Xiang Su was once drinking in a tavern when he encountered a spring drizzle.
He saw a shop assistant at a medical clinic in the rain pause from his work, dash out of the shop, and run over to offer an oil-paper umbrella cheng hua to a couple who had just left in a hurry while holding a child with a high fever.
The family repeatedly expressed their gratitude, and the husband insisted on giving the assistant a few copper coins. In the end, the assistant accepted only a single coin, just to acknowledge their gesture of thanks.
Shielding his wife and the swaddling clothes from the rain, the husband tilted the umbrella entirely toward his wife.
Careless of how soaked he himself became, the husband simply watched the road ahead, glancing down every now and then at his wife to gently tuck a lock of rain-drenched hair behind her ear with his free hand.
Xiang Su felt that this scenery ought to be preserved and recorded through wine; every time it was savored, it brought back this exact image.
And thus, the name of the liquor, Cheng Hua.
Elder Xiang Su was currently sitting in the Lanyun Pavilion atop the peak, toying with the spiritual jade talisman token that Shi An had sent him not long ago. He decided to divine the sect master’s financial luck, which left him utterly astonished though he resolved never to feel envious.
After all, if the sect master grew wealthy, it meant the sect had money; if the sect had money, then his own stipends and offerings would naturally increase. Thinking along those lines, it wasn’t a bad outcome at all. He made a mental note to squeeze a few more promises out of the sect master later.
He then tried divining the cultivation path of his own direct disciple, Zhifan. Tsk, quite mediocre. Ah, the output stars were a bit too strong and prosperous; he reckoned this little brat would surely become prime material for his future novels.
Xiang Su stroked the talisman token. This little trinket was genuinely useful. Since it had been gifted by Immortal Lord Shi An, he figured he might as well check Immortal Lord Shi An’s fortune as well.
Following a round of divination, a web of fine cracks suddenly spread across the talisman token, hovering on the verge of shattering entirely, with faint crimson lines weaving stealthily beneath the fractures.
He picked up the token and performed the divination once more, only for the crimson glow to grow even more intense, though the final outcome remained unchanged.
All he could ascertain was that Immortal Lord Shi An’s upcoming tribulation would be unimaginably perilous, yet he should ultimately be able to preserve his life. There was no direct method to break the tribulation; everything depended entirely on human effort.
Just as he poured himself a cup of minor wine to dispel his gloom, a disciple hurried over to report: “Young Master Shen Qingchen wishes to have a word with you, Elder. Shall I grant him entry?”
Xiang Su instructed the disciple to go guide him over and ensure he was treated with the utmost respect. He then hastily scooped up the talisman tokens scattered across the table, frantically yet carefully sorting and stowing them away in a flurry of movement.
Next, he called for attendants to arrange dishes of food, while he personally bolted over to his wine cellar to fetch three jars of Cheng Hua. As he returned hugging the wine jars, Yun Zhou happened to step into the pavilion.
Xiang Su exchanged a few casual pleasantries “Trust you have been well since we last met, Young Master Shen” before waving his hand to dismiss the attending disciples.
Once Yun Zhou took his seat, Xiang Su warmed and poured the wine. The two raised their cups to toast one another across the table, yet an entire age seemed to have passed since their last meeting. The last time they had sat facing each other like this was before the sect had stabilized and before Shi An faced his tribulation.
Rather than maintaining stiff formal etiquette while drinking, Xiang Su cut straight to the point and revealed the results of his recent divination: “Shi An’s fatal tribulation still exists. It will not claim his life, but whether he can emerge safely depends entirely on human effort.”
Yun Zhou had just taken a sip of his wine when he heard those words. With his attention entirely fixated on the phrase “fatal tribulation,” his hand lost its steady grip, causing his cup to overturn. Yet, suppressing his voice, he asked with an edge of disbelief, “Are you certain?”
Then, he muttered dazedly to himself, endlessly replaying the events as if losing his mind: “How could it have failed? What are we supposed to do now?”
Judging by Yun Zhou’s recent injuries, Elder Xiang Su already sensed that the situation was far from simple. Unwilling to fret any longer over what was or wasn’t permissible to disclose when a life was on the line, agonizing over protocol was pointless he pressed down on Yun Zhou’s shoulder and produced a Clarity Pill, making Yun Zhou swallow it to help steady his agitated state of mind. No matter what had gone wrong, they had years of friendship behind them and could face it and discuss it together.
Regaining his composure, Yun Zhou realized he had lost his poise. Once he calmed down, he decided it would be wise to discuss the matter with Xiang Su.
And so, he recounted everything from the beginning: how he had foreseen Shi An’s fatal tribulation, down to the specific method he and Shi An had devised and executed to break through it.
Having learned the cause and effect behind Yun Zhou’s injuries and Shi An’s descent into demonic cultivation, Xiang Su could not help sighing at how uniquely rocky this pair’s romantic path truly was. They had always cherished one another with zero external obstacles, yet their journey of love felt as though someone had hurled a massive boulder right across a perfectly smooth road and to make matters worse, the culprit remained entirely untraceable.
Through a joint calculation and deduction, Yun Zhou and Xiang Su confirmed that the previously divined death-bound tribulation had indeed been broken, but it had only managed to preserve a thread of life. This game of fate was fraught with unpredictable changes as if a single stray word could shatter the entire setup into pieces.