Drunken Immortal Restaurant

Business at the Drunken Immortal Restaurant was three times better than usual.

When Li Jinshui and Monkey entered, the first-floor hall was already packed. Everyone wore military uniforms. Some were drinking, some were playing finger-guessing games, and others were boasting so loudly the roof seemed ready to fly off.

The waiter darted through the crowd, drenched in sweat, yet his smile was brighter than ever.

"Officers, this way! Upstairs, please!" The waiter had sharp eyes. The moment he spotted the token at Li Jinshui's waist, he hurried over with a welcoming grin. "We still have private rooms upstairs!"

"No need for a private room." Li Jinshui glanced around the hall. "We'll stay downstairs."

He spotted some familiar faces.

At a large table by the window, Qin Lie, Zhao Tieniu, Zhou Tai, and the others were drinking together. The table was covered with dishes, and two wine jars already lay empty.

Qin Lie was the first to see him. He sprang to his feet and waved, shouting, "Li, the Ten-Man Squad Leader—no, I mean, Li, the Personal Guard! Get over here!"

Li Jinshui walked over with Monkey. Qin Lie pressed him into a seat, and Zhao Tieniu had already filled a bowl with wine for him.

"You're something else, kid!" Qin Lie clapped him on the shoulder with enough force to knock a man apart. "The Personal Guard Battalion! The most impressive place in North-Rejecting City! Don't forget us when you make it big!"

Li Jinshui lifted his wine bowl and clinked it against Qin Lie's. "I won't."

Monkey grinned beside him, poured himself a bowl, and downed it in one go.

"Who's this?" Zhou Tai asked, looking at Monkey.

"My brother, Monkey," Li Jinshui said. "He just left the Death Squad Camp. He's with me now."

Qin Lie's eyes lit up. He toasted Monkey too. "Anyone who's come out of the Death Squad Camp is a true hero! Come on, drink!"

After a few bowls of wine, the atmosphere warmed up.

Zhao Tieniu's face was red with drink. He slung an arm around Monkey's shoulder and boasted, "Let me tell you, your squad leader—no, your Li the Personal Guard—he's no ordinary man! That night, he killed three Inner Strength Realm fighters all by himself! Three! I saw it with my own eyes!"

Monkey listened, eyes shining, and looked at Li Jinshui with even greater admiration.

Li Jinshui said nothing. He just picked up food and ate.

The meal lasted two hours.

By the time they left the Drunken Immortal Restaurant, night had fallen. Monkey was so drunk he staggered as he walked, and Zhao Tieniu had to support him.

Qin Lie sidled up to Li Jinshui and asked in a low voice, "Want to go to Gentle Haven?"

Li Jinshui glanced at him, then at Monkey.

"Sure."

Gentle Haven was just as it had always been. Red lanterns hung high, and several heavily made-up women stood at the entrance. The moment they saw the group, they came over with welcoming smiles.

"Master Qin! It's been so long!"

"This officer looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time here?"

A young woman in a green dress took Li Jinshui by the arm and led him inside. This time, he didn't refuse.

They went up to the third floor and entered a private room. Wine and dishes were brought in, and the women sat around them.

Li Jinshui leaned against a cushioned couch, with the young woman in green beside him, pouring his wine and serving him food.

He drank, ate, and occasionally exchanged a few words with her. The rest of the time, he simply watched the lively room.

Qin Lie was playing finger-guessing games again. Zhao Tieniu had his arms around two women, boasting away. Zhou Tai leaned by the window with a wine cup in hand, lost in thought.

A woman had coaxed Monkey into drinking several cups. His face was red as a monkey's backside, but he kept grinning like a fool.

Watching them, Li Jinshui's lips slowly curled into a smile.

This felt good.

No need to think about killing, no need to think about war, no need to think about all those rotten things.

Just drink wine, eat meat, and enjoy the company of women.

He raised his cup and drained it.

"Such a fine drinker, Officer." The woman in green smiled and filled his cup again.

Li Jinshui turned to look at her. In the candlelight, her face seemed soft, her eyes curved, and her smile lovely.

"What's your name?"

"This servant is called Wan Niang."

Li Jinshui nodded and took another sip.

It was late at night when the group settled in at Gentle Haven.

Li Jinshui lay beside Wan Niang, listening to laughter and teasing from the next room as he stared at the ceiling.

Wan Niang curled up in his arms, breathing evenly as she slept soundly.

He reached out and gently caressed her face.

Her skin was smooth, her features soft.

He remembered himself three months ago, curled up inside that battered carriage.

Back then, he'd thought that simply staying alive was enough.

And now—

He smiled and closed his eyes.

Gentle Haven.

It was late at night.

Qin Lie's snores rolled through the thin wall from the next room. Wan Niang slept soundly, her breathing even.

Li Jinshui opened his eyes, quietly sat up, got dressed, and slipped out.

After turning down two streets, he retrieved the bundle he had hidden beneath the old locust tree during the day: night clothes, incense, a short blade, and antidotes. He quickly changed, then tucked an antidote under his tongue.

The rear side gate of the Li family courtyard was old and in disrepair. It opened with a single push.

Li Jinshui slipped into the courtyard and lit the incense, first blowing it into the main room—the clan leader's bedroom.

A wisp of blue smoke seeped soundlessly through the crack beneath the door, like an invisible snake.

Then he moved on to the East Wing—the Second Uncle's family.

The West Wing—the Third Uncle's family.

Then the Rear Chamber—the quarters of Madam Wang and Li Jinbao.

Wisp after wisp of smoke silently snaked into every room.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the entire courtyard had fallen deathly quiet.

In the Rear Chamber, Madam Wang and Li Jinbao slept soundly.

Li Jinshui put antidotes into the mouths of Madam Wang, Li Jinbao, and Second Aunt next door. Everyone else remained unconscious.

Madam Wang woke first.

She opened her eyes groggily, pushed herself upright, and rubbed them.

The moonlight was bright, filling the room with a dim, silvery glow. She saw Li Jinbao still lying on the couch, apparently not yet awake.

"You're awake?"

The voice was soft and level, as if asking what she'd had for dinner.

Madam Wang stiffened all over.

Slowly, inch by inch, she turned her head.

A person stood in the darkness beyond the moonlight.

In the moonlight, she saw a man dressed in black standing three paces away. His eyes were cold as a blade.

She opened her mouth to scream—but a hand clamped around her throat like an iron vise.

"Don't scream." Li Jinshui's voice came from behind the black face covering. "Scream, and I'll kill you first, then your son."

Madam Wang's scream caught in her throat. Her eyes bulged as if they would split, and tears welled up instantly.

She collapsed to the floor, shaking like a leaf, her teeth chattering.

Li Jinshui let go and walked toward Li Jinbao.

Li Jinbao had just woken. The moment he saw those eyes, his pupils shrank. He opened his mouth to shout—but Li Jinshui punched him in the temple, stuffed his mouth with cloth, and bound his wrists with rope, tying a tight knot.

Li Jinbao was hauled up. The rope was slung over an iron hook on the window frame, leaving him hanging in midair.

He dangled like a slab of meat on a rack, his feet two feet off the ground. His trousers were already soaked, and the stench of urine filled the room.

Madam Wang lunged at Li Jinshui like a madwoman and grabbed his leg. "Don't kill my son! If you want silver, I'll give it to you! Whatever you want, I'll give you!"

Li Jinshui kicked her away. "You can't give me what I want."

He drew the short blade at his waist, took a candle from the lantern and lit it, then balanced it on the tip of the blade and raised it above Li Jinbao's head.

With cloth stuffed in his mouth, Li Jinbao let out muffled cries of agony. Tears and snot smeared his face. "N-no... Don't... Jinshui... brother... I was wrong...!"

The flame touched his hair, and it flared up in an instant. Amid the crackling, the smell of burning flesh spread. Li Jinbao's screams changed pitch, like an animal with its throat crushed beneath a foot.

The flames burned atop his head. His hair curled, his skin blistered, and fat dripped down with a faint, sizzling hiss.

Li Jinshui added a little lamp oil, and the flames instantly spread over his whole body.

Madam Wang tried desperately to rush forward, but Li Jinshui pinned her to the floor with one hand, pressing her face against the blue bricks so she couldn't move.

She screamed, cursed, and begged. Her voice grew hoarser and hoarser.

After two cups of tea, Li Jinbao passed out from the pain.

His entire body was burned until his flesh was a mangled mess.

Li Jinshui put out the fire and hauled Madam Wang up. "Did you get a good look? I'm taking your son."

Madam Wang's eyes no longer moved. She had been scared senseless.

Just then, the door opened.

It was Second Aunt.

She lived next door. When the antidote took effect, she had drowsily climbed out of bed. Hearing a commotion in this room, she threw on some clothes and came over.

The door hadn't been shut properly. She pushed it open and saw—

Moonlight spilled inside, illuminating the black-clad, masked man, the short blade at his waist, and Li Jinbao's bound body on the couch.

Second Aunt let out a scream.

The scream only made it halfway out when Li Jinshui was already in front of her. He slapped her across the face.

It wasn't a hard blow, but it landed precisely—just enough to cut off her voice and make her head ring as stars danced before her eyes.

He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her inside like a sack of grain.

The door closed behind them, shutting out the moonlight. Only two women and a bound man remained in the room.

"Second Aunt." Li Jinshui crouched and called her name.

Her eyes were filled with terror. She remembered how she had once poured porridge onto the ground to feed the dog rather than give him a bowl.

Li Jinshui grabbed her left hand, pinned it to the floor, and brought the blade down.

Clean and decisive.

Her entire left hand was severed.

Second Aunt's eyes flew wide open. The cloth in her mouth muffled the sound of blood choking her.

Pain exploded from her very bones. Her body arched as Li Jinshui held her down. She thrashed violently like a fish pinned to the shore.

Blood sprayed across the blue bricks and spattered Li Jinshui's black clothes.

He didn't stop. He grabbed her right hand and struck again.

Both hands lay on the floor.

Second Aunt couldn't scream anymore. Her mouth hung open as air hissed from her throat. Her pupils drifted out of focus, and she half-lost consciousness.

Li Jinshui lifted her and dragged her into the East Wing, into Second Uncle's room.

Second Uncle was still asleep, a faint smile on his lips.

Li Jinshui laid Second Aunt beside him and pulled the covers over her severed wrists, slowing the bleeding so she could suffer slowly beneath the bedding, then die.

He returned to the Rear Chamber.

Madam Wang lay collapsed on the floor, trembling all over.

Li Jinbao hung from the crossbeam, motionless, yellow fluid still seeping from the burned cavity atop his head.

Li Jinshui grabbed Madam Wang's hand and brought the blade down.

Her left hand fell onto the blue bricks with a dull thud.

Madam Wang didn't scream. Her mouth opened as wide as it could, but the sound caught in her throat, turning into a thin whimper like an infant's cry.

Blood sprayed across her own face. Her teeth began to chatter, faster and faster.

The second blow fell.

Her right hand hit the floor.

Madam Wang's body curled into a shrimp. She tucked her severed wrists against her chest, trying to press down on the wounds.

A tiny moan escaped her, mixed with a bubbling sound of blood.

Li Jinshui dragged her back to her original bed and covered her with the bedding.

Then he took Li Jinbao down from where he hung, carried him into the clan leader Li Houde's main room.

Li Houde slept in bed, snoring steadily.

Li Jinshui hung Li Jinbao from the crossbeam at the foot of the bed, leaving him suspended half a foot above the ground, his charred face turned toward the clan leader.

Then he went back to the Rear Chamber, fetched Li Jinbao's two hands—he had just finished severing them—and placed them neatly beside the clan leader's pillow.

Once he was done, Li Jinshui wiped the short blade clean, took off his night clothes, and slipped out through the side gate.

The moon had shifted west.

North-Rejecting City's night was still as quiet as ever.

He returned to Gentle Haven, undressed, and lay down.

Wan Niang turned over in her sleep and draped an arm across his waist.

Li Jinshui closed his eyes.

It was almost dawn.

It was three quarters past the hour of the Rabbit.

Li Houde woke first.

He rolled over, feeling parched and groggy. Then he smelled the strong stench of burning flesh and blood. He jerked his eyes open.

Morning light streamed into the room. A blackened, charred mass hung before the bed—a human shape. Its face was burnt to a crisp, its lips burned away to expose gums and teeth. Its nose was nothing but two black holes.

But he recognized the clothes.

Li Jinbao.

Li Houde opened his mouth, but no sound came from his throat. His eyes were fixed on that charred face, his pupils shrinking rapidly.

Then he saw what lay beside the pillow—two hands, their fingernails painted red, fingers still slightly curled. Silver rings glinted in the morning light.

Second Aunt's hands.

Li Houde's body shook violently. His teeth chattered, and only a faint hiss escaped his vocal cords.

His eyes rolled back. With a thud, he tumbled off the bed and hit the floor, unconscious.

His body was still trembling.

Second Uncle, Li Houyi, woke to a damp sensation.

He reached out and felt blood coating his hand. He whipped around and saw his wife lying beside him, the quilt pulled up to her neck.

He threw back the quilt. Both her arms had been severed two inches below the shoulders. Rags had been stuffed haphazardly into the wounds, and blood had soaked through the bedding.

Second Uncle let out a long, mournful bellow like a cow's.

Third Uncle, Li Houli, rushed in. One look at the bed and his legs gave way; he fell to his knees, which struck the blue bricks with a dull thud. His face was deathly pale, his lips trembling as he struggled to speak.

Then he remembered something and turned to run toward the main room.

He pushed open the door. Li Houde lay naked on the floor, his face ashen, his body convulsing.

Li Jinbao's charred body hung before the bed, and two hands lay beside the pillow.

Third Uncle stood frozen, mouth agape. A thin, drawn-out squeal escaped him as his eyes rolled back, showing their whites.

He wanted to faint, but couldn't.

His legs felt nailed to the ground. He couldn't take a single step.

Screams rang out across the compound, one after another, like firecrackers catching flame—then suddenly fell silent, as fear choked the very throats of those screaming.

At last, Third Uncle could move.

He left the main room and passed Second Uncle's doorway. Glancing inside, he saw Second Uncle clutching the upper half of his wife's body, his mouth opening and closing as though he were saying something. Tears and snot smeared his face.

Third Uncle gave a smile—the corners of his mouth pulled up, his eyes drooped, his whole face twisted like a crumpled rag.

After smiling, he bent over and threw up. When he had vomited bile, he sat on the ground, staring blankly at the sunlight in the courtyard.

It was spring.

The old locust tree had sprouted fresh, tender green leaves.

But Third Uncle felt cold.

Cold from the marrow outward, his teeth chattering, his whole body trembling.

He remembered Li Jinshui's words: "When I'm done with this stretch of work, I'll come back to see you."

He had thought it was a threat.

It turned out to be a warning.

He didn't know when it would happen again.

Maybe tomorrow. Maybe tonight.

Maybe one morning, when he opened his eyes, he would see his own hands beside the pillow.

He would never know.

He would always be waiting.

Always afraid.

In the courtyard, screams, sobs, and shouts blended into a boiling stew of terror.

Gentle Haven.

When Wan Niang woke, Li Jinshui was already dressed and sitting by the window, drinking tea.

Morning light fell across his profile. His expression was calm.

"Did you sleep well last night, sir?" Wan Niang asked.

Li Jinshui took a sip of tea and smiled faintly. "Very well. I slept like a log."

Outside the window, the sun rose, gilding the rooftops of North-Rejecting City.

In the Li Family Compound in the eastern part of the city, the crying had not yet stopped.