Chapter 143: Hero’s Blood
Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll
Ye QingChen had long been at a loss of words from shock. Drinking the second glass, the fine and exquisite wine slid down his throat and into his stomach. Ye QingChen closed his eyes, unwilling to open them even after a long time. He then said with a dreamy tone, “This wine indeed lives up to its name of ‘Luna’. The smell of the wine is so pure and noble, percolating the soul of a person after drinking it. Closing my eyes, I can feel as though my body is light and floating, as though I am in the Moon Palace! My dear brother, you have gotten this brother into trouble!”
Ye QingChen sighed in his heart as a drop of tear fell from the corner of his eyes, “After drinking this wine, can there be any more wine in the world worth drinking?”
“Ah ah, since the ancient times, sages have only the company of solitude. Only those who drink leave behind a reputation next to their name. But even these sages would not dare to say that they can recognize all wine in the world. Brother need not make such a remark; try this first.” With a flick of his sleeves, another jug of wine appeared in Ling Tian’s hands. Opening the seal, a wave of refined dream-like fragrance filled the room. Like a dream, like an illusion, sometimes real, sometimes abstract, filled with a myriad of changes!
“This little brother calls this wine ‘Maiden’s Heart’.” Ling Tian then looked at Ling Chen with a smile and she could not help but smile bashfully. “The one thing in the world never understood is the heart of a maiden. Cloudy at times, rainy at times. Angry at times, happy at times. As compared to the complex heart of a married lady, it is even more unpredictable. This wine is made after two years of hard work, formed from the essence of a hundred flowers, the fragrance of six fruits and the soul of five grains. After nine rounds of fermentation and steaming, it is sealed and soaked in an ice-cold pond to absorb the essence of the world. Only after soaking it for five years, at the very least, can it be considered to be complete.”
“There is a total of nine jugs of these wine and they were sealed for a total of nine years, earning the name of ‘Ninety-Nine Maiden’s Heart’. Amidst the name hides the bitterness, sourness, sweetness and spiciness when a maiden grows up. As one drinks this wine, the figure of a cute, mischievous, angsty, sorrowful and worrisome ‘girl next door’ figure would appear in the heart! After drinking a mouth of this wine, one would unknowingly feel their hearts race, mind long and soul shake! To let old brother have a good time today, I made an exception to take a jug out!”
Ye QingChen closed his eyes in thought as he twiddled with his beard. A short while later, he smiled and sighed, “By just hearing your description, this foolish brother is already drunk before drinking it! Good wine! Good wine! Let me try it.” Raising his glass, the wine inside was green like jade and white like silk. On the surface of the wine, there seemed to be a layer of mist floating around to bewilder the senses of one. It was like the beautiful daughter in a humble family, loving but shy. Wishing to invite someone but yet rejecting him, wishing to reject someone but yet inviting him.
“This fourth wine is called ‘Hero’s Blood’!” Ling Tian then changed a jug of wine and his tone turned serious, “The spiciness of this wine symbolizes the bitterness and pain suffered on the battlefield. The concentrated alcohol is like the silent ambition wishing to burst forth. The color of the wine is like the blood of a hero. As this wine enters the stomach, it is like the resounding war drums breaking the silence of the night, raising the morale of the troops as they let out an earth-shattering battle cry and charge into battle! This wine must definitely be downed in one mouthful! A big and stout hero drinking the blood of his enemy, without a single trace of tears to be seen.”
Ye QingChen’s originally misty and intoxicated eyes lit up and he lifted up the glass of wine in front of him. He drank the blood red wine in front of him in a single mouthful and felt like a red-hot blade had just stabbed into his abdomen. In that moment, his body began to tremble and perspiration rolled down his face. After the wine entered his abdomen, he felt as though a ball of fire had risen from his insides! He could not help but feel a sense of heroism rise in his heart and could no longer suppress that sense of repress! He could not help but let out a loud roar! His voice sounded like thunder, resounding through the capital in the night, spreading out far and wide!
In the Sky Bearing City, thousands of people were shaken awake from their dreams.
Ling Tian was startled and never imagined that Ye QingChen’s reaction would be so great.
“Hahaha… good wine!!” As though the chivalrous spirit which he had suppressed for so many years had been unleashed, he could not help but pour himself another glass as he shouted out, “GOOD WINE!!”
“My old brother is indeed an emotional person!” Ling Tian laughed and his eyes lit up, “Since brother has such ambitions, then… ah ah ah, forgive this little brother for his words.”
Ye QingChen shook his head, “There isn’t anything wrong about your words. As long as one is a man, he would definitely have his ambitious moments. The problem lies with whether or not he has the ability and fate to fulfil it! There are some who would fight for their ambitions and others who would only conceal it deep within their heart. Controlling the world in his palms, being surrounded by beauties all around; as long as one is a man, he would definitely have such thoughts. The most difficult part would be to see if one has the guts and ability to do so. If one has the ability but does not do so, he is a coward. If one does not have the ability but still chooses to do so, he is a fool. If one with confidence, ambition and might fails, it is just his fate. Self-awareness is extremely important. If one does not have self-awareness, he is nothing more than a laughing stock to be ridiculed through the ages! Your old brother still has some self-awareness. This life, I can be a hermit, I can be a chivalrous knight, I can be a hero, but I cannot seek riches and honor! It is not about whether or not I dare, or have the ability, to do so. I just do not have the fortune… hehehe…”
Ye QingChen let out a self-deprecating laughter, “Actually, it isn’t a bad thing that I do not have the fate to do so. At least… let’s not talk about this anymore. There are still two more wine, what kind of good wine are they? Don’t keep me in suspense any longer. Let this older brother widen his horizons!”
“This little brother will definitely remember the wise words of old brother.” Ling Tian was moved; of the thousands and millions of people in the world, how many of them would be able to know themselves so well? How many of them would be able to control their ambitions? Since Ye QingChen did not have such ambitions, what is the point to test him and try to force him? Isn’t it better to just be genuine friends with him? This can also be considered to be a beautiful thing!
Thinking about this, Ling Tian gave up on his original plans. In that instant, he felt his originally uptight mental state become relaxed. To use such worldly schemes against a respectful hermit like Ye QingChen, Ling Tian was actually guilty in his heart. The moment he let go of this matter, he felt his mood become carefree as he laughed, “Old brother is right, it is my mistake. As for the other two wines, they are different from the previous few wines. They are fruit wines!”
“Oh? Fruit wine? Wine brewed from fruits? But this cannot be considered to be too special. That Drunken Celestial Towers is also famous for fruit wine but it cannot be compared to the wine which little brother had offered to me. No no, it can be said to be on a completely different level…” Ye QingChen then drank another glass of Hero’s Blood and could not help but exclaim, “Good wine!”
He then looked at Ling Tian with a smile and look of admiration in his eyes, “Brother, ever since the both of us met, only after that laughter of yours did you really treat me as a real brother!”
Ling Tian grinned as his face turned red and replied awkwardly, “I hope old brother will not blame me for that. This brother is born in the whirlpool of the Sky Bearing Empire and just cannot be as carefree as old brother. Thus, I did indeed think a little too much.”
Ye QingChen then replied with a smile, “Doesn’t matter! With your precarious position, it is a need for you to give more thought to things. You do not need to blame yourself. This old brother is in an extremely good mood today and we shall only talk about wine today! We shall not talk about anything else, lest we spoil the mood! Aren’t you going to take out your fruit wine? This old brother here is getting anxious!”
Ling Tian burst out into laughter and said, “Old brother does not need to be anxious, this little brother will describe them to you in detail.” The both of them looked at each other with a smile, as they finally developed a genuine brotherly bond!
“This two fruit wine of mine, one of them is extensive while the other focused. One of them is made from extracting the essence of a hundred fruits. The fruits were chosen, washed, skinned, smashed, examined, soaked, extracted, fermented, adjusted, filtered, and underwent countless of complicated processes. Throughout the process, only the purest mountain stream water was used. After that, it is stored into a wood bucket and buried for three years. The smell of this wine is fragrant and sweet with a strong aftertaste. As such, it is best drank slowly. Because it was made from a hundred different fruits, it can be said to be extremely extensive and is called the Hundred Fruits Wine!” Ling Tian explained with a smile.
“Oh, but the sweetness of the wine seems to discard the masculinity of a man. No matter how strong the aftertaste, there isn’t a point to drinking it!” Ye QingChen was completely uninterested, “This wine is still the best, making the blood of one boil and can be said to be the best wine for men!” As he said that, he could not help but pour himself another glass of Hero’s Blood.
“I never imagined that old brother would like that Hero’s Blood so much. But if that’s the case, you will miss this little brother’s final type of wine!” Ling Tian smiled.
Ye QingChen could not help but reply with frustration and disappointment, “You said that the last two wines were fruit wines. If the last one is also a sweet wine, it wouldn’t matter if I don’t drink it!”
All of a sudden, Ling Tian let out a sneaky smile, “Old brother, if you really don’t drink it, you will definitely regret it. Haiz, it’s such a pity for this beautiful wine!”
Ye QingChen’s originally red cheeks became a shade of red darker, “I already said that I do not like to drink fruit wine but you are still trying to tempt me with it. Can it be even better than the Hero’s Blood?”
Ling Tian smiled, “It is impossible to compare both the wines. But if old brother really insists on not drinking it, you are definitely losing out!”
Ye QingChen’s interest was also piqued by Ling Tian, “Alright, take out that last wine to let me witness an eye opener!”
Ling Tian then took out the last jug of wine solemnly and opened the seal on the wine. As the wave of fragrance was released, Ye QingChen could not help but be disappointed.
Ye QingChen then became a little displeased, “Little brother played a fool of this old brother. This is only an ordinary grape wine, what is so special about it!”
However, Ling Tian could not seem to be bothered about Ye QingChen’s displeasure. He then took out another transparent glass and handed the glass filled with grape wine to Ye QingChen, “Brother, try this cup of Man’s Blood!”
Ye QingChen was stunned for a moment; looking at the bright red grape wine in the transparent glass, it looked no different from the color of fresh blood. If he were to drink it in a mouthful, it was akin to drinking a mouthful of blood! It is robust indeed!
