Half an hour later…
"Woof woof! I can't do it anymore! I'm not in good condition today, my alcohol tolerance is weak! Let's… let's fight again another day!"
Thud!
As expected, Ning Fengzhi was the first to collapse.
After drinking just six jars of wine, he had already turned into a complete lightweight.
Meanwhile, Liu Erlong had learned from Fu Ye and the others' conversation that the man barking like a dog just now was actually Ning Fengzhi—the greatest genius of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
Her job here was simple: serve tea and help deliver dishes.
But Fu Ye and the others were drinking straight from the jars, and all the dishes had already been served.
So she was basically just standing here watching the show.
"See? The young sect master Ning is totally weak."
Fu Ye mocked Ning Fengzhi right to his face as he lay unconscious on the table.
"Oh? So you're saying you're very strong?"
"I'm super strong, alright! Move this guy aside and let's go again!"
Gu Rong kindly dragged Ning Fengzhi onto the sofa beside them.
Then the drinking battle resumed.
Half an hour later…
Thud!
Gu Rong finally collapsed drunk.
Chen Xin immediately laughed.
"You old bones can't handle it either! Hahaha! You're weak!"
But in the very next second—
His vision darkened.
And then—
Thud!
In the end, Fu Ye crushed all three of them with absolute dominance.
Only he remained relatively sober.
"Three lightweights. Can't even handle a little drinking."
Looking at the large amount of food still left on the table, Fu Ye grabbed a clean plate and put some food on it.
He then glanced back at Liu Erlong, who was quietly giggling in the corner.
"Little girl, eat something. Otherwise it'll go to waste."
Fu Ye placed the small plate on a nearby tea table.
In the past, he refused to waste food.
Now, he simply tried not to waste it.
He had thought Ning Fengzhi and the others could eat a lot.
Turns out they were just drinking.
Half the dishes were still untouched.
"Ah? For me?"
Liu Erlong had been tempted by the smell for a long time.
But the rule here was clear:
Staff were not allowed to touch leftovers from guests, even if the food hadn't been touched.
It had to be thrown away.
Of course, Fu Ye wasn't stingy.
He simply couldn't give Liu Erlong food before the guests had eaten—it would look improper since she was a new waitress.
Besides, everything he gave her had never been touched.
"Go ahead. You've been secretly laughing for so long—you must be tired."
Fu Ye stood up and walked toward the three drunken men.
"I wasn't secretly laughing!"
Liu Erlong covered her slightly red cheeks and immediately denied it.
Fu Ye just nodded casually.
"Our Juxiang Pavilion stays open until about ten at night."
"You live in the outer district. It's not safe for a girl to walk back that late."
"There's an empty room on the rooftop."
"If you want, you can stay there tonight."
Of course, these were Fu Ye's genuine thoughts.
He wasn't some pervert who preyed on underage girls.
It was simply inconvenient—and somewhat dangerous—for a girl to commute between the outer district and the imperial city every day.
"I'll take these three drunks to the sixth-floor guest rooms."
"If you decide, just go up to the rooftop."
Fu Ye grabbed Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong with his left hand and Chen Xin with his right.
He dragged the three of them upstairs step by step.
Leaving Liu Erlong standing there alone, stunned.
By the time the drinking session ended, it was already close to sunset.
Fu Ye had drunk quite a lot too.
After taking a bath to sober up, he returned to his room and collapsed onto the bed.
It had been a long time since he drank like that.
Even his tolerance had dropped a bit.
After an unknown amount of time—
Someone knocked on his door.
Knock knock.
Knock knock.
Hearing the knocking, Fu Ye slowly opened his eyes.
Looking at the position of the moon outside the window, he estimated it was about 9:30 PM.
Juxiang Pavilion should be closing soon.
Who would disturb his beauty sleep at this hour?
"Coming, coming…"
Fu Ye struggled to get up.
After his bath, he was only wearing black sleepwear.
But he didn't care much.
He was a man—showing some chest wasn't illegal.
Creak.
He opened the door.
Standing outside was the red-haired girl—Liu Erlong.
"Hm? What are you doing knocking on my door so late, little girl?"
Fu Ye sighed helplessly.
If she wanted to stay, she could just stay.
The key to that room was literally left in the door.
"Boss Fu Ye, I want… gulp"
Fu Ye's upper body was now fully exposed in front of her.
It was the first time Liu Erlong had ever seen a man with such perfect abs.
"Alright, stop staring. I'll take you there."
This girl had zero respect for him.
She was staring at his body while swallowing her saliva.
Couldn't girls be a little more reserved?
Before Liu Erlong could react—
Fu Ye grabbed the back of her collar like she was a little chicken.
Under her shocked gaze, he opened the door of the rooftop room—
And tossed both her and the key onto the bed inside.
Click.
The door closed.
Fu Ye yawned and went back to sleep.
At that moment, his system issued a notification.
[Liu Erlong Affection: 55%]
Hmm?
Her affection rose that quickly?
But thinking about it—
It made sense.
In the original story, Liu Erlong was a classic love-struck girl.
Even after discovering Yu Xiaogang was her cousin, she still waited for him over ten years.
"Ah… I'm exhausted. Back to sleep."
Meanwhile.
Spirit Hall – Papal Palace interrogation chamber
Yu Xiaogang was tied to an iron bed by six men.
His face was full of despair.
After half a year, he still hadn't submitted.
Even though he lived in endless torment every day—
He firmly believed:
Where there is will, there is success.
He believed his father would eventually come rescue him.
"You six, clean this place up! Put clothes on this traitor of Spirit Hall! The Saintess will come inspect soon!"
Hearing the guard's order, the six men quickly got to work.
Within a quarter hour, the entire interrogation room was spotless.
After confirming there was no odor and the room was perfectly clean, the guard went to report.
Soon after—
Bibi Dong arrived.
Looking at Yu Xiaogang still tied to the iron frame, she was surprised to find—
The bastard had actually gained some weight.
"Yu Xiaogang, Yu Xiaogang… I didn't expect you to still be alive."
"Why don't you tell me how the past six months have felt?"
Bibi Dong smiled.
But her eyes were like a venomous snake staring at him.
"Monster! You're a monster! Bibi Dong, you'll pay for everything you've done!"
Even after six months—
Yu Xiaogang's sharp tongue remained unchanged.
"You call me a monster?"
"Heh… maybe I am."
"But what you did was far worse."
"You tortured the person I cherished for so long."
"And in the end—you killed him."
"For that, I will make sure you understand what it truly means to wish for death but not be able to die."
As she spoke—
Bibi Dong suddenly produced a recording crystal.
"Yu Xiaogang…"
"You wouldn't want your experiences from these past six months to be broadcast across the entire continent by Spirit Hall, would you?"
Her smile now looked like pure poison in Yu Xiaogang's eyes.
"No! You can't do that! You can't!"
But the moment he finished speaking—
Behind Bibi Dong appeared a mountain of recording crystals.