Lin Dongming stepped into the wine cellar, where all kinds of spirit wines were laid out before his eyes.
The first time he saw it, Lin Dongming was dazzled by the walls full of bottles: Black Duanxu, Drunken Mortal Dust, Hero’s Tomb, Dream of Jiangnan, Flower Visitor, Falling First Snow… just the names alone were hard to remember.
After spending more time there, he gradually learned which kinds of wine Yun Shuying preferred for different occasions.
Drunken Mortal Dust was fragrant and sweet; Yun Shuying drank it when she was feeling slightly down, and it was her most common choice.
Black Duanxu was a medicinal wine, the main ingredient being the legendary Duanxu that could reconnect meridians.
Its bitterness came first but left a lingering aftertaste. Yun Shuying liked it when she was injured or troubled.
Falling First Snow was even easier to understand—every early winter, especially when the first snow fell, Yun Shuying would go to the Lake Heart Pavilion to brew wine and watch the snow, and this was the spirit brew she always brought.
Dream of Jiangnan was rarely seen with Yun Shuying drinking it. Jiangnan was an ancient place name, now lost to the sands of time, impossible to trace.
Only once did Lin Dongming see Yun Shuying drinking it alone on the Sky Terrace. That night, her eyes were full of regretful longing, as if she were a surviving native of Jiangnan mourning her departed homeland.
As for Hero’s Tomb, Lin Dongming had never seen her open it. From the faint aroma wafting out, he knew it was an extremely potent wine, one bowl of which could fell even the mightiest hero.
“Today, Drunken Mortal Dust should be fine,” Lin Dongming said, his hand already reaching for the bottle, but then he recalled the slight frown on Yun Shuying’s face. Shaking his head, he put the Drunken Mortal Dust back and picked up a jar of Black Duanxu instead.
When Lin Dongming came out, Yun Shuying raised her eyebrows in surprise, her expression softening slightly. “I thought you’d choose Drunken Mortal Dust.”
Lin Dongming knew he’d made the right choice and relaxed a little. “I just feel today suits this wine better.”
“You’re getting more sensible,” Yun Shuying said lazily as she headed toward the Sky Terrace. “Drink more today.”
Lin Dongming followed, uncorked the jar, and poured two bowls of wine onto the small table. The deep, ancient wood aroma slowly spread out, and the taste was bitter at first, with a sweet aftertaste that took a while to surface on the tongue.
“You’re already in Jindan, and you still don’t use spirit energy to draw out the wine?”
“This feels more ceremonial,” Lin Dongming said casually.
“Ceremonial? You young people do love new words.”
“It just makes it feel like drinking seriously,” Lin Dongming shrugged.
“If the Ancient Kingdom of Jiangnan still existed, maybe the people there drank like us, just like those young gentlemen in the Boat of Painted Scenery down the mountain.”
Lin Dongming felt Jiangnan Ancient Kingdom was a safe topic because Yun Shuying never reacted strongly to it.
The longing she showed when drinking Dream of Jiangnan was probably more about a similar place… or someone.
“The Ancient Kingdom of Jiangnan… it’s said to have been a land of Immortals. Its territory stretched for thousands of miles, with pavilions and towers connected in clusters. At night, everywhere was ablaze with brilliant lights, with star bridges and iron chains,” Lin Dongming said. He never asked Yun Shuying about her feelings unless she wanted to talk.
After all, to her, he was just an emotional attendant. Some things weren’t meant to be shared.
So their conversations about drinking usually drifted aimlessly across distant lands and topics.
“Immortals, huh… they’re all gone now,” Lin Dongming said with a sigh.
Ancient records once documented the deeds of Immortals, but their cultivation methods had long since been lost. The highest realm nowadays was the Tribulation Stage of nine levels. Beyond that was a barren wilderness with no clear path.
“Do you want to become an Immortal?”
Yun Shuying glanced at Lin Dongming.
“Of course. Which cultivator doesn’t?”
Lin Dongming teased. “Otherwise, why cultivate?”
“Why not?”
“For the most ordinary reason,” Lin Dongming shrugged.
“To live as long as Heaven and Earth, shine like the sun and moon, to call the wind and summon the rain—any normal person would be tempted.”
“…True,” Yun Shuying hesitated, then changed the subject. “But you’re only in Jindan; the road is still long.”
“I’m not expecting to become an Immortal,” Lin Dongming said. “Making it to the Conjunction Stage would be great.”
In truth, Lin Dongming’s goal was just to reach the Conjunction Stage. To break free from most of the Cultivation World’s constraints and establish his own domain.
“As for you… you’re not far from the Tribulation Stage, right?”
Lin Dongming probed. Yun Shuying should have been in late Conjunction Stage for some time, with cultivation close to Tuoba Wanyu.
“I don’t know. No one knows when the Tribulation will come,” Yun Shuying replied indifferently.
“It could be just a few years or take hundreds or thousands. Otherwise, many cultivators would have advanced beyond Conjunction before death.”
“I heard some people can even create their own Tribulation,” Lin Dongming said.
“That’s too difficult,” Yun Shuying shook her head. “Forcing it means something’s missing. Besides, I’m not that kind of person.”
“I’ve heard if your cultivation is perfect, you can have a chance to undergo Tribulation even at the last moment of Conjunction,” Lin Dongming tried.
“You’re quite the rumor collector,” Yun Shuying said as her cup emptied; Lin Dongming quickly refilled it.
“It’s true. Everyone’s Tribulation is different; the only common thing is the approach of death. When Lifespan runs out, that’s called the Lifespan Tribulation.”
“But I probably won’t wait for that,” Yun Shuying finished another bowl. “Other Tribulations will find me first.”
“Oh?”
“Likely the Mortal Tribulation or the Delusion Tribulation.”
Mortal Tribulation mostly concerned mundane worldly attachments: unfulfilled desires, hateful separations, resentments and grudges. Usually, only those deeply entangled in emotions experienced it.
Delusion Tribulation was a personified manifestation of excessive obsession with certain people or things. Some considered it a form of Heart Demon Tribulation.
Yun Shuying teasingly stood up, her cheeks flushed. “Come, dance with me.”
—This guy’s drunk again.
Though he silently cursed in his mind, Lin Dongming said aloud, “It would be an honor.” And without hesitation.
Partly because of his professionalism—taking money meant taking on the job.
But also because if he showed even the slightest reluctance, Yun Shuying would be unhappy.
Moreover, Yun Shuying was versed in many arts of cultivation. If she wished, she had numerous ways to manipulate Lin Dongming to dance.
For example, the Mechanical Puppet Technique could use spirit energy to conjure threads that controlled lifeless puppets. The same method could be used to control another cultivator’s body.
Given the gap between their realms, Lin Dongming had no chance to break free.
Not to mention dancing—with Yun Shuying’s control, she could easily make Lin Dongming wear women’s clothes if she wanted!