Scourge Messenger

Chapter 434 Wine

After everything was settled, everyone left together. Yan Qing held Yao Shiyuan's hand and strolled through the secret realm where a bloody storm had just taken place.

Everyone has been very busy these days. Unlike ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators who have decades to grow slowly, they will have to participate in the next mission in a maximum of a hundred days, and they don't know what kind of difficulties they will face. If the mission fails, they will have to leave the Thieves' House. Not long ago, they amassed a large amount of wealth with the help of the Treasure Pavilion and the guild establishment token. Without the protection of the Thieves' House, they would be like children carrying gold walking through a bustling city.

Of course, Yan Qing had another way out, but that would be tantamount to dragging everyone down with him into self-imprisonment. Unless absolutely necessary, Yan Qing was unwilling to give up the Thieves' Home.

Gathering fortune, cultivating the foundation of one's Dao, practicing supernatural powers, conquering secret realms—everyone is busy, from gathering to ascending the throne and governing the country. Even the daily gatherings have been cancelled. Therefore, Master Suolong wisely left quickly after the fight, not wanting to disturb the young man's precious time alone.

However, her good intentions only earned her the crickets of young people.

"You think Master Suolong might really be..."

“It’s possible.” The pharmacist analyzed seriously: “When she was young, Suolong Zhenren never married and was always fighting in the secret realm. When she was twenty-seven, Taizu established the Zhou Kingdom. When she was twenty-nine, the Zhou Kingdom was attacked by Qi and Liang. In desperation, she forcibly established her foundation and succeeded in one go. From then on, she became the Suolong Bodhisattva we know. She could have as many male concubines as she wanted, but I have never heard any similar rumors.”

She paused, then added, "Even my father never considered sending a handsome young man to curry favor with her."

This is quite valuable, because you can disregard the morality of powerful officials, but you cannot disregard their professional competence in currying favor with their superiors.

As they approached the entrance to the secret realm, the Pharmacist suddenly asked, "Are you going to Jiangnan City tomorrow?"

“Yes, I’ve been talking to Red Serpent for a long time,” Yan Qing said. “And I also want to go to Jiangnan City to relax. When you return to Chang’an City, how about you take me around to eat and drink some food? Apart from Anguo Temple, I’m not very familiar with other places in Chang’an City.”

“That’s too much of a waste of time.” The pharmacist shook his head. “Besides, Chang’an is just so-so, nothing interesting. If there’s anything you want to eat, I’ll just have it delivered to your door.”

Yan Qing smiled, his fingers weaving into Yao Shiyuan's until their fingers were intertwined. He didn't actually have many ideas about traveling; it mainly depended on who he went with. Shang Xinlei wanted him to see the place where she grew up, so he explored every street and alley with her. Yao Shiyuan didn't have that much romantic flair, so he cherished every moment he spent with her.

The Pharmacist glanced at Yan Qing, hesitant to speak. After the Bunny Girl walked out of the secret realm first, she suddenly grabbed Yan Qing. Yan Qing blinked, giving her a 'I can't do anything with you' look, and opened his arms to hug her, but was pushed away by the Pharmacist.

The two looked at each other for a moment, and Yan Qing, looking bewildered, tentatively asked, "Shall we go back and read together?"

The pharmacist shook his head, pursed his lips, looked at Yan Qing, and after a long pause, suddenly took out a wine bag: "Want some wine? Honey wine, it's sweet."

“Okay.” Yan Qing readily agreed. He didn’t usually drink, but he liked to drink with the pharmacist.

However, the pharmacist pulled off the cap and gulped down a large mouthful, her cheeks puffing out. Yan Qing was still waiting for her to hand it over when he saw the pharmacist put the wine bag away, looking at him with puffed-out cheeks, like a squirrel stuffed with nuts.

Yan Qing was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, clutching his stomach, his earrings trembling with laughter. The pharmacist's neck turned crimson from his laughter, and she raised her fist to punch him, but Yan Qing grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind his back, causing her to bump into Yan Qing's arms.

She looked up and suddenly realized that her lips had been sealed, and she was drinking a glass of wine with Yan Qing.

The mead is very sweet with a strong honey aroma, like drinking liquid honey, with only a slight hint of alcohol. However, it contains spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, making it warm and layered in flavor. Pharmacist Yuan doesn't actually like such "girly" drinks, but this is the only one that Yan Qing would drink a couple of glasses of, so she's used to carrying it with her. After drinking it for a while, she feels quite good, and her whole body feels comfortable.

Suddenly, with a "plop," the pharmacist vomited, covering Yan Qing's face with wine. The girl's face turned bright red, almost bleeding, but she still pulled up her sleeve to wipe the water off Yan Qing's face. Yan Qing quickly apologized, "Sorry, my hand just moved unconsciously, it's a habit..."

The pharmacist paused, then asked, "Are you used to it?"

Yan Qing blinked, realizing he'd let something slip. Ying Ru Shi would occasionally come to the thieves' house to chat when she was tired, but the conversations would usually turn into the emperor visiting his concubine. Of course, Yan Qing wasn't going to let himself be taken advantage of, so he practiced a superior technique of gently grasping, twisting, stroking, and picking. Just now, he and the pharmacist were so close, he fully experienced what it meant for the peaks to gather and the waves to surge, and he couldn't help but reach in, wanting to see if he could smooth over the mountains and seas with a single palm strike... Of course, he couldn't.

This is the kind of situation you can tolerate (thumbs up). But Yan Qing already has a way to solve this problem. He's been a bit of a scumbag before, so some things aren't as simple as they seem.

He hugged the pharmacist and continued toasting, but there was no wine, he just licked the glass.

It was mead, almost like sweet water, yet Yaoshi Yuan felt dizzy and weak, completely disoriented, and unable to distinguish right from wrong. She could only subconsciously engage in a verbal battle with Yan Qing. The moment she finished drinking, Yaoshi Yuan exhaled a heavy breath of alcohol onto Yan Qing's face—she hadn't breathed for quite some time.

She buried herself in Yan Qing's arms, not daring to look up. Yan Qing held her quietly. He knew that this black wolf seemed carefree and bold, but probably because she had never had a familiar male elder since childhood, and was focused on martial arts when she first fell in love, she had always been confused and needed some time to calm down.

After an unknown amount of time, the pharmacist raised his head, looked at Yan Qing, and said, "This is the first time I've ever... drunk wine mouth-to-mouth."

Yan Qing thought to himself, "Oh no!" Logically, he should say "Me too," but he couldn't bring himself to say it because he had already unlocked this operation with Ying Rushi. He couldn't possibly count today's first time as well, could he? Perhaps it was luck, or perhaps it was a stroke of inspiration, but he suddenly knew what to say.

“From now on, I will only drink mead,” he said softly, “so that I will remember this moment every time.”

The pharmacist glanced at Yan Qing, his eyes holding a half-smile. Yan Qing's heart skipped a beat, thinking to himself that he was glad he hadn't lied; Black Wolf was just confused, not stupid.

However, the pharmacist didn't say much more. "You can also drink strong liquor. We've tasted all the fine wines in the world, and we'll eventually find a strong liquor that you like."

"Come drink with me tomorrow night."

Yan Qing suddenly realized why the pharmacist had been so proactive all of a sudden—it was because he was going on a date with Shang Xinlei the next day. Thinking about it, it didn't seem so bad; after all, competition breeds progress…

"Will you wear the casual clothes from last time?" Yan Qing glanced at Yao Shiyuan's Vajra armor. It was a huge regret that they hadn't been able to close the distance between their hearts while drinking together.

"You like the outfit I wore last time?" The pharmacist shook his head after asking. "But I will definitely be fully armed when I fight. Although this level of defense is barely enough for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even a lion will go all out to hunt a rabbit. I have no right to underestimate my opponent."

"But when we're drinking privately, you can let me wear whatever I like. I'll change into different outfits for you." She paused, then added, "But I might not have any nice clothes."

Watching the pharmacist earnestly utter tender words of love, yet without any hint of romance, Yan Qing felt as if her heart had been seized by this black wolf. She couldn't help but lower her head again, blushing like a young girl as she prepared another cup of honey wine.

When they left the secret realm, the vortex gate of the 'Liangshan Marsh' secret realm did not disappear.

This is because although they freed the Demon King, the elite demons inside were not, thus allowing the secret realm to continue. He also had no need to free the elite demons, as their challenge level was the same as his and they wouldn't reward him with karmic retribution.

This is why Master Suolong was willing to cooperate with them. Unless another Foundation Establishment cultivator opens up the secret realm, no one would know that the Demon King deep within the Fourth Rank Secret Realm has already been 'liberated'.

After bidding farewell to the pharmacist and the others, Yan Qing returned to the thieves' house. The first thing he did was turn on the game console to check the situation of the battle:

"Your teammate 'Yan Qing' has freed a criminal from infernal strife."

"In this battle, 'Yan Qing' successfully freed a criminal with a challenge level greater than 10. 'Yan Qing''s overall contribution is 100%, exceeding the 100% perfect threshold."

"'Yanqing' absorbed 4 points of karmic energy from the natural disaster!"

(End of this chapter)