A Peerless Master Must Have Crossed My Path!

Following the sound, they looked toward a table near the entrance.

A waiter from Sweet Pavilion was glaring angrily, his manner aggressive and overbearing.

Standing opposite him was a white-haired old man dressed in a grayish-white scholar's robe and a scholar's cap.

Beside the old man stood a little girl who looked five or six years old, wearing a festive crimson coat.

The girl was plump and looked quite gluttonous, stuffing the remaining dessert in her hand into her mouth.

The old man in scholar's robes repeatedly cupped his hands and bowed.

"Shopkeeper, this old man absolutely did not mean to dine without paying. I merely accidentally lost my storage ring."

"I have not a single coin on me now, so I can only put the bill on credit for the moment..."

Before the old man could finish, the waiter cut him off.

"Credit? Why don't you ask around about what kind of place Sweet Pavilion is?"

"I'm telling you, our establishment has the backing of the Great Qing Kingdom's royal family. Don't even dream of running up a tab here!"

"I thought you looked like a refined gentleman, but who would've imagined that beneath those respectable clothes, you'd do something so despicable? At your age, you're still going out and dining without paying!"

A trace of anger appeared on the old man's face at those words.

He was a scholar, one who had studied the books of sages since childhood.

Yet the waiter had publicly accused his scholarly attire of being an act, implying that he pretended to be refined while cheating meals and drinks everywhere.

However, remembering that he was at fault first, the old man continued apologizing.

"Shopkeeper, I can guarantee that at this time tomorrow, I will repay the money I owe in double!"

"If you