Ch. 97 – Ticket to the Show

It took Hao Chen a moment to realize that Feng Ye was teasing him, but despite understanding, he still felt that something about Feng Ye was off.

Feng Ye didn’t seem like the type of person to joke around like that, ah. Thinking of the bowls of wine Feng Ye had drunk earlier, Hao Chen couldn’t help but look down at Feng Ye laying on his lower abdomen.

He couldn’t get a good look at him, but just then, Feng Ye raised his head and sat up straight again.

Hao Chen finally got a clear view of Feng Ye’s face. He wasn’t flushed or out of breath, and didn’t look drunk at all.

But those weren’t requirements for drunkenness. Some people could drink without showing any physical indications, even if they were so drunk that they couldn’t distinguish between humans and animals.

“Are you drunk?” Hao Chen raised five fingers and waved them in front of Feng Ye’s eyes.

“Not drunk,” was Feng Ye’s immediate retort.

He’s definitely drunk, Hao Chen concluded. Every drunk person would claim they weren’t.

Although he had previously used Feng Ye’s intolerance to alcohol as an excuse, this dragon unexpectedly couldn’t hold his liquor.

Alcohol tolerance varied from person to person, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise if someone handled it well or poorly. But right then, Hao Chen was genuinely shocked.

Given Yinglong’s reputation, he should be the kind of person who could drink a hundred cups without getting drunk, but it turned out that he could only drink three.

But when Hao Chen thought about it further, rumors tended to be unreliable. Before getting to know Feng Ye, how could he have imagined that this dragon, sharp-featured and covered in scales, actually had a soft heart?

This contrast inexplicably…..delighted him.

Hao Chen suppressed the urge to revert to his original form and roll around in the sea. Softening his voice, he coaxed the drunken dragon: “Alright, alright, you’re not drunk. Let me help you outside to get some fresh air.”

Feng Ye: “…..”

He really wasn’t drunk. He was just…..slightly tipsy.

Feng Ye didn’t drink often. In fact, he rarely drank at all.

Alcohol numbed the brain and slowed down reaction time, so he almost never drank of his own accord.

Having just drunk three bowls of wine, he was momentarily intoxicated, causing his rationality to falter long enough for him to inadvertently act before thinking.

But what was done was done. Just as he was wracking his brains for a reason to explain his loss of composure, Hao Chen handed him the perfect excuse. Pretending to be drunk was indeed a good option….

With this in mind, Feng Ye nodded obediently and prepared to go out for fresh air with Hao Chen’s assistance.

Seeing this, Fang Yang and Cao Zirui more or less understood the reason behind Feng Ye’s childish behavior just moments ago – as it turned out, he was drunk.

They exchanged a knowing glance. Why else would this Useless Shixiong try to listen to the sound of the sea for no reason? You couldn’t judge the logic of a drunkard.

Zhao Yi then nudged Wang Wu, who was slumped over the table. Although he had succumbed to the liquor, he wasn’t fully unconscious, and this nudge caused him to lift his head again.

Zhao Yi put his arm around Wang Wu’s shoulders and pulled him up, explaining to the others: “I’ll help him to the river to wash his face. Please make yourselves at home, we’ll be right back.”

Fang Yang and Cao Zirui nodded, and the former even offered enthusiastically: “Can I help you at all?”

As he spoke, he started to get up and help Zhao Yi support Wang Wu.

“No need!” Zhao Yi immediately declined his offer and quickened his pace, wary of Fang Yang following them.

Stepping outside, they saw Feng Ye and Hao Chen, who had come out before them. Zhao Yi nodded at them in greeting, then guided Wang Wu straight toward the river.

The river wasn’t near the house, and could only be reached by trekking through the forest. Wang Wu and Zhao Yi’s figures gradually vanished into the woods.

Feng Ye, with Hao Chen’s support, strolled around performatively a few times. When the other two had almost disappeared from sight, he suddenly brushed off Hao Chen’s hand and came up with an excuse to separate from him: “Didn’t you say you were tired earlier? How about you go back and rest for a while? We still have a journey ahead of us this afternoon. I’ll just stroll around by myself.”

Hao Chen wanted to say that he wasn’t tired now. Actually…..he wasn’t that tired before, either.

But he had used it as an excuse to make Feng Ye carry him all this way, and if he came clean now, it might not end well for him.

“Okay.” Hao Chen had no choice but to take Feng Ye’s suggestion.

He reluctantly said farewell to Feng Ye, then walked toward the wooden house.

Feng Ye watched Hao Chen leave, then turned and entered the forest.

Hao Chen immediately turned around and glanced back. It was blatantly obvious that Feng Ye had sent him away so that he could do something.

Although he wanted to go and watch the show in person, he could try a different approach…..a method he had used many times before.

Hao Chen approached the back of the wooden house. He deliberately chose this spot because it was unlikely for anyone to go there, making it convenient for him to cast his spell.

But just as he was about to take out his folding fan, he saw that Fang Yang and Cao Zirui, who should have been resting inside the house, were also there.

And next to them was a large dog, about half the height of a person.

The dog must belong to Wang Wu and his companion. It had brownish-grey fur, erect ears, and a slightly longer muzzle than most dogs. Its eyes were also much fiercer than those of a domesticated pet, and although it was nominally a dog, it really looked a lot like a wolf.

Facing the strangers standing before it, it crouched down and bared its fangs, letting out a threatening growl.

Judging by his ferocious appearance, it would have certainly pounced on the two people in front of it and bit them if it wasn’t tied back by a rope.

But teenagers always loved to play with cats and dogs, and no amount of aggression could stop them. Besides, the dog was leashed. It could do nothing but posture, powerless to harm them.

Therefore, Fang Yang crouched down in front of the big dog. He calculated the length of the rope to ensure that he was too far away for the dog to bite him, then confidently waved the leftover rabbit bone in front of the dog’s nose.

Cao Zirui stood behind him. He didn’t participate, but he did watch with great interest as Fang Yang played with the dog.

Seeing this, Hao Chen didn’t disturb the two of them. He turned around, deciding to find another place for himself.

Hao Chen entered the wooden house. Then he unfolded his fan and pulled off a rib from the outermost side, which transformed into a shiny black feather in his hand.

Hao Chen casually tossed the feather aside. As it fell to the floor, it transformed in the blink of an eye into a crow with spread wings, which then flapped its way into the woods.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and switch his perspective to his avatar, Hao Chen suddenly recalled that each time he released his avatar, it seemed to meet a terrible end.

He had used it three times in total, and was caught by Feng Ye twice. Feng Ye had even destroyed half of his previous fan.

Hopefully Feng Ye would be gentler this time, otherwise his newly-replaced folding fan would be missing a rib.

Hao Chen silently offered up a small prayer, then closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was looking down from above.

The vast land was laid out before him as he soared overhead.

Humans moved slowly through the forest due to the vegetation that often blocked their path, and sometimes had to take detours.

But birds didn’t have such a problem, as there was nothing to block their path in the sky. Therefore, although Hao Chen was the last to set off, he moved much faster than the three who had a head start and didn’t miss the opening of the show.

When he arrived, Wang Wu and Zhao Yi had just reached the riverbank.

Wang Wu was still completely drunk. He wasn’t faking it. He had genuinely been defeated by Hao Chen’s drinking capacity, and was dragged all the way here by Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi, who had been playing the good guy with Wang Wu for so long in front of their guests, finally ran out of patience and threw his drunken companion into the river.

It wasn’t a true river, but more of a trickling mountain stream where the deepest part only reached the ankle.

Wang Wu fell headfirst into the river, and didn’t react immediately.

A few moments later, bubbles began to gurgle up around Wang Wu’s face, and with a loud curse, he abruptly sprang to his feet out of the water.

The icy river water and the lingering fear of nearly drowning instantly brought him back to his senses. Looking around, he immediately spotted Zhao Yi standing on the shore with his arms crossed, and realized who the culprit was.

One curse hadn’t satisfied him, so he cursed again: “Motherfucker! Zhao Yi, are you out of your damn mind?!”

Zhao Yi replied with a sneer: “Aren’t you the one out of your mind? You didn’t even consider whether or not the two of us can handle that group, and just let them stay.”

“Why can’t we handle them?” Wang Wu shot back defiantly, wiping the water out of his eyes.

“A couple swigs of alcohol and you’ve practically forgotten your own surname! Those four are clearly not ordinary people. They’re definitely trained martial artists. And looking at their hands at the dinner table just now, three of them had callouses on their thumbs, indicating that they’ve been practicing for many years.” Zhao Yi scoffed at Wang Wu, who was still standing in the middle of the stream. “We could have tried a sleeping draught if we still had any, but we’ve been in this godsforsaken place for too long and we’re out of stock. With your pathetic skills, do you actually think you can take four people at once?”

Wang Wu didn’t care whether or not Zhao Yi’s analysis was reasonable. He had drunk a belly full of water, and was also holding a stomachful of anger. Zhao Yi’s tone sparked his temper, and he decided to vent his anger first before getting down to business. So he went right up to Zhao Yi and presented him with a string of warm greetings, from his children and grandchildren to eighteen generations of his ancestors, not missing a single one.

Not to be outdone, Zhao Yi expressed his longing for all of Wang Wu’s female relatives.

The two traded blows back and forth, and it was impossible to determine who had the upper hand.

The crow found itself a branch of suitable height and watched with great interest as the bandits fought amongst themselves.

Just as he was watching intently, he sensed a gust of wind approaching from the side.

The crow immediately flapped his wings and soared into the air to dodge.

When he looked closely, he found that it was a small twig the size of a thumb, which had been casually picked up and thrown directly at his perch.

Someone had taken a cheap shot at him.

In a place like this, there was basically only one person who would be bored enough to pick on a little crow.

Hao Chen flew off and quickly located Feng Ye, who was hiding behind a large tree as he watched the show.

Feng Ye, who was clearly a bit drunk but refused to admit it.

Although he claimed to just be slightly tipsy, drunk was drunk. At most, he was a little less inebriated than that, but he still wasn’t quite the same as usual.

The crow landed on the tree closest to Feng Ye and perched in the canopy, looking toward where Feng Ye was standing beneath the opposite tree.

Feng Ye was also looking up at him. 

It seems he noticed me long before, thought Hao Chen.

Although neither of them had explicitly revealed their identities to each other, they were both largely aware of the truth. In that case, there was no need for him to pretend to be some ordinary crow passing by.

With this in mind, a bold idea suddenly occurred to Hao Chen.

Feng Ye saw the pitch-black crow stare at him for a moment, and then it suddenly flew away without a word.

Is he angry? But I didn’t even hit him, Feng Ye thought with some confusion.

But before he could finish this thought, the crow was already returning with something clutched in its beak.

It was bright red, like some sort of berry.

This time, the crow didn’t perch on a branch. Instead, he flew straight to Feng Ye and hovered in front of him, flapping his wings.

Feng Ye figured this meant that he should take the berry, so he stretched out a hand and did so.

With his delivery successful, the crow then perched comfortably on Feng Ye’s shoulder.

Feng Ye turned his head to the side, staring silently at the crow on his shoulder. Hao Chen never learns his lesson, he thought to himself. He had destroyed Hao Chen’s avatar last time, and this time he actually dared to stand on top of him.

But things were different now, and Feng Ye had no intention of destroying it again. He already owed Hao Chen a fan, and if he owed him another one, his debt would grow even larger.

Oblivious to the thoughts running through his mind, Hao Chen actually dared to land directly on his shoulder. He even stared him directly in the eye, puffing out his fluffy chest with an air of complete self-righteousness.

What logic was this?

Feng Ye squeezed the berry in his hand, then suddenly realized what it meant.

This berry was a ticket – a ticket to stand on his shoulder.

As the saying went, be grateful when fed, and be obliging when someone gives you money. Although the berry was small, he had indeed accepted it.

Feng Ye: “…..”

He’d fallen for it.

A man and a bird hid behind a tree, avoiding the attention of Wang Wu and Zhao Yi. Even though the crow’s flapping had made some noise, who would suspect an ordinary little crow?

Feng Ye resigned himself to the extra passenger on his shoulder. Meanwhile, the two mountain bandits had finished their quarrel.

After cursing for a while, they had mostly vented their anger and could finally discuss serious matters.

“If you want to die, go on and do it yourself. I won’t accompany you,” Zhao Yi concluded, subtly shifting his feet as if to say that he would abandon his comrade if Wang Wu didn’t heed his advice.

There was never any genuine affection among mountain bandits. They were all the sort who valued money over their own lives, and if working alone wasn’t so inconvenient, they would never team up with others.

“What do you mean, I ‘want to die?’ Zhao Yi, tell me honestly, have I ever done anything that I wasn’t absolutely sure about?” 

Wang Wu’s words did make Zhao Yi a little uncertain. It was true. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to partner with Wang Wu for so long.

He couldn’t help but ask: “Then what’s your plan? Can you take all four of them at once?”

Wang Wu raised a finger and waved it. Instead of answering the question, he brought up Zhao Yi’s earlier speculation: “You said before that they’re all trained martial artists, but I don’t think that’s entirely true. We’ve traveled far and wide over the years and heard tales of people who cultivate to immortality, traversing heaven and earth and summoning the wind and rain.”

“You mean to say that they…..” Zhao Yi asked hesitantly.

“Don’t you think those people are strange? They’re clearly traveling without any proper luggage, and their tiny bundles shouldn’t last them more than a day or two. What gave them the confidence to enter this mountain forest? And did you notice that person’s clothes? That fellow named Feng Ye – I saw him spill a little wine on his clothes, and it just rolled right off. Have you ever seen fabric like that?”

Wang Wu answered his own question: “I’ve never heard of any place that can produce such fabric. They can only be those legendary cultivators.”

“And you still dare to make a move on them?! Are you insane?!” Wang Wu had convinced Zhao Yi, but this only increased his horror.

If they were ordinary martial artists, they still might be able to escape if they couldn’t defeat them. But who knew what sort of powers these mysterious cultivators possessed?

Some stories claimed that they were able to behead people from thousands of li away.

“Hehe.” Seeing the look of horror on Zhao Yi’s face, Wang Wu merely let out an easy chuckle. “Didn’t you hear their destination? They’re going to the ruins of the ancient city. You know how that place…..”

“Eats people.” Wang Wu deliberately lowered his voice when he spoke these two words.

A cold wind blew through the forest right at that moment. The crow put on a show of fear, tucking his feathers in as he moved a little closer to Feng Ye’s neck.

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