Chapter 264: Annihilate Their Clan
“But I’m not much of a drinker. I can’t handle very much.”
She rarely drank. She had only picked up the habit recently on Celestial Mountain, a ‘vice’ she learned because Jiang Jiayi always brought wine when they soaked in the Cold Pool.
“The wine from the Qingcao Sword Sect won’t get you drunk. It’s sweet and has a fruity aroma.”
Bathed in the evening sun of late spring.
The two of them slowly made their way toward the Qingcao Sword Sect’s winery.
The Silver-haired Maiden, holding her fox, followed behind Lu Changyuan. After a moment’s thought, she changed her angle so that her shadow overlapped with his.
From a good distance away, they could already smell the strong aroma of wine. A few disciples were slumped over a wooden table by the entrance, chatting.
People from other Sects milled about the area.
Normally, the winery wasn’t open to outsiders. But during the Celestial Dao Grand Competition, visitors could spend some Silver Coins or Spirit Stones to trade for a bit of wine.
Su Youwan glanced at the drunken men. “So this is what Young Master Lu meant by ‘won’t get you drunk’?”
“Their cultivation level is too low to metabolize the alcohol, that’s all.”
Lu Changyuan strolled into the winery, his gaze slowly sweeping across his surroundings. The layout had only been slightly rearranged; for the most part, it looked just as it had in the old days. As he took it all in, he suddenly broke into a smile.
The layout inside was still the same, though there seemed to be even more wine vats than before. Earthenware jars, large and small, were packed tightly in rows, stretching into the dim back room until they disappeared from view.
The rich, mellow scent of wine hung in the air, enough to make one feel a bit dazed just from breathing it in.
“Grass Star.”
Su Youwan watched as Lu Changyuan said the name, then retrieved a gourd of wine from within the winery.
“Why is it called Grass Star?”
Lu Changyuan answered with a smile, “Because after you drink this wine, you can find stars in the grass.”
The Silver-haired Maiden didn’t understand what he meant, but she had a feeling that Lu Changyuan was up to no good.
“If Young Master Lu wants to get me drunk, you don’t have to go to all this trouble.”
Lu Changyuan simply shook the gourd without a word. He’d just had a sudden urge to taste this wine again.
Uncorking the gourd, Lu Changyuan tilted his head back and took a drink. The maiden looked up at him, just in time to see his Adam’s apple bob gently. His profile, cast in the dim, yellow light of the winery, had an indescribable quality.
“How does it taste?”
“The taste hasn’t changed.”
‘As long as the Qingcao Sword Sect remains the same old meddlesome Sect, the taste of their wine will never change.’
Su Youwan tilted her head, reached out her small hand, and took the gourd from Lu Changyuan. She then raised it to her lips and took a small sip.
‘It’s so sweet.’
While Lu Changyuan was still stunned, Su Youwan handed the gourd back to him.
The maiden blinked, as if telling Lu Changyuan: ‘If you’re not convinced, you can kiss me and take the wine back from my mouth.’
Lu Changyuan could only chuckle.
The conversation of the drunken disciples drifted over. “Do you guys think the Sword Son can handle it?”
“I’d say it’s hard to tell.”
The men were discussing the outcome of the Celestial Dao Grand Competition, specifically whether Li Qingcao could take the top spot.
“That Fairy Qiu Yuehan from Miao Yu Palace is terrifyingly powerful, and then there’s Fairy Bai Lu from the Daoist Sect. Neither of them is an easy opponent.”
“I agree. The gap between the Fourth and Fifth Realms is just too vast.”
The disciples all nodded in agreement.
“Well then, looks like we’ll need to prepare some good wine and food to go see that kid Li Qingcao after he’s defeated.”
“That kid… he’s good-looking, a powerful cultivator… Tsk, it’s about time he was taught a lesson. Let him see how it feels when we get our butts kicked by him all the time.”
The same man added, “But knowing his personality, he probably won’t be too bothered by not getting first place. That guy’s whole philosophy is just ‘do your best.’ He’s a real optimist.”
“Ha! In that case, let’s just keep the good wine and food for ourselves.”
A cheerful atmosphere began to spread.
“I think that… uh, what’s-his-name… Wang Dayun? He’s got some real strength too.”
They then started speculating on who might win first place, besides Li Qingcao.
As the group chatted on, one of them let out a drunken belch and said suddenly, “Hey, I heard Great Xia is at war again.”
“What’s so strange about that? There’s a war in the Mortal World every year.”
This is what happens when you drink; the conversation goes all over the place.
Lu Changyuan finished the wine and placed the gourd back in the winery. His steps were light, showing no sign of intoxication.
The two of them left the winery, walking side by side.
Once they had walked some distance away, Su Youwan finally spoke. “The disciples of the Qingcao Sword Sect don’t seem to show much… respect for Sword Son Li Qingcao.”
In most Sects, the head disciple is held in high esteem, far above the others. Take Qiu Yuehan, for example. To the other disciples of Miao Yu Palace, she’s like the moon in the sky—utterly unapproachable. They wouldn’t even dare speak her name on a normal day. Yet the disciples of the Qingcao Sword Sect can just call Li Qingcao “that kid.” It shows how relaxed the atmosphere in their Sect is.
“The Qingcao Sword Sect has always been like this. I have no idea where Li Dashu found such a pack of drunkards.”
A sword in hand, wine in a gourd.
They wander with an air of utter abandon.
Lu Changyuan said with a helpless sigh, “Birds of a feather, I suppose. They’re a truly enviable bunch, without a care in the world.”
The Silver-haired Maiden glanced back toward the winery, from which waves of loud laughter could be heard.
“It might be their Heart Method. A Heart Method always finds a suitable practitioner. If you can’t cultivate the Qingcao Sword Sect’s Heart Method, you can’t become one of their disciples.”
A Heart Method will influence a Cultivator’s disposition.
Take Lu Changyuan, for example. When he reached Supreme Perfection, he felt that everything was meaningless. Now, however, he’s willing to stoop to engage in such meaningless things.
“Miss Su, what do you think the Supreme is?”
“To view all living beings as equal, while you alone are suspended high in the heavens?”
Lu Changyuan gave Su Youwan a deep look, then said suddenly, “Miss Su, you’ve developed feelings.”
The maiden replied quite naturally, “I’ve always had feelings, especially when I’m by Young Master Lu’s side.”
‘Can’t even go three sentences without mentioning being by my side, can she?’
‘The Little Ancestor of the Compassionate Palace is more than just a little chatterbox now.’
The wind brushed against Lu Changyuan’s face, carrying with it a gentle sentiment.
He didn’t use his Magical Power to dispel the alcohol’s effects, instead allowing the buzz to linger. He took a deep breath, and the scent of grass filled his lungs.
It gave him the feeling that everything was going to be all right.
“Miss Su, have you ever heard of a race that used to exist, called the Owl Race?”
The Silver-haired Maiden shook her head matter-of-factly. “I’m not familiar with them.”
‘For once, the Silver-haired Maiden is being well-behaved and not answering a question with another question.’
“The Owl Race… they had faces like cats and bodies like snakes. Wherever they appeared, war would follow.”
‘To think such a creature actually existed in this world.’
“But why have I never heard of this race?”
Lu Changyuan watched the setting sun and said, “They were disobedient. So I killed them all.”
The Chang’an Daoist has presided over Celestial Mountain for two hundred years.
There existed the Owl Race, who instigated war wherever they went, leaving devastation in their wake.
The Daoist issued a decree, commanding them to restrain their ways.
The Owl Race did not heed the decree.
When the three-month period was up, the Daoist exterminated them, wiping out their entire race.