Chapter 123 (1): The Target is Night Demon!

"Fine, you win. I'll just have to settle for Beihan," Yan Beihan sighed as she raised her hands in surrender.

"It feels like a lot of people my age develop stutters whenever they talk about you," Feng Yun chuckled in amusement. "They all get stuck on great-great-great-great-great... and they run out of breath before they even get to the 'aunt' part!"

Everyone instantly roared into laughter once again.

Yan Beihan was just as amused as everyone else, and only after her laughter had died down did she reply, "I'm also in the dark, just like all of you. All my grandfather said is that he wants all of us to get together, but he didn't tell me for what purpose."

Contemplative looks appeared on everyone's faces at her response, and they couldn't help but feel like this was some kind of test.

Before long, everyone had begun eating and drinking, and it appeared that the drinks were really flowing, but in reality, no one dared to truly drink to their heart's content.

The wine on offer here wasn't just any ordinary wine. Instead, it was a special type of wine brewed entirely using spirit fruits and other spirit ingredients, so even a warrior with a decent cultivation base ran the risk of getting drunk if they drank too much.

However, with so many young people present, it was inevitable that things were going to get a little out of hand, and some people had already begun challenging others to drinking matches.

Chen Yin was one of the primary proponents of this.

He could tell that this was a test, and in order for the test to truly begin, everyone had to get a little drunk and show their true colors.

With that in mind, he rose to his feet and raised his cup to Wu Qing, who was seated across from him.

He then put on a derisive expression as he downed his drink in one go and challenged, "Drink up if you're a man, Wu Qing!"

Wu Qing immediately took the bait hook, line, and sinker, downing his cup in one go as well, and the two began exchanging cups of wine back and forth.

Chen Yin's lackeys then began challenging Wu Qing's lackeys as well, and everyone else was quickly swept up by the competitive atmosphere as well.

What everyone failed to notice was that after playing the role of instigator, Chen Yin quickly sat back down and stopped drinking again, completely ignoring Wu Qing even as the latter yelled insistently at him in provocation.

***

Feng Yun and the others all remained seated, sipping on their wine in a slow and measured fashion, displaying no intention of getting involved in the chaos.

However, that didn't stop others from challenging them, and right at this moment, Chen Yin's elder brother, Chen Yun, rose to his feet as he said, "It's been quite a long time since we last drank together, Brother Feng."

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to Chen Yun and Feng Yun.

Feng Yun merely turned to Chen Yun with a smile and offered no response, while Feng Yue asked, "You want to drink with my brother?"

"That's right," Chen Yun replied with a smile.

"In that case, why do you have your cup raised so high?" Feng Yue asked. "Are you trying to make it so that my brother has to reach up to touch cups with you?"

"Of course not! I'm standing up as a gesture of respect, so my cup is naturally higher, but when it comes time to touch cups, I'll be sure to lower my cup so that it's level with Brother Feng's."

"Sounds like you have it all figured out," Feng Yue mused. "How about you drink with me instead?"

The atmosphere instantly became a little tense.

Everyone could tell that Chen Yun wanted to drink with Feng Yun as equals. If Feng Yun stood up to touch his cup to Chen Yun's, then he would be acknowledging the latter as an equal, which was very significant as he was the figurehead of the younger generation.

However, Feng Yun chose to remain seated, while Feng Yue was making it clear to everyone through his actions that he didn't think Chen Yun was worthy of drinking with Feng Yun.

Chen Yin lowered his head to take a sip of wine as a contemplative look appeared in his eyes.

He really didn't think much of this elder brother of his. In his eyes, Chen Yun wasn't particularly cunning, shrewd, or capable. However, he was very competitive and always wanted to come out on top.

Even if he hadn't said anything, everyone would've still regarded him as one of the most prominent figures present.

However, he had brought embarrassment upon himself by trying to use Feng Yun to display his status to everyone.

If he refused to drink with Feng Yue, then that would be an open gesture of disrespect, but if he were to drink with Feng Yue, then he would be acknowledging Feng Yue as an equal. Feng Yue was only ranked third among the four Feng brothers, so by accepting Feng Yue as an equal, Chen Yun would be placing himself beneath Feng Yun.

Clearly, a conflict was about to arise between the two clans, and Chen Yin was contemplating how best to proceed in this situation.

Sure enough, Chen Xue, Chen Yin's older sister, quickly intervened.

"What's your problem, Feng Yue? My brother just wants to have a drink with Brother Feng Yun, do you have to rebuke him like this?"

As soon as she spoke up, the door was opened for others to get involved as well, and Feng Xue, Feng Yun's younger sister, pounced on the opportunity as she disdainfully challenged, "Is he worthy of having a drink with my brother? I think Brother Feng Yue is a perfect drinking partner for him!"

The other people from the two clans immediately began bickering as well, as did their lackeys, and the situation quickly descended into complete pandemonium.

***

Even though Feng Yun was at the center of the storm, he remained silent and composed as he turned to flash Yan Beihan a wink and a smile.

Yan Beihan rolled her eyes and turned away to chat with Bi Yunyan. Clearly, she wanted no part in any of this.

Chen Yun's cup remained raised, and Feng Yue continued to offer to drink with him, but was being stoically turned down.

Right at this moment, Bi Feng rose to his feet as he declared, "I'll drink with you, Chen Yun."

This was a rather interesting situation. The ancestor of Bi Feng's Bi Clan was Bi Changhong, the third-in-line deputy pope, whereas Chen Gu of the Chen Clan was the fourth-in-line deputy pope, but Chen Yun was seated ahead of Bi Feng at this gathering.

Hence, Bi Feng was very eager to reclaim the position that he felt was rightfully his, and all of a sudden, Chen Yun was facing pressure from two fronts.

Feng Yun was observing all of this like an intrigued bystander, and all of a sudden, he called out, "Let's have a drink, Brother Chen Yin."

Everyone instantly fell silent as they turned to Chen Yin with stunned expressions, while Chen Yin could only heave a forlorn internal sigh.

He knew this was coming, but he had no choice but to comply.

Thus, he put on a warm smile and strode over to Feng Yun's side, then touched his cup to Feng Yun's, following which both of them downed their cups of wine at once.

Feng Yun smiled as he said, "You have a lot of potential, Brother Chen Yin. You're very smart and flexible, and I think you're destined for great things."

He hadn't spoken very loudly, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

By doing this, he was directly rebuking Chen Yun while also giving Chen Yin a disguised insult. It sounded like a compliment, but essentially, what he was saying was that Chen Yin was excessively conniving, to the point that he was even plotting against his own older brother.

"Please don't put me on the spot like this, Brother Feng," Chen Yin implored with a sullen expression. "I only came here with my older siblings to broaden my horizons."

"Alright, whatever you say," Feng Yun chuckled.

Chen Yin returned to his seat, and the entire way back, he could feel his older brothers, Chen Yun and Chen Wei, staring daggers into his back.

"Where are you going, Chen Yin?" Chen Yun asked in a cold voice. "I'm here drinking with my friends, you're not going to join us?"

Chen Yin only wished that he possessed the power to strike this idiot of an older brother of his down on the spot!

Feng Yun is clearly trying to drive a wedge between us, the last thing you should be doing now is playing along! You're like a puppet on strings! As soon as Feng Yun twiddles his fingers, you immediately start dancing like a court jester!

However, he didn't dare to refuse. This was his older brother, and any refusal from him could lead to a public beating in front of everyone.

Thus, he immediately put on an enthusiastic expression as he declared, "You can count on me, big bro! You take a rest, I'll drink with everyone in your stead!"

There was no path for retreat, so the only way was forward.