Mountain and sea lantern

Chapter 566 That Bitch

The open basket was filled with hay for protection against collisions, and inside the hay were two jars of wine.

Judging from the way this delivery was made, you can tell that the delivery person's conditions weren't very good; otherwise, they wouldn't have used such a primitive method of transport. Putting it in a Qiankun bag is simple, convenient, and can also prevent it from being dropped or bumped.

Li Hongjiu parted the dry grass and his eyes lit up at the sight of the wine jar inside. It was a dark brown melon-shaped jar, with a simple yet elegant and smooth texture, possessing a unique charm. A discerning person could tell that it was a vessel used by someone with a high level of aesthetic appreciation.

The sealing process is also meticulous, using red jade clay paste, which, judging by its color change, indicates it has been around for quite some time.

Because his master is the sect leader of the Yanbao Sect, no matter how much his master dislikes his fondness for wine, he has still managed to get his hands on some good stuff before, so he has some experience and therefore has some appreciation for it.

He couldn't wait any longer and grabbed a jar, slapped open the seal, and tore off the gold paper sealing it. A pleasant, non-greasy fragrance instantly wafted out. He brought his nose and mouth close to smell it, and couldn't help but squint and shake his head. Then, he grabbed the bottom of the jar and was about to take a sip first.

Guang Haoyou, who was standing to the side, became anxious and wanted to ask him if he had gone mad. If he wasn't taking precautions, why would he need someone to accompany the messenger?

He quickly grabbed Li Hongjiu's arm and shook his head at the astonished Li Hongjiu, saying, "Uncle-Master, we don't know whether it's a gift from a real friend or a fake friend. I'd better check the wine for you."

Li Hongjiu understood what he meant and said, "I haven't been drinking wine all these years for nothing. I can tell whether there are impurities or not just by smelling it."

Guang Haoyou insisted, "Uncle-Master, it would be better to test it."

The two men's attitude made the messenger uneasy. He was just an ordinary person with a family. One day, someone came to his door, paid him a lot of money to deliver something, and he thought he had made a fortune. But seeing the situation, he realized that he had been too hasty. If he were to get involved in any grudges or if the wine was really poisoned, he was afraid he would be in deep trouble.

Li Hongjiu scratched his forehead with the letter in his hand. He just couldn't understand it. Wasn't it clear enough? He could tell whether something was poisonous or not, so why did the people in the sect never believe him? Could he just drink something poisonous?
Fortunately, he's gotten used to it over the years and just deals with it.

So he slapped the wine jar, and a crystal-clear droplet of water popped out of the jar. He reached out his index finger to catch it, and with a spell, the droplet quickly vaporized and finally disappeared into nothingness at his fingertip.

He rubbed his thumb against his index finger and showed it to Guang Haoyou, "See, it's not poisonous."

After saying that, he picked up the wine jar and gulped down a mouthful.

"Hey, Uncle-Master..." Guang Haoyou was speechless. He wanted to stop him and advise him, "Are you sure you don't even know whose things they are before accepting them?"
Li Hongjiu, having put down the wine jar, let out a long breath, smacked his lips, and exclaimed, "Good wine!"

He then tilted his head back and took a few more gulps. After enjoying the taste, he picked up the wine jar again to examine it closely, turning it around to look at it, muttering to himself, "I also secretly drank the nectar that Master brought back from the royal court, but it tastes even better than that..."

He handed the wine jar to Guang Haoyou, muttering as he opened the letter, "How could I forget an old friend who would bring out such fine wine..."

Hearing that it tasted even better than the real nectar, Guanghao Youdun became interested and tentatively asked, "Uncle-Master, may I have a taste?"

Li Hongjiu waved his hand dismissively, telling him to do as he pleased, and then casually unfolded the letter to check it.

The letter reads: "Brother Li, please understand. I have been unlucky in my dealings with someone and mistakenly revealed my master's scandal to another. Someone with ulterior motives intends to expose it publicly, which I fear will ruin my reputation. Therefore, I earnestly request your assistance. Fine wine awaits you at Xiniu Jukuzhou, old friend from the Thunder Sword."

The letter made his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth twitch from time to time.

"Truly fine wine." Guang Haoyou sighed as he held the wine jar, but noticing his uncle's strange reaction, he immediately leaned closer to see the contents of the letter.

To everyone's surprise, Li Hongjiu reacted quickly, folding the letter over to make it clear that she didn't want anyone else to see it.

Guang Haoyou couldn't help but ask, "Uncle-Master, whose letter is it?"

Li Hongjiu said irritably, "None of your business. Go, send the person down the mountain first." He gestured with his chin to the messenger.

Alright, Guang Haoyou had no choice but to return the wine jar to him and first gestured for the messenger to follow him.

The messenger bowed and took his leave.

After watching the two leave, Li Hongjiu unfolded the letter again and read it, grimacing as she read it.

This letter was basically incomprehensible to others, but he could tell at a glance whose letter it was.

Who else could be my old friend in Thunder Sword? Besides that bastard Shi Chun, who else could it be?

It would be difficult for others to impersonate him. Xiniu Jukuzhou is so large, a whole continent. The letter didn't specify the exact meeting place, but he had a mother-child talisman to contact Shi Chun, so he could naturally make contact once he arrived in Jukuzhou.

Furthermore, it's questionable whether that scoundrel even has a master. With his background, he's not afraid of anything and his reputation is ruined. On the contrary, he did something that exposed his master's privacy, so it's not hard to understand what he meant by "mistakenly revealing his master's scandal to someone" in the letter.

A guilty conscience will immediately understand.

Therefore, the intention of this letter is clear: if you don't come, your shameful deeds will be exposed.

How could he possibly let his fellow disciples see such a letter? It would be difficult to explain if the sect got involved. He frowned and sat down slowly on the stone steps in front of the door, pondering the letter repeatedly. What was that scoundrel trying to do?
This scandal will have an impact on him, but for someone of his status and background, without concrete evidence, mere words cannot fundamentally harm him.

Of course, the scandal will definitely cause trouble, since his master really did it, and there are solid facts to back it up, making it very awkward to verify.

He knew that even if he caused this trouble, his master wouldn't really do anything to him, but he would definitely feel awkward seeing his master again in the future.

Ultimately, he's quite open-minded and not afraid of such scandals; if he were, it wouldn't have been exposed in the first place.

Those who use this as leverage probably know they won't get anything out of it.

What worried him was that if he didn't keep the appointment, that bitch might really take it seriously. If she did, it would be easy for things to escalate. Exposing his master's privacy was a minor matter; exposing the fact that the Thunderclap had destroyed the magical treasures of various sects would be the real trouble for the sect.

Holding the letter, he tilted his head, repeatedly trying to figure out what that bitch wanted from him.

It's obvious that nothing good is coming from him. Why would he blackmail me into drinking with him?
Furthermore, I've heard that he's been living in seclusion in the capital of Dongsheng, cultivating in seclusion. When did he go to Xiniu Jukuzhou? What kind of place is that? I've only heard of it, I've never been there.

Smelling the aroma of the wine, he grabbed the jar and took a few more gulps, smacked his lips, and shook his head with admiration. "This is truly fine wine!" he muttered, then added, "Lots of it, really? Where did that guy get his hands on such good stuff? The ingredients for this kind of fine wine are hard to come by, let alone a vintage that's over a hundred years old..."

Suddenly, he flicked his wrist, and the letter in his hand caught fire, instantly turning to ashes.

Putting everything else aside, he just wanted to enjoy the wine jar first...

The next day, after reporting to the sect, Li Hongjiu disguised himself and went down the mountain, saying he wanted to travel around.

The sect wanted to send him two accompanying disciples, but he refused, saying he didn't need anyone to serve him.

Sect Master Qu Wuming questioned him thoroughly and knew everything about the messenger and the wine delivery, clearly indicating that it was Guang Haoyou who reported it.

However, Li Hongjiu managed to fool him with lies. He knew that if he were to reveal Shi Chun's whereabouts, it would cause a lot of trouble, such as the matter of the fifth-grade immobilization talisman. His master had reminded him of this many times, both openly and secretly.

He didn't know how Shi Chun could have ended up like that. Such a smart person, whether he was truly smart or just pretending, had put himself in danger all for the sake of fame and fortune.

Qu Wuming wasn't worried that his disciple would cause any trouble after going down the mountain. He figured that if he didn't force him, he was just someone who didn't want to get involved in anything. He only reminded him to be careful and instructed him to disguise himself and go down the mountain quietly, without letting too many people in the sect know.

The saying "It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark" means that it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark.

It's fine to say Li Hongjiu is lazy, but it's definitely wrong to say he's brainless. After descending the mountain, he first traveled through the Xun Gate to the capital of Dongsheng Kingdom for a stroll. During this time, he used the Mother-Child Talisman to contact Shi Chun, and after confirming that there was no reply, he then went to the capital of Xiniu Kingdom.

While traveling between the two places, he inquired about the situation in Jukuzhou and whether anything had happened.

There was nothing he could do. Based on his understanding of Shi Chun, that bitch's meddling in things often caused quite a stir.

This is what he was truly wary of Shi Chun about; although the fine wine was tempting, he was also afraid of being implicated.

As for whether Shi Chun would harm him, he wasn't worried, even though the letter contained threats.

However, his method of asking around on the street yielded very little information. When powerful figures intervened, the dissemination of information was subject to considerable control.

So on a windy day, he walked out of the Xun Gate, which led him to Jukuzhou.

As soon as he stepped out of the Xun Gate, he sensed something unusual and noticed that the people queuing to leave were being carefully examined one by one.

Walking to a nearby shop, I asked the shopkeeper, "Excuse me, are the checks for leaving Jukuzhou this strict?"

The shop owner shook his head, "I don't know what happened. They suddenly started cracking down on it a while ago, which affected our business."

Li Hongjiu turned her head to look at the checkpoint activity in the direction of the exit, and muttered to herself, "Could this be related to that bitch? It can't be such a coincidence, can it?"

After thanking the shopkeeper, he walked a little further away and finally took out the talisman to contact Shi Chun, sending a warm message: Brother, I missed you, I'm here.

As he expected, Shi Chun quickly replied to the mother-child talisman: "Brother Jiu, we've finally been waiting for you! A bunch of good wine is waiting for you, come to Yaoshan City soon."

A bunch of good wines? Li Hongjiu was indeed tempted, but still tentatively asked: "Aren't there any traps waiting for me?"

Shi Chun countered: There are no pitfalls, but there are fine wines and beautiful women. Come quickly.

(End of this chapter)