Old Zhao's eyes flickered twice, and he quickly waved his hand to explain, "Sister Weiwei, you're treating me like an outsider. To put it bluntly, you've watched me grow up. There's no difference between us. Your friends are naturally my friends. I can't wait to welcome you. Please, get in the car. I've booked a room in the Drunken Immortal Restaurant. Let's drink until we're drunk."
"No wonder he's in the officialdom. He can steer according to the wind and has the ability to hide his emotions. He has really reached perfection."
Du Kang sat in the back seat and looked at Zhao Liwei, who was chatting with Ran Jing and laughing heartily from time to time. He paid more attention to this person.
The car soon stopped in front of an antique restaurant near the city center. The outside was decorated in a retro style, with carved beams and painted rafters. A series of big red lanterns were hung on the left and right sides with big characters written in gold. The first couplet was: Entering the restaurant, smelling the aroma, forgetting to leave. The second couplet was: Thinking about it after going out, I like to meet the Immortal in Wine for a lifetime.
The willow plaque in the middle was engraved with three big golden characters … Drunken Immortal Restaurant. It was written with iron pen and silver hook. At first glance, it was obvious that it was written by a master. It was definitely not the kind that could be typed on a computer today.
"As the saying goes, the Son of Heaven doesn't come to the boat when he is called. He calls himself the Immortal in Wine in the Mortal World."
Zhao Liwei got out of the car, looked up at the plaque on the lintel, and said casually. He turned his head to look at Du Kang intentionally or unintentionally.
"Haha …" Du Kang got out of the car, turned around, and took Weiwei's little hand to get out of the car. Naturally, he saw Zhao Liwei looking at him. He secretly sneered in his heart and said in a clear voice, "Brother, what you said is really elegant, but it's hard to say whether the intention is in the wine or not."
"Brother, you must be joking. Please."
Zhao Liwei couldn't lose his temper on the spot because of his identity, so he took the lead and led the way. The four of them filed into the Drunken Immortal Restaurant.
A girl in cheongsam led the way and took the four of them directly to the door of a private room on the second floor. Then she left with a polite smile.
"Please come in."
Zhao Liwei pushed the door open in a gentlemanly manner and extended his hand to invite them in. Weiwei and Ran Jing went first, and Du Kang followed closely behind. Zhao Liwei just smiled and did not take it to heart. He turned his hand and closed the door of the private room. Seeing that everyone had taken their seats, he sat down at the lower position, looking like he was ready to serve dishes and water at any time.
"This Zhao Liwei is quite humble."
Du Kang sat close to Weiwei and looked at Zhao Liwei, who always had a smile on his face. He felt that this person was not simple. He couldn't help but use the Qi-reading technique he learned from the booklet and looked at the top of Zhao Liwei's head.
There were two bright lamps on his shoulders, and a ball of raging fire on his head. The most peculiar thing was that there were two indigo blue lights rushing out from his temples, glowing brightly like a pair of curved horns.
"Damn, brilliant horn. This Zhao Liwei will definitely become a great minister in the future. Oh my, no wonder he has such a bearing. Amazing, amazing."
Du Kang was surprised, but he did not show it on his face. He just looked indifferent and did not say a word. He just did his duty as a guest and did not say a word.
Compared to Du Kang's silence, the two girls, Ran Jing and Weiwei, who were naturally familiar with Zhao Liwei, became familiar with each other after a few words. They talked and laughed, talking about their experiences in recent years. Some sighed, some laughed, and some sighed. In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.
"Hey, Old Zhao, didn't you say that you found some clues about the thing I asked you to do?
Bring it to me quickly. There's not much time left. Once the thing inside comes out, it will be difficult. "Ran Jing knocked on the glass table twice and finally got to the point.
"Ah, I almost forgot if you didn't mention it. I'm so happy to see you."
Zhao Liwei said as he took out a USB flash drive and threw it over. Ran Jing caught it in her hand and looked at it, "This is it?"
"This is only a part of it. There is a lot of information that needs to be retrieved from the county archives, and photocopies are not allowed. This is all the information I can collect. Ah, and this."
Zhao Liwei said as he threw a badge over. "This is a temporary work permit. It can let you enter the archives."
"Thanks."
Ran Jing put the hard drive and the badge into her small bag, rubbed her hands, and said, "Old Zhao, you're a high-ranking official. Since we're reuniting today, you have to spend a lot of money, right?"
Zhao Liwei smiled and shook his head, "Sister Jing, it's not that I'm stingy. You have this brother, and I'm not stingy at all. It's just that if Sister Weiwei eats to her heart's content, I don't think it will be enough even if I move the market here."
"Hey, Old Zhao is talking about you."
Ran Jing used her elbow to poke Weiwei's arm, and Weiwei's eyes suddenly widened. She slammed her little hand on the table, stood up, and put one foot on the stool. She pointed at Zhao Liwei's nose with one hand, "Hey, did you forget the time when I chased you all over the mountain when you were young? You dare to talk about me? Do you believe that I will slap you back to Maoshan?"
"Hahaha, I'm so scared. Sister Weiwei, sit down quickly. The dishes will be served soon. It's not good to let others see."
"Hmph, I won't punish you for the sake of the dishes." Weiwei rubbed her little nose with her thumb and sat down domineeringly.
Du Kang saw all of this. Naturally, he could see that the three of them had a good relationship. He felt a little redundant and couldn't get a word in. He could only spin the chopsticks in his hand around his fingertips.
"Xiao Pang, what's wrong with you? Why don't you say a word?" Weiwei sat down and looked at Du Kang's sullen expression. She asked curiously.
"Ah, nothing, I'm just thinking about something."
Du Kang didn't want to spoil the other's mood because of him, so he casually said a perfunctory sentence. Originally, he thought that it was over, but he didn't expect Zhao Liwei to take over the conversation and ask, "Brother, what are you thinking about? Tell me. As long as I need your help, I won't say a word."
"I need your help, so hurry up and leave!"
Du Kang definitely couldn't say what he was thinking. He frowned, sighed softly and said, "You don't know, but we have already fought with the Red Robe Ghost King in the No. 2 old dormitory. She is very scary, and according to Sister Jing, it is very likely that there is something more powerful. I'm afraid we are not its opponent."
"Really?"
Zhao Liwei looked at Ran Jing and Weiwei with an inquiring gaze, and the two girls couldn't help but be a little worried. Nodding, Weiwei said, "It is indeed very tricky."
The meal was joyous and harmonious. After drinking three glasses of wine, Zhao Liwei relaxed a lot and became familiar with Du Kang. Du Kang didn't drink and only drank Sprite. He became the most sober person at the table. He carried Weiwei on his back and wrapped her arms and legs around his body like a koala bear. His left hand supported Ran Jing, who staggered three steps, and his right hand supported Zhao Liwei, who spoke with a short tongue. He threw the three of them into the car and went straight back to Lao Wang's convenience store.
It took a lot of effort to throw the two drunk girls, Weiwei and Ran Jing, onto his bed and pulled the quilt over them. As for taking off their shoes and the like, he didn't care. It saved him trouble when he woke up the next day.
"Old Zhao, Old Zhao, just stay here with me for the night."
Du Kang carried Zhao Liwei, who was a head taller than him, to a clean place in the warehouse. He threw a blanket and gently put Zhao Liwei down. He sat cross-legged in front of Zhao Liwei, pinched the Lotus Flower Seal, and began to cultivate.
Recent events made Du Kang feel that his strength was not enough. In terms of martial arts, Du Kang believed that he was invincible among his peers. But since the appearance of Ye Zilong, Du Kang's state of mind had fluctuated. In recent days, Du Kang had been thinking about the Tao that Gongzi Yu said. He thought a lot, but the more he thought, the more he had no clue. It was like a mess.
"Neutral and peaceful, Tao follows nature, man follows earth, earth follows heaven, heaven follows Tao, Tao follows Tao …"
Soon, Du Kang entered a meditative state and forgot about himself. He only felt that he was in a boundless primordial world, sometimes bright, sometimes dark, and sometimes chaotic and hazy.
At the same time, Zhao Liwei, who was sleeping soundly and snoring like thunder, opened one of his eyes slightly. His snoring was still loud, but he quietly climbed up from the ground.
"Good fellow, a hollow spirit above his head, meditating and forgetting himself. Master was right, this fellow is not an ordinary person. Sister Jing, oh Sister Jing, you've made me worried."
Zhao Liwei saw a hazy blue light flashing around Du Kang, especially between his eyebrows, the light fluctuation was even more dazzling, as if he had grown a divine eye. Faint chanting of scriptures came from Du Kang's body.
Zhao Liwei took out a bright silver jade talisman from his bosom, broke the middle finger of his left hand, and was about to smear a bit of blood on the jade talisman.
Suddenly, a small hand reached out from nothingness and grabbed Zhao Liwei's wrist. "Maoshan Sect, good plan!" A cold voice came from nowhere.
"What the hell are you!?"
Zhao Liwei was shocked. He circulated his True Energy and shook his wrist, wanting to shake off the hand, but the seemingly soft and slender hand did not move at all. A cold laugh came, and Zhao Liwei felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His body trembled violently, blood seeped out of his mouth and nose, and his eyes rolled up. He had been shaken unconscious, and fell face down to the ground.
"Little fellow, I can't bear to see you die like this." A beautiful figure in a black robe appeared out of thin air, as if stepping out of nothingness. Her body was like a ghost, ethereal and unpredictable. She slowly walked in front of Du Kang, smiled faintly, and stroked Du Kang's face with her palm. "I'm still waiting for you to return to the world and look down on all. When that time comes, you'll have to repay everything you owe me."
"Who's there!?" A soft shout sounded like a clap of thunder at the door, followed by two beams of sword light cutting through the air.
"Ding!
Ding! "
With two light sounds, Gongzi Yu stood up, raised her white hands, and lightly touched the two beams of sword light. The sword light was like a green colored glass, breaking inch by inch, and exploding into sword qi that filled the sky.
"Fate has not been broken, and karma is hard to cut. Chu Weiwei, Ran Jing, we will meet again." Gongzi Yu's voice was indifferent. He took a step back, and actually became invisible, disappearing into thin air.
Chu Weiwei and Ran Jing, with messy hair and reeking of alcohol, rushed in together, but they were unable to make Gongzi Yu stay. The two girls stomped their feet angrily.
"Old Zhao, quickly go and see how he is!"
Ran Jing saw Zhao Liwei who had fallen in the corner, and took a step in front of him. She bent down and flipped him over.
"This is!?"
Ran Jing couldn't help but exclaim. She found the bright silver jade talisman in Zhao Liwei's hand, and she frowned. She wiped her palm lightly and put away the jade talisman.
Weiwei heard the noise and walked over. She lowered her head and found Zhao Liwei lying on the ground with an ashen face, bleeding from his seven orifices. His throat kept gurgling, and he was already exhaling more than he was inhaling.
"Jing Jing, don't panic. Move aside, I'll do it."
Weiwei asked Ran Jing to step aside, and her small hands shook her dantian. She opened her mouth and spat out a lychee-sized rainbow-colored bead. It landed on Zhao Liwei's face, and the rainbow-colored light flickered continuously. Zhao Liwei's face gradually returned to normal.
"Return!"
Weiwei opened her mouth and swallowed the rainbow-colored bead back into her stomach. Her body swayed slightly, and Ran Jing supported her. She wiped the corner of her mouth with her finger and bitterly smiled. She muttered, "Tang Junming was right. Without the Life Dragon Pearl, I don't even have a tenth of my strength. Even this little bit of Xuanming Qi almost hurt my foundation."
"Sit down and rest first, I'll help you!" Ran Jing helped Weiwei to sit cross-legged beside Du Kang. She pressed her palms on Weiwei's back, and a stream of True Qi slowly poured in from the Dazhui acupoint on her back, helping Weiwei to refine that trace of Xuanming Qi.
After a full five minutes, Weiwei raised her head, opened her mouth, and spat out a mouthful of white gas. It curled up like smoke, but it was as cold as ice.
Weiwei slapped the ground with both hands and jumped up. Cracking sounds came from her joints, and she was full of energy again.
"Why hasn't Old Zhao woken up yet?"
Weiwei and Ran Jing walked in front of Old Zhao. She pushed his shoulders and shouted, "Old Zhao, wake up! Zhao Liwei!
Wake up! "
"Strange, why hasn't Old Zhao woken up yet? I don't believe it, let's try again!" Weiwei made a hand seal and was about to spit out the inner core to help Zhao Liwei pull out the Xuanming Qi.
Ran Jing stopped her, "Weiwei, there's no need. Old Zhao is fine. He will wake up naturally when it's time."
"What do you mean by that?"
Weiwei was not a fool. Naturally, she could hear the hidden meaning in Ran Jing's words. However, the cause and effect were unknown, so she could not understand what hidden meaning was in her words.
"You will know when the time comes."
Ran Jing smiled and knocked on Weiwei's forehead. She pulled Weiwei to the front of Du Kang, "Weiwei, your Xiao Pang's condition is very strange."
"Yes."
Weiwei nodded and couldn't help but frown, "Although he is my concubine, I still can't completely control his soul. Moreover, there's a problem with his cultivation. It seems that all his cultivation is in his body, and it's very difficult to use spiritual arts and Dharma Spells. The biggest problem is that he has stopped at the Postcelestial Realm. He is hovering between the Postcelestial Realm and the Postcelestial Realm, unable to break through."
"In the Postcelestial Realm, the Small Zhoutian is to refine essence into Qi, the Large Zhoutian is to refine Qi into Spirit, and the Foundation Building Realm is to refine Spirit into Void. Since Xiao Pang has already opened up his Sea of Consciousness, it means that he has already stepped into the Postcelestial Realm. However, he still can't form his Core and truly enter the Postcelestial Realm. This is also something that I can't understand." Ran Jing held her chin and said.
"Why don't you and I go into his Sea of Consciousness to take a look?"
Ran Jing thought about it and felt that this was the only way, so she nodded in agreement.