The Wine-Immortal suddenly started telling me about the Myriad Ghost King's experiences.
“Perhaps you don’t know much about the Myriad Ghost King yet, but I know a bit. Would you like to hear about it?”
I thought about it. I knew very little about him, so I knew his stories.
So I nodded, indicating I wanted to listen.
He spoke slowly.
“The Myriad Ghost King achieved his powers in his youth. His life was fraught with hardship, experiencing three births and three deaths.
He was born amidst the turmoil of the Ghostly Clan. He led his people from the wilderness, confronting the Four Cities. Alas, in the end, he sacrificed his life for his kin.
It’s hard to imagine how such a person could shoulder such a burden during those difficult times. If it were me, I doubt I could be so strong.”
I hadn’t expected the Myriad Ghost King to be such a hero. Everyone I met had such high praise for him.
But why did he never speak to me about it?
Seeing me lost in thought, the Wine-Immortal slowly raised his hand and patted my shoulder, saying with deep feeling.
“His heart always beat for the Ghostly Clan. Now, you have become the new Myriad Ghost King, and you will likely have to bear the same heavy responsibility.
Therefore, like the Myriad Ghost King, you are someone I respect.”
These were things I had considered. The moment I made my vow with the Myriad Ghost King, my fate was sealed.
So, I had no regrets, only the worry that I might not achieve his brilliance.
“Alright, don’t overthink it. It’s been a long time since we last met, and I’ve said a bit too much. Let’s go back.”
I nodded slightly and walked with him towards the main house.
Suddenly, he stopped again, turned back, and asked me.
“By the way, what’s your name?”
“Huh?”
I was suddenly confused, almost forgetting my own name in my daze. I slowly recalled it and then said.
“I… I’m Liu Muye.”
“Liu Muye? That sounds like a brave name. Alright, let’s go inside.”
“Mm.”
After entering the house, we drank with everyone else. Late into the night, I sprawled out on the floor and fell asleep.
Outside, the bright moon remained as clear as ever.
The Wine-Immortal stood under the eaves of the house, a faint melancholy in his eyes. He used to love drinking, and he drank a lot.
But today, after only a few cups, he felt weary.
He sighed to himself.
“Time is like a dream, a thousand years in a single dream. Ghost King, you are truly gone.”
As he was sighing, he suddenly heard a voice from behind him say.
“Old Wine-Immortal, still waiting for me?”
He was startled and turned his head, only to see a blurry black figure appear before him.
“You! You are!”
“What, haven’t you been missing me? Can’t you recognize me?”
Seeing his appearance, the Wine-Immortal couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hahaha, hahaha, you old ghost, with that dark appearance, you’re truly becoming a ghost.”
The Myriad Ghost King laughed heartily and said.
“I never expected my friend to still be in the mortal world. I thought, besides my kin, there would be no one else.”
“Hahaha, you made me wait so long. That day you said you’d come find me for a drink, and I’ve been waiting ever since.”
The Myriad Ghost King hadn’t expected that a simple promise would make the Wine-Immortal wait for over two thousand years.
He felt an indescribable sadness in his heart.
“If I had never come, would you have waited forever?”
The Wine-Immortal’s nose twitched, and tears welled up in his eyes. He gave a stubborn smile and chided him.
“Back then, if you had let me go with you, why would I have had to wait over two thousand years?”
The Myriad Ghost King laughed heartily and comforted him.
“We were both doing life-threatening things. I didn’t let you go so that we could have today, so that someone would remember me.”
The Wine-Immortal pouted slightly, showing his displeasure.
“Someone does remember you, but they waited too long.”
“Hahaha, alright, alright, my fault. I’ll punish myself with three cups.”
The Wine-Immortal looked at him suspiciously.
“Can you still drink like this?”
The Myriad Ghost King became proud.
“Don’t let my not-quite-human, not-quite-ghost appearance fool you. I haven’t lost any of my human skills.”
The Wine-Immortal didn’t quite believe him and walked over to pour him some wine, bringing it to him.
The Myriad Ghost King picked up the wine bowl and, with a slight inhale, the wine entered his belly.
The Wine-Immortal looked him up and down curiously, but saw no trace of the wine. He reached out to touch him, but his hand passed right through.
He scratched his head in confusion and asked.
“Where did the wine go?”
The Myriad Ghost King patted his stomach and said.
“Right here.”
“Ha, you really can do it. You’re something else.”
“I have two more cups. I think we don’t need wine bowls anymore; let’s use a jar.”
Saying that, he waved his hand, and the wine jar on the ground flew into his arms. Without another word, he began to drink.
Seeing him like this, the Wine-Immortal also picked up a jar of wine and exclaimed.
“Good, that’s the spirit! I’ll join you!”
Saying that, he, like the Myriad Ghost King, tilted his head back and drank.
The next morning, everyone woke up groggily. The Wine-Immortal sat alone, smiling brightly.
I shook my head, the chaotic fermentation of alcohol still swirling in my mind.
I looked at the sky outside; the sun was about to rise.
I suddenly remembered the note the elder had given me and felt I couldn’t delay. So I said to the Wine-Immortal.
“Senior, drinking with you was truly enjoyable. However, we have other matters to attend to, so we won’t be staying any longer.”
He smiled slightly, slowly stood up, and looked at me.
“That’s fine. I’m very happy to have seen you. If you have the chance, come visit me again.”
“Okay.”
Looking at his satisfied smile, so different from the dejection during our conversation last night, I wondered if he had seen the Myriad Ghost King.
If so, that would be good. Two thousand years of waiting, one night of reunion. In a way, the Myriad Ghost King owed him.
Thinking this, I couldn’t help but smile slightly and said goodbye.
“We will. We’ll come back if we have the chance. Thank you for your hospitality, Senior. We’re leaving.”
Everyone else also stood up and cupped their hands in farewell.
“Senior, we’re leaving.”
The Wine-Immortal chuckled and returned the gesture.
“Good, come again if you have the chance.”
“We will.”
Then, he personally escorted us to the door, after which we departed on our own, leaving this secluded place.
Meanwhile, in the Peach Blossom Town on the border of the Western Purple Kingdom.
Shuifang and Yinglu had also traveled there and stayed overnight at an inn. They were to return to Nanhai City at dawn.
Unexpectedly, as they stepped out of the inn, before their feet even touched the ground, they saw a woman with her head wrapped in a black cloth, dressed in black, stumbling towards them.
In a daze, she collided with them and then suddenly grabbed Shuifang’s hand, speaking incoherently and excitedly.
“Where did Brother Jiu go? Where is Brother Jiu?”
Shuifang was a bit confused, not knowing who she was referring to. He awkwardly stepped back.
“Miss, I don’t know who you’re talking about. You’ve got the wrong person.”
She paid him no mind and turned to Yinglu, grabbing his sleeve and asking.
“Where is Brother Jiu? Where is Brother Jiu?”
Yinglu found it inexplicable. He yanked his sleeve away and jumped back, saying with some exasperation.
“Miss, I don’t know the person you’re looking for. You can ask someone further ahead.”
The woman remained insistent, shouting.
“I saw you together. How could you not have seen him? Where is he?”
Yinglu found the woman before him to be quite strange, acting somewhat deranged. He called to Shuifang, and they prepared to leave.
The woman hurried after them, grabbing Shuifang’s clothes and shouting hoarsely.
“I saw you drinking together. Where did Brother Jiu go? Tell me.”
At this point, people nearby heard the persistent commotion and saw Shuifang and Yinglu acting somewhat cold and unfeeling. They gathered around.
They began to accuse the two brothers.
“Didn’t you hear her asking you? Are you mute?”
“This is outrageous. They’re probably unfaithful men. These two look like bad people.”
“Miss, tell us your troubles, and I’ll help you. If these two are bullying you, I’ll be a good person and help you vent your anger.”
In an instant, the two were surrounded. Some raised their fists, some were full of anger, and others lamented the decline of public morals.
Shuifang and Yinglu felt incredibly wronged, as if they were being perceived as the epitome of scummy, morally corrupt men.
To escape the crowd quickly, Shuifang had to crouch down and ask the woman.
“Who is this Brother Jiu you’re looking for? We don’t know anyone named Brother Jiu.”
The woman slowly raised her hand and said.
“Brother Jiu, he, he is…”
Before she could finish, she became agitated and exhausted, her head spinning, and she fainted. The crowd became even angrier, and they accused the two again.
“Who are you trying to scare? With so many people here, you’re still trying to fool someone.”
“Beat him!”
Someone shouted, and the surrounding people began to throw punches and charge forward. Seeing this, Yinglu spat a fireball into the air, scaring the crowd away.
He then grabbed Shuifang and, carrying the woman, they rushed out of the crowd and ran into the distance.
They stopped at a secluded street corner. Shuifang gasped for breath.
“What’s wrong with this woman? Why is she clinging to us? Could she really be someone we know? Let me see her true face.”
He suddenly reached out and pulled back the woman’s black headscarf. He then quickly covered her again as if he had seen a terrifying monster.
Seeing his fear, Yinglu became curious.
“What’s wrong?”
Shuifang didn’t say what terrifying face he had seen, only saying.
“It’s nothing, nothing. Let’s find a place for her to rest.”
Yinglu looked ahead and saw an inn. He said.
“Why don’t we let her stay there?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
So, the two tiptoed and carried her into the inn, booked a room, and then quickly left.
The next day, as the sky began to lighten, the woman woke from her sleep.
Dazed, she looked around and realized she was in a strange place, feeling confused.
But then she suddenly remembered the two people from yesterday and hurried downstairs.
She saw that the inn was empty, both inside and out. The shop was also quiet, with no customers today.
The innkeeper seemed to understand her urgency and said.
“Don’t look anymore. Those two left long ago.”
She paid him no mind and, dejected, ran out onto the street, searching everywhere. Suddenly, at a corner, she stumbled and fell right at someone’s feet.
She didn’t get up, covering her face and sobbing on the ground.
It seemed the person she was looking for was very important to her.
The man smiled slightly, bent down, and asked her.
“Are you looking for someone?”
Hearing this, she slightly lifted her head and saw a handsome, refined young gentleman with a spring in his step standing before her.
The person was none other than Jin Yulan.
The woman stared at him blankly, but did not reply.
Jin Yulan then said.
“The person you’re looking for, I’ve seen him, and I know where he is.”
The woman, not foolish, asked him.
“Do you know who I’m looking for?”
Jin Yulan smiled faintly and replied unhurriedly.
“Yes, everyone calls him the Moon Shadow Swordsman, but you call him Brother Jiu. I guess you must be his beloved, Liu Mei, right?”
Jin Yulan hit the nail on the head. She looked at him with suspicion.
“I don’t know you. How could you know?”
Although his relationship with Yue Jiucang was public knowledge, very few people actually knew about it.
She had been to the Thousand姬 Palace, but she had never met Jin Yulan, so she didn’t recognize the person before her as Jin Yulan.
Jin Yulan said.
“I may not be good at other things, but I’m good at standing up for justice, so I know a bit about worldly affairs.”
“Then where is Brother Jiu?”
“I see you are frail. If I were to tell you where he is, I fear you might not be able to handle it.”
Liu Mei got up, brushed the dust off her clothes, and said.
“Don’t say such strange things. I know what kind of person he is better than you do.”
Jin Yulan laughed heartily, placing his folding fan in his palm and fanning himself casually.
“Tell me, what would you do if he fell in love with someone else?”
“What did you say!”
Liu Mei’s eyes widened in surprise, but then she found it amusing and said to him.
“I don’t know who you are! But you are a very strange person. He and I have been in love for a hundred years. I know better than you whether he would like someone else.
If you have ulterior motives and want to trick me with Brother Jiu, I think you’ve come to the wrong person.”
Jin Yulan remained unfazed, even saying with a hint of sarcasm.
“I came from Nanhai City. When I passed by a river, I happened to see two people. One wore a bamboo hat and a green robe.
The other was ordinary-looking but lively and cheerful.
I’ve met Yue Jiucang a few times and recognized him. The woman with him, I’ve also seen her. Her name is Liu Muye.
She is indeed a clever and energetic girl. Although she isn’t naturally beautiful like others, her unparalleled charm has captivated many men.”
“Liu Muye?”
In a daze, she remembered that Brother Jiu had indeed mentioned someone like that, saying he had met her by chance.
Although she had doubts, she still believed Yue Jiucang.
“Speak, what is your purpose? What do you want to achieve with this trick?”
Jin Yulan laughed heartily, mocking her.
“I’ve discovered that women are foolish, and women like you are even more so.”
Liu Mei became angry and slid a dagger from her sleeve, pointing it at him and lunging.
Jin Yulan raised his foot and kicked her hand away. Then, he lightly flicked his folding fan, hitting her hand that held the dagger.
She was already weak, and this blow made her drop the dagger.
Jin Yulan retracted his fan, covered his mouth, and chuckled lightly.
“Since you don’t believe me, why not go and see for yourself? See if it’s as I say.
His Brother Jiu is now in Nanhai City. If you want to find him, go to Nanhai City.”
With that, he turned and left with a flourish.
Liu Mei found this person increasingly suspicious, but still, with a hint of believing the rumors, she decided to go and see if her Brother Jiu was indeed the kind of person described.
So, she picked up the dagger and flew towards Nanhai City.