“Who exactly is the third person?”
Xiao Chengyan couldn’t suppress his curiosity and pressed for an answer.
“Qiu Baisheng. A true Earthly Immortal.”
Hearing this, even Chen Zui couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
The Earthly Immortal Realm.
That was the pinnacle of martial arts in this world.
It was also the so-called Third Rank realm.
Everything below this realm was considered the Second Rank.
Currently, while the human race’s martial arts flourished, only thirteen people had managed to reach this realm.
Grand Zhao had five, while Grand Shuo had eight.
In other words, this person was one of the top five martial artists in the entire Grand Zhao Dynasty!
The two masters, He and Liu, mentioned earlier were indeed Grandmasters of their generation, but compared to this man, they truly fell short.
Against He and Liu, the old Sword Attendant—who had reached the peak of the Second Rank years ago after unsheathing his sword for Sword Immortal Shen—might still have a fighting chance.
But before this Earthly Immortal, that senior Sword Attendant likely had no chance of victory at all.
“I have said all I can. In short, Luoyan City will not be peaceful for the next few days. Please consider your options carefully.
“If you change your minds, please stay for a few more days.
“This shop will not charge you a cent during your stay. Consider it my way of reaching out to make friends with you all.”
“Then we shall thank the shopkeeper,” Chen Zui said with a smile.
“Please, help yourselves.”
Shopkeeper Zhou exited the private room.
Before long, the table was laden with steaming dishes.
Xiao Chengyan stared at the spread, swallowing hard.
The braised beef on the plate was sliced with uniform thickness, its marbling distinct, drizzled with a layer of glistening sesame oil.
The red-cooked Yellow River carp weighed at least three jin, its body marked with cross-cuts, and the thick sauce clung to the spoon.
There was also a pot of steaming mutton, the broth a milky white, with goji berries and red dates floating on top, the aroma wafting straight into one’s nose.
He quickly grabbed a piece of beef with his chopsticks and chewed twice.
“This beef has been braised just right.”
Next, he scooped a spoonful of mutton soup into his mouth, closing his eyes to savor it for a long moment before letting out a long breath of white steam.
“The soup is fresh and the meat is tender; it’s truly excellent. It even has the flavor of our Grand Shuo.
“This Shopkeeper Zhou is a truly honest man!”
“He is indeed very honest. Look at this wine—mellow on the tongue and sweet on the finish. It has been cellared for at least three years,” Chen Zui remarked.
On the other side, Chen Zui couldn’t wait to pick up the wine jar, pouring it into a porcelain bowl and draining it in one gulp, clicking his tongue in praise.
Sitting opposite them, Ye Zhibai had yet to touch her chopsticks.
She watched Chen Zui drain bowl after bowl of wine until she finally couldn’t help but speak up.
“You still have the heart to drink?”
Chen Zui’s hand, holding the wine bowl, paused in mid-air as he looked at her in confusion.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Did you not hear what Shopkeeper Zhou said?”
Ye Zhibai’s voice was very low, yet she couldn’t suppress the anxiety within it.
“There is an Earthly Immortal in Meng Huaiguang’s entourage. Do you know what that means?”
“What does it mean?”
Chen Zui picked up a piece of mutton and stuffed it into his mouth, speaking with casual indifference.
Ye Zhibai was choked by his attitude, her chest heaving twice before she managed to steady her breath.
“That is an Earthly Immortal! There are only five in the entire Grand Zhao Dynasty! If this is true, I fear Senior Sword Attendant is in grave danger.”
“And so?”
“And so you can still stomach wine?”
Chen Zui set down his chopsticks and finally looked Ye Zhibai directly in the eye.
“Even if I put down this wine bowl right now and sit here with a long face like you, will that make that Earthly Immortal go away?”
Ye Zhibai was stunned.
“Since it won’t, why shouldn’t I drink?”
Chen Zui picked up the wine bowl again.
“Why let this fine wine and food go to waste?”
Ye Zhibai glared at him, finally squeezing out a sentence after a long pause.
“You truly are carefree to a fault.”
She thought she already understood this man’s way of doing things well enough.
Yet every time, he managed to say something unexpected.
Chen Zui didn’t mind as he poured himself another bowl.
“Besides, what do the affairs between those big figures have to do with us?”
At this, Ye Zhibai pursed her lips.
“True. However, this is a rare opportunity, and I must go to Luoyan City. After all, besides Senior Sword Attendant, there is also that Sword Saint from the Liu Family.
“If I am fortunate enough to seek guidance from them, it will surely be of great benefit to me.
“As for A-Man... no, Prince Xiao, if he wants to return to Grand Shuo, he must pass through Luoyan City.
“I will escort him for the remainder of the journey.”
Chen Zui gave a slight smile.
“Who said I wasn’t going to Luoyan City?”
Ye Zhibai froze.
“I am going to comprehend the Way of the Sword, and he is returning to Grand Shuo. But you—what is your reason?
“Didn’t you come to see the border scenery?
“When can’t you see the border scenery?”
Chen Zui smiled. “I’m going to get Little A-Man’s father’s saber back for him.”
“Is it worth it?
“If you move against Meng Huaiguang, never mind his father—even the three experts sent by the imperial court won’t stand idly by.
“With our current strength, I fear we couldn’t even withstand a single strike from them,” Ye Zhibai said anxiously.
The corners of Chen Zui’s mouth curled slightly as he took a sip of wine.
“I don’t believe these people would truly be willing to bear the infamy of ‘bullying the small’ just for the sake of a Meng Huaiguang.
“Even if they do act, they will surely know when to stop.”
“You’re that certain?”
Ye Zhibai frowned.
But she had to admit, Chen Zui’s analysis did have some merit.
These Martial Arts Grandmasters cared most about their reputations.
They would never deal a lethal blow to someone of a lower realm, lest they be criticized by the world.
“But Meng Huaiguang is the Young Sect Master; there will surely be sect elders protecting him.
“Those people won’t care about their reputations.
“Are you truly going to take this risk?” Ye Zhibai asked, still worried.
“Miss Ye, what do you think determines the beauty of a place’s scenery?”
“What determines it?”
“People. It is the people who live in that place.”
“Nonsense,” Ye Zhibai grumbled.
Chen Zui took out another porcelain bowl, filled it with wine, and handed it to Ye Zhibai.
Ye Zhibai said, “I don’t drink.”
Chen Zui smiled. “How can a swordsman not drink?”
“I am a woman.”
Chen Zui sighed.
“They say youth knows not the taste of sorrow, and women even less so.”
Hearing this, Ye Zhibai snatched the wine bowl and tilted her head back, draining a large gulp.
The liquid burned as it went down her throat, making her frown and bringing tears to her eyes from the sting.
Chen Zui burst into laughter.
“What are you laughing at!” Ye Zhibai glared at him in annoyance.
“Well? Is it good?”
“It is absolutely wretched.”
“Then you’ve got it. That is the taste of sorrow.”
Ye Zhibai was slightly taken aback.
She seemed to understand a little why the man before her never let a wine jar leave his hand.
At the thought, she inexplicably took the initiative to pick up the wine bowl and took another sip.
This time, she didn’t choke.
As the alcohol took effect, a faint flush appeared on her cheeks, adding a touch of worldly warmth to her usual icy demeanor.
This taste... didn’t seem so bad after all?
Seeing this, a layer of sorrowful mist actually surfaced on Chen Zui’s habitually uninhibited and free-spirited face.
“A man lives for a generation, just as grass and trees live for an autumn.
“Without wine...
“How could this world possibly hold the many sorrows of the mortal realm?”
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