Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts-Chapter 369 - It’s Good That Brother Xu Knows His Limits.

Inside Pan Hai Tavern, Xu Ming and his two companions sat in a private room, having just ordered their dishes.

Xu Ming quickly realized that this tavern was quite unique.

The layout was exquisite—it exuded both a sense of luxury and an air of elegance.

But what caught his attention the most was the menu.

Unlike other taverns, which simply listed dish names along with their prices, this one featured paintings alongside each item.

The colorful illustrations, created with various pigments, made the menu vibrant and eye-catching.

Of course, compared to photographs from his past life, the artwork was lacking.

But still, it was a refreshing touch.

Even if the drawings weren’t particularly high quality, that didn’t matter too much. As long as they weren’t unpleasant to look at, they added to the dining experience—because eating out wasn’t just about the food; it was also about the atmosphere.

Seeing that the tavern was packed with patrons, Xu Ming figured that even if the food didn’t perfectly suit his taste, it certainly wouldn’t be bad.

After all, the general public’s preferences rarely lied.

No matter how good a restaurant’s marketing was, if the food was truly terrible, people wouldn’t come back. Instead, they’d spread complaints far and wide.

And in a place like this, with such an upscale setting, diners would naturally have even higher expectations for the food.

So, this tavern had to maintain a high standard to meet those expectations.

After placing their order, Xu Ming asked, “By the way, how did you two manage to book a private room? It can’t be easy to reserve one here, right?”

After all, these two were visiting North Sea Dragon Capital for the first time. They weren’t familiar with the city, yet they had managed to secure a private room.

Did they have some hidden connections in Beihai (North Sea)?

“Haha, Brother Xu, you don’t know the trick, do you?” Yu Wenxi grinned. “This place is difficult to book, but the trick is simple—we just reserved it early! I have a friend from Beihai (North Sea), and last month, when he was returning home, I asked him to book a private room for me. If we didn’t end up using it, no big deal—it would’ve been canceled automatically after half an hour. We’re not exactly short on coin.”

“I see,” Xu Ming nodded.

Miao Feng’s eyes flickered with thought before he spoke. “By the way, Brother Xu, I should mention—some of our fellow disciples from White Deer Academy will be joining us later for drinks. It’d be a good chance to introduce you to them.”

He added with a reassuring smile, “But don’t worry, they’re all easygoing people.”

Xu Ming didn’t mind. “Of course, that’s no problem. As long as they don’t mind having a rough guy like me around.”

He naturally trusted Yu Wenxi and Miao Feng’s friends.

After all, birds of a feather flock together.

He found their company enjoyable, so their friends were unlikely to be difficult to get along with.

Yu Wenxi chuckled. “Brother Xu, that’s where you’re wrong. If you count as a ‘rough guy,’ then what does that make the rest of us?”

Miao Feng nodded. “Exactly.”

Xu Ming smiled and raised his cup. “You two really know how to flatter me.”

“This isn’t flattery—it’s just the truth,” Yu Wenxi and Miao Feng said, clinking their cups with his.

Taking a sip, Xu Ming casually remarked, “By the way, aside from the two of you, I actually know someone else from White Deer Academy who came to North Sea Dragon Palace this time.”

“Oh?”

Yu Wenxi and Miao Feng perked up, instantly intrigued.

Was Xu Ming finally going to say her name?

“The one I’m talking about is Uncle-Master Lu,” Xu Ming continued. “He came to see me last night for a chat.”

“???”

Yu Wenxi and Miao Feng had been eagerly waiting for a certain name.

But instead, Xu Ming mentioned... Uncle-Master Lu?

Hold on.

You don’t care about the women, but you’re paying attention to him?

More importantly, how on earth did Xu Ming even know Senior Brother Lu?

“Brother Xu, do you know Senior Brother Lu?” Yu Wenxi asked first.

Logically speaking, the two of them shouldn’t have much of a connection, since Xu Ming hadn’t even been to White Deer Academy.

“Your Senior Brother Lu and our Prime Minister Xiao from Wu Kingdom were classmates. And since Mr. Xiao is my mentor, that would technically make your Senior Brother Lu my uncle-master. He came over to my place last night for tea, and we chatted for a bit,” Xu Ming explained briefly.

“Haha, I see now,” Miao Feng laughed. “So, by that reasoning, since Mr. Xiao is from White Deer Academy and Brother Xu is his disciple, you could be considered a half-student of White Deer Academy as well. That makes us fellow disciples!”

Xu Ming nodded with a smile. “I suppose you could say that.”

“But Brother Xu,” Yu Wenxi hesitated before continuing, feeling the need to speak up, “it might be better if you kept some distance from Senior Brother Lu.”

“Hmm? Why?” Xu Ming asked, confused.

“This...” Miao Feng also paused, trying to figure out how to explain. “It’s mainly because Senior Brother Lu has a bad reputation. If you get too close to him, we’re concerned it could negatively affect your own reputation.”

Xu Ming furrowed his brow slightly. “Could you two explain this in more detail?”

“We’ve heard some things around White Deer Academy...” Miao Feng lowered his voice. “It’s said that Senior Brother Lu once abandoned a woman after starting an affair with her, and there are rumors that he even spied on female students while they bathed, and stole their underwear.” He paused before continuing, “In short, whenever there’s any negative gossip in the academy, it often ends up being linked to Senior Brother Lu.”

Listening to all this, Xu Ming wasn’t entirely convinced. After all, rumors were just rumors.

From what he’d gathered about Uncle-Master Lu last night, Xu Ming didn’t believe that Lu Xiaoliu was the kind of person the rumors painted him to be.

“So how did your Senior Brother Lu respond to all of this?” Xu Ming asked.

Miao Feng shook his head. “He didn’t say anything in response. It’s like he just accepted it. Every time we see him, he’s either mooching off food and drink, or out somewhere digging for wild herbs and fishing.”

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“Brother Xu,” Yu Wenxi added, “We’re not trying to say anything bad about him. It’s just that most people at the academy keep their distance from him, and we just want to make sure you’re aware of this.”

Xu Ming nodded, understanding their concern. “I know you’re looking out for me,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep my distance when needed.”

“Glad to hear that,” Miao Feng said with a relieved smile. “Now, let’s drink!”

Just as the three of them raised their glasses, a knock sounded at the door to the private room.