Chapter 261: I'll Help You Wipe It

Excuse me, are you the owner?

Do you have any specialties? Let me see...

I'll take this one, the braised beef. Make the sauce a bit saltier for me, okay? I haven't eaten much lately, and my mouth is so bland it feels like I can't taste anything.

Yes, a large plate, and pack two more portions to go.

Hehe, after all, there's a little junior sister waiting to be fed!

The sudden voice of the young man beside his ear startled Li Qi completely, and he quickly looked over.

The two figures in straw hats—one short, barely reaching the counter, with no cultivation at all.

The taller one...

Yuan Ting Realm?

Li Qi's pupils shrank. How did this guy get through the spirit array at the back door with that level of cultivation?

What a joke!

The owner emerged from the back, subtly glancing at the black-clad figure at the table, his voice hesitant as he advised, "Young man, you should leave. We don't have any braised beef today."

"None?"

Xu Xiaoshou pressed down his straw hat, hiding his face, and pointed at the freezer. "Don't lie to me—I saw it."

In his "perception," the freezer was impressively stocked, clearly because business wasn't great today.

The owner: ...

You're asking for trouble!

I've told you so much—don't you know there's chaos here today? No sense at all!

If you don't get out now, you might lose your life.

Glancing at the other short figure peeking out with just half a head, he felt a twinge of sympathy.

Bringing a kid along...

"Young man, just go. We're closed for the day."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the sky outside and said with a smile, "Closed already? It's still early!"

"It's raining."

"Raining? That just makes it more atmospheric. Brew me a pot of wine, the same kind!"

Xu Xiaoshou pointed at the full wine cup in front of the black-clad figure. "It smells amazing."

The owner: ...

His eyelids twitched wildly. This guy...

Whoever wants to save him can, because I can't!

"Mind if I sit here?"

Xu Xiaoshou said as he walked right up to the black-clad figure, sat down on his own, and raised a hand to stop any response. "Thanks."

Li Qi: ...

"Cursed, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou waved at the counter. "Come on, A Jie baby, sit over here."

The short figure in the straw hat turned and walked over, standing beside Xu Xiaoshou, with nothing more happening.

The young man patted the chair. "Bend your knees, like me. Don't move around, just move your knees."

Thud!

A Jie sat down.

Li Qi's pupils shrank again. The sound of armor?

These two are so familiar with everything—who are they?

He wanted to use his spiritual sense to scan the face under the straw hat, but it was just an ordinary woven hat with no spiritual energy at all, which made it oddly hard to probe.

If it were a defensive spirit tool, scanning it could be excused as not seeing anything.

But now...

Scanning it would be outright provocation!

If the other is some elegant young noble with a significant background, even if I could kill him, I'd face consequences I couldn't handle afterward!

He fiddled with the array disk in his hand, his brows furrowed in hesitation.

"Braised beef, hurry up, I'm starving."

Xu Xiaoshou called out, then turned his gaze back to the person in front of him and recited:

"The fine rain on the streets moistens like silk,

The distant grass seems near but fades away.

What fine taste you have, my friend!

In this wine shop, sitting idly, watching clouds gather and scatter,

Beholding people come and go with a laugh—oh, what joy!

May I ask... your honorable surname?"

Li Qi narrowed his eyes. Frankly, this kind of familiarity made him, with his killer's mindset, uncomfortable.

He really wanted to strike with a sword.

But based on those lines from this guy...

Even though he was illiterate, he could grasp the depth of it.

Such a learned person must be someone of great standing, perhaps with an extraordinary background, even from the great families of Tian Sang County or the city lord's mansion.

Can't afford to provoke!

"My humble surname is Li," he replied indifferently.

"Surname Li? What a great surname!"

Xu Xiaoshou slapped his hand down hard. "I know a senior with the surname Li who wrote the immortal lines, 'The waterfall plunges three thousand feet, like the Milky Way falling from the ninth heaven.' I admire him so much!"

"Do you know him?"

Li Qi: ...

He felt a stuffiness in his chest. Is this guy sick?

Talking to me about this—isn't it just playing the lute to a cow?

But deep down, because of those even more profound poetic lines, his assessment of the straw-hatted young man became more precise.

Not just an ordinary family scion—he's probably a direct descendant of one of Tian Sang County's four major powers.

Or even, possibly the eldest son of the city lord's mansion, known for his love of poetry and swordsmanship, and his obsessive admiration for the Eighth Sword Immortal!

"I don't know him," he responded casually.

Matters of direct heirs and nobles have nothing to do with me; I'm not going to flatter my way into connections.

After all, we're not in the same world.

"You don't know him? That's fine, I know him. Next time, I'll introduce you!"

Xu Xiaoshou said excitedly.

"Good." Li Qi nodded dully.

"Good? That's wonderful! I'll definitely arrange for you two to meet!"

Xu Xiaoshou slapped the table in excitement, turning back toward where the owner was. "Forget that wine for now. Today, meeting Brother Li feels like we've known each other forever—we must drink until we're drunk!"

Li Qi: ???

What nonsense about knowing each other forever?

Are you sure you're not just after my wine?

"Cursed, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou stood up at once, not even letting the stove fire die down, and grabbed the fully boiling wine pot, slamming it down on the table with a thud.

"Mama..." A Jie's eyes lit up.

"Kids can't drink!" Xu Xiaoshou pressed down on A Jie's head, tightening the straw hat.

Li Qi's expression shifted slightly.

This short one seems unusual!

Clearly, there's no cultivation fluctuation, but that armor sound earlier...

He glanced secretly at the young man. A noble like this must have a guard by his side.

But scanning the whole place, he couldn't spot any guards or elders.

Could this short one be the guard?

His heart suddenly tightened. A guard capable of protecting a young noble must be incredibly strong, and if even I can't detect it...

Tian Xiang Realm or above?

Yin Yang Realm?

Or even Xing Si Realm?

"What a joke!" Li Qi was startled by his own thoughts.

Masters aren't like innate or acquired realms—reaching those levels that touch the great dao requires enlightenment, not just piling up pills.

Even advancing from the early to mid stage of Tian Xiang Realm needs multiple moments of insight.

And insight is no easy thing!

How old could this short one be?

Li Qi wanted to use his spiritual sense to scan the face under the straw hat, but the young man's casual demeanor made him uneasy.

He looked outside at the people moving through the spirit array. This guy had mentioned it earlier.

That meant he saw it but didn't care, even ignoring the spirit array outright.

Who exactly are these two?

While watching the information panel, Xu Xiaoshou adjusted his behavior and posture. Seeing a string of "under suspicion," he knew...

This guy was already intimidated by him.

Here it comes, Feng Kong No. 2!

He casually emptied Li Qi's wine cup and refilled it, laughing. "Brother Li, why the daze? Let's drink!"

Li Qi watched as the young man tilted his head back to drink, hoping to catch a glimpse of his face.

But Xu Xiaoshou drank with the poise of someone strictly trained, completely at odds with his bold demeanor—he used his sleeve to cover it, very elegantly.

With that cover, of course, nothing could be seen.

As for the wine in front of him... drink it or not, that was the question.

Li Qi didn't hesitate much. The newcomer seemed extraordinary, and it was just a cup of wine, so he picked it up directly!

"Pfft!"

Just as he opened his mouth, the young man opposite suddenly lowered his sleeve and spat out a mouthful of wine, splattering it all over his face.

Some even went straight into his mouth!

And his nose!

Li Qi exploded with anger. He stared blankly at the young man in front of him, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Sorry, sorry, it's my first time drinking—it's a bit hot!"

The young man removed his straw hat and gently placed it on the table, then pulled out his "Zang Ku."

"Want me to wipe it for you?"