Chapter 147: The Wine |
The atmosphere at the table was quiet, and neither Hu Rui'an nor the old man in hemp seemed inclined to speak to each other, both eating and drinking in silence.
At this point, Li Musheng watched the duel on the stone platform for a while with idle disinterest, then let his gaze drift toward the little girl who had been eating without pause since sitting down, having very nearly worked her way through an entire roasted chicken.
"The little one has quite an appetite. Come on, let's see you make short work of these roasted squabs as well."
Li Musheng picked up a plate of golden-roasted pigeons and placed it in front of the little girl in pink, saying with a grin.
The girl ate with the enthusiasm of a competitive eater, which was perfect. He could sit back and watch the live eating show in person, which was far better entertainment than the duel on the platform.
Hearing this, the little girl rubbed her belly, then looked at the squabs, and blinked as she looked up at Li Musheng and asked, "Can I pack them to take away?"
Li Musheng immediately raised an eyebrow and put on an expression of great seriousness, saying, "What sort of bad habit is that for someone so young? There are still people sitting at this table, and you want to stuff things into your pockets right in front of everyone? Have you no shame?"
If she packed them all away, how was he supposed to watch the eating show?
The moment those words fell, the little girl in pink froze briefly, and when she came back to herself, she pursed her lips and turned to look at the old man in hemp beside her.
Beside them, Hu Rui'an looked on with a puzzled expression, at a loss as to why Li Musheng had, for no apparent reason, decided to tease a small child.
At this point, seeing that Li Musheng would not let her pack the squabs away, the little girl gritted her teeth and reached out to pick up one of the pigeons from the plate, then set to work gnawing away at it once more.
Seeing this, Li Musheng gave a satisfied nod. Murong Xiaoya opened her mouth, glanced at the little girl's increasingly rounded belly, and was about to offer a quiet word of caution, but a sideways look at Li Musheng had her shrinking back, and in the end she said nothing.
"I hope the humble food and drink of the manor is to everyone's liking."
The Zhanliu Manor steward returned, deferentially leading a group of people into the lakeside pavilion where Li Musheng was seated.
Among them, a middle-aged man with a mild and affable expression clasped his hands quite cordially and addressed Li Musheng and the others first.
The man appeared to be around fifty, his brows and features like ink strokes drawn across a mountain, clad in a dark green-black robe, with a short blade hanging at his waist whose scabbard was inlaid with a bronze deer-head ornament.
Walking alongside him were two others. One was a powerfully built giant of a man, thickly muscled, dressed in the cloud-peak black robes of Falling God Peak, with dark blue tattoos on his neck and eyes as fierce and piercing as a tiger's.
The other was a pale-faced scholar, slight as a bamboo stalk and dressed in an indigo silk long robe. He looked as though a gust of wind might carry him away, yet hanging at his waist was a great iron writing brush roughly two feet in length.
When Hu Rui'an caught sight of the middle-aged man who had spoken, his eyes flickered briefly, then he covered the reaction very smoothly and clasped his hands, saying, "We are merely passing through your esteemed manor. Forgive the intrusion, and thank you for the generous reception, Manor Master Shen."
Even Hu Rui'an's voice had been disguised as he spoke, and not even Wu Shang and the others could detect the slightest trace of his usual inflections.
At this moment, the old man in hemp also gave Zhanliu Manor Master Shen Liancheng a light nod, saying, "The food and drink at your manor are excellent. This old one thanks you for the hospitality."
Hearing this, Shen Liancheng smiled and said, "As long as none of you find it lacking."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Hu Rui'an and the old man in hemp, and he continued, "My staff mentioned just now that both of you are formidable figures from the martial world. Forgive my presumptuousness, but I am truly unable to recognize either of you, and I wonder if you would be willing to share your names so that Shen may have the honor of your acquaintance."
Hu Rui'an had been prepared for this and gave a false name and background, saying only that their group had come from the capital province and was passing through Zhanliu Manor on the way to Sheng Province.
The old man in hemp was even more perfunctory, saying only that he was a wild old man from the countryside and not even offering a name.
Shen Liancheng, seeing this, did not seem particularly put out, and after exchanging a few brief pleasantries, he had the steward bring a jar of Linglu wine over, then excused himself and departed.
Before long, Shen Liancheng and his companions returned to their own lakeside pavilion. Once the servants had been dismissed, he poured wine for the powerfully built man and the middle-aged scholar seated on either side of him, then asked, "What do Elder Bei and Master Xu make of those two?"
Hearing this, the powerfully built man Bei Shi let out a cold snort, drained his cup in one swallow, and said, "Their strength is naturally nothing to scoff at. Both are experts at the Heaven-Human Realm. But they are arrogant, evasive, and would not even share their real names. Clearly they have no regard for the Manor Master whatsoever."
The middle-aged scholar thought briefly, then said slowly, "The old man in hemp, I cannot read his background. No one of that description has been heard of in the martial world in recent times."
"Of the other five, the one clearly in charge is that young man who carries not a trace of True Qi, and from the manner and bearing of those two other young men, I suspect they are very likely from the Great Li imperial court. Their exact identities, however, I cannot determine."
The moment those words fell, Bei Shi cast a sideways glance at the middle-aged scholar Xu Qingcang and said indifferently, "What does it matter if they are from the Great Li court? Once they enter the territory of our Falling God Peak, even a dragon would have to lie down and behave itself."
Then he narrowed his eyes toward Shen Liancheng, saying, "If you ask me, why go to all this unnecessary trouble, Manor Master? Why hold some martial arts contest? Our young Peak Master has extraordinary gifts. Surely he is worthy of your third daughter?"
The middle-aged scholar Xu Qingcang shook his head and interjected, saying, "Elder Bei speaks incorrectly. A child's marriage is not something to be taken lightly."
"Moreover, while the Young Peak Master is exceptional, it is not as though the martial world contains no young talent who could surpass him. The Manor Master's choice of a martial arts contest is naturally an entirely fitting and fair approach."
Hearing this, Bei Shi shot Xu Qingcang a glare and said with a cold laugh, "That second son of your General, our Young Peak Master could flatten him in two moves. You walking beanpole who looks like a stiff breeze would knock you over, you'd best stop dreaming."
Shen Liancheng quickly stepped in to smooth things over, while the middle-aged scholar narrowed his eyes slightly and did not bother arguing further.
...
At the same time, back in the lakeside pavilion where Li Musheng was seated, the two young people, one man and one woman, who had been sitting at the table before them both lit up the moment the manor servants brought the Linglu wine over.
"That wine is something special. It is unique to Zhanliu Manor, produced only once every thirty years, and known alongside the 'Zhanliu Blade' as the manor's two great treasures."
Hu Rui'an raised the brown clay wine jar in one hand and gave it a light shake. The mud seal crumbled away silently and the stopper flew out.
In an instant, an extraordinarily rich and fragrant wine aroma drifted through the air, and merely catching a whiff of it gave everyone a wonderfully light-headed feeling of pleasant intoxication that was deeply enticing and had mouths watering.
Wu Shang and the others all showed unusual expressions, swallowing involuntarily as they stared at the wine jar in Hu Rui'an's hand.
Hu Rui'an took a light sniff and closed his eyes for a moment in blissful appreciation, then opened them and set the jar back on the table, saying, "Don't rush. Check for poison first."
Hearing this, Wu Shang quickly produced a silver needle to test it, and only after finding nothing amiss did Hu Rui'an give a nod, saying, "Pour a cup for the young master first."
Wu Shang immediately brought a cup and poured it full to the brim for Li Musheng. Li Musheng's eyes lit up, saying, "This looks like genuinely fine wine."
With that, he drained the Linglu wine in one smooth swallow.
The wine was clear and clean, like the first snowmelt of early spring, with a lingering aftertaste of fruit and blossom that stretched long as late autumn. Li Musheng could not help asking for another cup.
At this point, Hu Rui'an showed no inclination to keep it for himself, and signaled for cups to be poured for everyone at the table.
The old man in hemp, however, waved a hand and showed no interest in drinking.
No one pressed him, since with one fewer drinker, there was more for everyone else.
Murong Xiaoya, drawn in by the wine's aroma, picked up her cup and was just about to take a sip, when the little girl in pink suddenly spoke up, saying, "Sister, girls shouldn't drink wine."
And with that, she swatted the cup directly out of Murong Xiaoya's hand.