Chapter 1389: Wine of Old Times

Yu Hongjin stubbornly refused, but in the end, she couldn't withstand Xuanji's relentless pestering.

"Then I'll let you take a look."

Yu Hongjin felt as if her ears were growing calluses. Unable to fend the girl off any longer, she figured a quick look wouldn't hurt.

That Brocade Pouch was her absolute treasure.

Only after returning to the Wine Tavern did Yu Hongjin sneakily bring it out.

When the Brocade Pouch was opened, jar after jar of wine appeared before Xuanji's eyes.

Xuanji immediately widened her eyes, staring in disbelief at the mountains of wine before her.

Once taken out, the jars filled the entire tavern, leaving barely any room to stand.

"So many!!"

Xuanji stared, somewhat at a loss for what to do.

Yu Hongjin looked rather smug. "How about it? Impressive, right?"

"I brewed some of these myself, while others I collected from all over. And some, well, I traded wine for wine in my early years. I won't brag, but if there's a wine you've heard of or tasted, you can almost certainly find it here."

Xuanji looked back and forth through the pile and spotted a familiar bottle. "I recognize that one!!"

"Immortal Brew from Emerald Moon Tower in Shangjing City! Just a small bottle like that was worth three gold back in the day!!"

"You even have wine from Shangjing City!"

Xuanji was momentarily speechless, genuinely shocked by the sheer scale of it.

She knew Yu Hongjin loved wine, but she never imagined it had reached such an extreme.

It was simply...

Stupefying!

Yu Hongjin chuckled. "This is nothing. I used to have a lot more, but I drank quite a bit of it."

Xuanji continued looking around. She pursed her lips and pointed at a container. "What about that wine pot? It's so exquisite."

Yu Hongjin glanced over. "Oh, that seems to be one I got from a water demon when I was at the Desolate Sea. Yes, I think that's the one. My memory shouldn't be wrong."

"What about that one?"

"Sweet rice wine from Jiangnan. I bought it while passing through."

"And this..."

"I brewed that one myself. I forget what kind of wine it is, though."

Xuanji's gaze swept over the collection before landing on a jade-colored wine pot. "And what about that pot?"

Yu Hongjin followed her gaze, only to freeze for a moment.

"That pot..."

Seeing her trail off, Xuanji asked, "What's wrong?"

"My sister gave it to me."

Yu Hongjin raised her hand, sweeping all the wine on the floor back into storage.

"Why did you put them away?"

Xuanji stepped forward. "I haven't even finished looking."

As if recalling something, Yu Hongjin forced a smile and said, "How long would it take to look through all of them? No more looking..."

Xuanji paused, confused. "Why can't I keep looking?"

"Auntie Hongjin?"

"Ah, enough, we're done looking. Alright, alright, let's not talk about it anymore..."

Xuanji was a bit dazed, unable to understand why her auntie had suddenly become so preoccupied.

Yu Hongjin forcefully pushed her out of the Wine Tavern.

Slam.

The doors of the Wine Tavern closed shut.

"Hurry on back."

That was the only sound that came from inside.

Xuanji stood blankly in front of the doors, completely bewildered.

She couldn't figure it out. After mulling it over, she mistakenly assumed her auntie was just afraid she would ask for some of the good wine.

Assuming that was the case, Xuanji didn't linger. She shook her head and left.

Inside, Yu Hongjin sensed the person outside departing.

She let out a breath, the forced smile on her face fading away completely.

She raised her hand, and that particular wine pot fell into her grasp.

She stared at it for a long, long time...

This was the wine Sister Yun had given her. Back then, she had been overjoyed about it for the longest time, because Sister Yun had never allowed her to drink.

But now, things were different...

No one cared whether she drank anymore. Even if she drank herself into a stupor, no one would nag her about it.

Yu Hongjin felt an inexplicable urge to cry.

But she forced out a deep breath and looked away. Even though her eyes were tinged red, not a single tear fell.

She was no longer the little girl who could cry whenever she wanted.

She sat behind the doors, hugging the wine pot, and remained silent for a long time.

...

After being chased away, Xuanji headed toward the Peach Orchard.

When she arrived, Aqing was nowhere to be seen. Looking at the weeds overgrowing the Peach Orchard, a sense of surprise welled up within her.

'Could Sister Aqing have left?'

Xuanji wondered. After a moment, she snapped out of it and decided to tidy up the Peach Orchard first.

Unleashing her Divine Abilities and Arts and Techniques, it took her only a moment to completely clear away all the weeds in the Peach Orchard.

With that done, it was much more pleasing to the eye.

Xuanji nodded slightly. Giving in to her fatigue, she simply lay down on the ground and fell asleep.

She had no idea how long she slept.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying indoors, covered with a quilt.

Turning her head, she saw Aqing sitting nearby, propping up her chin and gazing out the window as if deep in thought.

"Mmm..."

Aqing snapped out of her daze, noticing Xuanji sitting up.

"Sister Aqing, you're back?"

Aqing nodded. "Why did you fall asleep out in the Peach Orchard? Weren't you afraid some wolf or leopard might break in during the night and drag you away?"

Xuanji stretched lazily and said, "That would be perfect. I could eat some wild game."

Aqing shook her head helplessly. "When did you get back?"

"Just now."

Xuanji asked, "But speaking of which, have you stopped taking care of the Peach Orchard, Sister Aqing? Also, you look travel-worn. Where did you go?"

Aqing shook her head. "I just went out for a bit, that's all."

"I see..."

Xuanji blinked, feeling that Aqing was hiding something.

But she didn't press the matter. After a thought, she said, "I thought you and Granduncle had gone off to roam the world together."

"Your granduncle hasn't even come back yet."

"Oh..."

"It seems like it should be soon, though," Xuanji said.

"Mhm."

Aqing gave a slight nod.

Xuanji couldn't help but be curious. "Sister Aqing, why is Granduncle away so often? Every time he leaves, it's for three years without a single word."

Aqing paused for a moment. "Your granduncle, he..."

She thought for a second before continuing, "It's just like the Immortals in the storybooks. Immortals cannot casually descend to the Mortal World. As the saying goes, one day in heaven is a year in the Mortal World. In truth, for your granduncle, it is only the blink of an eye."

Hearing this, Xuanji let out a helpless laugh. "Isn't that just a story to coax children? It's not like I haven't been to the Cultivation World. We're all under the same sky; there's no such thing."

Aqing smiled and simply said, "Perhaps there truly is. It is just that you and I do not know of it."

Xuanji blanked for a moment, then fell into deep thought.

'Is there truly an Immortal Realm?'

Sparked by Aqing's words, Xuanji couldn't help but grow curious.

Otherwise, how could one explain why Granduncle was always absent from the Mortal World, leaving so frequently?