Chapter 492

After reading these few short lines, Seeing Pei Ye looked at Xu Chuo in a daze.

The woman was smiling with satisfaction: "What's wrong?"

"Did you spend money?"

"... How many taels of silver do you think these few sentences are worth?"

"Twenty taels?" Seeing Pei Ye hesitated, looking at her expression, "No way... any more would be a scam."

Xu Chuo leaned on the railing and laughed non-stop.

"... What's so funny?"

Xu Chuo didn't answer, laughing and drinking the wine in the cup.

Seeing Pei Ye raised his head at this time: "Oh, right."

"Hmm?"

Seeing Pei Ye lowered his head, took out a piece of paper that was somewhat wrinkled from his waist, opened it, and handed it to the woman.

It listed more than a dozen items, followed by numbers in "taels".

"..."

"Consultation fee owed to Mount Taishan Medicine Hut," Seeing Pei Ye looked at Xu Chuo, emphasizing, "Injuries sustained while working for the public."

"Who is your public," Xu Chuo laughed, turned her head and glanced, "I already invited a palace physician for you, you wasted it to find a private one, how can you ask me to pay two consultation fees."

Seeing Pei Ye stared: "But you didn't tell me."

Xu Chuo supported her cheek, her bright eyes turned slightly, and she pointed and laughed: "How about this, it's a good night, let's play a game. If you win, I'll pay this consultation fee for you."

Seeing Pei Ye said vigilantly: "But I won't recite poems with you."

Xu Chuo rolled her eyes slightly, raised her finger and pointed: "This bottle is empty, there are two more in the cupboard, go and get them."

Seeing Pei Ye followed her words and searched, and sure enough, found two jade-yellow porcelain bottles in the depths of the cupboard. The mud seal on the bottle mouth had been there for many years. He walked over and knocked one open, and the rich wine aroma surged out. The wine was much stronger than the previous one.

Xu Chuo narrowed her eyes with satisfaction, and tapped the table lightly again: "Drinking dry is also boring..."

She raised her hand and said: "There should be a pitch-pot in the depths of the cabinet over there, go and see if it's there?"

Seeing Pei Ye searched as told, and sure enough, saw an exquisite but also somewhat eroded pitch-pot. It must have been crafted by a master, and it hadn't been eaten by insects or molded after being left for a long time, but it was inevitable that the color was dim and covered with dust.

Seeing Pei Ye carried the pot in one hand and a bundle of arrows in the other. Xu Chuo frowned slightly: "Ah, it's so dirty."

Seeing Pei Ye didn't speak, flicked his finger, and vermilion flames swept over this set of utensils, washing away all the dust and age.

Xu Chuo's eyes lit up, and she laughed with a slight intoxication: "Your life must be very convenient."

Then she pointed and said: "There are thirty arrows in this bundle, we each throw fifteen. Drink half a cup before each throw, drink another half cup if you miss. After each round, the pot moves back one chi. In the end, the one who hits the pot more wins, how about it?"

Seeing Pei Ye looked at the woman whose cheeks were already light red, and laughed: "Are you going to compete with me in drinking?"

"And pitch-pot," Xu Chuo emphasized, "If you drink too much, your accuracy won't be good. Of course, don't use True Qi."

Seeing Pei Ye sat down, washed the two cups together with fire, looked at the beautiful woman who was still wrapped in a cloak, and sighed lightly: "I've practiced martial arts since I was a child, I'll cover my eyes and compete with you."

Xu Chuo laughed: "This is what you decided yourself."

Seeing Pei Ye placed the pitch-pot half a zhang away, but Xu Chuo shook her head and pointed, not nodding until it was moved a zhang away.

"Then I'll go first," Xu Chuo handed over the cup, signaling the two to pour wine for each other. Seeing Pei Ye intentionally let her, pouring her half a cup, and Xu Chuo picked it up and drank it in one gulp.

Then she still leaned on the railing, supported her cheek, picked up an arrow, narrowed her eyes slightly, and sent her forearm out. The long skirt flowed on the ground like gold and jade, and that arrow hit the pot with an arc, bringing up a string of jade sounds.

This move really surprised Seeing Pei Ye. It was by no means easy to throw into such a small pot mouth at a distance of one zhang; in fact, it was a very precise control of eyesight and limbs.

Xu Chuo turned her head and laughed, picked up the wine bottle and poured him half a cup, staring at him: "Your turn."

Seeing Pei Ye was really stirred up with some desire to win. He drank the wine, remembered the position of the pot, tore off a piece of cloth to cover his eyes, raised his hand to pick up an arrow, and seriously tested the center of gravity. Then he paused, concentrated, and threw. The next instant, the clanging sound oscillated, and it really went into the pot.

Seeing Pei Ye hooked his finger and pulled up the black cloth, as if he didn't care: "This is my first time playing this."

"Then I won't let you," Xu Chuo laughed, handing over the cup again.

Seeing Pei Ye flicked out True Qi to push the pot back one chi. Xu Chuo threw again, and it was another beautiful and precise arc. Seeing Pei Ye sighed lightly and pulled down the black cloth.

The two went back and forth. After discarding True Qi and covering their eyes, Seeing Pei Ye also had to concentrate to determine the position of the pot. Fortunately, the precision of his limbs remained, and each one followed the woman into the pot.

However, as round after round passed, the difficulty began to rise. It was fine that the pot was moved further and further away; the main thing was that the mellowness of this bottle of wine was truly astonishing. After a few cups, he began to feel dizzy. Seeing Pei Ye was already covering his eyes, and at this time, it was even more difficult to determine the position of the pot.

And the woman beside him was obviously a trap—she was clearly looking slightly drunk after two cups of clear wine, but now she had drunk who knows how much, and she was still in that state of slight intoxication, only her eyes were more blurred.

From this moment on, both of them stared at the pitch-pot. If they hit it, they would naturally smile and relax, but if the other party also hit it, they would naturally sigh and regret. After ten rounds, Seeing Pei Ye really felt a bit exhausted. He held the arrow and shook for a long time with his eyes covered, already somewhat unable to determine where the pot was just now.

"Are you asleep?"

Seeing Pei Ye put down the arrow: "I'll take another look."

"Not allowed!"

Seeing Pei Ye pursed his lips, had to take a deep breath, concentrated, and threw... it knocked twice, and luckily it went in.

Seeing Pei Ye stood up abruptly, pulled down the black cloth, and laughed loudly.

Xu Chuo sighed lightly and handed over the cup.

But she soon frowned and reached out: "You poured too much."

"I didn't pour enough for you in the first cup, I have to make up for it now," Seeing Pei Ye was very calculating at this time, insisting on pouring her an extra mouthful.

Xu Chuo took a deep breath, had to drink it in one gulp, picked up the arrow, stood up, and bent over to aim. Seeing Pei Ye was stunned, and only then realized that for her, the difficulty now was that the pot was nearly two zhang away, and she had to spend some arm strength to throw it in.

Xu Chuo was quiet for a moment, and said softly: "Hit!"

Her forearm sent it out, and the arrow flew into the pot with a slight tilt.

Xu Chuo breathed a sigh of relief, somewhat staggering as she leaned back against the railing, then picked up the wine bottle and looked at the youth with a smiling, narrowed gaze.

Seeing Pei Ye didn't know that someone could be so elegant and graceful even when drunk to the point of being unable to stand steady. He sighed and handed over the cup, knowing that this round was likely to be a failure.

Sure enough, when the black cloth was pulled down, the pot that he had stared at and remembered many times was already floating and swaying vaguely in his mind. Seeing Pei Ye frowned and thought for a long time, only feeling that the arrow in his hand was also starting to feel different in weight. Finally, he gritted his teeth and threw it—"Clang," the tip of the arrow hit the neck of the bottle and bounced off.

A joyful cry sounded from the side, followed by a series of clapping sounds. When Seeing Pei Ye pulled down the black cloth over his eyes, Xu Chuo was still full of smiles, pretending to be reserved and handing the cup to him.

But she couldn't throw it in later either. The two of them moved the pot further and further away. Xu Chuo hit the door, Seeing Pei Ye hit the flower pot, and several arrows flew leisurely downstairs.

The two laughed and finished this bottle of aged wine. In the end, Xu Chuo won by one arrow. Seeing Pei Ye was dizzy and leaned against the door, holding back for a long time before saying: "You must have secretly poured me more wine."

"When did you not watch with your eyes wide open," Xu Chuo laughed.

After a quiet moment, she said: "Can you play finger sword?"

Seeing Pei Ye was suddenly full of spirit: "You are not allowed to go back on your word."

He had already taken out the jade-jade small sword.

Xu Chuo laughed: "No True Qi allowed, and you have to use the same strength as me."

"Fine."

And then, after the woman went back to take out the small sword, he was surprised to find that she could really play. Although she was a bit unfamiliar, she looked like the real thing, and had several unique tricks.

However, no matter what unique tricks, they were not enough in front of Young Master Pei, the "Three Happy Things in the World." Seeing Pei Ye showed no mercy and broke her moves again and again, hitting her hand until the woman was somewhat anxious, simply gripped the sword tightly and stabbed at him indiscriminately. Seeing Pei Ye still calmly used a clever force to shake it, knocking the sword out of her hand.

"Haha."

Xu Chuo held her numb hand: "Boring, not playing anymore."

The two leaned in corners of the pavilion facing the wind. The night curtain faded, and the morning stars remained in the sky.

A breeze blew, Seeing Pei Ye woke up, turned his head to look at the woman who was leaning on the railing with her head down, not knowing if she had fallen asleep, and felt somewhat close yet strange for a moment.

At this time, Xu Chuo turned her head suddenly: "A night of making a name for yourself, in this situation, what poem do you want to recite?"

Seeing Pei Ye was slightly stunned, looking at the vast night view in the distance, and a poem really came to his mind after a moment: "... Seventeen to solve the book and sword, traveling west to Changan City."

Xu Chuo gave a light "Hmm," but didn't speak again, and fell silent.

They sat like this for a long time, and the sky really began to brighten. Seeing Pei Ye supported the desk and stood up somewhat shakily: "I have to go, let's drink next time."

Xu Chuo moved, her lazy eyes looked over: "No next time. I don't drink wine on weekdays."

"..." Seeing Pei Ye looked at the messy cups silently, didn't refute her, and only remembered the business, leaning on the pillar and saying seriously: "You won't really not pay me the consultation fee, right?"

Xu Chuo was somewhat amused by the drunkenness, raised her finger and pointed: "Take the remaining bottle and sell it, it's enough for you to have your arm broken three more times."

Seeing Pei Ye's eyes lit up, he picked it up, waved his hand, and turned to go downstairs. True Qi surged, and he was already sober after a few steps.

Only then did he remember to look at the drunken body of the woman blown by the cold wind, frowned, but saw the lady-in-waiting had come up from the stairs, so he relaxed his brows.

Then he walked downstairs. Only then did he see that the end of this book wall actually had an extra copied poem.

Beside "Sword Song of the Spring Workshop", it was the woman's handwriting, and the ink was still very fresh, like something from today. Seeing Pei Ye stood still and read it: "A place of lovesickness in the corridor, the setting moon leans alone. Back to the lamp and the moon, close to the flower shade, it is already ten years of traces and ten years of heart."