Since the sky was covered, the heavens began to show their holiness

With the money, Zhou Xian bought a lot of supplies in the city. He not only stockpiled a large amount of rice, flour, grain and oil, but also bought all kinds of daily necessities. These dazzling goods piled up like a mountain. If he didn't have a space ring that could store everything, he would have no place to store such a huge amount of supplies.

"These supplies are more than enough to cover their food and clothing needs for a month."

Zhou Xian stroked the glowing space ring, a touch of satisfaction flashed across his eyes. The night was as dark as ink, but Bilgewater did not fall into sleep, but turned into a boiling city that never sleeps. The bars on both sides of the street were brightly lit, the laughter of the drinkers and the sound of dice colliding intertwined into waves, and the drunken singing wrapped in the sea breeze continued to pour out from the open windows.

Zhou Xian was not in a hurry to return to Shadow Island. Instead, he threw the hem of his cloak and walked straight into the bar on the corner with a rusty anchor sign.

The door hinges creaked harshly, mixed with the sour smell of malt liquor and sweat, instantly engulfing his figure. The crisp sound of dice rolling on the wooden table, the drunkards' laughter and abuse, the broken melody played by the accordion, countless waves of sound came like a tide, pirates fighting for wine, dancers with sea snake tattoos, candlelight jumping on copper wine glasses, casting swaying figures on the scratched wall.

"Rum, neat."

Zhou Xian's bony fingers tapped on the wine-stained bar, and a silver snake coin with a cold glow slid out along the wood grain, reflecting tiny rays of light under the candlelight. The bartender suddenly froze while wiping the wine glass - the boy in front of him could only reach the edge of the bar, and his childish face looked out of place in the dense alcohol.

But when he caught a glimpse of the silver snake coin representing the hard currency of Hong Kong, his cloudy eyes lit up instantly, and he swallowed the second half of the question with his Adam's apple rolling. He quickly pulled a bottle of rum from the wine rack behind him, and the bottle mouth hit the rim of the glass with a crisp sound, and the amber wine poured out.

"Hey, where did you come from, you little brat? You haven't even grown all the hair on your mouth yet, and you want to come to the bar to get drunk like others? With your small body, can you drink such strong liquor? Why don't you let me help you taste it."

Before he could finish his words, a burly man in a tattered pirate hat staggered over from the dim corner, a malicious smile on his bearded face. His big hairy hand stretched out like a palm-leaf fan and went straight to grab the wine glass in Zhou Xian's hand. His turbid eyes showed greed and disdain, as if he was sure that the child in front of him was powerless to resist.

"roll."

Zhou Xian raised his eyelids slightly, his dark pupils were like ice-hardened blades, and the light words were wrapped in a piercing chill. Before he finished speaking, the hand that the big man had just stretched out suddenly froze in mid-air, as if locked by invisible shackles, and the blood in his body instantly solidified. The surrounding noise suddenly quieted down, and only the candlelight flickered, casting his distorted expression on the mottled wine wall, and cold sweat fell along his stubble into the wood chips on the ground.

"Hahahaha! Bill, are you weak-kneed? Could it be that you were robbed of everything by Red-haired Jasmine last night and couldn't even calm down a little kid!" Sharp laughter exploded from the crowd. Several pirates with hairy chests exposed slapped the table and staggered forward and backward. Wine foam spurted between their half-missing teeth, and the eye patch on their one eye trembled with laughter. "You usually brag so much, but now you can't even get a glass of wine!"

Bill was like a wooden stake nailed to the spot, his Adam's apple rolled violently but he couldn't make a sound. His trembling lips let out intermittent sobs, his cloudy eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets, staring at Zhou Xian. The salty sea breeze blew into the bar, but it couldn't blow away the solidified coldness around him. The cold sweat that soaked his back flowed down the folds of his pirate uniform, leaving dark marks on the wooden floor. Even the dagger held at his waist trembled with his arm, knocking against the iron ring with a tiny clicking sound.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and the laughter stopped abruptly. Only the occasional clinking of glasses remained in the air. Bill, who usually had a temper that could easily explode, was now like a clay statue, and even the red color of his face from the alcohol had faded to pale blue. Someone bravely reached out and pushed his shoulder, and it was cold to the touch: "Bill? Don't play tricks! Have you really been cursed by a sea monster?" Before he finished speaking, Bill suddenly convulsed violently, and the sound of his teeth chattering mixed with his indistinct mumbling was particularly creepy in the dead silent bar.

"ghost!"

Bill howled at the top of his lungs, as if the sound could dispel the invisible fear behind him. His eyes were wide open and bloodshot, and he rushed out of the tavern, knocking over several tables and chairs in a panic, and the sound of cups and plates breaking on the ground came one after another.

He stumbled, stumbled and rolled on the ground, waving his hands in the air, as if he was trying to grab a life-saving straw. The pirate hat that was originally tilted on his head also fell off in panic and was crumpled by his foot. A cloud of dust rose behind him, as if something terrible was really chasing him. Everyone in the tavern was stunned by this sudden change, and a chill surged in their hearts as they looked at Bill's embarrassed escape.

The tavern was completely silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on Zhou Xian. Some people swallowed their saliva with their Adam's apples rolling, and their knuckles turned white while holding the wine glass. Several pirates who were originally laughing quietly took a half step back, and their one eye warily looked at the boy.

The pub was noisy just now, but now even the crackling of the candle wicks could be clearly heard. No one dared to make fun of him anymore. Bill's desperate escape was still vivid in their minds. This seemingly young child exuded a chilling sense of oppression, like a turbulent whirlpool hidden under the calm sea, which made people dare not approach easily.

Zhou Xian looked calm, ignoring the complicated and frightened looks around him. His slender fingers held the wine glass steadily, and with a slight turn of his wrist, the amber wine created beautiful ripples in the glass.

He tilted his head slightly, his Adam's apple rolling up and down, the strong liquor flowing down his throat, he squinted his eyes slightly, as if he was savoring the unique taste of this other world. The aroma of the liquor spread in his mouth, spicy with a hint of mellowness, his expression did not change at all, but when he put down the glass, the corners of his lips seemed to be slightly raised, as if the hustle and bustle and undercurrent in this bar had nothing to do with him.

Just as Zhou Xian was immersed in the unique flavor of rum, a familiar voice came slowly. The voice seemed to have a hook, and the charming ending was gently hooked, but it also revealed an uninhibited and free and easy style, like a unique style in this bar full of roughness and chaos.

This voice instantly made Zhou Xian's fingers pause, and his grip on the wine glass tightened slightly. He slowly turned his head and saw a graceful figure swaying and walking into the tavern under the dim light. The steps were light, as if stepping on people's hearts.

(End of this chapter)