Chapter 261: I Help You Wipe

“Cough, cough, excuse me, are you the owner?”

“Do you have any signature dishes? Let me see… I’ll have this one: cooked beef. Make the sauce a bit saltier for me; I haven’t eaten anything lately, my mouth feels so bland a bird could fly right out of it.”

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

“Hehe, after all, I have a little junior sister who’s hungry and waiting to be fed!”

The sudden sound of the young man’s voice by his ear startled Li Qi completely. He quickly looked over.

There were two people in straw hats. The shorter one couldn’t even reach the counter and had no cultivation.

The taller one… Origin Court Realm?

Li Qi’s pupils constricted. How did this guy come out from the back door’s spirit array? This cultivation level… What a joke!

The owner walked out from the back, discreetly glancing at the black-clad figure at the table. His voice was hesitant, but he finally advised, “Young man, you should leave. We don’t have any cooked beef today.”

“You don’t?” Xu Xiaoshou pushed down his straw hat, making his face unreadable. He pointed to the freezer and said, “Don’t lie to me, I saw it.” His 'Perception' showed that the freezer's reserves were astonishingly large; clearly, business wasn't good today.

The owner fell silent. *You’re asking for death! I’ve already said so much. Don't you know there's trouble here today? You have no sense of observation! If you don’t quickly pack up and leave, you might even lose your life here.*

He glanced at the other small straw-hatted person, whose head was only half visible, and he ultimately softened. *Is he even bringing a child…?*

“Young man, please leave quickly. We’ve already closed.”

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the sky outside the shop and chuckled, “Closed so soon? It’s still early!”

“It’s raining.”

“Doesn’t rain make it more atmospheric? And bring me a pot of wine, the same kind as that one!” Xu Xiaoshou pointed at the overflowing wine glass in front of the black-clad man and said, “It smells really good.”

The owner remained silent, his eyelids twitching wildly. *This guy… whoever wants to save him can, but I certainly can't!*

“You don’t mind if I sit here, do you?” As Xu Xiaoshou spoke, he walked directly up to the black-clad man, sat down without a care, and extended a hand to stop the black-clad man’s words or actions, saying, “Thank you.”

Li Qi was speechless.

“Under a Curse, Passive Points: 1.”

Xu Xiaoshou waved to the counter, “Come, little Ah Jie, come sit over here.”

The shorter straw-hatted person turned and walked over, standing by Xu Xiaoshou’s side, and then did nothing further. The young man quickly patted the chair, saying, “Bend your knees, like me. Don’t move around too much, just move your knees.”

Clunk! Ah Jie sat down.

Li Qi’s pupils constricted again. *The sound of armor? These two overly familiar people, what’s their background?* He wanted to use his spiritual sense to scan the faces beneath the straw hats, but these straw hats, completely devoid of spiritual essence and appearing as ordinary woven items, paradoxically made it difficult to dare to perceive them. If it were a defensive spiritual artifact, he could scan it and claim he couldn’t see anything. But now this… a scan would be an act of provocation! If the other party was a distinguished young master, someone of high status, even if he could kill them, there would be severe repercussions later!

He fiddled with the array disc in his hand, his brow furrowed slightly, looking indecisive.

“Cooked beef, hurry up! I’m really hungry,” Xu Xiaoshou called out. His gaze returned to the person in front of him, and he recited:

“The light rain on the imperial street is soft as butter,The grass looks green from afar but disappears up close.Brother, what a refined taste you have!At a tavern, to sit and watch the clouds unfurl and disperse,And laugh as people come and go – how delightful!May I ask… your esteemed surname?”

Li Qi narrowed his eyes. To be honest, such familiarity made him, a killer at heart, uncomfortable. He truly wanted to kill him with a single sword stroke. But just based on these few lines from this guy’s mouth… even if he was illiterate, he could grasp a bit of their meaning. Such a learned person must be someone important, likely of extraordinary background, perhaps even a young master from a prominent family in Tiansang Prefecture or from the City Lord's Mansion. Not to be trifled with!

“No need for ‘esteemed,’ my surname is Li,” he replied indifferently.

“Li? What a great surname!” Xu Xiaoshou immediately slapped his hand down. “I know a senior named Li who wrote the unparalleled famous lines, ‘Its torrent plunges three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way has fallen from the ninth heaven.’ I admire him incredibly! Does Brother know him?”

Li Qi was speechless. He felt a tightness in his chest. *Is this guy crazy?! Telling me all this is like playing a lute to a cow, isn't it?*

However, in his heart, these two more atmospheric poetic lines led him to a more precise judgment of the straw-hatted young man before him. He wasn't just an ordinary young master from a prominent family; he should be a direct descendant of one of Tiansang Prefecture's four great powers. Perhaps even the eldest young master from the City Lord's Mansion, who, according to rumors, loves poetry and swordsmanship and is a fanatical follower of the Eighth Sword Immortal, to the point of obsession!

“No,” he replied casually. Eldest sons or young masters had nothing to do with him; he didn't need to shamelessly try to befriend them. After all, they weren't in the same world.

“You don’t know him? That’s fine! I know him, and I can introduce you two next time, how about that?” Xu Xiaoshou said excitedly.

“Good,” Li Qi grunted, nodding.

“Good? That’s wonderful! I’ll definitely arrange for you to meet!” Xu Xiaoshou excitedly slapped the table, then turned to the owner and called out, “You don’t need to bring that wine! Meeting Brother Li today, we’re like old friends at first sight! We must drink until we’re drunk!”

Li Qi: ??? *What kind of ‘old friends at first sight’ nonsense is this? Are you sure you don’t just want to drink my wine?*

“Under a Curse, Passive Points: 1.”

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly stood up. Without even extinguishing the stove fire, he grabbed the boiling hot wine pot and slammed it with a thud onto the tabletop.

“Mama…” Ah Jie’s eyes lit up.

“Children can’t drink alcohol!” Xu Xiaoshou pressed down on Ah Jie’s head, tightening the straw hat.

Li Qi’s expression subtly changed. *This short person seems unusual! There were clearly no cultivation fluctuations, but that armor just now…* He secretly glanced at the young man. For a young master like this to travel, there must be a guard by his side. But looking around the entire place, he couldn’t find any trace of a guard or an old man. *Could it be that this short person is the guard?*

His heart suddenly tightened. The strength of a guard capable of protecting a young master goes without saying, but if even he couldn’t discern it… *Above Heavenly Elephant Realm? Yin-Yang Realm? Or Star Worship Realm? What a joke!* Li Qi was startled by his own thoughts. Grandmasters are not like those in the Pre-Heaven or Post-Heaven realms. At such a level, where one touches the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, breakthroughs in cultivation rely purely on comprehension, and cannot be achieved by simply piling up elixirs. Even within the Heavenly Elephant Realm, a small breakthrough from early to mid-stage requires several epiphanies to achieve. And how easy are epiphanies to come by? *How old could this short person be?*

Li Qi wanted to use his spiritual sense to scan the face beneath the straw hat, but the young man’s nonchalant demeanor made him panic instead. He looked outside. This guy had just mentioned the people coming and going within the spirit array. In other words, he saw it, but he didn't care, even directly ignoring his spirit array. *Who exactly are these two people?*

Xu Xiaoshou observed the various messages in his info bar while adjusting his behavior. When he saw a string of “Suspected,” he knew… *This guy was already intimidated by him. It appeared, Feng Kong Mark II!*

He casually emptied the wine glass in front of Li Qi, refilled it directly, and laughed loudly, “Brother Li, why are you spacing out? Drink!”

Li Qi watched the young man tilt his head back to drink, hoping to catch a glimpse of his face. However, Xu Xiaoshou’s drinking posture was as if he had undergone strict training, completely different from a casual manner; he covered his face with his sleeve, appearing very dignified. With that cover, of course, nothing could be seen.

The wine before him... to drink, or not to drink, that was the question. Li Qi didn't hesitate much. The newcomer seemed extraordinary, and it was just a cup of wine, wasn't it? He picked it up directly!

Pfft!

Just as he opened his mouth, the young man opposite suddenly lowered his sleeve and sprayed a mouthful of wine directly onto his face. Some of it even sprayed directly into his mouth! And his nostrils too!

Li Qi instantly became furious. He stared blankly at the young man before him, veins bulging on his forehead.

“My apologies, my apologies! First time drinking, it’s a bit hot!” The young man took off his straw hat, gently placed it on the table, and then pulled out “Hidden Suffering.”

“Shall I wipe it for you?”