Chapter 147: Wine

The atmosphere at the table was quiet; Hu Rui'an and the old man in hemp clothes did not seem inclined to converse with each other, silently eating and drinking instead.

At this moment, Li Musheng, bored, watched the duel on the stone platform for a while, then glanced at the little girl who had been eating nonstop since taking her seat, nearly devouring an entire roasted chicken.

"Little one, you can really eat. Come, come, finish off these roasted squabs too."

Li Musheng lifted a plate of golden pigeons, placed it before the girl in pink, and said with a smile.

She eats so well, like a bottomless pit; perfect for live-streaming on Douyin right here, making her perform an eating broadcast for him. This is far more entertaining than the duel on stage.

Hearing this, the girl in pink rubbed her belly, then looked at the squabs before her, blinked her eyes, and asked Li Musheng:

"Can I pack them to take away?"

Li Musheng immediately raised an eyebrow, his expression suddenly serious as he said:

"Where did a child your age learn such bad habits? People are still sitting at the table, yet you want to pack them into your pockets. How can you be so shameless?"

If she packed them all away, how could he watch the eating broadcast?

Upon hearing this, the girl in pink paused, then, realizing what he meant, pouted and turned to look at the old man in hemp clothes beside her.

The old man in hemp clothes glanced at Li Musheng, his eyes narrowing slightly; he patted the little girl's head with his rough hand but said nothing.

Seeing this, Hu Rui'an's face showed suspicion, wondering why Li Musheng would go out of his way to tease a little girl.

At this moment, seeing that Li Musheng would not let her pack the roasted squabs, the girl in pink gritted her teeth, reached out to take a pigeon from the plate, and continued to gnaw and devour it.

Seeing this, Li Musheng nodded in satisfaction. Lady Murong Xiaoya opened her mouth, looked at the girl's increasingly distended belly, and wanted to whisper a word of caution, but after glancing at Li Musheng from the corner of her eye, she suddenly shrank back her neck and ultimately said nothing.

"The manor serves coarse wine and simple meals; I hope everyone finds them acceptable?"

The steward of Zhanlu Manor returned and, with great respect, led a group behind him to the lakeside pavilion where Li Musheng was seated.

Among them, a middle-aged man with a gentle countenance politely stepped forward, clasped his hands, and addressed Li Musheng and the others.

This man was about fifty years old, his eyebrows and eyes drawn like ink mountains, wearing a dark blue robe, with a short sword hanging at his waist, its scabbard inlaid with a bronze deer head.

Walking alongside him were two others: one was a burly giant, his muscles knotted, clad in a dark robe patterned with cloud peaks, a navy-blue tattoo on his neck, his tiger-like eyes bright and piercing.

The other was a scholar with a pale face, his figure as thin as bamboo, wearing a long robe of indigo silk; he looked too weak to withstand the wind, yet at his waist hung a large black-iron brush about two feet long.

When Hu Rui'an saw the speaking middle-aged man, his eyes flickered slightly, but he concealed it well, clasping his hands and saying:

"Passing through your manor's precious grounds, we have caused much disturbance; thank you, Manor Master Shen, for your generous hospitality."

As Hu Rui'an spoke, his voice was disguised; even Wu Shang and the others could detect no flaw.

At this moment, the old man in hemp clothes also nodded slightly to Shen Liancheng, the Manor Master of Zhanlu Manor, and said:

"The manor's food is excellent; this old man thanks you for the hospitality."

Hearing this, Shen Liancheng smiled and said:

"I am glad you do not find it objectionable."

Saying this, his gaze swept over Hu Rui'an and the old man in hemp clothes, then he continued:

"Just now, my subordinates informed me that both of you are masters in the Jianghu. Forgive Shen's presumption, but I truly could not recognize your identities. Might you reveal your names, allowing Shen to make your acquaintance?"

To this, Hu Rui'an was well prepared; he gave a false name and origin, stating only that their group came from Jingzhou and was merely passing through Zhanlu Manor on their way to Shengzhou.

The old man in hemp clothes was even more perfunctory, claiming only to be a rustic villager and not even giving his name.

Seeing this, Shen Liancheng seemed not to mind; after chatting warmly for a few moments, he instructed the steward to bring a jar of "Spirit Deer Wine," then took his leave.

Not long after, Shen Liancheng and his party returned to their original lakeside pavilion. After dismissing the servants, he poured wine for the burly giant and the middle-aged scholar beside him one by one, asking:

"I wonder how Elder Bei and Mr. Xu view those two just now?"

Hearing this, the burly giant Bei Shi snorted, drained the wine in his cup in one gulp, and said:

"Their strength is naturally not weak; both are experts of the Heaven-and-Mortal Realm. Yet their attitude is arrogant, hiding their heads and tails, and they did not even reveal their true names. Clearly, they do not place Manor Master Shen in their eyes at all."

The middle-aged scholar thought for a moment, then slowly said:

"As for that old man in hemp clothes, I cannot discern his background; I have not heard of such a figure in the Jianghu recently."

"Among the other five, the young man with no true energy in his body is clearly the leader. Judging from the conduct and words of those two youths, I suspect they likely come from the Great Li Court. However, their specific identities remain unknown."

Upon hearing this, Bei Shi glanced at the middle-aged scholar Xu Qingcang and said coldly:

"What do people from the Great Li Court amount to? Once they enter the territory of our Falling Spirit Peak, even a dragon must coil up obediently for us."

Saying this, he narrowed his eyes and said to Shen Liancheng:

"If you ask me, why did Manor Master Shen go to such trouble, organizing a martial arts duel for marriage? Is my young peak master, a genius of heaven, not worthy of your third daughter?"

The middle-aged scholar Xu Qingcang shook his head and interjected:

"Elder Bei, your words are mistaken. The marriage of children is no trivial matter."

"Moreover, although your peak's young master is excellent, the Jianghu is not without young talents who have surpassed him. Manor Master Shen's method of a martial arts duel for marriage is naturally an extremely appropriate and fair measure."

Hearing this, Bei Shi glared at Xu Qingcang and sneered:

"Your general's second son? My young peak master knocked him flat in just two moves. You, a weak, wind-swaying thin bamboo, should stop dreaming."

Seeing this, Shen Liancheng hurriedly mediated, while the middle-aged scholar merely narrowed his eyes slightly and did not engage further in the dispute.

At the same time, inside the lakeside pavilion where Li Musheng was seated, the two young men and women originally sitting at the table, upon seeing the Spirit Deer Wine brought by the manor servants, both had their eyes light up.

"This wine is a fine thing, unique to Zhanlu Manor. A vat is produced only once every thirty years, and it is known as one of the two great treasures of Zhanlu Manor, alongside the 'Deer-Slaying Blade'."

Hu Rui'an lifted the brown wine jar in one hand, gave it a slight shake, and the clay seal on top quietly crumbled, the stopper flying off.

In an instant, an extremely rich aroma of wine spread out; merely smelling the fragrance gave everyone a strange, slightly tipsy sensation, very enticing, making mouths water.

Wu Shang and the others all showed strange expressions, looking at the wine jar in Hu Rui'an's hand and instinctively swallowing their saliva.

Hu Rui'an inhaled lightly, closed his eyes in rapture, then opened them, placed the wine jar back on the table, and said:

"Do not rush; test for poison first."

Hearing this, Wu Shang hurriedly took out a silver needle to test; seeing no problem, Hu Rui'an nodded and said:

"Pour a cup for Young Master first."

Wu Shang immediately took a wine cup and filled Li Musheng's to the brim; Li Musheng's eyes brightened:

"This wine looks truly excellent."

With that, he drained the Spirit Deer Wine in his cup in one gulp.

The wine was as crisp as snowmelt in early spring, with a lingering aftertaste like flowers and fruits in late autumn, making Li Musheng unable to resist asking for another cup.

At this moment, Hu Rui had no intention of keeping it all to himself and signaled to pour wine for everyone at the table in turn.

However, the old man in hemp robes merely waved his hand, showing no intention of drinking.

Seeing this, no one pressed him further; after all, with one less person drinking, everyone else could have a bit more.

At this time, Lady Murong Xiaoya, drawn by the wine's fragrance, lifted her cup to take a sip, but the little girl in pink suddenly spoke up:

"Sister, it is not good for girls to drink alcohol."

With that, she directly knocked the cup out of the other's hand.

(End of this chapter)