"Ah!" Yang Kai was startled by her words. That consequence was rather serious. He had simply not wanted to tire the little Wood Spirit out—he never imagined it could lead to her being shunned by her entire clan. He hastily retracted his outstretched hand, looking thoroughly embarrassed. He offered the little Wood Spirit an apologetic smile and said gently, "Then I'll have to trouble you!"
Only then did the little Wood Spirit resume hugging the wine jar, filling the stone cup before him to the brim before quietly fluttering off to the side.
The Elder raised his cup and called out in a loud voice, "The bright moon hangs in the sky, and honored guests are here like jade. On behalf of the Stone Spirit and Wood Spirit clans, I offer this cup to our guests. Please drink it all!"
A crowd of Stone Spirits all raised their stone cups as well, gesturing toward Yang Kai in unison with the Elder.
Yang Kai hurriedly rose to his feet, held his cup, and swept it in a full circle around the room. He then tilted his head back and drained the wine in a single gulp, before turning the empty stone cup upside down to show he had finished.
The Stone Spirits all downed their wine in one go as well, each one swaying their heads back and forth with expressions of pure bliss, as though this wine offered them an indescribable taste of heaven.
"Please be seated, honored guest!" The Elder motioned for Yang Kai to sit after finishing his own drink, and Yang Kai settled back into his seat.
The wine in his belly really was quite good—complex and layered, with an aftertaste that lingered endlessly. Even someone like him, who wasn't much of a drinker, found it refreshing for both body and soul. He had no idea what kind of brewing techniques the Wood Spirit clan possessed.
After the first round of drinks, Clan Leader Mu Na, who had been standing beside the Elder the entire time, suddenly gave a light clap of her hands.
In an instant, more than twenty Wood Spirits fluttered to the center of the clearing. Half of them held exquisitely crafted miniature instruments in their hands. Without anyone directing them, the sound of flutes warbling, zithers ringing, and the peculiar thumping of wooden drums filled the air—all harmonizing like the clear tinkling of a mountain stream. The melodies were incredibly pleasant to the ear. As the Wood Spirits played their instruments one after another, the beautiful music reverberated through the lush jungle.
The other half of the Wood Spirits swayed their slender waists and gently extended their arms, singing and dancing at the center of the clearing to the rhythm of the music. The exotic charm of their performance was utterly captivating.
What the eyes beheld, what the ears heard—it was as though some magical force was cleansing the soul, immediately putting both Yang Kai and Zhang Ruoxi, these two outsiders, into a state of serene calm. They watched, transfixed.
Ruoxi in particular—her eyes were practically sparkling. The more she watched the Wood Spirits, the more utterly enchanted she became.
The Stone Spirit Elder watched from the side with a warm smile, stroking his stone beard and nodding gently at particularly lovely moments.
The little Wood Spirit filled Yang Kai's cup again, but he didn't even notice. His entire being had been drawn in by the music and the dance, experiencing a tranquility he had never known before. Every stray thought in his heart had been swept away entirely.
When the dance ended, Yang Kai still hadn't come back to his senses for quite some time.
It was the commotion nearby that finally snapped him out of it. He turned his head to look and immediately felt his mouth twitch.
There, the nine Stone Spirits—including Little Xiao—were all buried in a frenzy of eating and drinking, looking for all the world like starving ghosts reborn. Each one clutched their own wine jar and guzzled greedily. The rare and precious wine flowed from the corners of their mouths down onto their chests, wasting countless drops. A sip of wine, and then they'd snatch up the spirit fruits from the wooden trays in front of them and stuff them into their mouths, chewing wildly…
The nine Wood Spirits serving them wine all wore expressions of undisguised disgust.
When members of the two clans gathered together, it was practically the combination of elegance and savagery—the visual contrast was incredibly striking.
The Elder and Clan Leader Mu Na seemed thoroughly accustomed to this, watching with mild smiles without saying a word.
Yang Kai simply set about sampling the spirit fruits himself.
The spirit fruits cultivated by the Wood Spirit clan, and even the spirit wine they brewed, were not only delicious but seemed to possess a peculiar effect of cleansing the mind. Yang Kai found this quite astonishing. He secretly thought that if someone suffering from Qi Deviation could get their hands on such things, it might actually alleviate their condition.
Three rounds of wine had been drunk and five flavors of food had been savored. The atmosphere grew lively in an instant.
Two Stone Spirits who had been drinking until they swayed suddenly stood up from their seats—Yang Kai couldn't tell which was which, since they all looked more or less the same—and strode to the center of the clearing with great sweeping steps.
The Wood Spirits who had been playing and singing seemed to know what was about to happen, because they quickly scattered and flew to the edges of the clearing. They all watched the two Stone Spirits with grinning, expectant expressions.
Yang Kai and Ruoxi had no idea what these two were planning to do and watched with keen curiosity.
The two Stone Spirits in the center stared at each other for a moment, then simultaneously let out furious roars and charged at each other. With an earth-shaking crash, the two Stone Spirits collided like a pair of mountains crashing together. One seized the other by the throat with both hands, while the second locked its arms around the first's waist. The two locked into a stance resembling the character "eight," their feet constantly trying to hook around each other's legs—it was the posture of sworn mortal enemies determined to send each other to the grave.
Yang Kai watched with his heart in his throat, terrified that these two would get too carried away and accidentally hurt the little Wood Spirits nearby. Yet the little Wood Spirits were watching the whole thing with evident relish, cheering and shouting encouragement for the two Stone Spirits.
After watching for a good while, Yang Kai finally understood—the two Stone Spirits were wrestling.
Of course, given the Stone Spirits' colossal strength, this kind of savage wrestling wasn't something just any race could pull off. Every clash made his eyelids twitch, yet the clansfolk on both sides considered it perfectly normal.
After a while of grappling, one Stone Spirit spotted an opening, planted one foot behind the other's leg, and heaved with both arms, slamming his opponent to the ground in a cloud of dust.
"ROAR!" The victorious Stone Spirit threw back its head and bellowed, pounding its fists against its chest in a display of supreme arrogance.
Immediately, another Stone Spirit took issue with this, leaping into the center of the clearing and locking up with the victor…
One Stone Spirit after another was eliminated, and new challengers kept stepping forward. The atmosphere grew increasingly heated, to the point that even the Wood Spirits got carried away—they flew right into the center of the clearing, circling the two combatants and clamoring excitedly.
Yang Kai watched the spectacle with a broad grin, his own emotions stirred up as he joined in the cheering.