“Go find Uncle Liu?” Zhang Peng said incredulously.
I nodded: “That’s right, Uncle Liu…”
“But Uncle Liu’s personality…” Before Zhang Peng could finish, I interrupted, “He owes me a favor, so I’m confident I can get him to join us.”
“Uncle Liu owes you a favor? How could that be!” Zhang Peng looked incredulous, but I didn’t bother explaining. I opened the car door, got in, and said, “Drive!”
Zhang Peng shook his head helplessly and got in as well.
After Zhang Yu got in, I started the car and drove towards where Liu Zhanqian’s stall was located.
When Liu Zhanqian was young, he was a one-on-one fighter. His fighting experience was unmatched. I even believed that even cultivators, if they disregarded True Qi and a strong physique, wouldn’t be a match for Liu Zhanqian.
Moreover, I knew Liu Zhanqian’s personality pretty well.
I gave him half of the Blood Ginseng King, saving his wife’s life. In his words, he owed me an immense debt of gratitude.
He’s a grateful man, very loyal and righteous. After all, he fought his way up in the underworld in his youth; otherwise, he wouldn’t have achieved his current success.
Moreover, he’s experienced more and has more life experience than I do, so I need him very much.
I’m also a little confused. That transparent bead is quite ordinary, only slightly surrounded by spiritual energy. Without it, it’s just a glass ball magnified many times over.
I explored it with my spiritual power. It’s just an ordinary, transparent little ball, and while the spiritual energy on it can be absorbed, it’s pitifully little for me. Even before I started cultivating, absorbing all the spiritual energy wouldn’t have been enough to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.
Yet this thing has attracted the attention of ancient martial arts practitioners, or rather, cultivators!
I know there are many cultivators in this world, but Uncle Fu doesn’t. The only ones he can deduce are ancient martial arts practitioners.
If he truly is a cultivator, things will be even more complicated!
I wanted to ask Wu Ming for help, but I owe him far too much. Last time, helping me attracted such a terrifying heavenly tribulation, twice at that.
If I help him again, I don’t know what kind of tribulation he’ll face.
The car stopped, and my thoughts snapped out of my reverie. I opened the car door and got out.
Although it was already autumn, the barbecue stalls were still quite crowded. The main reason was that Earth had been running a fever lately; although it was autumn, the weather hadn’t caught up with it.
Liu Zhanqian was busy preparing the barbecue, his wife helping him, occasionally wiping his sweat—they seemed quite affectionate.
I wondered when I could finally go find Mei’er.
Wu Ming’s level was very high, but even he didn’t know where the Fox Clan’s forbidden area was. Even if he did know, he probably wouldn’t let me go; my strength was still insufficient.
In the secular world, I could still act all high and mighty, but encountering a cultivator like Li Qingxiao would likely be a real nightmare…
My cultivation progress was slow before because Mei’er was a demon and didn’t have human cultivation techniques. Now I have both techniques and skills; all I lack is time.
After bringing Liu Zhanqian and Zhang Yu back this time, I’ll probably have to go into seclusion for a while.
I stood by the roadside and shouted loudly to Liu Zhanqian, “Boss, three draft beers, please!”
“Alright, just a moment, coming right away…” Liu Zhanqian said, suddenly looking up. He paused for a moment when he saw me, then immediately beamed with excitement: “My benefactor is here!” He put down what he was doing and ran towards me.
“I didn’t expect Uncle Liu to really owe you a favor, and it seems quite a large one!” Zhang Peng whispered beside me.
Zhang Yu laughed and scolded, “You didn’t see how exaggerated this boss was last time, he actually wanted to kneel down to this idiot!”
“Get lost!” I cursed, then smiled helplessly.
Just then, Liu Zhanqian ran up to me and said, “My benefactor, it’s been so long! This meal has to be on me, Old Liu!”
“Uncle Liu, I have something important to discuss with you this time. Also, don’t call me benefactor anymore, just call me Xiao Tian!” I said helplessly to Liu Zhanqian.
Liu Zhanqian shook his head: “How can that be!” Then he said, “By the way, it’s important. What do you want to see me about, benefactor?”
“It’s like this…” I repeated what I had told Zhang Yu and Zhang Peng to Liu Zhanqian.
After listening, Liu Zhanqian frowned and said earnestly, “I, Liu Zhanqian, was also involved in the underworld when I was young. I understand the principle of repaying kindness. I won’t hesitate, I’ll help you out!”
“Zhang Yu, you two still have mothers to support, and Uncle Liu has a wife. So if there’s any danger later, I’ll make you withdraw immediately!” I said earnestly, looking at Zhang Yu and the other two.
This was also my true feeling. I’m a selfish person, but that’s how I see outsiders. Zhang Yu and the others are my brothers, and I’ve long considered Liu Zhanqian one of my own. If my enemies are truly unmanageable, I will absolutely not let them take the risk.
“Stop talking nonsense! A real man stands firm to the end. Since we promised you, we’ll help you to the very end!” Zhang Yu said earnestly.
Liu Zhanqian smiled and said, “Young man, you’re right. We promised you, and we’ll help you to the end. Even if it costs me my life, I could never repay your kindness!”
“Enough of that. Let’s find a stall, sit down, and have a few drinks!” Zhang Peng said with a smile.
I nodded, “Yes! Let’s have a few drinks first!”
“Old Liu is happy. Today’s food is on me! Everyone, enjoy your meal!” Liu Zhanqian said with a smile to the people eating barbecue.
There were dozens of people eating barbecue, and it was all free! Liu Zhanqian was really generous.
Liu Zhanqian found us a place to sit down while he went to cook and grill the meat.
Since not everyone was there, no one touched the food. We only started eating after Liu Zhanqian finished.
“Come on, everyone, let’s clink glasses!” Liu Zhanqian smiled and raised his glass.
We also smiled and stood up, raising our glasses, ready for a toast.
But then my phone suddenly rang, ruining the atmosphere. I was about to hang up, but it was Uncle Fu calling, so I put down my glass and answered, “Hello, Uncle Fu, what’s up?”
“Are you Xia Tian’er?” a strange voice came from Uncle Fu’s end.
Could something have happened to Uncle Fu?! My heart raced, and I asked anxiously, “Who are you?!”
“I advise you to return to the Xia family as quickly as possible, or I won’t hesitate to wipe out your entire Xia family!” The other end hung up immediately.
“Damn it!” I cursed, then said to Zhang Yu and the others, “I have urgent business to attend to, I’ll be leaving for a bit. You guys take the train tonight!”
I left the stall, found a secluded corner, and simultaneously used invisibility and flight techniques, flying towards the capital at incredible speed.