THE SYSTEM IS NOT MINE

Muja looked at the only girl in their group, who looked to be around nine years old, the same age as the others, and said, ”Kilin, you will stay outside here with me and Gustin.”

”Uzopp and Moro will go to that restaurant and smell the people inside.” Muja pointed toward a restaurant not far away, surrounded by plants and flowers.

It had a cracked old signboard that read, ”The Flower King Restaurant.”

”Why do you guys get to stay outside while we have to go in?” Moro, a thin-looking, slim kid with crooked teeth, protested.

”Because someone has to stay outside and act wisely if anything goes wrong,” Muja said, puffing out his chest as though he had just delivered the wisdom of a great strategist.

”But you are not wise,” Kilin, who had been silently observing him, commented.

”Kilin, how am I not wise? I know all about Sir Chu Feng. I am the next Chu Feng. How can a girl like you even understand my great mind?” Muja said, looking at her.

”Because you don’t even remember the capital of the Kingdom despite being reminded by Teacher Bai and us multiple times,” Kilin said.

”What do you even know? The capital is Chu Feng, Chu Feng is the capital,” Muja said.

”That again...” Kilin gritted her teeth and corrected him. ”The capital city is Ebonreach.”

”Whatever... let’s smell people first,” Muja said.

”But you go inside. I am not going...” Moro protested.

”Moro, don’t be a kid. Listen to me, I will give you my mom’s homemade sweet if you do,” Muja said.

”Really?” Moro asked.

”Yes,” Muja said again, puffing his chest out.

”I want one too...”

”Me too.”

The other boys said.

Looking at them, Kilin hit her forehead with her right hand.

Then the group began the operation. Moro and Uzopp ran towards the door of the restaurant, opened it, and went inside.

Just two minutes later, a man came out of the restaurant carrying both of them. He dropped them outside and warned, ”You damn beggars, go somewhere else. Don’t come inside my restaurant.”

”Uzopp and Moro walked back towards Muja and said, ”The owner is so rude and scary... He isn’t letting us stay inside.”

”But we were able to smell two people. Both of them smelled different, but neither smelled like Hua Fain,” Uzopp added.

”What do we do now?” Moro asked.

Muja, Kilin, and everyone else looked at him.

”Ahem! That was expected.” Muja straightened his back. Then he turned to Kilin. ”Kilin, as my assistant, do you have any solution?”

Kilin looked at Muja and said, ”I am not your assistant.”

”Kilin, you are. Who else is more clever among us to become my assistant? Only you.”

Kilin’s face turned slightly red, and she said quietly, ”Okay.”

”So, my dear assistant, what do we do now?” Muja followed up.

”Hmm.....”

”Hm..”

Kilin looked up at the sky as she began to gather her thoughts and find a solution.

”Since that uncle will kick us out if we go inside...”

”Why don’t we just wait outside and smell whoever comes out?”

Kilin said as a smile surfaced on her face, as bright as pearls shining in the sunlight.

”Brilliant, brilliant!”

”Kilin, you are brilliant. We will do that.” Muja patted her on the head.

”Kilin, tell us where to hide? I mean just standing outside and waiting will definitely alert people, so we should hide somewhere and observe the door, ”

Gustin said.

”Hmm..you are right..”

”Hmm..”

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Kilin rubbed her leg against the ground as she thought.

Then she said, ”How about this? ” Then she explained the plan.

Hours passed, after an hour, a couple carrying a cat walked out of the door, they kept walking forward, they saw a slim kid run past them, ”Stop,” behind them another kid was chasing him with a stick in hand.

The kid with a stick in his hand suddenly stumbled in front of them.

The couple looked at him, but ignored his fall and walked.

After the couple went out of sight, the kid with the stick and another kid both ran behind a home next to the restaurant.

”We noticed a man with a bald head, a woman with a moustache and a cat” Uzopp spoke.

”I smelled them, but they did not smell like Hua Fain, ” Moro spoke while hitting the ground with his stick.

”You useless Moro! It’s because you always carry bad luck!” Muja rubbed left eye with his left hand.

”As if you are useful? Hiding here while we do the real work,” Moro complained.

”What did you say?” Muja came forward and glared into Moro’s eyes. ”I am not hiding! I am the next Chu Feng. Chu Feng never acts himself.”

Moro did not back down. He looked straight into Muja’s eyes. ”Since I am useless and carry bad luck, why don’t you go? Chu Feng has reliable men, but you don’t. So you should act.”

Muja backed down, ”Do you think I can’t?”

”Kilin, come with me, you run and I will carry the stick, ” Muja said and grabbed the stick from Moro.

”I...what..?” Kilin stared in shock.

”Let’s go, ” In one hand Muja carried the stick, on another hand he pulled Kilin.

The others walked behind them as they moved through the narrow alley beside the building and halted at the end of it.

Moro sneaked to the corner first, with Gustin beside him and Uzopp beside Gustin.

After half an hour, the door of the restaurant opened again, and an old man gently stroking his beard came out and began walking.

”Save me!”

Then he observed a slum girl who seemed to be eight or nine years old passed by him, behind her, a kid was running by carrying the stick.

He acted and immediately stood in the way as Muja crashed into him, and fell on the ground.

”Kid, what are you doing?” The old man waited for an answer.

Muja got up and smelled the old man first, ”This..” a thought came to his mind.

”She ran away after cursing me, how dare of her?” Muja yelled.

”You are an angry one, kid. What’s your name?” the old man asked.

”Chu Feng,” Muja said, looking at the old man.

”Chu Feng? The damn Merchant?” The old man looked at Muja. ”Kid, stop lying. Tell me your real name.”

”It’s Chu Feng, is there something wrong with my name?” Muja did not move.

”Nothing! Just reminded of a bad guy.” The old man said.

”Which bad guy?” Muja asked.

”You don’t need to know.” The Old man said, and then after a moment, he said, ”Chu Feng, do you know what you were doing was wrong?”

”What’s wrong?” Muja asked.

”Beating up girls is wrong, instead you should make them love you, that would be better punishment than chasing after her with a stick” Old man explained as he pulled his beard.

“Love? How do I make her love me?” Muja looked at the old man with gaze that seemed to be craving for the answer.

“Ahem! It won’t be easy, but I can tell you this: in all my 190 years of life, I have had 80 girls fall in love with me.”

”Would you like to learn it faster or slower?” The old man coughed.

”Faster,” Muja said.

”Then it’s simple, you see the aunt there? ” The old man pointed his finger at a woman sweeping the front yard of her house.

”See and learn, ” The old man moved towards the woman.

Then he said something to her, she stopped sweeping and glared at him, pointed her finger indicating to get away.

But the old man did not, he took silver out of his pocket and gave it to her, she yelled something, the old man took more silver out.

The woman then smiled and pulled the old man towards her face, lips locked to lips as they kissed.

Seeing the scene, Muja opened his mouth wide.

Then the old man returned, ” Did you see that? That’s my talent.”

Muja nodded.

”Old man, you are great” Muja looked at the old man with glittering eyes.

The old man looked at Muja, and then he looked behind him, and found the girl who ran away coming back.

Then he looked at Muja, and whispered slowly, ” You can try, she is coming here..”

Muja looked back, found Kilin coming over, and then he looked at the old man and said, ”Could you lend me money, I don’t have any.”

”Here, take this.” The old man handed one silver coin to Muja.

”Only one? Give me ten.” Muja asked.

”Kiddo, don’t be greedy, try with one first.” The old man said.

Muja got closer to Kilin while Kilin pretended to take steps.

”Don’t move, I am not gonna beat you up, I have something I want to say.” Muja shouted.

Kilin halted, then Muja reached next to her. He pulled her palm forward and kept the coin in her palm.

Kilin looked at the coin in her hand and then stared at Muja trying to understand what his intention was, why he was giving her a coin.

Then Muja came much closer, and arrived next to her ear and whispered, ”He is the one, he got the same smell, you go back and call Hua Fain, I will stall..and lastly, don’t forget to kiss me.”

”What did you say...?” Kilin asked, her face reddened as she made some distance away from his face.

”Kiss me.” Muja said.

Then Kilin suddenly kissed him on the cheek, turned around, and ran away.

Muja stood there for a few moments, completely stunned.

Then he turned back, looked at the old man, who was smiling and gave him a thumbs-up, and ran towards him.

“How did the first kiss feel?” the old man asked Muja.

“Good. But, old man, this trick is really great. Who taught you this?” Muja asked with glittering eyes.

”Ahem! No one taught it to me, I learned it by myself.” The old man said with pride.

“Old man, you’re really amazing! Do you have more tricks?” Muja grabbed his hand.

”I have a couple more,” The old man touched his beard.

”Each one gets a different result” The old man touched his beard.

”Teach me, Teach me...I want to learn.” Muja said.

”Not here, Come with me,” The old man turned towards The Flower King Restaurant, and went inside.

Muja followed behind.

”They went inside! they went in!” Moro said while sneaking from the corners of the narrow alley of the adjacent building shouted

”Where? Where?”, Uzopp and Gustin who were next to him pushed him out of the alley.

The Flower King Restaurant.

”Will Muja be kicked out by that scary owner?” Uzopp asked.

”I doubt it, he will not.” Gustin spoke.

Time passed, about twenty minutes, passed.

”The scary owner did not kick Muja out,” Uzopp said .

”It must be because of the old man.” Moro stated.

”Kids” Right then they heard a sound behind them, they turned around, and their eyes lit up, ”Hua Fain, Hua Fain.”

”Where is Muja?” Hua Fain asked.

”He went inside the restaurant along with an old man,” Gustin said.

”You guys stay here, I will be back,” Hua Fain said as he walked towards the restaurant.