Chapter 391 371: I Have Good Wine, Do You Have a Story?

Song Ciwan looked back from the stone-paved street. On the adjacent river, a small bamboo boat was drifting toward her.

The small raft was the color of green jade. In its center, Yin Xunyi, a black coffin on his back, stood tall.

As Song Ciwan turned, Yin Xunyi raised the wine gourd in his hand and flashed a carefree smile. "The mountains are high and the rivers long, yet our paths cross again. Daoist Song, why not come aboard for a drink?"

He still seemed to carry the faint scent of wine. The sunlight from the horizon scattered like sparks, and where it touched him, even the fine lines at the corners of his eyes seemed to hold the flavor of a story.

The black coffin on his back was at once light and heavy, a contradiction that somehow felt perfectly whole.

His entire presence was so distinctive that anyone who saw him once would never mistake him for another.

With a shift of her feet, Song Ciwan drifted down onto his raft as if by Wind Manipulation. The Big White Goose honked, spreading its wings to follow her, landing right behind with a THUMP.

As the Big White Goose landed, one side of the raft dipped, and a little river water washed over the bamboo.

Yin Xunyi let out a surprised "Oh!" and chuckled. "What a fine goose! Daoist Song, this goose of yours is quite hefty! Well-raised indeed. It must have been fed on the finest essences to have such abundant Qi Blood and attain such a weight."

The Big White Goose craned its neck and let out a series of HONKS, as if to say: 'Of course! I'm not just heavy in weight—I'm even more important in Wanwan's heart!'

Song Ciwan smiled and patted it gently. She retrieved the Wine God Gourd, a gift from the Great Cyan God, from her Storage Pouch. Raising it toward Yin Xunyi, she said, "Daoist Yin, you invite me for a drink, but I happen to have some fine wine right here! What do you say? I have the wine, do you have the stories?"

She had only recently obtained this Wine God Gourd and hadn't yet had the chance to brew her own Spirit Wine. However, the gourd already contained a considerable amount of fine wine, all brewed in the past by the Great Cyan God.

Song Ciwan had no particular preference for alcohol, but she didn't mind sharing a cup with an interesting person at the right moment.

Yin Xunyi's eyes lit up. He immediately hung his own gourd back on his belt and said joyfully, "Daoist Song, I can tell that wine gourd of yours is something special! A drink, we must have a drink!

Rest assured, Daoist Song. If you have fine wine, I certainly won't be short on stories for you, haha!"

As he spoke, he stretched out a hand, and two wine cups materialized out of thin air.

The two cups were pure and flawless. At first glance, they looked like jade, but when Song Ciwan took one, she found it cool and slick to the touch, with a watery feel that didn't seem to be jade at all.

Yin Xunyi explained, "These are cups specially made from Spiritless Ice Crystal. Because they are perfectly whole and free of impurities, they are unlike other cups. Some cups can enhance the Spiritual Qi in wine, some can enhance its flavor, and some can add unique properties to its quality...

Because of this, among all the myriad wine vessels in the world, the Spiritless Ice Crystal Cup is the most unremarkable, the very bottom of the barrel.

I, however, am most fond of using these Spiritless Ice Crystal Cups. Only they neither add nor subtract, neither taint nor mar. They are pure and simple, restoring the original flavor of the wine.

In this world, how many things can flow forth and still retain their original flavor, completely unchanged? There is a rarity in that, which surely calls for a toast. Wouldn't you agree, Daoist Song?"

Song Ciwan caressed the Spiritless Ice Crystal Cup in her hand and smiled. "'Fear no floating clouds that block the view, for one is already at the highest peak.' Daoist Yin, your simple philosophy allows you to see far. That indeed calls for a toast."

Their words held deeper meanings, a duel of wits hidden beneath the surface.

Hearing this, Yin Xunyi immediately let out another hearty laugh.

It was clearly a friendly conversation, yet it felt as if they had just exchanged a round of blows.

After that exchange, Yin Xunyi's expression became even more relaxed. He held the remaining cup out to Song Ciwan. She tipped her Wine God Gourd, and a fragrant stream of liquor poured from the small opening.

The liquor flowed in a thread-thin line, and as it fell into the cup, it seemed to faintly reveal the faces of all living beings.

There were people of all kinds—in different attire, of all ages, with every sort of appearance—

men and women, young and old, all flashing past in the refractions of the wine.

They were crawling on their knees along a mountain path, kowtowing with every step.

One man, his face etched with sorrow, chanted, "Please, Mountain God, grant us rain! If it doesn't rain soon, the crops will wither and die. What will we do for this year's harvest?"

A woman, fraught with anxiety, pleaded, "Have mercy, Mountain God, and grant me a child! I've been married for eight years without bearing a child. My husband wants to take a concubine, what am I to do?"

A young man, nervous and shy, prayed, "Mountain God, please bless my marriage with Lady Yuan. May she join my family smoothly next year. I swear I will treat her well. Please bless us with a long and happy life together, filled with mutual respect."

A youth, full of ambition, declared, "Protect me, Mountain God! I am going to the Cyan Mountain Sect to become a disciple. I will surely pass the trials! In time, my Power will advance, and reaching the Innate realm will be a certainty!"

A travel-worn man sighed, "Mountain God, this humble one must travel a thousand miles away, and I don't know if I'll ever return. Please watch over my family..."

With a sigh, the last of the wine fell, and the myriad faces of the mortal world swirled within.

Yin Xunyi raised the cup and, without hesitation, drank the liquor down.

As the fine wine went down his throat, it was not mellow as he had imagined, but fiery hot.

A moment later, a wave of sorrow washed over his heart. Then came a medley of flavors—sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy. After another moment, sweetness, bitterness, tartness, saltiness... all the hundred flavors vanished. In the end, only a faint, sweet aftertaste remained, carrying with it the subtlest trace of Incense and Candlelight, which drifted away into a water-like tranquility.