Chapter 67

Long Qiqi took the menu, glanced at Song Li in surprise, and couldn't help but ask, "Ladies first? Where is this rule from? But I'm very happy that you said it, because I can fully feel your respect for women from your words."

Don't say the Holy Lion Empire; even on the entire Nebula Continent, men are still held in higher regard. Despite her noble birth, Long Qiqi knew that some rules were universal. Even if you were a princess, after marriage, you would still be subordinate to your husband. Men would never give way to women in public, as it represented a stance and an authority. Song Li was indeed different from most men, and the more she interacted with him, the more she discovered his shining qualities.

Song Li smiled and said, "Men and women are just two genders of the same species; they should respect each other. There's no hierarchy." Song Li thought to himself that in his previous life, women's status in some aspects had even surpassed men, and "ladies first" had become a social norm. What's so strange about that?

Long Qiqi ordered a few exquisite dishes and two pots of fine wine. The waiters in the restaurant, all quick-witted, could tell from Song Li and Long Qiqi's demeanor that they were of noble birth, so the dishes were served very quickly. In a short while, the food and drinks were ready.

Song Li raised his wine glass and smiled, "Miss Long, it's an honor to meet a heroine like you. We have a saying back home: if the bond is deep, drink in one gulp; if the bond is shallow, just take a sip. I'll drink the first cup!"

"Back home? Aren't you from the capital? How can you have a hometown?" Long Qiqi smiled, "But your words are quite interesting."

"Cough, cough... I meant my mother's hometown..." Song Li almost choked on the wine. Damn, my hometown is in another dimension, almost slipped my tongue.

Long Qiqi didn't suspect anything. Seeing Song Li finish his drink, she picked up her glass and smiled, "You said if the bond is deep, drink in one gulp. If I just take a sip, it would mean our bond is shallow..." As she said this, two red clouds appeared on her jade-like cheeks, thinking to herself: When did we become so close?

But since the words were out, Long Qiqi didn't act coy. She covered her lips with her sleeve and drank it all in one go.

"Wow, so spicy!" Long Qiqi adorably fanned the air with her small hand, her face contorted in a bitter expression.

"Miss Long, is this your first time drinking?" Song Li hurriedly said, "Eat some dishes, it will help with the taste."

Long Qiqi took a few bites. Her eating manner was very refined, and she didn't make any noise while chewing, clearly well-educated. After eating, her face visibly improved, and she smiled, "First time drinking, I must have embarrassed myself."

Song Li gave her a thumbs up, "Miss Long, you are a heroine among women. Your first drink shows great grace. Perhaps you will become a great wine goddess in the future. I admire you!"

Long Qiqi giggled, "I don't want to be a wine goddess; I might never get married then."

"No problem, I won't mind. If no one dares to marry you, the wine goddess, I'll take you in." Song Li smiled, "I'm willing to die drunk in your dimples."

Long Qiqi's face turned red again, and she playfully glared at Song Li, "I'm older than you, you should call me sister. Little brother, no mischief allowed."

The term "little brother" made Song Li's heart flutter, but he knew Long Qiqi couldn't possibly know the special meaning of the term, so he just enjoyed it secretly.

"We have another saying back home: 'Three years older, a golden brick.' You are at most three years older than me. According to our saying, if I marry you, it's like holding a golden brick, ensuring a lifetime of wealth. Even if we break our legs, we can still live off it!" Song Li exaggerated the size of the golden brick.

Long Qiqi felt that Song Li was teasing her. Given her status and temperament, she would have been furious with anyone else. But with Song Li, she didn't feel a hint of anger. She found it truly enjoyable to talk and laugh with him.

She inwardly warned herself, what was she doing? No matter what, she was still part of the Zhongqin王府 (Zhongqin Mansion), and the Ming Mansion represented by Song Li was their mortal enemy. How could she be so close to Song Li? Besides, she had a purpose. She needed to get the secret of his transformation from Song Li. If this secret could help her break free from the "Poison Fire" lineage, it would be great.

This girl, who went by the name Long Qiqi, was actually the young princess of the Zhongqin Mansion, Long Ziyang.

Long Ziyang's purpose today was to meet Song Li. Hearing that Song Li liked crowds, she went to the busiest street, Chang'an Street, hoping to run into him. Unexpectedly, she did.

Pan Shaofeng, though detestable, did one good deed. If not for his reckless driving in the market, Long Ziyang wouldn't have had such a good opportunity to meet Song Li. Of course, she genuinely wanted to save the people, and she didn't know Song Li would intervene. But the result was good, right? As the saying goes, "Search high and low, but find it easily." She easily gained Song Li's favor.

Long Qiqi, though a pseudonym, wasn't a fake name. She was indeed the seventh in her family, and her relatives called her Qiqi.

She originally planned to feign friendliness with Song Li to extract his secrets. But she didn't expect to get along so well. After a few drinks, Song Li started flirting with her. Strangely, Long Ziyang found herself unable to get angry.

This can't continue, Long Ziyang reminded herself. Although Song Li's words were amusing and he was much more considerate than those boring, repulsive men, she needed to stay clear-headed. The Zhongqin Mansion and the Ming Mansion were mortal enemies. Despite having no blood ties with the Zhongqin King and never participating in his struggle with the Holy Emperor, she had lived in the Zhongqin Mansion for ten years. She had a sense of loyalty. She could choose not to help the Zhongqin King, but getting too close to his enemy was inappropriate.

I'm not intentionally getting close to Song Li; I'm doing it to extract his secrets. Long Ziyang consoled herself. Whether she believed this reason was only known to her.

"Qiqi... let me tell you..." Just as Long Ziyang felt a bit wary, Song Li took it a step further, calling her "Qiqi" affectionately.

"Hey... who allowed you to call me that?" Long Ziyang glanced at Song Li, playfully scolding, "I've only known you for two hours; who's so familiar so quickly?"

"Have you heard the saying, 'White-haired friends are new, but old friends are like old acquaintances'? Some people live together for a lifetime and are still strangers. Others, upon first meeting, feel like they've known each other for a lifetime. When I saw you, I felt like I knew you from somewhere. Isn't this love at first sight?"

"Ugh, you're so shameless. Who falls in love at first sight with you?" Long Ziyang pretended to be angry, "Three cups of penalty wine!"

"Alcohol doesn't intoxicate, but people do. I'll drink to the bottom of the barrel for you!" Song Li laughed, drank three cups in one go, and remained calm. This was his first time drinking in this world, and he found his tolerance was quite good.

"Nonsense. You're so annoying." Song Li's flirtatious words were something Long Ziyang had never heard before. In her knowledge, men in this world were very reserved in expressing their feelings to maintain their superiority and dignity. But Song Li was different. His words were straightforward, passionate, and fiery, making even the coldest heart warm up...

Long Ziyang felt a mix of emotions, slightly tipsy, unsure if it was from the alcohol or Song Li's flirtatious words. She also drank three cups, but her tolerance wasn't as good as Song Li's.

After a few drinks, Long Ziyang felt the world around her blur, her head heavy, and her feet light. She giggled, "Song Li, why do you suddenly have four eyes? So funny."

Song Li held up two fingers in front of Long Ziyang and smiled, "How many?"

"Two!"

"You're the one who's two!" Song Li replied fiercely.

"No, it's four!" Long Ziyang shook her head, still thinking she needed to get Song Li drunk to extract his secrets.

"Qiqi, you're drunk. I'll take you home." Song Li's voice became distant, as if from far away.

"Who's drunk? You're the one who's drunk. Come, let's have another bottle!" Long Ziyang protested, unwilling to admit she was drunk. She was waiting for Song Li to get drunk first.

"Little miss, you're not drunk, I am." Song Li shook his head, amused. Drunk people never admit they're drunk.

"You're drunk?" Long Ziyang's eyes lit up, holding up one finger, smiling, "How many?"

"It's seven." Song Li answered seriously.

"You're really drunk; it's clearly two." Long Ziyang adorably burped.

Song Li almost fell over, realizing this girl was set on two.

"Song Li, I've heard your story before. There's one thing I don't understand. A few months ago, you were too weak to practice, but now you've transformed. What's the secret? Did you take any special elixirs?"

Now that Long Ziyang was sure Song Li was drunk, she asked the question that had been on her mind for a long time.