“That senior said there is a poem that goes: ‘Green ant wine, newly brewed; a small stove of red clay. As the evening sky threatens snow, won't you join me for a cup?’
This poem is about inviting a friend to drink together. Since she brewed this wine for her friends, she decided to call it ‘Green Ant.’”
“In that case, this wine is truly perfect for drinking with friends.”
Wen Xuan smiled freely and was the first to raise her cup. “Then, let us drink with friends.”
“That is perfect.” Mu Chenze stood up, clinking the outer wall of his jade cup against Wen Xuan’s.
“Count me in too.” Jiang Yao rose, his white jade cup lightly bumping against theirs with a crisp clink.
Jun Luo didn't say a word, but the hand holding his cup was exceptionally steady.
It was as if he were holding a sword, or perhaps, as if he were treating something very important.
Looking at the four white jade cups gathered together before him, he felt a warm current rise from the depths of his heart, so much so that even the presence of the ice spirit energy within him seemed to fade significantly.
His family’s rules were strict. Since childhood, his elders had taught him to be dignified, self-contained, upright, and observant of etiquette.
He originally possessed a high-grade ice spirit root, so ice spirit energy naturally gravitated toward him.
Later, when he began practicing the sword, his family’s teachings became even more rigorous.
Beyond etiquette, common knowledge, and the basics of cultivation, he was required to practice his swordplay every day without fail.
He didn't remember what his original personality was like; he only knew that over time, he had grown accustomed to such teachings, and he had naturally developed this reticent nature.
Coupled with the nature of his ice spirit root, he appeared even more cold and aloof.
He had originally thought that even after joining Xiaoyao, he would only maintain a polite distance from his fellow disciples—just as he had with his clansmen back home: respectful but not overly familiar, following the rules without being estranged, yet never crossing the line.
He hadn't expected that coming to Ruiyu Pavilion would lead him to meet such a group of young people with such distinct personalities, who made him want to draw closer without even realizing it.
Like ice and snow beginning to melt, a touch of warm greenery was blooming within his heart, which had once been filled only with boundaries and constraints.
“That senior said that any disciple living in the Cloud Residence in Tingfeng on Qixia Peak must be just like her—a child of only a few years who had just entered the sect.
This ‘Green Ant’ has a clear floral fragrance and lacks even a hint of alcohol, making it perfectly suitable for children of that age to sip.
After three months of brewing, the effects of the Spirit-Heart Peach blossoms are exactly doubled. The spirit energy in the wine is gentle, making it perfect for the Qi Refining stage.
In addition to this ‘Green Ant,’ she also researched other wine recipes for when the Spirit-Heart Peaches eventually bore fruit. Those new wines have a different flavor altogether.
She recorded both recipes into a jade slip and left it on the third floor of Book Peak, waiting for someone destined to find it.”
Gu Ningyun stood up after speaking and clinked her cup against the other four with a smile.
“I happened to find this recipe among the sea of books on the west side of the library’s third floor, and with all of you by my side, I’d say we are truly destined.”
When she finished speaking, the five of them looked at each other and smiled, raising their hands in unison to drain their cups.
The unique, elegant fragrance of the Spirit-Heart Peach blossoms drifted slowly from the cups, surrounding the five of them in a state of calm and tranquility.
After finishing the wine in his cup, Jiang Yao suddenly slapped the back of his head. “Oh right, there’s one more dish.”
Jiang Yao rearranged the dishes on the table, leaving an empty space right in the center.
Then he rummaged through his storage bag for a moment and pulled out a tiered food box the size of a clay pot.
“Let me tell you, the Qixia Peak dining hall just released a new slow-stewed old duck soup. It’s incredibly flavorful.”
As he spoke, he lifted the lid of the food box. “I happened to be at the dining hall before heading to the New Disciple Training Department.
Out of all the ducks there, I picked the fattest one. It’s guaranteed to be delicious.”
Unlike ordinary old duck soup, this slow-stewed version used a whole duck with the internal organs removed, stewed whole without being chopped into pieces.
The steaming aroma of the duck soup wafted over, and Gu Ningyun’s eyes fixed on it.
That back, that shape, that posture, that aura!
Her mouth dropped open as she pointed at the old duck lying in the center of the food box. “You, you, you... this, this, this...
Cold Consort, to think that after all these years, we would meet again like this.
I never thought that after everything, you would still end up on my dinner table.”
Jiang Yao was also startled by her sudden reaction, looking quite flustered.
“I... Ningyun, I didn't realize this was the duck you were observing!
Ningyun, look at it this way—the spirit beasts in the abode are specifically raised for food and haven't developed any intelligence.
You wouldn't start fasting or become a vegetarian just because of one spirit energy application class, would you?”
Gu Ningyun stared blankly for a long while as the aroma of the duck soup drifted straight into her nose.
She swallowed hard. “In that case... give me a duck wing.”
Wen Xuan covered her face with her hand.
...
The ten-day voyage passed in the blink of an eye during their meditation.
As the five of them disembarked from the flying boat, they immediately caught the distinct salty, fishy scent of the sea breeze.
Although cultivators were immune to heat and cold, the sudden blast of the sea breeze still made their bare heads feel a bit chilly.
Gu Ningyun raised her hand and pulled up the hood behind her.
A moment later, it was blown back down by the sea breeze.
Forget it, forget it.
The flying boat's landing point was on the edge of Donglin City near the coast, not far from the pier where maritime spirit ships docked.
“I collected some information on the World Forum earlier. They say the ships on this Cangzhou coast mostly belong to an organization called Four Symbols Shipping.
This shipping house was co-founded by the four largest sects in Cangzhou: the Changxuan Sect, the Hundred Flowers Sect, the White Moon Sect, and the Ten Directions Sect.
The sea routes taken by the spirit ships in this fleet have mostly been surveyed by the powerful cultivators of these four sects to avoid the great demons of the deep sea.”
Mu Chenze pointed his folding fan toward a spirit ship that was even larger than the Ruiyu Pavilion plaza.
“See those four symbols on the side of the ship? Just like our Xiaoyao cloud patterns, those four symbols—the braised lion's head, the big red flower, the tanghulu, and the sea urchin—are the sect emblems of the Changxuan Sect, the Hundred Flowers Sect, the White Moon Sect, and the Ten Directions Sect, respectively.”
What kind of analogy was that?
Gu Ningyun looked in the direction he pointed. The first emblem, belonging to the Changxuan Sect, was a solid brown circle.
Within the circle, various deconstructed ancient script structures were distributed in a peculiar pattern. At first glance, it really did look like a braised lion's head.
The second emblem, belonging to the Hundred Flowers Sect, was a lifelike, flaming red lotus that was both domineering and elegant. The description of a ‘big red flower’ was... well, simple and direct.
As for the third emblem, belonging to the White Moon Sect, rather than calling it a tanghulu, it looked more like red silk wrapping around a moon—a bright red ribbon winding beneath a clear, full moon, perfectly cradling it.
As for the fourth one, the ‘sea urchin,’ the emblem of the Ten Directions Sect perfectly matched its name.
Like the Changxuan Sect’s emblem, its main body was a circle, but the Ten Directions Sect’s circle was much smaller and hollow.
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