What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

"Click."

A crisp metallic click broke the silence of the hall.

I looked up and saw that Li Qing had somehow acquired a finely crafted dark brown leather scabbard.

He was struggling to put the late Qing Dynasty Maoshan magic sword he had obtained from Old Man Huo into its scabbard and then fasten the straps on the scabbard.

After finishing, Li Qing put his hands behind his back and slid the magic sword with its sheath diagonally into his back.

Today he was wearing a black windbreaker that allowed him to move around easily, paired with an antique-style magic sword on his back, giving him a unique blend of modern and traditional styles.

Li Qing took two steps forward, stood in front of me, put her hands on her hips, and raised her chin slightly.

Then, he struck what he thought was a very cool pose in front of me.

"Old Chen, how's it going?"

Li Qing raised his eyebrows and asked with a smug look on his face.

"With this look, this aura, and this demon-slaying magic sword, isn't he incredibly cool?"

"If we really face those bastards who guard the cauldron later, just standing there, I reckon I can intimidate half of them with my cool demeanor."

Seeing his comical antics, I stopped wiping the knife and couldn't help but shake my head.

Just as I was about to make a joke at him, saying that it was a pity he wasn't working as an extra in Hengdian with that look,

A series of slightly hurried footsteps suddenly rang out from the wooden staircase leading to the first floor.

"Ta-da..."

The footsteps were familiar and made no attempt to conceal them.

Without a doubt, the only people who could so easily and effortlessly go up to the third floor of Tingyuxuan without even saying hello were me, Li Qing, and that fat guy Jin Wanliang.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Jin Wanliang's round body appeared at the top of the stairs.

At this moment, his forehead was covered with a fine layer of sweat, clearly indicating that he had rushed over in a hurry.

He also had a blue-and-white porcelain tea canister that looked quite valuable tucked under his arm.

"I knew you two would be here!"

Jin Wanliang rushed upstairs excitedly, and before he could even take a good look at the two of us, he plopped down at the tea table.

Then, he picked up the electric kettle on the tea table, filled it with some purified water, and pressed the heating switch.

Then, carefully placing the blue-and-white porcelain tea canister from under his arm onto the table, he deftly arranged the tea set while speaking animatedly:

"Hurry up, you two are in for a treat today."

Come and try this, the finest Tieguanyin!

I had to pull through so many connections and go to great lengths to finally get this small amount from a regular customer.

This stuff, you can't usually get your hands on even if you have the money...

As Jin Wanliang continued talking, he turned his head, preparing to invite Li Qing and me over for tea.

However, when his gaze finally fell on the two of us, he abruptly stopped speaking.

Jin Wanliang glanced at me as I was wiping my knife, then at Li Qing, who was fully armed, and his hand, which was pouring water, suddenly froze.

He blinked his bright little eyes, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Li Qing and me, then swallowed hard and asked hesitantly:

"Wait... what are you two doing? Planning to rob a bank?"

Upon hearing this, I stopped wiping the knife and folded the piece of pure cotton cloth neatly, placing it aside.

He then shook his head slightly and said calmly, "It's nothing."

Li Qing was the quickest to react; his eyes darted around, and he immediately followed up on what I was saying.

He reached out and patted the magic sword on his back, deliberately making a smug look like a lonely master.

"It's nothing, what could possibly be wrong?"

Li Qing pursed his lips and said something completely nonsensical.

"I've been staying at Tingyuxuan with Lao Chen for half a month now, my bones are practically rusting, I'm so bored I could fart."

I just got a new sheath for this precious magic sword, and I'm about to have a little sparring session with Old Chen to loosen up my muscles.

"Why did you have to come at this crucial moment to interrupt the epic duel between our two masters?"

Upon hearing Li Qing's fabrication, the muscles on Jin Wanliang's fat face twitched slightly.

He glanced at us suspiciously, his gaze sweeping over the black knife on my knee and the magic sword on Li Qing's back.

As a middleman who was very successful in both the legitimate and criminal worlds of Jiangcheng, his ability to read people was naturally first-rate.

Clearly, he didn't believe Li Qing's nonsense about "sparring".

However, Jin Wanliang was also a clever man.

He knew that if Li Qing and I didn't bring it up, it meant that this was a murky matter that he couldn't just casually inquire about.

"Come on, with your attitude, you call this sparring?"

Jin Wanliang rolled his eyes and wisely refrained from asking any further questions.

He waved his chubby hand, pointed to the electric kettle in front of him that had already boiled water, and said:

"What are you two still fighting about? Since there's nothing else, come and have some tea."

This is genuine, top-quality Tieguanyin tea from the original mother tree; letting it cool would be a waste of such a fine product.

Upon hearing this, I nodded slightly and put down the black knife in my hand.

He then stood up, walked to the opposite side of Jin Wanliang, pulled out a wooden chair, and sat down.

Li Qing also came over and plopped down in the seat next to me.

The scabbard this guy is wearing today is obviously a bit too long.

The moment he sat down, the hilt of the magic sword that was stuck diagonally behind him thrust straight toward my temple.

I tilted my head slightly to dodge the "ambush," then reached out and somewhat disdainfully pushed the sword hilt outwards.

To prevent it from poking my head when I'm drinking tea later.

"Hey Li Qing, you can pose like that, but can't you take your sword off when you sit down?"

Do you think you're some kind of ancient chivalrous hero?

I couldn't help but say something to him.

"What do you know? This is called keeping your sword with you at all times; it's a basic skill for a swordsman."

Li Qing retorted confidently, but her body honestly shifted to the side, giving me enough space.

Jin Wanliang ignored our bickering; all his attention was focused on the set of purple clay teaware in front of him.

As a businessman who was well-versed in this art, he was very skilled at brewing tea.

After rinsing the teaware with boiling water, he carefully scooped out a small amount of curled tea leaves from the blue-and-white porcelain jar and put them into the purple clay teapot.

As boiling water was poured down, a very rich aroma of tea instantly filled the hall on the third floor.

"Here, have a taste."

Jin Wanliang poured the clear, bright tea into the small porcelain cups in front of us, a smug look on his face.

"This tea is a sip of tea, and every sip is one less. You two are lucky to have this tea today."

I picked up the small porcelain cup, held it to my nose and sniffed it gently, then took a small sip.

The tea has a slightly bitter taste upon first sip, but then a sweetness spreads down the throat, and its unique fragrance seems to cleanse the lungs.