Chapter 9

New book seeking support, please collect and recommend.

******

"Brother Leng, it seems we are truly destined to meet. From Dali to Wuxi, a long journey, and yet we still encounter each other. I felt regret when you left last time, but I didn’t expect to meet you so soon again," Duan Yu said, unable to contain his joy.

"Yes, I didn’t expect it either," Li Wuching replied.

This statement was somewhat insincere. In Wuxi, he had waited for a long time, waiting like a rabbit for a hare, just to participate in the wine contest at Songhelou.

Nodding to Duan Yu, Li Wuching continued, "Let’s catch up later. For now, we should drink to our heart’s content."

With that, Li Wuching called the waiter, took another large bowl, filled it with wine, and drank it in one gulp.

Jiao Feng laughed heartily, "Good, very refreshing. Let’s continue."

Jiao Feng was curious about Li Wuching, but he was a carefree person by nature. He didn’t ask about his background when making friends, nor did he care about enemies or friends when drinking. When there was wine, he drank without hesitation.

Jiao Feng drank another bowl, Li Wuching followed suit, and Duan Yu, not wanting to be outdone, drank a bowl as well. However, he felt a burning sensation in his stomach, and his head became muddled.

Without waiting to rest, Duan Yu picked up a third bowl and drank it. Before the third bowl, he already felt nauseous. After another half a catty of strong liquor, his internal organs seemed to be turning upside down. He tightly closed his mouth to prevent the wine from coming out. Suddenly, a movement in his dantian caused a surge of true qi. The internal turmoil was similar to when his true qi couldn’t be contained. He immediately followed the method taught by Duan Zhengming and directed the true qi to the Dazhui point.

The alcohol mixed with the true qi, but unlike the true qi, the alcohol was a tangible substance and couldn’t remain in the acupoints. He let it flow naturally, guiding the true qi from the Tianzong point to the Jianzhen point, then through the Xiaohai, Zhizheng, and Yanglao points in his left arm, and finally to the Yanggu, Houxi, and Qiangu points in his palm, where it was expelled through the Shaohai point in his little finger.

The true qi path Duan Yu was using was the "Shaohai Sword" from the Six Pulse Sword Technique. The Shaohai Sword was originally an intangible sword qi, but now a stream of alcohol flowed from his little finger.

At first, Duan Yu didn’t notice, but soon his head cleared, and he realized the alcohol was flowing from his little finger. He thought, "Amazing!"

Duan Yu let his left hand hang down, and Jiao Feng didn’t pay attention. Seeing Duan Yu’s initially drunken eyes become bright and spirited, he was surprised and said, "Brother, your alcohol tolerance is quite impressive. Indeed, you are interesting."

Duan Yu laughed, "My alcohol tolerance varies with the company. As the saying goes: 'When drinking with a true friend, a thousand cups are never enough.' Today, with Brother Leng and you, even a thousand cups would be too few."

Saying this, he drank the large bowl in front of him and then guided the true qi as before. Duan Yu’s left hand rested on the railing by the window, and the alcohol flowed down the railing to the wall below, unnoticed. In a short time, he had expelled all four large bowls of alcohol.

Duan Yu said, "When drinking with a true friend, a thousand cups are never enough," but Li Wuching knew what was really happening. He looked at Duan Yu with a meaningful smile.

Noticing Li Wuching’s gaze and smile, Duan Yu thought, "Brother Leng must have noticed my trick, but he won’t say anything."

Jiao Feng was delighted to see Li Wuching and Duan Yu drink four bowls of strong liquor without hesitation. He said, "Very good, very good. When drinking with a true friend, a thousand cups are never enough. I’ll drink first."

The three of them drank several large bowls, chatting and laughing, as if drinking strong liquor was more casual than drinking water or tea.

Their drinking contest drew the attention of the guests upstairs and downstairs at Songhelou, even the cooks and kitchen helpers came up to watch.

Jiao Feng said, "Waiter, bring twenty more pounds of wine." The waiter stuck out his tongue, eager to watch the spectacle, and brought a large jar of wine.

Li Wuching, Duan Yu, and Jiao Feng drank bowl after bowl, evenly matched. In just a short time, they had each drunk over thirty bowls.

Duan Yu knew his trick with the alcohol, which flowed through his body and was expelled, giving him an endless alcohol tolerance. However, Li Wuching and Jiao Feng relied on their true abilities. Seeing them drink over thirty bowls without showing any signs of intoxication, he was deeply impressed.

Duan Yu thought, "If we continue like this, I will surely win. But, drinking too much might harm Brother Leng and this man’s health." When they reached forty bowls, he said to Jiao Feng, "Brother, we’ve each had forty bowls, right?"

Jiao Feng laughed, "Brother, you’re still quite clear-headed, and you’ve kept track of the count."

Duan Yu laughed, "We are evenly matched. It will be hard to determine a winner. But, I’m running out of money for the wine." He reached into his pocket and threw a small embroidered purse onto the table. It made a light thud, clearly containing no gold or silver.

Duan Yu had been captured by鸠摩智 from Dali and didn’t carry any money. The embroidered purse, adorned with gold and silver threads, was clearly valuable, but it was also clear that it contained no money.

"A little money, brother, there’s no need to worry. I can cover it for you," Li Wuching said, smiling, and placed a silver ingot on the table.

Jiao Feng said, "Good, let’s stop here for today. Let’s go!"

The three of them descended the stairs. Jiao Feng walked faster and faster, and once outside the city, he took large strides, moving quickly along the road. Duan Yu took a deep breath and walked alongside him. Although he didn’t know martial arts, his internal energy was extremely abundant, and he didn’t feel his heart racing or his breath shortening.

Li Wuching’s internal energy was not as strong as Duan Yu’s or Jiao Feng’s, but using the Lingbo Weibu, his speed was not much slower than theirs.

Jiao Feng glanced at Duan Yu and Li Wuching, smiled, and said, "Good, let’s see who can walk the fastest." He then started running.

Jiao Feng’s speed was like a flash of lightning. Li Wuching didn’t dare to be careless and immediately focused on using the Lingbo Weibu to keep up.

In Wuxi, he had spent some time studying the I Ching, which deepened his understanding of the Lingbo Weibu. Supported by the powerful Beiming true qi, he was confident he wouldn’t fall too far behind Jiao Feng in a short sprint.

Duan Yu, on the other hand, stumbled a few steps at the start, almost falling, but he took a step to the left and managed to steady himself. This step happened to be part of the Lingbo Weibu.

Surprised by this, Duan Yu took another step in the Lingbo Weibu, catching up to Li Wuching and Jiao Feng.

The three of them ran side by side, the wind whistling past them, and the trees on the side of the road quickly receding behind them.

Page break for End of page break for AD