The guard poured us another cup, a bottle for each, breaking my record.
This time, the divine doctor raised his cup, thanking the general for the generous hospitality, saying many pleasantries, and then drank it down in one go.
I had no choice but to follow suit and finish mine.
With a bottle of high-proof liquor down, I already felt a sense of buoyancy.
Alcohol is a curious thing. Once it enters our bodies from a container, it triggers various chemical reactions, making people cry, laugh, go mad, become agitated, or fall into a deep sleep. In short, liquor is the most potent drink that can bring out all sorts of embarrassing behavior in people, with no equal.
If you haven't experienced these reactions yet, the only explanation is that you haven't drunk enough. More is needed.
The divine doctor and I were both doing alright. The divine doctor showed almost no change, still chatting and laughing with the general. Though I was a bit dizzy, I was still a long way from being either dead or in heaven.
After some conversation and a good amount of food, we rose to take our leave and rest in our rooms for a while before returning to prepare the medicine for the coming days.
Upon exiting, the divine doctor asked me, "I didn't expect you to have such a good tolerance for alcohol. This liquor can usually knock a person out after just half a jin."
I replied, "I'm already a bit dizzy. As for you, senior, you remained unflustered and steady-hearted, truly demonstrating excellent drinking capacity."
The divine doctor said, "I was just holding on. General knows I was capable of drinking endlessly before, so we couldn't show weakness. If he were to truly drink, neither of us would be his match."
I said, "The cups he gave us are indicative of his drinking prowess."
The divine doctor added, "His hometown is along the Minjiang River in Sichuan Province, a region famous for its fine wines. It's likely he grew up drinking wine as if it were water, making his capacity astonishing."
I said, "From the cups, one can tell his hearty way of drinking. In Ruili, we consider eight qian cups to be large, and even with eight qian, it takes courage to drink it all in one go. We, however, drink two liang and a half per mouthful, half a jin in two mouthfuls. At this rate, a few people could support a distillery."
The divine doctor remarked, "Indeed. In the interior, I met someone who drank over a thousand jin a year, averaging three bottles a day. He truly treated wine as water."
What does it mean to drink a thousand jin a year? The empty bottles alone would pile up like a mountain.
Not only would it support a distillery, but it could also stimulate glass production.
Back in our room, the divine doctor lay down directly on the bed and told me, "I'm feeling a bit lightheaded. If I don't wake up by the time it's needed, please remember to call me."
I agreed but dared not lie down myself, fearing I would fall asleep and cause trouble.
I went to boil some water, prepared a cup of tea for the divine doctor, and placed it by his bedside. Then, I brewed a cup for myself and sat in a chair by the window, watching the soldiers training outside.
We hadn't seen them drill since we arrived two days ago. Perhaps it was due to Wang Dong's incident that Chen Liben issued the order.
I was still worried about Wu Guodong. The death of Wang Dong had not reduced the danger to Wu Guodong; instead, without Wang Dong, the enemy would become more covert and harder to detect.
We didn't handle today's events perfectly. We shouldn't have been so hasty to bring them back. We should have interrogated them first, extracted anything valuable, obtained evidence, and then sent them to the barracks.
I didn't have time to ask if the general had gotten anything out of Wang Dong when he apprehended him. Logically, the general would have already done so; he wouldn't arrest someone without questioning them.
Unable to sit still, I got up and went out to watch the soldiers train on the field.
They were divided into several formations, engaged in a competitive match.
In pairs, they either wrestled or grappled, fighting fiercely.
Perhaps there was a time limit; I saw a signaling officer holding a stopwatch and shouting encouragement.
This was very interesting, resembling wrestling, boxing, and even using kicks, like Sanda, or perhaps a synthesis of several combat sports, with no restrictions on techniques.
With a whistle, everyone stopped fighting and returned to their positions.
After a brief rest, they regrouped for the second round of combat.
A few officers, resembling examiners, stood nearby, monitoring them to prevent cheating.
Each round likely lasted about five minutes, ending quickly.
After two rounds of combat, the winners stood aside, and new pairings would be made for the next round of winners.
The defeated participants withdrew to another side, formed lines, and then spaced themselves out to do push-ups.
There was no time limit this time. Whoever was eliminated first stood aside, preparing to receive the next round of punishment.
I had never witnessed our army's training. We didn't have military training in school back then, so I had no concept of army training.
Suddenly, I felt that being a soldier might be quite interesting, perhaps due to the impetuousness of youth, I particularly enjoyed these fighting activities.
I saw the officer who led us on the first day also in the formation; he seemed to be in charge of judging, standing there and speaking loudly.
I walked a bit closer, and a soldier ran over, saying the commander wanted to see me, then led me into the formation.
He brought me into the formation, and it turned out to be the officer from yesterday. Seeing me arrive, he smiled and said, "Interested in having a go with our champion?"
I replied, "I just watched. I can't possibly beat your people, let alone your champion. I'd just be embarrassing myself."
The officer said, "How will you know if you don't try? I heard that at noon today, you took on two people simultaneously, and they were top-tier assassins, yet you subdued them."
I said, "That was just a desperate, chaotic struggle. It's different from this kind of organized combat."
He responded, "Whether it's random fighting or blind striking, as long as you can defeat them, it shows true skill. Our champion still has a long way to go to match top-tier assassins, or perhaps there's no comparison at all." DaFeng Novel Network
He continued, "Prepare yourself, we'll begin shortly."
I had absolutely no room to refuse; he had already made the arrangements.
My opponent was a dark-skinned and very thin individual. I knew very well that people of this build were difficult to handle. It wasn't that I feared them in front of assassins; it was because one could use underhanded tactics against them. However, in this kind of close combat, it had to be controlled, making it hard to defeat an opponent with a single move. This then relied on physical strength and endurance to win.
And this opponent happened to be someone with excellent physical strength and endurance.
I spent a long time conceiving this book. In 2010, I stayed in Tengchong for several months, and my understanding of jade began then.
Jade is beautiful, to an extreme degree. The lobby of the Xiangxie Hotel where we stayed featured a jade carving weighing over a ton, which was truly shocking and magnificent.
The jade ornaments in the exhibition hall were even more captivating and breathtaking.
It was during that time that I suddenly became fond of jade. Whenever I had free time, I would visit jade markets, although mostly just to browse and admire.
Sometimes, I would purchase one or two small items, just to satisfy my craving.
Jade can be addictive, especially "gambling on stones." It truly is a matter of "one cut to poverty, one cut to wealth, one cut to rags," a scenario that unfolds daily in the stone gambling cities.
As written in the book, most stones don't yield great surprises; getting a bit of color is considered good. Yet, people, driven by the dream of striking it rich, constantly seek the next opportunity.
I've written about one person's struggle in this industry. Please take it as a story. If it offers any enlightenment or help, I will be content.
The book has been released. I started uploading it gradually from the end of last month, meeting the requirements for release. From now on, chapters will be locked. If you feel this book is worth continuing, I hope you will spend a few thousand coins to support the author. I didn't know the difficulty of writing a book; it's a painstaking task, requiring immense thought and daily updates, creating immense pressure.
I once missed the last high-speed train of the day due to writing, and sadly, I had to forfeit my ticket and rebook for the next day, which led to much criticism, with people saying I had become a bookworm.
Sitting in the waiting room, I completely missed the boarding announcements, and by the time I realized, the train was long gone.
There are many other interesting stories that occurred during the writing process, which I will share gradually. In short, I hope for your continued support. Your feedback is what fuels my writing.