Li Qingxian smiled. "Brother He, what’s there to worry about? Even if they downsize, they’ll just change the name. The Street Patrol Room will be gone, but there might be another ’Room.’ As long as you have your cultivation and your skills, what is there to fear?"
"It’s not fear," He Lei said. "It’s like having a baby. You’ll be happy whether it’s a boy or a girl, but you can’t help but feel anxious until it’s born."
Li Qingxian thought for a moment. "You’re from the River Guard Army and you have real skills. Even if Lord Songg takes over a new department, you’ll still be a section head."
"Oh? Xiaoli, you have some news? Can you tell me more?" He Lei’s eyes lit up.
The others all turned to stare with wide eyes, except for Yu Ping, who kept his gaze on the cold dishes.
’This He Lei is such a sly old fox,’ Li Qingxian thought. ’He knows I’m close with Zhou Chunfeng, so he brought this up just to probe me for information.’
Li Qingxian smiled. "Nothing is set in stone yet, so I can’t say much. All I can say is, we’ll deal with whatever comes our way."
"True enough," He Lei nodded.
The group chatted for a while longer, then noticed that several dishes hadn’t arrived yet. He Lei glanced around and asked, "Who can go hurry them along?"
Han Anbo, who was sitting at the lower end of the table, smiled and stood up. "I’ll go give them a nudge."
After a good while, Han Anbo pushed the door open and came back in, followed by a waiter carrying a platter of steaming powdered pork.
Han Anbo said, "It’s crowded today, so the service is a bit slow."
"The food here is really good," Yu Ping said.
Dong Ying chuckled. "Well, it’s certainly a far cry from pig slop."
Everyone laughed. After the waiter left, they started talking about the pig slop they served at the Night Guard, chatting and drinking.
Han Anbo didn’t touch a drop of alcohol. The others said a few words but didn’t press him.
Except for Yu Ping and Han Anbo, everyone else had already Entered Grade. They were all Martial Artists, and the wine was low in alcohol, so they used large, three-inch-tall porcelain cups, toasting frequently.
The wine didn’t make them drunk, but it went straight to their bladders and legs.
As the drinking wore on, a few of them had to get up and relieve themselves from time to time.
Li Qingxian had already gone to relieve himself twice. The third time he left the room, he went from the second floor down to the back courtyard on the first floor, heading for the place with the two words "Snowy Retreat" hanging above the door. Before he could enter, a man with a flushed red face walked out.
Their eyes met, and both of them paused in surprise.
The man opposite him was dressed in a pale cyan brocade robe, looking like a scholar. He was slightly overweight, his face was flushed, he reeked of alcohol, and his steps were unsteady.
When he saw Li Qingxian, his face burned. He wiped his freshly washed hands on his back, and while taking off the Jade Pendant from his waist with both hands, he said with a wry smile, "Qingxian, don’t hold it against me. I was planning to celebrate your birthday yesterday, but I got dragged away for drinks, had too much, and completely forgot. I didn’t even wake up until noon. I was going to come to your place to apologize, but then I got summoned by Young Master Lou. I’m not making excuses; it’s my fault. Old Sunx went north, so I’m the only close classmate from the Academy you have left around here. I should have been there, I really messed up!"
As he spoke, the man stuffed the Jade Pendant into Li Qingxian’s hand.
Li Qingxian chuckled. "We’ve been friends for years, I won’t hold it against you. But, Duqi, if you don’t show up next time, I’m definitely going to hold it against you. I can’t accept this Jade Pendant. Just treat me to a meal sometime."
Emboldened by the alcohol, Du Qizhen grabbed Li Qingxian’s hand. "No way! I, Du Qizhen, may be a nobody, but I can’t do something so shameless. If you don’t accept it, I won’t have the face to see you again. Xiaoli, I’m really not the type to suck up to the powerful and step on the weak. I was just genuinely busy. The Academy is about to let out for the year, and everyone is running around—some are preparing for exams, others are trying to pull strings for a position. I’m just so damn busy. Back at the Academy, who the hell would have thought that after graduation, life would be this hard?"
"It is," Li Qingxian agreed.
"And it’s not just me. Look at Dai Tiezui. His studies were good enough, right? He Entered Grade in Literature Cultivation, reached Tenth Grade, and he’s about to reach Ninth Grade. But he still can’t find a good Government Office. Such an upright gentleman, yet he has to shamelessly come here and freeload at Young Master Lou’s dinner. He used to look down on Lou Yushan more than anyone..."
Du Qizhen rambled on for a bit, then grabbed Li Qingxian with a smile. Tilting back his flushed, drunken face, he said, "Come on, come with me and see our old classmates. You know everyone at the dinner; they were just talking about you. The two girls from our class are there, and tsk tsk, they’ve really blossomed. Xia Ya even secretly asked me about you back then, but it’s a shame you left the Academy and you two lost touch. Back then, she was interested, but you were just like me—all we knew was how to fool around. As for Young Master Lou’s dinner tonight, the old drunkard’s mind isn’t on the wine. It seems like he’s got his eyes on those two. Be careful later, don’t offend him. He’s a bit of a show-off and a bit pretentious, but he’s not a bad guy..."
Du Qizhen rambled on for a long time, pulling Li Qingxian toward the stairs.
Torn between laughter and tears, Li Qingxian said, "I came to use the restroom."
"Then go, and come up with me after. I’ll wait here," Du Qizhen said.
Li Qingxian thought for a moment. "How about this: you tell me which private room you’re in. After I’m done, I’ll let my friends know and go over to offer a toast."
"Alright, we’re in the Zuishan Room on the third floor. Don’t forget! If I don’t see you in a quarter hour, I’ll send people looking for you!" Du Qizhen grinned, patted Li Qingxian on the shoulder, and turned to stagger up the stairs.
Li Qingxian looked at the Jade Pendant. He remembered Du Qizhen once saying that he wore these things as accessories, but they could be used for emergencies. ’I never thought he’d use it on me.’
Li Qingxian didn’t mind. Du Qizhen had a wide circle of friends; if he had truly been free yesterday, he definitely would have come.
After relieving himself, Li Qingxian walked back to the Mingxuan Room. "I ran into a classmate who wouldn’t let me go. I’m going to go offer a toast, I’ll be right back."
He Lei put down his wine cup and smiled. "Need me to come with you?"
Li Qingxian smiled. "Thanks, Brother He, but they’re all old classmates. No need for such formalities."
"Alright, we’ll wait for you."
As Li Qingxian stepped out the door, he heard footsteps behind him and Han Anbo’s soft call, "Captain Li."
Li Qingxian stopped.
"I’ll follow you from a distance, just to be safe," Han Anbo said.
Li Qingxian wanted to refuse, but he knew Han Anbo meant well and was worried he might drink too much. "Alright. I’ll go in alone. You can just wait for me in the third-floor hallway."
The two went up to the third floor, one after the other. Li Qingxian entered the Zuishan Room, while Han Anbo stood waiting about twenty feet away.
The moment Li Qingxian walked in, Du Qizhen shouted, "See! I told you he’d come!"
Everyone stood up. Some smiled genuinely, while others quickly replaced expressions of regret with smiles.
Li Qingxian smiled and clasped his hands in a salute to the group. "Greetings, fellow classmates. It’s been a long time. The men have all grown more dashing and the women more dazzling than ever!"
Li Qingxian’s gaze swept over the crowd. His eyes met and then quickly broke away from a woman in a light red dress, then crossed with those of a shorter, skinny man.
There were seven people there in total. Li Qingxian was only familiar with Du Qizhen, Xia Ya, and Dai Tiee. He was merely a classmate to Young Master Lou and the other three; they had probably exchanged less than a hundred sentences in all their years at the academy.
Young Master Lou, seated at the head of the table, wore a multi-colored brocade robe. The Junior Tenth Grade Magpie Training patch on his chest gleamed in the lamplight. He was fair-skinned and tall. He looked Li Qingxian up and down, then smiled. "Qingxian, it’s been years. I had Duqi invite you before, but you never came! You’ll have to be punished with three cups!"
Du Qizhen’s eyes were hazy as he chimed in, "That’s right, three cups to start!"