Lin Chong said, "A length of chopsticks will suffice."
Then Xiao picked up a straw from the ground and gave it to me...
Lin Chong chuckled and said, "If he can break this wine bottle with this, I'll become his disciple!"
Zhang Qing had been fiddling with a pistachio in his hand. Suddenly, he flicked it with his thumb, and the little thing shot out diagonally, hitting the neck of the beer bottle. With a "bang," the bottle cap was knocked off, and the beer stood there motionless, with only a few wisps of steam escaping from the bottle opening. Zhang Qing laughed and said, "Xiao Qiang, this is easier to learn than the Lin Family Spear."
My eyes lit up. I'm going to learn this trick! From now on, picking up girls will be a piece of cake – just buy a beer and you're good to go! I could even go on a live TV show! I grabbed Zhang Qing's hand and said, "Teach me, brother!"
Zhang Qing said, "That's simple. You just need to focus on a target, lock onto it with your mind and energy, and control the force yourself. With more experience, you'll naturally get the hang of it." Zhang Qing stuffed a pistachio into my hand, pointed into the distance, and said, "Do as I say, and you'll definitely be able to do it. First, lock onto it with your mind!"
I looked around for a long time before asking blankly, "Locked up what?"
"You've succeeded if you just knock down that bottle."
I followed his hand and saw that he was referring to an empty bottle on Li Kui's table.
"Is it locked?" Zhang Qing asked.
"It's locked!" I was so nervous. I was about to master the finger-flicking technique. From now on, I could keep some sunflower seeds by my bedside and not have to walk that dark path to the bathroom in the middle of the night!
"bomb!"
At Zhang Qing's command, my clenched, white fingers snapped open...
The bottle didn't move, which I was somewhat prepared for, but what was strange was that the pistachios had vanished without a trace. A second or two later, I heard someone from a dance floor some distance away yell, "Damn it, who threw pistachios at me?"
Zhang Qing patted me on the shoulder and said, "Your aim is a bit off, but your power is pretty good."
I said sheepishly, "I learned it by flicking cigarette butts."
It was quite late, and about 80% of the patrons in the bar had left, leaving mostly couples whispering sweet nothings to each other. The music had also become much more soothing. The heroes, having drunk about 70-80% of their fill, were yawning incessantly as the music played. Hu Sanniang stood up and stretched, her breasts almost bursting out of her clothes, making her slender waist appear even more delicate. I now felt that Wang Ying's death was truly fortunate; at least he hadn't tarnished the reputation of a hero, otherwise he would have died sooner or later on this woman's belly. Hu Sanniang, unaware of my lewd thoughts, asked me casually, "How are you going to sleep tonight?"
Dai Zong stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Brothers, I'm going back. I'm not used to sleeping in the same bed." With that, he put on some magic armor on his legs, used his speed-running technique, and dashed out of the bar. The waiters were astonished, but they stopped chasing him after I said I'd pay the bill.
Getting all 50-plus people to take taxis back is definitely out of the question now. First, there aren't enough cars, and second, even if there were, the drivers wouldn't dare drive that far. Upstairs, there are 8 large private rooms, with sofas around the perimeter that can sleep 4 people each, 5 small private rooms that can sleep 2 people each, and the manager's office that can sleep 2 people. Each large room can barely fit one more person in. Today's drinking party for the heroes cost 18,000 yuan, but I don't have that much cash. I was thinking of a solution when Chen Kejiao called. Perfect timing to have her handle it. Anyway, this money will still be in my pocket at the end of the month, just with a little extra service fee.
After finishing all these messy things, I finally found a chance to talk to Chen Kejiao alone. The first thing I did was ask her for Liu Xuan's phone number.
Chen Kejiao asked warily, "Why do you need his phone number? Who were those people at the bar today?"
I said lazily, "Since you have an inside source, you couldn't just know that a lot of people came, could you? Didn't you know that Zhu Gui was stabbed in the back?"
Chen Kejiao said calmly, "I was just about to tell you about this. Tell your two friends to quit, and I'll compensate them. Let them ask for whatever they want."
I said, "This time it's not about the money, the problem is we don't have any money..."
"Um?"
"Oh, sorry, I let it slip before—this time it really can't be solved with money. My two friends have rather complicated backgrounds, and you can't explain it to them clearly unless you've read fantasy novels."
Chen Kejiao chuckled, with a hint of disdain: "So what if you have a little bit of influence? It's not bad that you were able to gather more than 50 people in such a short time. But Liu Xuan is not on your level. You'd better not even think about messing with him. I'm doing this for your own good, really."
I got a little anxious and said, "I didn't mean to hurt him, I wanted to save him!"
Chen Kejiao said in her usual condescending tone, "You? Your friend doesn't seem to be seriously injured, right? Is 200,000 okay?"
I said, my eyes red with envy, "200,000? Why didn't they stab me? Are you admitting that Liu Xuan is the one in charge of this?"
“I’m not sure. Even if it’s not him, I don’t want to cause any more trouble. You never told me that your friend’s background isn’t clean either.”
“It’s not just that they’re unclean; they all have a history of bloodshed and tears—give me Liu Xuan’s phone number quickly, or it will be too late, and someone might already be peeping through their windows.”
Chen Kejiao quickly gave me a number and said coldly, "Since you want to resolve this yourself, there's nothing I can do. Since the contract has already been signed, I don't intend to breach it. I just hope this year will pass quickly—Mr. Xiao, working with you has been anything but pleasant!" With that, she hung up on me.
Damn it, if you're unhappy, you can change positions! I haven't even settled accounts with you for tricking me into taking on this mess.
I dialed the number while cursing, and it was answered after only one ring. A voice as sharp as a hawk's howl asked, "Who the hell is calling so late?"
I said irritably, "You're still awake calling this late? Are you Liu Xuan?"
The young man was taken aback, probably shaken, and asked in a calmer tone, "Who are you?"
"My name is Xiao Qiang. Did you do what happened at the Reverse Time Bar today?"
Liu Xuan hesitated for a moment before realizing who I was: "Hey, I've been looking for you the hell. Where are you, Xiao?"
I said very sincerely, "I really can't tell you where I am, not because I'm afraid you'll come looking for me, but because I'm afraid you won't be able to get back. Did you really do what happened today?"
"It was me who did it. Tell your two friends to get the hell out of here. I don't care about you and Chen Kejiao. I'm the one who calls the shots in this bar."
"...Can you please watch your manners? I'm not going to argue with you. I sincerely advise you to pack your things and leave here immediately, and come back in a year. Ideally, you could take your whole family to the Greater Khingan Mountains to hide away for a while."
Liu Xuan got angry: "Bullshit! I'll copy your stuff!" It seems he took my words as a threat.
"I'm sorry, I didn't explain myself clearly. You've really offended people you shouldn't have. You've heard their names since you were a child, but I can't tell you..."
You mean Lei Laosi?
Who is Lei Laosi?
Hearing that I didn't even know Lei Laosi, Liu Xuan became arrogant again: "Even Lei Laosi has to give me some face. Who do you think you are? I'm going to challenge you. Go ahead and mess with me if you dare!"
It seems my brother Xiaoqiang has really fallen behind the times after all these years away from the underworld. I've never even heard of Lei Laosi. Judging from this, this Liu guy isn't afraid of anyone except Lei Laosi. He's not the same as those recruiters; he probably does have some kind of underworld background. This matter won't be settled today.
I said, "Let's leave it at that for now, I'll explain it to you slowly later. Oh, by the way, have you seen 'The One-Armed Swordsman'?"
Liu Xuan was taken aback by my abrupt question and blurted out, "No."