Chapter 23: The Scorpio Palace

Who would’ve thought that he would meet her again so soon when he returned to the past.

Gu Qing Shan’s mood immediately became much better, completely forgetting about Madame Su.

The sunglasses man also stood up and shook Gu Qing Shan’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Feng Huo De, you can call me Feng, or Huo De, either is fine”

“Nice to meet you too”

Gu Qing Shan looked a bit at this man.

His name seems familiar, but he only remembered that he died quite early on, not the specifics.

It’s fine, there’s no need to worry too much about that anyways.

“Before anything else, let’s first have a drink”

Gu Qing Shan went behind the bar, looking at the liquors on the shelf.

At this very moment, his aura completely returned, back to the time of Apocalypse, back to when he was a Great Sword Saint that did everything frankly, back to the supreme commander of a nation’s greater-than-a-million military force.

Feng Huo De looked a bit at Gu Qing Shan, whispered: “This is going a bit off-script, do we follow the plan and persuade him, or directly kidnap him?”

Anna stared at the young man before her, then again at the liquor bottles, silently answered, “Let’s wait for a bit, see what he wants to do”

As the two of them spoke, Gu Qing Shan had already taken quite a few bottles out, turning around and placing around 6-7 of them on the bar.

“Not yet, not enough”

He mumbled, then walked back and forth to pick out a few more bottles, then finally stopped.

“Good brother, what exactly are you doing?” Feng Huo De couldn’t help but ask.

Gu Qing Shan looked at him for a bit, then took out three glasses from under the bar and answered: “This is this life’s first meeting, we have to have a toast to celebrate”

“Not a bad idea” Anna was interested.

A hobby outside of work.

The Queen of the Apocalypse loved to drink, and she especially loved cocktails.

In the past life, there was once a bartender that used his own creation called “The Scorpio” and became her favorite, he almost became her first every boyfriend too.

But it was “almost” because he didn’t succeed.

Because she died.

Gu Qing Shan at the time, spent two days and nights constantly moving, hoping to save her, but in the end he didn’t make it, only able to come close enough to see the world rending flames from afar.

She used the last bit of her power to bring with her an almost endless horde of demons to the grave.

Gu Qing Shan shook his head, calmed his emotions and began to serious craft the cocktail.

Three minutes later.

A blood color cocktail was in front of Anna.

The cocktail swirled like a burning flame, but as you looked carefully into the core of the flame, all you could see was the darkness of the abyss.

Anna looked down at the cocktail, then up at Gu Qing Shan.

“Drink”, Gu Qing Shan’s mouth lifted, trying his best to smile.

“What is this one called?” Anna picked up the glass

Gu Qing Shan looked at her, answered simple: “The Scorpio Palace”

This is the result that came from his improvement of if after he drank “The Scorpio”.

His masterpiece, a drink made with the best of his abilities in honor of her.

“Why is it called that?”

“The Scorpio has a palace, around it the stars converge as guards, an undying star in the sky”

“What a… dumb way to explain it”

Anna scoffed, but unconsciously, all the pain and suffering of her past few years all resurfaced at once.

Lifting the glass, she drank it all in one gulp.

Bitter. Intense. Burning.

Destruction. Loneliness. Sadness.

Finally, a deep lingering hint of sweetness.

Having closed her eyes for a while, Anna opened them again and looks at Gu Qing Shan in surprise.

“I like you”, she said.

“Your Highness!” Feng Huo De stood up shouting.

“Really? Then let’s go with a glass of Blood Thirster next” Gu Qing Shan looked down, not letting her see his face, his hands quickly crafting the next cocktail.

In a few moments, two more glasses are made.

A light toast, as the both of them drank it down in one gulp.

“You’re not a bad person huh!”

Anna joyfully laughed, slapping Gu Qing Shan on his shoulder.

Gu Qing Shan knocked her hand off, sincerely asked: “Don’t make a scene, I also have a glass of Hell’s Flame here, are you drinking or not?”

He couldn’t help it, he felt an urge to make all his creations in the past 10 years for her.

Anna eyes almost seemed to gleam in delight, then neatly sat down: “I’ll drink!”

Staring intently at the young man quickly mixing the drinks behind the bar, she asked: “However, the name Hell’s Flame, why have I never heard it before?”

“This is my new creation, only made in the past recent years”

As Gu Qing Shan spoke, he has finished a glass of mixed alcohol with ice and slid it over.

Anna took it, as she lifted the glass to have a look, all she saw was an intense, silent black.

Tilting her head upwards, she once again finished it all in one gulp.

“How strong, seems like your mood must’ve been not so good in the past few years” Anna licked her lips, commenting.

Gu Qing Shan lightly laughed, not saying anything.

Feng Huo De on the side was panicking, not knowing what to do.

Originally this was to pry some secrets from the Confederate, as well as stealing some talents away, but the talent hasn’t even come over yet and they might possibly have already lost their princess.

Gu Qing Shan also took notice of his mood.

“No need to worry”, Gu Qing Shan said as he gave him a bottle of whiskey: “We’re simply drinking here, business can be seriously discussed when business time comes”

Feng Huo De took the bottle, his face unconvinced: “Hah! I’m not hopeful”

On the other side, Anna put down her glass and was carefully observing Gu Qing Shan again.

Suddenly, a PING noise.

And again, repeatedly.

The three of them all took a look to see it was Gu Qing Shan’s phone.

Gu Qing Shan took out his phone, placing it on the table to look.

“Confederate citizen Gu Qing Shan, you are under suspicion of murder, please stay right where you are, law enforcers are on the way”

“Student Gu Qing Shan, because of your involvement in a murder case, as well as reported for theft by multiple nobles, Chang Ning County Nobles Private School hereby officially announce your expulsion”

The light on the phone then turn off.

Gu Qing Shan just sat there, as still as a statue.

“Whoa, that’s too bad” Anna tapped his shoulder a few times “but don’t be discouraged, there’s always an obstacle in life, come with me to the Empire, I guarantee you’ll receive the highest possible treatment, no, how about I personally grant you a title of Baron instead?”

Seeing Gu Qing Shan not responding, Anna again spoke: “There seems to be quite a few people outside, how about you let me take care of them for you?”

Feng Huo De opened his eyes wide, looking at her Highness the princess in shock.

The cold and distant princess herself would treat a man like that?

The hell!

Don’t tell me this brat really is going to seduce their princess away!

Gu Qing Shan suddenly laugh, then spoke slowly: “I really just wanted some peace and quiet you know”

Outside, the deafening sound of police sirens rang.

A huge commotion.

Voices, footsteps, even the sound of shuttle engines, getting closer and closer to the bar.

Gu Qing Shan stood up and said: “I had even hoped to join the examinations, entering a University, to finally fulfil one of my regrets”

A bow suddenly appeared in his hand out of thin air, as well as three quivers full of arrows on his back.

Holding the bow, he went towards the bar door.

With every step, his body almost seems to glow a bit more.

As he stood at the door, opening it, a flowing invisible aura surrounded his whole body, a pure gleaming light seem to be there.

Just like a sword out of its sheath.