470: Chapter 470 A Group of Foodies

"Unsolicited favors usually hide ulterior motives."

Han Jingyang looked Chen Zhongfei up and down for a moment. "You're treating me to a meal and giving gifts for no reason; I'm a bit flattered."

Chen Zhongfei hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, no, there is a reason. Listen to me. First, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have discovered this stronghold, or even found so many Japanese invaders hiding in Shaanxi Province. You've pulled on a thread that moved the whole body, dragging out Japanese invaders who had been hiding for who knows how many years in one go. That's a huge contribution!"

"And the second?"

"Second, you and your girlfriend wiped out all these Japanese invaders by yourselves. If it had been us, even if we could win, there would definitely be casualties. Although my people and I aren't afraid of casualties, we should avoid them if we can, right? You taking down this group of Japanese invaders for us is also a huge contribution."

"Oh? There isn't a third, is there?"

"Of course there is. The third is about the spoils of war. You let us have those spoils, which not only allows us to obtain more concrete evidence but also gives me something to show for it when I go back. Otherwise, going back empty-handed and not even being able to write a report would be incredibly embarrassing. Now it's perfect; we have both witness testimony and physical evidence, so no one can say anything. Hehe, Brother Han, don't laugh at me; working in the public sector is just like this. I have no choice."

Chen Zhongfei said this, grabbed Han Jingyang's hand, and shook it. "So, Brother Han, both professionally and personally, I have to thank you."

Han Jingyang raised an eyebrow.

Put that way, it did make some sense.

Hmm, it looks like he wants to build a connection.

This was interesting. Zhang Zhiyang had inexplicably distanced himself from him, yet this Chen Zhongfei was unreservedly trying to build a rapport. The contrast was a bit too obvious.

Was Chen Zhongfei just bold, or did he simply lack the constraints and concerns that Zhang Zhiyang had?

Forget it, it didn't matter. As long as there was no malice, it was fine.

If he wants to build a connection, let him.

If he has an ulterior motive, so be it.

What Chen Zhongfei was after was likely just a dharma instrument or his favor; he didn't care. He had plenty of those.

Besides, he really needed a rest. Having rushed from Quancheng to Shaanxi Province since early morning, chasing over a thousand kilometers, thwarting several ambushes, and killing several waves of Japanese invaders, even an iron man would be tired.

Thinking of this, he nodded with a smile. "Then I'll trouble you, brother."

"Hehe, no trouble at all, it's what I should do."

"Please."

"Please."

Han Jingyang and Liu Jing got into the car and followed Chen Zhongfei's vehicle as they continued driving west, soon entering the territory of Xian.

The local customs and atmosphere here were completely different from Quancheng.

Liu Jing was dazzled by the sights from the passenger seat.

He, however, didn't feel much; he had been here before, more than once. He hadn't really explored the city center properly, but he had run all over the surrounding rural areas and suburbs. He would often stay for ten days or even a month at a time. Although he spent most of his time at archaeological sites dealing with various burial pits and artifacts, he would wander around the nearby villages and towns in his spare time and often bum meals at farmers' homes, giving him a deeper and more intuitive understanding of the local customs.

After entering the city, they checked into the hotel arranged by Chen Zhongfei, washed up thoroughly, and met up with him.

As soon as they met, Chen Zhongfei grabbed his arm. "Come, come, brother, today we won't stop until we're drunk."

"Are we allowed to drink?"

"The most important task today is to make sure you have a good meal and a good drink, brother."

"That's too much."

"Not at all. Even if the sky falls tonight, I have to take good care of you and your girlfriend, brother. Brother, shall I handle the arrangements?"

"Then... I won't stand on ceremony."

"That's the spirit. Let's go, let's go, time for a feast."

What kind of feast could it be?

In this day and age, what haven't wealthy people eaten?

Even the most seasonal delicacies could be air-freighted; even foreign ones could be eaten fresh as long as they were pre-ordered.

So, Chen Zhongfei had arranged for a high-end barbecue restaurant.

There was barbecue, stir-fried dishes, and all sorts of other things. In any case, most things one would want to eat could be arranged; even huge king crabs and lobsters that ordinary people hadn't even seen were no big deal.

After entering the private room and sitting down, Chen Zhongfei introduced enthusiastically, "Don't look at those lobsters and crabs as expensive; they're not really worth eating. The best-selling item here is the grilled lamb skewers, made with the most authentic and freshest Tan sheep. Hehe, the taste is superb."

"Real Tan sheep?"

"Whether it's real or not, we know better than the owner. Hehe," Chen Zhongfei chuckled. "I don't have any hobbies, just a love for good food. My subordinates have all turned into foodies because of me. Outside of work, we're always hunting for delicious food. It's no exaggeration to say that when we sit down here, we know which sheep the skewers the owner is grilling for us came from, when it was slaughtered, when it was delivered, and which shepherd raised it."

"You really know how to enjoy life."

"One has to have some hobbies, right?"

"Fair point," Han Jingyang nodded, his gaze falling on the others. "Care to introduce them?"

"Ah, look at me, only thinking about food," Chen Zhongfei slapped his forehead and hurriedly introduced the others in the private room to Han Jingyang.

There weren't many people, six others besides them, all of Chen Zhongfei's colleagues—actually, his subordinates. There were men and women, including two young and pretty women.

However, the one who caught Han Jingyang's attention most was a Taoist priest named Liang Xingxin.

This Taoist was in his thirties, not tall, quite thin, wearing blue Taoist robes, holding a whisk, and carrying a long sword with him.

Both the long sword and the whisk were dharma instruments.

His strength was also extremely high.

He was stronger than both Zhang Zhiyang and Chen Zhongfei, on the same level as Bai Sixing. Especially the Qi within his body; both the quantity and quality were very high, and it was of a pure Yang attribute. That aura resided in Liang Xingxin's Dantian, blazing like the sun, possessing a power that made people afraid to look directly at it.

Not only that, the halo color above his head was also quite... tainted with a thick blood-red color.

He was an expert.

And an expert with a very heavy murderous intent.

A ruthless character.

However, this old Taoist was quite arrogant, maintaining a lukewarm attitude toward Han Jingyang the whole time.

Han Jingyang secretly curled his lip, but out of respect for Chen Zhongfei, he didn't take it too seriously.

Soon, large skewers of grilled lamb were brought to the table, golden in color and rich in aroma. When they were served, they were still sizzling with oil, and the rich meaty aroma instantly ignited everyone's taste buds.

Han Jingyang also subconsciously swallowed his saliva.

It was truly fragrant.

Extremely fragrant, extremely rich, and extremely pure, without any messy, unwanted flavors.

The freshness and fragrance of the lamb, paired with the embellishment of cumin and chili powder, could truly make one's tongue water.

At this point, there was no need for polite words; he just started digging in.

Han Jingyang was even less reserved, grabbing the large meat skewers and feasting, enjoying it immensely.

The meat chunks, the size of Mahjong tiles, were fresh and tender. There wasn't much juice, but it wasn't dry either, with an excellent texture. The taste was quite clean, with only the unique aroma of lamb and a slight hint of salt, cumin, and chili. Chewing on big mouthfuls, one really had the urge to swallow their tongue.

He ate two skewers in one go and gave Chen Zhongfei a thumbs up. "Delicious!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door to the private room exploded open with a boom.