Chapter 122 - The Flavor of Wine

The rain in Northern Qiang is different from that of the Ruen Dynasty. With its more piercing chill, the rain feels like it seeps into the bones.

In a forest near Julang City in Northern Qiang, Xue Qiming and Xue Niang sat under a large tree, trying to find shelter from the rain.

Xue Qiming's strong body and martial arts skills prevented him from feeling the cold. On the other hand, Xue Niang's thin body was already shivering in the storm. Xue Qiming hugged the girl to warm her up.

It had been several days since the two of them had escaped from the Non-returning Arhat army.

The events of that night caused quite a stir, and by the next day, Yuanyang City was under martial law. Proclamations claimed that spies from the Ruen Dynasty had come to steal military information. That very night, a nationwide arrest order was issued from the capital of Northern Qiang.

Xue Qiming and Xue Niang were unaware of this at first. It wasn’t until they reached the second city and were blocked by a large group of soldiers at the city gates that Xue Qiming realized they could no longer stay near the watchful eyes of the Northern Qiang people.

That’s how they ended up in a forest without shelter from the storm.

"Are you cold?" Xue Qiming tugged at Xue Niang’s clothes, which were completely soaked.

Xue Niang’s hair was slick, and stuck to her cheeks. She rested her small head against Xue Qiming’s chest and gently shook her head.

"When the rain stops, I’ll go into the city to find some clean clothes for you." Xue Qiming smoothed the girl’s hair and looked toward Julang City, where only a blurry outline of the city walls could be seen through the heavy rain.

The rain had come suddenly, and even though they immediately found some shelter, they still couldn’t avoid getting drenched.

"The city’s under strict watch..." Xue Niang said slowly, her voice soft. "Forget it."

"

Heh

, so what." Xue Qiming ruffled Xue Niang’s hair and laughed. "They can’t catch me."

Seeing Xue Qiming’s confidence, Xue Niang said nothing more, closing her eyes and resting in his arms.

The sound of the rain gradually subsided in the night.

When the first ray of sunlight hit Xue Qiming’s feet, only the occasional drops of water falling from the leaves remained from the sudden storm in the forest.

Xue Qiming gently picked up the sleeping girl and placed her on a bed of dry leaves beneath them.

Sensing movement, Xue Niang groggily opened her eyes and saw Xue Qiming placing the gourd beside her.

Seeing her awake, Xue Qiming smiled, took a small flask from his pack, poured some wine from the gourd into it, and said to Xue Niang, "I’ll be back soon. If you feel cold, drink some wine to warm up."[1]

Xue Niang took the flask, held it in her arms, and nodded.

Xue Qiming didn’t say anything more and turned to walk out of the forest.

Leaving the forest, Xue Qiming leaned against a tree and gazed at the distant city walls. He rubbed his forehead; he had been feeling restless these past few days...

Northern Qiang spies, the Qihuang Society, secret reports, the Ruen Dynasty’s schemes, the Arhat army, North Watching Pass. These scattered pieces of information seemed to have some deeper connection; they all indicated that some monumental shift was about to occur.

But no matter how hard Xue Qiming tried, he couldn’t figure out what exactly was going on, but there was one thing he knew for certain... war was coming.

Originally, these matters had nothing to do with him, so he didn’t care about them, and didn’t want to get involved. However, these matters were now tied to the North Watching Pass and thus tied to that person. Thus, Xue Qiming couldn’t no longer simply pretend to be unaware.

Crack!

Xue Qiming’s eyes were bloodshot, and the tree he was holding, with a trunk as thick as a bowl, was crushed by his bare hands.

"Enough thinking! Let's leave the damned place first." Xue Qiming rubbed his aching temples and started running toward Julang City.

***

Xue Niang sat up, leaning against the tree trunk behind her.

Her cold, wet clothes clung to her skin, making her feel uncomfortable. She squeezed her sleeve, wringing out a stream of water.

A gust of wind blew past, and Xue Niang squinted her eyes as she shivered, quickly hugging her arms tightly and curling up into a ball.

It was even colder now.

She turned her head to look in the direction the man had left. Deep down, she knew he had only just left, so how could he possibly return so quickly?

She still hoped he’d return soon... if he were here, it probably wouldn’t be this cold...

From the corner of her eye, Xue Niang noticed something at her feet... the small flask of wine he had left behind.

Does drinking wine really make you warmer?

Xue Niang didn’t know. She had never drunk wine before.

What does wine taste like?

Xue Niang tilted her head. Since he liked drinking it so much, it must be special, right?

Licking her chapped lips, Xue Niang reached for the small flask.

When she opened the lid, the rich aroma of wine immediately spread. Xue Niang sniffed the bottle... it was the familiar scent of wine... just like the scent on that man.

So... should she try it?

She might as well try it.

Xue Niang lifted the small flask and poured a small sip into her mouth.

"

Ugh. cough, cough!

" Xue Niang’s small face wrinkled as she immediately began to cough, spitting out all the wine.

So strong!

Xue Niang wiped the wine from the corners of her mouth with her sleeve, her cute little eyebrows furrowed tightly. Her tongue burned with heat, but a strange aroma lingered in her mouth.

This is what he usually drinks? What’s so good about it?

Xue Niang blinked, staring at the small flask in her hand.

After hesitating for a while, Xue Niang lifted the flask again, poured a small sip, closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and swallowed it.

As soon as the wine entered her stomach, a burning sensation surged up from her abdomen, rising all the way to her throat, warming her entire stomach.

"

Phew.

"

Xue Niang exhaled a breath that carried the scent of wine.

It doesn't seem so bad after all. In fact... It feels kind of nice?

Xue Niang stared at the wine flask in her hand. It had only been half full to begin with, but there was still plenty left.

She swallowed.

So... should I try again?

She swallowed another mouthful, this one larger than the previous two. Xue Niang squinted her eyes and exhaled another breath heavy with wine, her gaze turning hazy.

What is this feeling... it seems like... it seems... kind of nice...

As each sip of wine entered Xue Niang’s stomach, the wine in the flask gradually ran out.

Xue Niang’s gaze grew even hazier. In her blurry vision, she seemed to see a familiar figure walking toward her...

"

Huh...

" Xue Qiming looked at the girl leaning her head against the tree and picked up the now-empty flask from the ground. "Well, she can drink more than I expected."

Xue Qiming was holding a simple wrapped bundle. He set it down and opened it, revealing a few clean clothes.

"Well, well... at least you behave when you’re asleep," Xue Qiming muttered to himself. His hands moved swiftly, peeling off Xue Niang’s soaked clothes, wiping her dry, and dressing her in clean clothes.

After Xue Qiming changed into clean clothes himself, Xue Niang was still sound asleep.

Xue Qiming spread his hands helplessly.

"I’m starting to miss that ox cart."

As the sky darkened, a man, carrying a drowsy young girl on his back, stepped deeper and deeper into the forest.

1. Please don't try this at home. ☜