The banquet finally came to an abrupt end due to a bout of drunkenness. Xie Yuan had barely eaten a few bites of food when he heard a thud beside him. Shen Zhuo had already collapsed in a drunken stupor.
He helplessly put down his chopsticks and nudged the person beside him. “Daoist Shen? Wake up.”
Shen Zhuo gave a muffled hum and turned onto his side, facing away from Xie Yuan as if he had no desire to respond. The servant waiting nearby seemed to have anticipated this and hurried forward.
“The guest room is ready. I shall help this Daoist to his rest.”
Xie Yuan tucked away his folding fan and personally took Shen Zhuo’s arm. “No need. I shall take him there. You lead the way.”
He turned and instructed the servant serving Song Yan to take good care of her, then supported Shen Zhuo as they walked out of the pavilion. Shen Zhuo leaned almost his entire weight against Xie Yuan. His warm breath, mingled with the heavy scent of wine, brushed against Xie Yuan’s neck in waves. If Xie Yuan tilted his head slightly, he could see the other person’s gently trembling eyelashes.
“With such a low tolerance for alcohol, you still dared to accept the challenge,” he whispered with a light laugh, adjusting his posture to let Shen Zhuo lean more steadily.
The servant led the way with a lantern. The night was quiet, leaving only the sound of footsteps and the subtle rustle of fabric. Shen Zhuo seemed slightly uncomfortable from the swaying, murmuring incoherently as he unconsciously rubbed his face against Xie Yuan’s shoulder.
Arriving at the guest room door, the servant stopped respectfully. “This is the one. Yours is right next door.”
“Thank you,” Xie Yuan nodded. He personally helped Shen Zhuo into the inner room and carefully settled him onto the bed. As soon as Shen Zhuo touched the mattress, he curled up instinctively, found a comfortable position, and fell asleep completely defenseless.
Xie Yuan stood by the bed, gazing down at him for a while. The servant had already tactfully withdrawn and closed the door. After watching for a long moment, Xie Yuan eventually leaned down to lift Shen Zhuo again, letting him lean against his shoulder. He removed the outer robe that was soaked with the scent of wine and tidied the messy inner garment.
Just as he was about to lay him back on the pillow, Shen Zhuo suddenly sat up straight on the edge of the bed and opened his eyes. Xie Yuan waved a finger in front of his eyes, but Shen Zhuo did not react. He clearly had not sobered up and simply stared at him without moving.
“Staring again?” The corners of Xie Yuan’s mouth twitched upward.
Shen Zhuo’s brain was slowed by the alcohol. After a long while, he slowly spoke. “You took off my clothes.”
Xie Yuan chuckled. “I was helping you remove your outer robe so you could sleep more comfortably.”
Shen Zhuo ignored him and continued on his own. “You already took off my clothes, but you will not kiss me.”
Xie Yuan was choked by these words, finding it both funny and frustrating. “Those are not the same thing.”
Shen Zhuo seemed determined on this logic, continuing to stare at him intently. He emphasized with absolute seriousness, “It is the same thing.”
Seeing his stubborn, drunken behavior, Xie Yuan had no choice but to coax him softly. “You are drunk. Lie down and rest first.”
“Not drunk,” Shen Zhuo retorted quickly. “You just took off my clothes.”
Before his voice even faded, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Xie Yuan’s collar. Xie Yuan immediately became alert. “What do you want to do?”
Shen Zhuo simply repeated stubbornly, “You took off my clothes.”
“Yes, I took off your clothes. So?” Xie Yuan had given up on reasoning with this drunkard and simply asked back.
Shen Zhuo tightened his grip on the collar and said righteously, “So I want to take off yours too.”
Xie Yuan did not expect that answer. He arched an eyebrow. “You just want to take off my clothes? Truly?”
Shen Zhuo looked up at him with a direct gaze. “Truly.”
The two were extremely close. Xie Yuan could even smell the wine on the other’s breath, which mingled in the air to create a dizzying ambiguity. But Shen Zhuo, who claimed he wanted to take off Xie Yuan’s clothes, only held onto the collar tightly. He made no further move and instead leaned closer to Xie Yuan’s face.
Those misty eyes did not blink. His warm breath brushed against the corner of Xie Yuan’s lips, causing Xie Yuan’s muscles to tighten and his Adam’s apple to bob involuntarily.
“Shen Zhuo.”
In the next second, the white jade fan in Xie Yuan’s sleeve slid into his palm. He skillfully used the handle to press against the other’s forehead and pushed him away with a bit of force. He laughed softly. “I knew you were up to no good.”
Pushed away, Shen Zhuo frowned and grumbled, “You still will not let me kiss you.”
“Correct,” Xie Yuan admitted frankly. “I will not let you kiss me.”
Shen Zhuo’s hand still had not released the collar. He stared straight at him and asked, “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why will you not let me kiss you? Why do you always dodge?” Shen Zhuo was relentless.
Xie Yuan wanted to say that it was an obvious question. The two of them were not in a relationship where they could just kiss. Between fellow Daoists, kissing was not allowed. But before he could speak, he heard the youth’s voice drop. With a heavy nasal tone, he said, “Do not dodge. I will be sad.”
These words pierced Xie Yuan’s heart unexpectedly. His movements faltered, and the fan against the other’s forehead instinctively loosened its pressure.
After a long pause, he asked dryly, “Why would you be sad?”
Shen Zhuo looked up, the water in his eyes trembling as he gazed stubbornly. “Do you not know?”
Xie Yuan’s voice remained dry. “Know what?”
“That I really want to kiss you.”
Xie Yuan turned red from his ears to his cheeks. He could not even speak coherently. “Why, why do you want to kiss me?”
Shen Zhuo tilted his head. His alcohol-soaked brain was clearly unable to process such a complex question. Finding no answer, he simply stopped trying to respond. He used his strength to yank Xie Yuan’s collar toward him and drew close again without warning.
Xie Yuan felt he must be possessed. Otherwise, he could not explain why he did not dodge this time. He let those wine-scented lips press against his own. The moment they touched, it was incredibly soft, yet it was like a match falling into an oil barrel, lighting him completely on fire.
He froze in place, his mind buzzing, and all reason collapsed instantly. The only thing clear was the warmth on his lips. The white jade fan slipped onto the bed at some point, but he could not react. He could not push him away, nor did he know how to. He could only let Shen Zhuo follow his instincts in a clumsy bite and nibble.
The candlelight flickered as if something was being burned away. Perhaps it was wariness, or perhaps it was boundaries. In any case, Xie Yuan’s world fell silent, leaving only the sound of their intertwined breathing. It was not until Shen Zhuo had had enough and pulled back that Xie Yuan’s consciousness gradually returned.
He raised a hand to touch his lips. The sensation from just now remained clearly. He looked at Shen Zhuo, who had fallen back onto the bed with a satisfied face, and was surprised to find that the other person’s eyes were still open. Shen Zhuo slowly turned his eyes toward him. The moment their gazes met, Xie Yuan hurriedly looked away and lowered his head to pick up his fan.
“Can I kiss you again?” Shen Zhuo would not let him off, watching his frantic state with open eyes.
These words set Xie Yuan off again. His fingertips trembled, and he almost failed to grip the fan. “You.” He spoke, only to find his voice tight and unable to say more.
Facing a drunkard, anything he said seemed futile. However, Shen Zhuo added slowly, “Forget it. Kissing is useless now. I have to wait until tomorrow to kiss you again.”
Xie Yuan was stunned. “Why wait until tomorrow?”
Shen Zhuo said unclearly, “There is a cooldown time.”
“What cooldown time?”
But no matter how much Xie Yuan pressed, Shen Zhuo made no more sound. He turned to look, and the drunkard had actually fallen asleep instantly. His breathing became long and steady, as if everything just now had been a dream.
Xie Yuan gazed at Shen Zhuo, who had sunk into sleep once more, but his gaze involuntarily fell on the other’s slightly parted lips. The brief but scorching sensation reappeared, and the temperature at his ears rose rapidly. He stood up abruptly from the bed and snapped open his fan, fanning himself quickly to dispel the heat on his face.
Truly. Why bother with a drunkard?
He stood there for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh of resignation. He stepped forward, carefully tucked in the corners of Shen Zhuo’s quilt, then blew out the candle and quietly left the room.
Shen Zhuo slept very deeply that night, but it was not peaceful. He repeatedly dreamed of Moyuan and of being locked in a cold underground palace. His limbs felt heavy like lead, and no matter how he struggled, he could not escape. Just as he used his last ounce of strength and was about to break free, Shen Zhuo woke up with a start.
What met his eyes was not the cold, oppressive ceiling of his memory, but a strange bed curtain embroidered with delicate gold thread. His heart was still pounding, and his breathing was rapid. He gasped for air, and it took a long time for him to gradually recover.
Just then, a clear electronic system voice sounded in his mind:
[Ding! Routine task completed (2/15).] [Reward issued: 1% cultivation restored.]
Shen Zhuo: ?
He had simply had a nightmare about Moyuan. How did he finish the task? Did routine tasks not require actually kissing Xie Yuan? It could not be that kissing him in a dream counted, right?
He focused on the spiritual energy in his body. The reward had indeed arrived. The spiritual energy flowing through his meridians had returned to the level of the third stage of Qi Refining. It seemed the system had not made a mistake.
Shen Zhuo called out to the system, “How was the task completed? What happened last night?”
[Ding! Yesterday, the host was drunk and unconscious. The system was forced to shut down, so the specific details are unclear.]
Drunk?
Shen Zhuo threw back the quilt and sat up. His temples were throbbing with a hangover. He looked down and saw he was only wearing his inner garment. His outer robe was neatly folded at the head of the bed.
His last memory was of Feng Kongzun coaxing him to drink under the guise of a competition. After that, everything was a blank. He could not remember a thing. Had Xie Yuan done something to him while he was drunk last night? He thought for a moment and immediately dismissed the idea. If anything had happened, based on past experience, it was more likely that he had done something to Xie Yuan.
He did not expect the effect of alcohol to be so powerful. Even though he was the one who was drunk, Xie Yuan actually let him kiss him. This was actually great. He needed to find an opportunity to drink again.
As Shen Zhuo was thinking, there was a light knock on the door, and a servant walked in carrying a wooden tray. “The Family Head was worried about your hangover and specifically ordered the preparation of a sobering soup. Please drink it while it is hot.”
He drank it all in one gulp. A slight bitterness remained on his lips, but a wave of warmth went down his throat and slowly spread. The tension in his head relaxed, and all discomfort vanished.
“Thank you,” Shen Zhuo placed the empty bowl back on the tray and asked casually, “How much did I drink with Family Head Feng yesterday?”
The servant answered respectfully, “Two cups.”
“Two cups?” Shen Zhuo recalled the size of those cups and found it hard to believe.
“Yes. After you and the Family Head drank two cups each, you both collapsed at the table.”
Shen Zhuo then thought that his alcohol tolerance had always been very low, so collapsing after one cup was not strange. At least this time he lasted for two. It was not a single-cup defeat, so it was not that embarrassing.
As Shen Zhuo was comforting himself, he saw that the servant did not leave. Instead, he took an exquisite glass bottle from his sleeve and placed it on the tray. “The Family Head ordered me to hand this to you.”
Shen Zhuo saw that the bottle was translucent, containing a red-gold liquid that shimmered with a brilliant luster under the light. He could not help but freeze. “This is?”
“It is the prize the Family Head mentioned before, the Phoenix Blood.”
Shen Zhuo looked at the bottle, his gaze almost captured by it. “Did Family Head Feng not say that this was a prize only for the winner?”
“Exactly. You and the Family Head drank two cups together. The Family Head fell backward halfway through his second cup.” The servant paused, chose his words carefully, and continued, “Although you also collapsed immediately after, you lasted a moment longer than the Family Head. According to the rules of the drinking test, the one who falls later is the winner. Therefore, this prize belongs to you.”
Shen Zhuo was speechless for a moment. He knew his own tolerance well, and two cups were an overperformance. He did not expect Feng Kongzun to fall even faster than him. But if that were the case, why did the other insist on having this competition?
He picked up the glass bottle. The Phoenix Blood felt warm in his hand, and a wave of warmth seeped into his meridians from his palm. He closed his fingers around it and thought for a long time. Feng Kongzun’s action seemed like he was specifically looking for an excuse to put this Phoenix Blood into Shen Zhuo’s hands. But what was the intention?
“Where is Family Head Feng now? I wish to thank him in person.”
The servant shook his head. “The Family Head possesses the Phoenix bloodline. The strength of the wine will trigger the source fire within his bloodline. After every bout of drunkenness, he needs to go into seclusion for two days to regulate his breathing. Additionally, there are guests arriving at Phoenix Flame Mountain, so the Family Head will likely be unable to spare time in the short term.”
Shen Zhuo pondered for a moment and said, “In that case, I shall not disturb Family Head Feng’s cultivation. When he emerges, please convey my thanks.”
“I shall keep it in mind,” the servant bowed and replied.
Shen Zhuo could not use the Phoenix Blood for the time being, but after this incident, the lead on the jade pendant was broken again. Pei Chuan was tight-lipped, and Phoenix Flame Mountain denied knowledge. Where should he go next to find clues? It was not that there were no clues at all.
While organizing his thoughts, he pushed open the door and walked out of the courtyard. At that exact moment, the door to the room next door opened as well.