add the noodles, then pour in the soup, and finally add the beef slices from the bottom of the pot, then cover the instant noodles with the soup.

It not only smells enticing, but it also looks beautiful.

As soon as he got the bowl, Pei Xuan said, "Thank you, Sister Qing!" Then he couldn't wait to pick up a mouthful of instant noodles and put it in his mouth.

The instant noodles are smooth and chewy, with a taste far superior to noodles of this era. Combined with the flavor blended by the secret recipe, you'll want to eat a second bite after just one bite.

Finish the noodles first, and then use the remaining hot broth to soak the flatbread. The cold and hard flatbread will be soaked in the broth and become very satisfying.

The snow has stopped now, and the world is a vast expanse of white, like a silver inferno. Only behind this earthen hollow is a scene of unparalleled beauty.

Although Chen Qing really wanted to eat instant noodles, she was on a diet, and instant noodles are known as a calorie bomb.

So even though he was really craving it, Chen Qing just sat there and munched on a piece of braised beef.

She also took the time to feed the horses hay and added some special ingredients to their food.

The energy pills I redeemed from the system shop are effective even for animals; she had secretly put two into the pot just now.

It's daytime now, and the temperature in the suburbs is around minus ten degrees Celsius. Even breathing feels a bit cold, let alone having to sit outside in the wind while rushing to catch a bus.

Chen Qing had to take into account the impact of extreme weather and take good care of the people around her.

To avoid any unforeseen complications.

Even Yinhe couldn't resist eating instant noodles. When Chen Qing finished feeding the horses and went back, he found Yinhe holding a bowl and drinking noodle soup. The cold killing machine seemed to have been touched by the warmth of life.

"Pfft," Chen Qing couldn't help but laugh.

Yinhe looked up blankly, his face full of innocent and adorable expression.

"Sister Qing, why don't you have some too?" Pei Xuan always insisted that Chen Qing eat something, especially such good food, it would be a waste to only give it to them.

Chen Qing smiled and said, "I'm full. After you finish eating, clean up the pots and pans, and let's continue our journey. We need to find a place to rest for the night."

"If you like to eat, find a place to rest tonight. We'll have instant noodles. Didn't Xuannu catch a wild rabbit this morning? We can roast it too."

"Yay!"

In this freezing cold, there's nothing more enjoyable than sitting in a warm room enjoying delicious food.

Yinhe's porcelain-white face was flushed slightly from the hot soup, making her less unpleasant than yesterday.

Chen Qing returned to the carriage to rest, leaving Pei Xuan and the others to clean up the mess. Not long after, the carriage continued its journey.

Chen Qing pretended to be reading a book, but his mind was not on the book at all.

She is checking her results.

Since exchanging for the antidote, Chen Qing's weight loss has been getting better and better. In the past few days, with dieting and exercise, it was normal for her to lose two or three pounds a day.

However, starting yesterday, Chen Qing noticed that her weight loss rate had slowed down, and it even seemed to be stagnating.

As of now, Chen Qing has lost 36 pounds and her current weight is 281.2 pounds.

He's still a big fat man.

Chen Qing knew that there was a plateau in weight loss, and this period could be very difficult, but she had to persevere. She continued to diet and exercise simultaneously, and couldn't let her guard down.

Moreover, she was already overweight, so it was impossible for her to lose weight in just two months unless she was sick.

Having finally been given a second chance at life, Chen Qing certainly didn't want to become unhealthy.

Her plan was to spend a year and a half slowly and healthily lose weight to a normal weight.

As for how to increase the weight loss points?

Chen Qing currently has over 8,000 weight loss points, which is considered a small fortune. Moreover, there are treasures in his space that he plundered from Liu Shoubei's mansion, many of which can be exchanged for weight loss points.

Now, Chen Qing has her eye on a set of clothes in the mall.

【Five-Colored Cloud Robe】: Can automatically change shape, indestructible, and cannot be removed by external force unless actively removed by the host. Can be redeemed for 8000 weight loss points.

Chen Qing had always wanted to find herself a protective suit similar to a bulletproof vest. The appearance of Yinhe made her feel uneasy. In case someone wanted to assassinate her, the Five-Colored Cloud Robe would be very necessary.

Thinking of this, Chen Qing silently recited without hesitation: "Exchange for the Five-Colored Cloud Robe!"