Hu Chan quickly said, "Principal Zhao, Boss Qin, you can't just leave me hanging. Zephyr Church has always stood firmly with you!"
Qin Siyang motioned for Hu Chan to stop shouting, "Why are you panicking? Hold on for a while. Once everyone else has some free time, we'll definitely help you deal with the Trinity Church."
"How long is 'a while'?"
"Not long. Besides, aren't Chris and Jin Shengyu, the two Protectors, helping you too? Don't worry so much."
"But...", Seeing that Zhao Longfei said nothing, Hu Chan realized he would probably have to hold out on his own for a while. He stopped complaining and said directly, "Boss Qin, I don't mind holding the line for a bit, but you have to give me the resources I need. You can't expect the horse to run without feeding it."
Qin Siyang knew the "resources" Hu Chan meant were the Titan Foxtail inner leaf fragments needed to treat Yu Ziying.
Against the leader of the Trinity Church, someone who had reached the Tiger Rank, Hu Chan alone had no chance. Since Yu Ziying could serve as the Black-Robed Protector of Zephyr Church and held such a high position, she had certainly already begun the Path of the Believer and could serve as the main fighting force.
Qin Siyang always knew what mattered most, so he nodded, "I'll give you the materials tonight."
"Good! It's a deal."
Qin Siyang and Hu Chan reached an agreement.
The others didn't know what the deal was about. They guessed it was something the two had arranged privately.
Zhao Longteng said, ["Since Holy Son Hu's problem is settled for now, let's move forward with the plan to wipe out the Richard family as soon as possible. Second Brother, I'll gather Chu Xiao'ang and Old Gu for a meeting and go over today's discussion with them."]
["Also, Little Qin, thank you."]
Qin Siyang smiled, "Uncle Zhao, we're family. No need to thank me. That's too formal. Just remember to give me some benefits."
["Haha! Sure. Then that's all for now. Goodbye, everyone."]
"Goodbye."
The meeting, which had lasted three hours, finally ended.
Zhao Longteng and Zhao Longfei immediately continued their discussions, hoping to settle everything today and then speak with Chu Xiao'ang and Gu Weirong.
———
Qin Siyang and the others were free for the moment. They returned to the guesthouse together and had dinner in the hall on the tenth floor, ordering a table full of dishes.
After spending half the day fighting and the other half planning, they could finally relax for a while and enjoy some free time.
The table was covered with steaming dishes that filled the room with their smell.
Braised pork ribs, crucian carp tofu soup, stir-fried sponge gourd, and two bottles of red wine.
Everyone ate heartily except Chu Baxing. He still went to the cafeteria for his meal, sticking to the promise he had made.
After dinner, everyone leaned back in their chairs, chatting and enjoying the rare chance to take it easy.
After Gu Yunpeng and Zhao Sifang left, Hu Chan finally got the amount of Titan Foxtail inner leaf fragments he wanted from Qin Siyang.
He carefully put them into his storage pouch, let out a long breath, and showed a rare look of relief.
"Boss Qin... brother... hic... I owe you one!", Hu Chan said sincerely, his face red as he raised his wine glass.
"You're really drunk," Qin Siyang smiled and waved his hand, taking the glass away from him, "You owe me a lot more than that."
Hu Chan shook his head helplessly with a bitter smile, "Brother, the way you say that makes it sound like I tricked you on purpose... But this time I really had bad luck. It was supposed to be a fight between the Zhao family and the Richard family. After everything got shuffled around a few times, how did I end up becoming the one standing on the front line as cannon fodder?"
One problem had barely been solved when another appeared. Yu Ziying's illness finally had hope, but the Trinity Church suddenly became a much bigger threat.
Hu Chan pointed at Qin Siyang, swaying slightly, "After thinking it over carefully, I've decided my bad luck has something to do with you. Every time I get involved with you, nothing good happens."
"Brother, you're bad luck for me."
Qin Siyang hadn't expected Hu Chan to have such a low tolerance for alcohol, "Yeah, yeah, sure. Go back to your room and get some rest."
The two of them returned to their own rooms.
Unlike Hu Chan, who was full of worry, Qin Siyang was excited. He didn't even wash up before eagerly opening a storage box.
"More than twenty storage boxes full of Doom Octopus remains. If I eat all of them, I should improve by quite a bit, right?"
But the moment he opened the lid and cut off a small piece of tentacle, a thick, choking smell of decay hit him in the face.
It was fishy, salty, and rotten, like a dead fish that had been left to rot in seawater for days. The smell instantly filled the whole room.
Qin Siyang pinched his nose at once, "Come on, this thing stinks way too much!"
But getting stronger meant paying a price.
Even Chu Baxing had said that if the reward was big enough, Chu Xiao'ang, the Legion Commander, would eat shit.
So what if he had to eat some bad-smelling divine remains?
Qin Siyang cut off another piece of tentacle and swallowed it in one gulp.
The Doom Octopus remains were coated with slime, so they wouldn't go down smoothly. They got stuck in his throat and slowly slid downward.
After forcing himself to endure it for several seconds, the piece finally reached his stomach and was completely digested.
Those few seconds nearly drove Qin Siyang crazy.
"This Doom Octopus is disgusting to smell, and even worse to eat!"
Looking thoroughly disgusted, Qin Siyang spent nearly a minute recovering. He glanced at the storage box packed full of Doom Octopus corpses and shook his head.
"It's all for getting stronger. Nothing embarrassing about that. Other people risk their lives fighting over opportunities. All I have to do is eat something. Whew... Keep going!"
Just as Qin Siyang swallowed another bite, Zhao Sifang's voice came from the hallway, "Why does it smell so bad? Did the guesthouse sewer burst?"
"It shouldn't have. The sewer pipes on this floor are made from Iron-Helmet Rat Flea scales. How could they break... Where's that smell coming from?"
"Huh? Why does it get stronger when I get to Brother Qin's door?"
"Holy crap, it really is coming from Brother Qin's room! Brother Qin isn't in trouble, is he?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone suddenly started pounding on the door.
Qin Siyang finally waited until the divine remains in his throat slid into his stomach and finished digesting.
He got up and opened the door.
At the same moment, the door to Room 1002 across the hall opened.
Wen Shu had just finished showering. Her hair was still wet as she poked her head out with her nose pinched, looking over curiously.
Qin Siyang looked at Zhao Sifang outside and said helplessly, "It's late. Nothing's wrong. Everyone should get some rest."
Zhao Sifang couldn't help taking two steps back.
"Holy crap, it stinks! So it really is coming from your room! Brother Qin, are you boiling shit to eat?"
"..."
"Brother Qin, why aren't you saying anything? Huh? Why did your face change? I was just joking. Don't tell me you're actually boiling shit to eat?"
"Get lost!"
[🎉 Shoutout to Mozart and Photobug for joining p@treon. Thank you very much.🤗]