Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 377 First Arrival - Night Talk

Yin Xiaohao looked up and smiled: "What would you like to drink? Juice? Soda? Or... try my special 'First Arrival of Daqian'?" He pointed to a light golden drink with fine bubbles next to him.

"That one!" Wang Rui also became interested.

Soon, several specialty drinks were pushed in front of the three young people. Zhao Mengmeng also took one and pulled them to sit down in the booth next to Qi Lan.

Lin Xiaoman and Shen Zui entered together. Shen Zui was holding a notebook, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he was still pondering something. Lin Xiaoman gently tugged at him and pointed to the bustling bar. Shen Zui then realized what was happening, put away his notebook, and a smile appeared on his face.

Zhang Laoshi stood at the door with his three apprentices, looking somewhat reserved.

Fatty Li, with his sharp eyes, immediately went to greet him: "Uncle Zhang! Come in and sit down! Don't stand! Your apprentices, come in too, you've all had a long day, have something hot to drink!"

Without a word, he pulled Zhang Laoshi to a square table against the wall and sat him down, then called to Yin Xiaohao, "Xiaohao, get Uncle Zhang and the others something mild. Do you still have that ginger ale? And some snacks to go with their drinks!"

Yin Xiaohao responded and his hands moved even faster.

Before long, the bar was full. Several elders and core members of the Feng and Jiang families arrived one after another and found seats. The hushed conversations, the clinking of glasses, and the occasional laughter gradually dispelled the tension and unease that had lingered from the day.

"Hey, Fatty, your nuts are roasted really well!" Master Tianbao picked up an almond and popped it into his mouth with a crunchy sound.

Fatty Li chuckled憨厚ly, "I'm glad you like it, Daoist! I also brought some Sichuan peppercorns and chili powder; I'll try grilling something spicy later!"

Jiang Yan took a sip of spiritual tea, sighed contentedly, and looked at Feng Wenzheng: "Brother Feng, Fellow Daoist Chen took away the storage bags of those Golden Core cultivators during the day. I wonder what good things were inside. But judging from their disheveled appearance, they probably don't have much wealth."

Feng Wenzheng pondered for a moment and said, "Fellow Daoist Chen has his reasons. Those things may be useless to him, but for us, they might be a window into understanding the cultivation system of this world. Perhaps we can ask Master Huiming to inquire about them later."

Huiming entered at this moment, and upon hearing this, he clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha. Master Chen told me that he needs to go into seclusion for a while and asked me to handle his daily affairs. As for the spoils, Master Chen said that I should sort and organize them first. If there are any that are beneficial to your cultivation, they can be distributed as appropriate. This can be considered as a small help to get through this difficult time together."

Huiming's words lightened the atmosphere in the bar. Jiang Yan's eyes lit up, and he immediately smiled and said, "Then I thank Fellow Daoist Chen in advance."

The "young friend Chen" that Jiang Yan used to talk about has now become a "fellow Daoist".

Huiming smiled and shook his head, then sat down in an empty seat by the side. Yin Xiaohao handed him a glass of water. He took it, sipped it slowly, and calmly glanced at everyone present. After the day's terrifying ordeal, this relaxed atmosphere, tinged with a sense of relief, was all the more precious.

Master Tianbao downed his glass of whiskey in one gulp, smacked his lips, seemingly wanting more, but knowing the stock was limited, he didn't ask for a second glass. He turned to Yin Xiaohao, his voice booming, "Xiaohao, your skills are truly impressive! It's a pity, once we get to this area, many ingredients will probably be unavailable."

While wiping the cocktail shaker, Yin Xiaohao smiled and said, "Don't worry, Daoist Master, I brought a lot of base spirits and concentrate. If we use them sparingly, they should last for a year or two. Besides," a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes, "I talked to Boss Jiang on the way here. The plants in this world are incredibly diverse. Maybe we can find substitutes and even create more interesting 'local specials'."

"Oh?" Jiang Yan became interested. "I have some knowledge of government affairs, but I am not well-versed in the art of food. If young friend Yin is interested, the Jiang family storeroom has some spice seeds and dried samples of otherworldly flowers and fruits that you may study."

"That's great!" Yin Xiaohao's eyes lit up. "Thank you in advance, Boss Jiang!"

At a square table in the corner, Zhang Laoshi held a cup of warm ginger juice, listening to his disciples excitedly discussing in hushed tones the "immortal techniques" they had encountered during the day and the flying "immortals." His wrinkles smoothed out, revealing a simple smile. He had never imagined in his life that he could set foot in three thousand years ago, much less sit in the same room with so many "divine figures," drinking and chatting.

The sense of peace and warmth he felt at that moment made him feel that coming here with Master Chen was perhaps a blessing from the heavens.

Zhao Mengmeng and the others were also drinking and chatting. Zhang Hao sighed, "Mengmeng, do you think if outsiders saw these things of ours, they'd also mistake them for 'divine treasures'?"

"Very likely," Wang Rui said thoughtfully. "That's why Master Chen repeatedly emphasized keeping a low profile and being cautious. Before we have sufficient self-protection capabilities, the fewer of these 'strange skills' we expose, the better."

Sun Wei nodded, then added with some worry, "But we always have to go out, we always have to deal with people outside..."

"Then let's wait until we're strong enough," Zhao Mengmeng said firmly. "Master said we should first establish a firm foothold. Once everyone has adapted to the spiritual energy here and their cultivation has improved, then we can consider other things."

Qi Lan, who was at the next table, overheard their conversation and then downed her drink in one gulp.

It's estimated that not only these young people who are about to embark on the path of cultivation, but probably after a night's rest, the vast majority of them will have the same idea.

Strive to cultivate and improve your strength.

However, Qi Lan still wanted to wait until tomorrow to find some time to search for the surrounding villages, especially to see if she could find the village of the group of villagers from yesterday.

Qi Lan clinked glasses with Shen Zui and then invited him, "Come with me to go sightseeing tomorrow."

Shen Zui didn't ask any further questions, and nodded in agreement. He tilted his head back and finished the rest of his wine, a relieved look on his face: "Coming here... is pretty good. I can finally get rid of all that mess in the miscellaneous department. You wouldn't believe it, every few days it's some kind of anomaly or some confidentiality agreement, I'm practically losing all my hair."

Qi Lan rolled her eyes, her tail tip sweeping impatiently across the back of the chair: "Come on, if you hadn't been tricked into signing a contract by your idiot master Tianbao, would you have ended up in that damn miscellaneous department? And you've been doing it for so many years."

Shen Zui, his past exposed, awkwardly touched his nose, chuckled dryly, and quickly changed the subject: "But speaking of which, back in the Miscellaneous Materials Department, I covered for the Yunyin Sect quite a bit. Otherwise, given all the things they've done over the years, they would have been targeted by various organizations long ago. Every time, it was me and Xiao Qi who stayed up all night writing reports, making 'scientific explanations,' and using my connections to suppress the trending topics. Otherwise, this mountain would have long been turned into a popular haunted tourist spot or some unsolved mystery research base, and it wouldn't be as peaceful as it is now."

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