Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 542 Drinking Fight
The burly man growled, "Waiter, where have you been? Get up here!" As he spoke, he slammed his fist on the table, making it seem as if he was about to smash things up at the slightest provocation.

Upon hearing this, the waiter was afraid that the big man would go berserk and smash the shop to pieces. If the manager questioned him, he would probably be kicked out. So he quickly limped over to serve him, the red handprint on his face clearly visible.

The waiter asked with a forced smile, "What are your orders, Commander Zhang?"

The burly man glanced at Xiao Feng and snorted coldly, "Bring me a copy of everything on that table, exactly as it was."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across the waiter's face: "This..."

The burly man slammed his fist on the table and roared, "What are you talking about? I haven't shortchanged you on your money. If you keep this up, I'll knock out two of your front teeth!"

The waiter dared not offend the burly man, so he could only agree and go to make preparations. As he passed by Xiao Feng, he thought of Xiao Feng's possible status as an imperial envoy and also thought of the man's generosity, so he wanted to curry favor with him. He whispered, "Your Excellency, please do not provoke this scoundrel. He is the prefectural commander, in charge of all matters related to catching thieves and maintaining public order. Your Excellency, please do not provoke him."

Xiao Feng glanced at Zhang Tixia with interest, thinking to himself: This man is quite interesting.

Before long, all the food and wine were served and filled most of the table. The waiter then brought up two jars of sorghum wine, each weighing ten catties, one in each hand. He placed one jar on Xiao Feng's table and the other on Zhang Tixia's table.

The waiter said, "Please enjoy your meal, sir," and was about to leave when Zhang, the sir, grabbed his wrist, making him gasp in pain: "Sir, spare me! I haven't offended you at all!"

Zhang Tixia said, "Hehe, you dog, how dare you offend me, Old Zhang? Considering how attentive you've been, I'll reward you with a bowl of wine."

As he spoke, he shoved a large bowl of baijiu (Chinese liquor) in front of the waiter.

The waiter was nearly vomiting from the strong smell of alcohol and hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "Officer Zhang, please don't tease me. What kind of person am I? How could I possibly be worthy of Officer Zhang's great capacity for alcohol? The shopkeeper still has some tasks to tell me to do, so I dare not keep him company. Officer Zhang, please don't make things difficult for me."

Zhang the Constable glared at him with his bull-like eyes and said fiercely, "What? You dare not give your Grandpa Zhang face? Huh?"

Then a deep voice said leisurely, "This valiant man seems to be a heavy drinker as well. I wonder how much this waiter can drink? I, Xiao, love making friends all my life. Since I have met you today, it must be fate. How about we drink together from big bowls?"

However, Xiao Feng couldn't stand the way Zhang Tixia was making things difficult for the waiter, so he deliberately provoked him.

Zhang, already seething with anger, was immediately swayed by the waiter's obsequious manner towards Xiao Feng. He immediately assumed Xiao Feng was some kind of imperial envoy from above. Over the years, he had seen too many so-called officials who claimed to be loyal to the country but were actually using their positions to solicit bribes and abuse power. Seeing that Xiao Feng wasn't wearing official robes or accompanied by any attendants, he intended to pretend not to notice him while he was dressed in white robes and find a pretext to humiliate him. Unexpectedly, Xiao Feng had delivered himself right to his doorstep. Zhang was secretly delighted, thinking, "You big turban! I didn't bother you, but you've come to me willingly to pull teeth from the tiger's mouth. This time, I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

So he continued Xiao Feng's words, saying, "This gentleman is quite unfamiliar. I, Old Zhang, have lived in Yunzhou for many years, and I have never heard of such a person as you in Yunzhou. May I ask how you are addressed?"

Xiao Feng laughed and said, "All men are brothers under heaven, why bother with names? If you can get me drunk today, I will naturally tell you my name. If you can't hold your liquor, you'll get drunk and forget everything when you wake up, so what's the point?"

Xiao Feng laughed nonchalantly, not taking Zhang Tixia's previous rude behavior to heart at all. Zhang Tixia narrowed his eyes, sensing from the other man's demeanor that he was somewhat unusual today, and said, "Alright, since that's the case, then so be it. Let's have a drinking contest today."

Xiao Feng laughed and said, "Alright, that's great! Brother waiter, could you please bring another twenty catties of sorghum wine and another twenty large bowls?"

The waiter was overjoyed and hurriedly agreed. He went downstairs and soon returned with two jars of strong liquor and a stack of bowls. He quickly put them down and then slipped away.

Xiao Feng poured himself a large bowl of wine, raised the bowl, and said with a smile, "Today I will shamelessly act as the host. Cheers!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the bowl of strong liquor, which weighed more than a pound, in one gulp. Then, with a "crack," he smashed the bowl on the ground and shattered it. He actually started by drinking the smashed bowl liquor right away!
Zhang, the constable, was stunned. He never expected that this nameless giant would be so bold. Since the man had provoked the conflict first, he certainly couldn't afford to be outdone. He laughed and said, "Brother, your spirit is quite impressive. In that case, I'll risk my life to keep you company today! Cheers!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and gulped down the entire bowl of wine in a few big mouthfuls, then smashed the bowl on the ground, shattering it into pieces.

Xiao Feng laughed and said, "Brother, you're a straightforward person. Drinking bowl after bowl is too much trouble. Let's just have a hearty meal and wish for good luck. Scholars have a saying about passing the imperial examinations three times in a row. Although we don't want to be like those pedantic scholars showing off their knowledge, we might as well follow suit and drink three bowls in a row to pass the imperial examinations three times in a row!"

After saying that, he picked up a jar of wine, opened three large bowls in a row, and poured three full bowls of wine in one go. The wine spilled from the rim of the bowls, turning the tabletop into a wet mess.

Xiao Feng laughed and said, "I'll drink first as a sign of respect, please make yourself at home, brother."

Having said that, he drank the three bowls of wine in one gulp, like a whale sucking up water, with three loud popping sounds, like a string of firecrackers.

Zhang Tixia gritted his teeth, unwilling to lose in terms of momentum, and filled three large bowls with wine, drinking them all in one gulp.

After these four bowls, which is roughly equivalent to five catties of strong liquor, Zhang Tixia, despite his reputation for having a high tolerance for alcohol among his colleagues, was already quite drunk. On the other hand, the burly man in yellow opposite him remained calm and composed, chatting and laughing as if he had simply eaten five melon seeds instead of five bowls of strong liquor.

While admiring him, Zhang Tixia was also somewhat annoyed – for the first time in his life, he had actually been outdone in drinking capacity, how could he accept this?

So he slammed his hand on the table and said, "Again!"

Suddenly, a series of clanging and banging noises erupted upstairs, startling the waiters and other staff, who peeked out from downstairs to see what was happening.

Xiao Feng, however, remained calm and composed, occasionally praising Zhang Tixia's "good capacity for alcohol." Zhang Tixia, clutching a wine jar, paced around the entire building like a drunken ox, slurring his words, "You have a good capacity for alcohol, a real man! Why do you have to do such despicable things like those corrupt officials? What a waste of your good capacity for alcohol!"

Xiao Feng was taken aback, then laughed and said, "Brother, you misunderstand. I am not some imperial envoy who plucks feathers from a passing goose; I am merely a commoner in the martial world. I have only come into the city today to look for the whereabouts of a few people."

Zhang, the constable, was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "So that's how it is! So that's how it is! I, Zhang, have been worrying unnecessarily. He deserves to be punished, he deserves to be punished, hahaha!"