Chapter 90: Fierce Battle at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion

The towering black man was not dressed in black clothes; rather, his skin was dark, a peculiar shade of black with a reddish sheen, strangely radiant beneath the darkness. His broad, square face featured a jutting chin and deeply sunken eye sockets, with pupils as black as ink and an unusually large amount of the whites of his eyes. He cast a sly, roguish glance around Li Dong, Qin Qiong, and the others, his expression exuding a rough, unruly air.

He wore a two-piece short jacket, the fabric a dull black and white, crumpled and stained in spots that hadn’t been washed out. In his hand, he carried a club about as thick as an egg and about three feet long.

Li Dong immediately recognized him as someone from a poor background, careless in appearance. His face was the typical concave type, and people with such features were never trustworthy. The excessive white in his eyes alone revealed his cunning and insatiable greed.

Li Dong asked Qin Qiong if he knew the man, but Qin shook his head. He asked Luo Shixin, who also denied knowing him.

This was strange. They didn’t know the man at all, with no past grudges or disputes, so why was he insisting on taking their seat?

Was he deliberately picking a fight or acting on someone else's orders?

At that moment, the waiter, having heard the commotion upstairs, hurried up to the second floor. Seeing the black man’s filthy clothes, he scowled and said, “Hey! If you have no money, go downstairs! Didn’t you see these people got here first and are already seated?”

The black man turned to see the waiter’s smug expression, reached into his pocket, and shouted loudly, “I’m paying more than they are! You…”

The waiter, having just received a tip from Li Dong and the others, eagerly approached the black man and asked, “Where’s the money? If you don’t have it, get downstairs quickly!”

“Here!” The black man’s hand swiftly emerged from his pocket.

“Smack!”

“Smack! Smack! Smack!”

With a sudden burst, he slapped the waiter’s foolish and utterly irritating face four times, alternating hands.

No one expected such an outcome for the waiter.

The waiter spun around three times, clutching his face, which swelled up like a pig’s snout. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, stark and unmistakable.

“Waaah…” The waiter cried out, “You hit me! How dare you hit me!”

He didn’t even think to consider, didn’t open his eyes to see if the black man was as gentle as Li Dong and Qin Qiong. Did he expect a reward for being hit?

The other customers on the second floor were so frightened they scrambled up and fled downstairs, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Only in a corner, at one table, sat another burly man who continued eating without a glance or a care, as if the scene before him was unrelated.

“Who made this stupid rule that poor people can’t come upstairs?” The black man grabbed the waiter by the chest with a fierce glare and growled, “Which law says that?”

“No one said that, no one said that…” The plump shopkeeper came up the stairs, having seen the crowd rushing out and unaware of what had happened upstairs. Seeing the waiter beaten, he forced a smile and said, “Sir, please sit wherever you like, wherever you like. He doesn’t know better, just forgive him…”

“This is your saying. I want to sit at that table!” The black man pointed aggressively at the table where Li Dong sat.

“Well… I’m afraid… I’m afraid…” The plump shopkeeper immediately faltered, his face troubled, stammering without forming a complete sentence.

Li Dong came first, the black man came later—why should they give up their seat for him? It was sheer arrogance, unreasonable and rude. Even if he were wealthy, such behavior was inappropriate. Moreover, Li Dong and his two companions were three people, and the black man was alone. Should a larger group yield to a smaller one? It was obviously unjust.

“What’s the matter? Not keeping your word? Trying to eat your own excrement?” The black man stepped closer to the plump shopkeeper, seeming ready to strike again.

“Wait!” Qin Qiong stood up from the table and stopped the black man, saying, “Friend, don’t trouble the shopkeeper. If you don’t mind, why not sit with us and make friends?”

The black man seemed taken aback, not expecting Qin Qiong’s words. He left the shopkeeper behind and strode swiftly toward the table.

“You mean I should sit down and drink with you? Make friends?” The black man stretched his neck long, nodded his chin repeatedly, his expression lewd. “You all think you’re worthy!”

As he spoke, he grabbed the edge of the table, attempting to overturn it.

Luo Shixin’s hand rested calmly on the table. His eyes flashed coldly as he assessed the black man without a word, his expression relaxed.

The black man used all his strength but could not lift the table; it remained firmly rooted as if growing from the floorboards.

“Hey—” The black man shouted, his voice shaking the entire second floor, exerting all his might to flip the table.

“Crack!”

He stumbled back three steps, clutching a broken corner of the table, the bare pale wood exposed, but the table itself was still solid as a rock.

Now the black man realized that the unassuming young man before him was far stronger than himself. If he wanted to fight, he had to be clever and not engage in a head-on battle.

The burly man in the corner paused briefly with his chopsticks in hand, seemingly surprised, then continued eating and drinking without lifting his head.

Taking kindness for weakness, failing to show respect! You come to snatch a seat, and when we offer to share, you try to overturn the table. Outrageous! Qin Qiong, angered, suddenly stepped forward, ready to confront the black man.

Li Dong quickly grabbed Qin Qiong’s arm and advised, “Big brother, let me handle this. You sit and watch.”

“I’m treating today. I’m the host, and you’re the guest. Sit down and leave this to me,” Qin Qiong said to Li Dong.

“Hah! Stop making excuses. You two go at it together!” The black man blurted arrogantly, not taking them seriously—though he was wary of Luo Shixin and didn’t dare to say “all three of you.”

Hearing this, Li Dong leaned forward half his body, ear close to the black man’s side, and loudly asked, “What did you say? I can’t hear you. Speak louder!”

Not realizing it was a trick, the black man repeated loudly, “You two, come at me together! I’m not afraid of you!”

“You haven’t eaten lunch? You sound weak. I still can’t hear you! Louder!” Li Dong continued feigning deafness.

This time the black man realized he had been thoroughly played and flew into a rage. He stepped forward and threw a punch straight at Li Dong’s eyes.

Qin Qiong quickly grabbed the chopsticks from the table and held them in front of Li Dong’s eyes, tips pointed at the black man’s fist.

If the black man insisted on hitting, he would strike the chopsticks, risking injury to his own palm. Forced to withdraw his punch, the black man instead aimed a strike at Li Dong’s abdomen.

Qin Qiong, a lifelong blacksmith, moved deftly, twisting his wrist and tightly gripping the chopsticks, countering the black man’s moves with fluid and continuous attacks.

If the black man missed Li Dong’s abdomen, he risked being jabbed in the arm by the chopsticks. This tactic, akin to relieving the surrounded Wei by attacking Zhao, was defensive, without intent to seriously harm.

The burly man in the corner took up a cup of wine, using the sip to steal a glance at the table’s activity. Seeing Qin Qiong’s swift and forceful response, he nodded slightly in approval.