Chapter 5: The Firebreather

Chapter 5: The Fire Breather

Gaining experience even from cooking!

Xia Zuo placed two steaming plates of sweet and sour diced pork on the dining table, a bright smile spreading across his face, joy shining from his eyes.

These two plates of diced pork had been stir-fried together, earning him 0.02 experience points!

The first time he drank poison had granted him a little over 1 experience point, meaning that cooking about seventy times would equal one attempt at testing a potion.

No health lost, no sneaking around to discard potions, no enduring scolding—just cooking as usual and gaining experience normally.

Xia Zuo thought, maybe this world wasn’t so full of malice after all.

“Very good! Little guy, your skills aren’t bad at all,” Snake said, lifting a plate and taking a big bite. The little green snake popped a tiny piece of meat into his mouth, narrowing his dark eyes and looking as content as a human might.

“I agree, Xia Zuo, you can join us,” Snake said, licking the remaining sauce clean and handing over the snake’s portion. “Go prepare the rest of the dishes. The clown siblings like sizzling, oily roast meat. The strongman Popeye prefers nut pancakes. Audrey enjoys thick minced meat and vegetable soup.”

Xia Zuo noted everyone’s preferences… but one seemed missing. What about Vans, the one who stole money and smelled of alcohol?

Seeing the boy hesitate, Snake thought he was asking if he wanted another serving. “Just make me another plate of sweet and sour diced pork.”

“I’ll get right on it. Should I adjust the flavor?” Xia Zuo asked, clearing the empty plates.

“Make it a bit more sour, less sweet. Burp~” Snake hiccupped.

…

Xia Zuo was busy in the kitchen.

The first dish he made was the nut pancake, which took the longest to prepare.

It required slow baking to ensure the right texture.

Not knowing what flavor the strongman liked, Xia Zuo didn’t add any seasoning to the pancakes, simply spreading crushed nuts on top and increasing the dough portion.

Next, he placed a small clay pot on the stove.

As the leader, Audrey deserved a more abundant dinner.

Even if it was just a bowl of minced meat and vegetable soup, Xia Zuo planned to add plenty of ingredients.

Of course, the sizzling roast meat had to be freshly made. Since the clown siblings were two people, the meat portion had to be generous.

Xia Zuo stood in the center of the kitchen, hands on his hips. To his left was an oven emitting an orange glow; to his right was a stove simmering on low heat.

There were no electrical appliances in this world, but alchemy was highly developed—not only related to potions but also specialized in crafting various practical tools.

“Little guy, I have good news,” Snake peeked in from the door and winked at the boy. “The leader convinced the others. It’ll just be a formality later.”

Xia Zuo grinned, feeling delighted inside.

He picked up a cleaver and chopped some scallions, preparing to enhance the aroma of the minced meat and vegetable soup.

…

On the first floor of the inn.

The inn was small, with only a lobby and two floors of rooms, yet it was lively.

Especially during meal times, it was packed to the brim.

In a corner by the wall, two square tables had been pushed together—this was the circus’s welcome table for new members.

Xia Zuo placed the delicious dishes in front of each member, then brought a large plate of mashed potatoes as a staple in the center. For himself, he had prepared a serving of spaghetti with meat sauce.

The clown siblings sat on one side of the table.

They looked very much alike: small eyes, large mouths, long faces.

Their expressions and gestures were exaggerated; when speaking, they would instinctively widen their eyes. Without makeup, they already resembled clowns. Their voices were sharp, and their tone excited, as if they had endless energy.

Within the circus, they were distinguished by haircuts and scarf colors. The brother wore a red scarf with short hair; the sister had green scarves tied in twin ponytails.

The moment they saw the crispy outside and tender inside roast meat dripping with juice, they exclaimed in unison:

“Welcome, welcome~ little guy, welcome to our group! Giggling, we heard you made roast meat for us—we can’t wait!”

Beside the clown siblings stood snake charmer Snake, and opposite the three was the extremely burly strongman Popeye.

His backside was wider than the bench he sat on, with only a small tuft of hair atop his head resembling a freshly squeezed dollop of cream.

His muscular arms were bulging, brow ridge prominent, and his two eyebrows wide and long, almost connecting into a thick line.

At the ends of the table sat Audrey and a stern-faced bald man.

In front of Audrey was a fragrant bowl of minced meat and vegetable soup, while the bald man had an opaque leather wine flask.

“This is Vans,” Audrey said, pulling the boy close. “He’s the circus’s fire breather.”

“Hello, Vans,” Xia Zuo said flatly, looking at the man who had tried to steal money. Vans merely nodded lightly in response.

“Leader… what does Vans like to eat? Snake didn’t tell me,” Xia Zuo asked.

“No need to prepare food for him,” Audrey said, seating the boy beside her.

Suppressing his puzzlement, Xia Zuo sat amid the welcoming cheers of the troupe.

Opposite him, the strongman Popeye grabbed a pancake and bit into it, crumbs scattering on the table. He mumbled a few indistinct words in approval of the pancake’s texture, his voice sounding as if from a water jar.

His teeth were astonishingly strong; even the hard, tough pancake crumbled easily like a cookie.

The clown siblings chewed each piece of roast meat carefully.

At first, they ate slowly but, after a few pieces, their pace quickened, eventually even competing to grab more.

“I’m the brother; you have to give way to me!”

“Ah! Nonsense! I’m the sister; you should give way to me!”

“Don’t mind them; they’re always like this,” Audrey said, scooping up a spoonful of the minced meat soup and savoring it with a satisfied hum. “The meat is cooked very tenderly, Xia Zuo. You’re very patient.”

“Thank you for the compliment, leader.”

As he twirled noodles on his fork, Xia Zuo discreetly used a detection spell on the circus members.

[Name] Audrey

[Role] Circus Leader, Knife Thrower

[Health] ??? (Healthy)

[Strength] 7

[Agility] 7

[Endurance] 7

[Vitality] 2

[Perception] 8

[Willpower] 6

[Spirit] 2

[Charisma] 7

[Special Skill] ???

The circus members’ attributes were similar, mostly emphasizing strength and agility.

Strongman Popeye’s strength was as high as 9, while the clown siblings each had agility above 8. Snake and Audrey ranked highest in perception, at 7 and 8 respectively.

Their endurance and willpower hovered between 5 and 7.

Charisma, spirit, and vitality were very low.

Except for Audrey’s charisma at 7, the others’ scores in these three attributes ranged only from 1 to 3.

Xia Zuo looked toward Vans across the table.

This fire breather, bald on head and chin, simply sipped from his wine flask, seemingly indifferent to what was happening around him.

[Name] Vans

[Role] Fire Breather Performer

[Health] ??? (Mildly Poisoned, Physical Damage)

[Strength] 4

[Agility] 4

[Endurance] 4

[Vitality] 1

[Perception] 4

[Willpower] 7+2 (Boosted by Alcohol)

[Spirit] 3

[Charisma] 1

[Special Skill] ???

Vans’s combined strength and agility were just 10 points. His highest attribute was willpower. Vitality was only 1… his total attributes were significantly lower than the others.

…

After dinner, Snake helped Xia Zuo clear the plates and they took them to the kitchen.

…

“Snake, why doesn’t Vans eat? He just drinks,” Xia Zuo finally asked.

“Because he’s the fire breather—the one who performs the fire-breathing act. Have you seen the circus show? He holds a mouthful of flammable potion, then blows it onto a torch, and flames shoot out instantly,” Snake said, miming the action with his hands.

“This is the most important and lucrative act, Xia Zuo. Vans earns more money for the circus than any of us,” Snake said with a hint of admiration.

“But it’s also the most dangerous. Vans burned his throat and mouth practicing fire breathing. Though it doesn’t affect his performances, he can no longer eat anything except liquid food. Sometimes the pain torments him, so he needs medicine and low-alcohol drinks to ease it.”

That explained why Vans never spoke during the meal—perhaps speaking hurt his throat, or his vocal cords were damaged.

“By the way, Xia Zuo, we have some work tonight. I’ll teach you the tasks you’ll be responsible for.”

Snake led the boy to the inn’s backyard.

The open space was filled with many horse-drawn carriages. Nearby stood stables where the horses were kept, tended by dedicated attendants.

Among the carriages, the circus’s three connected wagons were the largest and most prominent.

The front carriage was the residence of Audrey and the clown sister. They handled the pack horses, guided the carriage’s movement, and took care of food and water supplies.

The last carriage would be Xia Zuo’s future home. He would live there with strongman Popeye, storing performance props and sundries.

The middle carriage was very tall. On its roof were several bundled, rolled-up pointed tents. Inside were wooden stakes and ropes.

This carriage served as the home for the clown brother, Snake, and Vans, as well as the mobile circus front desk, where tickets and small gifts or toys were sold.

“Xia Zuo, go inside the carriage and open this panel from the inside,” Snake said, tapping the window of the middle carriage.

There was a solid wooden board sealing the window, unlike the other carriages that had small locked sliding panels.

“Like this, Snake?” Xia Zuo lowered the board from inside to a horizontal position, turning the window into a ticket booth, reminiscent of a mobile food truck.

“That’s it. You’re just the right height to show your face. I finally don’t have to squat inside selling tickets anymore. Ha ha ha,” Snake chuckled, curling his mustache and placing some copper coins on the ticket window.

“Two copper coins get you a knife-throwing show starring the leader. My snake dancing act is the same price. Five copper coins buy you the strongman and clown siblings’ acrobatics show. Eight copper coins get you Vans’s fire-breathing performance.”

Snake tapped the wooden panel. “Now, get me one ticket for each show.”

“Alright, alright, coming right up,” Xia Zuo said, pulling a handful of small wooden tokens from a hanging pouch on the carriage wall, each carved with the corresponding performance.

“Good, little guy, you learn fast.”

Snake checked the tickets—Xia Zuo had chosen correctly.

“Next, I’ll teach you how to recognize the performance props and some special tools.”

They moved to the third carriage, filled with seesaws, horizontal bars, mats, stilts, and the like.

At the very back was a locked leather trunk.

Inside the carriage, Snake closed the door, leaving only a narrow crack of light to illuminate the interior.

“This is Vans’s box of fire-breathing potions. Don’t tip it over while sleeping,” Snake said carefully, pushing the trunk further inside.

He lifted a floorboard, revealing stored costumes beneath. Just by size and color, one could tell whose they were.

He swept the costumes aside and lifted a second floorboard, revealing a few sets of leather armor and weapons wrapped in oiled cloth.

Xia Zuo’s eyes brightened—this circus really had some serious gear.

“Shh~ don’t get too excited, little guy,” Snake lowered his voice. “I’m only telling you where to find self-defense items. You’re not ready to handle these blades yet.”

He picked up a curved saber. “This is my weapon. If you encounter someone with ill intentions, bring this to me immediately.”

“Got it, I’ll remember,” Xia Zuo said, staring at the sharp edge, feeling a chill along his neck as fine hairs stood on end.

“This big cleaver and leather shield belong to strongman Popeye. His strength is huge—he’s taken down many wild wolves.”

“These two rapiers are the clown siblings’. The leader keeps her throwing knives on her leg,” Snake said, closing the floorboards.

“What about Vans?” Xia Zuo blinked.

“Him? Besides fire breathing, he can’t do anything else. We handle combat. After you bring us the weapons and armor, be sure to hide in this double-layered floor.”

Xia Zuo lay down within the costume storage layer and easily concealed himself. Even with the floor closed, it didn’t feel cramped.

(End of Chapter)