Chapter 127: Chapter 116: Draft
Senior Brother Liu exclaimed, "Junior Brother Liu, you've gone too far with that request! No, absolutely not! The three volumes of the Stellar Virtue Manuscript from our peak are worth more than ten thousand gold. How could we just let anyone take a look at them so easily?"
But Liu Suiyun only smiled without responding. Senior Brother Liu knew he was being taken advantage of, so after a moment of hesitation, he offered, "How about a different condition? I can offer a bit less benefit when the time comes!"
Liu Suiyun kept smiling without a word, while Shan Yunping chimed in, completely unceremonious, "It's just three scrolls of notes. If those get taken by the sect for construction, wouldn't the loss be enormous? Building a spiritual herb garden would cost at least two hundred thousand spirit stones, and if the sect takes them, who knows, it might end up being three or four hundred thousand!"
He and Senior Brother Liu were somewhat familiar with each other, but since Senior Brother Liu had spoken harshly about Baicao Peak today, Shan Yunping naturally helped Liu Suiyun press him further. Finally, Senior Brother Liu couldn't hold out any longer. "Junior Brother Liu, don't be hasty, don't be hasty. Let me go back and discuss this with the peak. I'll bring you the Stellar Virtue Manuscript table of contents, alright?"
Sometimes, just viewing a table of contents could determine the value of a book, and so Sanyang Peak never allowed anyone to even glance at the cover or contents of the Stellar Virtue Manuscript. Now, Senior Brother Liu was making a humiliating concession: "I'll go back and talk it over with the senior uncles and brothers. I'll give you an answer, alright?"
With that, he tried to leave, but Liu Suiyun grabbed him. "Senior Brother Liu, do you know what time it is? It's time for a meal! You came all the way here and now you're just going to leave? Are you disrespecting Sister-in-law Yuehua's cooking? Sit down and have a drink with me first!"
Senior Brother Liu panicked. "I need to get back to the peak and give the senior uncles and brothers a reply!"
Shan Yunping grabbed his other hand. "Senior Brother Liu, you came to my house today and won't even touch the food? That's looking down on me! Come on, let's drink together!"
Senior Brother Liu pleaded, "I really have something urgent. I must return to the peak!"
"What's so urgent?" Liu Suiyun immediately retorted. "Is it about the spiritual herb garden? Don't worry. Have a few more cups of wine, the sky won't fall. As long as you lend me the three volumes of Stellar Virtue Manuscript, I guarantee everything will go smoothly!"
"Then tell me now, Junior Brother Liu, how do I deal with this situation?" Senior Brother Liu continued to beg. "I'm stuck in an impossible position!"
"Bring me the Stellar Virtue Manuscript!" Liu Suiyun said bluntly. "It's a simple exchange. Wine first, then business!"
"Exactly," Shan Yunping added, dragging him to the table. "Why spoil the fun? Are you afraid of walking the mountain paths in the dark?"
Provoked, Senior Brother Liu shouted, "What? Afraid of the dark? I wasn't even afraid when I was three years old! But seriously, I can't drink anymore!"
At this moment, Gong Yuehua raised her cup and toasted Senior Brother Liu. "Senior Brother Liu, do you despise my humble home? Are the food and wine not to your taste? Or do you think I'm not sincere enough? I've prepared all this with care just for you. Are you looking down on me because I'm just a mortal?"
"No! No!" Senior Brother Liu was thrown completely off balance by Gong Yuehua's words. "Alright, alright! I'll drink!"
"Senior Brother Liu, since you've drunk Sister-in-law Yuehua's cup, now it's my turn to toast you!" Liu Suiyun quickly joined the fray. "Don't worry, the sky won't fall. Let's enjoy ourselves!"
Shan Yunping continued to urge him on, "Since you've drunk with Junior Brother Liu, now it's my turn, right?"
At that moment, Senior Brother Liu realized he had walked into a trap, but soon enough, he was drinking and eating happily. "Alright, Junior Brother Liu, today you've truly tricked me. So, you must drink this cup with me!"
Liu Suiyun didn't hesitate, downing his cup in one gulp. "How could you say I've tricked you? Was it my idea to build a new spiritual herb garden? Senior Brother, you owe me a drink!"
"Alright, alright! I'll drink too!"
The group feasted merrily at the table, with Gong Yuehua continuously bringing out more dishes until the entire table was filled. Liu Suiyun and Shan Yunping sat on either side of Senior Brother Liu, urging him to drink without end. Gong Yuehua sat across from them, occasionally raising her glass for a toast, while mostly feeding Shan Yulin.
The clever Shan Yulin even chimed in when Senior Brother Liu tried to stop drinking. She held up a bowl of soup, her voice soft and sweet, "Uncle, let's have a drink together!"
At that, all of Senior Brother Liu's resolve melted away. He downed a huge bowl of wine and quickly ate some food to soak up the alcohol.
Fortunately, the food was excellent. Liu Suiyun thought that Gong Yuehua's cooking might not be the best in the Shenxiao Sect, but it certainly had an immortal's touch.
As cultivators ascend in rank, their sense of taste diminishes. No matter how flavorful food is—whether sweet, sour, bitter, or salty—it all becomes bland to their heightened senses. Yet, Gong Yuehua's dishes, though light on seasoning, preserved the ingredients' natural essence and the subtle spiritual energy within them, creating a fresh, pure taste that was both distinct and satisfying, especially for cultivators.
Liu Suiyun was enjoying his meal and raised his cup. "By the way, Senior Brother Liu, I still don't know your full name. I keep calling you 'Senior Brother Liu' like everyone else. If someone asks me who from Sanyang Peak helped me, I won't know how to answer!"
"My name is Liu Buchan," he replied. "But I really can't drink anymore. Look, we've almost finished all the dishes!"
Gong Yuehua stood up immediately. "Senior Brother, are you saying there's not enough food? I'll go to the kitchen and make a few more dishes!"
The drinking went on for over an hour, and by the time they had downed three whole jars of wine and five more dishes had been cooked, Senior Brother Liu finally managed to break free from their grasp and head back to Sanyang Peak. "Junior Brother Liu, don't worry, I'll get you an answer as soon as possible!"
"Good, good!" Liu Suiyun watched Senior Brother Liu disappear into the night, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness he didn't drink too much. At least we won't delay the important matters."
Shan Yunping raised a cup of wine. "Junior Brother Liu, why did you insist on keeping Senior Brother Liu here? A few drinks and a meal can't buy him off, and besides, he doesn't hold much power at Sanyang Peak. What's your plan?"
"Last-minute preparations!" Liu Suiyun casually pulled out a handful of spirit herbs. "I'm preparing for a long shot."
Gong Yuehua, who had been quietly cleaning up, was startled by this. "So you're not confident? I thought you had everything under control!"
Liu Suiyun, still flipping through his book of spirit herbs, replied, "Not in the slightest. But with such a golden opportunity, how could I not give it a try? If by some stroke of luck I succeed, I'll have hit the jackpot!"
"And what if you don't find what you're looking for?" Gong Yuehua asked.
"Then I've lost nothing!" Liu Suiyun answered while still searching. "In this case, I'm already in an unbeatable position."
Shan Yunping thought about it carefully and realized Liu Suiyun had never made any promises to Senior Brother Liu. He had to admire Liu Suiyun's composure under pressure. "Then why did you hold onto old Liu?"
Liu Suiyun chuckled. "Without this hour to prepare, I wouldn't even know where to start my search."
Gong Yuehua and Shan Yunping finally understood. Liu Suiyun had delayed Senior Brother Liu not just to drink but to mentally draft his strategy.
Liu Suiyun muttered to himself, "I must seize this opportunity. No, I should be clinging to my master's wife's coattails right now... but I can't seem to find the answer..."
Liu Suiyun knew almost nothing about enhancing the efficacy of the Sanyang Herb, so he combed through the Essential Records of True Spirit Herbs for answers. Fortunately, the hour he had spent planning gave him a rough direction. "Still can't find it... this method won't work... wait, here it is, the fire-type spirit herbs..."
At first, he was mumbling to himself, but soon he became entirely immersed in the Essential Records of True Spirit Herbs. He had never experienced such a smooth and fluid reading session before.
Every moment, he raced against time, but in the midst of it, he forgot the concept of time entirely.