79: Betting on wine with Jiu Ling'er

Cao Bu and Leng Yue stopped in their tracks and looked back.

On a bluestone not far away stood a slim and graceful young girl.

The girl wore a light purple silk skirt, revealing a pair of petite jade-like legs beneath the hem, with an exquisite wine gourd hanging from her waist.

Her eyes were lively, carrying a hint of charm as she looked around; her gaze landed on Cao Bu, scrutiny hidden within her curiosity.

Grandpa Jin had said that the one who could drink her grandfather under the table was a young lad in the Heavenly Bridge Realm.

Among the Cultivators who had stepped into the Wine God Temple these past few days, only Cao Bu was at the Heavenly Bridge Realm.

Jiu Ling'er nodded to herself, immediately certain that Cao Bu was the person who had out-drunk her grandfather.

“Ling'er, why aren't you in the backyard brewing wine? What are you doing here?” the Wine Emperor asked casually.

Jiu Ling'er stared straight at Cao Bu and asked crisply, “Grandpa, is this the Heavenly Bridge Realm kid who drank you under the table?”

A flush rose on the Wine Emperor's old face as he hastily argued, “What nonsense! Your grandpa was out-drunk by Heavenly Emperor Lu!”

“But Heavenly Emperor Lu was out-drunk by him.” Jiu Ling'er tilted her head with a playful smile, her canine teeth faintly visible. “Calculating it that way, didn't Grandpa still fall at his hands?”

The Wine Emperor was instantly speechless and immediately waved his hand at Cao Bu and his companion.

Clearly, he didn't want them to stay and witness his embarrassment.

But in the next moment, Jiu Ling'er had already walked up to Cao Bu, cupping her hands. “This little girl is Jiu Ling'er. I've heard that the Young Master's alcohol tolerance is astonishing, even making my grandfather admit defeat. I wonder if I might exchange a few pointers with you?”

As she said “exchange pointers,” her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the wine gourd at her waist, her eyes swirling with eager anticipation.

Her gaze circled Cao Bu's face twice, and a faint blush quietly crept onto her cheeks.

The Wine Emperor's brows furrowed.

This granddaughter of his had grown up in the Wine God Temple; her eyes held nothing but good wine and brewing, yet she had never shown such a girlish demeanor toward anyone before.

He squinted at Cao Bu, dissatisfaction gradually rising in his eyes.

So what if this kid had a high alcohol tolerance?

In this world, strength is ultimately respected above all!

If he dared to have designs on Ling'er, don't blame him for being heartless!

Seeing Cao Bu remain silent, Jiu Ling'er assumed he looked down on her, so she immediately puffed out her chest and used reverse psychology.

“Young Master is so young, yet you don't even have the courage to compete with me?”

A curve slowly formed at the corners of Cao Bu's mouth.

Is this the treatment of a Child of Luck?

No matter where he went, there was no shortage of such women taking the initiative to strike up a conversation.

Presumably, this Jiu Ling'er must have been influenced by the Child of Luck Trial Card to approach him of her own accord.

If he refused directly, it would instead seem petty.

And the first step to making a woman remember you is often to conquer her in the Domain she cares about most.

“Fine, since the lady has such an interest, I will accompany you and try.”

Jiu Ling'er's eyes lit up, and she shook the wine pot in her hand, a flash of cunning in her eyes. “This is my newly brewed drunken flowing clouds. It took a hundred years of cellar aging to get this one pot. How about we use it for our competition?”

No sooner had she spoken than the Wine Emperor leaned in, his nose sniffing hard at the wine fragrance drifting in the air, his eyes wide and round.

“Ling'er, add your grandpa!”

Just from the overflowing aroma, he knew it was a fine brew he had never tasted before.

Jiu Ling'er shook her head like a rattle. “No way, if I let you taste it, what will be left for me to drink?”

The Wine Emperor didn't give up. “Just one cup, truly just one cup. Let Grandpa sample the quality of your new brew.”

Jiu Ling'er still refused.

She knew her grandfather's temperament too well; once he tasted the wine and found it delicious, he would surely find every possible way to snatch it away.

In the end, she couldn't withstand the Wine Emperor's persistent pestering and could only say, “Just one cup, not a single drop more.”

“Good, good, good, one cup it is!” The Wine Emperor hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Helpless, Jiu Ling'er took out a wine cup filled with drunken flowing clouds and handed it to the Wine Emperor.

The Wine Emperor took it and drained it in one gulp, immediately showing a satisfied expression. “This wine is simply peerless.”

After speaking, his gaze stuck to the wine pot in Jiu Ling'er's hand again.

This wine pot had a world within; there was surely plenty of wine inside.

Jiu Ling'er quickly shielded the gourd in her arms and said to Cao Bu, “Let's go drink at the Moon-Watching Pavilion over there.”

Cao Bu looked in the direction she pointed and saw a hexagonal pavilion standing not far away. He immediately nodded. “Fine, but since it's a wine bet, there must be a stake to make it proper.”

Jiu Ling'er stepped forward, leaving behind a faint scent of wine blossoms. “What does the Young Master want to bet?”

Cao Bu and Leng Yue quickly followed. He said calmly, “If the lady loses, I want that wine gourd at your waist.”

He had already seen that the gourd was an immortal sacred artifact, with an internal space that could hold at least a hundred catties of fine wine.

And this Jiu Ling'er was not simple either; she actually had the cultivation of a Realm Sovereign.

This was also why he agreed to the match; if the opponent's cultivation were lower than his, he wouldn't have bothered at all.

“Deal,” Jiu Ling'er agreed readily, turning to look at Cao Bu. “Then what prize can the Young Master offer?”

As she spoke, she had already sat down on a stone chair inside the pavilion.

Cao Bu took a seat opposite her and took out a token, placing it on the stone table.

As soon as the token appeared, it immediately attracted the gazes of Leng Yue and the Wine Emperor.

The Wine Emperor stared at the mysterious patterns flowing on the token, then looked at Cao Bu, shocked. “illusory sound limitless token?!”

Jiu Ling'er blinked curiously. “Grandpa, I know about the Illusory Sound Workshop, but what is this illusory sound limitless token?”

The Wine Emperor gave Cao Bu a deep look and took a sharp breath.

“This illusory sound limitless token allows the holder to have the Illusory Sound Workshop do three things for them.”

“Even if it means annihilating an Immortal Emperor-level force, the Illusory Sound Workshop wouldn't even bat an eye!”

Hearing this, Jiu Ling'er thought of that legendary female emperor.

She had always regarded Liu Ruyan as her idol; she hadn't expected Cao Bu to have this female emperor's token.

At this moment, her curiosity about Cao Bu reached its peak.

Beside them, the Wine Emperor's gaze toward Cao Bu was completely devoid of contempt.

To be so highly regarded by Liu Ruyan, this kid must surely hide some extraordinary quality that even the female emperor views with special interest.

“Bu'er, when did Ruyan give you this illusory sound limitless token?” Leng Yue's tone also carried a hint of shock.

Such treatment was something even Gu Qingtian had never received.

Cao Bu explained, “Adoptive Mother, do you remember that poetry gathering back then?”

Leng Yue was surprised. “That poem was exchanged for this token?”

Cao Bu nodded in affirmation.

The Wine Emperor and Jiu Ling'er on the side were already listening with unbearable curiosity.

Jiu Ling'er immediately asked, “Sister Leng, tell me quickly, what kind of poem could be valued so highly by the female emperor that she would give the illusory sound limitless token in exchange?”

Her eyes were full of expectation.

Few people knew that she was not only a wine enthusiast but also a lover of poetry.

Leng Yue nodded and immediately recited that “Chant of the Absolute Peak” slowly.

After she finished reciting, although the Wine Emperor showed surprise, he didn't have much of a reaction.

Jiu Ling'er, on the other hand, clapped her hands excitedly. “A peerless poem! I've decided—if you lose, you must compose a poem for me.”

Hearing this, the Wine Emperor quickly sent a secret transmission: “You silly girl, do you know the value of this illusory sound limitless token? How can a single poem compare to it...”

No matter what the Wine Emperor said in his secret transmission, Jiu Ling'er acted as if she hadn't heard.

Cao Bu thought for a moment and said, “Fine, but let's be clear beforehand—I might not be able to compose a poem comparable to ‘Chant of the Absolute Peak’.”

Jiu Ling'er immediately shook her head, her eyes sparkling. “It doesn't matter, as long as it's a poem the Young Master composes with his heart.”

“Alright then,” Cao Bu said, putting away the illusory sound limitless token.

The Wine Emperor watched from the side, slapping his forehead.

This silly girl is truly picking up a sesame seed and throwing away a watermelon!

It's just a poem; how could it be even one ten-thousandth as important as the illusory sound limitless token?

Jiu Ling'er could no longer restrain herself and immediately took out two large glass wine bottles, slowly pouring the drunken flowing clouds from the gourd at her waist into them.

The clear wine liquid shimmered with a faint rosy glow, and as soon as it entered the bottles, a wine fragrance began to permeate the pavilion.