Chapter 31 : Drunken Night
31: Drunken Night
Fu Peibai chose a moderately priced tavern. Afraid Old Man Wen would be too embarrassed to order much or pick expensive dishes, she let Ding Yi order what he liked, then added a few more dishes herself.
When the food finally arrived, Old Man Wen clicked his tongue. "This is too much, Little Bai. How can the three of us possibly finish all this?"
"No worries. If we can't finish, we'll pack it up and eat the rest later." Fu Peibai waved for the server to bring a jar of good wine, poured cups for Ding Yi and Old Man Wen, then filled her own. She raised her cup and announced, "Come on, long time no see. Let's toast."
Old Man Wen was a bit surprised. He raised his cup while saying, "Little Bai, I remember you couldn't really hold your liquor before. Now look at you, acting like quite the seasoned drinker."
"That's right, Little Bai," Ding Yi added. "The wine we drank back then was just mild rice wine. What you ordered here is strong liquor. I can barely handle it myself."
Fu Peibai smiled and downed it in one go. In this early autumn season, warmth spread through her entire body. "Speaking of which, I have Uncle Wen's junior disciple to thank for this. Brother Meng Yan trained me well. He's someone who loves alcohol more than life itself. Every few days he'd drag me off for a drink. After a few months of that, my tolerance really improved."
"By the way, Uncle Wen. Brother Meng is your junior disciple, so which sect were you both from originally? How come you've never mentioned it?"
Old Man Wen's chopsticks paused mid-reach, but he quickly recovered his composure and said casually, "Ancient history, ancient history. Better left unmentioned."
Fu Peibai didn't press further.
By the end of the meal, all three had drunk quite a bit. Reunited after so long, hearts full of joy, they all felt the night wasn't long enough. Five or six empty wine jars had piled up beside the table. Only when the tavern was about to close did the three finally leave, arms draped around each other's shoulders, walking in crooked lines.
The late night streets had grown quiet. The early autumn wind carried a bleak chill. Fu Peibai walked in the middle, with Old Man Wen on her right and Ding Yi on her left. The three leaned on each other, eyes bleary, mumbling incoherently.
They swayed the whole way, unable to walk a straight line. It took nearly half an hour to finally make it back to Old Man Wen's courtyard. After Fu Peibai had left Xingyang, Ding Yi had moved into the herb storage room, so now there was nowhere for her to sleep. Although Old Man Wen repeatedly insisted that he and Ding Yi would share a room and let Fu Peibai have the herb room, she refused and insisted on returning to the inn.
By the time she left, snoring already echoed from inside the room. She smiled to herself and slipped into the night.
When she returned to the inn, all the lights had long been extinguished. She was already dizzy and couldn't see the path beneath her feet clearly. Now the main hall was pitch black. She had taken just two steps when she kicked a stool. The stool scraped against the floor tiles with a harsh screech.
She didn't dare move again. She crouched down, feeling her way forward like a blind person, fumbling around until she finally found the stairwell. Holding the handrail, she made her way up. At the landing, she reached forward again. Instead of the hard stair railing, her hand touched soft fabric. She pulled back and asked thickly, "Who's there?"
"You certainly enjoyed your drinking."
That voice. No matter how drunk Fu Peibai was, she could never fail to recognize it. She felt a flutter of happiness and asked groggily, "Peak Master?"
Lu Yanran remained silent, so Fu Peibai kept talking to herself. "Peak Master, it's so late. Why haven't you rested yet? Go to sleep, go to sleep. You need to sleep more. Only when you sleep well can you eat well. You never eat properly. Look how thin you are. How can that be okay?"
After finishing her rambling, her mouth felt dry. But she still had so much she wanted to say to Lu Yanran. Just as she was about to continue chattering, Lu Yanran spoke.
"Are you drunk?"
All the words bottled up in Fu Peibai's chest caught in her throat. She suddenly forgot what she'd wanted to say. She gripped the stair railing and tilted her head back, trying to see Lu Yanran standing one step above her, but no matter how she blinked, she couldn't see clearly.
"Not drunk. Just drank a bit too much. Not drunk... drunk."
Hearing these mumbled words, Lu Yanran furrowed her brows slightly. She reached out, her fingertips brushing Fu Peibai's cheek. Burning hot.
Fu Peibai was startled by the sudden touch and froze there. Even though her mind wasn't entirely clear right now, this skin-to-skin contact still made her heart flutter. The cool, comfortable sensation against her face made her murmur involuntarily, "Feels nice."
But the next moment, that hand suddenly withdrew.
In the darkness, Lu Yanran's voice was firm. "You are drunk."
Fu Peibai felt a bit unhappy. Not because of those words, but because the cool sensation on her face was gone. She said with a hint of petulance, "Not drunk. I said not drunk means not drunk."
Lu Yanran pressed her thin lips together, thinking she shouldn't argue with a drunk person.
"Then let me ask you. What number is this?" She held up one finger, waving it before Fu Peibai's eyes.
Fu Peibai only saw a faint white shadow moving in the darkness. How could she see clearly? She reached out and grabbed Lu Yanran's finger, mumbling, "Stop waving it, Peak Master. I'm dizzy."
Lu Yanran didn't pull her hand back. The youth was only loosely holding it, not making her uncomfortable at all. In fact, the other's feverish palm warmed her entire hand considerably.
Neither spoke for a moment. Finally, Fu Peibai grew tired of standing. She let go and plopped right down onto the stairs.
"Why sit there? Go to sleep," Lu Yanran said softly.
Fu Peibai slowly climbed to her feet, her head spinning. Even holding onto the stairs to walk was difficult. After a moment, she felt someone loosely supporting her arm, then she was guided all the way into her room. Before she could process the feeling, Lu Yanran tossed her onto the bed.
The mattress was soft. She lay there, sleepiness immediately overwhelming her. But she vaguely felt reluctant about something. After thinking hard, she suddenly sat up and shouted, "Peak Master!"
Lu Yanran was startled by this sudden resurrection. She cleared her throat. "What is it?"
After shouting, Fu Peibai deflated again, falling back onto the bed. Her voice was weak. "C-can you stay with me for a while?"
After a brief silence, she almost thought Lu Yanran was going to refuse. But the next moment, she heard a soft "Mm."
Her mind cleared considerably. Though she couldn't see Lu Yanran's face clearly, just being able to stay with her on such a quiet night was enough to satisfy her completely.
Time passed bit by bit. Lu Yanran's legs began to ache from standing by the bed, yet the person on the mattress showed no intention of speaking. She thought, surely she hasn't fallen asleep? Did she ask me to stay just to watch her sleep? Thinking this, she spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction. "Fu Peibai?"
"Here!"
Good heavens. Not only was Fu Peibai not asleep, she responded immediately, sounding positively energetic.
"..."
Lu Yanran felt a bit helpless. She wanted to say she was leaving, but the words wouldn't come out.
The two passed another while in silence. Finally, Fu Peibai spoke. "Peak Master."
"Mm?"
"I was very happy today."
"I can tell."
"Don't you want to ask why I'm happy?"
Lu Yanran felt like she was talking to a three-year-old. Helpless yet somewhat amused.
"Then why are you so happy?"
Fu Peibai raised the corners of her mouth in satisfaction. "Because today I went to see two old friends. One is a young man a few years older than me called Ding Yi. The other is an elderly uncle called Wen Xuefeng. Ding Yi is a beggar, but he has a kind heart. If he hadn't helped me, I wouldn't have found the inn where you were staying. Uncle Wen is also a very good person. His medical skills are amazing. The two of them are the best people I've met since leaving Huailiu Village. But now, Peak Master is. Peak Master is the one who treats me best."
Lu Yanran asked softly, "Do I treat you well?"
"Well!"
"Then what if I treat you badly in the future?"
Fu Peibai answered without a trace of hesitation. "It doesn't matter. Peak Master doesn't need to always treat me well. After all, treating someone well is a tiring thing. From now on, I'll be the one to treat Peak Master well instead."
These words were entirely too childish, yet Lu Yanran didn't laugh. She gazed at Fu Peibai with complicated eyes, silent for a long time. After a while, she finally spoke indifferently. "Go to sleep."
But Fu Peibai didn't want to sleep yet. She wanted to hold onto this rare moment. So when Lu Yanran was about to leave, she summoned all her courage and grabbed her hand.
The moment their palms touched, both froze. Fu Peibai suddenly realized what she had done and yanked her hand back.
"S-sorry, Peak Master. I, I didn't mean to."
After a brief silence, Lu Yanran spoke. "It's fine."
"You, stay a bit longer. Just a little while." Fu Peibai couldn't see Lu Yanran's expression and could only plead cautiously.
Lu Yanran didn't speak, but she didn't refuse either. She went to fetch a chair and sat down gracefully. The answer was self-evident.
Fu Peibai secretly rejoiced. She turned onto her side to face Lu Yanran, contentedly watching the blurry silhouette in the darkness.
But as she stared like that, both the alcohol and drowsiness attacked together. Her eyelids drooped several times before finally closing.
Because her stomach was uncomfortable from the alcohol, she didn't sleep deeply. She slept lightly, and soon was pulled back into that familiar nightmare.
In the dream, she wailed and roared, clawing at her chest like someone possessed. Just as she struggled in extreme agony, a call seemed to come from somewhere far away.
"Fu Peibai!"
She woke with a start, eyes wide, panting uncontrollably. When her pupils focused, Lu Yanran's slightly anxious face appeared before her. She couldn't see the other's features clearly in the darkness, couldn't even tell if this was dream or reality.
She reached out with trembling hands and touched Lu Yanran's cheek, her voice shaking as she sought confirmation.
"P-Peak Master?"
Lu Yanran didn't pull away from her hand. She asked softly, "It's me. Did you have a nightmare?"
Fu Peibai's throat worked. Cold sweat covered her head, and tears still stained the corners of her eyes.
"Peak Master, I... I..." She choked up, unable to form a complete sentence.
Lu Yanran frowned deeply and comforted her softly. "There, there. It's passed. Everything in dreams is fake. This moment right now is real. I'm right here in front of you. Didn't you touch me?"
Fu Peibai gave a small "mm" and pulled her hand back, turning away. She curled herself into a ball, her body trembling uncontrollably. After a moment, she made suppressed whimpering sounds like a small wounded animal.
Outside the window, the moon shone bright and stars were sparse. Nightingales sang, and a sweep of autumn wind passed by. Inside the room, the youth's suppressed and painful crying fell like a heavy hammer, striking Lu Yanran's heart again and again.