Chapter 957 - 428: Song of Drinking, Mysterious Teaching? Gaining the Treasure Bow, Perfect Form!

Chapter 957: Chapter 428: Song of Drinking, Mysterious Teaching? Gaining the Treasure Bow, Perfect Form!

Li Xian lightly tapped the wine jar, producing a hollow muffled sound. The jar was already half empty, presumably sneakily drunk by the old wine man. The guard discovered him, feeling furious and wishing to strike him dead on the spot.

He couldn’t help but recall the numerous antics of the old wine man, strange and comical, difficult to figure out yet amusing. Li Xian has always been cautious and perceptive, realizing early on that the old wine man must be capable, and thus established a good relationship with him. Today, however, he acted out of generosity, dissipating wealth and disaster without selfish calculation or ulterior motives.

He was simply carefree by nature, momentarily curious about the old wine man, expressing himself freely.

The old wine man got up, chuckling, and said, "Good hero, good hero, thank you for your help. Since you said you’d invite me to drink, this wine jar is really heavy, why don’t I hold it for you?"

Li Xian thought, if this wine jar were in your hands, wouldn’t it be gone in an instant? He laughed and said, "It’s not heavy, it’s not heavy, this wine smells so good, let’s discuss it once we’re out of the tower."

The old wine man gulped, glancing longingly at the wine jar, then followed Li Xian out of the Silkworm Dream Tower, continuously urging, "Good hero, we’ve met now, you have risen high, blessed with good fortune, so why not let this old man savor a sip right here."

Li Xian wondered, "You recognize me?" The old wine man exaggeratedly said, "Oh, what’s there to recognize or not? With such heroic demeanor, how many in the world can match that? Even though you’re wearing a mask, with one glance and a turn of the eye, you’d surely be Hero Li. You’re called that something... something..."

Li Xian announced his name. The old wine man slapped his thigh, raised his thumb, and shouted, "That’s right! It’s Hero Li, Li Yingxiong. Hehe, can I try this wine?"

Li Xian said, "Wine master, with all this calling me master and hero, I’m really not worthy. See that mountain top? It’s high there, with a good view, perfect for drinking wine. Let’s go to the mountain top to drink."

The old wine man’s craving was relentless; he loved wine immensely, his very core filled with wine bugs. One day without touching wine, his whole body felt like being sliced by knives. Since entering Jade City, he had visited several taverns, drinking their privately brewed fine wine, tasting all kinds of wine aromas. Truly a paradise on earth.

A few days ago, he set his sights on Silkworm Dream Tower. Upon hearing new fine wine was made in there, he sneaked in. Before he could taste it, he smelled the blissful aroma, but was discovered and thrown out of Silkworm Dream Tower. But after this encounter, he couldn’t just let it go, so he sneaked in again.

This time, he took his chance and successfully drank more than half the jar. His mouth cravings were thoroughly satisfied, and he should have felt gratified. Yet, he was greedy for wine, and if he couldn’t finish the remaining half, he’d feel vastly displeased, leading to sleepless nights. So he shouted, "Okay, okay! This old man will risk it all." He rolled up his sleeves and dashed toward the mountain top.

Upon reaching the mountain top, the scenery was splendid. Though it was night, below were thousands of towers, lively with red lights and green wine, and afar, gentle lamplight shimmered. Above were twinkling stars and a bright moon hung in the sky. He didn’t feel it dark at all.

Li Xian kept his promise, unsealed the wine jar, and poured two bowls of fragrant wine. After one sip, he felt the wine’s aroma was exquisite. The wine was very rich, its fragrance piercing directly into the head, with a wisp of white smoke wafting up from his head.

His palms and soles felt scorching.

This was "Five Peaks Towards Heaven Wine." The old wine man hurriedly gulped it down, feeling comfortable as the wine bugs in him were soothed, closing his eyes in enjoyment. It was as if he experienced tremendous joy. Although Li Xian wasn’t particularly fond of wine, he enjoyed good wine. His wife once told him, "If a man can’t drink wine, no matter how brave he is, he’ll lack heroic spirit." However, she also reminded Li Xian not to become infatuated with wine and turn into a wine drunkard.

Li Xian had faced countless life and death situations, and wine relieved his stress. He immediately poured another bowl and drank heartily. The old wine man saw this, too immediately poured another bowl and drank heartily, fearing he might miss a sip.

The old wine man suddenly said, "No, no! Drinking like this will only ruin the good wine." Li Xian wondered, "How should it be drunk then?"

The old wine man said, "Watch!" He took out a small cloth bag from his tattered clothes, its opening tied with hemp rope. He carefully untied the rope, revealing a bag of coarse salt inside.

The old wine man said, "Ah, you’re lucky, my master skills are all revealed to you now. Come! Pour two bowls of wine."

The two bowls were filled to the brim. The old wine man pinched a bit of coarse salt, sprinkling it over the wine. Then his eyes roamed around, spotting some light green grass. He grabbed it, rubbed it in his palm, blew away the debris, and with a firm squeeze, extracted its juice, dripping it into the two bowls of wine.

The old wine man delightedly said, "Not done, not done, don’t rush!" He eyed again, saw yellowish fruits on a distant tree. He climbed up, picked them, split them in half, and extracted the milky white ants inside.

He threw the ants into the wine, discarding the fruit. The old wine man raised a bowl of the wine, smiling, "Taste it, taste it." Li Xian hadn’t tried such bizarre methods, but with a cheerful smile, rolled up his sleeves and said, "Then I’ll risk my life to accompany the wine drinker."

He cautiously tasted a sip first; the flavor was quite peculiar. The grass juice was raw, the white ants sour, mixed with faint fruit aroma, the coarse salt tangy, several flavors combined with the wine’s rich fragrance. There was a complex variation, a chaotic feeling of both fragrant and foul, good and bad.

Li Xian savored it carefully, then took another sip. This wine wouldn’t easily intoxicate him, but with such arbitrary matching and reckless mixing, it made him slightly dizzy, vaguely feeling a bit tipsy. Body intoxicated but mind clear, very unique.

The old wine man secretly observed, pondering to himself, "Eh? Not drunk yet? Could it be a wine expert?"

Li Xian sensed there might be a deeply hidden trick among this, but being naturally open-minded, tonight he was purely drinking, not for anything else. If he inquired, he’d spoil this wine pleasure. So he simply drank, without extra talk.