The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

As he said this, he picked up the bottle and filled his and Li Xiao's glasses with wine.

"Brother Li, this cup is a toast to you. Thank you for your righteous help; otherwise, I really don't know how I would have escaped from that old monk!"

"Haha... Brother Duan, you're too kind. It was nothing at all!"

"please!"

"please!"

The two drank again in one gulp, and then began to talk about some interesting anecdotes from the martial arts world.

From the misty, rainy world of Jiangnan to the heroic spirit of the northern frontier, his words were full of humor, making Duan Yu laugh frequently and gradually relax his tense nerves.

During this time, Li Xiao always managed to refill Duan Yu's wine at just the right moment. Each refill was small, but the frequency was undeniable. After drinking one cup of Erguotou after another, Duan Yu's eyes gradually became glazed, and his speech became slower, clearly showing signs of alcohol intoxication.

"Brother Li...you know what, the more I taste this Erguotou liquor, the more I find it...it has a delicate texture and a sweet aftertaste. It's truly a rare and exquisite brew!"

"I'm glad you like it, Brother Duan! Please!"

Li Xiao picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp, while Duan Yu, not to be outdone, also downed his cup.

"Burp~ That felt so good..."

Li Xiao, feigning drunkenness, said to Duan Yu, "I've long heard that the young prince of Dali is a devout Buddhist and a humble and kind person. I never expected to meet you today, Brother Duan, that your drinking capacity is so impressive! I truly admire you!"

"Hehe... Brother Li, you flatter me... I rarely drink... but meeting you today... I feel we get along very well..."

"This...this must be what they mean by 'a thousand cups of wine are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend!'"

"Well said!"

Next, Li Xiao steered the conversation toward the Dali Kingdom, saying that he had been traveling the world for more than three years but had never been there.

When his hometown was mentioned, Duan Yu immediately perked up and began to tell him about the local customs and culture with a thick lisp.

Perhaps because he was so familiar with his hometown, Duan Yu's mind, which had been dominated by alcohol, began to clear again.

While he wasn't paying attention, Li Xiao took out two more bottles of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), opened the caps, and filled them for the two men.

After drinking a few more cups of wine, Duan Yu's eyes became hazy again. Li Xiao began to coax him gently, saying, "Speaking of Dali, I have long admired the Duan family's unique martial arts."

"Especially the One-Finger Divine Skill and the Six-Pulse Divine Sword, these are divine skills that everyone in the martial arts world yearns for. It is said that the One-Finger Divine Skill is so powerful that it can strike acupoints from a distance, while the Six-Pulse Divine Sword is even more powerful, controlling the sword with qi, making it formless and intangible, yet possessing boundless power. I wonder what kind of amazingly talented predecessor could have created such a unique skill!"

Upon hearing this, Duan Yu's face immediately showed a proud expression.

"To be honest... Brother Li... these two unique skills... were created by our founding emperor of the Dali Kingdom... Ancestor Duan Siping!"

"So that's how it is! Your Duan family's ancestor was indeed a dragon among men!"

Hearing Li Xiao's praise of his ancestor, Duan Yu was even happier.

Taking advantage of his dazed state, he began to introduce Li Xiao to some of the glorious deeds of the founding emperor of Dali.

Li Xiao, intentionally or unintentionally, steered the conversation toward the two martial arts techniques created by Duan Siping.

Duan Yu was already engrossed in the conversation and, without realizing it, began to discuss with Li Xiao the unique aspects of the two martial arts techniques of the Dali Duan family.

Who is Li Xiao? In his previous life, he was one of the top intelligence agents in the Dragon Kingdom. He was an absolute professional when it came to extracting intelligence.

Duan Yu had almost no guard against Li Xiao, and now that he was drunk, he began to recite the mental techniques of "One Finger Divine Skill" intermittently.

"The energy... must start from the dantian... follow the Ren and Du meridians... to the fingertips... the finger technique must be fast, accurate, and ruthless... exert force with the fingertips... only then can you hit the acupoints..." As he spoke, he stretched out his fingers and made random gestures in the air.

Li Xiao held his breath, listened attentively, and memorized every word.

He then pressed on, asking about the core techniques of the Six Meridian Divine Sword: "What about the Six Meridian Divine Sword? It's rumored that it uses qi to control the sword, so is it really true that it doesn't require a physical sword?"

"Of course not..."

Duan Yu shook his head, his eyes somewhat unfocused: "The Six Meridian Divine Sword... uses intangible sword energy... to replace a tangible sword... requires distributing internal energy... to the six fingers... corresponding to the six meridians... Shaoshang, Shangyang, Zhongchong, Guanchong, Shaochong, Shaoze... each with its own method..."

His voice grew softer and softer, until finally it was almost just a murmur.

Li Xiao leaned closer and listened carefully, piecing together the fragmented words Duan Yu spoke.

Although Duan Yu's words were incomplete and somewhat incoherent, they were enough for him to gain a general understanding of the core techniques of "One Finger Divine Skill" and "Six Meridian Divine Sword".

The next day at noon, Duan Yu finally woke up groggily, and soon after, there was a knock on the door of his guest room.

Duan Yu picked up a bowl of cold water from the table and drank it down in one gulp, which greatly relieved his thirst.

He opened the door and saw Li Xiao standing at the doorway, holding a stack of clothes in his hands.

"Brother Duan, are you alright? We really drank a lot last night!"

Duan Yu had no recollection of what happened last night. He only knew that he had gotten completely drunk, and he had no memory of what he said afterward.

Duan Yu rubbed his nose sheepishly and stepped aside, saying, "Brother Li, please come in!"

Li Xiao walked in and placed the set of clothes he was carrying on the table.

"Brother Duan, this is a set of clean clothes I prepared for you. The clothes you're wearing are already worn out and tattered; you should throw them away!"

Duan Yu looked down at his long robe, which was torn in several places and filthy, and felt a little embarrassed.

"Thank you very much, Brother Li!"

After the two had lunch at the inn, Duan Yu said to Li Xiao, "Brother Li, I've now escaped the old monk's clutches. My family must be very worried. I plan to return to Dali first to let them know I'm safe!"

"That's natural!"

Duan Yu touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly and said, "Well... I don't know... Brother Li, do you have any silver on you?"

Li Xiao immediately understood his meaning: Duan Yu had been held hostage by Kumārajīva all the way to Jiangnan, so he must have run out of money.

Li Xiao took out two 50-tael silver ingots from his pocket and placed them in his hand.

"Brother Duan, please take this hundred taels of silver as travel expenses!"

Duan Yu's gratitude towards Li Xiao at this moment was beyond words. He clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Li Xiao and said, "Brother Li, I will forever remember your great kindness!"

"Brother Duan, you're too kind!"

After seeing Duan Yu off, Li Xiao inquired about the situation and then rented a small boat, heading directly towards Manshan Island on Taihu Lake.