155: Chapter 155 Drinking Contest

Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao had clearly been to Wanghai City in her youth; after all, she was nearly a thousand years old.

The waiter behind the bar did not fetch the wine immediately. Instead, he pointed to a white porcelain pot on the shelf behind him and said, "Fairy, Cangbo Brew is too potent. Why don't you try this Wanghai Spring instead?"

Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao slammed her palm onto the bar. Although she had held back her strength, the impact still made the bar and the porcelain jars on the shelf behind it rattle.

"I told you to get it, so just get it! The wine that can make this lady drunk hasn't even been brewed yet!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire tavern fell into a deathly silence, and even Lin Qing and Ling Shu, standing behind Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao, were left dumbfounded.

Outwardly, Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao appeared to be the cold, aloof type of beauty, but after interacting with her, one would realize she was actually quite lively—and right now, she had become fierce and boisterous.

After a brief silence, a man in the tavern couldn't take it anymore.

"Little girl, don't speak so boastfully. In Wanghai City, there is a rule against using Spiritual Qi while drinking."

"Exactly. If you end up passed out on the floor later, we won't be helping you up."

"Hahaha…"

For a moment, the tavern was filled with laughter and mockery.

Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao stepped onto a nearby stool, rolled up her sleeves to reveal her fair arms, pointed at the group of men in the shop, and shouted, "What are you clamoring about? Do you think you have such great tolerance? With the likes of you, I can outdrink ten of you by myself!"

The men in the shop were instantly enraged. A bearded man slammed the table and stood up.

"Fairy, I can't let that slide. You don't need to drink ten. If you can outdrink me, I'll give you a hundred jars of Cangbo Brew for free!"

Lin Qing checked the price list; one jar of Cangbo Brew cost fifty Spirit Stones. This was naturally not much for Lin Qing, but for these Cultivators who were on average around the sixth rank, spending fifty Spirit Stones on a single jar of wine was considered quite an expensive indulgence.

"Alright! This lady accepts your wager."

"Waiter, bring the wine!"

A moment later, the people in the tavern had split into two groups. On the left were Lin Qing and his two companions, and on the right were the original patrons of the tavern. A massive solid wood table had been placed in the middle as a dividing line, and it was already covered with dozens of jars of Cangbo Brew.

Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao sat casually in front of the table, facing the crowd head-on, while Lin Qing and Ling Shu stood behind her like a pair of young attendants.

Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao grabbed a jar of wine, broke the seal, and gripped the rim of the jar with her hand.

"Let's set the rules first: no admitting defeat when drinking with me. We drink until we drop."

Before the other side could respond, she tilted her head back and began to chug the wine.

"Fine, then let's see who drops first."

The bearded man across from her also slapped off the clay seal and began to chug, holding the jar by its rim.

Thud!

Ten breaths later, Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao was the first to put down her wine jar, immediately picking up a second one and repeating the action.

The bearded man immediately sped up; after finishing one jar, he hurriedly opened another to keep up.

Ten breaths later…

Another ten breaths later…

The atmosphere in the tavern grew increasingly heated. The scent of wine mixed with cheers in the air, and a crowd gradually began to gather outside the tavern.

Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao maintained a steady pace of one jar every ten breaths, while the bearded man grew slower and slower.

One jar… two jars… gradually, he fell further and further behind.

Crash!

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the unfinished wine jar in his hand dropped to the floor, and he collapsed onto the table, snoring loudly.

After finishing another jar, Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao tilted her head back and squinted at the group of men across from her.

"Who's next?!"

"I'll go!"

Someone refused to accept defeat, so a new round of the contest began.

The men on the other side fell one by one. Lin Qing and Ling Shu stood behind, watching Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao in awe.

Suddenly, a wine jar flew toward Lin Qing. He raised his hand and caught it easily, then looked in the direction from which it came, where a one-eyed man tilted his head at him in challenge.

"Young man, let's go!"

"Alright!"

Thus, Lin Qing also joined the fray.

The men opposite fell in droves, and eventually, the onlookers outside began to join in one by one.

This continued until midnight, by which point there was no one left standing on the other side. As for Lin Qing's side, Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao and Lin Qing remained standing firm.

Ling Shu had joined the fray later on, but she collapsed after drinking over a hundred jars.

Lin Qing had never had such a high tolerance for alcohol before, but now he possessed the Innate Mysterious Fetus.

Lin Qing paid the shopkeeper two hundred thousand Spirit Stones; they certainly wouldn't take advantage of these local Cultivators, and two hundred thousand Spirit Stones was more than enough to cover the cost of the wine consumed today.

The night deepened, and the two walked along the wide main road of Wanghai City, strolling leisurely toward the seaside. As for Ling Shu, she was being carried by Spiritual Qi, following behind them.

A salty sea breeze blew, fluttering their hair and robes. Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao let out a hiccup.

"Little Qingzi, you're not bad. From now on, you sit at my table, and let Chen'er sit at the children's table."

Lin Qing recalled when he was apprenticed to Jue Chenzi in the Hundred Thousand Mountains; he had wanted to have a drink with Lin Qing back then. So, it turned out he had learned that from Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao.

…

At noon the next day, the Yunyin Sequence members who had gone out had all returned. Everyone was standing on the deck, and in the distance, two Flying Boats were approaching.

One Flying Boat was vibrant and radiant, its hull covered in deep red spiritual patterns, strings of wind chimes hanging from the eaves, and light gauze curtains draped over the cabin roof, resembling a pleasure boat floating in the air.

The other was forged entirely from silver refined gold, with straight, sharp lines. Its bow was shaped like a sword tip, and the hull shimmered with a chilling, clear light, resembling a giant sword spanning the sky.

After the three Flying Boats drew close, a hearty laugh came from the Duchuan Sword Sect's boat.

"Fairy Qingyao, Fairy Feiluo, how about traveling on my Duchuan Sword Sect's Flying Boat?"

A soft, charming voice came from the Qingyuan Sect's Flying Boat.

"Since your Duchuan Sword Sect has even brought out a tenth-rank Flying Boat, my Qingyuan Sect has no choice but to comply."

Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao also replied, "Then we shall accept your offer."

The Flying Boats of the Chuyun Immortal Sect and the Qingyuan Sect were only ninth-rank, and the journey to the Central Continent would take about ten months. However, traveling on the Duchuan Sword Sect's tenth-rank Flying Boat, this time would be compressed to six months.

And this, in fact, was something the three Sects had discussed beforehand. Since they were acting together, it was better for everyone to travel on the same Flying Boat.

The dangers on the ocean did not just come from Yao Beasts in the sea; some extreme weather was equally terrifying.

For instance, some storms not only covered an area far exceeding the entire Dongxuan continent, but their power was such that even an ordinary God Realm expert could not withstand them.

If everyone were to travel on different Flying Boats, it would be very easy to get separated.

Under Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao's signal, the Disciples on the deck flew one by one toward the Duchuan Sword Sect's Flying Boat. After everyone had left, Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao waved her hand and stored her Flying Boat into her Storage Ring.

On the deck of the Duchuan Sword Sect's Flying Boat, there were three groups of people standing. The number of people from the Qingyuan Sect was about the same as that of the Chuyun Immortal Sect, totaling no more than twenty people, including the accompanying deacons. The Duchuan Sword Sect, however, was different; their numbers were equal to those of the other two Sects combined.

Feiluo of the Qingyuan Sect looked at the Duchuan Sword Sect's group, covered her mouth, and laughed softly, "Yun Feng, is this lineup of yours intended to attack some faction?"

Yun Feng chuckled and cupped his hands, saying, "Fairy Feiluo, you jest. Everyone knows the temperament of our Sect's Disciples; as soon as they heard about going to the Central Continent to explore a Secret Realm, they all clamored to go."