As soon as the wine was poured, many customers in the establishment began sniffing the air, trying to find the source of the fragrance.
“What a fragrant wine! Which distillery is it from?”
“Hiss, why does this scent smell a bit like the Wang family's ‘Immortal Drunk’? But it smells even more potent.”
“No, no, no, this is the taste of the ‘Immortal Drunk’ from over ten years ago—fragrant, crisp, delicious, and mellow—”
“Shopkeeper, find a messenger quickly and have him run to the Wang Family Distillery to send over a few jars of good wine! Damn it, my mouth is watering just from the smell!”
“Good wine, truly good wine!”
A group of people looked around, but seeing Nan Zhi and the other two sitting in the corner, they wanted to approach but didn't dare. Seeing the attire of Shen Luohe and Hua Xijian, they knew these were people they could not afford to provoke.
—Even if they couldn't recognize the uniform of a demon suppressor, they understood that the two before them were definitely not to be trifled with.
“Fellow Daoist Nan, drink up quickly. Xijian is quite stingy; usually, she won't even let me touch that precious gourd of hers.”
Shen Luohe raised his cup first and drained it in one gulp. Immediately, a red mist seemed to settle over his face.
“Today, I can consider myself lucky to have a taste thanks to you.”
Hua Xijian glanced at him indifferently, her face expressionless.
“Doesn't Senior Brother understand that alcohol interferes with work? A little is pleasant, but too much harms the body.
“Whether it is eating or drinking, one must practice moderation. You never remember the principle of ‘eat until seven-tenths full, drink until three-tenths drunk.’”
Nan Zhi's focus, however, was not on the wine. She smiled and asked Hua Xijian, “Fellow Daoist Hua, your gourd is quite exquisite. I am ignorant and have never seen such a thing before. I wonder, what kind of technique is this?”
Hua Xijian had a very high opinion of Nan Zhi. Although her face remained expressionless, there was a hint of closeness in her eyes.
“It is not a particularly powerful technique. Inside, there is actually a wine worm being raised. It is fed daily with fine wine. After over ten years, once the wine worm matures, it will spit out fine wine.”
“Though this worm isn't of much use, it is somewhat rare.
“These wine worms are born in the bitter cold of the far north, naturally appearing in pairs, one male and one female. My master, Daoist Qinglong, nurtured them for a long time, feeding them spiritual wine daily until he obtained two.
“These worms were originally a gift from Master, intended for my senior brother and me to each have one.
“The female worm was given to me, so the male worm naturally should have belonged to him.”
Shen Luohe, having finished his wine, squinted as he listened to the conversation and added casually:
“It's just that when I was traveling with Master years ago, we passed through a certain place and had no money for food. Master had no choice but to pawn that male worm to a wine lady.
“Since returning to the mountain to cultivate, Master has always kept this matter in mind. My junior sister and I came this time partly to search for the worm and resolve that old karmic debt for him.”
A wine lady?
Could they be talking about Wanniang?
Nan Zhi's heart skipped a beat, but looking at Shen Luohe's age, she dismissed the suspicion.
Wanniang died thirty years ago. The earliest Shen Luohe could have traveled with his master was ten or so years ago.
The timeline didn't match.
However, over ten years ago was exactly when the Wang Family Distillery began selling “Immortal Drunk.”
Could this be a coincidence?
But since it was their private business, she feared asking further might cause offense.
Nan Zhi didn't press the issue and simply invited the two to eat and drink.
The three were of similar age and cultivation level, and since the two suppressors had a good impression of Nan Zhi and intended to befriend her, the conversation flowed easily.
So, despite agreeing to only have a few drinks, they went through cup after cup, chatting about everything under the sun in high spirits.
As the alcohol took hold, Nan Zhi brought up the matter of the curse. She didn't say she was the one cursed, but claimed it was a friend.
Shen Luohe had a poor tolerance for alcohol and had already slumped over the table, his head resting on Hua Xijian’s shoulder. His eyes were hazy, and his dark brown eyes were half-closed as if he were thinking.
“A curse? I’ve heard the elders in the sect mention them. In the Ten Thousand Great Mountains of the south, a primitive land, there is the bloodline of Chiyou, divided into the Black and White Witches. The people there are proficient in witchcraft and especially skilled in curses.
“There is a Senior Brother Li in our sect who came from the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. I will send a message back immediately to ask him for you. I expect there will be a reply soon.”
“Really? Then I must thank you both. If a solution is truly found in the future, I will certainly provide a proper reward.”
Nan Zhi was pleasantly surprised.
She hadn't expected that after only their first meeting, this pair of senior and junior would not only reveal so much information but also be willing to help find a way to break the curse.
They were truly speaking deeply despite being casual acquaintances.
“Don't mention it.”
Hua Xijian’s face bore the same flush as her senior brother’s as she said slowly:
“Senior Brother Li loves to study curse techniques and is a helpful person. I'm sure he will be willing to assist.
“In the future, we will all be comrades in the Demon Suppression Division; we should naturally look out for one another...”
Hua Xijian gave Shen Luohe’s head a nudge as it lay on her shoulder.
The latter blinked, his eyes finally regaining a bit of focus as he murmured like he was talking in his sleep:
“The Shouzhou City God will take office in a few days. Fellow Daoist Nan killed the painted skin first and then slew the demon tiger, protecting the peace of the region. Even when the City God takes office, he will owe you a favor.
“Since Fellow Daoist Nan is joining our Demon Suppression Division, I expect this new City God will show us some leniency for your sake in the future...”
The City God is taking office?
The position of the Shouzhou City God had been vacant for a long time, with no sign of a successor.
Reasonably speaking, the appointment of a City God was enfeoffed by the Heavenly Court, with divine officials choosing the candidate. Who would become the City God and when they would take office should only be known by the heavens.
Yet the Demon Suppression Division was privy even to such classified information?
At that moment, a sudden roll of muffled thunder echoed in the sky.
Hua Xijian reached out and firmly pinched Shen Luohe’s mouth shut.
“Senior Brother, you are drunk.”
Shen Luohe seemed to realize what he had just said and tapped his head with the ribs of his fan.
“A slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue. I was just babbling after a few drinks. The appointment of a City God is a secret; how could a lowly demon suppressor like me have any right to speak on it?”
Nan Zhi was quick on the uptake and pretended she hadn't heard a thing, smiling as she took another sip of wine.
“I see that Fellow Daoist Shen is indeed drunk. Why don't you take him back to rest first, Fellow Daoist Hua? We can talk more tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
Hua Xijian agreed calmly. Her eyes were clear as she stood up straight, and then, in the next second, she walked face-first into one of the establishment's pillars.
The pillar seemed to tremble from the impact.
Nan Zhi: “...”
Young lady, you are also quite drunk.
Looking at Shen Luohe, his condition was no better.
“Ohhh! Fellow Daoist Nan has an incredible tolerance!”
Shen Luohe suddenly stood up and shouted as if experiencing a final burst of lucidity, then immediately fell straight back down, covering his face with his fan and breathing steadily.
He had actually fallen asleep.
Nan Zhi looked at Hua Xijian, then at Shen Luohe.
So much for prestigious sects being disciplined and upright, or demon suppressors being swift and decisive.
The illusion was completely shattered.
Before her were simply two drunks.
“If you can't handle your liquor, don't drink so much.”
Nan Zhi sighed and stood up resignedly. Carrying one over each shoulder like a pair of pigs, she brought them back to the inn.
—If she had to be partners with these two in the Demon Suppression Division in the future...
Nan Zhi was already starting to worry about her future.
Rate on N.U.
