Chapter 50: Su Wanning Discovers the Truth

Chapter 50: Su Wanning Discovers the Truth

Su Yuanpeng felt his younger sister was beyond saving.

He’d clearly told her the wine was fake, but she stubbornly insisted it was real—refusing to let him taste even a drop.

“Third Sister, you don’t handle alcohol well. Don’t drink too much at once!”

“I know!”

Though Su Wanning agreed aloud, she didn’t find the wine strong at all. It tasted sweet and smooth, with no trace of heat.

She downed the entire bottle in a few gulps, determined to destroy the evidence.

Muttering to herself, she said, “Not even a hint of alcohol. That idiot Xiao Chen must’ve been scammed.”

Standing up, she opened the door. “I’ve tasted it—it’s real wine. No problem at all.”

“Now I need to cultivate. Keep watch by the door and make sure no one interrupts me.”

Su Yuanpeng didn’t buy it. “Third Sister, with your tolerance, if that were actually spirit wine, you’d already be under the table.”

Before he finished speaking, Su Wanning suddenly collapsed backward, fainting at the doorway.

“Third Sister!” Su Yuanpeng rushed forward in alarm.

But before he could move, strange fluctuations in spiritual energy rippled nearby.

Realization dawned—Could the wine actually be genuine?

Heavenly qi from all directions surged to life, swirling around Su Wanning. A shimmering water curtain materialized before her, reflecting the moon’s image within its depths.

Su Yuanpeng froze, his eyes wide as copper bells. “How could that wine possibly be real?!”

The next noon, Su Wanning echoed his shock: “How could that wine possibly be real?!”

When she awoke in the morning, she found herself surrounded by chattering relatives—her aunts and cousins, gossiping while scrutinizing her sleeping posture.

Frustrated, she muttered, “That damned Xiao Chen! Why didn’t he warn me moonlit spring wine would knock me out cold?!”

She’d completely forgotten volunteering to store the wine for Su Yuanpeng the day before.

“Third Sister, you’re awake!”

Hearing her stir, Su Yuanpeng knocked on the door. “I need to talk to you.”

Su Wanning yanked the door open, her face dark. “Where did you vanish to last night?”

“I went to the lantern festival to buy wine,” he admitted. “But I couldn’t find any anywhere. Third Sister, tell me—where did you get it?”

“Su! Yuan! Peng!”

She gritted her teeth. “You left me alone for wine? In your eyes, is your own sister less important than alcohol?!”

He scratched his head, baffled. “What trouble could you possibly have at home? You’re fine now, aren’t you?”

“Just tell me—where did this wine come from? Who’s powerful enough to get moonlit spring wine at a time like this?”

“I asked everywhere this morning. No one’s heard anything.”

Slam! The door shut in his face.

Su Wanning shouted, “Get lost!”

She buried her face in a pillow, finally pondering the question.

Su Yuanpeng’s entire circle of drinking buddies had drawn blanks. How had Xiao Chen obtained moonlit spring wine?

“Could it be… he wanted to return the favor after I gave him Li Guquan?”

“Is it because I have a water spirit root that he specially prepared moonlit spring wine for me? It must’ve been difficult—he probably spent ages preparing it.”

Suddenly, she realized: “Right! After I gave him Li Guquan, he stopped accepting my invitations.”

“But yesterday, he invited me in for fish soup. Was that because he’d finally prepared his gift?”

“Tsk, tsk. Such a proud soul, so concerned with face.”

Su Wanning felt she’d unraveled the truth—Xiao Chen’s hidden thoughts.

“Was he retaliating for me not warning him about Li Guquan’s aftereffects? Even down to this tiny detail?”

She chuckled, punching her pillow. “Hmph. Such a petty heart.”

Unaware of his new labels—“petty” and “prideful”—Xiao Chen had already refined the Xia Guang Huo Yun Guo fruit. His vitality surged instantly, and for days afterward, his spirit felt unusually refreshed.

As expected, it nourished the yuan spirit.

Now, he spent every spare moment outside cultivation etching talismans with mana, striving to achieve minor mastery and unleash a devastating technique of a thousand mysterious flames.

The Lihuo Sect was supposed to resume normal operations starting the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.

Xiao Chen had stayed on the mountain instead of retreating to the riverside beach for cultivation.

But this year, the opening ceremony faced repeated delays, eventually getting canceled outright.

Rumors spread that many low-level disciples had either arrived late or vanished entirely, causing sect affairs to stall repeatedly.

By the evening of the twenty-second, Xiao Chen received his third notice from the Merit Hall postponing task distributions from the Mission Pavilion.

Later that night, Elder Qi visited personally, asking, “Did you encounter any rogue cultivators during the New Year celebrations?”

Xiao Chen shook his head. “Thank you for your concern, Elder. I didn’t meet any.”

His previous attack had occurred before the festival, so it didn’t count as happening during the celebrations.

Elder Qi warned, “Good. Lately, many low-level cultivators from Quanzhou and Hezhou have flooded in. The outside world is in chaos.”

“Yesterday, an outer sect disciple was confirmed murdered. The sect is investigating. Unless necessary, stay on the mountain and avoid wandering out.”

Xiao Chen nodded. “Understood, Elder. I have no urgent matters, so I won’t go out.”

No urgent matters… except one.

Tomorrow marked the Black Market’s scheduled gathering.

Whether to sell surplus Flying Swords and storage bags, purchase cheap wood-element spells, or acquire Quanzhou specialties, he had every reason to go.

He might even gather intelligence on Quanzhou cultivators’ activities.

To be safe, he’d already visited the bazaar earlier, buying six Light Body Talismans and two superior Wind-riding Talismans.

Due to the unstable situation, prices had doubled—three spirit stones for six Light Body Talismans, two spirit stones per Wind-riding Talisman.

He also carried a legacy manual on talisman crafting and its required materials.

Originally meant for self-study, he now planned to sell them.

Better to dispose of them before they expired uselessly.

When time allowed, he’d buy fresh supplies—and perhaps a better talisman brush.

From his experience with the Three-Legged Reflux Furnace, investing spirit stones in quality tools truly improved one’s craft.

At dawn on the twenty-third, Xiao Chen donned his Cloak of Hidden Tracks and arrived at Niu Village’s southwest before the third quarter of the morning hour.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end