Ye Xingchen felt that his self-control was much stronger than before, but when he saw this woman, he couldn't help but take a few more glances.
"Since you're not asleep, how about we go out for a few drinks?" Liu Qingmei looked up at Ye Xingchen, her words leaving no room for refusal.
Who would refuse an invitation from a charming woman? At least Ye Xingchen wouldn't; he nodded in agreement without hesitation.
In the backyard garden, there was a small table with several side dishes on it. The dishes were all local specialties, simple yet very fitting for the occasion.
The liquor is a local type of baijiu (Chinese white liquor), homemade, and very strong, with an alcohol content of over 50%.
Moreover, this liquor is unlike those smooth and mellow baijiu with an excellent taste. The fierce local customs make the liquor here feel like a knife cutting into your throat.
"How much alcohol do you drink?" Liu Qingmei glanced at Ye Xingchen with a questioning look in her eyes.
"Not bad." Ye Xingchen nodded. He considered himself to have a pretty good alcohol tolerance, of course, without any special tricks.
If he uses his inner energy to force the wine out through his pores, then no matter how much he drinks, he won't be able to taste it.
"Not bad? Then that's pretty good, right?" Liu Qingmei's lips curved into a smile. She was smiling, and in the night, her smile was even more captivating and charming.
"If you drink normally, it's fine; if you don't drink normally, you won't get drunk no matter how many cups you drink," Ye Xingchen said.
"I know, someone like you always finds a way to cheat when it comes to drinking." Liu Qingmei smiled slightly, picked up the wine jar, and poured Ye Xingchen a full bowl of wine: "No cheating, drink normally."
"Alright." Ye Xingchen was both amused and exasperated. There was nothing she could do but do as she said.
Ye Xingchen always thought that drinking from large bowls was something only men did when they were together, but he never expected that he would do the same thing when he was with a woman.
Liu Qingmei drank from a large bowl, tilting her head back to gulp down the entire bowl of wine. Then, wiping her mouth, she slammed the bowl heavily onto the table, displaying a rather heroic air about her.
Seeing how generous she was, Ye Xingchen felt embarrassed to cheat, so he picked up the bowl, tilted his head back, and poured the bowl of wine down his throat.
The alcohol was very strong; as soon as it went down my throat, the potent liquor went down into my stomach, and then a surge of heat exploded out with a bang.
The wine flowed through his entire body in an instant, and Ye Xingchen couldn't help but let out a hearty drink.
"The wine is brewed here, using grains from our black soil." Liu Qingmei smiled and looked up at Ye Xingchen. "It's not a fancy wine, but you can only appreciate its flavor by drinking it from a large bowl."
"Indeed, I didn't expect that such a beautiful woman like you would have such a forthright side." Ye Xingchen nodded slowly.
"It's probably because of my maternal grandfather's influence. In his early years, he was involved in the underworld, and his friends would drink from large bowls and eat large chunks of meat," Liu Qingmei said casually.
"The old man is fine, but don't worry, his illness isn't serious. Everything will be alright after tomorrow." Ye Xingchen glanced at Liu Qingmei: "It's you who I still don't quite understand."
"Is there anything you don't understand?" Liu Qingmei smiled faintly, her face as beautiful as a peach blossom, her captivating eyes looking at Ye Xingchen.
"You're from the Liu family, right?" Ye Xingchen asked.
“Yes, the old master of the Liu family, Liu Wusheng, is my great-grandfather.” Liu Qingmei said calmly, “The Liu family is also one of the representatives of the five major immortal families in Northeast China in the secular world.”
"We can use some of Liu Xian's magic to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune, but... we will also have to pay a price."
"What price will you pay?" Ye Xingchen stared intently at Liu Qingmei's expression.
She frowned slightly, as if there was something she didn't want to talk about, then shook her head and said, "It's nothing, it's just a secret of the five great immortal representatives themselves, you wouldn't know even if I told you."
"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine," Ye Xingchen said to himself. "But if you do talk about it, maybe I can solve your current predicament."
Ye Xingchen was very good at judging people. Although Liu Qingmei appeared nonchalant on the surface, the subtle sorrow in her eyes was undeniable.
Based on his understanding of women, he was certain that the woman in front of him had something on her mind, and it was something she couldn't overcome.
However, Ye Xingchen did not force him to tell her if he was unwilling. He believed that one day, this woman would pester him to tell her her secret.
Hmph, after all, no woman Ye Xingchen wants to win over can escape his clutches, or rather, his embrace.
"You can handle it?" Liu Qingmei was slightly taken aback, her eyes filled with a hint of expectation.
"Why don't you tell me first? Maybe I can solve it," Ye Xingchen said with a slight smile.
"Then there's no need. I can handle my own affairs." Liu Qingmei was slightly disappointed, and she mocked herself for overthinking things.
She had no solution to her own problem, but the man in front of her seemed to have a good medical background, and perhaps he also had some ability.
But how could he possibly fight against Liu Xian, one of the famous Five Immortals, all by himself?
Fate is sometimes something you can't fight against. Born into the Liu family, she accepted her fate.
"Alright then, you can contact me anytime if you can't solve it. Anyway, I'll be in Jiyang City for the foreseeable future." Ye Xingchen smiled slightly; if she didn't want to talk about it, fine.
"Ye Xingchen..." Liu Qingmei finally couldn't help but speak. She looked up at the man she had just met and felt that he had an irresistible charm.
"Hmm?" Ye Xingchen asked, her gaze questioning.
"Never mind, it's nothing." Liu Qingmei thought for a moment and decided to give up the idea of venting. Some things and troubles are useless to tell others, and will only add to the troubles.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Consider it a way of venting. If someone keeps things bottled up inside, they'll become depressed over time."
"You want to be someone I can confide in?" Liu Qingmei glanced at Ye Xingchen.
"Is it not good enough? Am I not handsome enough?" Ye Xingchen asked with a smile.
"So-so." Liu Qingmei rolled her eyes at Ye Xingchen, a hint of coquettishness in her gaze.
"Actually, even if you don't tell me, I can guess the general idea." Ye Xingchen poured two bowls of wine: "Your ancestors were originally surnamed Liu. Your great-grandfather, Liu Wusheng, was a feng shui master eighty years ago."
"Once, while searching for a dragon vein and locating a burial site deep in the mountains, we unexpectedly encountered Liu Sanqing, who is also the Liu Xian worshipped by your family."
"I don't know how he did it, but he invited Liu Xian back to his home, and from then on, the Liu family became famous worshippers of immortals."
Liu Qingmei's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as she stared at Ye Xingchen: "And then?"
"Next, you will sign a contract with Liu Mei and change your surname to Liu," Ye Xingchen said leisurely. "In those turbulent times, war raged and people suffered greatly."
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