The stove was using wooden charcoal, which production method needed many good materials, but its way of turning into charcoal and the timing control was more important.
This piece of coal was pure black, obvious use of the “Stop Fire after Closing the Kiln” method. Its wooden structure was still whole, filled with many pores, making it moister, producing a considerable small flame, though not small like a pea. Yet it wouldn’t shoot choking smoke, enabling the little jug to sit on it, intake the heat from the flames and warm up the wine.
As the timing was right, the wine’s aroma intensified, the lady picked up the jug and with a stream of projectile, poured the wine into Shen Lian’s wine cup, filling the cup perfectly. The steam climbed up and dissipated, covering the lady’s pretty face.
In the blur, the word “stunning” was not enough to describe her beauty.
After this ordinary wine was handled through her hands, even its aroma changed, with its smell mixed with a pure sweet aroma.
Shen Lian gulped it down. He felt thousands of tastes on his tongue, all rushing up, surrounded his tongue tip, tasting like the flavors of life. But the last taste was very refreshing, so cold that it could awake someone from a slumber and not care about any worldly things.
As Shen Lian finished his wine, his eyes opened bright, he could see her reflection very clearly.
Seeing Zhao Xiaoyu again, Shen Lian instantly felt that she looked different, with an added sense of human touch, but yet clearly unnatural, quite deliberate. Such act of politeness would signify a favor request, but Shen Lian did not want to know now.
Hence Shen Lian said straightforwardly, “Never expected to see you tonight. Are you here on purpose or without purpose?”
Zhao Xiaoyu looked at Shen Lian with demise, without a hint of emotion, as if looking at plants without much care. She asked lightly, “Is there any difference?”
Shen Lian replied, “If you came with an intention, I have to ask you to leave because I do not to do or hear a thing about any business matters.”
Only at this moment, Zhao Xiaoyu’s pretty face had changed. Her rivalry with Shen Lian was all her doing. But she did not regret it, she even still thought that Shen Lian would not attain the Daoism path, even if he had extraordinary potential and mana capacity, or that he originated from ten thousand years of godly ancestry.
The reason was that Shen Lian’s lack of merciless.
He was not heartless towards himself, and not even heartless towards others.
The way of attaining Dao would vanish in a blink. If one was not heartless enough, he might lose this opportunity. For many people, once they lost this change, they would never retrieve it back.
She would not believe that Shen Lian did not understand this point.
She sighed lightly, a sigh so soothing that ‘its notes circled the slabs endlessly for three days’. She continued, “I really cannot understand you Shen. Why did you help those worthless peasants? If you walked the godly path and earn the faith of the worshippers, may still be convincing, but you obviously weren’t doing. Just like you said, this was not a matter of benefits.”
Shen Lian downed another cup of wine. Zhao Xiaoyu automatically refilled the empty cup. Shen Lian drank, she drank as well. That drinking pose was enough to stunt all men in the world.
Shen Lian initially did not want to answer this. He just felt lazy to care about benefits today. It didn’t matter whether the person sitting in front was Zhao Xiaoyu or not. Regardless of Zhao Xiaoyu’s intentions, she could not affect him or any sorts today. Ironically, Zhao Xiaoyu was the one who should act upon his intentions.
He calmly said, “You always think that all beings should be utilized as your tool to attain Dao, you would obviously not understand me. Actually, do you even understand yourself, do you study Daoism to stand higher and see further? Or you really just wanted to be above all beings?”
Zhao Xiaoyu replied with a smile, “If Shen you are willing to be Daoist partner, no matter who I stand above, you will also be on top of me”.
This sentence was filled with fantasy, and the faintly discernible temptation, if a hundred men heard of this, there would be a hundred men saying yes to this request.
Shen Lian was also a man, but his heart remained still.
He had not gone through love, passion, which was why he was still alone and not yearning for those.
If he really encountered a lady who triggered his heart, he would not avoid either.
Shen Lian stared at her, “Xiao Yu, a person like you, I dare not and will not be tempted, not because you are not good. Just because you had gone through the feeling of being moved, even you had feelings for someone, what will it be like?” Even if Zhao Xiaoyu was interested in a man, willing to be a Daoist partner with him, it would also be for benefits only, because she felt the need to do so, with no concern of emotions.
Zhao Xiaoyu kept her smiley expression, turned serious and said, “I will kill him.” This was her reply, also her direct reaction, because she did not want others to influence her and shake her intentions.
Shen Lian said, “Now that is your true nature, whereas I will accept her, attain Daoism and accept things that I like, which is not contradicting. When I pass a mountain, I see a lovely looking flower. Although I will not pluck it, I will still stop my steps for it, stare at it until I got bored or it gets boring, then I will leave”.
That was his thoughts, and would also be because that was Shen Lian.
Zhao Xiaoyu picked up a piece of peanut and put it into her mouth to chew as if she was thinking about Shen Lian’s words. Shen Lian also picked up a piece of vegetable to eat.
Not long after, Zhao Xiaoyu asked, “Don’t you think that this is too draggy and a waste of time? One without the strongest urge will not reach the top. Those at the foot of the mountain, and those halfway up the mountain, they are not any different. One has to reach the peak to finally understand that all sacrifices are worth it and meaningful”.
Her eyes were resolute; those eyes were as sharp as a blade ready to cut through everything including herself.
She had no other means to attain Daoism. Only reaching the peak would create meaning to everything, so she thought. She could not be influenced by anything, could not be shaken by anyone.
Even if she failed countlessly, even if she encountered other worldly temptations, she would still give it a kick and walk her own path.
Shen Lian smiled, “I will not argue this point with you. I am also impressed with your resolve. Now I have said what I want to say. Let us drink, if you are still willing to continue with me”.
With their cultivation level, even if they drank a thousand cups instantly, they would not get drunk, yet they still drank slowly cup by cup.
Slowing heating up the wine, slowly drinking the wine, and feel the taste of wine tingling around their tongues.
As the sky broke dawn, they had just finished the last cup and final drip of the wine.
As Shen Lian finished up his last cup, he finally opened his mouth and spoke, “Now can you say why you are here?” It had broken dawn, and Shen Lian was still Shen Lian and Zhao Xiaoyu still Zhao Xiaoyu. Things might stay unchanged, but they both had different viewpoints.
Zhao Xiaoyu said, “I want to borrow your Instrument of Virtue. Of course, I will pay an equal price for that.” She obviously would not come without purpose. She had her own secret techniques to detect that Shen Lian had this item on him. Virtue was a very precious thing. Most people used it to feel the Dao of the heavens to elevate their realms of cultivation or master certain techniques. Very few people would pass it on to their own instruments as it would be too wasteful.
Shen Lian replied, “You drank all night with me, so I gave you the opportunity to speak of your intentions, but do you know what I want to do now?”
Zhao Xiaoyu detected a huge amount of spiritual pressure being emitted from Shen Lian’s body, all charged towards her without any reservations. She did not panic, but she suddenly felt that Shen Lian was acting like certain something, like how the Dao scripture described, ‘flowing like water’, as water flew with no set form. Shen Lian did not have a set form of temperament as well, he could be a spring drizzle, or he could be stormy rain. That was who Shen Lian was.
Flow like water, as water is as close as “Dao”. Shen Lian did not have his own path, yet his “Dao” was like water, could either be hard or soft.
That was why Shen Lian was soft tempered, but very opinioned, and was capable of performing grand acts too. He could even come face to face with multiple trials.
Water does not cut through obstacles like knives and swords, but instead, it could pass through any pores and cracks. If it was facing a river dam, it would accumulate into a flood and charge forward, like the heavenly river, so unstoppable.
Zhao Xiaoyu replied deeply, “Are you referring to what happened last time? For that, I can apologize to you and compensate you.”
Shen Lian’s vision fell on her flawless face. As the morning ray fell on Zhao Xiaoyu’s hairpin, her shoulder, and then her crystal clear earlobes, even a sculptor with the best skills would not create such perfect masterpiece.
Yet his eyes had not a hint of affection. He only replied, “If I am not who you are facing today, will you still negotiate with me?”
Zhao Xiaoyu clenched her teeth, “No”.
Shen Lian continued, “So you said your intentions, but I will not negotiate. Let us fight it all out today”. His eyes were burning, which meant there was no room for negotiation. Zhao Xiaoyu never expected such scenario, because he thought that Shen Lian would have a slight bit of intelligence. With the current situation in Yue Tuo, there must have Daoist masters who were no worse than them. Both of their skills were not far apart, so logically, they should not fight even if they could not come up to speaking terms.
After all, at this step, due to their similarities in realms, skill levels, if they fought, it might be a matter of life and death. This was not even a fight-or-die battle, so Shen Lian was being pointless here.
Of course, Shen Lian would behave such a way, as if a flood had broken and storms had occurred, this was part of water’s temperaments too.
He did not have anger; he was only following the course of nature, on how things should be done.
Zhao Xiaoyu said, “You are crazy, but I am not”.
She transformed into a white light and disappeared into the morning glow.
Shen Lian smiled calmly. A gush of little tornado spun around without disrupting any item in the wine inn, and left some money on the table for the wine and dishes.
The little tornado went out and chased after the white light. Brief moments later, a loud bang was heard from the skies, one after another.
It was like never ending shots of lightning, so frequent that it could cause a person to have the feeling of their head blown up and numb their scalp. This phenomenon of Winter Thunder and lightning seemed quite impossible.
The season of spring thunder had not come yet. Many curious came out to look, only to find nothing. They only saw an extra-long white strip whipped across the sky.