What Jiang Chen hadn't expected was that Shi Xiaoyao's next move was to actually sweep all the drinking vessels off the table in one clumsy motion.
He reached into his robe and, sure enough, produced an Ancient Vine Cup.
For someone as rough and crude as Shi Xiaoyao, he suddenly wore an expression of tender gentleness, cradling the cup the way a father might cradle his newborn daughter — careful, soft, suffused with warmth.
In that moment, Jiang Chen glimpsed in Shi Xiaoyao the shadow of a true wine fanatic.
"Jiang Chen, the last time I tasted Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine, I drank it from this very cup. My fortune is shallow, and I never had the chance to taste it again. But I'm thick-skinned — if I couldn't have another sip of the wine, I at least helped myself to the cup on my way out. Heh heh."
Shi Xiaoyao let out a slightly sleazy chuckle, as if swiping the cup were not something shameful but a badge of pride.
"Just a moment ago, I still doubted whether you could really bring Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine. Now, I'm inclined to believe you — because you actually know about the Ancient Vine Cup!"
The Ancient Vine Cup was the ideal vessel for drinking Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine. That was something Shi Xiaoyao had learned from someone else's introduction long ago.
So when he heard what Jiang Chen had just said, far from growing angry, Shi Xiaoyao was overjoyed.
He placed the Ancient Vine Cup on the table with the utmost care, then actually closed his eyes: "Jiang Chen, if you're lying to me, get out immediately — and on account of the fact that you could name the Ancient Vine Cup, I'll let you off just this once. But if it's real, pour the wine!"
The Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine cascaded into the Ancient Vine Cup like a mythical nectar from antiquity. The sound it made as it struck the vessel was like the tinkling of a mountain spring — a rhythm all its own, carrying a mesmerizing magic.
In that instant, every sensation seemed to merge into the wine. The surroundings transformed as though the room had become a deep valley overgrown with all manner of rare herbs, a clear brook winding its way through the rocks, leaving one refreshed and at ease.
Shi Xiaoyao's entire body jerked, and his tightly shut eyes flew open.
The next moment, this Deputy Sect Master of Duobao Dojo — one of the most powerful figures in the Tiangui Kingdom — began to weep like a child!
Tears streamed down his face!
His lips trembled: "I never imagined that after so many years, I, Shi Xiaoyao, would truly have the fortune to encounter Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine once more!"
He raised the Ancient Vine Cup to his lips, seeming to want to engage all six senses and pour every ounce of his being into drinking this wine.
The wine slid down his throat, and Shi Xiaoyao became as still as an old monk deep in meditation — petrified.
The sensation was too wonderful, too unforgettable.
This was the flavor that haunted his dreams, the taste he could never forget.
"Heh heh, Deputy Sect Master Shi, if you want to cry, go ahead and let it out. I know you kicked Feng Yan out because you were afraid of losing your composure — it'd be pretty embarrassing to have your subordinates see you like this."
Shi Xiaoyao gave a sheepish laugh and scratched his head: "Jiang Chen, you kid — you saw right through me. Seems I really did underestimate you."
"So, how is the wine?"
Shi Xiaoyao sighed: "I have only four words — worth dying for."
Worth dying for — meaning that having drunk this wine, if Shi Xiaoyao were told to die right then and there, he would have no regrets.
Could any praise possibly surpass that?
Jiang Chen gave a grin and pushed the wine jug forward: "Deputy Sect Master Shi, a hero recognizes a hero. If you hadn't helped me so wholeheartedly with the Dragon Tooth Guard affair, you wouldn't have gotten to taste Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine so quickly. This entire jug of Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine is yours."
"What?" Shi Xiaoyao leaped to his feet, both hands clutching the jug tightly, his eyes blinking with a gleeful, almost roguish light. "Jiang Chen, don't you go regretting this."
"A fine sword for a noble warrior, rouge for a beautiful lady. Giving this Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine to someone like Deputy Sect Master Shi, who truly understands it, is far better than letting some mediocre fool guzzle it down, isn't it?"
Shi Xiaoyao chuckled happily: "Now that's something I like hearing."
"Well then, I won't keep Deputy Sect Master Shi from enjoying his wine." Jiang Chen rose to take his leave.
Shi Xiaoyao was taken aback. He had fully expected Jiang Chen to make some requests — he'd already steeled himself to fulfill whatever was asked, no matter what.
But Jiang Chen hadn't made a single demand and was simply about to leave.
"Wait!" Even Shi Xiaoyao felt a twinge of guilt. His skin was thick, surely, but not so thick that he could drink a man's exquisite wine without giving anything in return.
"Jiang Chen, you've helped me fulfill my wish. By the promise inscribed in the Wish Tower, I'm at least supposed to secure you a seat as a Fifth-Rank Noble. But given your abilities, Fifth-Rank is far too low for you. Tell you what — I'll push hard and make sure you get a Fourth-Rank Noble position, and I'll aim for Third-Rank. How about that?"
"Deputy Sect Master Shi truly is a man of his word."
"Haha, I won't keep you today. This Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine — tonight I'm going to sleep hugging this jug, and nobody had better try to stop me!" Shi Xiaoyao cackled with delight, his mood at its absolute peak.
……
Over at Qianlan Southern Palace, Qiao Baishi touched his cheek. His face was flushed red, and his heart churned with a jumble of emotions. He stood there, at a complete loss for what to do with his hands.