I was a little thirsty

“At least you still have a shred of conscience.”

Tian Qingning’s eyes lit up at the sight of the Immortal’s Drunk. However, he didn’t head straight for a seat. Instead, he smiled at the man beside him. “Please, Senior Demon Emperor, take the seat of honor.”

Tian Qingning’s posture could only be described as profoundly humble.

This was only natural; even as the Sect Master of the Wuling Immortal Sect, he was not in a position to stand on equal footing with Luo Hanhai.

Simply being the Demon Emperor was enough to tower over Tian Qingning, to say nothing of Luo Hanhai’s seniority and cultivation level.

With the Dragon Race counting a single year for every hundred, no one knew exactly how many eons this middle-aged man in green robes with dragon horns had truly lived.

Tian Qingning only knew that since the day he was born, Luo Hanhai had been the Demon Emperor—and he hadn’t abdicated yet. He was quite literally a walking fossil!

Luo Hanhai stroked his beard, devoid of any haughty air. With a kind and gentle countenance, he also gestured. “Sect Master Tian, please.”

The mutual politeness was a mere formality; in the end, Luo Hanhai took his seat first, followed by Tian Qingning. Aside from Xu Jinghuai, He Li also waited for the two to sit before taking his own place.

Ordinarily, out of respect, Xu Jinghuai should have stood up to greet Luo Hanhai, but with Yunlai Xia clinging to him, it was inconvenient to move. Thus, he could only cup his fists as a greeting.

It was only as Luo Hanhai sat down that Xu Jinghuai and He Li noticed the young girl following him.

The girl had a pair of azure dragon horns on her head and wore a floral green dress. She peeked out from behind Luo Hanhai, appearing delicate and lovely. Her soulful blue eyes seemed to be searching for something, drifting over the two men at the table.

They passed over He Li and finally came to rest on Xu Jinghuai.

As it happened, Xu Jinghuai’s gaze met the girl’s. In a flash, she was like a startled rabbit, hurriedly shifting her eyes away. Not knowing where to look, she eventually buried her head against Luo Hanhai’s side.

But Xu Jinghuai already knew her identity.

With those unmistakable dragon horns, she had to be the legendary only princess of the Dragon Emperor Grotto—Luo Hanhai’s sole daughter, Luo Qing’er.

This wasn’t Xu Jinghuai’s first time meeting the little one. However, the last time they met, she was a tiny tot who had been quite clingy toward him. Why did she seem to be deliberately avoiding him now?

What concerned Xu Jinghuai more, however, was why Luo Hanhai had brought his precious daughter out at all.

Luo Hanhai, now seated, looked at the girl beside him and asked softly, “Qing’er, do you want to sit on Daddy’s lap?”

His voice wasn’t loud, yet everyone present heard him clearly.

A flush of crimson immediately stained Luo Qing’er’s face. In a voice barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz, she snapped petulantly: “I don’t want to! You stinky old man! I’m not a child anymore! ˃ʍ˂”

Then, she pulled out a chair next to Luo Hanhai and sat down on her own.

“Stinky… old… man…”

Luo Hanhai’s kind, smiling face petrified in an instant. Xu Jinghuai and the other two felt as though they heard the faint sound of something inside Luo Hanhai being struck by a heavy hammer and shattering.

Mhm, it was obvious; a certain father’s heart had been dealt a critical blow by the phrase “stinky old man.”

Immediately after, this amiable middle-aged man reached for his bowl. He tilted his head back and, with a speed invisible to the naked eye, drained the brew in a single gulp before slamming the bowl onto the table with a thud.

Gulp—

After downing the wine, Luo Hanhai kept his head down, hiding his expression. However, the terrifying, bone-chilling aura emanating from his body proved that this father’s emotions were anything but calm.

After a sound of swallowing, Luo Hanhai looked up at Xu Jinghuai and smiled “kindly.” “Apologies, everyone. I likely didn’t drink enough water before leaving; I was a bit thirsty just now and lost my composure.”

Xu Jinghuai, Tian Qingning, He Li: “…”

In their hearts, the three screamed:

Thirsty? You’re clearly drowning your sorrows in booze!!

Xu Jinghuai cleared his throat, forcing a smile to ease the awkward atmosphere. “It’s no matter, Senior Dragon Emperor. Thirst is good, thirst is good! It just so happens we’re having a party tonight. Come, come, let’s drink, let’s drink…”

“Ahahaha, yes, Junior Brother Jinghuai is right! Let’s drink!”

“Senior Demon Emperor, allow me to toast you.”

Tian Qingning and He Li followed suit, giving Luo Hanhai a graceful way out. Fearing they wouldn’t have enough, Xu Jinghuai pulled two more jars from his storage ring. Though not Immortal’s Drunk, they were premium vintages from Immortal Eater Town called “Peach Demon Jars.”

Seeing these two jars, Tian Qingning fell silent.

‘Damn it, how much famous wine is this kid secretly hoarding?’

Xu Jinghuai only gave Tian Qingning a piteous look. The Sect Master understood the meaning of that gaze perfectly:

“You MUST help me reimburse this later, Lord Sect Master!”

Tian Qingning’s lip twitched, but he gave a slight nod of approval.

The atmosphere at the table started off fairly well. Although they chatted about inconsequential topics, drinking and munching on peanuts made for a harmonious scene.

Until Luo Hanhai turned the conversation toward Xu Jinghuai.

“By the way, Jinghuai, I heard rumors outside that you’ve recently opened your doors to take disciples. Is it true that you will only take three in this life?”

Luo Qing’er, who was munching on peanuts beside Luo Hanhai, suddenly raised her head alertly, casting her gaze toward Xu Jinghuai.

Xu Jinghuai nodded, figuring it wasn’t a secret. “Mhm, the rumors are correct, Senior Dragon Emperor. It is indeed so.”

Luo Hanhai smiled, stroking his white beard. “Jinghuai, I remember that wasn’t what you used to say. You claimed you’d never take a disciple in your entire life.”

“Well… that… sigh…” Xu Jinghuai spread his hands helplessly. “I did say that, and I meant it. But the Sect Master had a heart-to-heart with me, and after thinking it over, I felt it was time to train a few disciples to inherit my mantle.”

“After all, the Youyun Peak lineage consists only of me. If I’m gone, the inheritance ends.”

Luo Hanhai nodded in deep agreement, then looked at the figure leaning against Xu Jinghuai’s chest and sighed. “It seems you’ve found a new resolve, Jinghuai… So, is the young lady beside you your newly accepted Second Disciple?”

‘Second Disciple?’

Xu Jinghuai was stunned. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Luo Hanhai had clearly mistaken Yunlai Xia for his disciple. It made sense; since Luo Hanhai knew about the recruitment, he naturally knew what the disciple looked like. The physical traits of Xia Jin and Yunlai Xia were vastly different.

Given Yunlai Xia’s appearance as a young loli, Luo Hanhai had jumped to the conclusion that she was a second disciple he’d taken in secret.

Xu Jinghuai prepared to re-introduce Yunlai Xia, but Luo Hanhai spoke up before he could, uttering a sentence that caused everyone present to drop their jaws.

“Jinghuai, I wonder if you have a candidate for your Third Disciple yet?”

“If not, how about taking in my young daughter?”

What will Xu Jinghuai do? Accepting the Demon Emperor’s daughter as a disciple would certainly end his “quiet, low-key” lifestyle forever! Is this the “important business” the Sect Master wanted to discuss?