Chapter 392 371: I Have Good Wine, Do You Have a Story?

The Spiritless Ice Crystal Cup truly did preserve the original, unadulterated flavor of the wine!

After finishing his cup, Yin Xunyi was silent for a long while.

Song Ciwan poured herself a cup as well. She savored the liquid, also without a word.

An unknown amount of time passed. The bamboo raft drifted along the city's waterways and, without them realizing it, had left the city behind.

Previously, Song Ciwan had entered Huijiang City through the South City Gate, but now, the raft was exiting through the North City Gate.

Interestingly, there was clearly no waterway that led directly out of the city at the North City Gate. To exit, one should have had to go around the other side of the city wall.

And yet, the bamboo raft had exited the city as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Had Song Ciwan not been on the raft the entire time, she would have found this strange method of departure impossible to comprehend.

It wasn't quite a spatial jump; it felt more like a natural transfer through the water.

Yin Xunyi. His title was the Mangshan Coffin Carrier, but judging by his current display, he had to be a master of Water Techniques.

His command over water was so great that even Song Ciwan felt she was no match.

Yin Xunyi set down his cup and finally spoke. "Daoist Song," he asked, "the wine in your gourd has a scent of incense. What is it brewed from, and why is it so wondrous?"

Song Ciwan silently circulated the Sutra of Sitting and Forgetting, slowly dispelling the lingering effects of the wine, as she replied, "This Wine God Gourd was a gift from the Great Cyan God of Cyan Bottle Mountain. I myself do not know what the Great Cyan God uses to brew this wine."

Speaking of which, the old wine left in the gourd possessed some truly miraculous properties.

The wine seemed to contain the visages of all living beings. It was a vintage that ordinary mortals could never drink. If they did, even if they didn't explode on the spot, they would surely be assaulted by the myriad illusions within the liquid, ending up with their minds in chaos, driven to madness and enfeeblement.

Forget mortals; even Cultivators with less Power or weaker Willpower would find it difficult to come to a good end after drinking it.

But for those with sufficient Power and a strong enough Willpower, a cup of this All Living Beings Wine would allow them to taste the myriad essences of the mortal realm. The effect was no less than undergoing a bout of cultivation in the mortal world, beneficial for both the Cultivator's Power and the refinement of their mind.

'The Great Cyan God gave me a truly magnificent gift!'

'I had never used the Wine God Gourd before and had taken the Great Cyan God at her word, thinking it could only brew some ordinary Spirit Wine and had no other effects.'

'I never expected the Great Cyan God's surprise to be hidden within. I've received this generous gift, and I'll not forget it.'

Yin Xunyi was taken aback. "So, this is the Wine God Gourd! To think the Great Cyan God would gift it to you, Daoist Song!"

'Apparently, the Wine God Gourd has quite the reputation,' she thought.

Song Ciwan said, "Have you heard of the Wine God Gourd before, Daoist Yin?"

Yin Xunyi paused for a moment, then smiled. "I have heard whispers of it. After all, the Mountain God of Cyan Bottle Mountain is a known wine lover, and word gets around in certain circles. And who am I, but a lover of wine myself? I once even thought of visiting Cyan Bottle Mountain to ask the Great Cyan God for a drink.

"I never imagined I would have a chance encounter with you today, Daoist Song, and have my wish fulfilled without even having to make the trip."

With that, he clasped his hands together before his chest and gave her a small, respectful bow of thanks.

After making the gesture, before Song Ciwan could even respond, he let out a hearty laugh.

Song Ciwan smiled in return. With a light flick of her wrist, the Wine God Gourd tilted and poured another cup for Yin Xunyi.

She then poured another for herself. The two raised their cups in a silent toast, and without a word, drank together again.

「Far away on Cyan Bottle Mountain」

The Great Cyan God sat up in her Mountain God Hall, an unbearable craving for wine washing over her. She grabbed a nearby jar of wine and began to chug it down—GULP, GULP, GULP—but after she finished, it felt utterly tasteless.

She kicked the wine jar over and grunted in frustration.

A small head peeked in from the window. The Little Cyan God pulled at the corners of his eyes, making a funny face at her. "You brought this on yourself, Mother!" he taunted. "You love wine more than life itself, yet you gave away your Wine God Gourd. Hehehe, serves you right!"

Furious, the Great Cyan God reached into her robes, pulled something out, and threw it at the Little Cyan God outside the window.

"Oof!" the Little Cyan God cried out, but he vanished in a flash.

In the blink of an eye, he had gone from outside the window to the other side of the mountain. Such speed was truly preternatural.

Having dodged the Great Cyan God's attack, the Little Cyan God smugly turned back from a mountain hollow and made another funny face in the direction of the Mountain God Temple. He giggled, "Nanny nanny boo boo, you can't hit me, Mother... Oof!"

That second "Oof!" came because a perfectly transparent, almost imperceptible bubble had suddenly appeared behind him. With a soft FWOOP, the bubble enveloped him, trapping him inside.

The Little Cyan God had no time to react, let alone struggle free. In an instant, he was encased in the bubble and reappeared before the Great Cyan God.

The Great Cyan God was lounging on her bed, a new jar of wine in hand, chugging it down with great gulps.

CRASH!

She finished the wine in the jar, then threw it to the ground, shattering it.

The Little Cyan God trembled inside the bubble, shouting in fury, "That's too much, Mother! You ambushed me! You're picking on someone smaller than you! You have no honor! You... you... you big meanie!"

The Great Cyan God propped her head up with one hand, her eyes hazy with drink. She looked at the Little Cyan God with a smirk. "So what if I'm picking on you? Who told you to be smaller than me?"

The Little Cyan God: ...

Furious, the Little Cyan God began casting all sorts of Magic inside the bubble. Instantly, it was filled with a dazzling display of fireworks.

But no matter how the flames burned, the bubble remained completely unscathed.

The Little Cyan God wailed in frustration. "You're so mean, Mother! I told you not to drink, but you didn't listen! I saw you couldn't kick your craving and felt bad about the Wine God Gourd for you, but you didn't listen to me then either! You never listen to me! What are you even trying to do? Waaaaah..."

As he spoke, seeing that none of his words were affecting the Great Cyan God, the Little Cyan God burst into frustrated tears.

This, however, hit the Great Cyan God's weak spot. She loved to tease her child, but she couldn't bear to see him cry. Seeing him sob so hard he could barely breathe, tears and fire flying together inside the bubble, it took only a moment for clouds of white steam to begin rising within, making the bubble look as though it were about to boil.

The Great Cyan God sighed. She drew the bubble to her and hugged it, gently stroking the Little Cyan God through its surface. "Little Qing," she said, her voice softening, "we've always lived here on this mountain, getting whatever we wish, wind or rain, as if we were omnipotent. It made you think your mother was the most powerful mother in the world, didn't it?"

The Little Cyan God wiped his tears and sniffled, "You are the most powerful. The most powerful at bullying little kids!"

The Great Cyan God gave a helpless smile. "You are still young, but I must have you understand this now. The Spiritual Energy Tide is rising, and an era of great contention is upon us. We mountain spirits may seem to live by the mountain's grace, immortal and incorruptible, but in truth, we are as fragile as sand in the wind.

"The limits of Cyan Bottle Mountain determine our own limits. And in the context of the entire world, what does Cyan Bottle Mountain even amount to?

"Sooner or later, you will discover just how small we both are. The Human Race, however, has limitless potential for growth. And this person, Song Zhao, is a Celestial Pride among Celestial Prides! At only the Qi Cultivation stage, she took a single step and landed at tenth place on the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List. Do you have any idea what that represents?"

The Little Cyan God's mouth hung open, tears clinging to his eyelashes, unable to form a reply.

The Great Cyan God sighed. "This friendship I'm forging... I ask for nothing else from it. I only hope that if the chance arises one day, Song Zhao might be able to save you... That would be enough."

Her final words were extremely soft and muffled.

So soft that even the Little Cyan God, who was right beside her, could barely make them out.

A faint sigh blurred into the mountain wind, drifting away toward an unknown future.

「Outside Huijiang City, on the bamboo raft」

Song Ciwan and Yin Xunyi had shared several more cups of the All Living Beings Wine.

The raft drifted slowly along the waterway. As it rounded another bend, Yin Xunyi spoke: "Daoist Song, do you happen to know why the Heir of Prince Yun wishes to forge a marriage alliance with the Stealth Race?"