Li Yang walked step by step toward Taibai Restaurant. It was not because of Tian Gang ahead of him, but because he had caught that familiar aroma of liquor—the fragrance of Erguotou.
"It's been so long since I last drank Erguotou. I never thought there'd be a restaurant right in front of my new villa, and that it would even have Erguotou. Life will be comfortable from now on. No need to drink that foreign vodka anymore." The smile on Li Yang's face broadened.
"Old Jack, tell that whatever-his-name boss from California to wait an hour for me. If he can't wait, he can leave!" Between Erguotou and the villa, Li Yang chose Erguotou.
Old Jack immediately wore a strange expression, part bewilderment and part disbelief. In any case, with a head stuffed full of money worship, Old Jack could not understand why Li Yang did not care about such a cheap villa.
Taibai Restaurant was not particularly conspicuous even on 57th Street, Manhattan. Compared to other restaurants of its kind, Taibai Restaurant occupied only a third of the space of those luxurious establishments. It was merely two stories high, and its decor had an intensely ancient Eastern air, as if it were a restaurant from ancient China. Though the restaurant was not large, it had quite a few customers. There were naturally many Chinese, but most were foreigners who enjoyed Chinese culture. The atmosphere here was peaceful, filled with antique charm and the scent of ink. The moment Li Yang entered, he liked the place.
The restaurant echoed with the melodious sound of a flute. An elderly Chinese man was playing it, a bottle of liquor placed before him as he played in carefree leisure...
Li Yang went straight up to the second floor and entered a private room. A waiter upstairs immediately came over. The moment he saw Li Yang, he spoke in Mandarin. "Sir, are you Chinese?"
"Yes. I could smell the fragrance of your Erguotou from far away. I have things to do today, so bring me three bottles first!" Li Yang said with a smile. Seeing fellow countrymen abroad always felt especially warm, particularly in this antique-styled Taibai Restaurant.
Hearing Li Yang's standard Mandarin, the waiter's smile instantly bloomed. "Please wait a moment, sir. The Erguotou will be here shortly. There is one more thing—may I ask, sir, did you come from China?"
Li Yang was in a very good mood today, and he gave a slight nod.
The waiter left the private room with a beaming smile. After a while, a middle-aged man dressed in traditional Chinese attire entered, carrying three bottles of Erguotou.
"Haha, little brother, you're from China? That truly makes me happy. It has been a long time since I met a Chinese person from China. Forgive me, I'm so happy that I've forgotten my manners. Let me introduce myself first. I am Ge Pu, the owner of this restaurant!" As he spoke, the middle-aged man placed the three bottles of Erguotou on the table.
Li Yang picked up one bottle of Erguotou and said, "This is 57th Street, Manhattan. Ordinary tourists are usually advised by their guides not to come in, and most Chinese people stay in Chinatown. It's normal for there to be few Chinese here, especially Chinese from China. Boss Ge, it's truly admirable that you had the courage to open a restaurant on 57th Street."
Ge Pu shook his head and laughed. "I know this place is rather dangerous, but as long as we're careful, there shouldn't be any problems."
Li Yang inhaled the aroma of the Erguotou, then suddenly took a huge swallow, drinking more than half the bottle. A fierce burning heat instantly flooded his heart. Li Yang felt as if he had returned to those days of training at the research institute base...
During that year or so, Li Yang had trained desperately, numbing himself through training, letting sweat fall like rain. Yet whenever he stopped training, he could not help thinking of Xue. So he used strong liquor to drown himself. But drinking to drown sorrow only made sorrow deeper. When the heart was drunk, the person naturally became drunk; if the heart was not drunk, how could the person ever be drunk?
From then on, Li Yang had never gotten drunk again. Whenever streams of strong liquor flowed through his chest, the fiercer their burning, the more deeply etched his longing became.
Li Yang rose despondently, turned, and stood by the private room window. Watching the crowds come and go, he suddenly murmured softly, "Leaning against a high tower, the breeze blows gently. Gazing to the end of spring sorrow, dimness rises from the horizon. Amid grass-green mist and the setting sun, who could understand the wordless heart that leans upon the railing? I meant to drink myself into oblivion in wild abandon; singing before wine, forced merriment still had no taste. Though my belt grew looser, I would never regret it; for her, I had wasted away."
That song, "Butterflies in Love with Flowers," only made the sorrow in Li Yang's heart heavier.
"Though my belt grew looser, I would never regret it; for her, I had wasted away." Li Yang muttered to himself. Then he laughed three times and tipped his head back, pouring the remaining half-bottle of strong liquor into his mouth in one gulp. Perhaps because he had just laughed, Li Yang choked on it. He immediately coughed in agony, coughing so hard that his heart and lungs twisted with pain...
"Haha..." Once Li Yang stopped coughing, he still laughed a few times. Picking up the other two bottles of Erguotou, he casually asked Ge Pu, "How many dollars for these?"
Ge Pu looked at Li Yang with a complicated expression. "Thirty dollars. Since this is our first meeting, little brother, consider it my treat. Don't blame this old brother for saying something. I'm already in my forties, and I've been through things too. A person should learn to let things pass. Don't take the past too heavily, or it isn't worth living in pain forever."
Li Yang casually took out a one-hundred-dollar bill and placed it on the table. He glanced at Ge Pu, then shook his head and left the restaurant. As he departed, there was an indescribable smile on his face, like a bitter smile, like wistfulness...
After the contract signing ended, Li Yang moved directly into his new villa.
"My dear Mu Yi, is this Erguotou really that delicious? Why didn't you even look at the contract during the signing just now? You kept drinking and muttering Chinese words under your breath." Old Jack looked at Li Yang in great confusion.
Li Yang merely smiled faintly. Making this old American man, Old Jack, understand Song lyrics would probably be harder than for Li Yang himself to reach the Golden Core Realm.
"Old Jack, a few days ago, I signed a contract with you. You're already my agent. Have you arranged my identity as an underground fighter? I want to go take a look at the headquarters of the underground world!" Li Yang finally revealed his true purpose.
Why had Li Yang come to New York? Why had he not gone directly to the United Kingdom?
Shenglin Group was wealthy and powerful. If Li Yang went alone to the Shenglin Group's headquarters in the United Kingdom, he likely would not accomplish anything. As for his younger brother Li Shuo's suggestion that he use Hong Bang's influence to help him, Li Shuo was merely a regional manager within Hong Bang and had not truly entered its upper ranks. Having Hong Bang's real power act on his behalf was still impossible for now.
Only by entering the underground world and becoming a true member of it could he use its strength against Shenglin Group. Even if he could not make Shenglin Group collapse, he could still make the Lin family live in terror. Besides, letting the Lin family perish amid terror was the only way Li Yang could vent his hatred. But entering the underground world was not so simple. Becoming an underground fighter was one of the easiest ways to enter it.
Li Yang now had two matters to handle. One was to destroy Shenglin Group and the Lin family. The second was to cultivate diligently, undergo Tribulation Transcendence as soon as possible, ascend, and find Jiang Xue.
To destroy the Lin family, he needed formidable power of his own. New York, the center of the underground world, was the best place. Here, he could befriend powerful figures from every faction; here, he could learn the latest intelligence. Only here could Li Yang, with his formidable strength, move like a fish in water.
As for cultivation, only battling strong opponents would let him improve faster. Where could he find strong opponents? Naturally, the headquarters of the underground forces had the most experts!
What Li Yang had to do now was make the Lin family live in fear, while rapidly building up his own power. Shenglin Group stood in the light; Li Yang moved in the shadows. He had a plan for everything. Now, the first step of that plan had begun...
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