Chapter 265: Chapter 265

At this moment, there were sounds of movement in the room, and someone could be heard slowly putting on shoes before walking out.

Li Xianglu could see now that the person was an elderly man in his fifties, particularly short, less than 1.6 meters, severely thin, with his robe flapping around.

Qin Xi did not introduce the old man, and said to Li Xianglu, "Put down your backpack and that thing, then leave."

Li Xianglu frowned, thinking about leaving. What if Qin Xi was in danger? She couldn’t just run away, could she?

Qin Xi slightly smiled and said, "Don’t worry, Mr. Qi is very capable. I’m just here to watch."

At this moment a snicker came, "Put down the things and all of you leave!"

Seeing this, Qin Xi touched his nose and nodded at Li Xianglu.

Li Xianglu then reached into her bag to put the thing inside, the backpack sank immediately as something was placed in it. She carefully took it out, and Qin Xi quickly took it over and placed it on an empty table.

The two of them then left.

Qin Xi directly pulled her towards the middle of an open yard, and Li Xianglu hesitated, wondering if that man was alright?

Qin Xi, without stopping, pulled them to a spot fifty meters away and then stopped. Seeing Li Xianglu frequently looking towards the house, he reassured her, "It’s okay. Lao Qi studied bomb manufacturing in Germany in his early years. A timed bomb is far too simple for him." If he was so sure, why did they need to walk so far away? Li Xianglu raised her eyebrows in suspicion.

Qin Xi had a hard time explaining. While he trusted Lao Qi’s bomb-defusing skills, he couldn’t feel at ease about Lao Qi’s current personality. With his entire family gone and only him left, when Qin Xi first met him, the old guy made a rudimentary smoke bomb and stole meat from a food station, having scouted the route in advance. He grabbed the meat then disappeared through twists and turns. If it wasn’t because of previous knowledge about his residence in his last life, catching him wouldn’t have been so easy.

In short, his mentality was problematic, harboring resentment towards the country and society. Hence, Qin Xi worried that if Lao Qi made a rash move, what if he blew everybody up accidentally?

After waiting for about ten minutes or so, the door of the building opened, and Lao Qi appeared. Seeing the two people far away, he snorted in disdain and went back inside.

Qin Xi didn’t feel reassured. He went in first and asked Li Xianglu to wait. On the other hand, Li Xianglu felt pity for Lao Qi and conjured up a big pot of stew from nowhere. It contained crispy meat, meatballs, vermicelli with cabbage, and wood ear mushrooms with shiitake. This all had been prepared after the 15th as leftovers from balls and crispy meat were too many, and keeping them outside was not preferable. Li Xianglu decided to make them and store them in the Storage Ring. She could scoop out a bowl whenever hungry, and along with hot steamed buns, it was indeed a high-quality meal.

Thinking this, Li Xianglu also took out a bag of buns and went inside.

As Qin Xi was about to come out to call someone, he saw Li Xianglu coming in with the food-laden buns, he was startled for a moment then said, "You brought it."

Lao Qi, carelessly holding a large porcelain jar and drinking water, looked up upon hearing Qin Xi and immediately the aroma of meat wafted through, making him widen his eyes. Then he saw Li Xianglu coming in with a head-sized bowl, also holding a bag.

After putting it on the table, Li Xianglu smiled and said, "Mr. Qi, thank you for your hard work."

Lao Qi abruptly stood up and went into the adjoining room. Just as Li Xianglu puzzledly began to speak, she saw him already darting out, holding a small bowl and a pair of chopsticks, and sat down.

Lao Qi quickly ate the crispy meat and meatballs, tasting the vegetables continuously nodding, "Hmm, not bad, the food is delicious."

Qin Xi had always wanted to recruit Lao Qi, keeping him for future tasks, but this slick old guy was difficult, not taking the bait despite the benefits offered. Yet now, he was won over by a pot of stew, which was hard to accept.

The two sat there, watching the skinny old man devour a pot of stew and four buns.

Li Xianglu, astonished, said, "Old sir, haven’t you eaten tonight?"

Lao Qi shook his head and said, "I ate a bit, but compared to this food you made, it was practically pig swill. This is delicious, cooked in chicken broth, right?"

Li Xianglu relaxed a bit when food was mentioned, nodding her head, "Yes, an old hen’s frame simmered for four hours, making a particularly aromatic broth."

Seeing this, Lao Qi smiled, finishing off the little soup left at the bottom of the stew pot before wiping his mouth contentedly.