The tavern was already packed with people, filled with laughter and chatter. The six of them were practically squeezed together around a small round table, which was still better than those who came later and had to bring chairs to sit outside and drink.
Ye Ye looked around and said, “I don’t know where Lu Li went. I searched for a long time but couldn’t find him. What a pity, I originally wanted to invite him to drink with us.”
He quite liked this man from the Eastern Sea. Although people from the Eastern Sea were known for being open and generous, Lu Li was very serious and proper, which suited his taste. The key was that this person seemed to have a deep relationship with Gelin. Gelin was always making trouble and easily got into mischief, so it would be good to entrust him to take care of her.
Bai Li Gelin now had a headache just thinking about him. A whole month had passed, and Lu Li had been treating her like she was invisible. After leaving the trial grounds, he immediately disappeared, as if avoiding the plague. No matter how guilty she felt or how sincerely she wanted to apologize, he just made her angry.
“Why call him? If he comes, the wine will turn sour!” Bai Li Gelin frowned as she poured six bowls of wine. She raised her bowl and said, “Come on, let’s drink! We’re going to separate tomorrow. If things go smoothly, we can reunite in Lu Gong Town next August. If not, who knows when we’ll be able to sit together and drink again? Tonight, no one is allowed to refuse to drink. Li Fei, especially you – you’re not allowed to have Lei Xiuyuan drink for you. If you get drunk, he can carry you.”
With that, she burst into laughter. The six of them drained their bowls in one go. The month-long trial hadn’t been too intense, and they often gathered to chat and laugh. They had shared all the interesting stories from the past five years, but with the impending separation, there were still some unfinished words they wanted to say.
Li Fei rested her chin on her hand, listening to Ye Ye and Lei Xiuyuan discuss cultivation matters. She noticed Ji Tongzhou drinking alone silently. While everyone else had only finished one bowl, two empty wine jugs already sat in front of him. Seeming to sense her gaze, Ji Tongzhou gave her a faint smile, raising his bowl to lightly clink against hers: “Cheers.”
He drained his bowl in one gulp as if drinking water. Li Fei couldn’t help but exclaim, “If you drink like that, you’ll get drunk right away.”
Ji Tongzhou said in a low voice, “I don’t think I’ll get drunk today.”
Li Fei sat up straight: “Why?”
He propped his chin on his hand, staring at her, and smiled, “Do you want to know?”
Li Fei was about to speak when she suddenly felt a hand grasp her chin. Her face was involuntarily turned in another direction, facing Lei Xiuyuan’s expressionless face. He suddenly picked up some bamboo shoots with his chopsticks and stuffed them into her mouth, saying flatly, “Eat more food, talk less. Your chin is covered in oil.”
Covered in oil?! Li Fei hurriedly wiped her chin, but after wiping for a while, she didn’t feel any oil. Looking back at Lei Xiuyuan, she saw his eyes crinkled in laughter. Li Fei stepped on his foot and frowned, “You’re the one covered in oil. Your head is full of rice grains!”
Lei Xiuyuan smiled and lightly touched her face, saying softly, “Your face is already hot.”
Li Fei touched her face. She wasn’t holding her liquor well today. The white wine in this tavern was very strong, feeling like knives and spears stabbing in her mouth when she drank it, then burning her heart and lungs when swallowed. After two bowls, she was already feeling tipsy.
Ye Ye poured another round of drinks and smiled, “Let’s drink again. It feels lonely without Lu Li here.”
Bai Li Gelin smiled and leaned on Li Fei’s shoulder, whispering to her, “Li Fei, if you like Lei Xiuyuan, you should stay away from Ji Tongzhou in the future.”
Li Fei was stunned, “…What do you mean?”
“Silly.” Bai Li Gelin pinched her, “Haven’t you noticed?”
Noticed what? Li Fei looked at her in confusion.
Bai Li Gelin sighed, “I guess it’s understandable. He’s only started acting strange recently. No one noticed before. Anyway, it’s not wrong to stay away from him. Oh, but you probably won’t see him after returning to the sect. Just be aware of it yourself.”
Li Fei lowered her head, pondering the deeper meaning of her words. What was wrong with Ji Tongzhou? In her eyes, Ji Tongzhou was like a three-year-old child, always causing trouble, either fighting or showing off his princely power. He only seemed a bit off for those few days after escaping the illusion, but then he returned to normal.
Honestly, she hadn’t paid much attention to Ji Tongzhou’s affairs. Now that Bai Li Gelin suddenly brought him up, she had to think hard about what was wrong with him. Although they had spent a month together day and night, she hadn’t focused on him and couldn’t recall anything specific.
Seeing Li Fei thinking so hard and even glancing toward Ji Tongzhou, Bai Li Gelin immediately regretted speaking up. Li Fei probably hadn’t had any particular feelings about him before, but now that she mentioned it, she might end up paying more attention to him. She quickly hugged Li Fei and turned her face back.
Li Fei lightly punched her, “Smooth talker.”
She stopped looking in Ji Tongzhou’s direction and continued drinking while pondering in her heart, but no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand the reasons behind it all.
After four jugs of strong wine, Li Fei felt everything in front of her was jumping. It was her first time being this drunk, feeling like she was in a dream, dazed and confused. Suddenly, a hand covered her face, and Lei Xiuyuan leaned in to look at her closely, chuckling, “You’re drunk now. Want to sleep?”
Li Fei was startled and looked around, only to see pearl curtains hanging down and red coral on the shelves. When had she returned to the inn? She tried to stand up holding the table, but her legs were weak. Lei Xiuyuan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lifted her, carrying her sideways in his arms. Li Fei felt herself go limp as she was held sitting across his lap.
“How are you feeling?” he asked softly, his hand gently stroking her back. “Don’t glare. Go to sleep early.”
Strangely, despite being this drunk, she didn’t feel sleepy anymore. Li Fei shook her head and leaned against his chest. Lei Xiuyuan felt her trembling slightly, probably shivering from drinking too much. He opened his arms and held her tightly, stroking her back up and down, like petting a cat.
“Xiuyuan,” she called him hazily.
“Hmm?”
“Xiuyuan.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know, just calling you.” Li Fei smiled foolishly.
Lei Xiuyuan also smiled. He cupped her face, his thumb slowly tracing her eyebrows and cheeks, then leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead.
Li Fei looked up at him. Emboldened by the alcohol, she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Lei Xiuyuan seemed to be stunned for a moment. His arms slowly tightened, holding her against his chest. The jeweled flower in her hair was about to fall off, so he simply removed it for her. A strand of hair slipped down, and he twirled it around his finger, then brought it to his nose for a light sniff. Her enchanting, unique fragrance enveloped the entire world.
“Li Fei,” he called her name softly.
Her starry eyes were as if intoxicated. Lei Xiuyuan couldn’t help but lean down to kiss her eyes, his lips gradually moving downward, finally landing on her half-open mouth. He slowly kissed along the contours of her lips, his hand caressing her burning cheek, brushing her long hair behind her head. The unique fragrance from her mouth was intoxicating. He explored her soft lips with his own, rubbing and entangling, breathing in her scent.
Li Fei was so drunk that her head was buzzing, lying limply in his arms. She felt like she was about to be crushed by him again. Her lips alternated between feeling hot and cold. Suddenly, he parted her lips and delved deep inside, licking and entangling. Li Fei let out a low, trembling gasp, instinctively trying to retreat. He held the back of her head, restraining her, holding her, leaving her nowhere to escape.
Her whole body was shaking, sometimes feeling very light, feeling like she was sinking heavily. His burning lips traced the contour of her chin and moved down, gently biting her neck. This strange, subtle pain made her dizzy with emotion. She vaguely felt that something wasn’t quite right, but she couldn’t react.
He used his teeth to gently pull open her collar, and the subtle pain spread throughout her body. Li Fei felt like she had melted into a soft, sticky puddle of water, about to flow down his body, utterly dazed.
After who knows how long, Lei Xiuyuan suddenly pushed her away urgently, forcefully tightening and closing her loose collar. His voice sounded unusually hoarse: “Go to sleep. I’m leaving.”
She was too drunk to think clearly and felt greatly disappointed. She grabbed his sleeve, murmuring, “Aren’t we sleeping together?”
Lei Xiuyuan grasped one of her wrists and bit it hard again. Li Fei cried out in pain, becoming slightly more clear-headed. She looked at him, then around the room, completely bewildered.
“Go to sleep,” Lei Xiuyuan pressed down on her head and then stood up and left.
Bai Li Gelin lifted the curtain of the tavern. As soon as she stepped outside, she felt the night wind biting cold against her skin. Her slightly foggy mind finally cleared a bit from the chill.
Ye Ye came out carrying Changyu in his arms. Seeing the reluctance in Bai Li Gelin’s expression, he smiled and patted her head, saying gently, “Gelin, stop making trouble all the time in the future. You should be more steady now.”
With the impending separation, Bai Li Gelin didn’t want to argue with him anymore. She immediately smiled and nodded, then seeing Changyu sleeping soundly, she deliberately put on a stern face and said, “I’ll go with you to send my sister back, in case you misbehave.”
Ye Ye laughed and flicked her forehead hard, “You little imp. Hurry back, and stop quarreling with Lu Li. He’s steady and reliable, you should learn from him more. With him taking care of you, we can be at ease.”
Why bring up Lu Li again? Bai Li Gelin was extremely helpless. She nodded perfunctorily, “I know, go back quickly and take good care of my sister.”
She silently watched as Ye Ye and Changyu’s figures disappeared into the night. For some reason, a faint sense of loneliness enveloped her heart. She was left alone in the Eastern Sea again. In the past, when she had unresolved issues in her heart, she didn’t dwell on the loneliness of being away from home by herself. Now that her long-standing knot had been untied, with her family suddenly leaving, she finally tasted a hint of bitter parting sorrow.
Bai Li Gelin sighed and slowly turned to leave the tavern. The moon in the sky cast a silver glow for thousands of miles, and lanterns hung under all the eaves, lighting up the town as bright as day.
She slowly strolled along the narrow street, recalling past events, sometimes smiling, sometimes lost in thought. Suddenly, she noticed a group of people approaching from the opposite direction. She instinctively moved to avoid them, but then heard someone call out, “Junior Sister Bai Li!”
Bai Li Gelin looked up in surprise to see several senior brothers from the Wan Xian Hui, including Lu Li, whom Ye Ye had been unable to find earlier. She felt annoyed just seeing him. She nodded casually and smiled as a greeting. Another senior brother laughed and said, “Why are you alone? If we had known you were by yourself, you should have joined us for a drink. I heard from Junior Brother Chen that you’re a drinking champion!”
Bai Li Gelin forced a laugh and made some perfunctory remarks. These senior brothers didn’t press her, as they were eight or nine years older than her and wouldn’t be as tactless as the teenage disciples. They passed by her, laughing and chatting. Bai Li Gelin instinctively looked back at Lu Li, who remained expressionless, still treating her as if she were invisible.
Remembering what Ye Ye and Li Fei had said, she suddenly frowned and stopped, saying, “Senior Brother Lu, could I have a word with you?”