"Hey! Master Zhang, I came here today with every intention of paying for a meal! I promise I won't bother the other customers!" Li Xiaoya naturally refused to leave and shouted his solemn assurance.
"Bullshit! You haven't got a single copper on you! Planning to eat and run?" Zhang Dafu didn't believe a word of it and cursed him out. As he spoke, he gave a hard tug, and with a rip, he tore a slit in Li Xiaoya's collar.
"Oooh! Master Zhang! It's one thing to refuse me a meal, but now you've torn my clothes! What are you going to do about that?" Li Xiaoya shook off Zhang Dafu's hand and spoke in an exaggerated, peculiar tone.
"Tch! Just my rotten luck! Take two steamed buns and get lost!" Zhang Dafu said, looking thoroughly disgusted.
"No! Is Li Xiaoya the sort of person who extorts people? It's just a ragged old shirt! If it's torn, it's torn." Li Xiaoya put on a show of magnanimity.
"Hey! Has the sun risen in the west today? Since when were you so generous, Li Xiaoya?" Zhang Dafu exclaimed. It would be a miracle if Li Xiaoya didn't seize the chance to squeeze something out of him!
"Of course I'm generous! Master Zhang, never mind anything else-with all the care you've given me over the years, I might extort anyone else, but never you!" Li Xiaoya declared, thumping his chest.
"At least you have a conscience!" Zhang Dafu said, his expression softening.
Li Xiaoya patted his belly. "Right! Enough idle chatter! Bring me a table full of good food! My stomach's still empty!"
"Damn it! A dog really can't stop eating shit! No! Go get two steamed buns from the kitchen and scram!" Zhang Dafu pointed at Li Xiaoya's nose and cursed angrily.
"Hey! Master Zhang, did I say I wanted you to give me a table full of food for free? I didn't, did I?" Li Xiaoya chuckled. Then, looking pleased with himself, he reached inside his clothes and pulled out a five-tael silver ingot. He slapped it onto the table and declared with the swagger of a newly rich man, "I'll leave this silver with you to cover the bill. We can settle up once I'm done eating! Surely that's all right?" A ten-year-old brat acting like a lord and master made a rather comical sight, and the customers eating in the hall all burst out laughing.
"Huh! This silver isn't fake, is it?" Zhang Dafu asked in bewilderment. He picked it up, weighed it in his hand, and brought it close to his eyes for a careful look.
"How could it be? Could fake silver ever fool your eyes, Zhang Dafu?" Li Xiaoya said, folding his arms.
"It really is genuine! You didn't steal it, did you?" Zhang Dafu asked suspiciously. His eyes plainly said, You little bastard, you stole it.
"A kindhearted rich man I met gave it to me! I, Li Xiaoya, never steal!" Li Xiaoya said indignantly.
"Tsk, tsk! Where did you find such a generous rich man? This ingot alone would feed you for half a month!" Zhang Dafu clicked his tongue, still somewhat unconvinced.
"Hey! Master Zhang! Are you running a business or investigating a case for the authorities? Enough questions! Bring me a table full of good dishes first! Keep the rest here, and I'll eat my way through it later!" Li Xiaoya said impatiently.
"Well... fine! Go sit over there." Zhang Dafu hesitated for a moment, then pointed to a table whose occupants had just finished eating and which a waiter was clearing.
Xu Er, who had come running in clutching his head, had already witnessed the whole exchange and stood dumbfounded. Hadn't he just been hoping to beat the brat up to vent his anger? Did that mean he'd banged his head for nothing?
Li Xiaoya glanced at Xu Er beside him, his eyes darting as an idea struck. With a chuckle, he reached inside his clothes, pulled out a piece of silver, and offered it to Xu Er with a grin. "Brother Xu, I've offended you plenty in the past, and you've looked after me plenty too. Here, take this silver!"
"Oh, how could I accept that?" Xu Er froze for a moment. His mouth offered a refusal, but his hand reached out eagerly to take it.
"But..." Li Xiaoya suddenly drew his hand back and put on an annoyed expression. "You wouldn't let me into the restaurant to eat just now! How are we going to settle that score?"
Xu Er's outstretched hand hung frozen in the air. His face turned crimson, and, humiliated into anger, he grabbed the front of Li Xiaoya's shirt. "You...!"
Li Xiaoya merely chuckled and let him hold on. "But if you take good care of me, Brother Xu, I'll give you a reward!"
Xu Er's face grew redder still, veins bulging on his forehead. Even a Buddha had a little temper, let alone the mighty Xu Er. "A beggar like you actually thinks he can...!" he snarled, clenching his fist and preparing to throw a punch.
"Xu Er! Stop!" Seeing that Xu Er was about to hit Li Xiaoya, Zhang Dafu hurriedly called out to stop him.
"Boss! This little bastard...!"
"I told you to stop! Young Li is a customer of this restaurant now! Don't be rude!" Zhang Dafu said in a tone that brooked no argument. Then he added quietly, "All these people are watching!"
The reading experience for VIP members has been optimized. Tap the center of the screen to bring up the menu for convenient access to "Settings," "Previous page," "Next page," and "Back to top."
"Hmph! Count yourself lucky!" At that, Xu Er shoved Li Xiaoya away and stormed off into the inner courtyard.
"Young Li! Take a seat! Your food will be here shortly!" Ignoring Xu Er, Zhang Dafu smiled at Li Xiaoya. Then he cupped his hands toward the nearby customers whose attention they had attracted and said with a beaming smile, "Everyone! It's nothing, nothing! Please enjoy your food and drink!" Damn it! If I weren't worried about disturbing the other customers and ruining my reputation, I'd have kicked Li Xiaoya out long ago.
Li Xiaoya said nothing. He plopped down on a stool and began sizing up the other customers. Most of those at the nearby tables were dressed like traveling merchants. Only two tables stood out. At one sat six burly men wearing matching, close-fitting outfits, with long and short oblong bundles laid on their table. One glance was enough to tell they were men of the martial world. The other table held only two people, one old and one young. The old man's hair and beard were grizzled, but his face was as rosy as a baby's, making him look like an immortal from a painting. The younger one was a white-robed youth with red lips, white teeth, and delicate features-plainly a girl dressed as a boy.
Just as Li Xiaoya studied the old man and the girl, the two seemed to sense someone watching them and turned to look his way. Startled, Li Xiaoya hurriedly gave them a friendly smile. Though young, he had traveled to quite a few places and counted as something of a little veteran of the martial world. He had also heard that the people one must never underestimate were old men, monks, nuns, children, scholars, and women. With two of those dangerous sorts appearing at once, Li Xiaoya was neither a fool nor so stuffed with food that he had nothing better to do. Naturally, he wouldn't go offending them.
Seeing Li Xiaoya smile at them, the old man nodded and returned a kindly smile. The girl, however, knitted her delicate brows and turned away.
"Oh?" The old man suddenly murmured in surprise.
"What is it, Great-grandfather?" the girl asked sweetly. She didn't seem to care whether anyone saw through her disguise and made little effort to conceal her voice.
"Hehe! I didn't expect that little street rascal to have an immortal root!" the old man said with a smile, stroking his beard.
"You really wouldn't know it to look at him!" Hearing this, the girl couldn't help giving Li Xiaoya a few more looks. His food had already begun arriving, and he was wolfing it down. His table manners were as ugly as could be.
"Hmph! Like the reincarnation of a starving ghost!" The girl raised her brows and curled her little mouth in disdain.
"However..." A gleam of blue-green light flashed through the old man's eyes, and he said with some regret, "That boy's immortal root attributes seem rather mixed. He has either three-root or four-root aptitude. He won't amount to much!"
"Really? Great-grandfather, you're amazing! You can tell what immortal roots someone has just by looking! If only I could do that someday!" the girl said admiringly.
"Jing'er, you have dual immortal roots, an aptitude rarely seen in a hundred years. Otherwise, Elder Gu of Beast Spirit Valley wouldn't have wanted you as his disciple. Though I, too, am a Golden Core Stage cultivator, Beast Spirit Valley is one of the six great orthodox sects. Its cultivation resources are far better than those available to rogue cultivator lineages like ours. One day, your cultivation will surpass mine." The old man lectured the girl with an affectionate air.
"Great-grandfather! You've said that so many times already! Once I get to Beast Spirit Mountain, I'll definitely cultivate hard! I won't disgrace you!" the girl declared loudly, her little face flushed and her small fists clenched, drawing looks from those around her.
Li Xiaoya naturally heard her too. Though he was still occupied with the great undertaking of filling his belly, he couldn't resist glancing their way. "Huh? What a waste! They haven't touched any of their food! Such a waste!" As he withdrew his gaze, it swept over the dishes on their table. Seeing that none had been touched, he couldn't help muttering under his breath. Inwardly, however, he became even more certain that the old man and the girl were extraordinary masters of the martial world.
After a while, Li Xiaoya had eaten his fill. He let out a satisfied belch and glanced around. Most of the other diners were nearly finished too. He reached a hand inside his clothes.
"Ah! What's this?!" Li Xiaoya suddenly cried out in alarm. The noisy hall fell silent, and everyone turned to look at him.
"Boss! Boss! Come here!" Li Xiaoya shouted in furious agitation.
"What are you yelling about? Are you going to let me run my business or not?" Zhang Dafu had already heard his cries and walked over, grumbling.
"Look! Just look!" Li Xiaoya said angrily, poking with his chopsticks at a nearly empty plate.
Zhang Dafu looked closely and saw a cockroach lying at the bottom of the plate. Fury surged through him. He grabbed Li Xiaoya's arm and cursed, "I knew you little bastard was up to no good! You're trying to extort me again! You'd even stoop to a dirty trick like this! You clearly put it there your-!" He wished he could slap the little scoundrel dead.
"Boss! Believe me or not, if I pick that thing up and show everyone in this hall, you'll probably have done all today's business for nothing!" Li Xiaoya interrupted him, speaking calmly.
"You... you... you...!" Zhang Dafu was so angry he couldn't get his words out, and his whole body shook.
"Boss! What's the matter?" A heavily bearded man rose from the table occupied by the men dressed as martial-world travelers. Seeing him stand, the other burly men rose as well. The others couldn't make out what had happened, but with the keen eyes of a hidden-weapon expert, the bearded man had already spotted the cockroach on the plate.
"N-no! Nothing's wrong!" At the sight of them, Zhang Dafu's heart lurched. This is bad. He hurriedly denied anything was amiss.
"Oh! Is there really nothing wrong? Is this little beggar trying to eat without paying because he has no money? Don't worry, boss! We of the Far-Reaching Escort Agency are all chivalrous men! We'll help you settle this!" The bearded man approached as he spoke, his eyes fixed on the plate. Looks like we can save ourselves the price of a meal today, he thought.
Now it wasn't just Zhang Dafu who grew nervous. Li Xiaoya, too, broke into a cold sweat. These heroes of the martial world weren't so easy to handle.
Can't find a book by searching its title? Try searching for the author-it may simply have been renamed!
At the request of our readers, an ad-free feature is now available for VIP members.
Click to view.