Chapter 87

"Little brother, you've bought quite a lot of things. Come over to my stall and take a look. You might find a treasure," the old man said with a smile. Since he had confirmed that Song Li was the person he was looking for, he found the young man more and more to his liking.

"No, Uncle, I've already bought everything I need. I'll come again next time," Song Li waved his hand, thinking to himself that there was nothing he needed on this old man's stall, just some ordinary wood. Moreover, the old man was sleeping while doing business; it was a wonder how he managed to make a living, let alone look so well-fed.

"Little brother, are you looking down on my stall? I don't have thousand-year-old agarwood, but I do have some good stuff. Don't underestimate me," the old man said with a smile.

Song Li was immediately startled and realized that this old man was definitely not an ordinary person. How could he recognize thousand-year-old agarwood, a rare treasure? Perhaps he was just using the stall as a cover, and who knew what he was up to. He didn't seem like a businessman at all.

"Hehe, Uncle, what are you talking about? There's no thousand-year-old agarwood," Song Li laughed, trying to bluff his way through.

"Thousand-year-old agarwood? Where is there any thousand-year-old agarwood?" The neighboring stall owner's ears perked up. He had only heard his master mention such a treasure once but had never seen it. If he could get a piece, it would be the highlight of his stall, and he could dominate the market.

What he didn't know was that he had just been looking at a pile of thousand-year-old agarwood, but he didn't recognize it. Whose fault was that?

"I was just saying. Why are you getting so worked up?" The old man glanced at the neighboring stall owner with dissatisfaction. He looked down on such greedy merchants.

The stall owner, intimidated by the old man's glare, shrank back and dared not speak again. Despite his advanced age, the old man exuded an intimidating aura that made the stall owner's pores stand on end, losing all courage to resist, even daring not to mutter under his breath.

Song Li also felt the old man's astonishing aura and was startled again. As the saying goes, a minor recluse hides in the court, a moderate recluse hides in the wild, and a great recluse hides in the city. It seemed he had encountered a high-level recluse today. However, Song Li felt the old man had a righteous demeanor and was probably not a bad person, so he wasn't too afraid.

"How about it, little brother? Want to come over to my stall and take a look?" The old man shouted at the stall owner and then turned to continue smiling.

"Uncle, it's almost noon. It's time for lunch. Why don't you close your stall for now, and I'll treat you to lunch?" Song Li smiled and extended the invitation. With his intelligence, he could see that the old man's true intention was not to sell him anything but to find an excuse to chat. As for his real purpose, it was still unknown. Song Li's intuition told him that the old man probably had no ill intentions. Since he also had a good impression of the old man, it wouldn't hurt to get to know him.

"I'm very picky about food, and I eat a lot. Are you sure you want to treat me?" The old man thought the young man was quite sensible, knowing he couldn't avoid it, so he generously invited him.

"Since I've invited you, I'm not worried about these things. Do you think I can't afford the meal?" Song Li smiled.

"In that case, I won't waste your time. I'm in a good mood today. How about we go to a tavern for a drink? There's a place called 'Drunken Eight Immortals' nearby. I like the thirty-year-old aged wine there. The taste is so good that even immortals wouldn't want to leave after one sip."

"Sure, no problem," Song Li smiled. "Uncle, please."

The old man lazily stood up, not bothering to tidy up his stall, and followed Song Li away. The neighboring stall owner, watching the two of them leave, muttered, "The old one is strange, and the young one is strange too. One invites a stranger to Drunken Eight Immortals on their first meeting, and the food and drinks there are notoriously expensive. Who can afford it? And the old one, he just leaves without tidying up his stall, not afraid of being robbed. What kind of businessman is that?"

Everyone sees the world differently. The stall owner would never understand their behavior. But in Song Li's and the old man's eyes, their actions were perfectly normal.

Song Li and the old man entered the Drunken Eight Immortals tavern. The waiter, seeing the old man's shabby clothes, frowned in displeasure, about to make a sarcastic remark. A shiny gold coin was handed to him, and he looked up to see Song Li's smiling face.

The waiter quickly pocketed the gold coin, his expression turning to flattery. "Oh, welcome, welcome, gentlemen. Please, to the second-floor private room."

He bowed and led the way. The old man and Song Li exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads and laughing, drawing the attention of many diners in the hall. Given their status, they wouldn't bother with such a lowly waiter, who was just doing his job.

After they were seated, the old man loudly ordered, "Waiter, bring us two jars of thirty-year-old aged wine, a Qinhu Drunken Chicken, braised fish fins, braised bear paws, parrot tongues, crystal crab meat, and a roasted whole lamb. The lamb should be tender; if it's even a bit burnt, I'll have it replaced..."

The waiter stuck out his tongue, thinking the old man sure knew how to eat. This meal would probably cost over a hundred gold coins. He glanced at Song Li, seeing his smile and calm demeanor, and felt reassured. He knew the old man was probably broke, and the young master would be the one paying.

Noticing the waiter's gaze, Song Li waved his hand and said, "Just do as Uncle said."

"Sure thing, gentlemen. Please wait a moment, and your food and drinks will be served." The waiter bowed and hurried away.

Soon, the food and drinks were served. The old man didn't hesitate, breaking the mud seal on the wine jar with a slap. The strong aroma of wine filled the room. He took a deep breath, looking intoxicated, and sighed, "I haven't been this happy in a long time. I won't leave until I'm drunk today!"

The heavy wine jar, he held with just his index and middle fingers, effortlessly lifting it to pour himself a large bowl. He then tried to pour for Song Li, who quickly waved his hand, smiling, "You're the senior, how can you pour for me? There's no such rule anywhere." Song Li took the wine jar from him and poured himself a bowl. Last time, when he drank with Long Qiqi, he realized he had a high tolerance for alcohol, so he had no qualms about drinking.

"Little brother, I'm happy today. Let's have a bowl!" The old man raised his bowl and drank it in one go, his face unchanged, showing he was a seasoned drinker.

"Uncle, I'm also happy today. Meeting you is a matter of fate. I'll drink with you!" Song Li raised his head and drank the large bowl of strong wine.

"Good! At your young age, you have such courage. You're not just an ordinary person!" The old man stroked his beard, smiling, his eyes full of approval. "Little brother, if it's convenient, can you tell me your name and who your parents are?"

Song Li refilled their bowls and smiled, "Uncle, since I want to get to know you, I won't hide anything from you. My name is Song Li, and my father is King Ming, Song Xinghai."

The old man raised his eyebrows and smiled, "So you're Xiao Liuzi's son. Your personality is quite different from his."

Hearing the old man call his father Xiao Liuzi and knowing his personality, Song Li became even more curious about his identity. He smiled and said, "Yes, my personality is more like my mother's."

"Yun Lin is no simple girl either. She has the backing of the Yun family," the old man said, more confident in his deduction. No wonder this young man was already a high-level alchemist at such a young age. Besides his exceptional talent, it was also due to Yun Lin's careful guidance. The Yun family was a renowned alchemy family on this continent. With such resources and talent, his growth would be hard to slow down.

The old man was even more certain he had found the right person, raising his neck to drink another bowl. Song Li followed suit. After several bowls, both felt their tongues numb, their faces flushed, and their courage bolstered.

The old man praised, "This thirty-year-old aged wine from Drunken Eight Immortals is really strong!"

Song Li smiled, "Uncle..."

The old man waved his hand, "Don't call me Uncle. Since I call you little brother, you should call me old brother. Calling me Uncle makes it feel distant, and I don't like it."

Song Li was hesitant, "That's not appropriate. There's a proper order of seniority and respect, which is a matter of etiquette."

"Friends value understanding and sincerity. Today, I feel a connection with you, so I want to be friends. If we focus on seniority, we lose the fun of equal friendship. What's the point?" The old man thought, if they were to follow seniority, Song Li's father would have to call him Grandfather, so calling him Uncle was a big favor.

Song Li, not a rigid person, hearing the old man's words and feeling the alcohol, slapped the table and laughed, "Old brother is right. Being free and spontaneous is the way of a true man! I won't be formal with you!"

"That's the spirit. You invited me to eat and drink, and I didn't be formal with you. Why should you be formal with me?" The old man laughed and drank another bowl.

Song Li smiled, "Old brother, you're a hero in the world of wine. I've never seen anyone drink like you, as if it's just water."

---

The old man waved his hand, "Don't call me Uncle. Since I call you little brother, you should call me old brother. Calling me Uncle makes it feel distant, and I don't like it."

Song Li was hesitant, "That's not appropriate. There's a proper order of seniority and respect, which is a matter of etiquette."

"Friends value understanding and sincerity. Today, I feel a connection with you, so I want to be friends. If we focus on seniority, we lose the fun of equal friendship. What's the point?" The old man thought, if they were to follow seniority, Song Li's father would have to call him Grandfather, so calling him Uncle was a big favor.

Song Li, not a rigid person, hearing the old man's words and feeling the alcohol, slapped the table and laughed, "Old brother is right. Being free and spontaneous is the way of a true man! I won't be formal with you!"

"That's the spirit. You invited me to eat and drink, and I didn't be formal with you. Why should you be formal with me?" The old man laughed and drank another bowl.

Song Li smiled, "Old brother, you're a hero in the world of wine. I've never seen anyone drink like you, as if it's just water."