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It was around seven in the morning. A narrow beam of light, unobstructed by the curtains, sliced through the dimly lit room, dividing it into two halves.
Still groggy from last night's drinking, Harry blinked his eyes open. The vodka that Big Ivan had brought was strong, no doubt, but good liquor never leaves you with a headache after a night's sleep.
Feeling refreshed, Harry instinctively stretched, but the moment his eyes landed on the sleeping beauty beside him, he couldn't resist reaching out. With a satisfied sigh, he hugged the body pillow in his arms and drifted back into a light doze. His internal clock told him it was still early—plenty of time before the scheduled meetup. Even if he left at eight, he'd make it on time.
Huh? Why does something feel… different today?
Noticing the unusually smooth texture under his hand, Harry carefully lifted the blanket ever so slightly. Using the faint morning light, he peeked beneath it.
Black stockings? While sleeping?
Wait a minute! Did I miss something exciting last night?
What exactly did I do yesterday? Or rather…
Did I, by any chance, get carried away with the alcohol and suggest some kind of roleplay before bed?
And Fleur actually agreed?!
So… did it happen or not?!
A quick glance confirmed his pants were still on. Harry sighed, half in relief and half in disappointment.
Guess not.
Damn it.
His mind now running wild after spotting the stockings, Harry couldn't help but let his imagination spiral. Even though his uncle—ahem, his father-in-law—had mentioned that in France, girls could marry as early as fifteen, pushing things too soon could easily land him in trouble. The mere thought of that ominous, censorship-inducing force was enough to extinguish any reckless ideas.
Still… these stockings are really smooth! But if we're talking about texture, I actually prefer over-the-knee cotton socks. Especially the part where they transition from firm elasticity to soft, smooth fabric. That slight roughness followed by a sudden shift to silkiness—it's like the first ray of dawn breaking through the night, leaving you in awe.
"Too bad it's summer… no over-the-knee socks around."
"What over-the-knee socks?" Fleur stirred slightly, feeling ticklish from Harry's murmuring. She blinked at him in confusion. "I think I brought some. Why?"
"Put them on!"
Harry's eyes lit up as he abruptly flipped the thin blanket off of her. In the dim light, he confirmed that Fleur had fallen asleep last night without changing into proper sleepwear.
"Why—Mmph!"
Before she could finish her question, her words were muffled. A long moment passed before she managed to free herself, cheeks tinged pink as she lightly punched Harry in the chest.
"Go brush your teeth. You stink."
"And the over-the-knee socks?"
"I'll go find them. For breakfast, I want soup dumplings."
"Consider it done! I'll go put in the order right now!"
Fueled by the promise of an irresistible reward, Harry's energy surged. To cool himself down, he powered through ten sets of deep squats—with twelve and a half tons on his back.
The other early risers training in the gym watched in stunned silence, their eye muscles twitching. It wasn't like they hadn't seen people squatting heavy weights before. But usually, feats like this were reserved for Pandaren—naturally powerful beings.
Humans?
Even among body-focused cultivators, being able to squat six and a half tons purely with raw strength was already considered a monstrous feat. Twelve and a half tons? Normally, someone attempting that would at least activate a pressure burst technique.
But Harry? Not even a grunt. No pressure burst, no aura flare—just casual warm-ups.
"Well, well, look who's back! Our little booze monster is at it again!"
Just as Harry was about to head to the nearby internal restaurant for a little extra breakfast, a familiar voice rang out.
"Well, well, look who it is! Our little booze monster!"
Harry, still half-focused on the two steaming baskets of meat buns in front of him, looked up in confusion. The oversized, thin-skinned buns were just the right size—he could easily devour one in a single bite.
"What booze monster?" he asked, puzzled.
"You and that big drinker—the Russian—drank so much last night that the entire building could hear you! And yet, you actually managed to wake up alive and can still walk around like nothing happened!"
Xiong Dezhen gave him a big thumbs-up. "Unbelievable! Absolutely insane!"
"My old man once told me about a time when he went to the village entrance and single-handedly drank five men under the table! If that's not some kind of booze demon, I don't know what is."
"And you? You survived drinking with him and still came out walking? That makes you the little booze monster, no doubt about it."
"Well…" Harry wiped the condensation off his forehead before setting the now-empty steamer trays aside. "No big deal. In two months, Uncle Ivan and I have another drinking match. I'll make sure to drink him under the table and get revenge for all of you!"
"Good man!"
Xiong Dezhen clapped Harry on the shoulder. "You gotta come visit my village sometime. That house in the village entrance? I'll make sure to keep it open for you. And if you do manage to drink him under the table, I'll have Grandfather Village Chief dig out his secret stash of fine liquor for you. Back in the day, the five big brothers my dad defeated in that drinking contest? That was their stash! If not for the youngest of them barely managing to hold on, their whole family's honor would've been ruined!"
"Wait a second…" Harry glanced at Xiong Dezhen with a skeptical look. "Is your village chief chosen based on who has the most kids?"
"Well, duh. How else would we pick?" Xiong Dezhen rolled his eyes. "You think we're gonna fight for it? 'If you don't have kids and I don't have kids, Panda Village will have no people!' That slogan wasn't just for show, you know? If not for that policy, my old man wouldn't have been able to marry my mom! But honestly, it's really hard for Pandaren to have children with other bearfolk. That's why I'm the only black-furred one in the whole village."
Their conversation drifted into various amusing tales of Panda Village, making for an entertaining meal. With such juicy gossip to accompany his food, Harry managed to polish off another two trays of buns before leaning back with a satisfied burp, just in time before eight o'clock.
"By the way, Blackie, you know who that guy is?"
As the two strolled toward the meeting point, Harry nodded toward a lone figure ahead of them—the same cold-faced young man who had glanced at him yesterday.
"Him?" Xiong Dezhen scratched his chin, smacking his lips before nodding. "Of course I know. He's famous. Half a year ago, he came down from the mountains, and people started calling him some 'Innate Sword Embryo' or whatever. They hyped him up like crazy. I even asked my second uncle about it, and he said all that 'Innate Sword Embryo' nonsense is just for fooling people. But this guy is a born swordmaster, no doubt about that. His qi has an extremely high metal attribute concentration. Honestly, other than elemental beings, he might have the purest qi of anyone around."
"He's got a ton of flaws in other areas, but when it comes to the sword, he's a perfect fit. You'll run into him soon enough anyway."
Xiong Dezhen patted Harry's shoulder. "Then you'll understand what I mean by peacocking. Flashy as hell, but damn strong. Even if I fought him, he'd still be a pain in the ass."
"Peacocking? A… peacock?" Harry muttered, feeling like the metaphor wasn't quite right.
"See that sword case on his back?" Xiong Dezhen leaned in and whispered into Harry's ear, "That thing is worth half of the Southern Gate. It's a national treasure. The same sword case carried by the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal when he fought his last battle at Jianmen Pass."
"His name is Li Jiannan, the current chief disciple of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect. He's eighteen, just started university this year. Little Booze Monster, don't you go losing to him before you even have the chance to lose to me!"
Xiong Dezhen grinned, a flicker of battle spirit flashing in his eyes.
"But I don't want to lose to anyone."
Harry grinned back. With an opponent like this, he might finally get the chance to fight without holding anything back.
(End of Chapter)