Trafford Buyers Club

Chapter 3944 [Apple]

Surprisingly, the residence of [Shohiko], the captain of the sixth squad of the Zhangbolu Pirate Crew, who holds a very high position, was not as luxurious as one might imagine.

This can't even be considered a private residence.

"...orphanage?"

Ah Xiruo looked at the house in front of her with surprise, a house filled with laughter and children... but it was quite big. By the way, the little girl who hadn't been charmed by her actually lived here.

[Xiang Feihu] and Boss Luo were walking ahead when he turned around.

She showed neither humility nor pride, but simply looked directly at Ah Xi Ruo and explained, "They are all descendants of warriors who died for me. The Gorge of Freedom and Wildness is a place where the strong survive. The Alliance will not invest any resources in those who do not have the talent to become pirates."

“…You must be working really hard.” Ah Xi Ruo subconsciously looked at him directly.

Actually, putting aside her slight possessiveness, this unconventional Void Pirate gave Shenzhou Zhenlong a pretty good impression... Rather than calling her a Void Pirate, she had more of the air of a Robin Hood-like figure.

In ancient China, she would likely have earned a title like "heroine" within her social circle.

Li Huamei then formally stated, "Here, they have no one to rely on but me. Therefore, Huamei dares not slack off for a moment."

Ah Xiruo shook her head: "I'm still too tired."

Li Huamei smiled slightly, "You'll get used to it. It feels good to be needed... Perhaps you've had a similar experience before."

Ah Xiruo remained silent.

To be needed... do you truly empathize?

perhaps……

It must have been during the early days when the Xuanyuan Clan entered the Land of Inheritance and became the True Dragon of Shenzhou... the expectant gazes of all people.

The atmosphere suddenly seemed to become somewhat subtle.

"Admiral, you're back!!"

"Admiral, we've already boiled the water... Is this our guest?"

Just then, a group of children, who were probably not fully aware of the world yet, ran out of the mansion and quickly gathered around [Xiang Feihu].

"Yes, we have guests today, so remember to prepare a lavish dinner."

"Okay~~"

Li Huamei's eyes were full of smiles as she led the two children, one in each hand, into the mansion. "Captain Luo, I'll go prepare tonight's food. There are no rules here, so feel free to look around! My cooking skills are pretty good, but I don't know if they'll suit your taste... By the way, do you drink alcohol?"

Boss Luo casually smiled and said, "If you like to drink, we can drink too."

"Just you wait!" Li Huamei laughed heartily.

Watching her leave surrounded by a group of children, Ah Xiruo, with a complicated and strange expression, took two steps forward to Boss Luo's side, "...I have to admit, this Li Huamei is quite charismatic, no wonder you chose her."

"Huh?" Boss Luo blinked. "But today we went out shopping to cheer you up, Miss Long."

Ah Xiruo rolled her eyes and said, "This Li Huamei is obviously here for you. Whether you come out today or not, she will still come looking for you! Don't try to pin everything on me!"

“Let’s take a look around!” Boss Luo immediately suggested.

"You've changed the subject again!" Ah Xiruo said irritably and walked away.

If not necessary, she even instinctively didn't want to travel with Luo Qiu in the presence of the maid—when the maid was around, Ah Xi Ruo always felt like she was being spied on.

...It felt similar to the door Luo Qiu showed her that day—the feeling of those arms tightly embracing him behind that door.

"Miss Long, you really do like to say one thing and mean another," the maid suddenly chuckled.

Boss Luo thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps this is her way of treating people well... The scenery over there must be nice, let's go take a look."

"Ok."

This mansion... or rather, this welfare home, is really huge, with a backyard—or even a huge farm... For Miss Baizhi, who once had the experience of taking care of a certain "national treasure Su Su," seeing this huge farm gave her a strong urge to dig things up!

You can pick sweet fruits just by picking them... What a blessed place!

"Bai Zhi, would you like to pick some tomatoes to eat?" Boss Luo asked with a smile.

"want!"

……

"Guest, these were just picked from the orchard, here you go!"

A little boy, probably eight or nine years old, shyly walked over with a bright red apple and stood on tiptoe to present it to Ah Xiruo.

Behind the little boy, several other children were watching curiously.

"...Thank you, little rascal..." Seeing that no one was around, Ah Xi Ruo smiled slightly, squatted down, and rubbed the little boy's head. "I love apples the most."

"Really! Then, these are all for you!" The little boy immediately took out two more from the bag and stuffed them into Ah Xiruo's hand. "The Admiral said that we should treat guests with enthusiasm!"

"Mmm, it tastes really good!" Ah Xi Ruo smiled and took a bite of the apple in her hand. "Alright, go find your friends to play with. As for me, I actually want to travel around by myself."

"Okay! Bye-bye, sister!"

"Bye-Bye!"

Ah Xiruo waved to the departing kids... her smile vanished only after they left.

She let out a soft sigh.

His gaze instantly sharpened.

"Although I don't care about that scumbag, but..." The true dragon figure of Shenzhou vanished in an instant, "following me all this way, I'm really annoyed!"

The moment Ah Xi Ruo's figure reappeared, her long leg suddenly kicked hard at the trunk of a tree whose name she didn't know!

Suddenly, a dark figure detached from the tree trunk and swiftly parried the attack!

Bang-!
At the moment of impact, a powerful gust of wind pressure spread out instantly.

Long Xiruo also got a clear look at the other person's appearance.

He was dressed in tight black clothes, with his head covered by a black cloth except for his eyes, and he also carried a long sword on his back.

This sight startled Ah Xi Ruo, who subconsciously exclaimed, "Are there ninjas here too?"

After blocking a powerful kick from Shenzhou Zhenlong, the man in black flipped over and landed on a branch of another large tree, crouching down with one hand gripping the long sword on his back, ready to draw it at any moment.

He didn't speak, but stared at Ah Xiruo with eyes like a vulture.

"Hey, I'm asking you a question." Ah Xiruo said calmly, "If you don't answer, I won't be polite!"

Suddenly, the other person released the hilt of the knife and raised his other hand to his chest with two fingers raised side by side. Immediately, countless green leaves appeared all around.

"Be careful not to get hit by the fallen leaves!" Suddenly, an anxious voice came.

It was none other than Li Huamei, the "Flying Tiger," who should have been preparing dinner!

Ah Xiruo frowned. The fallen leaves swept past her, sharp as blades forged from refined steel. Surprisingly, however, when these leaves touched her female pirate outfit, they shattered instantly!

Clang, clang, clang... The falling leaves bombarded Ah Xiruo relentlessly, then shattered into dust one by one!

Seeing this, Li Huamei, who was not far away, was stunned.

The man in black who was launching the attack from the tree fell silent.

Ah Xiruo suddenly shuddered, and after reacting, she flipped over and kicked at her opponent again without saying a word—this time, a golden dragon of light appeared along with Long Xiruo's figure!

The man in black's pupils narrowed instantly, and he suddenly drew the long sword from his back, slashing out with lightning speed!

A black crescent moon!
And the golden dragon is roaring!

Bang-!
The shockwave exploded wildly, but was suddenly suppressed by [Xiang Feihu], preventing it from spreading... At this moment, the golden dragon's light dragon directly bit into the black crescent and rushed into the air before dissipating!
The black-clad ninja, dressed as a ninja, had been blasted into the air by the golden dragon of light, but he was not in a sorry state and did not seem to have suffered any harm!
Ah Xiruo frowned, and just as she was about to make another move, the black-clad ninja suddenly transformed into a small whirlwind and disappeared.

The resentful dragon of China stepped directly into the sky.

"Stop chasing him, that guy's gone." [Xiang Feihu] appeared behind Ah Xiruo at this moment. "He didn't mean any harm. He was just doing his job, and most likely he was just following orders."

Ah Xiruo frowned. "Do you know that guy from earlier?"

“His name is Arakawa Shinichiro.” Li Huamei nodded and said, “He is the vice-captain of our pirate crew’s second squad. However, the second squad is not responsible for frontline combat, but rather for intelligence gathering… Miss Long, you are truly impressive for defeating Arakawa!”

Ah Xiruo said with a stern face, "This guy has been following us all the way."

Li Huamei said casually, "That's normal. Every legendary pirate who comes here to participate in the gathering has a second team keeping an eye on them. Besides, this time I took the initiative to contact Captain Luo, so the second team won't turn a blind eye."

"Oh, so you admit it was you who took the initiative." Ah Xiruo narrowed her eyes immediately.

[Xiang Feihu] nodded directly and said, "That's right, I was indeed ordered by the Pirate King to come and make contact with the new captain of the [Black Pearl]. Inviting you here as guests is also a way of observing you."

“…You’re too honest.” Ah Xi Ruo sighed, rubbing her forehead.

Li Huamei smiled and said, "This is nothing to hide. It's just that Miss Long is very wary of me. Did I do something wrong to make you dislike me?"

"...No, not at all." Ah Xi Ruo shook her head, suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed by this guy who liked to be so direct. "What's his name again... Huang Hai? Will he come again?"

“It shouldn’t be like that.” Li Huamei thought for a moment and said, “Since Huang Hai has been exposed in front of you, then even if he comes again next time, it will be someone else. If you don’t like being monitored, just fight him once you find out, but it’s best not to kill him. How should I put it… I’m not really good at dealing with the captain of the second team.”

Judging from the tone of [Xiang Feihu], it seems he's planning to cover for him later?

What kind of justice attribute is this?!

"I'll be too lazy to do it next time." Ah Xiruo shook her head... She suddenly frowned, looked at her empty hands, and then her eyes searched around.

"What's wrong?" Li Huamei asked in surprise.

Ah Xi Ruo quickly got moving, leaping a few times, and then found three apples that had fallen there in the grass... one of them had already been bitten a few times.

“If you like to eat this, I’ll have the child pick some more for you,” Li Huamei said instinctively.

Ah Xiruo casually wiped the apple she had bitten off, then ate it. "It's okay, it's still edible, no need to bother."

[Xiang Feihu] couldn't help but smile, and suddenly said, "Miss Long, can you do me a favor?"

"……What?"

"Could you help prepare dinner tonight?"

"..."

……

……

It was indeed a very sumptuous dinner.

The restaurant was also very large, with dozens of long tables set up. At dinner time, the children from the orphanage all appeared here, quietly waiting for their food to be served.

Boss Luo and his group were naturally seated at the main table—[Xiang Feihu] did not sit at the table, but was serving food to each table.

When the food cart arrived, Bai Zhi's eyes widened in surprise, because she clearly saw that the woman serving the food was actually...

"Miss Long, what's wrong with you...?"

"Enough with the nonsense, just eat your food!"

"Oh……"

Ah Xi Ruo impatiently scooped a spoonful of soup, similar to borscht, into Bai Zhi's plate.

At this moment, Boss Luo looked on with some curiosity.

Ah Xiruo rolled her eyes, but this damned man had given her a whole plate of... good stuff!

But when it was the maid's turn, Shenzhou Zhenlong seemed to suddenly suffer from some kind of schizophrenia, his wrist shaking wildly, and with the skill of a school cafeteria lady with thirty years of experience serving food, he managed to serve the maid a bowl of bland soup.

The maid blinked her beautiful blue eyes, then suddenly touched her face and glanced at the flesh around Ah Xi Ruo's waist that was squeezed out by her pirate outfit. "Oh dear, I need to manage my figure recently... Thank you, Miss Long."

——TM……

……

Getting the food was a huge undertaking. Li Huamei didn't return to the main table until the children had almost finished eating, but she brought a bottle of wine with her.

“I should have been the one to keep them company, but serving the children their meals is a rule I set for myself,” Li Huamei said directly. “This bottle of wine was hard to come by, so consider it an apology. Captain [Luo], I toast you!”

"It smells so good!" the maid suddenly said. "This should be one of the 'Supreme Delicacies' series brewed by the famous brewer [Du Kang] from the void. There probably aren't many left, right?"

"Miss Youye knows her stuff!" Li Huamei laughed heartily. "Indeed, this was found in the treasury of a demon lord during a previous voyage! The worst thing about good wine is not finding someone who appreciates it. Drink some more!"

Ah Xiruo took a sip and said, "It tastes pretty much like strong liquor..."

"What kind of liquor is Jinjiu?" Li Huamei asked curiously.

"Shenzhou Jinjiu!" Ah Xiruo patted her chest and said, "I'll bring you some to try next time!"

"It's a deal!" Li Huamei slapped the table enthusiastically.

……

"see you next time!"

"Goodbye, brothers!! Goodbye, sisters!!"

"Captain Luo, I will formally pay you a visit tomorrow!" Li Huamei said as she saw him off at the door.

"Thank you for your hospitality today." Boss Luo nodded. "Then tomorrow, let us treat you, Hua Mei, to a good meal as well."

"Sure! I won't see you off!" Li Huamei nodded and turned back into the welfare home.

……

On the return journey in the carriage, Ah Xiruo still leaned against the window, resting her chin on her hand, enjoying the breeze, seemingly lost in thought.

The maid smiled and said, "But speaking of which, Lord [Xiang Feihu]'s cooking skills are really quite good."

"I know, I know!" Bai Zhi raised her hand and said, "Miss Long helped cook the soup tonight! I ate three plates!! It was so delicious!"

Ah Xiruo's ears twitched slightly.

But then Mr. Luo and the maid stopped talking about dinner.

The maid said directly, "Since we're going to entertain Lord [Xiang Feihu] tomorrow, I need to prepare properly... at least I can't be outdone in the cooking room."

"Then I'll look forward to it." Boss Luo chuckled.

Ah Xiruo clicked her tongue and cursed inwardly: Just explode on the spot!

……

……

……

……

The mansion I stayed at... on the open-air balcony on the second floor.

The maid was nowhere to be seen, and Boss Luo was sitting at the tea table on the terrace, flipping through a somewhat old book.

After Bai Zhi thoughtfully brought over a pot of flower tea, she quietly left.

In the stillness of the night, only the occasional turning of pages and the aroma of tea accompanied me.

"Hey!"

Suddenly, a crumpled piece of paper landed on the tea table. Boss Luo looked up and saw Long Xiruo, who had just finished bathing, sitting casually in the wind, her long hair still wet.

Boss Luo didn't say anything, but just smiled slightly at her.

"then!"

Suddenly, Xi Ruo threw something at Boss Luo again.

Luo Qiu took a bright red apple from his hand.

"After the meal."

Ah Xiruo said calmly, then took out one herself and started eating it.

Mr. Luo put the apple down, squinted at it for a moment, and then smiled slightly, saying, "Miss Long, did you come to see me at this hour... just to offer me an apple?"

Ah Xiruo's expression froze for a moment, then she quickly glanced around before jumping onto the terrace. "Um... could you get me a few bottles of Shenzhou Jinjiu? That should be as easy for you as breathing, right?"

Boss Luo said, "If you ask for something, you must give something in return... that's the rule."

"Stingy!" Ah Xiruo rolled her eyes and sat down, looking like she was waiting to be slaughtered. "Fine, fine! Bloodletting or whatever... whatever you want!"

—Anyway, I came here after taking a shower…

(End of this chapter)