Chapter 17 Old Matters

  Shazhou City is neither big nor small, and Fenghuang West Street is the busiest street in the city. It's also a place where "encounters" often happen. The clouds in the sky were rolling violently, and suddenly dark clouds from the south rushed over here. Just now it was sunny, but in an instant it became a scene of impending heavy rain. This old heaven changes its face too quickly!

  I don't know if Ah Guan can deliver the cart back to Uncle Pang before this rain, originally thinking of returning home ahead of Father, but remembering that the first time I went to Gan's house was by horse-drawn carriage at night, and now I completely forget the way back. Looking up at the sky, I think that if I act rashly, I might become a laughing stock, so I turn around and walk into the nearest tavern. It's a very ordinary small shop, but which shop on Fenghuang West Street is ordinary? Because business is too good, the young waiter doesn't even have time to take my order after inviting me to sit down, just happening to hear the people at the next table mention that the boss of this tavern is from Yibin. Yibin? Isn't that the hometown of Wuliangye? Ha! Although the person is from Yibin, this wine can't compare to half of the Wuliangye from my previous life.

  The wine shop was filled with the aroma of wine, although it couldn't compare to Wuliangye, but compared to other restaurants' collections, it was much stronger. After waiting for a long time, Xiao Er finally came over, and Qiuxi waved at him: "Xiao Er, bring me a pot of tea!" As soon as he spoke, he immediately received a white eye from Xiao Er. It's really rare to come to a wine shop and only order tea, and looking at Qiuxi who seemed like an 11 or 12-year-old kid, Xiao Er almost had the urge to tease him.

  "Just kidding, don't be nervous, then give me a jug of premium wine!" As soon as the words fell, he put the silver on the table. The young waiter saw the silver and immediately changed his face, no longer caring about the "no drinking for minors". Money talks! This premium wine is the signature of this small shop, and the name of the wine has a great meaning. When the wine and snacks arrived, Qi Xian started pouring himself, and others who saw this young master's posture with the wine cup were also amazed. As the saying goes, "an expert shows his skills at once", it seems that this young master is indeed an expert.

  Qī Xiàng didn't even bother to acknowledge their inquiring gazes. The JADE Dew wine was indeed the signature drink of this establishment, and with just a light sip, it left a lingering aftertaste on his lips. Unfortunately, this feeling was fleeting, and the aftertaste was insufficient, making the wine seem somewhat bland. If compared to the previous life's Luzhou Laojiao, they were of equal grade.

  Speaking of drinking, in his past life, he was known among friends as "Thousand Cups Not Drunk". His friends from his past life... did not know if ài Líng, that marriage enthusiast, had found a partner. Did not know how many more mm á Bīn had hooked up with. Did not know if Wàng Cái, the son of the Wang family from the previous building, and the female dog had eloped successfully...

  Qī Xiàng stretched out his hand and waved it in the air, as if trying to dispel something. Although two years had passed, that feeling of loneliness would still creep up on him unintentionally at times. With a wine of such low alcohol content, Qī Xiàng felt as though he was drunk.

  "You can't even drink, what else can you do!" Qi Xi lay on the table, her face facing the window, it was really suffocating before the rainstorm, and people's footsteps on the road accelerated significantly to avoid getting wet. I didn't expect to hear Gan Jing's voice at this time, but what's strange about that? After all, more than half of the industries in Shazhou City belong to him, and this wine shop may be under the name of the Gan family. In my previous life, I was a wine immortal, but I didn't expect that after becoming Miss Liu, not only did my body shrink like water, but my drinking capacity also decreased greatly. A few cups of weak wine made me dizzy, but I stubbornly didn't want Gan Jing to see me in such a sorry state, so even though I knew he was coming, I still kept my face facing the window.

  Gan Jing didn't hesitate, picked up the small wine cup that Qi had used and drank the remaining fine wine in one gulp. The shop assistants were stunned, as it was well-known that their boss had a cleanliness habit, and they never thought that one day he would use someone else's wine cup to drink. Most of the time, Gan Jing always had a cold face, occasionally showing a smile when he wanted something from someone. At this moment, seeing Qi like this, he didn't know why, but his heart was filled with courage and anger, and after taking a deep breath, he said in a teasing tone: "I heard that you were selling double-skinned milk on Phoenix West Street today? I originally thought you wanted to do business, thinking that you must have big plans in mind. I didn't expect such a small business would enter your eyes? Oh right, it seems like you didn't even make a single cent. Even if you care about these small businesses, is this how you do business?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Gan Jing regretted it, thinking that he shouldn't have said that.

  "You don't understand, this is a marketing strategy. Anyway, I don't think it's a waste of money, at least I'm satisfied with it." Qi Xie finally looked up and pointed to a certain position on her left chest, "In the future, Uncle Peng will probably be busy and won't have time to take care of me, but he looks like an old loner without any family members. Being able to earn some money for retirement is also good."

  "What's your sales strategy? You're spouting nonsense one after another, I'm asking you, are you really going to meet with Master Zhu tomorrow?"

  "Hmm!"

  。。。。。。

  Fortunately, Old Master's injury recovered quickly, and the people of Gan Fu took good care of him. Qiuxi looked at Old Master with a hint of guilt in her eyes, but he waved his hand to signal her to come closer. Qiuxi excitedly ran to Old Master's side and pulled out a bright green jade ring from her pocket. She knew Old Master liked this kind of thing, and it was bought with the money she had split with Zhu Chengjun last time. The golden jade ring that Old Master used to wear had not been worn for a long time, perhaps because looking at it would remind him of unpleasant things.

  Although it was just a wrist twist, Liu Yi's eyes were also filled with comfort. No matter how naughty his daughter was, at least she was always thinking of him. As his daughter grew up, there were many things that she should know about now. He emotionally pulled Qi Qi's hand: "Qi Qi, originally Dad planned to keep those things hidden in his heart forever. The reason why Dad wants to tell you is because you are also a member of the Black Water Fortress. You have the right to know about that matter and you must not forget the blood debt of so many brothers."

  The atmosphere in the room was somewhat dull for a while, knowing that Father must have already found the answer from Meng Kuang. Qi Xi also put away his usual playful smile and listened intently to the long story. Although the story told by Father was old-fashioned and clichéd, like an 8 o'clock drama plot, but the fact that Hei Shui Zhai was buried under the yellow sand overnight was true. At this time, Father was not telling himself a story as usual, and every word he heard clearly told her what they were carrying on their shoulders.

  Originally, the killer Meng Kuang from Heishui Village, known as "The Stinger", was actually the son of Kyoto's number one bounty hunter. Naturally, he also became the youngest bounty hunter in the country, although only slightly older than Qi Xie. He became a figure who made mountain bandits and thieves tremble with fear. However, after his father died on duty during a mission, this young bounty hunter gradually disappeared from people's sight. Everyone knew that he had always relied heavily on his father, and his sudden death dealt him a severe blow. On the same day, he resigned from his position in Kyoto's Thirteen Yamen without anyone knowing where he went. Later, a ruthless killer appeared in the earthen castle in the desert, described by his companions as "The Stinger".

  The old man had always been one to trust people without suspicion, and suspect those he didn't use. This allowed him to win over countless talents, but also brought him fatal harm. In fact, the old man was also gambling, betting on his own judgment and his sincerity in treating others with kindness. But this time, he lost thoroughly, not only nearly losing his own life in the city, but also sacrificing the lives of many brothers.

  Meng Kuang had never hidden the fact that he used to be a catcher, and the old man had also investigated and found out that he was indeed the son of Meng Daren, who had died at his hands. He didn't think about escaping revenge for killing someone, but instead treated him extremely well, promoting him beyond his rank. At that time, the old man simply saw him as a capable person, but who could have predicted that he would take such drastic action?

  What fault did the people of Cang have?! Should my father die too?! The young man on horseback had a sinister look in his eyes, and the wind outside the earthen city walls carried a strong smell of blood. In the Gan government's mansion in Shazhou City, Qiuli closed her eyes and seemed to smell that nauseating odor again, as if she was once again surrounded by an aura of death. She could forgive him for seeking revenge on the Liu family, but she couldn't pardon what he did to the brothers of Heishui Stronghold.

  "This grudge will be avenged one day, but for now, we must live well."

  Qī xiè suddenly had an idea, the brothers of Heishui Fort were not to be underestimated, with hundreds of people, Meng Kuáng alone would have been exhausted even if he had killed one person per knife. Seeing him give face to Zhu Ye in public on the street, it seemed that the person behind was Zhu Ye? As for tomorrow's appointment, did he still want to go or not?