Chapter 248: Six Friends in Wine, Hidden Depths

Two days later.

The eastern morning glow filled the sky, signaling a fine day ahead.

Cheng Xinzhan sat upright on the balcony, leading his two young attendants, facing east to absorb the purple Qi.

Once the time had passed and the purple Qi gradually faded, replaced by the blossoming golden rays, the three of them exhaled, finished their practice, and slowly opened their eyes.

"Master, look!"

Zhaoli pointed toward the snow-capped mountains to the south. The silver peaks were now illuminated by the sunlight, turning a brilliant, shimmering gold.

In particular, the gale winds still battered the ice and snow, but instead of appearing like white dragon banners, they now looked like gilded flames leaping in the wind.

The sight before him couldn't help but remind him of how, many years ago, he had gazed up at the Kui Gate from the heart of the Yangtze River. At sunrise, that Red Armor Mountain had possessed the same flowing, radiant light, appearing like a torch.

And the two mountains happened to stand on the eastern and western ends of Ba-Shu, separated by more than five thousand li. Yet, under the radiance of the great sun, they presented the same scenery; it truly made one marvel at the natural creation.

Moved by this, Cheng Xinzhan pulled a banana leaf from his side, pressed it onto his knees, took out his talisman brush, and facing the morning sun, began to write on the green paper:

"I have come to Yanhuai for three days. The sky has cleared, so I rose at dawn on the balcony to absorb the purple Qi, seeing the sun illuminate the golden mountains, as if gilded with yellow, with wind-blown ice shards acting as flames.

Seeing this, I suddenly recall the morning glow on Red Armor Mountain, which was like boiling water; its appearance was identical to this. There, the waves surged against the shore; here, the snow waves brush the sky. Though separated by five thousand li, both bear the true fire of the great sun, glowing with the same red-gold brilliance.

Alas! How marvelous is the furnace of heaven's work! The solar fire refines Red Armor into cinnabar, and tempers the White Mountain into golden essence. The two mountains stand facing each other from afar; one spits out river waves, the other takes in ice and snow. Both bathed in heavenly fire to become one color—is the profound mystery here not that the Qi sea of the Zhou Tian originates from the same source?"

Cheng Xinzhan put away his talisman brush, quite satisfied with the handwriting on the banana leaf.

"Keep it safe. Include it in the Little Xikang chapter. It counts as a beginning. I haven't thought of a grand name for the Earth Book yet, so let's just call it the 'Banana Leaf Collection' for now."

Zhaoli responded, stepped forward a few paces, took the banana leaf, and carefully put it away.

Cheng Xinzhan stood up and gazed into the distance toward the east. There, the mountain shadows were layered, and because it was closer to the east, there were few snow-capped mountains—only a few nearby, and beyond them lay rolling green hills.

And right across from Yanhuai Mountain, a thousand li away, stood a mountain like a heavenly pillar, towering into the clouds, brushing the sky and blocking the sun, majestic and imposing.

Spiritual light radiated from there, sword Qi soared to the heavens, and escape lights were like rainbows. Even from a thousand li away, that mountain was still dazzlingly bright to the naked eye.

"Master, is that Mount Emei?"

Bai Long asked.

Cheng Xinzhan's expression turned solemn, the leisure and tranquility gone. He nodded slowly and said in a deep voice,

"Yes, that is Emei."

Thousands of years had passed; some revered Emei, some loathed Emei, but Emei had never been shaken by the storms of the outside world, continuing its expansion day after day.

To this day, the Emei headquarters stood firm, becoming ever more dazzling. Within the Ba-Shu region, there were countless branch sects, and even across the entire southwest of Shenzhou, no one dared to ignore Emei's will.

"The burden is heavy and the road is long."

Cheng Xinzhan said.

The two young attendants nodded silently, saying nothing.

Suddenly, Cheng Xinzhan felt a sensation and looked toward the south, where a figure was flying over.

As the figure drew near, it turned out to be Tanbai Sanren.

"Yunlai!"

Tanbai Sanren called out as he landed on the balcony.

"Yunlai, today a few of us old drinking friends are gathering. My elder brother specifically asked me to invite you. We would like to invite you to taste wine and discuss the Dao together. I wonder if you have the leisure?"

Cheng Xinzhan had long since put away his solemn, contemplative expression, becoming light and breezy once more. Hearing this, he hesitated slightly and asked,

"This... are there many people? A small gathering is fine, but this Daoist fears it being too lively."

Tanbai Sanren shook his head.

"Six people in total, seven including you. They are all familiar drinking friends; there are no outsiders."

Cheng Xinzhan felt relieved and said,

"Mingding is very thoughtful. In that case, I can go."

Tanbai smiled upon hearing this and gestured with his hand.

"Please."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, then turned back to look at Bai Long and Zhaoli, instructing them,

"You two children stay home and practice."

"Yes, Master."

The two young attendants replied.

"Master, since you are going to a banquet, you must take your gourd."

Zhaoli handed the gourd over.

Cheng Xinzhan patted his forehead, said "Indeed," took the gourd, and followed Tanbai Sanren, riding the wind away.

————

The banquet was held in the very center of Yanhuai Mountain, north to south, just a bit below the snow line at the summit; here lay a forest of bamboo.

Tanbai Sanren led Cheng Xinzhan to land outside the bamboo forest. The forest was originally a quiet and secluded place, but at this moment, sounds of laughter and conversation were drifting out.

"It seems most of the guests have arrived."

Tanbai Sanren said.

The two entered the bamboo forest. Cheng Xinzhan saw that the grass inside was like a green carpet, dense and woven. There were pavilions and waterside structures, bamboo sheds and grass huts, yellow chrysanthemums and dwarf pines, and winding streams for floating wine cups. He thought to himself that this place was indeed a leisurely and elegant spot.

Tanbai Sanren led Cheng Xinzhan further in, and he saw many stone tables and stools with primitive designs arranged on the grass nearby. The stone tables were piled high with fruits and fine wine, and many people were already seated on the stone stools.

"Yunlai has arrived!"

Mingding Sanren was among the crowd. Seeing Cheng Xinzhan arrive, he stood up to welcome him, and the others stood up one after another.

Cheng Xinzhan cupped his hands as he entered, saying "Nice to meet you."

The three friends in wine were all present. Including Cheng Xinzhan, there were seven people in total. Therefore, Cheng Xinzhan was only unfamiliar with three people, and among them, there were two women.

Moreover, he noticed that these people were chatting happily together without any restraint, clearly people who were well-acquainted with each other. It seemed he was the only newcomer today.

Cheng Xinzhan came to the side of the table where a seat had been reserved for him. He bowed to the crowd and then smiled,

"Fellow Daoists, this poor Daoist is a guest like a wild crane, a person who makes his home wherever he goes. Today, I am fortunate to have mistakenly climbed into this Langhuan blessed land and met such true immortals. I am truly delighted."

The crowd returned the greeting one after another.

Mingding Sanren let everyone sit down and also pressed Cheng Xinzhan to sit.

"Just now, Daoist brother Mingding said that Daoist friend Yunlai is humble when awake and unrestrained when drunk. Now that we meet while you are awake, you are indeed as humble and upright as jade. I just don't know how unrestrained you are when drunk?"

As soon as Cheng Xinzhan sat down, he heard someone speak—it was a female voice.

He followed the sound and looked over; it was one of the two women, who was asking with a smile.

This woman wore a green robe and looked to be in her twenties. She had moth-eyebrows and phoenix eyes, her gaze like lightning, and a nose like a hanging gall. There was a natural air of heroism between her brows, but at this moment, her cheeks were flushed red, though it was unclear if it was natural or if she had already been drinking.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon hearing this,

"Mingding praises me. It is true that this poor Daoist is unrestrained and wild when drunk, but to say I am humble when awake is to overpraise me."

The woman laughed loudly, her heroic spirit bursting forth. The gaze she cast toward Cheng Xinzhan grew increasingly curious and interested.

"Yunlai, allow me to introduce you."

Mingding Sanren took over the conversation.

He gestured toward the woman who had spoken and said,

"Yunlai, this is Daoist Tuo Yan Sanren."

"Daoist friend, greetings."

The woman smiled and cupped her hands.

Cheng Xinzhan returned the greeting, "Daoist friend, greetings."

Then Mingding Sanren pointed to the other woman beside Daoist Tuo Yan Sanren and said,

"This is Zhuyue Sanren."

Cheng Xinzhan looked over. This woman was of a similar age to Daoist Tuo Yan Sanren. She wore a moon-white cloud brocade, her skin was like congealed fat, her black hair was coiled into a cloud-moon bun, her face was oval-shaped, her lips were like cinnabar, her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and she wore a pair of bright moon earrings. Her gaze was like an autumn pool reflecting the moon.

"Daoist friend, greetings."

A calm smile appeared on the woman's face; she looked like a simple, elegant, and gentle person.

"Daoist friend, greetings."

Cheng Xinzhan returned the greeting.

"This is Zhan'ao Sanren."

Mingding Sanren pointed to the last person.

This was a man like a green pine leaning against a jade mountain; the green pine was his waist, and the jade mountain was his bone structure.

His brows were clear and stern, his jawline distinct, his nose bridge high, his brow ridge slightly raised, and his double eyebrows slanted into his temples. This should have been a stern and majestic face, but this person happened to have a pair of pomegranate-seed bright eyes, his pupils like black ink, his gaze like water. When he smiled, there was a clear, gentle, and honest quality to him.

He looked to be about the same age as Cheng Xinzhan, wearing a sky-blue Daoist robe, with silver thread embroidered with a fret pattern at the cuffs and collar. He wore a black gauze cloak over it, and on his head was a rather simple ebony Daoist crown. On the stone table in front of him sat a green-skinned wine gourd of excellent quality.

"Daoist friend, greetings."

"Daoist friend, greetings."

Cheng Xinzhan returned the greeting.

"Yunlai, you already know Tanbai and Huqing. Plus Daoist Tuo Yan, Zhuyue, and Zhan'ao, the six of us met because of wine and became friends across generations. We even discussed taking Daoist names with a hint of wine, often holding banquets in the mountains to taste wine and discuss the Dao."

"This old Daoist feels he has some discernment in judging people. I see that you, Yunlai, also love wine, and your temperament is even more detached and forthright, making you worthy of deep friendship. You also said you wanted to live here for a long time, so taking advantage of today's banquet, this old Daoist rudely invited you over to introduce these three drinking friends to you. Moreover, Daoist Tuo Yan, Zhuyue, and Zhan'ao are all young people, so you will have even more to talk about."

Mingding Sanren said.

Cheng Xinzhan cupped his hands toward Mingding Sanren,

"Daoist brother is warm-hearted. Yunlai appreciates it and thanks you."

Cheng Xinzhan was also somewhat surprised today. Mingding Sanren's group of drinking friends could be described as all being like orchids and jade trees. These six people were all at the Golden Core Realm!

Mingding, Tanbai, and Huqing had long, lingering auras and profound cultivation bases; they must have been cultivating in the third realm for a long time.

And Daoist Tuo Yan, Zhuyue, and Zhan'ao had magical power like an abyss and sea, while their blood and Qi were like the morning glow. These were clearly the outstanding talents of the younger generation, like the rising sun drying the sky.

The six people's Daoist names were so tacitly understood, which couldn't help but make Cheng Xinzhan suspicious. Did the six of them really meet because of wine and become friends across generations?

Moreover, setting aside the three old ones, the three young ones had such cultivation at a young age. This didn't look like something that could be taught by loose cultivators. So, the fact that these people all called themselves "Sanren" (loose cultivators) couldn't help but make Cheng Xinzhan suspicious.

However, Cheng Xinzhan's suspicion was just suspicion. His face didn't reveal any flaws, nor did he have any thoughts of probing. He called himself Yunlai Sanren—wasn't he also being secretive?

It was just a case of "do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you."

If they were truly drinking friends, just talking about wine was fine. He didn't mind their past identities. If these six people had any ulterior motives, he wasn't a soft persimmon either.

"This is Yunlai Sanren, who compares himself to a wild crane, roaming Shenzhou. He only arrived in Little Xikang two days ago, strolled into the North Mountain Dao, and passed the literary examination in seven steps. It truly made this old Daoist admire him, so I forcibly dragged him to Yanhuai Mountain."

"By the way, Yunlai loves wine, has good wine, and even better taste in wine!"

Mingding Sanren introduced Cheng Xinzhan to everyone again.

"I am a newcomer, and I hope for your care in the future."

Cheng Xinzhan said with a smile.

The crowd now considered themselves acquainted. Zhan'ao Sanren then picked up his own gourd and began to pour wine for everyone.

"Yunlai, this is our rule here. Every time we gather, we must invite others to taste the wine we have recently enjoyed the most."

Mingding Sanren explained with a smile.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, thinking this rule was quite interesting.

He watched the wine poured from Zhan'ao Sanren's gourd, which was a pale amber color. The wine clung to the cup wall like melting snow, and it smelled of fruit. He couldn't help but salivate, feeling quite expectant.

First, taste the wine in the gourd; as for the medicine in the gourd, it wouldn't be too late to see later.

(End of chapter)