novelSeeking Old Dreams for Thirty Years
| ← Ch.2054 | Ch.2056 → |
Three days later:
Xiao Chen picked up Iron Egg and prepared to head for Peach Blossom City.
Sang remained in the village as a precaution.
Grandpa Seven had told Xiao Chen to bring Iron Egg, to show him the world. As for Grandpa Seven, he rejected Xiao Chen's invitation to go along.
Xiao Chen brought along the ten-odd bottles of Waning Moon that Grandpa Seven brewed, the half-bottle of Heart Burn, and the hopes of the entire village. Then, the two of them left swiftly, riding on horses.
"Iron Egg, have you been to Peach Blossom City?"
"I have never been there before. However, I heard from Grandpa Seven that the place is filled with peach blossoms. It is a beautiful place that is akin to a wonderland."
Iron Egg felt excited to go far away to see the world.
Xiao Chen felt some anticipation too. He had been in the Desolate Sea for a long time already, but he had rarely spent time in cities, much less a large city like Peach Blossom City.
He had spent most of his time in the village and ended up distancing himself from cultivators. This was a new experience for him.
Xiao Chen had not had such intimate contact with ordinary people—living with them—for such a long time already.
After riding for seven days, the two smelled a heavy wine fragrance under the hot blazing sun.
Since the two already smelled the wine fragrance, Peach Blossom City was naturally close by. An oasis appeared at the limits of their vision.
Xiao Chen opened his Heavenly Eye and looked into the distance.
The scarlet ground stretched out for kilometers. It was very rare to see such a vast oasis in this Desolate Sea with its harsh environment.
Many cities were built on desolate land.
However, the oasis had large patches of peach trees. Pink peach blossoms carpeted the ground.
A clear river meandered through the peach forest. There were lush mountain ranges on both sides. The scenery in the thousands of kilometers of the peach forest looked very poetic and elegant. However, just thinking about the vastness of the peach forest shocked one's heart.
Hence, this place was known as the Peach Blossom Wall, famous throughout the Desolate Sea.
Peach Blossom City lay beyond this vast peach forest.
Xiao Chen withdrew his gaze, and the two urged their horses on. They finally reached the peach forest before sunset.
Several cultivators gathered under the peach trees. They played musical instruments, drank wine among the peach blossoms, chatted merrily with each other, and attracted attention.
Xiao Chen had only observed from afar in the past. He had never been to Peach Blossom City. When the two entered the peach forest, the horse hooves tore the flowers on the ground. However, they could not find their way into the city.
Xiao Chen only found out after asking around.
It turned out the river was the only method to enter the city. Furthermore, one needed a boatman to take them in.
No amount of Primeval Heavenly Pills could hire a boatman. One needed to offer up a cup of fine wine.
If the boatman felt that the wine was good, they would bring you into the city.
Otherwise, no amount of resources would budge them. One could only smell the fragrance from this peach forest, unable to participate in the wine festival.
It turned out that there was such a rule. This could be considered a threshold.
The two wandered along the riverside on their horses. Then, they saw a boat waiting at the riverside with no one queuing up there, so they rushed over.
The boatman wore a woven rush raincoat. As he sat at the prow of his boat, he angled for fish with a hook and line tied to a pole.
Xiao Chen took a glance and felt startled. This seemingly ordinary boatman actually had a vague and unfathomable cultivation. It felt like he was at least a Great Perfection Sovereign Personage.
However, Iron Egg did not sense it. He stepped forward and asked, "Uncle, are you ferrying people?"
Xiao Chen found this somewhat strange. This was the first time he saw someone address a Sovereign Personage as Uncle.
The old man in the woven rush raincoat was stunned for a while. After he looked at Iron Egg, he looked at Xiao Chen. Fortunately, he did not get angry.
The old man put away his fishing pole and removed his conical bamboo hat, revealing a very spirited old face.
"Haha! It is not easy to get this uncle to ferry people. A few groups came earlier, but I chased them away. If you two are wise, you'd better look for another boatman."
The old man wearing a woven rush raincoat stroked his beard as he gave a strange laugh and spoke with a mocking tone.
Xiao Chen thought for a while. Indeed, many of the cultivators who wanted to enter the city had avoided this boat earlier.
Those people did not even want to look at this boat, their eyes betraying some hate.
"Haha! Uncle, you really know how to make jokes. You look very kind. How could you not ferry us? Big Brother Xiao, let Uncle have a cup of our wine."
However, Iron Egg just laughed the old man's words off, directly boarding the boat without any fear.
Xiao Chen thought to himself that it was not good. This was not appropriate. However, when he wanted to stop Iron Egg, the old man waved his hand, indicating that it was fine and for Xiao Chen to take out the wine.
Since Iron Egg already made a choice, Xiao Chen did not want to interfere. After getting on the boat, he handed over a bottle of Waning Moon.
"Quick, look! Someone boarded Drunkard Cui's boat!"
The actions of the two attracted the attention of the many cultivators in the peach forest.
"Another person is about to get unlucky again. To think that they dare to get on Drunkard Cui's boat. If Drunkard Cui is not satisfied with the wine, he will chase them away with force."
"Hahahaha! What a joke! What a lousy wine bottle! Are those two from the countryside? To think that they could not even buy a good wine bottle!"
"Indeed, just anyone can come to Peach Blossom City even without a good wine bottle these days. Even good wine would be wasted!"
The cultivators at the river saw that Xiao Chen's wine bottle looked remarkably ordinary, practically a rudimentary clay jar.
When they noticed Iron Egg's lack of cultivation, they immediately showed disdain on their faces.
Iron Egg felt displeased. He stood up on the boat and shouted, "Bunch of madmen, what are you barking about? What does this uncle's choice have to do with you? What's wrong with the countryside? Villages can participate in the wine festival too."
"Damn! That child actually dares to talk back! Just you wait. After Drunkard Cui throws you off the boat, this great me will beat you up until even your mother cannot recognize you."
Seeing Iron Egg acting so arrogant despite his boorish appearance irritated the group of people in the distance.
Unfortunately, they had to give Drunkard Cui face and did not dare to come over. They could only shout from where they were.
"Ptooey! Bunch of trash! You only know how to bully me for my lack of cultivation. Had this great me started cultivating in childhood, I guarantee that I would have been able to beat you up until your familiars and ancestors could not recognize you. All you know is to shout from where you are. If you have the courage, then come and beat me up now!"
The group of people lost to Iron Egg in a verbal clash. After a while, they felt a rage that stemmed from embarrassment. However, they could only grit their teeth as they did not dare to get on the boat. They could only wait and threaten to beat him up after he got off the boat.
However, Drunkard Cui did not care. After he poured himself a cup, a strange look appeared in his eyes.
Faint mist rose above the wine cup, with an indistinct blood moon amid the hazy cold Qi.
Drunkard Cui's eyes immediately lit up. He blew gently, and the mist that formed from the wine turned into a crescent moon. Then, he sucked the crescent moon into his mouth.
Xiao Chen felt startled. This old man was genuinely incredible. Even Xiao Chen did not know of this drinking method.
Then, the old man closed his eyes and drained the wine in the cup in one go.
When the old man opened his eyes again, he took a long breath and sighed, "Waning Moon! Waning Moon! I have not drunk this in decades. It is still as cooling and refreshing as before. However, it now has a trace of joy, not as chilling and heart-shattering... Old Seven's skills are becoming increasingly exquisite."
The old man shouted grandly, "Let's depart!" With a wave of his hand, the boat shot forward like an arrow, streaking through the river and kicking up huge waves that splashed out.
The boat set off right away like this!
The cultivators at the riverside all felt stunned. The notoriously bad-tempered Drunkard Cui actually ferried people.
These people felt so shocked that they did not even notice the wetness from getting drenched by the waves.
Drunkard Cui had parked his boat at the riverside for several decades, never ferrying anyone before. No matter what delectable wine people offered him, he would scold them and beat them off.
Over time, Drunkard Cui's infamy grew. No one sought him out to ferry them over.
However, Drunkard Cui actually ferried two country bumpkins. This was truly inconceivable.
The cultivators waiting to thrash Iron Egg ended up drenched, only able to watch him leave. They felt so frustrated that they stomped their feet.
When Iron Egg saw the situation, he felt incredibly delighted. He laughed, "You are just a bunch of trash, and you want to beat me up? Just behave yourselves over there and watch this great me leave. Hahahaha!"
More and more people gathered at the riverside. As they watched Drunkard Cui's boat get farther away, they showed shock on their faces.
Someone in the peach forest strummed a zither and sighed, "Red peach blossoms on both sides of the river; unpredictable and arriving with the wind. Thirty years to seek an old dream, only to get a cup of wine in a golden goblet. Even Old Cui ferried people... This wine festival is going to be interesting."
Drunkard Cui had not ferried people for thirty years or so. He was not waiting for a cup of wine but a person.
However, that person did not arrive in the end. He only obtained a cup of wine from that person.
| ← Ch. 2054 | Ch. 2056 → |