Chapter 55

Li Qi lowered his head and walked into the city, pondering how to renovate the Drunken Immortal Inn.

"Sir, please give me something to eat, I haven't eaten for a long time!"

"Sir, please give me some alms."

...

As he walked, Li Qi suddenly noticed that there were refugees everywhere around him, which made him feel very surprised. He clearly remembered that there were not so many refugees when he came here.

Looking around, Li Qi exclaimed, "Damn! I took the wrong path!"

He was drenched in sweat!

Li Qi was not very familiar with the roads in the outskirts. He looked left and right but found no road signs. He wanted to ask a refugee for directions, but was afraid of being entangled by them. In this desolate area, even if he were to be attacked, no one would probably know.

With no other choice, Li Qi could only return the way he came.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Qi found that the more he walked, the more he felt something was wrong. It didn't seem like he had passed this place before.

Just as Li Qi was feeling very frustrated, he suddenly heard a series of chaotic footsteps from behind.

Turning around, he saw a group of refugees tightly gripping their broken bowls, rushing towards him like madmen.

What's going on!

Li Qi was so scared that he stood there in shock, staring at the group of refugees who looked like wolves and tigers.

Fortunately, the refugees were not coming for him. They passed by him without even glancing at him.

After all the refugees had passed, Li Qi finally came to his senses, his back drenched in sweat.

Scared me to death!

Li Qi panted heavily and patted his chest.

What's happening? Could there be some demons or tigers behind them?

Better to get out of here first!

Li Qi couldn't help but quicken his pace.

After walking about a mile, Li Qi suddenly heard a series of shouts coming from a small forest on the left.

"Give it to me, give it to me...!"

"This is mine...!"

"Please give me one more, my child hasn't eaten for a whole day...!"

There were men and women, and occasionally the cries of children could be heard.

What's going on?

Li Qi stood there hesitating for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist his curiosity and followed the sound.

Li Qi passed through the small forest and came to an open grassy area.

In the middle of the grassland, there was a small thatched hut. The refugees were crazily crowding into the hut, and those who came out of the hut each held a large steamed bun, looking overjoyed.

Li Qi immediately understood. Someone must be distributing food here, no wonder the refugees were acting like madmen earlier.

Suddenly, a woman's voice came from the hut.

"Don't fight, one by one, don't worry, everyone will get one!—Hey, don't fight."

Hmm? This voice sounds familiar!

Li Qi felt he had heard this voice before, so he walked over to investigate. However, there were too many refugees, and he couldn't see who was inside.

Li Qi stood behind the crowd and jumped a few times.

He could vaguely see five people inside, four men dressed as servants, and a young girl dressed as a maid. In front of them was a large wooden table, on which were four large baskets filled with steamed buns.

Li Qi didn't recognize the four servants, but the young girl looked very familiar.

Li Qi frowned in thought, then suddenly his eyes lit up. Hmm? Isn't this the girl who came to the Drunken Immortal Inn to buy stinky tofu last time—what was her name? Oh, right, Xing'er, or something like that, the maid of Bai Niangzi.

Bai Niangzi? Could she be nearby too?

The image of the clever and beautiful Bai Niangzi popped up in Li Qi's mind. He thought to himself, "That girl is too smart, better to avoid her."

Li Qi turned to leave.

But before he had taken two steps, he suddenly heard someone shout, "Stop!"

Sweat! Not this bad luck!

Li Qi knew it was Bai Niangzi. He sighed and reluctantly turned around, seeing a tall and beautiful woman standing on the left side of the hut.

This woman was none other than the second most talented woman in Tokyo, Bai Qianruo.

Li Qi was slightly taken aback and immediately put on a surprised look, bowing and smiling, "Oh! It's Bai Niangzi, nice to meet you."

Bai Qianruo walked up, her brows slightly furrowed with fatigue. She glanced at Li Qi coldly and asked, "What brings you here, Li Qi?"

Sweat! When did I offend this lady?

Li Qi could tell from her tone that she was very hostile towards him, but he didn't think much about it. He laughed and said, "I was just passing by and saw someone doing good deeds, so I came to take a look. I didn't expect it to be you, Bai Niangzi. Tsk tsk, I didn't know you were not only beautiful but also had a heart of a bodhisattva. Truly remarkable, truly remarkable!"

Bai Qianruo didn't seem to be impressed by Li Qi's flattery. She sneered and said, "Li Qi, your eloquence is indeed impressive. No wonder you've been so successful lately, I really admire you!"

Li Qi could tell that Bai Qianruo was mocking him, which made him very angry. He thought, "I've said all the nice things, and you don't appreciate it. Instead, you mock me. What a shame." He coldly replied, "Bai Niangzi, what do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean? Don't you know?"

Bai Qianruo huffed and said angrily, "When Sister Wang kindly took you in, gave you food and shelter, you didn't even think of repaying her, and you even maliciously slandered her. Moreover, you secretly befriended Cai Yuanyou for personal gain, and without telling Uncle Wu and Sister Wang, you sold the stinky tofu recipe to Cai Yuanyou. You are such a despicable and ungrateful person, yet you still have the nerve to call others 'unfilial and unrighteous.' How shameless!"

This woman is really shameless, and that Lady Qin, why does she tell her everything? She doesn't know how to keep secrets at all!

Li Qi, a man with a strong sense of pride, couldn't bear to be scolded by a woman. He coldly laughed and said, "What are you, anyway? This is a family matter of the Drunken Immortal Inn, not something an outsider like you should meddle in. Besides, the stinky tofu recipe is mine, and I can sell it to whoever I want. What's it to you? Don't you feel ashamed?"

"You—!"

Bai Qianruo said angrily, "You despicable person, everyone should punish you."

Punish my sister!

Li Qi cursed in his heart, a sneer on his lips. "Oh, so selling the stinky tofu recipe to Cai Yuanyou makes me a despicable person, and everyone should punish me. But selling couplets to him makes you noble and righteous, and worthy of everyone's admiration. What a ridiculous logic. In my opinion, we're both in the same boat."

Bai Qianruo said angrily, "Don't try to argue with me. Selling couplets is my personal business and has nothing to do with others. But you, have you considered the Drunken Immortal Inn, Lady Qin, and the fact that you maliciously slandered Sister Wang?"

"You are really annoying! When did I ever maliciously slander Lady Qin? Did you eat too many buns and get stupid?" Li Qi shouted.

Bai Qianruo's eyebrows furrowed in anger. "You still want to argue? Xiao Tao has already told me everything. That day at Lady Qin's house, in front of Uncle Wu, you called Sister Wang—. Humph! Uncle Wu must have been blind to take in a white-eyed wolf like you."

A few days ago, she went to Lady Qin's house and noticed that Lady Qin and her maid had different expressions. She knew something must have happened. She first tried to probe Lady Qin, but Lady Qin was unwilling to talk about it. So, she went to Xiao Tao.

Xiao Tao was simple-minded and young, so she didn't understand Li Qi's intentions. Later, she saw Lady Qin kneeling in front of her late husband's memorial and crying, thinking that Li Qi must have said something to hurt Lady Qin. She was still harboring resentment when Bai Qianruo came to ask about it, so she told Bai Qianruo everything, making Li Qi sound as bad as possible.

Bai Qianruo was almost furious when she heard this one-sided story. She wanted to find Li Qi and seek justice for Lady Qin, but then she thought that this was a family matter of the Qin household, and Lady Qin hadn't said anything, so she, as an outsider, shouldn't interfere.

She didn't expect to run into Li Qi here today. How could she hold back her anger?

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Sorry, I've been very busy lately, and the updates have been inconsistent. Starting tomorrow, I will resume updating two chapters a day.

{Piaotian Literature}