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Chapter 134: Conceding Defeat

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll

Although Ling Tian's internal energy was abnormally abundant, it was still inferior to the fortune teller's. However, this was not the depressing part. Ling Tian's internal energy was suspiciously pure and free of impurities despite being so abundant and the purity of Ling Tian's energy could even be said to have surpassed the fortune teller's. This made him unable to comprehend the situation; for someone as young as Ling Tian, how could he have managed to do both at the same time?

The green-robed fortune teller was naturally unaware that Ling Tian was not lacking in resources to cultivate his internal energy. First was using the unlimited XianTian energy in his mother's womb to cultivate, second was the cultivation method that he used being a top-grade manual. It would be strange then, if he could not achieve such abundant internal energy! However, if Ling Tian's advantages stopped here, the fortune teller would be surprised, but he would not feel that it was particularly heaven-defying.

The actual factor that floored the fortune teller was the fact that during the competition of internal energy, the methods Ling Tian used to manipulate his internal energy were one of a kind!

Under Ling Tian's manipulation, the internal energy was first hot then cold, sometimes fast then slow; full of unpredictable changes as well as eccentric in its characteristics. This almost caused him to suffer an injury at the beginning! Such a unique style of employing energy, it was a first for the fortune teller! Ling Tian's internal energy also appeared to be fickle, constantly fluctuating, one moment rushing forth like a river, another moment rock solid like a mountain facing off against a tsunami. Just when you had begun to acclimatized to his movements, yet another change would ensue. Gentle like a spring wind, frosty like a blizzard in winter, sneakily overcoming all defences and invading from all four points and eight directions! Slowly but surely, it would wear down an opponent's strength!

During the first few waves of attack, the fortune teller had suffered quite a bit, relying on the experience he had accumulated for a good half of his life as well as giving it his all, in order to maintain his stance. In that few moments, he felt as though he had toed the line between life and death quite a few times!

This was not to say that the fortune teller was merely substandard, unable to compare with Ling Tian. On the contrary, his strength could actually be considered above Ling Tian. Thus, he was only reduced to a stalemate; if it were any other random person possessing similar internal strength as Ling Tian against him, that person would have long ago suffered from internal injuries, maybe even dying on the spot. After all, amongst all the martial competitions, a competition of internal strength is the most dangerous! In the end, he had to rely on the pure energy cultivated in the past decade, in order to endure Ling Tian's crazed assault!

Just as the fortune teller thought that he had completely read the flow of Ling Tian's internal energy route, and tightly guarded himself to await the attack of Ling Tian, the latter's internal energy underwent a change again! It turned into a dense uninterrupted chain, not blindly charging in, but instead looking for weak links! To think it actually imitated the fortune teller to take on an attitude of tightly guarding itself!

He received a huge shock from Ling Tian's sudden change, feeling as though he just threw his heaviest punch but having it landing on a sack of cotton. This sort of hollowness, which was unable to produce a sufficient force against his attack, almost made him suffer from an internal deviation. Luckily, the capabilities of the fortune teller did not just end there like any normal person and managed to pull through forcibly.

No matter how he increased or decreased his strength, the fortune teller was always mysteriously at a disadvantage; even though his internal strength obviously surpassed Ling Tian's by a fair amount.

Ling Tian's Divine Shocking Dragon Formula lay in the emphasis of the two words, shocking dragon. This was no coincidence, a dragon from the Nine Heavens was by nature whimsical, now violent and aggressive, the next gentle. One moment it could be summoning storms, the next vanishing into thin air! It was definitely the most well-known figure in the millennium-long history of the Chinese! With so many unique characteristics, so long as one could cultivate to the seventh layer and above, the property of their energy could be changed based on their will, causing opponents to be unable to seek any advantages.

It was a pity that Ling Tian had yet to properly step into that particular stage in cultivation, thus making him engage in prolonged attacks without a measure of success. Changing his tactic at the last moment and gambling for success was the last resort. But, it was a pity that Ling Tian was in the end unable to overcome the fortune teller. Although he appeared at a disadvantage, this was only because Ling Tian's manipulation was unique and strange, allowing him the upper hand. As the saying went, 'The first time is the strongest, second time weaker, and the third completely ineffective', Ling Tian thought of using his peculiar method of controlling his internal energy to break through his defenses in the first try. Turning into a tightly guarded state was the state of his 'second time'. So long as the fortune teller continued to hold his ground, forcing Ling Tian into the state of 'third time ineffective', then he could seize victory from him. As such, for this competition of internal strength, Ling Tian could have said to have lost if they were being judged.

Ling Tian's expression was slightly pale, his thoughts spinning continuously as he contemplated on using his hidden weapons to obtain the victory. However, because the hidden weapons were too poisonous, it would undoubtedly end up in the death of the fortune teller. Ling Tian had no irreconcilable hatred with him, thus saw no point in employing such methods. In his depressed state, he did not notice that the fortune teller in front of him was already slightly sweating, his body trembling from time to time! Though the fortune teller was aware that victory was in his grasp, he did not dare to let down his guard as any mistake would result in his utter loss. He was deeply in awe of Ling Tian's exquisite control over his internal energy. However, because of this same skill, it narrowed the gap between the both of them to an almost negligible point. Thus, he was not confident that he was able to avoid harming Ling Tian in the process of obtaining victory.

From afar, the laughter and voices of the two females traveled over, Ling Chen and Yu BingYan were already returning!

The fortune teller felt his heart skip a beat and he immediately urged forth his internal energy, using his superiority in abundant energy to seal up any holes in his defenses and retracted slightly, maintaining the stalemate between the two once again. Ling Tian, who was scrutinizing every single ebb of his internal energy, found out that the fortune teller's strength had increased, but did not bother to attack, which made him question the fortune teller's motives. The fortune teller would probably know that a simple assault would probably grant him victory. However, he chose to contract and stabilise his defences instead. Were Ling Tian to grasp another opportunity to counterattack, the fortune teller would not be able to return to his winning throne.

How smart was Ling Tian? He immediately understood that the fortune teller had kind intentions in his heart and was willing to take the risk of being counterattacked in order to put an end to this stalemate. Both of them each glanced at the other, aware that this was actually the best time for them to eliminate the other side. However, Ling Tian imitated the fortune teller by gently retracting a part of his internal energy. The fortune teller retracted another part, followed by Ling Tian. This process continued till both parties had reached the minimum point. With a smile directed at each other, both withdrew their internal strength simultaneously! The battleground which was the teacup suddenly exploded into a pile of powder, disappearing without any evidence! As for the tea, it had long been evaporated by the contest of their internal energies!

Having competed to this stage, both of them had a rough understanding of each other. This was especially so for Ling Tian, he was now even more respectful of the fortune teller for taking the risk to retract his energy out of goodwill. Though he had the ability to break out of his predicament, Ling Tian had predicted that it would not be so easy as to free himself of any entrapment completely and thus had left his life to his opponent to decide. Just for this point of the fortune teller, Ling Tian was already full of respect for him!

"I've lost!"

"You've won!"

Different words, but with a similar outcome, sounded from both of their mouths. Ling Tian and the fortune teller both stared in shock for a moment, before bursting into laughter.

Because of the fortune teller's skill in the martial way as well as his cultivation being profound, even higher than his own, just based on pure strength without any tricks whatsoever, the fortune teller would have won without a doubt. Thus, Ling Tian had admitted his loss. Furthermore, the fortune teller was straightforward and honest; even though he was facing a life and death scenario, he still chose to brave the danger to retract his energy. This was something Ling Tian would never do; thus, he could admit his loss with sincerity!

As for the fortune teller, he was impressed with the confidence and certainty in which Ling Tian manipulated his internal energy, his ease of doing so left him prostrating in awe! With so many unpredictable cards in his hands, any person with a hint of martial arts background would understand just how dangerous it was for a person to continuously practice like that! However, Ling Tian could actually attain the large success realm in doing so, just this outstanding talent was already enough to look at the latter with a whole new level of respect. The second point was to give him some form of encouragement; for someone of Ling Tian's age to have accomplished this much, it was unprecedented and would probably never happen again! When he was at Ling Tian's age, he probably only cultivated 3/10 of Ling Tian's current strength, so it went without saying that he would admit his defeat!

The words were different, yet when they were spoken, both party's impressions of each other changed yet again, their goodwill increasing further! Since the ancient times, it has been said that there was no top place for wisdom, but there's no place for the second in the martial way. Especially for top exponents such as Ling Tian and the fortune teller, it would be easier to kill them than to get them to say the words "I've lost!" This would be even more so for the fortune teller, a senior who had roamed the world unhindered and could be considered a master of a generation. To actually admit his defeat to a junior so freely, Ling Tian could not help but praise his unfettered spirit.

As for the fortune teller, his evaluation of Ling Tian went up by a few more points. Ling Tian was a youth in possession of frightening skills, as well as an undying spirit, in the prime of his youthful hot-bloodedness. However, there was not an inch of arrogance in his attitude, his mental state stable and calm as a rock, not at all inferior to those old masters! The fortune teller could not help but appreciate Ling Tian even more; such level-headed young people were few!

The fact was that he did not know Ling Tian had come from another world. Being the object of bullying and scorn since young, in order to protect his life, he had long learned how to put his unhappiness behind him. After long periods of influence, Ling Tian's style had thus become as such. To achieve his objective, win or lose, it did not matter.

In Ling Tian's heart, the intellect, as well as magnanimity, of the fortune teller gave him a pleasant surprise. Even though they had only interacted for a short time, for the fortune teller to be able to read him so well spoke volumes of his superior intellect.

When the two had heard sounds of the ladies coming over, the fortune teller had reacted first and chosen to withdraw his hand! In that stalemate, if Ling Tian took the advantage of him withdrawing his strength to launch a surprise attack, even if he did not die, the fortune teller would be inflicted with huge injuries! The fortune teller could tell that Ling Tian wished to hide his strength from Yu BingYan, and thus knew that Ling Tian would not recklessly kill him in front of her! This was the reason he dared to risk his life.

From outside the room, the respectful voice of Ling Chen sounded out, "Young Noble, Ling Chen has returned with the lady." However, Ling Tian only continued smiling whilst looking at the fortune teller, as though he did not hear anything from her.

Shortly after, he heard Ling Chen whispering, "Miss Yu, it seems like they have not finished their conversation, how about we wait outside?" The light voice of Yu BingYan could be heard, but a hidden bitterness within. This was followed by the sound of footsteps walking away from the door.

Chapter 135: Peculiar Physiognomy

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll

Following which, he heard Ling Chen saying softly, "Miss Yu, young noble is still talking to that sir. Why not we wait for him outside." After which, a soft, grudging acknowledgement could be heard as both Ling Chen and Yu BingYan walked out of the door.

"Ah ah, Mister is straightforward and upright, kind-hearted and honest. The meticulous and careful mind which Mister has really leave me in awe!" Ling Tian's expression was unchanged, as though Ling Chen and Yu BingYan had never came before. He looked towards the green dressed fortune teller and said half-jokingly.

At the same time, Ling Tian waved the sleeves of his robes and the traces of their competition was completely removed from the table.

For Ling Tian to not praise the green dressed fortune teller for his martial arts but his meticulous mind, he naturally had his own reasons. The green dressed fortune teller also understood what Ling Tian meant and laughed, "Young noble is the brilliant one. At such a young age, you are able to have such a deep cultivation and brilliant character. In the decades of roaming about the secular would, it is the first time I met a talent such as yourself."

Ling Tian smiled and reached for another tea set. Then, he poured out a glass of tea calmly and raised in towards the green dressed fortune teller respectfully, "I have not asked what your name it?"

As though he was reminiscing, the green dressed fortune teller said, "This old man had roamed the pugilistic world for decades and have never mentioned my name. If you did not ask me about it today, this old man would have probably forgotten about my name." with a smile, he replied, "This old man has a surname of Ye and is called QingChen, Ye QingChen."

Ling Tian replied with an 'oh' and did not say any pleasantries like 'I have long heard of your great name' or 'I have been looking forward to meeting you'. Ye QingChen was indeed a name which was completely foreign to Ling Tian. If not for the fact that Ling Tian was certain about the green dressed fortune teller's character, Ling Tian would have probably thought that this name was something made up on the spot. If he were to really reply with such pleasantries, not to mention what the green dressed fortune teller would think, he would only feel disdain towards himself. Such words were just far too hypocritical! Besides, the green dressed fortune teller in front of him was obviously an extraordinary character who wanted to conceal himself. Based on his observation, Ling Tian was certain that the green dressed fortune teller was not lying.

"There are talents in the secular world and geniuses in the wilderness; Mister Ye is indeed worthy of this saying." Ling Tian praised. Up until now, he did not mention about their previous fight, as though he had completely forgotten about the matter.

A tinge of praise filled Ye QingChen's eyes, "You flatter me, young noble is indeed a phoenix amongst the birds." as he said that, he studied Ling Tian's face while stroking his beard.

"Young noble's physiognomy is really interesting. This old man had helped countless of people tell their fortune in my lifetime. While I have seen a physiognomy like your before…" Ye QingChen's expression gradually grew serious as he studied Ling Tian's face seriously, with shock filling his face as time went on.

"Why did Mister stop halfway? Is Mister going to say that my forehead is an auspicious sign and I have a spiritual light in my eyes indicative that I am the reincarnation of a celestial? Or are you going to say that the responsibility of saving the world will lie on my shoulders?" Ling Tian joked.

"While you are not on point, you are not too far off. Did one of my fellow Mysterious Sect member tell your fortune before or help to change your fortune? No wonder!" The green dressed fortune teller said with realization.

"Oh? Ah ah, Mister, where did that come from? I was only joking previously!" Ling Tian was someone who did not believe in fortune telling at all. It can't be helped, there were just far too many con artists in his previous life. Ling Tian was certain that if he were to cover his eyes with a black cloth and help others tell their fortune on the streets, he would also make a fortune out from that for sure.

"Young noble's physiognomy is one of prosperity and will not have any worries in your life, there is no need for me to explain this. What makes me puzzled is young noble's lifeline; young noble's mountain roots are broken and you are missing the golden pillar. This is a sign of one who would die early. I once met someone with a similar physiognomy as young noble. Even with the protection of the meritorious deeds of his ancestors, he was unable to live past ten years of age. However, young noble had already lived passed that limit. Furthermore, eh?! This… this is far too strange…" Ye QingChen began to mumble to himself and was shocked by his own words.

"With young noble's physiognomy, you should have passed away more than a decade ago. How can you still be alive on this world? This is not the most peculiar thing… if an expert from the Mysterious Sect used the Heaven Stealing Life Changing Art… but you…" perspiration began to flow down Ye QingChen's face as he mumbled.

"Mister?" Ling Tian began to frown as he thought to himself, "What's with this fellow? Is he trying to scare me?"

"Young noble's mountain roots are destroyed… for someone who has such a physiognomy, it's either you die in your mother's womb or pass away shortly after being born. There has not been an exception up till now. Young noble does not have a single trace of my Mysterious Sect's mystical means but you are able to live till today and even have an extraordinary ability. The lack of the golden pillar is really something puzzling! The golden pillar is special term which only my sect uses. It refers to the lifeline of a person. As long as a person is alive, the golden pillar would definitely not show signs of being broken. The moment it is broken, it can be seen from even a corpse! This… this…"

As Ye QingChen mumbled, he realized that whatever he said was something completely ludicrous and without logic! However, his many years of learning and experience could not be wrong for sure. He could not help but grow frustrated as he stared at Ling Tian's face and clutched onto his beard, pulling off a few strands of hair without noticing.

These words, which even Ye QingChen himself felt was ridiculous, were like thunder in Ling Tian's ears!

His mountain roots being destroyed probably refers to the poison he suffered from when he was still in his mother's womb. If not for his spirit entering the foetus, that foetus would have definitely been reduced to a pool of blood water from that incident. It was almost certain that he would die an early death. As for the lack of the golden pillar, it was probably related to his previous life. While the body of his previous life passed away, it did not accompany his spirit into this world. Thus, forming such a peculiar sight on his physiognomy!

This green dressed fortune teller, Ye QingChen, was actually able to see this! This is definitely a mystical ability! Not only that, he is also a martial arts expert! Just who is he?! It is definitely impossible for me to bring such a character to my side; do I really have to destroy him?! Ling Tian was hesitant.

A while later, Ye QingChen snapped out from his daze as he said lifelessly, "It seems that this old man is inexperienced and unlearned. Young noble's peculiarity seems so normal but yet mystical and inexplicable. This old man is certain that I will not be able to understand or explain such a physiognomy. It seems that this '100% accurate' reputation has been ruined in young noble's hands." as he said that, there was a sense of desolation and discouragement.

Ever since Ye QingChen became accomplished, he never felt proud due to his martial arts accomplishments. But towards his fortune telling, he would never be unduly humble. In fact, he would even think that he is the number one fortune teller in the world from time to time! He indeed had a set of mystical skills, observing the seven empires with no one being able to escape his observations. As long as he were to put effort into telling the fortune of a person, he can be said to be 100% accurate! Up until today, there had never been a person who he failed to tell his fortune.

But when he faced Ling Tian today, he felt that his words contradicted each other and were completely incoherent. At the very end of his fortune telling, he even began to doubt himself! He could not help but be depressed in his heart.

However, he never knew that those few sentences, which even he thought was nonsense, was completely spot on! In that instant, a huge wave rose in Ling Tian's heart!

At this moment, Ye QingChen felt that Ling Tian was like a mystical dream, completely unable to be seen through. However, little did he know that he was also mysterious and mystical in Ling Tian's eyes! Can I really bear to kill someone like him? Is such a character really someone I can bring myself to kill? Ling Tian made a decision in his heart!

"Ah ah ah, Mister does not need to be like that. The study of fortune telling has always been illusory, vague and never had any theory as foundation. Whether it's real or fake, true or false, why is there a need to bother so much about that? Be it riches or honor, being born of noble or lowly birth, everyone will still end up being buried into the earth! With regards to the study of fortune telling, this junior isn't interested to study it deeply. I only hope that I will not waste my life away. As long as I can do what I want to do, I will have no regrets in life." While Ling Tian had already made the decision to let this fortune teller off, his heart was still trembling. Even with his cultivation, Ling Tian's heart found it difficult to accept the fact that he could be seen through so easily! He thus changed the topic quickly, afraid to continue on this heart wrenching topic!

"Haha, young noble is right, this old man was too stubborn." Ye QingChen was also someone who could let go of things easily. He then gave a carefree smile and lifted up his teacup, "Cheers!" Treating the tea as wine, he offered a toast to Ling Tian.

Ling Tian chuckled and drank a mouth of his tea as well. In nervousness and agitation, he almost choked on the mouth of tea. "While this old man cannot see through young noble's physiognomy, I can be sure about one thing!" Now that he had calmed down, Ye QingChen reverted back to his old ways and twiddled with his beard again. Only then did he realize that a few strands were missing and could not help but feel a wave of heartache.

"Oh? I wonder what Mister can be certain about?" Ling Tian asked solemnly. Facing this fortune teller, Ling Tian was just unable to read his thoughts at all!

Ye QingChen's face turned serious, displaying a look of seriousness, "The world will definitely be stirred by you!" His words were as resounding as a ball of metal being smashed on the floor.

"Hahaha…" Ling Tian laughed, "Mister really knows how to joke. Ling Tian is only a complete silkpants. What rights do I have to make the world stir for me? Such a saying, who would ever believe it. Does Mister really believe it?"

However, Ye QingChen did not laugh. He looked at Ling Tian and said slowly and profoundly, "Young noble's words naturally have their meaning. This Ye will ask you, do you believe it?"

Chapter 136: Three Promised Favours

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll

The atmosphere changed in an instant!

Ling Tian could not help but pause for a while, before laughing, "Mister's eyes are just like a torch in the darkness, Ling Tian cannot help but be full of admiration. However," he paused at this. Since the other party had already gotten a grasp on his true strength, and with his character, he was worth to befriend with. Ling Tian was unwilling to put on an act, for it would not be worth it if he were to lose this friendship. He continued, "to wish for the rains and wind to heed my command, I definitely do not have the capability, nor do I have the ability. I can only support from the side lines, taking advantage of the crisis to obtain some small benefits. That would satisfy me."

Ye QingChen let out a smile which seemed to carry a hidden meaning and did not continue with the topic. Some things were better left as it was. To be able to have Ling Tian speak out some of his ambitions, it was already a huge show of trust, based on his years of experience!

"There's something that I don't understand, may I request for Mister's help in this?" Ling Tian was naturally clear that it was inappropriate to dwell on such matters, and changed the topic to ask a question which had been in his heart for quite a while.

"Haha, how can there still be a problem which can stump our Young Noble? Why don't you share it? Maybe this Ye knows the answer." Ye QingChen smiled, but did not guarantee that he would be able to help. With Ling Tian's status as well as his top-notch skills, there were not many things that could pose trouble for him. If there really something like that he, who live in solitude, would find it even harder!

"Haha, actually, this matter may appear to be insignificant to Mister, as simple as speaking; however, it is worlds apart for me. In your eyes, what does this world of martial arts look like? Are there any tiers for the practitioners? And how many of people with similar strength as you exist?" Ling Tian's gaze sharpened at the final question, staring intensely at Ye QingChen.

"Oh? So Young Noble is actually distressed over this. Few people are aware of such matters but it actually isn't considered a secret at all. This old man here actually am able to help you with this problem." Ye QingChen felt more at ease after hearing the question. This was merely a question after all and, although it could be considered as top-class information in the Heavenly Star Continent, he could at least talk about this.

To a person which is not privy to the information circles of any great martial clans, such information was naturally as difficult as trying to feel an entire mountain by your hands. However, for those in the loop, it was merely a piece of information, and by their standards, it was nothing much to be kept tightly guarded. The fortune teller happened to be one of them in the loop.

"If that's so, then I would like to hear the details. Could Mister please advise?" Ling Tian smiled, and raising his voice, he continued, "Ling Chen, ask the shopkeeper to bring out a few of their best dishes. Then, return to the courtyard to bring a jar of Azure Bamboo Leaf over. I'm planning to treat Mister Ye to a round of drinks here."

On the outside, the clear sound of acknowledgement was heard from her, and in only a moment of time, she appeared, carefully carrying a small wine jar. Mister Ye was originally nonchalant, but upon catching a whiff of the scent, his expression changed. It reverted in an instant, however that split change had been noted of by Ling Tian, who was grinning to himself.

Not a moment later, a table of exquisite snacks was sent by the waiter to their door. Ling Chen took it from the waiter and delivered it over personally, placing them one by one on the table. She then broke open the seal of the wine, pouring a cup for both before bowing and taking her leave.

Seated in another room, Yu BingYan was in a daze, her eyes betraying bitterness. Ling Tian obviously had something important, but had chosen to hide it from her; that meant that he still did not trust her enough! Her excited mood of going outdoors had been completely swept clean, the corners of her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

However, she asked herself this, if her family head, Yu ManLou, were to question her regarding any of Ling Tian's secrets, should she speak up or keep it hidden? After thinking for such a long time, she could only let out a sigh. Trapped between a rock and a hard wall, she might as well be thankful that she remained ignorant. By thinking in this manner, she would also feel better in her heart.

Seeing Ling Chen retreat from the room, Ye QingChen let out a laugh, "Young Noble, your maidservant is obedient and yet highly talented. You have such good fortune!"

Ling Tian also laughed, raising his wine cup in a salute, "This is junior's take on fermenting my own wine. If this doesn't pass Senior's taste, please do not take offense!"

Ye QingChen snorted in laughter, "This old man has tasted quite a few wines from every country. Young Noble's wine is mellow and rich and it's definitely a good wine. This old man shall not stand on ceremony any longer!" He then downed the cup in one go.

The moment he downed the cup, Ye QingChen's expression underwent another change and hurriedly poured himself another cup. Observing the wine, he could not help but slap the table in astonishment, "Good wine, this is really good wine! The wine sits in the cup like the jade waters of a pool, seemingly bottomless. The kick from the alcohol is also fast yet heavy, to have both at the same time is dependent on an exceptional fermentation, how is this, in any way, inferior?"

Ling Tian smiled, but declined to speak.

Ye QingChen suddenly raised his head, "Young Noble mentioned that this wine was fermented by yours truly?"

Ling Tian spoke leisurely, "This was indeed made using my inferior recipes. Is the wine to your liking?"

A look of surprise flashed past Ye QingChen's face as he exclaimed, "Young Noble is indeed a genius, even having a talent in fermenting wines. This is amazing, a wine of this calibre, even if one were to search around the entire continent, he would be hard pressed to find a comparison. This is an exceptional wine indeed!"

Ling Tian grinned in reply, "Senior is too accommodating of junior, since Senior is so appreciative of this wine, then when Senior is leaving, this Junior here will personally give you another jar!"

Ye QingChen's face turned red in embarrassment, "That's too polite of you, let me explain in detail the sequence of the top martial arts skills in Heavenly Star Continent. After drinking such good wine, if I don't even make the effort to repay you, it will weigh on my conscience!"

Ling Tian did not urge him, but instead refilled his cup, silently awaiting him to continue.

"In Heavenly Star Continent, outstanding heroes rise from all directions; this has been the norm for quite a while. In the recent century, only seven heroes existed simultaneously and another eight great families with influence. They are the DongFang, NanGong, XiMen, BeiMing four major families, followed by the Lei, Yang and Ling three minor families. There is also the family in the shadows, with the greatest strength and influence, the Yu Family. All seven families are each attached to an Empire, with only the strongest Yu Family not involving themselves with such political matters. Other than those seven spoken above, there is also influential merchant family, the Xiao Family, with power that does not lose out to any of the Empires or Families." Ye QingChen spoke in a composed manner, before slowly sipping a mouth of the Azure Bamboo Leaf, exclaiming, "Such a good wine!"

Ling Tian was a little depressed, he thought to himself, 'How could I be unaware about such things? What I want to know is regarding the pugilistic world, why are you mentioning the political powers? How could I, a person of nobility, not be aware? Are you actually drunk over my strong wine?' However, he did not dare to tally, instead refilling Ye QingChen's cup once he was done.

"Haha, this old man roams freely under the heavens and had never owed someone anything. Unexpectedly, I ended up having owe this young noble three huge favours, now that Young Noble has enquiries to make, how can I cut a long story short? Explaining it clearly would count as a favour to you, how would I dare to dally?" Although Ye QingChen laughed lightly, his face was actually very distressed.

Ling Tian pondered for a while, and understood why he suddenly obtained three promised favours. The first was the latter blaming himself for underestimating Ling Tian himself, hence he felt that he owed Ling Tian for that. The second was Ling Tian not taking advantage of him at the final juncture when they were competing in internal strength, while it was because of the circumstances, it was still created by Ye QingChen himself, and with his status, he could even say that he owed his life to Ling Tian. The last was because he accepted the exceptional Azure Bamboo Leaf wine from Ling Tian.

After this flash of understanding, Ling Tian beamed, "Since Mister has mentioned it, it should be the other way around; Ling Tian should owe Mister for the first two favours, don't tell me that Mister feels that Ling Tian isn't aware of the subtleties behind the incident previously? As for the third favour, if for a few cups of inferior self-fermented wine, you insist on repaying it, you must be trying to kill me. Mister must be joking if I would want it…"

Ye QingChen retorted, "One must uphold his words, if one has no trust in him, how can he still stand straight and walk below the heavens? This Ye has roamed the world unhindered, if I say that I owe you a favour, how can I go back on my word? If Young Noble does not care for my favour, that's up to you. But, I will not go back on my words!"

Ling Tian retracted his playful expression, and replied solemnly, "Mister is a person of integrity and righteousness, Ling Tian meant no disrespect to you."

Hearing his praise, Ye QingChen was extremely gratified and raised his cup again in glee to down his wine. Only after draining the current cup did he continue talking, "Speaking about the martial arts under the heavens, one definitely has to talk about the calamity a millennium ago!"

Ling Tian's expression changed at that sentence. Standing up to pour another cup of wine for him, Ling Tian said, "Please let me hear the details."

Ye QingChen closed his eyes in reminisce, as though sorting through his memories. Only after a while did he speak in a slow and leisure manner, "A millennia ago, all under the heavens were embroiled in a vicious war. Out of the three great continents, there were a few exceptional people, each with their own ambition to rule the world! At that period of time, martial arts cultivators appeared in succession without ceasing, and between continents, empires, sects, and even individuals, the struggle for dominance never ceased. Peace was a foreign word! Every day was filled with bloodshed and corpses littered the ground. Finally, under the lead of three heroes that appeared from each continent, they managed to unify each continent. However, no one would have thought that this unification would be the start of a worldwide calamity!" Ye QingChen spoke with lidded eyes, stretching out his hands for the winecup, but found it bereft of wine. Ling Tian smiled sheepishly and took up the jar to refill his cup.

"The heart is never satisfied, after conquering a continent, the three heroes each set their sights on monopolising the heavens!" As such, between the three continents, they started with probing attacks, and escalated until they finally ripped off all masks of pretence and launched all out wars with each other. Continents warring against each other, how often do you see such a scene? Originally, when the empires were warring, the various sects could still remain unruffled. But when the entire continent was threatened, they could no longer hold back! Each sect took their stance with a continent and sent their disciples to the battlefield, or to assassinate the various generals of the camps. Some even chose to wage war with another sect! In this scenario, the world was covered with blood, the flames of war hiding the sky and covering the earth!"

Chapter 137: A Desperate War

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll

"Towards the end, those in the martial circles could no longer accept the losses of their men inside the ceaseless killing and decided to collaborate together. The Heavenly Wind Continent came out with this combined alliance named 'Outside Heavens' as a sect, which united all the sects under the Heavenly Wind Continent under one banner. Under this huge coalition, they had no opponents and crushed all the individual sects of the other continents just like snapping dried twigs."

"Witnessing this scenario, the other two continents, of course, did not want to be outdone and immediately imitated the Heavenly Wind Continent. The Heavenly Sun Continent came out with the 'Above Heavens' Sect and our Heavenly Star Continent came out with 'Beyond Heavens' as our alliance name. As such, all the martial artists in the three continents congregated under these three banners, even those reclusive experts. As such, the curtains to a grand and majestic stage setting, for the likes of an unprecedented and never to be repeated rain of blood, was opened!"

Speaking to this point, Ye QingChen sighed with sorrow and could not help but grab the wine jar, pouring and downing two more cups in a row. On the opposite side, Ling Tian sat quietly, knowing that the climax of the fight was about to happen next.

"The three sides never stopped engaging in skirmishes and people were dying every other day. Enmities grew deeper and more irreconcilable. At the same time, the expedition of the three continents grew more and more intense. Originally there were still cases of two sides joining forces against one party, but after the alliances were formed, it was a case of every side for their own. In the war of the combined forces, the number of citizens for every country lessened drastically and many of the flourishing and bustling lands actually turned into soulless places without a shadow of a person to be seen! Eventually, the chiefs of the three continents realised that if they were to continue duking it out, the entire world's population would eventually die out. Thus, after communicating with each other, they came to a consensus of sending out their full forces to have one last battle in the sea! One battle to decide everything, the victors would be crowned kings, while the losers vilified!"

"Once this news spread out, the entire world was shocked! However, for those of the martial way in the three continents, their hatred had already reached an extreme state, where they could not live under the same sky any longer! Those who were weaker had long perished and even more than half of those unrivalled experts had already died in the continuous war! After the three continents published this news, the rest of the martial artists were unwilling to be outdone and agreed to a fight to the death! The location was set to be at Heavenly Wind Continent, on some random mountain, with the timing similar to the deciding battle of the continents! However, their definition of victory was different; the winners would live, while the losers would give their lives! A life and death battle, no one stops until the rest are dead!"

Two sighs were emitted from Ye QingChen and Ling Tian's mouths, in that instant, both of their thoughts had gone back, to the time when their ancestors were having the final battle. The endless sadness and grief, as well as the burning anger! They could not help but clink their cups, saluting and downing the contents in a go.

"On that day, the three great sects of each continent each employed a total of twenty thousand people from the scattered sects for the life and death battle. Surprisingly, none of them chose to shirk their responsibilities and arranged themselves on the mountain neatly! The head of the Outside Heavens Sect, Meng KaiTian, was the host. But before he even had the chance to finish his opening speech, those cultivators, upon seeing their mortal enemies, had already turned red with anger, rushing forward to begin a heaven shaking bloody murder!"

"In the space used for the final battle, surprisingly, no one ran from the location, all fighting to their death! The fog of war surrounded the wretched place, shrouding it from the entire heavens. A grand total of seven days and nights were used in this desperate and bitter war and for those of the Heavenly Sun Continent as well as from the Above Heavens Sect, all seven thousand of them lost their lives in there! This included people who had achieved the realm of Saints. Even the sect leader of the Above Heaven Sect, Yin JueKong, who had broken through from the apex of the XianTian realm was left on that very mountain!"

"Sssssss…." Ling Tian took a sharp intake of cold air, he had long guessed that the final battle would be cruel beyond belief, but he did not imagine that it would have reached this point! An entire continent of martial artists was actually eradicated, even an expert who had broken through the apex of the XianTian realm was unable to escape! This was simply outrageous and unimaginable!

Ye QingChen had a dismal expression on his face as he continued, "In the end, those who were left no longer had the manpower nor resources to continue, and those still alive did not even have the strength to lift their fingers. The battle came to an impasse and had to be postponed, for those that were still alive barely numbered over a thousand! They consisted of Outside Heavens Sect's leader, as well as two protectors, a few scattered members of various sects, and the Beyond Heavens Sect leader Sun ZhengYang with nine others; all with major injuries! They were destined never to recover their peak cultivations."

"Facing this tragic sight that looked like a scene from hell, the two leaders burst into tears of grief! They beat themselves up due to guilt and swore, with the mountain of corpses as witnesses, that both of their sects would from then on never take part in any mortal battles. They then commanded all the other sects in the pugilistic world to never seek revenge! From then on, unless they had something of importance, all martial sects were to keep themselves secluded from the ordinary citizens! The mountain which involved the final battle was then renamed as mountain of no hatred, to symbolize that everyone who walked down the mountain no longer bore any grudges in their hearts!"

Ling Tian blew out a breath in amazement, as it turns out, the reason why this world had no signs of martial arts was because of the battle a millennium ago! So, the story behind this was actually so tragic and grim!

"In the return journey, tens of the heavily injured martial practitioners left their mortal frames. Only after half a year of returning to Heavenly Star Continent did the news of the battle at the sea come. Over ten thousand men had ended in mutual destruction in the battle of the three continents and, out of those alive, there were no generals nor marshals left! The blood spilled had turned the entire surrounding sea red, without being diluted for the next few months. Corpses were piled to the point they formed a land mass on their own. After this, the location was renamed as the sea of bloody spirits! The three continents were never able to recover from this setback."

Ye QingChen raised his cup silently, drinking three consecutive cups while sighing unceasingly. Ling Tian was completely immersed in the experience, thinking of the grand and imposing seniors of the past, riding their warhorses across the countless miles of the battlefield. He could not help but show bloodlust in his eyes! Able to participate in the battle of such grandeur, how could there be any regret in their lives? How could one be unhappy if they lived? Or be sad if they passed away?

Ye QingChen did not notice the bloodlust in Ling Tian's eyes, instead speaking in a low tone slowly, "The next few decades were spent in peace, as every continent slowly recovered. People with talent appeared once again, each occupying positions of power. Centuries passed, and every continent rose from the ashes, ready for another round of power shuffling. However, the difference this time was that no one from any of the martial sects took part, and this only involved internal power struggles within each continent. Thus, it was still relatively peaceful."

"Those cultivators who returned from the mountain of no hatred, after returning to their own sects, set down a will to be passed down the moment they returned. It stated that all their children and grandchildren would never be allowed to take part in the wars of the empires and can never involve themselves in any political battles! They were to live in seclusion, living lives as ordinary people. Were they to disobey these instructions, they would receive punishment from the heavens!"

Ling Tian nodded his head silently, thinking to himself, 'Those lucky few were really seniors of wisdom. Though the will was harsh, it was able to guarantee that their family remained prosperous, without a possibility of being destroyed!'

"However, amongst these few martial sects and families, there were two powers that had their major characters all killed by the other party. Thus, their hatred was irreconcilable and without any chance of compromise. Even though the Outside Heavens Sect of the Heavenly Wind, as well as the Beyond Heavens Sect of the Heavenly Star stepped in to mediate, they were unable to reach a consensus!"

"Left without a choice, the two super sects could only set some rules: The two families were not allowed to take part in any personal duels. But once every sixty years, the two families would deploy 10 representatives for a battle and the defeated would have to provide gifts to the younger generation of the victors. As for those involved in the battle, their life and death would be decided by the heavens and no one would be allowed to take revenge in secret, or rile up trouble! If any of the rules were flouted, the Outside Heavens and Beyond Heavens Sect would both join hands together and level both families to the ground, letting them disappear into history! For the past millennia, both families have followed this agreement, which is why this place is a lot more peaceful!"

"Dare I ask Senior, these two parties, which are they?" Ling Tian held onto his cup gently, seemingly asking a casual question, but he had already determined the houses to be the Yu Family of the Northern Wei Empire, as well as the 'Water of Heavenly Wind'. Ling Tian could not help but think about what Xue Leng had said the other night, 'The thousand-year agreement by our ancestors, the sixty-year battles of three generations!' Were they the same thing?

Indeed, Ye QingChen confirmed his suspicions, "The two houses are the Yu Family, residing in Northern Wei Empire of Heavenly Star Continent, as well as the millennia old martial family at Heavenly Wind Continent, the Shui Family, nicknamed 'Water of Heavenly Wind'! In the past, they were known as such: 'Water of Heavenly Wind, Jade of Heavenly Star. When water meets jade, none shall escape!' When this sentence was created, there was no one unaware nor did anyone not understand the meaning!"

Ling Tian thought to himself, 'Indeed, that's the case!' But instead, he asked another question, "I know that Mister's martial arts are exceedingly close to the pinnacle Saint Realm. Might I ask, what do you think of the martial arts of the world currently? What is your judgment, and how would you grade it?"

Ye QingChen merely sighed, "Pinnacle? Saint Realm? How many people actually dare to pass judgment? This old man was never willing to be unduly humble, and I've also asked myself once why I could not reach the pinnacle. It could be due to the ferocious battle a millennium ago, which resulted in a huge loss in the constitution of martial arts of the three great continents. Close to 70% or 80% of the top-class skills and manuals have become extinct because of that, never to resurface amongst mankind!"

Chapter 138: Martial Arts of the World

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll

"As for the martial arts in today's world, there aren't many that are praiseworthy." Ye QingChen gave a wry smile as he continued, "Let's use the Heavenly Star Continent as an example. In the aristocratic families, only the Yu Family has a complete heritage! However, authentic martial arts capabilities are usually indistinguishable by mere numbers or grades. Every school, sect or family has their own unique form of cultivation and also different method to develop internal energy. Some focus on cultivating strength, others battle tactics. Some develop their mental states, while others focus on agility and subtlety. How could one assign them a ranking as though they were officials in an Imperial Court? If one were to force it, they will only end up being a joke."

"For example, let's talk about the NanGong Family's 'Sword God Manual'. If we were to compare between normal disciples, their exquisite movements would rank first amongst the great families. However, if we were to factor in the disciples with internal strength, then their disciples would be relegated to the back. However, this does not mean that their manual is not up to standard, but rather the fact that they have never focused on internal strength, placing importance on their movements instead. There was once a couple of NanGong disciples who went about comparing notes with the other great families. Though they were always suppressed, the final victor would always be the NanGong disciples, who were firm and unwavering in killing! This is something that cannot be ranked!"

"In the same breath, if a peerless expert were to let down their guard at the wrong moment, he could still die from the hands of someone far inferior to him. Thus, to the pugilistic community, there was no such thing as rankings that could separate them. The only way was to separate between external and internal martial practitioners, as well as XianTian and HouTian internal energy. All we can conclude is that XianTian practitioners have more endurance as well as better skills as compared to those of the HouTian realm. But this is not an absolute, because if one's method is outstanding enough, he could make up any deficiencies, and thus in martial arts, there are no definite superior martial artists."

"So that's the case." Ling Tian felt his face burning in embarrassment. Because he had been influenced by the web novels of his previous life, he assumed that this new world would have some sort of ranking for martial arts. What would be the strongest, which would be the most tyrannical, those sorts of rankings. Now, he felt that his previous thinking was laughable.

Ye QingChen remained silent for a while, before continuing in a dull tone, "Athough the martial community had never explicitly categorised each and every martial art, every great family as well as the sects have aligned themselves in a sequence for management purposes. They have a separate ranking for every house's martial skills, but it only focuses on internal energy, and they were ranked based on the realm one can reach with that cultivation method. Though internal energy realms have a huge relation with one's prowess, this is never definite."

Ling Tian's eyes lit up, as he queried, "This junior is listening intently. Senior, please advise me."

Ye QingChen laughed as he replied, "For the evaluation of the various cultivation ranks of the great families, every house has their own standards. But in my humble opinion, the standards given by the Yu Family of Northern Wei is still the most accurate."

"The Yu Family's evaluation is based on a count of five colours of jades: black, blue, purple, white and gold. However, in my eyes, those in the black and blue jade series are deemed useless, only good for people with shallow backgrounds. Above those, from the purple jade level onwards, they are further divided into lower, middle and upper tiers. From purple jade onwards, one can be said to have officially stepped into the ranks of internal strength practitioners. If one is able to achieve a ranking of white jade, most likely, the person should have achieved the peak of HouTian realm. Reaching the white jade middle tier would represent stepping into the XianTian realm! A white jade upper tier would mean small success of XianTian. As for the gold jade stage, it is reserved for the true XianTian experts. They would usually be masters of a generation. Even the Yu Family might not have a person at the gold jade upper tier." Speaking to this point, Ye QingChen could only let out a wry smile.

Ling Tian laughed while he spoke in a jesting manner, "If Mister Ye were to base yourself on the Yu Family rankings, which form of jade would you be?" While his tone was casual, as though making a joke, Ling Tian could not help but feel a little apprehensive at the answer. His strength could be said to be similar to Ye QingChen, so if the latter proclaimed himself to only be at the purple or white jade stage, how should he react?

Ye QingChen shot a smile that was not a smile as he glanced at Ling Tian. In response, Ling Tian remained bland and indifferent, raising his glass to him. Ye QingChen could only laugh and say with a trace of mockery, "Based on young noble's current strength, I would probably place you at the upper tier of the white jade." While Ling Tian asked him for his evaluation of himself, the former actually replied with using Ling Tian as a gauge. Obviously, he had seen through the small trick of Ling Tian's, and also did not want to use himself as a gauge, thus choosing to evaluate Ling Tian instead.

"Mister is overestimating Ling Tian's capabilities." Ling Tian raised his cup to down it, laughing heartily, but his heart was full of shock. So, it seems that the strength of the Yu Family isn't something to be looked down upon!

A moment ago, Ye QingChen only mentioned that the Yu Family might not have anybody at the upper gold jade tier. Chances were that there would still be people at the lower gold or even middle gold jade tier! Ye QingChen had put it clearly to Ling Tian that he was only considered at upper white jade. Thus, when compared to the highest echelon, there were two full tiers separating him and them!

This point made the immeasurably self-satisfied Ling Tian a little uncomfortable, a sense of unwillingness to concede bubbled forth.

Seeing the unwillingness in Ling Tian's eyes, Ye QingChen could not help but laugh. Attempting to ease Ling Tian's anxiety, he said, "Those of the white jade level and above are not activated easily. Besides, for those in the gold jade level, which of them were not heaven-defying geniuses to begin with? In actual fact, with young noble's current strength, you are qualified to roam unhindered under the heavens. Furthermore, with your age, in another decade at most, you will definitely qualify as a gold jade. After all, someone with your current age having such accomplishments will probably never be replicated, and you can afford to look down on the majority of people where you are now!"

Ling Tian smiled cheerfully, as though putting the matter behind him. He was then reminded of something else, and blurted out, "If I may ask, for the eight great families currently, how many of them were cultivators in the past?"

Ye QingChen then sighed lightly as though expecting this question, and answered, "You asked a good question. Other than the Ling and Yang, these two 'nouveau riche' families, the other six have roots in martial arts.

Ling Tian laughed and said with a slight hint of self-mockery, "The Ling and Yang families have not even been around for sixty years yet. Indeed, they are nouveau riche families. However, the agreement of the Outside Heavens as well as Beyond Heavens are only just that much. All those martial families, aren't they all integrated into the political affairs of every empire currently?"

Ye QingChen's expression changed a little, as he refuted, "The millennium long agreement has little to do with this. This is because out of the eight great families, taking out the Yu Ling and Yang families, the other five only have a history of a few centuries and cannot be considered as millennium long martial families."

"In our Heavenly Star Continent, other than the Yu family, the original eight great families were the DongFang, XiMen, NanGong, BeiMing, YuChi, ShangGuan, and Lei. Out of them, the DongFang had the roughest road so far. Rumour says that the first-generation head accidentally chanced upon an exceptional top class martial manual — the 'World Defying Hidden Dragon Manual'. The martial skills explained inside were simply wondrous and the DongFang were overjoyed. However, after the head passed away, his two sons competed ceaselessly for the very manual, and unknowingly, each ended up with only half of it."

"As it so turned out, both sons were people blessed with immense talent. After suffering much injuries in the fight, the family was split into two factions, with the elder brother DongFang AoTian bringing the top part of the World Defying Hidden Dragon Manual as well as those loyal to him to travel the world, coincidentally managing to make a name for himself and establishing the Eastern Zhao Empire. The younger brother, DongFang AoYun, brought his men to the Moon Deity Empire to seek asylum and treated the Eastern Zhao Empire as his mortal enemy. Thus, when the two states warred, it was actually the two factions of the great family that were fighting!"

"I see!" Ling Tian gasped, but deep in his heart, he memorised the five words, World Defying Hidden Dragon Manual!

"In contrast, the XiMen great family was a relatively peaceful one," Ye QingChen took a sip or two to moisten his parched throat and wiped his mouth as he continued, "This was mainly because of their cultivation manual, the 'Divine Compassion Formula', emphasises on having a pure mind and a lack of desires in order to cultivate their mental states. Although their cultivation progress is slower than most people, they were more effective in repairing internal injuries as compared to most internal cultivation skills, and have a strong resistance against poisons or toxins."

"As for the NanGong family, they did not have any profound internal cultivation manual. Instead, they took an alternative route, using the external to make up for the internal, and created their 'Sword God Manual' which boasts formidable power. If practiced to the penultimate, it can literally induce the state of 'sword and man as one'. However, from what I've heard, the NanGong family's talents have withered over the past thirty years, no longer having any peerless experts. Thus, the method to cultivate 'sword and man as one' stage might have been lost in the sands of time."

"As for the BeiMing great family, they specialize in unarmed combat and movement techniques, especially in the area of movement. Their signatures consist of the 'Pursuing Sun', 'Chasing Moon' and 'Seeking Stars', three unique movement techniques. They are considered top notch, even within the eight great families! Furthermore, they possess a high-quality cultivation formula, named the 'Mysterious Underworld Heart Sutra', which focuses on the most extremes of ice and coldness as well as the lunar power of heaven and earth. Those who cultivate it successfully can command the six forms of vital energy [1], reaching a prajna state where you separate yourself from the mortal world. It is a pity that this sutra is highly demanding on the talent of the cultivator, and nobody has been able to cultivate it successfully. If someone were to really succeed in cultivating this sutra, they would definitely enter the list of peerless experts."

"Next up is the Lei Family, though they have a long-standing history, even dating back to before the North, South, East and West great families, the long periods of war had resulted in irreparable losses for them. Their prestige might have fallen below the four families I spoke of earlier, but their family heirloom, the 'Heavenly Penta Lightning Sutra', is no small fry. The might it produces is immense and it could be said to be the most destructive skill under all of heaven. Sadly, this art is imbalanced, with their defence being negligible!" Ye QingChen's mouth was already parched from all that talking, and took the chance to drink a few cups of wine in one go. Every time he finished a cup, Ling Tian would be there to refill his cup. To make Ling Tian into a mere 'cup refiller', Ye QingChen should feel proud!

[1] - This may not be the most accurate translation. But what the author is talking about here is about the six types of Qi or vital energy of the Earth, namely Yin, Yang, Wind, Rain, Darkness and Light.

Chapter 139: An Immortal amongst Wine

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll

*In this chapter, the word 酒 can stand for wine or liquor spirits. To avoid confusion, any form of alcoholic beverages will simply be translated as wine, since spirits would be better left for the matters regarding cultivation. *

"Fifty years ago, the Heavenly Star Continent was thrown into chaos again and every great family separated from each other, supporting their own empire and fighting for dominance over the continent. Within the war, the Yuchi and ShangGuan families, which actually had some form of inheritance, were obliterated within the chaos! In order to maintain the count of the great families, the Sky Bearing Empire thus promoted the Ling and Yang Families." Ye QingChen looked at Ling Tian with a smile that was not a smile at this point.

Ling Tian smirked as he responded to the former's jab, "Mister doesn't have to give me that kind of look. Within the eight great families, the Ling Family is indeed there to fill up the numbers. I'm afraid that those violent Yang family members are still in the dark, but this junior is extremely clear of it!"

"Hahaha…" Ye QingChen was surprised yet appreciative of Ling Tian's candidness. In a slightly drunken stupor, patted Ling Tian's shoulders and exclaimed, "You are not affected by it, brat. Great! That's great!"

What!

Ling Tian was stunned speechless! Moments ago, he was still being addressed as young noble. How did he turn into a brat in a blink of an eye? Seeing the ruddy face of Ye QingChen, Ling Tian could not help but sigh, this Senior expert really speaks differently from the ordinary people. Even when changing a term of address, he has to do it in such an abrupt manner, without any warning whatsoever! Furthermore, he could really drink; in just this short time, Ling Tian could see the bottom of the jar of Azure Bamboo Leaf that he brought!

"Mister sure can hold his liquor!" Ling Tian did not know if he was praising or ridiculing Ye QingChen. Anyone who drank too much, be it male, female, brilliant or stupid, all would be bereft of manners immediately...

"This…! This old man… has roamed the lands for… decades… I've never gotten… drunk before! It's only because of the wine today… good wine, really good wine! Worth me getting drunk! I can drink till I die!" Ye QingChen was in a sort of drunken stupor, and his words started to get nonsensical. That being said, one should take note that Ling Tian's Azure Bamboo Leaf was vastly different from any of the wines which Ye QingChen had sampled before.

As compared to the wine fermentation process in this world, Ling Tian's original world boasted of a much more complex culture for wine. Ling Tian had tried the most intense wine in this world — the 'Intoxication to All'— and found it to be lacking sorely in flavor It could only, at the very most, be compared to the 'baijiu' [1] in terms of taste. While the mellowness of the wine was abundant, the complexity was far from it. This led an unsatisfied Ling Tian to begin the idea of fermenting his own wine.

Due to the problems he faced in his past world, Ling Tian had to be calm and vigilant at all times. Thus, he never indulged in wine. However, he was still considered a wine connoisseur of sorts, be it tasting, discussing, as well as fermenting good wine, he was especially knowledgeable. Furthermore, the Ling Family in his previous life owned quite a few specialized wine fermentation factories and, because of his hobby, he had frequented the place to research on the processes involved in wine fermentation. With years of experience under his belt, he opened a secret chamber in the Ling Family Courtyard, easily reproducing some of the famed wines of his previous life, hiding it in his residence.

While the Heavenly Star Continent did not have much progress in the culture of wine, the raw materials used in fermentation were still comparable to his previous life. Thus, Ling Tian could even dig out those wine recipes which required highly complicated processes to produce. The Azure Bamboo Leaf was one of the few produced.

However, Ling Tian never thought of profiting off this. In his mind, self-fermenting wine was just a way of fulfilling his hobby, just like how a wine-maker might not be fond of drinking wine at all. Furthermore, he was aware of the theory of scarcity, if the wines he produced made their way out to the stores, the most they could be labelled as would just be top-end premium goods. However, if they were only available in his hands, then that would be a commodity worth hoarding! Based on Ling Tian's memories, the typical reclusive expert would be interested in wine itself. But this era had too little good wine to offer, to the point that one could say there did not exist a wine good enough to be praised! Even the famed 'Intoxication to All' was only worth as such, any random self-fermented wine that Ling Tian had could easily trounce it with ease!

However, Ling Tian's intuition told him that the news of this sort of good wine must not be spread around, for it would create an adverse effect on himself. Though such matters would not be able to draw those reclusive experts to take his side, he could at least strengthen his relationship with them. After all, better friends than enemies. Furthermore, some experts treat the bottle like their life, and simply throwing out a random bottle would allow these people to submit to him. Optimistic it might be, it was not an impossible matter.

Having met Ye QingChen today, Ling Tian was even more assured of his line of thinking. Indeed, an object's value increases with its rarity. Thinking up till here, Ling Tian began to feel pity for those characters who made use of wine fermenting to make quick bucks in the web novels he read in his previous life. Fermenting wine, how could it just be for the sake of earning money?

The grandeur of China, roughly five millennia of wine-making, how inclusive and profound was it? In Ling Tian's eyes, wine making should be regarded as an elegant craft!

"Seeing how Mister is so fond of wine, I would think that you have a deep knowledge about most famed wines. With nothing on our hands now, why not express your opinions? This can also allow junior to broaden his horizons." Now that they had finished with proper business, and had given that Ling Tian had already obtained all that he wanted, his eyes flashed as he took the opportunity to change the topic. It was as though he had just came up with some scheme to carry out.

"Haha, this young noble's self-fermented Azure Bamboo Leaf is a heavenly product amongst wines, enough to be described with the four words ''looking down from above'. However, if we were to go into the topic of wine knowledge, differentiation, discussion, or critiquing, I don't mean to boast, but this old man here probably knows more than anyone else in the world. Although young noble is able to produce such excellent and heavenly wine, but for the true essence of the word 'wine', I believe I'm still above you in that."

Ling Tian had only briefly mentioned the word 'wine', but Ye QingChen's expression suddenly changed to an aloof one, glancing at Ling Tian in a disdainful manner. Obviously, he took pride in his attainments in wine knowledge and wanted to take this opportunity to get one up Ling Tian.

A pity, however, while he could have done that to almost anyone in the wide world, Ling Tian was the exception. This could be likened to an undergraduate boasting in front of a high school student, but definitely not in front of a professor!

"That goes without saying, with Senior's ten years' worth of experiences, leaving your footprints all over the world, how can this junior be compared to you?" Ling Tian seemed to be sincerely complimenting him on the surface, but the words sounded sarcastic in front of Ye QingChen! He thought, 'Is the kid trying to slight me? Let me recite a poem on wine, and show him a thing or two!'

"Given the chance, most people would kill for wine! However, those who can actually understand, discern, and appreciate wine are few and between. The gentleman does not notice the common mortal drinking in huge gulps, nor the clinking of glasses, for they are all mediocre! To join this rabble in consuming wine, I would vomit before I even started to drink! Even if I want to drink till I drop, it has to be with someone who is noble and lofty, with a similar mentality as me. For this sort of intimate friends, I don't require much, just a couple who can understand the true essence of what is wine. Only at this realm, can the drinker really feel the prestige!"

Ye QingChen twirled his beard lightly, as his head swayed from left to right. His eyes were fixed on Ling Tian, with a hint of contempt within; as though deep inside his heart, he felt that talking to this wimpy brat about the complexity of wine was akin to playing a lute for a cow. The cow would probably continue chewing on the peonies and any flirtatious glances thrown towards it would probably be as good as showing them to a blind man. Thinking about this, he could not help but feel a sense of melancholy deep in his heart, as though having the feeling of 'acquaintances abound throughout the earth, but soul mates are hard to find'.

"If High Heaven had no love for wine

There would not be a Wine Star in the sky.

If Earth herself had no love for wine,

There would not be a city called Wine Springs.

Since Heaven and Earth both love wine,

I can love wine, without shame before God.

Clear wine resembles a Saint;

While thick wine akin to a Sage.

Since Saints and Sages have long quaffed deep,

Why should I request for permission from God?

At the third cup I penetrate the Great Way;

A full gallon -- Nature and I are one...

But the things I feel when wine possesses my soul

I will never tell to those who are not drunk." [2]

Ling Tian recited this in a low tone. Just then, he sounded lofty and free at east, standing detached and aloof from all mortal problems.

Ye QingChen's eyes, that were originally heavy with intoxication, suddenly opened up wide and the drunken fog cleared immediately as he smacked the table while praising, "Good poem! Good poem! Hahaha, to think that young noble could actually understand this old man so well, sharing similar interests in wine! This old man, me, is no longer lonely!" His attitude warmed up visibly, as though inside his heart, wine was more important than martial arts!

Right now, in Ye QingChen's heart, Ling Tian was no longer someone of the younger generation whom he admired; but rather, his soulmate in his country of wine in his heart! "If High Heaven had no love for wine, there would not be a Wine Star in the sky. If Earth herself had no love for wine, there would not be a city called Wine Springs. Since Heaven and Earth both love wine, I can love wine, without shame before God.… what a wonderful poem." The look he gave Ling Tian was now one of reverence; for someone to be able to compose such a poem, how could he not understand wine? That would be the biggest joke on earth!

This could literally be considered as an immortal amongst wine! Just based on the poem, it would be enough to justify a wine lover getting drunk for three days and nights! The poem even emphasized the fact that within heaven and earth, the lofty and aloof mood of being the only person to actually understand wine. As such, it triggered feelings of friendship within Ye QingChen.

"Since Mister has drank wine for many years and proclaim himself as a know-it-all in wine, then dare I ask Mister, if he knows of the 'eight pleasures of drinking'?" Ling Tian appeared to be drunk too, fixing onto Ye QingChen with an unfocused stare. The haughtiness in his expression was tens, no hundreds, of times more than what Ye QingChen had shown to him originally! 'Since you want to be arrogant, then this young noble here will show what is arrogance! How dare you attempt to outplay a professor level character like me in wine! Let this young noble give you a good shake!'

"Ehh? I've not heard of this. Will young noble please bestow on me what the 'eight pleasures of drinking' are?" Seeing Ling Tian's arrogant expression, Ye QingChen flared up immediately, but was extinguished soon after, replaced with panic. 'Eight pleasures of drinking? Why have I not heard of it before? To think I boasted about being the best in wine knowledge, how shameful!' The pleasures and joys of drinking differed between each person; who could say it clearly, and who could explain it correctly?'

[1] - Liquor spirit distilled from maize, think of Korea's soju or Japan's shochu.

[2] - This was hard. This is a poem from Li Bai, titled "月下独酌四首", or Four Verses of Drinking Alone Beneath the Moonlight. The link is below: (https://allpoetry.com/Drinking-Alone-By-Moonlight---3-_from-the-Chinese_)

Translator's Thoughts

chuchutrain chuchutrain

This was... a really hard chapter. I literally sweated through this. The next few might kill me...

Chapter 140: Questioning a Gentleman with Wine

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll

"Oh, as the saying goes, 'Since ancient times, Saints have all been solitary; only those who drink will leave their names behind' [1]. Thus, the people who are aware of the eight pleasures of drinking are not many and it's not strange that Mister is unaware. You're not to blame…" Ling Tian's words left Ye QingChen's face alternating between red and white, awkward beyond belief. "However, I believe Mister is aware of the eight commandments of drinking?"

"...errr! I haven't heard of this as such, tell me more!" Ye QingChen felt a bead of cold sweat drip down his face, more than half out of his drunken stupor.

"Umm~ then, I'm sure that Mister will know of the 'Eight Mortals of Wine!" Ling Tian spoke with a tone of certainty, seemingly reassuring himself.

"This…" Ye QingChen turned into a shade of persimmon, a brilliant red tinged with purple.

"Aiii, to think that Mister would also be unaware of this, I really feel estranged!" The regret in Ling Tian's voice became more and more prominent, as well as the disappointment. Shaking his head, he seemed unwilling to continue talking. It was only after a long time which he whispered with what seemed to be his last ray of hope, "Then, Mister should definitely know about the 'Eight Locations of Drinking', right?" This sentence carried a hint of reproach, as though censuring him for bragging that no one was more knowledgeable about wine when compared to him, but he could not even answer such simple questions! At least he should be aware of such a simple question, right?

Ye QingChen had already reached the point that he was completely ashamed, afraid to show his face! His face was red, bordering on purple, his expression carrying a subtle sign of begging for mercy, his originally proud head slowly slinking inwards! He looked as though he was searching for a hole to throw himself into!

To be able to reduce the 'immortal of wine' of this era, a peerless expert of the pugilistic community, to such a stage in a mere few sentence, most likely, only Ling Tian could do such a thing! Now, and in the future!

Ye QingChen let out a long sigh, dispirited beyond belief. He snatched the wine jar over, pouring for himself a cup, intending to down it to chase away his sorrows. However, he thought of how he had acted so conceitedly, arrogantly looking down on a junior whose random phrases already left him far behind in the dust. How could he be deserving of such a heavenly wine? As this thought sunk in, he could not help but slowly put down the winecup, letting out a long sigh.

"!!!" Ling Tian seemed to have suddenly snapped back into reality, his face carrying an embarrassed look as he said, "Junior didn't watch his mouth, please do not take my words seriously. Since we are all lovers of wine and merely comparing notes, if there's any area which I've offended you, please forgive me!" Ling Tian lifted up his cup in a salute, as if to make amends.

Merely comparing notes?! Ye QingChen almost jumped out of his seat. You have just destroyed this old man's decades long pride of being a wine connoisseur, making me seem so worthless, and you actually say that this is mere commentary! If this was heard by the rest of the wine-lover population, where should this old man put his face to?

Ye QingChen was all ready to jump out and rage. But upon realising that his knowledge was indeed far below the other party, what harm was there in Ling Tian berating him? It was not like he had the knowledge to answer every question which Ling Tian posed. Furthermore, the matters which he did not know, there was a high chance that the majority of the wine-lovers would not be aware of as well! Besides, Ling Tian had a valid point, which was the fact that they were comparing notes, so under what grounds should he get angry? What could he be angry over? He could only smile dispiritedly, unconsciously sipping on his winecup. The original fragrant wine now suddenly tasted so bland and tasteless. It was like a mute being fed a mouth of chinese goldthread [2], bitter but unable to convey it!

"Having met with Mister today, the troubles in my mind for a few years have been cleared one by one, making me feel very comforted. The lump in my chest has also been cleared. I really have Mister to thank for all this help." Standing up, Ling Tian performed a deep bow of respect, giving off the impression that he was about to leave. However, his expression betrayed a look of melancholy, as though he was about to bid farewell to a bosom buddy. This merely lasted for an instant, before being forcefully covered.

What kind of person was Ye QingChen? To have met someone who truly understood his feelings towards wine, to be able to hold a conversation with himself, and furthermore being more knowledgeable, how could he so easily let the person go? Furthermore, after hearing the Eight Pleasures of Wine, Eight Locations of Wine, and etc, he had long felt an itch in his heart for an answer. Thus, with a 'whoosh' sound, he had stood up and grasped onto Ling Tian's sleeve to stop him, saying hurriedly, "Young Noble, please hold!"

His back facing Ye QingChen, Ling Tian's eyes flickered with a barely perceptible light, as he turned back slowly. However, his eyes had changed to a look of questioning, "I wonder what Mister has to bestow upon me?"

Ye QingChen's eyes bulged, his beard trembling as he tried to speak, but found out that he could not speak. With his status, does he really have to say something like, 'Will young noble please enlighten me on the matters of wine'? If that was the case, then he might as well just commit suicide by slamming his head on the wall! While it was customary for a person who wanted answers to beseech first, Ye QingChen was after all a sixty-year-old man! How could he throw his face away just to ask a fifteen-year-old kid to educate him?

However, if he wanted to keep his face, this would mean throwing away the chance to find out the mysteries of wine! What should he do now?

Ling Tian secretly grinned to himself upon seeing the dilemma on Ye QingChen's face. For such otherworldly men such as Ye QingChen, Ling Tian would never dare to look down on them, and even more not have any thoughts of playing games with them! Thus, to reduce one of them to this point, Ling Tian was very pleased with himself, but...

To this point, Ye QingChen was still a mystery to Ling Tian at this point! An exceptionally confusing, hard to decipher, and probably unsolvable mystery!

Where did he originate from? What was his purpose here? How many secrets did he have on him? How much does he know? Questions popped up one after another in Ling Tian's mind, before these questions were answered, even if Ye QingChen wanted to go, Ling Tian would not let him do so!

However, Ye QingChen was not someone who would give in to power, wealth, or charm! To get news from his mouth, Ling Tian had to take a different path; from the time Ling Tian had bade Ling Chen to take the Azure Bamboo Leaf from his own collection, Ye QingChen had already fallen into Ling Tian's plans!

Thus, Ling Tian only put on a difficult expression, as he lamented, "Mister, it was hard to come across someone as agreeable as you and I regret that we have not crossed paths sooner. Mister is someone with remarkable ability, and furthermore erudite in nature. This leaves Ling Tian in admiration. I wished to speak more to you originally, but the day is growing dark. Ordinarily, this would not be a problem, but with the state that Sky Bearing is in now, if I stay out too long, my family would be concerned."

[1]: Another poem from Li Bai, titled 'Bring in the Wine'. More details can be found at the link. (https://eastasiastudent.net/china/classical/li-bai-jiang-jin-jiu/)

[2]: Chinese goldthread is an eastern herb used for its medicinal properties. It is bitter but since a mute cannot talk, he cannot vent his frustrations.

Chapter 141: Becoming Sworn Brothers

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll

At this point, Ling Tian snuck a look at Ye QingChen. Seeing his disappointed expression, Ling Tian could not help but feel guilty. Using such schemes to trick such an expert, was it considered being overboard?

However, since matters had already reached to such a stage, regret was not enough to halt Ling Tian. Furthermore, it was merely for some news and information, Ling Tian did not harbor any unsavoury thoughts towards him. This managed to calm down Ling Tian's guilty conscience, and he continued muttering, "Ling Tian hates the fact that I met Mister at such a late timing, and hate the fact that I could not stay through the night to speak with Mister. If Mister does not look down on Ling Tian, would you be willing to come to my residence and discuss about life while indulging in wine?"

Hearing such an offer, Ye QingChen could not help but get excited. Especially the phrase 'indulge in wine', it completely chased away any depressed feelings he might have felt. He laughed heartily as he bellowed, "What sort of words are those, an invitation by Young Noble himself, this Ye couldn't be happier to accept!"

Under his elation, he subconsciously changed his term of speaking, from an arrogant 'this old man' to become 'this Ye'. Unconsciously, he was already treating Ling Tian as being on equal grounds as him, rather than as someone of a junior generation.

Ling Tian smiled in response and gestured with a hand towards the entrance as he smiled, "If that's the case, then junior will help this senior heft his signboard and see if you can get more business!"

At this sentence, Ye QingChen laughed so hard that his beard twitched uncontrollably. "I doubt so! With your name as the number one silkpants, holding my signboard would result in no more business for me, I'm afraid! Hahahaha…. Little brother, this is depriving me of my business; if this Ye runs out of money to buy wine in the future, I'll come knocking at your residence instead!"

"Hahaha, whenever Senior comes, this Junior will sweep the floor clean to welcome you! It's just that this junior has a small lodging. I hope senior won't mind!" Ling Tian spoke with a grin.

Both of them jested and joked, but hidden inside their words were bits of truth, thrown amidst the false niceties. While their conversation sounded like airy words, they could be treated as serious statements too! Both of them burst into laughter again at the end of their conversation.

After the moment of laughter, Ye QingChen suddenly spoke out, "Young Noble, us addressing each other so formally seems as though we are drawing a divide on purpose. If you don't despise this fortune teller here, how about you call me elder brother, and I call you younger brother from now on. How does that sound?"

Ling Tian beamed, "This little brother originally wanted to bring this up, but was afraid that an expert like elder brother would not agree to having a connection to someone of the mortal dust such as a younger brother. Because I was afraid of offending you, I had kept it in. Since elder brother has already spoken so, this was really warms this younger brother's heart, haha!"

Ye QingChen was pleased beyond words, pretending to bluster as he jested, "Nonsense, does elder brother look like that sort of person?"

Ling Tian hurriedly apologised while laughing it off. But deep in his heart, he was thinking, 'You don't need to be humble, if it wasn't for my heavenly wine, I probably would not even see your shadow right now.'

Seeing Ling Tian apologise in such an earnest manner, Ye QingChen chuckled, "Little brother need not hold in your criticism. This elder brother here rarely meets anyone in the last ten years, thus am full of foolish conceit. I'm ignorant and narrow minded. If not for me coming over to Sky Bearing this time, I would not have been aware that the heavens had given birth to such a refined and accomplished youth such as yourself!" Although his words were admitting to his faults, it carried a hint of solitude and loneliness.

Seeing that Ye QingChen was not at all particular about avoiding taboos, Ling Tian could only smile wryly. His actions conveyed how candid and open he was, and this raised a few more points for him in Ling Tian's heart.

Exiting from the private room, the duo was greeted by the various guards which stood up and bowed. This sound alerted the ladies, who were seated in another private room. They stood up hurriedly and exited their room.

Ling Tian felt completely careless and worriless. With a flash of his body, he appeared behind Ye QingChen, pushing him forward as he grinned, "This is Mister Ye, from today onwards, since he's my sworn elder brother, when you guys see him, you need to pay your respects too."

The moment he spoke, everyone except for Ling Chen took on a change in expression. This was especially so for the Ling Family's guards. They were all wondering what sort of mental illness had stricken the young noble again — to reduce his status to a point where he accepted a dubious swindler as a sworn brother!

As for the bodyguards of the Yu family, they were thinking about how this poor silkpants kid probably got scammed by this swindler. However, while this was no big matter, no one dared to speak up for fear that Ling Tian would fly into a rage due to humiliation, directing his anger to his underlings. Wouldn't dying in such a way be an injustice? Thus, all of them stood by the side, looking at the scene as though it was a comedy.

The Ling family's guards could only salute once again, calling out, "Paying respects to Mister Ye!" The latter responded with a nod of his head, being neither too servile nor overbearing.

A smile bloomed on Ling Tian's face; evidently, he had already mentally prepared himself for such a scenario. On the other hand, Yu BingYan had a face of confusion. What was her Tian'ge up to this time? Was there another meaning behind this, maybe the swindler was actually a talented individual who had experienced the vicissitudes of life?

At the wave of his hand, and the command, "Let's return!" from Ling Tian, the various guards streamed out neatly, clearing a path for them.

However, Ye QingChen loitered behind, grabbing onto Ling Tian's sleeve and whispering, "You rascal, since when did I become your sworn brother? How come even I am unaware of it?"

Ling Tian burst out into laughter as he replied, "Elder brother, you were the one who asked me to call you elder brother, and you address me as younger brother. Since we're not born from the same mother, with no blood relation whatsoever, if we're not sworn brothers, then what are we?"

Ye QingChen was rendered speechless by the reply. Although he felt that the reply was pushing it a little too far, he could not put his finger onto what exactly felt wrong. After a moment of pondering, he could only say, "For someone of little brother's stature as well as talent, I would benefit by having such a strong connection as my younger brother, but…"

"But what? For someone of elder brother's level, don't tell me you still put significance in the customs of incense burning, three kowtows and nine salutes? The words from a man of character, once spoken, cannot be taken back. If you say we're brothers, then we are. With the sun and moon as audiences, the sky as a witness, why bother with all the wishy-washy conventions! Since we address each other as brothers, then we are thus. What other reasons do we need?" Seeing him attempting to shirk responsibility, Ling Tian immediately cut off his train of thought, using such overbearing words to force Ye QingChen to a point of no return.

In actuality, Ye QingChen had no intention of shirking responsibility. However, he realised that if he were to continue declining after hearing what Ling Tian said, then that would be too pretentious and unreasonable of him. As such, he merely smiled and said, "Little brother, you have a sharp tongue indeed!"

What kind of person was Ye QingChen? He immediately caught onto the fact that Ling Tian was trying to drag him into the same boat as himself, using him to achieve his means! However, he suddenly realised that it was actually such a joyous thing to have a person like Ling Tian as his brother, and instead of being repulsed, he felt over the moon.

Ye QingChen had led a solitary and impoverished life for his first half, drifting around everywhere as a vagrant. Luckily, he had met a peerless expert and managed to cultivate a top level martial skill, which allowed him to use his newfound talents to survive. However, his heart had always been lonely and cold; after all, all humans desire love and warmth. Who would say no to familial love? Though he knew that Ling Tian was using him in a way, having a sort of relative to care for made him feel a comfortable, but foreign, warmth in his heart!

Ling Tian suddenly stood still, and faced Ye QingChen seriously as his eyes revealed utmost sincerity, "Elder brother, if I say that I have no ulterior motives, you would probably not believe. However, whether you believe or not, this little brother only has one thing to say. If I don't see eye to eye with someone, even if he's a top martial exponent in the world capable of opening up unlimited possibilities for me, I would still be unwilling to acknowledge the person! As the saying goes, 'A horse's worth is only shown through a long journey, and a person's heart is only seen through the passage of time'. I hope that elder brother will witness my actions and use it to forge a bond of camaraderie!"

Ye QingChen was rooted on the spot, overcome with emotions. From the sincerity in Ling Tian's tone, Ye QingChen was aware that all those words he spoke came from the bottom of his heart and could not help but feel touched at his declaration. He nodded his head solemnly, saying, "Little brother, I trust you completely! In my life, this elder brother has perused through countless lives and I have faith in my own abilities to read people. Trust is based off a person's speech. If there is no trust, how can one achieve any standing amongst humans!"

The two of them glanced at each other, clasped their hands, bursting out into laughter.

As the duo walked out of the bar, the clouds above the Western part of the skies were already dyed a crimson red! Unknowingly, they had actually spent over half a day in that little alley bar!

Ling Tian spied on Yu BingYan trailing behind him, unusually silent, but occasionally raising her head with a hint of bitterness in her eyes. With a quick twist of his mind, he deliberately slowed down his steps to walk side by side with her. Yu BingYan acknowledged his presence by raising her head, before her tiny mouth turned into a pout and turned her head the other way with a 'hmph!' sound.

Ling Tian laughed out at the scene. "Aiya, what's this? How did a peony suddenly start growing on the mouth of my little sister Yan'er? Although it looks good, this is not the place for it; come come, let this brother pluck it for you. Else when we arrive back home, the lass Ling Chen will end up placing it inside a vase!" As he spoke, he jokingly stretched out a hand, ready to touch Yu BingYan's mouth.

Yu BingYan exerted her utmost to control her facial expressions and swatted Ling Tian's hands to the side, before she let out a 'puchi' sound, and burst into laughter. She originally wanted to hold it in, but realised that it was too late. She could not help but stomp her foot viciously, pouting once again.

Ling Tian chuckled and leaned closer to her ear as he whispered, "Yan'er, as friends, I really do not want to put you in a spot, so how can you be willing to create trouble for me?" His voice was so low that only she could hear. While this sentence did not explain much, it pierced down deep into Yu BingYan's heart!

The words drilled themselves into her ear, one by one, and Yu BingYan suddenly felt as though her head was heating up. Her eyes started to water and her nose wrinkled as a wave of warmth flooded her heart. 'Turns out that he was really thinking for me!' Even though she had long come to this conclusion, she still felt a huge sense of bliss, listening to the words coming out from Ling Tian personally. The indignance, grief and heartache she previously felt was suddenly swept away without a trace, making her feel as though she could burst out into song.

Watching how Yu BingYan had her head lowered, yet secretly sneaking glances towards his direction, with her eyes full of satisfaction and shyness. Coupled with her feminine charms, it led to amorous feelings growing within Ling Tian, to the point where he wanted to pull her close into his embrace.

However, Yu BingYan only snorted and said, "What sort of person do you think you are? I can't be bothered with creating trouble for you, hmph!" Her face looked like the crimson clouds above them as she spoke, feeling burning hot and revealing a posture of a little girl. She could not help but stamp her foot again, dashing forward and leaving behind a wave of fragrance.

"Brother, you've literally brought this elder brother's appetite to the top of the heavens!" Ye QingChen lamented.

Upon returning to the Ling mansion, Ling Tian sent Ye QingChen over to his own courtyard, assigning Ling Chen to ensure his comfort, before paying his respects to his parents and grandparents. This was a sort of routine work for him, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, he went over to find Mister Qin as well. Ling Tian was especially worried for Mister Qin, as the death of a spouse at his age was not a small blow that could be recovered even with two or three years. Seeing him hale and healthy, full of energy, Ling Tian could finally relax and rush back to his courtyard.

After the stone in Yu BingYan's heart had been alleviated by Ling Tian, she knew that she was not suitable to remain and participate in the following conversation. Thus, she retreated back to her room early.

When Ling Tian returned to his residence, Ye QingChen was already waiting anxiously.

Ling Tian laughed heartily as he said, "Elder brother, there's no need to rush. I'll let you enjoy yourself tonight! To indulge in good wine, one must first be patient. If one is too impatient, then even the most heavenly of wines would be bland and tasteless. Don't forget, when it comes to matters of wine, even the tiniest of matters will not be able to slip past my eyes!"