Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"What kind of spirit beast is this? It's shedding way too much." Mo Chen tossed the fur away.

Liu Nanzhou said thanks to him. Qi Wuyu withdrew his hand, chagrined, glanced at Mo Chen, and said, "What spirit beast could be that foolish?"

Mo Chen thought that made sense. Qi Wuyu and Liu Nanzhou accompanied Mo Chen to find a reliable-looking medicine shop. As Mo Chen told the shopkeeper the medicines he needed, Qi Wuyu leaned against the doorframe. Liu Nanzhou entered the shop and looked around on his own. Not finding anything of interest, he returned to Qi Wuyu's side, having lost interest.

"Hey, look over there, they're selling spirit pets." Qi Wuyu jerked his chin toward it. "Want to go take a look?"

"Alright."

Qi Wuyu called out to Mo Chen inside the shop, "We're going to look around up ahead. Come find us when you're done."

Mo Chen heard him and looked over, smiling slightly. "Alright, you two go ahead."

Watching the two leave, Mo Chen's smile faded as he sighed. He then asked the shopkeeper, "Do you have anything that can calm the nerves?"

"Of course, right this way."

Qi Wuyu and Liu Nanzhou approached the spirit pet stall. It was a dazzling array of creatures. Spirit snakes and ghost spiders counted as normal. Liu Nanzhou didn't really get the appeal of raising such exotic pets; they were all too ugly. Only the Yunli Squirrels on the side were the only halfway decent-looking ones.

Qi Wuyu bent down, holding a spirit herb to tease one of the Yunli Squirrels a couple times. "Ah, I miss Auspicious Snow. We'll go home after we find you a weapon."

Liu Nanzhou nodded.

"What are you looking at?" Mo Chen, having finished his purchase, found them.

Qi Wuyu tossed the spirit herb into the small cage and stood up. "All done?"

"Mm." Mo Chen handed a small porcelain vial to Liu Nanzhou. "This is for you."

Liu Nanzhou was taken aback. "For me?"

Mo Chen smiled slightly, pursing his lips. "You haven't been resting well. This can help soothe your nerves."

Qi Wuyu straightened up beside them, crossing his arms and sweeping a thoughtful glance over Mo Chen, then looking at Liu Nanzhou.

Liu Nanzhou hadn't expected Mo Chen to buy medicine for him. Qi Wuyu had just mentioned it in passing that morning, yet he remembered.

He shook his head gently. "Thank you, but it's not necessary. It's not a big issue for me."

Mo Chen pressed it into his hand. "Just take it. You two saved me, and I haven't even repaid you yet." He turned to Qi Wuyu. "Brother Qi, don't feel left out. I'll treat you to a drink later."

Qi Wuyu raised an eyebrow. "Alright."

The three found the tavern Qi Wuyu had spotted yesterday and went inside. The tavern was quite large, with two floors. As soon as they entered, a rich, mellow aroma of wine wafted over them. Surprisingly, there were quite a few people drinking at this hour, and the staff were busy running around.

Qi Wuyu: "Mmm... smells wonderful."

Hearing the voice, Boss Cheng Yun looked up from behind the counter and bustled over. She appeared to be just over thirty, confident and striking in her beauty, with several dark purple scales adorning the corners of her eyes—a member of the Yanlu Clan.

Seeing these three, each more handsome than the last, Cheng Yun felt her mood lift, a smile on her lips. "Please come in, gentlemen. My surname is Cheng, I'm the owner here. Let me know if you need anything."

Qi Wuyu looked around the room; nearly every table had the same type of wine. He asked, "Boss Cheng, what wine is this? It smells quite unique."

Cheng Yun chuckled. "You've got a good nose, Immortal. This is our house brew, called Pepper Flower Wine. It's a new recipe this year. Not only is it delicious, but it also replenishes qi and calms the spirit, offering many benefits to your cultivation." She lowered her voice mysteriously. "Most importantly, it can make you forget your past pains. Would you gentlemen like to try some?"

Qi Wuyu raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Mo Chen said, "Sure, bring two jars."

She led the three to a seat and patted Qi Wuyu's shoulder. "Excellent, please wait a moment."

Liu Nanzhou frowned slightly. "Is what she said true? Is this wine safe?"

Forgetting past pains? Could something so miraculous exist?

Qi Wuyu waved a hand dismissively. "Whether it's true or not, we'll know once we try it."

A short while later, Cheng Yun brought over two jars of wine and several small dishes. "Here you are, gentlemen. The wine is freshly warmed."

"Thank you, boss."

Qi Wuyu took the wine and asked, "Boss Cheng, do you have any tea?"

Cheng Yun was taken aback. "Tea? We only have floral tea."

Qi Wuyu asked Liu Nanzhou, "Is that okay?"

Liu Nanzhou nodded, so Qi Wuyu said, "Then bring a pot, please."

Soon, a waiter brought a pot of clear tea. His rolled-up sleeves revealed a distinct mark on his arm. Liu Nanzhou recalled that the servant from yesterday seemed to have a similar pattern on his arm.

After the waiter left, Liu Nanzhou asked, "What's that on his arm? The guy from yesterday had it too."

Qi Wuyu said, "A blood oath—the mark of a demon slave."

"One of their own kind enslaving another?"

"Humans have that too. People at the bottom work as beasts of burden for the rich to make a living. It's the same, except humans don't have such formal constraints."

Liu Nanzhou couldn't agree.

Qi Wuyu and Mo Chen drank wine while Liu Nanzhou joined them, drinking tea. Mo Chen drank in a hurry. Qi Wuyu raised an eyebrow, thinking Mo Chen could drink him under the table, but after just a few sips, Mo Chen's eyes began to glaze over.

Qi Wuyu laughed. "Brother Mo, your alcohol tolerance isn't much better than Xiao Zhou's."

Qi Wuyu pulled his arm and turned him around, saying helplessly, "I'm over here." He took the bowl from Mo Chen's hand and swapped it for a cup of tea. "You'd better drink tea with Xiao Zhou."

Liu Nanzhou watched them, a hint of concern in his eyes as he looked at Qi Wuyu. "How do you feel?"

Qi Wuyu said, "Perfectly fine. This wine is really quite good. Want a small taste?"

Liu Nanzhou ignored that, only asking, "Any discomfort anywhere?"

"None." Qi Wuyu immediately understood what he was worried about and smiled. "No need to be nervous, Xiao Zhou. Do you really believe that 'forget past pains' stuff? Drink too much, pass out, and sleep—isn't that 'forgetting pain'?"

"..."

That did seem to make sense.

Liu Nanzhou still said, "Then you should drink less too."

Qi Wuyu nodded. "Alright, alright, alright."

Mo Chen slumped back in his chair, head drooping, mumbling something under his breath. "Found... I found it..."

Qi Wuyu didn't catch it clearly. He leaned closer, ear inclined. "Found what?"

Mo Chen's lips moved, muttering something, his voice lost in a sudden crash.

Liu Nanzhou followed the noise and saw a pile of junk thrown down from the second floor. He raised his sword to block a teacup headed for Qi Wuyu.

BANG—even a door panel flew out. Qi Wuyu looked up and thought the two people by the railing looked kinda familiar.

"Hey, look at those two by the railing. Don't they look like the two kids who were with you in the Golden Que Valley's illusion mirror?"

Liu Nanzhou recognized them too. "It's them."

The commotion upstairs got everyone downstairs gawking. Cheng Yun came out from behind the bar, hiking up her skirt as she rushed upstairs two steps at a time. "No fighting! What's going on here?"

"You dare hit me!" A pot-bellied middle-aged man bent over, clutching his stomach, with several people supporting him.

The young man opposite shielded the person behind him and retorted, "I hit you because you deserved it. Say another disgusting word, and I'll knock your teeth out!"

The middle-aged man shook off the people holding him up and roared, "What are you all standing around for? Get him!"

"Hey, hey, let's all calm down and talk. No fighting, please," Cheng Yun stepped between them, trying to mediate. "How am I supposed to run my business with you causing trouble like this?"

Ignoring her, the middle-aged man tried to push forward. Cheng Yun's expression hardened as she raised a hand to stop him. The man took half a step but found himself unable to advance further, gaping at Cheng Yun in shock.

"I said, no fighting." With a wave of her hand, Cheng Yun sent the man staggering back to flop onto a stool. She turned, kicked a stool over, sat down, and crossed her legs in one fluid motion. "Now, who wants to explain why you're fighting?"

Qi Wuyu had already pulled Liu Nanzhou to the front of the crowd. Zhou Xun spoke up, "Boss, it wasn't us picking a fight. He was the one who insulted my friend first."

Cheng Yun turned to the middle-aged man, who showed no sign of remorse. He spread his hands, his gaze leering as it swept over Li An. "I just thought he looked fair-skinned and clean-cut, sitting there all alone, looking bored. I wanted to make friends with him."

Zhou Xun recalled returning to see the man's hand on Li An's shoulder and felt disgusted. Anger flashed in his eyes as he tightened his grip on his sword, nearly gritting his teeth. "Make friends? Forcing someone to drink to make friends?"

"I just said a few extra words because he was being ungrateful."

In front of so many people, Zhou Xun didn't want to repeat the man's vile remarks. Unexpectedly, Li An drew his sword at that moment, pointing it at the man and stating seriously, "You insulted me."

The middle-aged man was taken aback. He had said several things to Li An earlier, but Li An had ignored him as if he were air, only replying once with, "I won't be friends with you."

Their sect was somewhat well-known in the area, and usually, others sought them out. As the senior disciple, he carried himself with an air of arrogance. He had condescended to invite Li An for a drink, only to be refused and completely ignored in front of his fellow disciples. How could he tolerate that?

Furious, he had mocked Li An a few times. Li An hadn't reacted at all—apparently, he had only just realized he was being insulted.

The man almost laughed in disbelief. "So he's an idiot."

By now, the situation was clear enough.

Cheng Yun found the man utterly repulsive and saw no need for politeness. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed. "Since you started it, apologize to this young gentleman right now. Then you can go make friends wherever you please, but don't cause trouble in my establishment."

"On what grounds—" Before the man could finish, his vision blurred, and an irresistible force slammed his head onto the table, giving him no chance to resist.

"On the grounds that this is my place, and I make the rules." Cheng Yun pressed down on the back of his neck, looking down at him imperiously. "Apologize."

The man was practically steaming with rage. His fellow disciples glanced around, but not a single one stepped forward to help him—a clear sign of how many people he had offended over time.

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Author's Note: A short chapter (on my knees). Hoping tomorrow brings enough collections [please?]

Second edit: Changed all instances of "proprietress" to "boss." Our Boss Cheng is her own boss, not anyone's proprietress. Didn't realize it when writing earlier, but it felt off today. Fixed the relevant parts later too. [Ears-up bunny emoji]