Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

"Thank you... Can you tell me how you did it?" Hakan slowly poured the wine from the bottle into his mouth. From the very beginning, his eyes had never left Cheng Yu.

"Yes, this is my ability, taught to me by my master. But I came here to invite you for drinks, not for you to ask me questions. I have many questions to ask you, but I won't talk about them now. I mainly came here to ask you to do something for me." Cheng Yu kept staring at Hakan with the same look in his eyes.

"Okay... what can I do for you?"

"It's nothing much. I heard that you and Snow have always been the ones dealing with the monsters near the tavern, so I'd like to ask you to help out the little wolf cub next to me. He looks like he really needs protection, so could you be his teammate?"

Evan stood there stunned. He hadn't expected that Cheng Yu had done all this for him. Now, he felt a warm feeling in his heart.

"Well... let's forget about friends. Although your friend does seem to evoke a strong protective instinct in me, but..."

"But you've already experienced it once, haven't you? Because of your cowardice, your teammates perished in the cave, didn't they?" Cheng Yu interrupted Hakan before he could finish speaking, saying what he wanted to say, including things Hakan didn't want to say.

"You! How did you know?!" Hakan was clearly agitated. He stood up, then sat back down on the bench. "Haha, well, you can create things out of thin air, so it's normal for you to know something like this..."

"Hey! Chengyu, what exactly did you guys mean just now? I didn't understand a single word you said?"

Hakan turned and glared at Evand; it was clear he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Evand wisely kept his mouth shut; after all, he couldn't afford to mess with this big red guy.

"Just like you said, if it weren't for that incident, how could I have ended up in this tavern, getting drunk every day? So I won't be Evan's teammate. Okay, that's enough. Don't disturb my rest..."

Hakan was preparing for Cheng Yu's move when the sudden appearance of rum stopped him.

"Heh, looks like you really want me to be his teammate..."

"No, since you don't agree, I won't force you. I just ask that if he needs help, you can lend a hand, and you'll definitely be happy to be with him."

"Really? Okay, I'll listen to you. Is there any more wine? I haven't had any in ages, I want to drink my fill today..." Hakan looked at Cheng Yu with hopeful eyes.

Cheng Yu nodded and took out a few bottles of rum from his "story".

"Big guy, why are you drinking so much? Do you really want to get drunk?" Evans finally mustered up the courage to ask.

"Hey! Little thing, you're the noisiest newcomer here! Little wolf cub, look around you. What else do these guys do besides eat and drink, kill monsters, sleep when they're tired, or maybe find a beastman they like to rent a room with sometime when they're interested?"

"This life is so boring. It's no fun if I don't get myself drunk." Hakan gave Evand a look that said, "I'm an idiot," and then downed a bottle of rum in one gulp.

“I see…” Evans was speechless. He didn’t know how to refute it. He couldn’t very well say, “There are still many meaningful things to do in this world!” But to a group of drunkards, those words had long since lost their meaning.

Cheng Yu shook his head helplessly, then turned to look at Evan: "Alright, I guess I've found you a helper. If you do a good enough job to satisfy him, maybe one day he can help you with the thing you initially wanted to do."

"Ah!?" Evand's face instantly turned red from Cheng Yu's words. He began to regret why he had imagined that scene in his mind.

"Haha, I knew you'd get that look. Now that everything's mostly settled here, I should head out."

"Why?" Evand, who was still shy, suddenly became nervous.

"Uh... how should I explain this to you? After all, I still have my own mission, and your father doesn't seem to like me. There are no rooms left here, and I can't stay here forever..." Although Cheng Yu didn't know how to answer, he still told Evans his reasons.

"No! I'll ask Dad to prepare a room for you later. If that's not possible, you can sleep with me!" After saying that, Evans prepared to go and have a good talk with Snow.

"No need, I have a way to find a place to stay. I'm not going to die. We'll meet again in the future. Okay, I'm leaving now." As soon as Cheng Yu finished speaking, his figure disappeared into the tavern.

Hakan, sitting to the side, was not surprised and continued drinking his rum.

The tavern lights flickered in the dim smoke, and the air was thick with the strong smell of rum, mixed with the scent of tobacco and sweat.

The bottle in Hakan's hand was empty, but he showed no sign of stopping, as if trying to numb his senses with alcohol and forget the dullness and tedium of the world.

Evan stood frozen in place, staring at the spot where Cheng Yu had disappeared, his heart filled with disappointment and confusion.

He wanted to ask more questions and learn more about the story, but Cheng Yu was already gone.

He turned to look at Hakan, trying to find some clues from him, but Hakan just silently drank his wine, seemingly indifferent to everything around him.

"Hakan, do you know why Cheng Yu left?" Evan finally couldn't help but ask.

Hakan looked up at Evand and said calmly, “Everyone has their own things to do, and he’s no exception. Maybe he has something important to take care of, or maybe he just wants to leave this place and go find his own adventure.”

Or maybe this guy thinks you're too naive and he can't handle you... After all, who goes around claiming fathers everywhere?

Hakan looked at Evand and couldn't help but think to himself, "What do you mean?"

Evand nodded as if he understood, knowing that although Hakan appeared rough and unrestrained on the surface, he was actually very perceptive and could see things that he couldn't.

"So... what kind of wolf do you think Cheng Yu is?" Evans continued to ask.

Hakan put down his bottle and fell into deep thought. After a while, he slowly said, "He... is a very interesting person. He seems cold, but he is actually full of passion and a sense of justice. Maybe it's because of what he's been through."

I could see a glint in his eyes, as if he were searching for something. I didn't know his past, nor his future, but I knew he was no ordinary wolf; he was a good wolf.

As Evan listened to Hakan's description, Cheng Yu's image became clearer and clearer in his mind.

He began to understand why Cheng Yu was so attractive to him and why he wanted to be friends with him.

Just then, the tavern door was suddenly kicked open, and a gust of cold wind mixed with rain blew in. A figure in a cloak walked in, his face covered in rain, looking somewhat disheveled.

Evan and Hakan were both stunned, because the figure was none other than Cheng Yu, who had just left.

"You... how come you're back again?" Evan asked in surprise.

Cheng Yu removed the hood of his cloak, revealing a head full of raindrops and a helpless yet determined face. He smiled and said, "I'm back because I suddenly remembered something."

"What is it?" Evand and Hakan asked curiously.

“Uh…” Cheng Yu’s face instantly scrunched up with embarrassment when asked by Evans. He couldn’t very well say that the rain outside was too heavy and that he hadn’t found a place to stay yet, because that would contradict what he had just said and be too awkward.

Hakan immediately noticed the embarrassment in Cheng Yu's eyes, smiled faintly, then stood up and walked towards the door.

A few bottles of rum couldn't get Hakan drunk, so his steps were very steady, and he looked as if he hadn't been drinking at all.

"Don't try to be brave. With this heavy rain, you probably won't find anywhere to stay outside. Maybe I can ask the boss to arrange a place for you."

Hearing Hakan's words, Cheng Yu, who wasn't too embarrassed before, became even more embarrassed.

But he still nodded, which made Evans even more confused. He wondered why Cheng Yu hadn't agreed when he asked Cheng Yu to stay.

But since the result was the same anyway, he didn't care too much.

As Evans watched the interaction between Hakan and Cheng Yu, his doubts gradually dissipated.

He understood that everyone has their own story and considerations. Perhaps Cheng Yu left not because he disliked the place, but because he had his own reasons.

Now that Cheng Yu is back, and may even stay, that's enough for Evans.

A short while later, Hakan returned. He patted Cheng Yu on the shoulder and said, "Alright, I've talked to the boss. He'll agree to let you stay here, but he's emphasizing that you can't get too close to Evand... Uh, why don't you stay here for now and leave after the rain stops?"

Looking at Hakan's eyes, Cheng Yu roughly understood what was going on. Snow probably hadn't arranged a room for him, which meant Cheng Yu would definitely have to make do.

Perhaps Hakan didn't understand why Snow would care so much about a strange wolf. Did he really consider Evand his son?

Cheng Yu nodded gratefully and said, "Thank you, Hakan. I was planning to leave, but the rain outside is too heavy, and I can't find a suitable place to stay. Since you spoke up for me, I'll stay here for the time being."

Upon hearing this, Evans finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart.

He exclaimed excitedly, "Great! Now we can go on an adventure together! I can't wait to start our new journey!"

"I'm sorry, I can't travel with you. I have my own things to do and can't be with you. I'm so sorry..."

Cheng Yu shook his head. He didn't want to dampen Evan's enthusiasm, but he had to tell Evan that he had to leave after the rain stopped.

"All right……"

And so, Cheng Yu settled down temporarily in the tavern. He drank and chatted with Hakan and Evand, sharing their stories and experiences.

Cheng Yu didn't know how much he had drunk, but it was a lot. After getting drunk, Cheng Yu talked a lot, but it was mostly about his childhood.

His parents divorced, and his father took him away. However, because his father was an alcoholic and gambler, he was mortgaged to debt collectors, and then his father ran away with his last remaining assets.

Fortunately, a crackdown on organized crime was underway at that time, and the gamblers were eventually imprisoned, giving Cheng Yu a chance to survive.

However, his experience in the orphanage was not good either. Because he did not get enough nutrition from a young age, his body was very weak, which led to malnutrition and he was not good-looking. Because of his appearance, he was often bullied in the orphanage.

The teachers and nurses at the orphanage didn't really like him, since he was indeed not very good-looking back then.

Cheng Yu stopped there, because he had completely passed out drunk.

After hearing about Cheng Yu's tragic childhood, Evan finally understood why Cheng Yu envied him for having such a good father.