CHAPTER 579: CHAPTER 576: THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT! [SECOND UPDATE]

Cheng Hai squeezed forward and asked Yuan Jin’er, "Jin’er, where shall we dine?"

Yuan Jin’er did not answer but instead looked towards Li Chen like a little bird relying on someone.

Clearly, she wanted him to make the decision. Wherever he said to go, that’s where they would go.

Another boy named Zhang Dong looked somewhat displeased and chimed in, "Let’s go to Dengfeng Restaurant!"

Before Zhang Dong could finish speaking, a girl cried out in surprise.

"Dengfeng Restaurant is the best restaurant around Shaolin Temple. Just one good vegetarian meal there costs over ten thousand yuan. It’s said that a few years ago, the Emperor of Russia visited Shaolin Temple and dined there. Rumor has it that one must reserve a seat at least a week in advance!"

Zhang Dong was dismissive and said, "That’s other people, not us, Young Master Cheng. You might not know, but Cheng Hai’s uncle is the owner of Dengfeng Restaurant. What kind of seat can’t we get?"

Cheng Hai had a modest smile on his face, but the sense of pride between his brows was unmistakable.

Moreover, he deliberately gave Yuan Jin’er and Li Chen looks of boastful pride.

However, Yuan Jin’er wasn’t looking at him at all, her attention stayed on Li Chen the whole time.

As for Li Chen, his mind was on Shaolin Temple.

This time, not only did he plan to retrieve the "Demon Puppet Secret Technique" from the Chen Family, but he also intended to take the Eighteen Copper Men with him.

According to the Chen Family, the Eighteen Copper Men used by Shaolin Temple as temple guardians were crafted using the Demon Puppet Secret Technique and were invaluable treasures.

Since he was already entering a treasure mountain, how regrettable would it be to not take them all?

Seeing Li Chen seem distracted, Anjin quietly asked him, "Li Chen, shall we try the local specialties, the Shaolin vegetarian dishes?"

Li Chen snapped back to attention, nodded, and said, "Whatever, I’m fine with anything!"

Cheng Hai secured a top-quality private room through his uncle’s connections.

Although the decor here wasn’t as extravagant and luxurious as other five-star hotels, it triumphed in elegance and tranquility. Moreover, it was all built in an ancient style, giving one the feeling of being in a bygone era.

Before long, exquisite dishes were served.

To show off his wealth in front of Yuan Jin’er, Cheng Hai ordered a tableful of dishes. Carp Leaping Over Dragon Gate, Peony Swallow Dish, Pan-fried Tofu, Emerald Fish Slices, Lotus Seed Sea Cucumber, Fruit Juice Dragon Scale Prawns—a whole host of disparate items.

Despite most of these dishes sounding like meat dishes, they were all vegetarian sǔzhāi made from fiber and starch. Even the frying oil was imported vegetable oil, containing not a trace of meaty smell.

The drinks were also vegetarian, which just meant beer and fruit wines with very low alcohol content.

Cheng Hai went on and on about various historical aspects of Shaolin Temple, showing off his extensive knowledge.

Several girls were starry-eyed over him, bombarding him with questions.

However, Yuan Jin’er merely smiled politely. Most of the time, she tried to chat with Li Chen about their elementary school days.

But Li Chen adhered to the principle of "Eat without talking, sleep without speaking" and was mostly indifferent, occasionally responding with a "hmm."

Still, Yuan Jin’er was excitedly gesticulating with joy.

Such a stark contrast fueled Cheng Hai’s inner sense of nameless rage to flare up.

"You’re Li Chen, right? Don’t just focus on the food. How about we brothers have a drink together?"

Li Chen knew they wanted to get him drunk but didn’t mind. He directly picked up the beer in front of him.

At that moment, Cheng Hai suddenly stretched out his hand, placed it on Li Chen’s arm, and said with a smirk,

"Don’t, man. That’s vegetarian wine, something monks and women like to drink. We are real men, we drink strong spirits, 60-degree sorghum baijiu. What do you say?"

Hearing Cheng Hai’s words, Zhang Dong and the others watched Li Chen, expecting to see him make a fool of himself.

Cheng Hai’s family was in the hotel business; he had been drinking Moutai and Wuliangye since he was young and could be said to have been raised in a vat of liquor.

A regular boy would get dizzy after half a bottle of baijiu, but Cheng Hai could easily down two or three bottles straight from the bottle, no problem.

Faced with Cheng Hai’s deliberate provocation, Li Chen was willing to take on the challenge.

"Sure, I don’t mind!"

"Spoken like a real man, I’ll go get the drinks!"

With that, Cheng Hai walked out the door.

Though Dengfeng Restaurant mainly offered Shaolin vegetarian cuisine, it also had a variety of liquors, catering specifically to tourists from Northeast China and the fighting nations.

It wasn’t long before Cheng Hai returned carrying a case of baijiu. Each bottle held one jin, twelve bottles in total.

And at their table, there were only nine people in total, just four boys including Li Chen.

Looking at the situation, Cheng Hai seemed determined to drown Li Chen in liquor, intent on making him embarrass himself.

Cheng Hai opened two bottles of white liquor, pushed one in front of Li Chen, and kept one for himself.

"Brother, I’m downing mine first!"

Before his words even hit the ground, he started chugging directly from the bottle.

Only to hear "glug, glug" a few times, and a 500ml bottle of white liquor was already bottomed out.

Seeing this scene, many boys and girls all watched in shock.

Keep in mind this is high-proof liquor, not beer, and certainly not plain water.

Li Chen just smiled faintly, and also drank the white liquor in front of him down to the last drop.

After Cheng Hai finished drinking, it was clear to see he was affected; his face was flushed and burning hot.

In contrast, Li Chen was still calm and composed, as if nothing was affecting him.

"It’s still the most satisfying to drink white liquor!"

While talking, Li Chen opened another bottle. Just like drinking water, he guzzled it down with "glug, glug" sounds.

Seeing this incredible scene, even Cheng Hai was so shocked he was left with his mouth agape.

Blowing through two bottles in a row, is this guy even human? He’s like a drinking immortal!

Li Chen saw Cheng Hai frozen there and raised his eyebrows, saying, "Why have you stopped? Keep going!"

Cheng Hai gritted his teeth and began to chug the second bottle.

Halfway through, his head felt extremely uncomfortable, as if it were about to explode.

Yet even so, he gritted his teeth and poured the entire second bottle into his belly.

The moment he put down the bottle, his body swayed from side to side, nearly collapsing onto the floor.

Zhang Dong and others rushed up to support him.

"Cheng Hai, Cheng Hai, are you okay?"

Cheng Hai steadied himself and waved his hands continuously, saying, "It’s fine, just drank a bit too fiercely!"

Zhang Dong and Li Dong exchanged glances, realizing that Cheng Hai alone couldn’t outdrink Li Chen. They devised a plan through their looks to take turns drinking against him.

Three cobblers can surpass Zhuge Liang, there’s no way three of us can’t outdrink you alone!

Zhang Dong thought to himself.

He picked up the bottle and said, "Hey, man, you can really hold your liquor. Here, let me drink with you!"

However, Li Chen didn’t reach out to take it, acting as if he hadn’t seen him at all, completely ignoring him.

Angered inside, Zhang Dong shouted, "Bro, what do you mean by this? If you don’t drink, it’s like you’re looking down on me, Zhang Dong!"

Li Chen shook his head and said, "No, no, no, that’s not what I mean. What I mean is, even if I did drink, I’d still look down on you!"

Zhang Dong was first taken aback, then quickly became furious.

Just as he was about to burst out, his feet suddenly slipped, and he lost his balance, falling face-first to the ground.

Seeing that the atmosphere was turning unpleasant, Yuan Jin’er and a few girls hurriedly stepped forward to convince them to drink less.

Since Cheng Hai couldn’t outdrink Li Chen in liquor, he came up with another idea, suggesting they play Truth or Dare.

In the Shaolin Temple’s Precepts Hall, there was a fruit orchard with ripe Arhat Fruits. Among the four boys, whoever could pick and bring back the Arhat Fruit first would be the winner, how about that?

The girls thought this was a great idea and echoed their consent. One girl even proposed a bet: whoever wins would make Jin’er his girlfriend.

To this bold suggestion, Yuan Jin’er didn’t refuse. Instead, she blushed and implicitly gave her consent.

She had seen Li Chen’s prowess in the apricot blossom forest, not to mention Arhat Fruit, even the Secret Manuals in the Scripture Pavilion were like taking something from a bag to him.

Hearing that there might be a chance to win the beauty’s favor, each of the boys pursuing Yuan Jin’er were as excited as if they had taken a stimulant, rubbing their hands together, eager to give it a try.

Li Chen couldn’t be bothered to play such a silly game with them, but he was planning to go to Shaolin Temple that evening anyway, so he casually agreed.

Of course, his goal was not some Arhat Fruit. It was the "Demon Puppet Secret Technique" in the Shaolin Temple’s Scripture Pavilion, and those eighteen Copper Men, forged through a thousand hammerings and a hundred refinements!