Chapter 4861 Con
In a serene courtyard embellished with a babbling pond and verdant vines stretching overhead, Xing Wujiang's earlier cold demeanor vanished. With warmth in his eyes, he lifted a copper cup to toast his guests.
“Little brothers, let me dedicate this toast to you!”
This courtyard was a secluded sanctuary, surrounded by multiple barriers that isolated it from the outside world. Apart from a handful of pretty attendants delivering food, only Xing Wujiang, Long Chen, and Mo Nian were present in this tranquil setting.
“Many thanks, City Lord. If it weren’t for your help, the two of us would have been forced to flee. We should be raising this toast to you,” replied Long Chen. He and Mo Nian hastily rose to toast Xing Wujiang.
Xing Wujiang waved his hand. “Sit, sit. The two of you have helped me vent my anger quite a bit. I’m very grateful. If you like, you can call me old Xing, or you can call me Big Brother Wujiang.”
Seeing how straightforward Xing Wujiang was, Long Chen didn’t stand on courtesy. He directly raised his cup and said, “Big Brother Wujiang, let us offer you a toast!”
“Haha, good!”
Xing Wujiang gulped down his cup, and Long Chen did the same. However, the moment Mo Nian took a gulp, he sputtered and had a coughing fit.
“Damn, this wine...” Mo Nian hadn’t expected the wine to be so strong, like lava going down his throat. He teared up.
Seeing that, Xing Wujiang laughed. “This wine is hot like fire and enters the throat like a blade. Although it can’t be considered a delicacy, it’s invigorating. Little brother, the characteristics of wine can be compared to a person. It seems like you're not the same as me and Long Chen. We’re like hard blocks, while you have more flexibility.”
Mo Nian complained, “Big Brother Wujiang, are you saying that I’m not straightforward enough?”
“Hahaha, how could I? It’s not a good thing to be so impetuous like me. If we don’t think things through, we are bound to make mistakes. It just so happens that Brother Long Chen can make up for what he lacks by being with you. Hahaha, it’s my fault for not being able to communicate skillfully. If my words didn't sit well with you, I'll make up for it with an extra drink,” replied Xing Wujiang directly, pouring himself another cup and downing it in one go.
Mo Nian felt a bit embarrassed as he wasn't truly upset with Xing Wujiang's assessment. He simply spoke freely, as he did with Long Chen. Seeing Xing Wujiang drink again, Mo Nian followed suit, pouring himself a cup and drinking it down as well.
Despite not liking this kind of wine, Mo Nian endured the lava-like burning sensation and gulped it down.
“Good brother!”
Xing Wujiang patted Mo Nian’s shoulder with force. Perhaps after being lonely for so many years, he was very moved to make two new friends.
Most importantly, Long Chen or Mo Nian didn’t treat him differently due to his cultivation base or position, so they were able to be frank with each other. Being with them made Xing Wujing feel like he had returned to his youthful days.
“Cheers!”
The three of them raised their cups again, and without saying anything else, drank.
“Hahaha, this is so satisfying. I haven’t felt this good in a long time,” Xing Wujiang chuckled heartily, his laughter resonating like thunder.
“Perhaps a bit too satisfying,” Mo Nian remarked with a hint of envy in his voice.
Seeing Long Chen and Xing Wujiang drinking happily, Mo Nian was rather envious. Yet, his pride prevented him from conceding defeat. Even if the wine was too strong for him—or worse, poisoned—he would force himself to drink it just to join in their camaraderie.
Seeing Mo Nian’s expression, Long Chen looked at him sympathetically and offered, “Do you want to drink something else? We won’t think less of you.”
“What are you talking about? Do you think I can’t handle it?” retorted Mo Nian stubbornly.
“No, I just meant that this wine’s flavor isn’t that good. Here, try this one instead,” said Long Chen and he took out a refined jug.
At this moment, Mo Nian’s eyes brightened, but he still acted as if he didn’t care. Mo Nian said, “In truth, whether it’s strong wine or refined wine, I’m fine with it. Big Brother Wujiang, you might not know, but this fellow has the best wines of the world in his pocket.”
Hearing this, Xing Wujiang was intrigued. After Long Chen poured the wine for Mo Nian, Mo Nian pointed at it.
“Big Brother, look, this wine’s color is golden, and its viscosity is so dense like honey. This is the famous pear nectar wine. The moment it enters the mouth, its fragrance brings about an intense impact. That feeling... it’s simply indescribable.”
“Alright, stop making stuff up. This wine has a particular drinking method. Why don’t you show Big Brother Wujiang?” said Long Chen.
Seeing a chance to show off, especially with those beautiful attendants around him, Mo Nian solemnly held his cup. “When drinking this wine, you must take it into your mouth in the first second, swallow it smoothly in the next second, and let it settle in your stomach by the third second. The timing must be perfect—not too fast, not too slow. That is the only way to fully appreciate its softness and intensity. Big Brother Wujiang, allow me to demonstrate.”
Mo Nian then raised his cup and gulped it down without hesitation, not noticing Long Chen’s suppressed smile.
Xing Wujiang watched intently as he was fond of wine. Hearing that this wine was so miraculous, he was very curious.
However, the moment Mo Nian drank this wine, his expression became one of astonishment. He then glared at Long Chen, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. His face went from white to green, then green to black, and lastly black to red. Even his neck turned red.
“Amazing.”
Watching Mo Nian’s face transform, Xing Wujiang sighed in admiration. He really had never seen a wine with such a dramatic effect before.
Just as Xing Wujiang and the others were watching Mo Nian’s display, waiting for the wine to enter his throat and then stomach, Mo Nian suddenly shook, and a terrifying heat wave unfurled from him.
Mo Nian grabbed Long Chen’s throat, cursing, “You betrayed my trust! You conned me!”
With every word he said, flames spurted out of his mouth. Long Chen had to turn his head away to avoid being burned.
“Brother, listen to my explanation. I might have taken out the wrong wine,” answered Long Chen, suppressing his smile. But looking at his expression, no one would believe his bullshit.
Only then did Xing Wujiang understand that Long Chen had conned Mo Nian, so he laughed so hard. Even the attendants secretly covered up their smiles, thinking that this pair of heavenly geniuses whom the city lord had invited were a pair of buffoons.
Mo Nian took over ten deep breaths, and only then did the flames stop spewing out of his mouth. “Alright, count yourself vicious. I’ll remember this.”
“Please don’t. I already said that it was a misunderstanding. Take a look, these two jugs are identical! I wasn’t looking at the label,” chuckled Long Chen as he poured a new jug of wine for Mo Nian. Having learned his lesson, Mo Nian first sniffed it, and only after confirming it wasn’t a con did he sip it.
After confirming that it was the right wine, he looked confident again and directly demonstrated his three-second drinking method.
When Xing Wujiang drank the intense wine that Long Chen had poured for Mo Nian, he couldn’t help being moved.
“This wine... does it come from the Wine God Palace?” asked Xing Wujiang.
“Are you familiar with the Wine God Palace?” Long Chen was surprised. After all, Xing Wujiang was a native of the Sovereign Emperor Heaven, so his knowledge of Wine God Palace was unexpected. Did the Sovereign Emperor Heaven also have a Wine God Palace?