CH 52

after listing a series of basic requirements, the faces of the orcs present turned dark, and roughly 50% of them silently retreated.

pei xia added, “oh, and they have to be males.”

the female orcs tearfully left the scene.

pei xia continued, “and: good at cooking, good at household chores, loyal and unwavering.”

the less skillful orcs left dejectedly.

finally, pei xia dropped the last requirement, “by the way, our lord currently has someone he’s interested in. if you don’t have the confidence to persist, please leave voluntarily. also, keep in mind that our lord doesn’t owe you anything. if you pursue him and end up harboring resentment because it doesn’t succeed, it’s better to leave now!”

in the end, there were ten self-confident handsome orcs left standing in front of pei xia.

pei xia squinted his eyes and began to assess them, “this one is too tall, too much pressure, eliminated! this one has a lustful look, eliminated! this one lacks muscles and is too weak, eliminated!”

eliminated, eliminated, eliminated!

finally, pei xia reluctantly kept four people.

one was a bird-like handsome man with a pair of white wings, another was a sharp and cool black panther-like handsome man, the third had a sunny and cute smile and belonged to the deer-like race, and the last one was a tall and strong rhinoceros-like handsome man with sharp horns on his head.

he emphasized, “i can only help you find an opportunity to express your intentions. if his lordship is not satisfied, i will immediately withdraw my assistance. do you understand?”

the four men confidently patted their chests and said, “don’t worry, give us a chance, and we can create the world that his lordship loves the most!”

“in that case, wait here for now,” pei xia said. he turned to go back to the small courtyard but suddenly stopped and turned back, asking, “do you have any special local cuisine here?”

the four handsome orcs nodded enthusiastically and started to passionately introduce various dishes. they all spoke at once, and it was so loud that it hurt pei xia’s ears.

“stop, stop, that’s enough!”

“hey, guard,” the bird-like handsome man, named fu shenzhen, called out. “i am from the white dove tribe of the orc race. i can personally offer his lordship our tribe’s special cuisine. please pass this message to him, and remember to mention my name!”

upon hearing fu shenzhen’s offer, the other three orc representatives from different races looked at him with surprise and then with suspicion. he was indeed cunning! they immediately followed suit, offering to bring their specialties to express their sincerity.

pei xia nodded and said, “sure, but you must ensure cleanliness and hygiene. how about this, stay here for now, and i’ll go ask his lordship if you can use the kitchen inside. i need to supervise personally because i’m not very confident about the food quality.”

“understood!”

“ah!”

his lordship is too popular, and it’s causing a headache for the knight as well!

pei xia shook his head and closed the door behind him as he headed to lucifer’s room. in the simple yet exotic room, lucifer sat on a chair, looking out at the twilight.

the western sky was already showing the faint silhouette of the moon, and the stars would soon follow.

lucifer appeared somewhat melancholic. although his posture seemed relaxed, his hands resting on his lap were tightly clenched.

seeing him like this, pei xia couldn’t help but feel sorrowful and pained. but he had to maintain his composure. “your grace, are you feeling down? is it because our journey today didn’t go smoothly?”

in response, lucifer slowly turned to him and smiled, saying, “not really.”

pei xia was a bit perplexed.

in fact, half a minute before pei xia entered the room, a demon lurking in the shadows was whispering to lucifer about what he had seen, all while trying to praise the knight’s empathy and loyalty.

[the knight is conversing amiably with a bunch of orcs, and it seems he’s really picking a lover for you. oh, what an understanding and loyal knight he is, how thoughtful and devoted! my great master, you’re so charming, ah, ah, ah!]

at that moment, lucifer’s hand, which appeared pale and feeble, was accurately squeezing the demon’s neck.

in the next moment, as pei xia knocked on the door, lucifer released his grip, and the shadow demon slowly slipped into the corner.

what a fearless and heroic knight, ah!

lucifer decided to skip over this topic and asked, “is there something you wanted to discuss, pei xia?”

pei xia nodded and said, “here’s the thing: the orcs are very passionate and bold, quite different from humans. when we went out earlier, i thought that the seven of us knights alone wouldn’t be able to provide you with perfect protection. so, i’m thinking of hiring some local orcs as temporary guards.”

lucifer nodded and replied, “the decision is yours.”

pei xia cleared his throat and continued, “also, they are skilled in cooking. the unique local cuisine that you haven’t had a chance to taste, you can leave it to them.”

“guards and cooks all in one?” lucifer couldn’t help but laugh. “that’s quite a deal. i agree.”

after discussing the serious matters, pei xia shifted to a lighter tone. he quickly glanced out of the window to ensure no one was nearby and then spoke in a hushed tone, “and, well, the people i chose are all very handsome. this time, it’s for real.”

click.

pei xia looked puzzled and asked, “what was that sound?”

“it’s nothing,” lucifer smiled and discreetly dropped the edge of his robe from the chair to the floor.

pei xia nodded with some skepticism, “smibabaka is a big city with many people, unlike ratfolk. i guarantee the quality is very high this time, my lord. would you be willing to give them a chance to meet and interact with you?”

lucifer’s lips twitched as he looked somewhat peculiar. “pei xia, do you think i’m so desperate for… companionship?”

pei xia was alarmed and quickly shook his head, “certainly not! i only hope to make you happier and fulfill your desires. if you don’t wish for this, i will immediately dismiss them.”

he hung his head in sorrow and couldn’t bear to look directly at lucifer.

playing matchmaker for someone you like, this operation reminded pei xia of the melodramatic romance novels he had read. little did he expect that one day, he would become the male lead in a melodramatic romance story. if a thunderstorm were to happen at this moment, pei xia might just burst into tears on the grasslands.

lucifer took a deep breath and nodded gently, “very well, since you’re so persistent, let’s give it a try.”

pei xia brought the four handsome orc men into the small kitchen in the courtyard and watched them cook.

as he watched, pei xia’s eyes widened in shock. he exclaimed, “what is this mush? wait, why did you just dive right in? you can’t do that!”

after a cacophonous half-hour, pei xia sat on a chair, surrounded by the four handsome orc men holding their best dishes.

pei xia solemnly extended a spoon and tasted a bite.

“how is it? is it acceptable?” pei xia asked.

pei xia struggled to find words. he replied, “it’s very unique, but a bit too salty.”

“again!”

a new round of cooking fervor started in the kitchen. outside the kitchen, a serene and pure man in a white robe approached.

at the moment, pei xia was savoring the new dish. he nodded in satisfaction, stood up, and turned around, meeting lucifer’s contemplative gaze.

“my lord!” pei xia exclaimed.

“oh, goddess of the grasslands, no, praise the light god. greetings to you,” they chorused.

the four orc men, either enthusiastic or reserved, gazed at lucifer. despite their different reactions, they remembered pei xia’s words about not harassing the holy son and not causing a disturbance. so, they stood in the kitchen without rushing forward.

lucifer looked at pei xia with a sly smile, “is it delicious?”

pei xia replied quickly, “it’s not what you see.”

lucifer chuckled and said, “oh well.”

pei xia promptly put down the spoon and asked, “your grace, are you hungry? would you like to dine here? let me introduce you to the four individuals i’ve hired as guards, cooks, and, um, well… they are respectively…”

fu shezhen of the white dove tribe: “to meet you, beautiful holy son, is truly an honor!”

black of the panther tribe: “rest assured, i will do my utmost to protect you.”

handesam of the deer tribe: “haha, i’m the most familiar with smibabaka. i’ll show you all the local attractions!”

seres of the rhinoceros tribe: “from today onwards, i believe in the light god.”

lucifer smiled warmly and took a seat at the table. he had seen plenty of situations like this, and four men barely even registered. “since the meal is prepared, let’s dine. pei xia, you can accompany me.”

“yes, your grace.”

lucifer ate with a graceful posture as if he was not having a meal but performing an art. he took his first bite of the mixed-grain fried rice prepared by fu shenzhen.

“how does it taste?” fu shenzhen asked cautiously.

lucifer’s expression suddenly changed, and he said, “there’s an ominous aura.”

in a flash, pei xia was on his feet, sword drawn, and the blade was at fu shenzhen’s neck. “speak, what have you done?!”

fu shenzhen stared in shock, “i-i haven’t done anything!”

lucifer said gravely, “a crow is a bird symbolizing death, and in this fried rice, there’s the aura of a crow.”

as soon as the word “crow” was mentioned, fu shenzhen knelt down with a loud thud, his face pale.

pei xia’s gaze shifted to the snowy-white wings behind fu shenzhen, “a crow? weren’t you a white dove?!”

fu shenzhen, filled with shame, explained, “because only white doves are worthy of our pure and snow-white holy son. our crow tribe has always been despised by others, and i was afraid that the holy son might dislike crows as well, so i dyed my wings white.”

the other orc men were indignant, “this deceiver has gone too far. let’s eliminate him!”

fu shenzhen suddenly stood up and was about to move forward, “please, give me another chance…”

his voice abruptly stopped as pei xia swiftly turned his wrist and deftly knocked him unconscious with the hilt of his sword.

pei xia waved his hand, and tom promptly tossed the unconscious fu shenzhen out.

the second dish was a strange concoction from seres of the rhinoceros tribe. lucifer held the spoon but didn’t taste it. he asked directly, “do you want to convert to the light god? very well, we always welcome new friends. pei xia, bring a light bible for him.”

“yes, my lord.”

the bible was brought, and seres held it, flipping through the pages, his expression growing more solemn.

lucifer bent his gaze, “please, read it out. the gods will sense your piety.”

seres, sweating profusely, admitted, “i-i can’t read.”

so, the illiterate seres was also led out.

next, there was black’s grilled meat and handesam’s vegetable soup. lucifer took a few bites without saying much. pei xia and the remaining two orcs breathed sighs of relief.

lucifer, not particularly hungry, stood up and said, “the food here is indeed very distinctive. as they say, all living beings are equal. pei xia, as a token of gratitude, could you please make your specialty, a nourishing soup, for them?”

it seemed that the holy son was quite satisfied with these two individuals. pei xia didn’t know whether to be happy or sad, so he just nodded and replied, “yes, your grace!”

lucifer left, leaving only pei xia and the two orc men in the kitchen.

handesam asked cheerfully, “what’s nourishing soup?”

pei xia replied, “once it’s done, you’ll know.”

ten minutes later, as lucifer sat in his room by the window, he heard panicked screams coming from the kitchen. a smile crept onto his face.

half an hour later, pei xia came to disturb lucifer once again. he knelt on one knee, full of remorse, and said, “i didn’t expect the orc men to be so strong, all of them are tough on the outside and tender on the inside. your grace, it’s my incompetence.”

lucifer, trying to hold back a smile, helped him up gently and said, “pei xia, don’t blame yourself. you’re doing great.”

pei xia’s eyes welled up with tears. he gripped lucifer’s hand, and he almost blurted out something like “your grace, please be with me,” but he managed to stop himself just in time.

he clenched his teeth and said, “in any case, your grace, i will always wish for your happiness!”

lucifer looked at him meaningfully and said, “this matter isn’t urgent. someday, we will both get what we want.”

the next day, lucifer put on a veil and decided to go out with pei xia discreetly to experience the local culture. he refused to take any other knights, reasoning that they had attracted too much attention yesterday. if six or seven knights surrounded them, people would suspect it was lucifer. so, going out with just the two of them would be more inconspicuous.

pei xia thought it made sense and agreed.

they set out at dusk, going to a unique restaurant to enjoy a meal, and their journey went smoothly without drawing any attention.

they continued their journey until they entered a clean and tidy restaurant and ordered a few dishes that seemed quite normal. suddenly, a commotion erupted inside the restaurant.

pei xia glanced over and was surprised to see a familiar face – it was none other than the crow man, fu shenzhen, who had dyed his feathers white to impersonate.

fu shenzhen was drunk and had started a fight with others because he claimed to have seen lucifer’s beauty up close, and others didn’t believe that there could be such a beautiful human in the world. the argument had escalated into a physical fight.

pei xia sighed, as they were now causing feathers to fly and dishes to shatter. to make matters worse, fu shenzhen had spotted pei xia sitting in the corner.

his eyes lit up, and he staggered over, saying, “hey, knight, what are you doing here? you, you, you’re here… my lord! you’re here too, aren’t you?”

pei xia quickly stood up and approached fu shenzhen, trying to block his view. “don’t talk nonsense. we’re not acquainted.”

if fu shenzhen got any closer and recognized the holy son, it would cause a scene.

however, the intoxicated bird-man’s temper was not great, and without any hesitation, he swung his fist toward pei xia. pei xia remained calm, ready to take the hit.

but before pei xia could react, a strong and powerful hand grabbed his shoulder, gently guiding him to the side. pei xia found himself colliding with a resilient, welcoming embrace.

another hand, larger and different from pei xia’s, caught fu shenzhen’s fist and made him scream in pain.

as the owner of the establishment, he couldn’t be hospitable, but he couldn’t stand by as someone bullied a weaker human. how righteous this man was, with his magnetic voice, broad embrace, and powerful hands!

pei xia shivered and couldn’t help but turn his head to get a good look. he saw a tall and muscular man with a commanding presence, exuding an aura of strength and masculinity.