Daoist Master of Qing Xuan

“Liquor is like a knife. It cuts your throat as you swallow.”

‘Fire Blade’ was a type of spirits. It was also an inexpensive alcohol.

Normally, people would think that good liquor was expensive while cheap liquor was low-quality alcohol. But that was not necessarily true. Liquor was generally not something good so there’s no such thing as good liquor.

Shen Lian would drink once in a while too but he usually would drink the ‘Lvyi’ rice wine. That type of rice wine was low alcohol content.

The taste of spirits hitting your throat sure was not a good feeling. Furthermore, Fire Blade was the type of alcohol with high alcohol content.

Shen Lian was not taking sips and instead was gulping down bowls of it. If one were accustomed to the gentle side of him, they would not believe this bold drinker was, in fact, Shen Lian. Bai Yufei too was surprised.

He was the one who bought drinks and peanuts for Shen Lian.

That was all he could afford with his wages.

Although Shen Lian owns the place and he could have easily requested for any dishes, Shen Lian only wanted the wine and dishes prepared by Bai Yufei.

Bai Yufei too felt the same.

“I’ve never thought you would drink so boldly.” Bai Yufei patted Shen Lian’s shoulder with a hint of drunkenness. It was not his first time drinking with other people but it was a different ball game drinking with Shen Lian. Shen Lian possessed a special kind of charisma that would give people around him a peace of mind. If he became a friend, he would definitely be the person one can rely on.

Bai Yufei was usually more cautious when he drank with other people. But with Shen Lian, he believed that everything would be fine. This was Shen Lian, the one and only Shen Lian in this universe.

“Am I not a bold person?” Shen Lian replied tipsily. Although slightly intoxicated, his eyes were still sharp and clear.

“Nope, you are not!” Bai Yufei laughed.

“Then what about you?” Shen Lian asked.

“What?” Bai Yufei was showing signs of intoxication. Next to his feet lined ten earthen jars of liquor. If any ordinary person consumed ten earthen jars of liquor, he would be totally wasted.

Bai Yufei was still able to stand strong. His practice of Qinggong had helped him keep his balance although he was drunk.

“I was asking, are you a bold person?” Shen Lian increased his volume and this time Bai Yufei heard him loud and clear.

“I am someone who is afraid to be bold,” Bai Yufei laughed again. When you’re drinking you would think that you’re speaking in a loud voice but that’s not necessarily the case. However, Shen Lian was able to hear his answer crystal clear.

Shen Lian patted Bai Yufei shoulder without saying anything. At this point, there was nothing much left to say. All they could do was drink.

Shen Lian was in fact drunk.

Jokes and plans for world domination could not beat one good night of heavy drinking.

Drinking at his inn with his employee.

Bai Yufei had no hidden intentions or so. All he wanted was to drink with Shen Lian. That was also why Shen Lian agreed to drink with him.

The reason why Shen Lian was not a very bold person was due to his insecurities.

Bai Yufei, on the other hand, was actually a very bold person. But he did not have many friends and that was why he was afraid of being bold. He knew that once the thrills of being bold were over, there might not be any other opportunities for him to be bold again.

That night, the two men were drunk to their core.

It was already noon by the time Shen Lian opened his eyes.

That was the first time in the two years where he woke up late. He did not manage to sleep well as the hangover kicked in.

He drank way too much the night before.

Bai Yufei collapsed by the time he hit the 12th earthen jar. At that point, Shen Lian was still partially sober.

By the time Shen Lian passed out, he did not know how much he had drunk.

He too was not aware that Bai Yufei was not the only one who paid for the drinks. Steward Wu contributed to the bill too.

The bed was soft and comfortable but the weather outside was unforgivingly cold.

During days like that, a majority of people would just stay in bed.

There was a popular saying that went, “why sleep for so long when you can sleep forever once you are dead.”

However, Shen Lian was one of the minorities.

When he walked down to the lounge of the inn, Bai Yufei had already reported for work. He looked hard working as usual and no one could tell that his real identity was actually a world-famous thief.

The higher you soar, the more you would enjoy the down-to-earth feeling.

Bai Yufei’s martial arts skills were not top-notched but Shen Lian believed given ten or twenty years, Bai Yufei would peak.

It was a pity that he had no fate with the road to Dao. But that was not something worthy to be sad about.

There were just way too many people who were fated to be part of neither Dao nor Jianghu. Instead, they lived an ordinary life.

Steward Wu handed Shen Lian an invitation. It was an invitation to Shen Ruoxi’s poetry gathering.

A purple invitation signified an honorable invitation.

A poetry gathering by Shen Ruoxi was big news to the city.

Entertainment was limited during the bitter winter. Initially, Shen Ruoxi only invited a couple of familiar faces to her gathering. Who knew that it would turn out to be a hit among people?

The plum blossom appreciation and poetry gathering were held at the manor of the Shen residence. Horse carriages filled the roads, a huge crowd turned up for the party.

From talented men, beautiful women to wealthy merchants, there were, however, no sights of commoners.

The type of people who would be bored during winter were not commoners who were busy making a living.

Poor people would not have first world problems such as being too bored due to the lack of entertainment. When one was poor, a slice of meat or a glass of wine was the highest form of enjoyment.

Shen Ruoxi was from a wealthy family. In her lifetime, she would never understand poverty.

Young girls were generally poetic. But young girls from a poor family had no choice but to suppress their poetic intention.

Shen Ruoxi was very fortunate. She could compose her own poem or she could just get someone to write one for her.

The Qing State had always been a place that lacked literature. By the time the party ended, no one heard of anything impressive. However, everyone present was in good mood.

“The plum blossoms thrive in the wintery forest,

Not mingling with the plums and peaches to be reduced to secular;

Suddenly, the refreshing fragrance permeates through the night,

It scattered became the new spring of the world.”

The poem was recited deliberately but it did not mask the elegance of the poem.

The crowd’s face changed color when they heard the poem.

A couple of scholars could not help but bow down to this poem that was destined to spread through the ages.

The charm of this poem lies in the meaning that goes beyond border, class and even culture.

A man’s nature was good at birth. It was the materialistic approach to life that caused people to be vain and calculative.

The charm of a song of a thousand years old lies in its ability to bring out the good in humanity.

Shen Ruoxi stood on the stage with a veil covering her face. She saved this poem for the last.

The settings of the poem were quiet and calm. Even though people have memorized the poem, Shen Ruoxi could not help but feel a sense of loss after hearing for the second time.

She felt that she knew a little bit more about her cousin now.

Unfortunately, Shen Lian was not by her side. Her eyes scanned the crowd and she could not find him among the audience.

She did not notice someone waved to her and disappeared into the winter night.

The twelfth month of the lunar year came to an end. Spring was to approach soon.