"Does one need to knock before using the restroom?"
No!
Whoever is squatting on the toilet inside shouldn't they lock the door?!
Under Li Qianfan's scorching gaze, Shen Maomao, squatting there, felt her whole body go soft. She quickly lowered her head, bit her lip, and fiddled with her fingers.
"I didn't see anything."
Li Qianfan gave Shen Maomao a deep look, then turned and considerately closed the door.
*Phew.*
After he quickly walked out of the living room, he let out a long sigh of relief.
He was genuinely afraid Shen Maomao would shout "Indecent assault!"
Su Nanyin, who was making pan-fried buns, would undoubtedly charge over with her spatula faster than Du Yaoyao.
She probably wouldn't stop until she had bashed Li Qianfan's head full of lumps.
Fortunately, Shen Maomao still had some sense of shame and didn't cry out.
"Strange, the scar on her left leg (or rather, on her hip) – why does it look so much like the one that Chongchong got accidentally scraped when she was sitting on the windowsill at the hotel that night?"
Li Qianfan was once again perplexed.
"Why didn't you sleep in longer?"
Du Junlin, wearing a white training outfit and with her long hair tied up high with a white ribbon, looked exceptionally heroic and spirited as she stretched her legs in the small pavilion.
Glancing at the eight o'clock morning sun, Li Qianfan said, "I've never had the habit of sleeping in."
Du Junlin curled her lip, "Your alcohol tolerance isn't good."
Mentioning this made Li Qianfan feel embarrassed.
Last night, he had drunk two whole bottles of the local most famous white wine, and it was 52% proof.
By all accounts, that was a pretty good alcohol tolerance.
But compared to the four beauties of the old house—
Shen Zui must have been considerate of Li Qianfan's pride, only drinking a little over a bottle before "getting drunk."
Du Junlin was able to take a shower after drinking two bottles.
Shen Zui and Su Nanyin had opened their respective third bottles.
"Who in your family has the highest alcohol tolerance?"
Li Qianfan asked casually, "Is it that Shen Maomao, who goes to the restroom but doesn't lock the door?"
Du Junlin immediately became alert, "How do you know that Maomao never locks the door when she goes to the restroom?"
*Damn.*
He'd let it slip.
Li Qianfan muttered inwardly, but outwardly he said, "Last night I heard some of you, I don't know who, joking about her like that."
"Was it me?"
Du Junlin raised her hand and scratched the back of her head, then dismissed the question, "Shen Zui can drink at most three bottles. My mother can drink more than Shen Zui. As for Shen Chongchong, her alcohol tolerance is also quite good. Last night, afraid you'd lose face as a man, we all pretended to be drunk."
Those words were truly embarrassing.
"In the afternoon, we'll take you to nearby scenic spots for a good tour."
Du Junlin switched legs and continued stretching, "We'll take tents into the mountains and spend the night there. I'll let you experience how thrilling it is to hunt in the true deep mountains and old forests at night."
*Heh heh.*
Li Qianfan wasn't very interested, "The mountains around Kunlun are even higher and deeper than here. There are more ferocious beasts. When I was in my teens, I was scared away by a snow leopard by myself."
Du Junlin froze.
She shouldn't have said that she had captured a snow leopard alive by herself when she was in her teens.
The key was that Li Qianfan said he was scared away by a snow leopard without any hint of embarrassment.
Indeed, the men who inherited the Li family's traits were all thick-skinned!
"I know you're eager to return to Qingyun."
Du Junlin changed the subject, "You're even dreaming about the Blackwater Forest. But some things can't be rushed. It's much better for you to hide at my house now than to return to Qingyun. Crucially, whether our plan can be formally implemented also depends on the news from Sijiu."
She was very right.
If the Eastern Land managed to resolve the matter in the Black Forest through some channel, Bai Du Niao wouldn't need to activate that plan.
"You're right."
Li Qianfan, who also understood these things clearly, lifted his right leg and slowly stretched, "The enemy will definitely demand a king's ransom. With those 66 fat pigs, they'll propose conditions that make us furious and even more unacceptable."
Du Junlin said calmly, "If I were in complete control, I would do the same."
Li Qianfan thought for a moment and said, "We absolutely cannot let the enemy's negotiations succeed."
Du Junlin paused and asked, "Are you determined to go to the Blackwater Forest?"
Li Qianfan didn't speak.
Du Junlin understood, "I can't swallow this either. Even if it means death, we can't let the enemy triumph."
Li Qianfan frowned, "Why do you keep bringing up death and life? It's the most boring thing to chat with you."
Du Junlin fell silent.
Due to her work, Du Junlin almost always had the words "life and death" on her lips.
Yet Li Qianfan hated it the most when these topics were brought up during times of pleasure.
Du Junlin switched legs and as she pressed down, she said, "Do you know what you said to my mother when you were drunk last night?"
Li Qianfan immediately became vigilant, "I didn't say I wanted to be Shen Maomao's stepfather, did I?"
*Bang!*
Du Junlin kicked Li Qianfan out of the small pavilion.
*Damn it.*
Li Qianfan had been doing his duty to further stimulate the wooden girl, to make her have the youthful vigor she should, and to help her broaden her horizons and improve her combat power.
He grumbled as he walked to the swing set and sat on it.
Du Junlin also walked over and sat on the swing next to him, giving a gentle push.
Similarly, swinging—
Du Junlin, dressed in white like snow, with her hair flying, looked ethereal.
And Li Qianfan, wearing swim trunks and plastic slippers, looked like a ruffian no matter how you looked at him.
"Last night you said—"
Du Junlin recalled, "Guanyin girl, I might not live much longer. If things go well, I have a year left. If not, only half a year."
*Ah?*
Li Qianfan froze.
He could be sure that Du Junlin wasn't lying.
It seemed that after drinking too much last night, he had finally thought about the consequences of activating 209 and couldn't help but blabber it out to Su Nanyin.
Li Qianfan quickly asked, "What did Guanyin say?"
"She said, it's better for a scoundrel like you to die early and reincarnate."
Du Junlin, who didn't have much of a sense of humor, still spoke truthfully, "After you die, don't reincarnate as a human again. Otherwise, you'll still harm other people's daughters."
Those words—
Very Guanyin!
Li Qianfan asked again, "Did Chongchong hear it?"
"No."
Du Junlin shook her head, "At that time, she and Maomao went to the well in front to get you some iced watermelon."
Keeping watermelon in a well was cooler than in a refrigerator, and tasted better.
"That's good."
Li Qianfan breathed a sigh of relief, "Of course, I'll tell her sooner or later."
"No need."
"Why not?"
"Generally speaking, if my mother knows, it means Maomao and Chongchong know."
"Guanyin girl's tongue seems to be quite long."
Li Qianfan disliked gossips.
But he had many gossips around him.
At least Uncle Shen was one of them!
Du Junlin's toes pushed off the ground again, making her swing higher.
She tilted her head, looking at Li Qianfan, and said casually, "If you're really going to die, will you want me to accompany you to that world?"
Li Qianfan looked at her, not speaking.
As Du Junlin swung back and forth, she quietly met his gaze, without flinching.
"If that happens, you can just be a little widow with peace of mind. Or remarrying is fine too."
Li Qianfan looked away and said lazily, "I'll say the same thing to Ziyu. I'll go ahead and explore the path alone. Sixty years later, you guys can come find me there. We'll drink together then."
Du Junlin didn't speak, just swung lightly.
Li Qianfan changed the subject, "Who do you think will be negotiating with the Rhodes family?"
Du Junlin said, "Li of Longxu, Father-in-law Li, should also make an appearance."
Li Gongdie of Longxu—
At that moment, he was stepping out of the car, looking north.
About a thousand meters north of where he stood was the Blackwater Forest, the mere mention of which would infuriate, shame, and sadden many descendants of Yanhuang.
The Blackwater Forest at this time—
Was already covered in snow. Seen from afar, it shimmered with mystical, multicolored light under the sun, resembling a place where elves might live, according to legend.
But Li Xiao knew there were no elves inside.
Only descendants of Yanhuang, struggling against the harsh cold and wild beasts.
*Whoosh!*
A gust of wind blew across the snow-covered ground, lifting the hem of Li Xiao's clothes, carrying a hint of fierce desolation.
Li Xiao, dressed thinly, felt no coldness at all.
On the contrary—
When he heard the faint roar of a wild beast, his blood instantly boiled, and his fists clenched involuntarily.
But soon, his burgeoning emotions quickly stabilized.
With a calm expression, he turned to look back.
It was a professional snow exploration vehicle, looking very much like a fire truck from the outside.
It was equipped for heating and could comfortably accommodate more than ten people with plenty of space.
There were 11 people accompanying Li Xiao.
A young woman in a white mink coat, beautiful as a flower and petite in stature.
Her surname was Bai, and her given name was Hong.
Bai Hong was the head of internal affairs for Longxu, and could also be considered Li Xiao's personal assistant.
Due to her petite size, many people habitually called her Xiaobai.
Beside Xiaobai was a middle-aged man in a black down jacket.
Zhao Tingshan.
He was the son of "Manager Zhao," whom Li Wuji had called an old man, and the disabled son of the Zhao family.
Accompanying Zhao Tingshan were two staff members from the highest security detail.
Zhao Tingshan was here in the Blackwater Forest to negotiate with the Rhodes family to alleviate the situation.
Li Xiao's role today was merely that of an impartial "intermediary and peacemaker."
Similarly.
Mr. Alexander, the patriarch of the Moses family, like Li Xiao, was acting as a peacemaker.
The representative of the Rhodes family, who had set up the trap and planned the Blackwater Forest operation, and who would be negotiating with Zhao Tingshan, was a noble and sexy-looking lady.
Jessica.
With the Lord of Longxu and the patriarch of the Moses family personally attending, the Rhodes family naturally had to send their most important figure to negotiate with Zhao Tingshan in person.
*Crack!*
A sharp whip crack suddenly sounded from a camp dozens of meters ahead.
Li Xiao and his group instinctively looked up.
And saw—
Dozens of people, strung together like grasshoppers on a string, their expressions numb yet shivering all over, walking towards the Blackwater Forest.
This group included both men and women.
All of them—
Were bare-chested!!