Chapter 422 (2): Night Rain in the Cultivation World

The atmosphere in the deathly silent Vast Snow Hall was extremely heavy.

Meanwhile, Lady Xiao Luan continued to hold the cup of wine that she didn't have the opportunity to drink. After finally bending down and placing the cup of wine on the table, she did something strange, walking over to Sun Dengxian and the elderly cultivator's tables to grab two pots of wine. There were now three pots of wine in front of her, and she lifted one up before removing its clay seal and holding it in her arms.

The pot of wine weighed roughly one and a half kilograms, and she said to Wu Yi, "The White Swan River accepts the three cups of wine from Sect Master Huang. The Purple Sun Residence is showing its magnanimity and not being unforgiving to me. However, I also want to drink three pots of punishment wine to apologize to Cave Spirit True Lord. At the same time, I wish True Lord a speedy advance to the Upper Five Tiers!"

Afterward, Xiao Luan unexpectedly suppressed the power of her godly body, essentially suppressing her cultivation as the river goddess of the White Swan River and making her the same as an ordinary martial artist. She then downed the three pots of wine with no pause.

Xiao Luan's face was bright red, and when she raised the pots of wine and tilted her head back to gulp down the contents, it was inevitable that some wine spilled onto her extravagant palace attire. Her upper garment became slightly soaked, and she quickly turned her head and raised a hand to cover her mouth.

Pei Qian's mouth was agape as she looked at the incredible woman in the distance. To say nothing of three pots of Old Flood Dragon Yearning Wine, she couldn't even down a small pot of floral fruit wine.

She hurriedly grabbed her cup and poured herself some fruit juice, wanting to take a sip to suppress her astonishment.

Chen Ping'an chuckled to Pei Qian and said, "That's enough, don't overdo it."

Wu Yi was observing Chen Ping'an again, and she immediately narrowed her eyes upon hearing this. She looked at the river goddess who didn't dare to sit down, and she nodded and said, "You've accepted both a toast and punishment wine now, so this is quite good. We're no longer strangers, and the White Swan River and the Purple Sun Residence can essentially be viewed as relatives in the future. That being the case, remember to visit during the New Year and other festivals. However, I need to remind Lady Xiao Luan that you only obtained this opportunity today thanks to Young Master Chen, so are you not going to say something about this?"

It was clear that Lady Xiao Luan was already feeling very uncomfortable, with her breathing heavy and her chest rising and falling very significantly. Even so, she still smiled and said, "It's only right that I express my gratitude to him. Just like Cave Spirit True Lord said, this is a rare opportunity, so I'll drink another pot of wine and only leave when I'm drunk! I, Xiao Luan, don't dare to waste this beautiful moment and fine wine, and I only hope that True Lord won't laugh at me if I become drunk and misbehave in a moment..."

As she said this, Xiao Luan picked up another pot of wine and broke open its seal with her fingers. However, it was clear that her fingers were already trembling slightly.

Chen Ping'an stood up with a wine cup in his hand, and he looked at the pot of wine in the river goddess' hands before glancing down at his own cup of wine. He suddenly turned around and smiled at Wu Yi, saying, "True Lord, my drinking capacity is only so-so, so how about Lady Xiao Luan and I only drink a cup of wine each? Otherwise, it won't sit well with me if I only drink a cup of wine while Lady Xiao Luan drinks an entire pot of wine. In the future, I won't even dare to visit Lady Xiao Luan when I pass the White Swan River after visiting the Purple Sun Residence."

There was a solemn look in Wu Yi's eyes, and she chuckled in response, "That won't do, Young Master Chen. Xiao Luan honored me with three pots of wine, so how can she only honor you with a single cup of wine? That's completely unacceptable. What's wrong, Young Master Chen? Are you thinking of protecting and cherishing a beautiful lady? In fact, that will work quite nicely as well, and we can use wine as a matchmaking medium. Lady Xiao Luan has been single for many years after all, while Young Master Chen is a giant among men..."

Chen Ping'an hurriedly cut Wu Yi off, not allowing her to stray any further. He grabbed a pot of wine and cracked open the clay seal, seemingly pleading with Wu Yi as he said, "True Lord, I can't beat you in a debate, so I'll accept my punishment as well. I'll drink half a pot as punishment, and the remaining half can be viewed as a toast to Lady Xiao Luan."

Wu Yi laughed heartily when she heard this.

And thus, thundering laughter once again returned to the Vast Snow Hall.

Chen Ping'an faced Wu Yi and downed half the pot of wine in a single go, after which he turned around to face Lady Xiao Luan and raised the remaining half a pot of wine and said, "A toast to Lady Xiao Luan."

Lady Xiao Luan once again downed a pot of wine in a single go.

She no longer cared about her appearance or etiquette this time, and she hurriedly sat back down before turning her head and forcefully covering her mouth with her arm.

The banquet returned to its boisterous state again following the conclusion of the farcical scenes.

The graceful female cultivators busily served the guests.

Some people had already left their seats, wandering around to drink with other guests.

All of the Middle Five Tier cultivators of the Purple Sun Residence were present, after all, and many of them had hurried back from the cultivation abodes located near the sect. Those at the Sea Observation Tier and Dragon Gate Tier needed to cultivate in a slow and steady manner, so it was often the case that these high-tier cultivators wouldn't be seen for several years or several dozen years at a time. As for powerful Nascent Tier cultivators, they were much like elusive dragons hiding in the clouds.

Lady Xiao Luan's maidservant leaned down and gently patted the river goddess' back, yet her hand was immediately flicked back by the river goddess' aura, causing her to hurriedly retract it and fall silent in fear.

There was a look of hazy intoxication in Lady Xiao Luan's eyes, making her appear increasingly beautiful and attractive. She turned to Sun Dengxian and asked in a soft voice, "Dengxian, you're not going to drink with your friend?"

There was a conflicted look on Sun Dengxian's face.

It was difficult to say whether this was caused by Lady Xiao Luan being drunk, but her demeanor was completely different from her usual grace and dignity. Right now, she surprisingly appeared like a young and timid woman as she looked at Sun Dengxian with a pitiful expression.

Sun Dengxian felt slightly helpless. He had no romantic feelings for Lady Xiao Luan, and he instead only felt respect toward her. However, how many heroic men could remain cold-hearted and unsympathetic after seeing a beautiful woman frown in anxiety, with pity glistening in her eyes?

Thus, Sun Dengxian could only nod and stand up with his wine cup, preparing to make his way to the front of the banquet hall where Chen Ping'an was seated.

This was the stubborn nature of Sun Dengxian. If he weren't aware that Chen Ping'an was the most esteemed guest of the Purple Sun Residence, one whom even Old Ancestor Wu Yi had to please, and if Chen Ping'an were still a young third or fourth tier wanderer like before, then Sun Dengxian would definitely walk over to drink and chat with Chen Ping'an even if the young man didn't walk over. After all, it was only natural to do so since they had reunited in the cultivation world. Now, however, Sun Dengxian felt extremely uncomfortable and nowhere near as carefree as normal.

However, he quickly faltered in surprise.

He looked forward, only to see the young man in white walking over with a tanned and happily skipping little girl.

Chen Ping'an walked over to Sun Dengxian and said, "Chivalrous Hero Sun, a toast to you."

Sun Dengxian had felt slightly squeamish before, but now that Chen Ping'an had already walked over, he couldn't help but feel a little happy. His trip to the Purple Sun Residence had been filled with grief and unhappiness, and it was rare for him to finally feel some comfort. Sun Dengxian smiled and stood opposite Chen Ping'an, clinking cups with him before downing the wine in his cup.

When clinking cups, Chen Ping'an had lowered his cup slightly, and Sun Dengxian had felt like this wasn't appropriate. Thus, he had lowered his cup a little more than Chen Ping'an, yet Chen Ping'an had unexpectedly lowered his cup even further. Upon seeing this, Sun Dengxian had relented and accepted Chen Ping'an's expression of respect.

Sun Dengxian had already drunk a lot of wine to suppress his frustrations tonight, so he was feeling slightly tipsy after drinking another cup of wine with Chen Ping'an. Because of this, some words quickly slipped off the tip of his tongue, and he said, "Chen Ping'an, where did you learn your drinking habits from? They're so tacky! In any case, I don't deserve such a show of respect."

Lady Xiao Luan had already stood up, and Sun Dengxian's two other friends were also rendered speechless after seeing his crude carelessness.

There was a bright glimmer in Chen Ping'an's eyes as he replied, "Chivalrous Hero Sun definitely deserves it!"

Sun Dengxian was quite amused, and he said, "I merely caught a fox spirit, so is there any need for you to think about it all the time?"

Chen Ping'an didn't reveal his comprehension about the cultivation world, and he simply grabbed a pot of wine from someone's table and filled up his own cup before filling up Sun Dengxian's cup. "The road of life might be narrow, but the wine cup is assuredly wide. Another toast to Chivalrous Hero Sun!" he said with a smile.

The two of them downed the wine in a single gulp again, and Sun Dengxian said with a hearty laugh, "Good one, you're quite skilled at convincing others to drink now, aren't you?"

Chen Ping'an smiled widely, and his face was also bright red having already drunk an entire pot of Old Flood Dragon Yearning Wine just then.

After a while, he said goodbye to Sun Dengxian, not making small talk with him for too long.

He didn't speak a single word with Lady Xiao Luan.

Before leaving, Chen Ping'an glanced over at the entrance.

The steward who only had the right to stand guard over there was anxiously looking at Chen Ping'an and Lady Xiao Luan the entire time. After finally catching Chen Ping'an's gaze, he immediately bowed his head and bent his back.

Chen Ping'an smiled and raised his empty wine cup. Only then did he return to his seat.

The steward had been wallowing in fear the entire time, and after seeing Chen Ping'an's gesture, he was so moved that he almost shed tears of relief.

Lady Xiao Luan remained in her seat and lowered her head, gently wiping the wine stains on her garment. At the same time, she lightly exhaled a breath of wine and impurity.

There was something even more terrifying than gulping down punishment wine as if one's life depended on it. That was, the other party might only give one the opportunity to drink a few ounces of wine even if one wanted to drink hundreds upon thousands of ounces of punishment wine.

The maidservant looked at the disappearing young man, and after contemplating things for a moment, she felt a slight sense of gratitude toward him.

Pei Qian looked up and asked in curiosity, "That old geezer was looking down on us so much, yet Master still doesn't feel angry?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and replied, "There's nothing to be angry about."

"Master is acting in the best interests of Chivalrous Hero Sun and his friends, right?" Pei Qian asked in a quiet voice.

Chen Ping'an gently smacked her head and replied, "You're the smartest one in the room, aren't you?"

When they were only a few steps away from their seats, Pei Qian suddenly grabbed Chen Ping'an's warm hand, causing him to ask in puzzlement, "What's the matter?"

Pei Qian giggled and replied, "I'm trying to obtain some of my kind-hearted master's immortal aura and chivalrous aura."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "That's right, you can also obtain free food and free drinks from me all the time, so where else are you going to find such a good master?"

"Master, can I drink a tiny bit of Old Flood Dragon Yearning Wine? It's so fragrant, and I truly want to take a sip," Pei Qian asked in a careful voice.

"What do you think?" Chen Ping'an replied.

Pei Qian nodded and said, "I feel like I can drink a small cup. After all, the road of life might be narrow, but the wine cup is assuredly wide."

Chen Ping'an twisted her ear and tossed her back onto the small chair in front of her small and unique table, saying, "Go and drink your fruit juice."

Chen Ping'an was just about to sit down, yet Wu Yi had already stood up from her chair and walked over. She waved her hand, gesturing for the Vast Snow Hall that had instantly fallen silent to continue drinking and chatting.

After the banquet hall became boisterous again, Wu Yi asked using her mind's voice, "Young Master Chen, have you killed a large number of flood dragon kin before?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head in response.

Back at the Flood Dragon Trench, it wasn't him who had personally killed the elderly Nascent Tier flood dragon.

He suddenly recalled the eel demon that he had encountered at the border of the Parasol Leaf Continent's Great Quan Empire, and he was indeed the one who had personally fought and killed the demon.

Chen Ping'an frowned and asked, "True Lord, perhaps you've noticed something?"

Wu Yi felt slightly displeased upon seeing Chen Ping'an shake his head, yet upon recalling the two letters that were even more authoritative than imperial edicts, she could only remain patient and explain, "It's not my place to ask about Young Master Chen's past, but I can tell that Young Master Chen is contaminated with a noticeable amount of bad karma."

"What does that imply?" Chen Ping'an asked in curiosity.

Wu Yi smiled and replied, "Regarding the demons in the world, killing some of them might return good karma, while killing some of them might return bad karma. The Confucian Sect has always kept this a secret, so it's understandable that Young Master Chen might not be aware of it."

"Are there any methods to address this issue and eliminate the bad karma?" Chen Ping'an directly asked.

Wu Yi gave Chen Ping'an a hint, saying, "There's no hurry, especially since Young Master Chen is going to stay at the Purple Sun Residence for one or two more days. I'll discuss these matters with you when you become sober again. You can focus on drinking tonight, and we'll refrain from discussing these heavy matters."

All feasts had to come to an end.

Wu Yi was the first to leave the banquet hall.

Shortly afterward, Chen Ping'an also left the Vast Snow Hall with Pei Qian and the others, returning to the Purple Qi Palace.

Pei Qian was still filled with energy and excitement, and she didn't forget to grab her hiking pole as she hummed a tune that she had made up by herself. Of course, the lyrics were all sayings from the Dragon Spring Prefecture that she had heard from her master.

"The lightning lord is singing today, yet the rain is still little tomorrow. Sparrows flying low and snakes slithering along, ants moving homes and mountains wearing hats... The moon becomes hazy, the heavy downpour creates a trench. Carp spots in the sky, no need to flip the sun-basking grains tomorrow..."

There was no end to her humming.

Zhu Lian had grown tired of this tune long ago, so he begged, "Can you please have mercy on me, Gallant Heroine Pei? Can you please have mercy on my ears?"

Pei Qian sighed in grief. However, she was in a fabulous mood tonight, so she decided to accept the old cook's request this one time. She dashed forward several steps on the serene path before brandishing her hiking pole and exclaiming, "Wild dogs bound around causing chaos in the world, while vile beasts are in power. It's because of this that the cultivation world is riddled with danger and everyone is worried for their own safety. Yet, I still haven't mastered my peerless sword techniques and saber techniques. It's my fault, it's all my fault."

Zhu Lian kicked her in the backside.

Pei Qian stumbled forward several steps before standing still and turning around with an angry expression, fuming, "What are you doing?!"

Zhu Lian was just about to tease her, yet he suddenly looked up and reached forward with a hand, murmuring, "Huh? It's raining?"

Chen Ping'an nodded in response.

It had genuinely started to drizzle.

They hastened their pace, briskly walking back to the treasure-storage building.

Shi Rou was a yin entity who didn't need to sleep, so she decided to stand guard on the first floor of the building.

Zhu Lian and Pei Qian stayed on the second and third floors, respectively.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping'an stood in a corridor on the fourth floor by himself. The rain tonight wasn't very heavy.

He practiced walking meditation in the corridor for an hour and dissipated the alcohol in his system.

Chen Ping'an then returned to his room to sleep, yet he only entered a very shallow stage of sleep. This was the Purple Sun Residence, after all, and there was the unpredictable old ancestor in Wu Yi.

It was after midnight, yet Chen Ping'an suddenly heard a soft knocking on his door.

He got dressed and stood up, and he saw a most unexpected visitor after opening the door.

It was Lady Xiao Luan, the river goddess of the White Swan River.

There was a complicated look in her eyes, and she appeared as shy as could be. It looked like she wanted to speak, yet she couldn't help but hesitate. Not only that, but she was also wearing an extremely tight-fitting dress. She turned her head and bit her lip, finally summoning her courage and whispering in a mellow voice, "Young Master Chen..."

However, Chen Ping'an had already slammed the door shut.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

There was a stunned expression on Lady Xiao Luan's face as she stood outside the door.

On the other side of the door, the young man said in an angry voice, "Please conduct yourself with dignity, Lady Xiao Luan!"