Downing ten measures of cloud-nectar wine, in exchange for forty percent drunkenness and sixty percent sincerity this was Bu Nianjiao’s plan to elicit the truth through intoxication.
To this end, he specifically brought out a vintage brew that had been stored for hundreds of years.
He had carefully combed through the gossipy questions he wanted to ask in his mind and had even planned how to introduce the topics without leaving a trace. However, he forgot to consider one thing: his own alcohol tolerance.
After only a few light sips, his face turned completely red. He began jumping about, not only kicking over the table but also acting as if the Monkey King had possessed him, shouting while making a scene, “Monster! Let’s see where you can run!”
He nearly tore his own palace apart.
It took Qi An a great deal of effort to protect the wine from his grasp. She asked Mo Qing, looking stunned, “Should we freeze him in place first?”
“It’s his palace, after all; if it’s torn down, let it be,” Mo Qing said, hands behind his back, looking unconcerned. “It will serve as a lesson to him: if you can’t hold your liquor, don’t drink.”
After making a scene for over an hour, Bu Nianjiao finally grew too tired to continue.
By then, the hall was in complete disarray. He lay limp beside an overturned long bench, panting heavily and cursing bitterly, “Damn it! It’s all that old geezer, the Old Man Under the Moon’s fault! If he hadn’t severed my romance, I would be with Hongxiu right now; how would I have been reduced to fighting with monsters? I hate him, I hate that old man, the Matchmaker!”
Qi An asked timidly, “Is this Matchmaker perhaps my supervisor, the Old Man Under the Moon?”
“Naturally, it is that one,” Mo Qing explained with a light chuckle. “Back then, he was infatuated with an Upper God in the Heavenly Realm and asked the Matchmaker to bridge the connection, but the Matchmaker refused on the grounds that the Heavenly Realm does not manage the romances of the Demon Realm. Because of this, Bu Nianjiao held a grudge against him, turned around, and returned to the Demon Realm to open the Hehe Demon Palace, claiming he would manage romances himself.”
After hearing this, Qi An whispered in defense of her supervisor: “The Hehe Immortal Palace manages the romances of the Heaven and Mortal Realms; the Matchmaker truly had no way to tie the red string for the Demon Realm.”
Although Bu Nianjiao’s mind was not very clear at this moment, his ears were surprisingly sharp, and every word Qi An said fell into them.
“Niece-in-law, you don’t know if he didn’t tie the red string for me, that would be one thing, I wouldn’t care for his help anyway. But he actually tied the red string for Han Sui and someone else, and even claimed it was a heaven-sent marriage! It’s complete bullshit!”
Qi An paused. She had met the Han Sui Yuanjun that Bu Nianjiao spoke of.
Han Sui Yuanjun had an otherworldly appearance, beautiful yet not gaudy. She was as pure, distinct, and elegant as a lotus in midsummer, making even Qi An, a fellow woman, feel a stirring in her heart.
Recalling Han Sui’s image and looking at the old man lying half-prone on the ground in disheveled clothing, she truly could not imagine them standing together.
Mo Qing seemed to be a mind-reader. Seeing her look at Bu Nianjiao with doubt, he guessed what she was thinking. “Actually, this is not his original appearance.”
As he spoke, he held his hand over Bu Nianjiao’s head. In an instant, the old man transformed into a handsome young man in the prime of his life.
Qi An was dumbfounded.
Mo Qing said, “He assumed this appearance simply to gain concern from others. To put it bluntly, he is just a guy who lacks love.”
These words were also overheard by Bu Nianjiao.
He shouted loudly, quite aggrieved, “That’s right! I am lacking love! Han Sui doesn’t want me, and you don’t come to visit me often; I just wanted to find someone to care about me am I wrong?”
After saying this, ignoring his image, he scurried over to Qi An’s side, clutching her hand, sniffing his nose. “Niece-in-law, care about me a little…”
Before he could finish, he felt a sharp pain in his forehead. Without realizing what had happened, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.
Mo Qing calmly withdrew his hand, calling him an “old lecher” in his heart, but masking his face with gentleness. “I will send him to rest; we shall return in a moment.”
Qi An agreed. Immediately after, she saw Bu Nianjiao levitate from the ground, spinning several times in the air until he was nearly nauseated, only then being moved by Mo Qing’s magic back to his room.
After Mo Qing returned, they headed back to Yuantong Palace.
The silver moon lay in the sky, the evening breeze brushing against their faces. On Chiti’s back, Qi An straightened her posture and summarized her experience at the Hehe Demon Palace: “Drinking should be done in moderation; one must never be like that person, harming one’s health while losing all dignity.”
Mo Qing seemed to recall something, and his lips suddenly curled upward. “Your alcohol tolerance seems quite good.”
Qi An tilted her head halfway, looking proud. “Yes, when I was mortal, I would collapse after three cups. I didn’t expect that after ascending, my lifespan and my tolerance would both increase.”
As she spoke, she pointed to the hills below and giggled. “Look, I can even count how many steamed buns there are.”
Mo Qing paused, looking at her face which had turned rosy at some unknown time, and smiled. “So it’s not that your tolerance increased, but that your reaction time has slowed down.”
Qi An’s first time drinking was on the day she reached womanhood.
Master Zhao’s family had specifically come to her home to hold a simple ceremony for her, thoughtfully preparing gifts. Master Zhao’s wife gave her a self-sewn sachet, the embroidery exquisite; the faint herbal scent lingered on her nose, which was very soothing. Master Zhao gave her an inkstone made of natural clarified mud to encourage her to strive for success. And their son, Zhao Yue, gave her two jugs of self-brewed peach blossom wine.
Zhao Yue had always been shy; he usually blushed whenever he spoke to Qi An. When he gave the wine, the heat burned all the way to his earlobes. “I brewed this peach blossom wine by improving it according to ancient texts. Taste it and see if you like it. If you do, I will continue to brew it for you in the future.”
“I am sure I will like it.”
Qi An smiled and accepted the gift, simply not understanding why he was so embarrassed just for giving a bottle of wine.
In the evening, after seeing off the Zhao family, Qi An could not wait to open the wine. Previously, she had only learned of the deliciousness of wine from poetry, but had never truly tasted it.
She poured a cup and took a cautious sip, tasting only the sweet fragrance of peach blossoms. It was more like a fruit drink than wine. Therefore, she confidently drank the whole cup. After the sweetness, there was a subtle hint of spice. With two or three flavors combined, it was quite palatable. No wonder those literati loved writing wine into their poetry.
Qi An drank two more cups. Just as she was reaching for the fourth, she suddenly felt a sense of heat throughout her body, and her head felt dizzy. She rested helplessly on the table for a while, and when she woke up, her head was empty, and she felt desperately thirsty.
However, searching throughout her house, there was no water. She could only carry a wooden bucket to the well to fetch some.
She walked unsteadily, taking half an hour to reach the nearest well. However, under the tree by the well, leaning against it, was a figure as elegant as an immortal.
She walked over to him curiously, crouching halfway, and stared at his face brazenly. She had never seen anyone this good-looking. Her aura seemed to disturb the young man who was resting his eyes. He lifted his gaze, looking silently at the girl in front of him.
Under the moonlight, the girl’s pretty face was flushed; her eyes seemed to contain rippling lake water, a single glance enough to make one’s heart sway.
The girl who was caught peeping was not ashamed at all; instead, she reached out a finger to poke his face, laughing wantonly. “Young Master, you look truly beautiful.”
Her every word and action was quite like that of a lecher.
The scent of the girl’s slight intoxication reached his nose, and Mo Qing was stunned. He had only run away from home to the mortal realm for less than an hour, only to be teased by a mortal girl, and this girl was a drunkard at that.
He grasped the hand Qi An was using to mess with his face and whispered, “Do you know who I am, to dare poke my face?”
“Beautiful Young Master!” Qi An answered frankly. “Mm, your voice is also extremely pleasant. As expected, beauties are perfect.”
Mo Qing was slightly surprised—this girl was too shameless!
He made a move to stand up. Qi An, completely unprepared, couldn’t help but fall backward due to his movement. Mo Qing subconsciously caught her waist, pulling her into his embrace. Confirming she was fine, he moved to let go, but unexpectedly, her arms tightened around his neck; the girl had wrapped her arms around him.
Qi An lifted her head, quietly looking at the young man’s features. For some reason, she felt even thirstier. Her brain tangled, and she asked bluntly, “Beautiful Young Master, are you thirsty?”
Mo Qing was considering how to free her hands without hurting her, and didn’t bother considering why she asked such a question, only casually replying, “Not thirsty.”
Qi An said, “But I am thirsty!”
“Then let go, I will conjure some water for you…” Mo Qing’s subsequent words were blocked between their lips.
Mo Qing opened his eyes abruptly, feeling the warmth of her lips, looking at the girl in front of him in disbelief. She, however, blinked her innocent eyes, looking at him with absolute purity, as if she were doing the most ordinary thing in the world.
Before he could pull himself together to push her away, Qi An released her hands herself, muttering, “In the novels, when those young masters say they are thirsty, they kiss the beauty, and that quenches the thirst. Why am I still thirsty after kissing?”
Mo Qing: “…”
What kind of nonsense is written in those mortal novels?
He took a deep breath, wanting to leave, but could not bear to leave the young girl in the suburbs, so he asked where she lived. Although Qi An’s mind was not clear, she stated her address clearly, and even took the liberty to report how many chickens and ducks she had at home and how much property she owned.
Mo Qing felt that it was truly not easy for this girl to have lived to this age.
Mo Qing sent her home. He originally thought they would have no further intersection, but for some reason, whenever he closed his eyes, he always felt his nose filled with the fragrance of peach blossom wine.
At that time, he would never have imagined that one day later, in order to avoid the pursuit of the demons and change his appearance, he would encounter this girl again and be picked up by her and brought home.