XANXUS opened the door to his room and found the Ninth standing outside.
The Ninth still wore a kindly smile. He had even brought a bottle of red wine, which he held in both hands as he said, "Won't you invite me in for a seat?"
XANXUS impatiently leaned against the doorframe, folded his arms, and closed his eyes as he stepped aside, signaling for him to enter.
The Ninth did not mind the child's rude behavior and simply walked in, as though he had long since grown used to the child's bad temper.
The Ninth placed the red wine on the table, took out two wine glasses, poured the wine, then raised one and gave it a gentle swirl, inviting XANXUS to have a drink with him.
"Ah..." In the end, XANXUS let out a long sigh. He lowered his folded arms and walked over to the Ninth, his voice carrying a trace of helplessness he himself had not noticed. "You old man should drink less. Watch out—you might drink yourself to death someday."
XANXUS snatched the wine from the Ninth's hand, tipped his head back, and downed it in one gulp. He then inverted the glass in the air to show it was empty and glared at the Ninth. "What exactly did you come here for, you rotten old man?"
The Ninth was long accustomed to the child's foul mouth, so he did not beat around the bush. He said to XANXUS, "One week from now, lead six members of your Varia Assassination Squad to participate in the Ring War initiated by the Vongola Family. As long as you win, you can inherit the position of Vongola Family leader."
XANXUS froze at those words, just about to retort, *Wasn't this rotten old man unwilling to let me inherit