The banquet hall was not small. A large table was set, with Lu Fan occupying the head seat, and Hong Xiaojiao seated beside him. The four family heads acted as hosts. At another table nearby sat many influential figures from the four great families. Standing by the side of both tables were a dozen young beauties.
Although the dozen young beauties were not seated at the tables, their eyes were all fixed on them. They gazed at the legendary recruitment envoy, who was not much older than them, their eyes shining with a blue light. This young man was fair-skinned and quite handsome. Seeing Hong Xiaojiao chatting and laughing with Lu Fan as they ate and drank, everyone was filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
"Ahem! Esteemed Recruitment Envoy! Our Tai Chi families also have many girls with exceptional talent. Why don't you let them toast you with a few drinks, and perhaps you could offer them some guidance?" After two rounds of drinks, Wu Shifei, the head of the Wu family of Tai Chi, cleared his throat and said.
"Yes, yes! All of you, come over and toast the Recruitment Envoy. If the Recruitment Envoy is pleased and offers you some guidance, you will be fortunate for a lifetime!" Li Wangchun, standing nearby, directly beckoned the girls over.
Lu Fan felt a headache coming on. He knew these people must have thought he was a lecherous old man, having abducted Hong Xiaojiao from the Hong family. And then, within just a few days, Hong Xiaojiao had defeated a senior like Wang Hongcheng with just a few moves. Therefore, they were using this method to seek his guidance.
Hong Xiaojiao also raised an eyebrow. This time, she truly understood what was happening. It seemed they were trying to snatch her little brother! Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly stood up. "Esteemed seniors! I've received guidance from the Recruitment Envoy little brother these past few days, and I feel I've improved considerably. I believe my sisters are all exceptionally talented, and if they receive guidance from little brother, they will surely improve even faster than I, Hong Xiaojiao.
However, receiving guidance from little brother is not an easy feat. I will reveal a small piece of information to all my sisters now. If you want to receive guidance from the Recruitment Envoy little brother, you must be able to hold your liquor. How about this: let all the young ladies come over and drink. Those who can finish a bottle of baijiu without falling will stay. Perhaps little brother can offer some guidance!"
Drink a bottle without falling? What did that mean! Even a grown man might not have such a capacity for alcohol. The family heads immediately looked at Lu Fan.
Lu Fan smiled without speaking. Using Hong Xiaojiao's method to make them retreat was a good idea. After all, with so many people seeking favors, he truly couldn't afford to grant them. Even an ordinary Body Tempering Pill from Huarong Mansion could not be bought with money.
"Miss Hong! Can you drink a whole bottle?" Wang Shoutian suddenly looked up and asked in surprise.
"Of course! Alright, I'll drink with all the young ladies! However... I'm afraid it will cost Senior Wang a lot!" Hong Xiaojiao said, picking up a small bottle of baijiu from the table.
Wuliangye, Ba Fang Lai He, a two-liang bottle, priced around six hundred yuan. Hong Xiaojiao opened the bottle and bowed to the young ladies. "Sisters, I'll set an example!" Gulp, gulp, gulp... she downed it in one go.
The Wang family head swallowed hard. He waved his hand, and someone immediately brought over several cases of baijiu.
The young ladies standing nearby were instantly bewildered. Most of them did not drink, or did not drink baijiu. However... facing the expectations of their family heads and an opportunity to gain an advantage over others, the girls did not hesitate. Each of them picked up a bottle of Ba Fang Lai He.
Gulp, gulp, gulp...
Gulp, gulp, gulp...
...
All the girls drank the baijiu. However, as soon as they finished the alcohol, two girls immediately collapsed on the ground and were helped out.
"Recruitment Envoy little brother! All these young ladies have been standing here for a long time just to get your guidance. This time, you should join us for a drink! We can't let the young ladies come here in vain!" Hong Xiaojiao chuckled slyly, picked up a bottle of wine, and handed it to Lu Fan.
Being connoisseurs of fine wine, how could he sit here and chat with these old men? Besides, this wine was truly delicious.
"Young ladies! Here's a chance to get up close and personal with little brother. You can all come over for a toast." Hong Xiaojiao gave a mischievous smile, then clinked bottles with Lu Fan. Gulp, gulp, gulp... another bottle was finished.
Upon hearing that they could toast with the handsome, legendary recruitment envoy, several girls excitedly gathered around. Two girls even took the opportunity to stand by Lu Fan and refused to move. Perhaps it was due to the excitement of clinking bottles with Lu Fan, everyone tilted their heads back and gulped... a small bottle of baijiu went straight into their mouths.
Thump... Whether it was intentional or they were truly drunk, the two girls beside Lu Fan directly fell onto him.
Someone immediately came over and helped the two young ladies out.
Wu Shifei's eyes flickered. If he let the Hong family girl continue to ply them with drinks like this, all these girls would get drunk. So, he immediately raised his glass. "Esteemed Recruitment Envoy, I didn't expect Miss Hong to be such a valiant drinker at such a young age. Come, let us also toast you, and toast Miss Hong."
"Thank you, esteemed seniors! It is my honor to drink with you. I will drink first." Hong Xiaojiao did not stand on ceremony, tilted her head back, and another bottle of wine went down.
The family heads felt inferior. This girl drank like water. A young girl, three small bottles, six liang of wine, and she was fine after drinking it. It seemed they had to get this girl drunk first.
The Wang family head thought of this and looked back at the table below. His gaze suddenly fell upon Wang Fu. This young man was considered a rising star among the younger generation, and he had even sparred with Hong Xiaojiao today. Young people versus young people... The Wang family head immediately gave Wang Fu a meaningful look.
Wang Fu was quick-witted. Seeing his family head's gaze and the state of the girls beside him, he instantly understood. He stood up and walked over.
"Esteemed Recruitment Envoy, I was fortunate to spar with Miss Hong today, and I benefited greatly! I offer you both a toast as a token of my respect." Wang Fu respectfully opened two bottles of wine and handed one to Lu Fan and one to Hong Xiaojiao.
"Esteemed Recruitment Envoy, Miss Hong! I will drink first!" Wang Fu drank a bottle.
Lu Fan smiled slightly, but just as he was about to drink, the bottle was snatched by Hong Xiaojiao.
"Recruitment Envoy little brother cannot drink too much; he still needs to guide the young ladies in their skills. I'll drink this bottle for him!" Hong Xiaojiao said, then simultaneously poured the wine from both bottles into her mouth.
"Ah... refreshing!" Perhaps this time she truly felt exhilarated, and after drinking, she even shouted "refreshing!". The people around were all stunned. They had never seen anyone drink like this.
The four family heads exchanged glances and all signaled to their people. Those at the nearby tables understood and one by one stood up to offer toasts.
Hong Xiaojiao drank seven or eight more small bottles of wine, and her cheeks finally became flushed.
"Young ladies! They have finished toasting all their wine, but we still have ours left! Come, let's continue drinking!" Hong Xiaojiao called out to the young ladies beside her.
"You can still drink?" The Wang family head looked at the pile of empty bottles on the ground, his head spinning. This girl had drunk almost three jin herself. How did the Hong family produce such an eccentric girl?
After more than ten rounds, the dozen or so young ladies from the four great families were finally helped out. Hong Xiaojiao also slumped onto the table, drowsy, and fell asleep.
In a room of a large villa, Lu Fan carried Hong Xiaojiao to the bed, looking helpless. This girl knew her limit was three jin, yet she drank two more small bottles. The result was this.
"Little brother! Why... why aren't you sleeping?" Hong Xiaojiao suddenly called out, her eyes half-closed.
"Xiaojiao! Why did you drink so much? You knew you were getting drunk, yet you kept drinking." Lu Fan said, annoyed.
"I... if I don't drink a lot, how can you make a move?"