29. When returning to moral integrity (China)

  "Ah, so comfortable!" Xujing stretched and woke up, startling Yu Fang awake as well. After a good rest, the two women felt refreshed and got out of bed to use the restroom. When they returned, they had clearly reapplied their makeup. Liu Zhi knew was still reading his book. The two women poured some water from the thermos into the teapot.

  Liu Zhi put down his book: "Two beauties, how does it feel?"

  "I finally got a good sleep and now I'm feeling extremely refreshed! Thanks to you, from now on I plan to come here once a week, it's a great way to unwind!" said Yu Fang.

  "The tea here is good, and the dim sum is also good. The lady has been taking care of herself for a long time, much better than going to a beauty salon!" Liu Zhi said with a smile.

  "Really?!" Xu Qian was somewhat skeptical, "Don't collude with the boss here!"

  "I don't know the boss here, I'm also coming for the second time. To thank you, I invited you to come, but good intentions are not rewarded. These pastries have the effect of regulating qi and blood, of course, they also have a maintaining effect on appearance." Liu Zhi said with feigned anger.

  "You're kidding me, big man, you don't even have a sense of humor!" Xu Qian burst out laughing, "You haven't finished your cake yet, let me help you get rid of it!"

  Xu Qian said, not politely picking up a piece of pastry and putting it in her mouth, mumbling: "Yu Fang, don't be polite, after sleeping for a while, I'm a bit hungry too. By the way, how long did we sleep?"

  "Two hours, just barely!" Liu Zhi said calmly.

  "For such a long time?!" Xu Qian couldn't believe it and looked at her watch. It was almost four o'clock now, and indeed nearly two hours had passed.

  "Liuzhi, you're really good at finding places. How did you discover this place? As a reporter, I've almost covered the entire city of Shencheng, but I didn't know about this place. You said you'd invite us to eat dog meat tonight, and I'm actually looking forward to it. Are there any other great places?" Xu Qian and Yu Fang finished off the last plate of dim sum that Liuzhi had left behind.

  Liu Zhi knew lightly sipped a mouthful of tea, savored it for a while, before saying: "This place was really discovered unintentionally, the place last night wasn't discovered by me either, but after the charity gala last time, Lai Ji Xue invited me once, very good, that's how I found out."

  "Lai Jixue? I remember him, met him several times, interviewed him once. He's a feng shui master, not easy to interview about this topic directly. Instead, I asked him about antiques and stuff. That guy is quite slick, but his family upbringing is really good! A golden son-in-law!" Xu Qian said, making Yu Fang laugh.

  "Don't laugh, Lai Jixue is much stronger than that Huang Weiguo who's been pestering you." As soon as Xu Qian spoke up, Yu Fang's mood sank. When Liu Zhizhi heard this, he couldn't help but think of that official's spoiled son, and how there was some unpleasantness between him and Huang Weiguo, but he and Huang were fundamentally not on the same path, so they hardly ever ran into each other.

  Yu Fang's emotions were a bit low, so she spoke up: "Don't mind him, maybe after a while he'll get bored himself! Don't affect our mood!" As soon as she said that, Yu Fang also smiled: "Let's not mention that person, today in such a great place, Xu Qian you really are, don't disturb people's mood!"

  "I guess I was wrong!" Xu Qian stuck out her tongue, picked up the cup and took a big gulp of air, almost choking, while the other two burst out laughing.

  Liu Zhi knew the bill, and it was getting late. He called Auntie He to tell her that they wouldn't be having dinner at home, then simply led the two of them to that restaurant. The two women had originally planned to drive over, but since there were many small alleys around here, they decided to take a taxi instead. Fortunately, they took a taxi, otherwise, their car really couldn't have made it in.

  The three of them turned several corners, dodged through a small alley for a while, and at a little past four o'clock, when it was already almost evening in winter, not far ahead was the Puzi Temple where Liu Zhi knew and Lai Jixue were ambushed last time. However, last time the three of them walked along the side wall alley, but this time they passed by the front door.

  Yú Zhìzhī saw Pǔjì Temple and thought of the events of that day. Fortunately, a senior monk in the temple used the Great Compassion Mantra to resolve the Hundred Ghosts Night March of Abe no Yoshimasa. I wonder who that great master was and which day he will come to visit.

  Not yet at the main gate of Puzi Temple, several people came out from inside. When Liu Zhi saw them, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. Yu Fang also furrowed her brow and lowered her face. Earlier in the teahouse, they had been talking about this person. Among these people, Liu Zhi knew two of them: one was Huang Weiguo, and the other was Neng Jing, a monk from Yufu Temple.

  The other party was also quite surprised to see Liu Zhi, Huang Weiguo was delighted to see Yu Fang at first, but then saw Liu Zhi and his face sank. Neng Jing was also greatly surprised to see Liu Zhi.

  "Miss Yu, it's you! Are you also here to burn incense at Puzi Temple? The Abbot of Puzi Temple is a close friend of mine!" Huang Weiguo's face lit up with a smile as soon as he saw Yu Fang. He thought the three of them were visiting Puzi Temple, which wasn't surprising, since he didn't know about the small, unknown restaurant nearby.

  "Mr. Huang, the three of us are here to eat, but we passed by Puzi Temple." Yu Fang replied calmly, she was also helpless with Huang Weiguo, who had been pursuing her relentlessly, and she had no way out, after all, his background was not small, if he really pursued her, it would be fine, Yu Fang might have agreed to him, but unfortunately, Yu Fang knew this was impossible, at most becoming his mistress, almost impossible to enter the door.

  Liu Zhi knew that something was amiss, but it wasn't his concern. He and Yu Fang had only met twice, and they didn't have a deep relationship. After the emotional turmoil with You Jiajia, although he said he was helpless, he was also hurt quite badly. Now Ah Li was being so good to him, he didn't want to get entangled in another emotional whirlpool. Moreover, most of his thoughts were now focused on cultivation.

  As for Xu Qian, Fang is a bit more familiar with her, after all, Xu Qian came to deliver the package today and treated herself as a guest, which can be considered as returning a favor.

  "Master Liu Shi, I didn't expect to see you here!" Just as Huang Weiguo and Yu Fang were answering, Abbot Jingyuan and others came forward to pay their respects to Liu Zhi.

  Liu Zhi knew also to return the courtesy: "I didn't expect to meet Master here, and Grandfather still owes Master a favor!" Liu Zhi returned the greeting with politeness, but in his heart, he felt a surge of doubt. This monk had the aura of a malevolent spirit on him, could it be that he had cultivated the Five Ghosts Technique? Now that almost everyone was cremated after death, where did he go to dig graves? How could he have succeeded in cultivating it? What reason was there for this high-ranking monk to secretly cultivate the heretical Five Ghosts technique? This monk was not a simple character.

  Of course, these were just thoughts in Liu Zhi's mind, and his face didn't reveal a single hint. It was clear that he was also a cultivator, but all that could be seen was that the other party had excellent skills. Xu Qing found it strange that Liu Zhi actually knew this monk, as she herself did not recognize him. Seeing Xu Qing's questioning gaze, Liu Zhi introduced the two of them.

  "What's good to eat around here? Why don't I treat you, and we'll go to the Mingzhu Hotel to invite two beauties. The two beauties will give us some face!" As soon as Huang Weiguo heard that they were coming to eat, he immediately spoke up to invite them, of course, excluding Liu Zhizhi.

  "Huang Gongzi's big hotel, I and Yu Jie can't afford to eat. Yu Jie, let's go! Liu Zhi Zhi, you lead the way, we'll just go to that small restaurant!" Xu Qian called out, not being polite at all, knowing that Yu Fang didn't want to get entangled with Huang Weiguo.

  Yu Fang smiled and said: "Huang Gongzi, let's change it for another day, we already have an appointment today!"

  "Then I have nothing to do, let's go together with you, Master also goes! See what good food is here!" Huang Weiguo's eyes rolled over and stuck on. He clasped his hands together and said: "Then thank you, Mr. Huang!"

  Liu Zhi Zhī laughed: "Master, we're going to eat dog meat. Master is a high monk, not afraid of damaging his reputation. Besides, dog meat can't be served at a formal banquet, and Huang Gongzi isn't afraid of losing face!"

  Liu Zhi's words made Huang Weiguo's face flush red, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes and disappeared, then he burst out laughing: "Alright, that settles it. You all enjoy your meal, Yu Fang, I'll treat you next time!"

  Liu Zhi and three others turned into a small alley, Huang Weiguo's face sank, with a hint of curiosity, where were they going to eat? He turned his head and said to the person behind him: "Biaozi, go take a look and see where they're eating. I'm a bit interested, let's go there and get a table too, see how the flavor is! Master, come with us!"

  "Huang Shi Zhu, that's it then. As a monk, I don't eat meat, let alone dog meat!" Da He Shang pushed back.

  "Ji Gong once said: 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but the Buddha sits in the heart!' The Master has not gone without eating non-vegetarian food!" Huang Weiguo couldn't help but retort.

  "Then I'd rather obey than show respect, I'll only eat dishes from the side of the pot, not dog meat!" What a wonderful thing to say.

  "Alright! I'll get the boss to specially prepare some vegetarian dishes!"

  "Many thanks to Mr. Huang!"

  It was approaching the Spring Festival, and Liu Zhi came to that family-style restaurant again. He arrived relatively early, as this place usually had some regular customers. Since it was close to Chinese New Year, business was a bit slow. As soon as Liu Zhi entered, he saw the boss, who greeted him. The boss recognized Liu Zhi, although he had only eaten there once before. However, his ability to immediately identify the vintage of the wine left a deep impression on him.

  Asking Qing Liu about the purpose of their visit, he invited the three into a private room, served tea and said with a smile: "You've come at just the right time. Today I received two village-bred dogs from a friend in Shaoxing, and also got a batch of home-brewed Huangjiu wine. I prepared some dried plums to warm up the wine for you to taste. You two beautiful ladies shouldn't drink strong liquor, so sit down first, I'll go prepare!"

  "Boss, you go ahead and attend to your business, we'll chat for a bit, don't mind us!" Liu Zhi Zhuo laughed.

  Xu Qian looked around the private room and saw that the boss had gone out, so she couldn't help but smile and say: "So it's actually in an ordinary person's home, no wonder I didn't notice before. I heard that restaurants like this often have very famous home-style dishes, is that right?"

  "Miss Xu is right, there's no menu here. The boss goes to the market every day and buys whatever looks good. There's no fixed dishes except for dog meat!" Liu Zhi introduced.

  So saying, the two women became even more expectant. Liu Zhi didn't know that in another room, Huang Weiguo and others were also drinking tea while waiting for the dishes to be served.

  Before long, the waiter brought up a few vegetarian dishes, which were just ordinary cabbage and celery, and warmed up the yellow wine in a small stove with a few dried plums. The waiter poured the wine for the three of them, then brought up two cold dishes, one was peanuts and the other was pickled eggs. A small bowl of seasoning was prepared, and a large pot of steaming hot braised dog meat was placed in the middle, which startled the two women. This big pot was an exception. Shencheng is geographically part of Jiangnan, where the dishes are often exquisite and influenced by the Yangzhou cuisine, usually not much in quantity.

  Three people raised their cups, and the two women had also drunk Huangjiu before. Compared to today, they finally knew what real Huangjiu was like. The wine was full of fragrance in the mouth, but there wasn't a hint of spiciness, yet it had a kind of penetration power, as if naturally seeping into all kinds of taste buds. The pores were slightly open, and when a piece of dog meat entered the mouth, the whole mouth was filled with an unusual fragrance. The rich flavor made people reluctant to put down their chopsticks.

  The two women didn't stop eating, they couldn't even spare a word, just drinking and swallowing. In another room, Huang Weiguo and his men were doing the same, drinking white wine, of course, also brewed by the host family. Huang Weiguo had tasted almost all the famous wines, although not connoisseurs, he could still tell good from bad. As soon as this wine entered his mouth, he felt it was no less than those famous wines. A piece of dog meat entered his mouth, and a strange thought arose in his heart: how did that kid Liu Zhi know about this place? I didn't even know, and many things in those big restaurants are just for show, far inferior to this family's cooking. That kid Liu Zhi really knew how to find good places to eat. His subordinates were also too busy eating to speak, only stretching out their chopsticks.

  At this time, Huang Weiguo's mobile phone rang. Huang Weiguo was somewhat unhappy, he was having a good meal, who would disturb his interest? He reluctantly pressed the answer button, but it was Lan Minsong calling. Lan Minsong could be considered as Liu Zhizhi's cheap uncle. He came from Suzhou to Shencheng, gave Huang Weiguo an early New Year's greeting, and sent a batch of gifts. The person was in Huang Weiguo's house.

  Huang Weiguo suddenly remembered that Lan Mingsong had called him before, and he was originally planning to go home and wait for him. However, due to the disturbance caused by Liu Zhizhi and others, he forgot about it. Now that the phone call came, Huang Weiguo's heart skipped a beat when he heard the phone ring. He knew that Lan Mingsong and Liu Zhizhi were not on good terms, and last time at the charity gala, he had targeted Liu Zhizhi partly because of Yu Fang's relationship with him, and partly to help Lan Mingsong vent his anger. Now was a good opportunity, so he quietly instructed Lan Mingsong over the phone to find two thugs, tell them the location, and wait for Liu Zhizhi to come out before teaching him a lesson. He also reminded Lan Mingsong not to touch the two women who were with Liu Zhizhi.

  Huang Weiguo is not like Liu Zhizhi, he understands Yu Fang's situation. Although he is a host, he also knows some celebrities, which is also the reason why Huang Weiguo did not use force directly. Of course, this is also related to his mood. In the past two years, his career has been relatively smooth, and he is also a positive image in front of people. There is no need to do something excessive and vulgar, what can be obtained by normal means, why use other means? The Huang family also has some people who look down on him, so he cannot be too excessive.

  Liu Zhi doesn't know if someone wants to teach him a lesson, but even if he did, he wouldn't care.

  Two women patted their bellies, and more than half of the large bowl of dog meat had entered their stomachs. They were visibly stuffed. Xu Qian said contentedly: "I'm so full, this is the best-tasting dog meat I've ever had! Thanks to you, Liu Zhi Zhi, your taste is not bad, actually finding such a great place. As a journalist, I guess I didn't do my job well!"

  "Should we take a break or head back?" asked Liu Zhi-zhi as he saw that the two women had eaten and drunk their fill.

  "Let's go back and take a stroll, digest it slowly, you've eaten too much, won't you get fat!" Yu Fang said.

  "No way, dog meat is not fatty, besides, it's just one meal, how can I gain weight so easily!" Liu Zhi comforted himself.

  Three people got up, Liu Zhi knew to settle the bill, and did not notice that Huang Weiguo was in another room. Huang Weiguo's side also ended, one by one drinking tea, also did not notice the situation of Liu Zhi three people.

  Three people walked and chatted along the way, out of the alley, suddenly became noisy, Liu Zhi knew one hand, a taxi came over, sent two women to the car, Xu Qian's head stretched out, waved goodbye to Liu Zhi: "Liu Zhi, I had a great time today, thank you!" Liu Zhi also waved goodbye.

  Just as Liu Zhi knew and the two women were saying goodbye, a truck stopped by the side of the road not far away. Two people in the driver's cab were holding photos to compare, saw Liu Zhi, and nodded to each other after exchanging a glance.

  Liu Zhi sent off the two women, carrying two small snake skin bags in his hands. He walked along the road ahead, not hailing a taxi. He thought he'd walk for a while, having lived in the mountains for half a year, and now found city life somewhat unaccustomed. The mountain nights were quiet, with stars filling the sky, and a mysterious rhythm, whereas the city only felt noisy, as if it would drown people out. He rather missed his life in the mountains.

  He thought of this, took out his mobile phone and dialed a number to Ah Li. He stood on the side of the road and chatted with Ah Li for a few words. He was standing inside the green belt pedestrian path. He didn't notice that as he walked, a truck slowly followed behind him. When he stopped, the truck also stopped.

  Liu Zhi knew and Ah Li continued to move forward after their conversation. In front of them was a zebra crossing, Liu Zhi stepped onto the zebra crossing, preparing to cross to the other side. Just as he took his first step, his body hair stood on end. Oh no! Liu Zhi discovered a truck speeding towards him. Liu Zhi's toes grasped tightly, and his body accelerated instantly, dashing forward. The truck whizzed past beside him.

  At this moment, Liu Zhi forgot everything and no longer considered hiding his clumsiness. The perfect reaction within a radius of over 30 meters was in his mind, his brain was in high-speed operation, and the whole person was also in a state of high-speed excitement. In this situation, Liu Zhi felt that everything had slowed down, not that everything had slowed down, but he was in high speed, especially his brain and senses. The cargo truck seemed to slowly pass by his side. As soon as Liu Zhi's mind moved, the object obeyed him. The cargo truck was driven by a force on one side of Liu Zhi, while the inertial force formed by the forward rush was opposite to it. When the two forces intersected, Liu Zhi's control over the object was completely unable to resist the inertial force generated by that force. Liu Zhi involuntarily let out a hum, and his whole body felt a blow from an invisible force. His eyes were dizzy, his throat was sweet, and he barely stabilized himself. However, the cargo truck lost its balance in high-speed motion due to this force's interference, and with a loud crash, it flipped over diagonally, with all four wheels facing upwards, scraping out a large amount of sparks on the ground, and crashing into the green isolation belt.

  Liu Zhi knew that he had used his magical powers to resist the car, but he was already injured. He took out a small porcelain bottle from his body and poured out a pill of ginseng nourishing spirit. This medicine contained three sevens, which was originally a very good wound medicine, and added other precious medicinal materials to nourish and repair his internal injuries.

  He swallowed the pill and looked coldly at the four-wheeled truck that was overturned, who wanted his life, this seemed to be the second time. Liu Zhi knew stepped step by step towards the truck.