Ch.23 A Drinking Contest

“Waiter!” Successfully provoked, a fire lighted up in Wu Zhe Yan’s eyes. The teen appeared by the door. Wu Zhe Yan took out a pouch full of ingots and laid it onto the table with a thud. “Bring us more wines!”

“Yes, sir!”

She raised an eye. Was he challenging her to a drinking contest right now? Well, there was no reason for her to say no to free alcohol. “I didn’t know General Wu likes starting a losing battle.”

“And what makes our dear Strategist think that this is one? I, Wu Zhe Yan, have never lost in a drinking contest. You, on the contrary…” he looked at her indifferent expression, “make me wonder if an unapproachable cat will also turn into an affectionate kitty when drunk.”

~~

Luo Yue tilted her head back, the last drop of alcohol falling into her mouth from the wine jar. Then, she looked back at the man sprawled across the table in front of her, completely knocked out.

“…”

The teen stood at the door; mouth agape as he stared at the empty jars scattered on the floor. Wu Zhe Yan may be one of the strongest people he had ever seen at holding their own liquor but Luo Yue... was the strongest.

She reached under the lapels of his clothes and pulled out another weighted pouch. The teen watched in disbelief as the revered God of War poured out all the money of her ‘defeated opponent’, leaving only one silver ingot as a show of pity. “Thanks, I’ll take these as my spoils of battle.”

Then, she turned to the teen, “how many jars can I buy with these?”

Is she still thinking of drinking after all that?!

“It’s more than enough to buy all the wines in our storage.”

“Great. Send them to my room tomorrow and keep the change.”

“Yes!” he nodded delightfully. Luo Yue stood up, ready to leave. “Um, Lady… What about this guest here…?”

She looked back, thought for a while and then said, “there should be someone called Qi in the temporary military camp. Tell him to fetch his master.”

“Understood!”

“And ask him to pass on a message for me-…”

~~

The next day, Wu Zhe Yan woke up with a splitting headache. He sat up, holding his head with a groan. No matter how he searched his memory of last night, it seemed to have cut off halfway.

‘How the hell did I blank out yesterday?’ He ruffled his already messy hair in distress, groaning silently again as he gripped the blankets in frustration. ‘How humiliating!’

“Lord? Are you awake?” Qi’s voice sounded from outside the room. “I’m coming in.”

Qi took in the terrible state his lord was in and resisted his lips from curling. “Don’t worry, Lord. I made sure no one saw us when I was towing you back yesterday.”

A death glare.

Qi coughed, “oh right, Lady She Li asked me to pass on a message yesterday.”

“What?” Wu Zhe Yan wished that he would never have to hear of that name ever again.

“It’s a little…confounding.”

“Spit it out,” Wu Zhe Yan scowled impatiently.

“There was only a word, ‘Puppy’.”

Qi was still puzzling over it but from the thunders that had suddenly appeared above his lord’s head, his lord seemed to have caught her meaning perfectly.

Wu Zhe Yan smashed the wooden cushion -the nearest thing he could get his hands on- onto the ground. His own words from yesterday came back to bite him.

‘You, on the contrary, make me wonder if an unapproachable cat will also turn into an affectionate kitty when drunk.’

“Shit!”

~~

Footsteps coming down the corridor broke a peaceful silence. They came to a stop right in front of a paper door as the shadows of 2 people became more visible.

Shen Tian Ping cleared his throat. “Lady, we’ve come to report to you.”

“Come in.”

The door slid open, old age evident from the screech that came out.

Luo Yue was seated on the window ledge, her usual immaculate white robes fluttering silently around her. Depthless eyes were watching everything outside from behind lowered eyelids. Long pale fingers slowly tucked a lock of loose hair behind her ears before reaching for the porcelain cup on the table.

“Lady, are you already drinking this early in the morning?” A displeased Xiao Liu carried in a plate of freshly fried scallion pancakes. He placed it lightly on the table beside her and very stealthily took away the jar of wine.

There was no way such an action could have escaped Luo Yue’s eyes, but she didn’t mind. There was still a dozen more of the giant urns hidden behind the paper screen at a corner of the room.

“How’s the situation outside?”

“We went around to help capture the remaining enemies yesterday. Fortunately, although some of the places have broken down, the citizens were unhurt. Our food supply has been secured so there should not be any problem at the moment. Under the General’s command, the soldiers and the people are working together to repair the walls. That being said… our defence is at its weakest and the soldiers have exhausted both physical and mental strength. I’m afraid we’ll be at a huge disadvantage should his Majesty decide to push forward in this state.”

“Don’t worry, as infuriating as he is, Xuan Zong is still not senseless enough to send our country to its death.” Luo Yue picked up one of the crispy scallion pancakes as she turned her head back towards the view outside. “Before we get a reply from the Imperial Court, we are stuck in a stalemate. There’s nothing else for us to do but wait.”

Just then, she met the eyes of a person who had happened to look up.

Wu Zhe Yan had been going around the city and receiving reports. His anger had not subsided in the least, so the dark, grim clouds looming above his head was like a ritual for a thunderstorm. If looks could kill, he alone could have ended the war.

Needless to say, every soldier who came across him quickly bowed and avoided him like the plague. They did not know who had managed to sour his mood this early in the morning, but they had more important things to worry about. Like staying away from his bad side and holding on to dear life.

He had just been discussing a certain issue with one of the unlucky soldiers, when he happened to glance up.

A pair of clear, beautiful eyes found his.

Yesterday’s memories crashed back into his mind like water out of a broken dam. He felt his face heating up and even the tips of his ears had gotten red. Never once, had he felt this abashed to the point of humbleness. Then, Wu Zhe Yan glowered, a terrifying aura bursting forth all of a sudden. The glare he threw back at the lady sitting by the window became even fiercer.

Luo Yue could just imagine a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She found the sight quite… endearing.

So much so that she did not manage to resist the slight curl of her lips, nor stop the small chuckle that escaped her mouth. A more humane light slipped into her usually cold eyes, causing the aloofness surrounding her to crack a little.

The General below must not have expected such a reaction from the distant Strategist. Because the gloominess around him disappeared like a next day and he was left completely in a trance. That was… his first time seeing such a relaxed and gentle expression on her face. It made her look… -he tried to find a word-… less defensive. A rose without its thorns, a chameleon out of its camouflage, a lady… behind her mask.

He still had not captured every detail of this suddenness, but she had already turned her back and disappeared into the room.

Throughout the short, silent exchange, only Qi seemed to have caught on to something. He smelled something suspicious; something about his lord had definitely changed. No, perhaps his lord had already started changing the moment he had ordered him to bring the Lady back from the forest.

At that thought, Qi’s head shot up to look at his Lord. ‘My Lord… Don’t tell me… you’ve taken an interest in her?’

Wu Zhe Yan’s eyes was still lingering reluctantly on the windowsill.

That smile… What exactly did that smile mean?

He snapped back to reality quickly enough. What smile? She was obviously just laughing at him!

“Qi,” he called out, a glare still fixed at the window. “Go tell her I want a rematch.”

Qi followed his lord’s line of sight and then back at him. Genuinely curious, he couldn’t help blurting out, “why not tell her yourself?”

Another glare.

Alright. He decided to shut his mouth and follow the given order. The young man went into the inn, and it wasn’t long before Wu Zhe Yan saw him coming down from the second floor again.

“What did she say?” he asked impatiently.

“She said…” Qi scratched the back of his neck. He had never seen a lady this careless with her life, “she has bought out the wines. And, she is unwilling to share.”

“Hah, she makes me speechless. Let our little lady know I’ll pay double for the wines in her possession. Making such a big fuss, how much can they cost anyw-…” he paused, the hands rummaging under the lapel of his robes slowly moving faster.

He even went as far as taking off his armour and throwing it into Qi’s hands with a ‘Hold this for me’. However, no longer how much he searched, the heavy pouch that was originally on him had completely disappeared into thin air and instead, there was only a feather-light pouch with a single silver ingot in it.

The clouds gathered above his head turned darker when it dawned upon him.

So, she bought out all the wines with his money. And now… she said she was unwilling to share?!

“The cheek of her-!” he had never been rendered this speechless by anyone before. Eyes filled with a dangerous glint turned back to the window. Curse as he might, not a shadow entered his sight. He took a deep breath, stretching his patience thinner than he had ever had the need to. After all, those with a request were always at a disadvantage.

“Fine! Go tell her I’ll pay her back with better quality alcohols once we’re back!”