Ning Chen stared at Tantai Qingyue, speechless, and said sourly,

"You and Xiao Yanxi planned this together, didn't you? One wants money, the other wants grain?"

Tantai Qingyue paused. "What money does she want from you?"

"Intelligence fees!"

"And did you pay her?"

"No!"

Tantai Qingyue eyed him warily. "Whether you pay her intelligence fees is no concern of mine, but the grain you owe Xiliang has to be paid back."

Ning Chen smiled bitterly. "I'd love to. But look at me right now. I'm dirt-poor down to my bare balls. I even had my lunch cut in half today."

Tantai Qingyue looked at him with contempt. "Spare me the poverty act. You have just taken the two richest prefectures in the Great Xuan, one after the other, and you are still crying poor?"

Ning Chen sighed. "I just took Lingzhou and Xiuzhou, and nothing's been sorted out yet. On top of that, I've got more than three hundred thousand troops to feed. Even the landlord's house is out of spare grain.

Tell you what. Wait a little longer. Once I get things sorted out, I'll pay it back, no question."

Tantai Qingyue gave him a suspicious look. "You are not thinking of backing out, are you? Do not forget, I have your loan contract, in your own hand."

That didn't sit well with Ning Chen. "Little Tanzi, can't there be a little trust between people? I said I'll pay it back, so I'll pay it back.

Or... how about I pay off the grain with my body?"

Tantai Qingyue's face was the picture of disgust.

Ning Chen said with a perfectly serious face, "Let me tell you, Xiao Yanxi has already offered to let me pay off my debt with my body... I'm still thinking it over.

It's only because we've known each other so long and we're so close that I've decided to give you this chance instead... Let me tell you, once you pass this village, there's no more inn, and no more innkeeper's boy either."

(TL Note: 過了這個村就沒這個店, "once you pass this village, there's no more…