“Oh, how bold of you. When I want to dine and dash, there really aren’t a lot of people who are brave enough to make me pay.”
Li Qingshan’s eyes narrowed, but he continued to smile, which made the owner of the restaurant shiver. She felt like it was not a human right in front of her, but a huge, vicious beast toying around with the prey it was about to eat. Even though there was no killing intent, the pressure that came from the top of the food chain was still suffocating.
“How vicious! If you want to drink, I’ll treat you to it. Why’re you looking at me like that?” The boss of the restaurant shoved Li Qingshan on the shoulder and flirted, except her expression and movements were rather stiff and unnatural.
“Don’t be afraid. If the alcohol is fine and the dishes are delicious, I’ll pay the bills that I have to pay. Perhaps I might even pay a lot more!” Li Qingshan sat up straight as the smile remained on his bronze face.
“Who’s afraid? You won’t be able to find another restaurant that can match my alcohol and dishes. Just don’t get drunk!” The lady raised her voice.
“If I fall drunk, I’m not going to blame you. I’m only going to blame you if I don’t fall drunk. Isn’t your store called Drunken No Return? Let’s not return home until we’re drunk today then. I’ll give your cave masters some time to muster up their courage. Let’s see whether they’re bold enough to come down and drink with me!”
The female boss glanced deeply at Li Qingshan. This man was anything but simple. He was already brave for barging into Savage mountain, and on top of that, he manoeuvred around with grace, handling the entire situation with ease. It did not seem like he had ventured into a monster’s den at all. Instead, it seemed like he was the monster who had returned to his own den. He viewed the eight cave masters like his own wives and viewed the several thousand demonic cultivators as nothing.
He had overwhelmed the might of the entire Lair of Demons with this valiance. There actually was not a single man she had seen in her life that could compare to him!
The female boss went off to retrieve the alcohol. Her buttocks within her short skirt were round and perky, which was quite a sight as they swayed about.
Li Qingshan chuckled. He loved it when others were trying to charm him, but after considering how Xiao An was in the surroundings right now, he could only look away in some pity.
“Cook, an esteemed guest has come. Light the stove and get cooking. If it doesn’t taste nice, you better be careful because I might just slap you!” The owner called out and made her way to the cellar.
The chef at the back answered, “Alrighty, ma’am!”
A while later, the female owner returned with a jar of alcohol. She removed the clay seal, and the fragrance of alcohol pervaded the surroundings. A faint, green liquid poured into a large, porcelain bowl, filling it to the brim.
Li Qingshan glanced at it. “There shouldn’t be any poison in the alcohol, right?”
The female owner said nothing in response. She picked up the bowl and downed it all, showing the bottom of the bowl to Li Qingshan before tossing it onto the table. She wiped her mouth. “If you’re not bold enough to drink it, then don’t drink it!”
“How tasteless would it be to drink alone? You can drink with me!” Li Qingshan smiled.
“Alright!” The female owner did not hold back. She placed a foot on the bench and poured another two bowls of alcohol. The glorious sight beneath her skirt was vaguely visible, which was especially alluring.
Clank!
The bowls clanked together, and they both drank it all in a single gulp. Li Qingshan said in praise, “That’s some fine alcohol! It really does have its own special favour!”
Hidden in the depths of her eyes was a sliver of complacency. A crafty scoundrel you might be, yet you still drink the water that washed my feet! If you want to drink unpoisoned alcohol, you better wait until your next life! But his cultivation is too high, so I need to trick him into drinking a bit more. Once the effects kick in, he’ll be completely at my whim!
Her alcohol was called “No Return”. It was not because the alcohol was poisoned, but because it was poisonous alcohol specially refined to harm people. It was top-of-the-line alcohol too, except it could only be consumed with the cure.
Even without her persuasions, Li Qingshan was already drinking away like he was drinking water, downing bowl after bowl. Before long, the jar of alcohol was emptied.
“I’ll go fetch another jar.” The female owner’s face was slightly blushed, and her smile became a little more sincere. The delayed effects of the poison were perfect for him to accumulate a little more.
“How can a single jar be enough? Go fetch all the alcohol in your cellar!”
“Alright, I’ll let you have your way today. If you fall drunk, feel free to sleep in my room.” She smiled charmingly and went off to retrieve more alcohol.
As they spoke, a pale fatty with a white hat and apron walked out of the kitchen, serving up eight or nine dishes. In a humble and polite manner, he bent over and rubbed his hands. “Please savour it!”
Fragrance filled the entire room. Li Qingshan did not hold back and tasted all of the dishes. His eyes lit up, and he gave the cook a thumbs-up.
These dishes were even more delicious and special than the meal the Marquis of Serene Sea had treated him to. As it seemed, the owner of the restaurant was not lying when she said it was impossible to find another restaurant that could match them.
“Alrighty! If you like them, I’ll keep making them!” The cook’s smile became even more humble. His eyes stretched into slits, and he bowed even lower.
At this moment, the owner returned with alcohol. She brushed past the cook and exchanged glances with him.
As a result, Li Qingshan drank the alcohol and ate the dishes as they came. He ate and drank constantly, which was highly satisfying! After teasing the female owner slightly, he seemed to have forgotten all about his objectives of coming to Savage mountain.
The owner’s smile became even more magnificent. You’re really bringing ruin upon yourself. With how hurriedly you’re drinking and how much you’ve drunk, even immortals won’t be able to save you. Only death awaits you!
In the tower, the cave masters all saw this and sneered. In the beginning, when Li Qingshan refused to advance any further, he had left them rather clueless as for what to do. For a moment, they were unsure whether to take the initiative.
When Li Qingshan entered the “Drunken No Return” and began stuffing himself, they all settled down, and their sneers grew heavier.
“He’s actually bold enough to eat here. Does he really think he’s invulnerable to all poisons just because he has a powerful cultivation?”
Wei of the Poison smiled viciously. He was filled with delight.
Gu and poison were closely related. The southern region had at least half of the strange poisons in the world. Even the greatest sect in the south happened to be the “Myriad Poison cult”. Let alone a mere Golden Core cultivator, some poisons could even kill powerful Daemon Kings.
“Silkworm Madam, your disciple has done good!” the Gentleman of Heavenly Blubber said.
“Heh, this Li Qingshan is eating the dishes made by your disciple. He seems pretty happy eating them too!”
“Human Cook’s culinary skills are renowned throughout the entire South Sea commandery. We’ll let him take his time eating!” The Gentleman of Heavenly Blubber laughed, making his fat jiggle about. He was filled with malice.
“Something seems to be slightly off!” The Ghost Ascetic frowned.
The owner of the restaurant noticed this too. Her smooth belly had already begun to bulge from all the drinking. She did not drink as quickly as him, but she had absolutely no time to refine it all. She had consumed a large quantity of the antidote before this, but she was close to giving in even with that. Why was he completely unfazed? Let alone being affected by the poison, he did not even seem to feel the slightest discomfort. Instead, his eyes shone brighter and brighter, and he became more and more carried away, which left her rather frantic inside.
“Hmm? There’s no more alcohol. Go fetch more!” Li Qingshan emptied the jar in his hand and casually tossed it to the ground. Trundling about, the jar rolled into the dozen or so empty jars on the ground.
The restaurant owner hesitated. No Return alcohol could not be refined easily, and Li Qingshan had already drunk it all, so where was she supposed to find more to feed him? Even if she did have more, it probably would not be of any use. She did not see him use his cultivation, so was his physique naturally immune to the poison in No Return alcohol?
Smack!
Li Qingshan slapped her perky bottom and smiled. “What’re you blanking out for? Go fetch it!”
“It hurts! What are you doing? The doors are still wide open, and you’re already taking advantage of me!”
The female owner clutched her bottom and grumbled, but she eased up slightly inside. As it seemed, he had not noticed the poison in the alcohol, or with his strength that could smash through the main gate with a single punch, she would have died on the spot instantly.
“Quit blabbering! Get going, get going!” Li Qingshan waved his hand. Right now, all he wanted to do was drink alcohol. He did not mind even if it was poisoned!
“Yes, yes, sir! My dear guest!”
She arrived at the back silently, and her smile vanished. She sucked in a deep breath and calmed herself down. She was already ready to flee. The only move she had that could threaten him had no effect. If she stayed here, there definitely would not be anything good waiting for her.
As for Human Cook, he was free to pray for his own fortune. This Li Qingshan did not seem like a brutal and murderous person. Hopefully, he did not find out about what was in his dishes!
The restaurant was enveloped in numerous formations, so she did not have to worry about his soul sense detecting her. Right when she was about to leave, Wei of the Poison’s voice suddenly rang out in her ears. “Don’t leave. Put this poison in his alcohol!”
At the same time, a tiny, porcelain bottle was delivered before her through the formations.
The owner declined in a hurry. “Eighth hall master, he’s not afraid of poison. If he discovers this, I’m dead for sure!”
“Bullsh*t. How can someone be immune to poison in this world? Don’t worry, this poison is tasteless and scentless. He definitely won’t discover it!” Wei of the Poison insisted.
“Master!”
The Silkworm Madam said, “Do as he says! The cave masters are all people that know when praise and blame are properly due. Once this is over, you’ll get what you deserve. Old eighth Wei, my disciple is helping you with your revenge and undertaking such a great risk, so you can’t just turn a blind eye to this!”
“Here’s a Poison Warding pearl. You’ll be immune to poison once you ingest it. I’ll give it to you. Make him keep drinking, the more the better!” Wei of the Poison did not hold back either.
The female owner’s eyes lit up. A Poison Warding pearl was worth quite a sum in the south. She had gone so far already anyway, so she might as well go all the way through. She ate the Poison Warding pearl and poisoned the alcohol before smiling again and returning to the dining room.
“You’re so slow. Hmm? Why has the taste changed?” Li Qingshan picked up the bowl and took a sip.
“Your capacity is too great. You’ve already finished off a variety of alcohol, so I have to switch it up, obviously. If you don’t like it, I’ll take it back!”
The restaurant owner became extremely nervous.
“It’s fine. I’ll go with this! Come, let’s keep drinking!” Li Qingshan smiled in a drunken fashion.
Even more bowls of alcohol entered his belly until the jar of poisoned alcohol was completely empty. Li Qingshan remained seated there, without budging at all. However, he became slightly more drunk.
With that, even Wei of the Poison’s face changed.
The restaurant owner was forced to go fetch alcohol again. She rubbed her rather swollen head and cursed inside, What Wei of the Poison? He sure has the nerve. He better change his name soon. You can’t blame me anymore. Whatever, obtaining a Poison Warding pearl was worth it.
She arrived behind the restaurant, only to see another porcelain bottle filled with poison waiting for her.
Did she really think she could take advantage of a cave master in the Lair of Demons? She was out of her mind!
As a result, she poisoned and delivered alcohol before poisoning even more…
The poisons came in all shapes and forms, sometimes liquid, sometimes powder. They were all different. Towards the end, Wei of the Poison even stopped caring about whether they were tasteless or scentless. All he cared about was delivering even more poison to her, which was then used on the alcohol.
The restaurant owner was not afraid of poison, but she had drunk far too much. As such, even her eyes became dazed, basically unable to hide her ill intentions. Before she knew it, she felt like she had fallen into a great gamble. She was unable to stop and was only allowed to advance. She had to poison Li Qingshan to death!
However, Li Qingshan simply sat there firmly the entire time. He was like a mountain and one that constantly grew taller. It was as if it could collapse down on her at any time.
“Hmm? Why aren’t you drinking anymore?” Li Qingshan asked with a drunken smile.
