Chapter 1746: Did You Drink Too Much Fake Liquor?

"These people might be the real drunkards!"

Yun Xiao gathered his thoughts and sized up the crowd around him. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, for among them he had actually spotted several cultivators who had reached the Heavenly Realm.

Even though Nine-layered Dragon Cloud Holy Rank experts were said to be as common as dirt, every single Holy Rank expert could dominate a region—either as a Sect Leader or as the head of a clan—and they were by no means a common sight outside.

In a city within this kind of Northwest Territory, a Heavenly Realm expert was already something remarkable. Look at that Chief Liu Wenzong of the Ye City Emperor Palace—wasn’t he only at Heavenly Realm Late Stage?

Although the name of Drunken Immortal City was far greater than Ye City, within this city Holy Rank experts could not be seen everywhere either. As for Holy Rank Peak experts like Murong Sou, they were existences as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

Moreover, because Murong Sou’s identity was special, he absolutely could not appear before others as a Holy Rank expert; that would inevitably draw the attention of the Emperor Canglong Palace and might even bring about a fatal disaster.

"Hey, little brother, you’re quite young, but I can tell you’re one of our kind!"

Just as Yun Xiao was sighing inwardly, a voice suddenly entered his ears, making him turn his head in surprise. The speaker turned out to be a short, stocky man.

The man looked to be around forty or fifty, with two small eyes that gleamed with shrewdness, yet he also carried a kind of open, straightforward familiarity. Although he had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation, Yun Xiao didn’t feel the least bit annoyed.

"Brother, I wouldn’t dare agree with you on that. Since when does the Way of Wine distinguish between old and young?"

Without changing his expression, Yun Xiao cast a brief glance at the wine gourd hanging from the man’s waist, then gave a slight shake of his head. As these words left his mouth, the man was stunned for a moment, then a sharp gleam burst forth in his small eyes.

"Right, little brother, you’re absolutely right. It’s your elder brother here who was being narrow-minded!"

This man was clearly the familiar sort. After just two sentences he was already calling himself "your elder brother," yet his wholehearted agreement actually made Yun Xiao feel a bit more favorably toward him.

"I’m Lu Ye. How should I address my brother here?"

As if he had truly found a kindred spirit, the short, stocky man who called himself Lu Ye directly reached out and patted Yun Xiao on the shoulder, asking bluntly without the slightest restraint.

If Lu Ye really had harbored any ill intent, Yun Xiao would probably have kicked him away the moment he moved. It was precisely because he sensed there was no strength behind that outstretched hand that Yun Xiao allowed the pat to land without batting an eye.

"Yun Xiao."

Yun Xiao didn’t bother to hide his name. They were tens of thousands of li away from Ye City by now; this name would be utterly unfamiliar to the cultivators of Drunken Immortal City, so he didn’t care much.

What’s more, back in Ye City, Yun Xiao hadn’t revealed his real name. Even if those people from the Emperor Palace had heard it, they’d only take it for the name of some nobody.

"Good name!"

Just as the two words "Yun Xiao" left his lips, Lu Ye suddenly used more force and gave his shoulder another pat. His loud exclamation drew quite a few glances.

"Since you’re a lover of wine as well, why don’t we team up today? If we can taste the number-one fine wine at the Drunken Immortal Conference, this trip won’t have been in vain!"

Lu Ye didn’t bother with Yun Xiao’s slightly awkward expression and kept talking on his own. When Yun Xiao caught a certain key phrase, his expression couldn’t help but turn a bit blank.

"Drunken Immortal Conference?"

When this murmured question left Yun Xiao’s mouth, Lu Ye turned to him with a face full of disbelief, as if he couldn’t understand why the other would react like that.

"Brother Yun Xiao, you mean you don’t even know about the Drunken Immortal Conference?"

Lu Ye looked utterly astonished, pointing at Yun Xiao and crying out in surprise. He didn’t bother to lower his voice, so the exclamation drew a number of sidelong looks; some even cast disdainful gazes at Yun Xiao.

"I just followed the scent of wine here. I really don’t know what this Drunken Immortal Conference is. I’d like to ask Brother Lu to explain a bit."

Yun Xiao paid little attention to the many strange looks and instead spoke honestly. In fact, at this moment he really had grown somewhat curious about this so-called Drunken Immortal Conference, so he asked outright.

"The Drunken Immortal Conference is naturally a grand event held for drunkards like us!"

Lu Ye, unlike those people casting disdainful glances, actually seemed proud to call himself a drunkard. As he spoke, information about the Alcohol Immortal Conference flowed into Yun Xiao’s ears.

So it turned out that in Drunken Immortal City, the Drunken Immortal Restaurant held a Drunken Immortal Conference every year. To put it bluntly, it was where all sorts of brewing masters of Drunken Immortal City gathered, each presenting their own fine wines, though it wasn’t exactly a competition between these Brewers.

During the Drunken Immortal Conference, all kinds of wines would be presented, and then the drunkards who entered this Drunken Immortal Tower would taste them one by one. In the end, it was up to the drunkards to tell what background each wine had, or who had brewed it, and with what it was brewed, and so on and so forth.

Being able to taste all kinds of wine at the Drunken Immortal Conference was already a rare benefit for these drunkards, but what really made them flock here was still that final wine.

It was said that the boss behind the Drunken Immortal Restaurant was a Brewer who had reached the Holy Rank Level. The wine he brewed was utterly incomparable to the wines brewed by those Heaven Rank Brewers.

Ever since the first Drunken Immortal Conference opened decades ago, the wine brewed by that Holy Rank Alchemist had become a legend. To drink even a single mouthful was an incredibly rare Creation.

It was just a pity that every winner of each Drunken Immortal Conference, after tasting that wine, always kept their mouths shut. No one knew what that wine actually tasted like; they only knew it was an unparalleled peerless wine, rarely seen in the world.

And when, in a certain year, the winner of the Drunken Immortal Conference broke through directly from Heavenly Realm Middle Stage to Heavenly Realm Late Stage after drinking that Holy Rank Wine, the fame of that Holy Rank Wine completely exploded.

This was the meaning behind that sentence Lu Ye had just said. Only, given that he’d just broken through to Heavenly Realm Early Stage, such words, heard by others, were nothing but a huge joke.

To put it plainly, the Drunken Immortal Conference was actually just a wine-tasting contest. Even though what they were competing in wasn’t a Cultivator’s Meridian Qi Cultivation Combat Power, the test of eyesight, knowledge, and experience was undoubtedly far greater.

A Low Rank Cultivator might be able to taste that a certain wine was indeed extraordinary, but they might never have seen, or even heard of, the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures used to brew it. How could they possibly speak of the wine’s origin?

"So that’s how it is!"

After hearing Lu Ye finish explaining the Drunken Immortal Conference, Yun Xiao couldn’t help but nod. He now understood the essence of the Drunken Immortal Conference, and secretly thought that he’d stumbled in by accident, coincidentally entering this Drunken Immortal Restaurant on the very day the Drunken Immortal Conference was being held.

"That final Holy Rank Wine, could it be personally refined by Old Murong?"

Compared to Lu Ye, Yun Xiao knew a few more obscure things. It was just that without solid evidence, he wasn’t one hundred percent sure. Still, this counted as a pretty good opportunity.

"Well, how about it, Brother Yun Xiao? You look so young, I doubt you’ve had much good wine to drink in your life. Why don’t you team up with your big brother here, and we’ll take a gamble together on that Holy Rank Wine?"

A gleam flashed in Lu Ye’s small eyes as he spoke. His words made it sound as if he were lending Yun Xiao a hand, giving him a chance. If it had been an ordinary young man, getting such an opportunity would probably have made him wild with joy.

After all, a Cultivator who had reached Heavenly Realm Early Stage was already no weakling among this crowd of drunkards. What’s more, someone with high cultivation would surely have good knowledge and experience. Their chances of winning in the end would naturally be much greater.

Only, Lu Ye had no idea that the youth before him, who looked just over twenty at most, in fact had a Meridian Qi Cultivation far above his own. Even if there were ten of him added together, they might not be able to take a single exchange from Yun Xiao.

"I..."

"Haha, Lu Ye, I think you’ve been drinking fake wine till your brains are mush, wanting to cooperate with a snot-nosed little brat like this?"

Just as Yun Xiao was sensing Lu Ye’s strength and about to refuse, a loud laugh laced with mockery suddenly rang out, making him swallow the words that were about to leave his mouth.

The man’s loud laughter was not concealed at all, drawing quite a few gazes over. After taking a look, everyone’s expressions were different. As for Lu Ye, the faint smile that had been on his face a moment ago instantly turned dark.

"Yu Xu, you’re the one who’s been drinking fake wine, your whole damn family drinks fake wine!"

It seemed that Lu Ye and that middle-aged man called Yu Xu had some old grudges between them. But facing a Cultivator at Heavenly Realm Middle Stage, Lu Ye didn’t show much fear and immediately shot back with curses.

Once he said this, the smile on Yu Xu’s face also faded a bit. His gaze fixed on Lu Ye for a moment, then shifted to Yun Xiao, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"Kid, if you’re not drunk, I advise you to stay far away from this guy Lu Ye as soon as possible, lest you suffer a disaster out of nowhere!"

No one knew which nerve in Yu Xu’s head was miswired. What had originally been a grudge between him and Lu Ye was, in the blink of an eye, shifted onto Yun Xiao. Perhaps it was because this coarse-clothed youth had been acting so harmless all along?

Pitifully, Yu Xu had no idea what kind of existence he was provoking. He’d always thrown his weight around in Drunken Immortal City, and this coarse-clothed kid looked very unfamiliar. He was sure the boy definitely wasn’t a disciple of any great family or Great Sect.

Since Yun Xiao had suppressed his aura, how could a mere Heavenly Realm Middle Stage Yu Xu possibly sense his true Cultivation? It was precisely because of his ignorance that he planted a seed of annihilation for himself. Unfortunately, he had no idea, and was still here courting death.

"Brother Lu Ye, I think that proposal of yours just now wasn’t bad. If we really can drink that Holy Rank Wine, how about you and I split it fifty-fifty, half each?"