Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

"Hey! Fatty, our Shihua's all done, shouldn't you join in? Dragging your feet isn't manly at all!" teased Guan Shihua's friend.

At this moment, Wang Ai naturally couldn't back down. She closed her eyes and downed the glass of baijiu in one gulp. The liquor burned from her throat to her stomach.

As the archbishop of the Tiantong Church, a respectable man, he hadn't drunk like this in a long time.

"Great! That's satisfying!"

When the others at Guan Shihua's table saw Wang Ai finish his drink in one gulp, they all cheered.

"Not bad, Fatty, your alcohol tolerance has improved!" Guan Shihua laughed. She knew that Wang Ai's alcohol tolerance was not very high.

"Hehehe!" Wang Ai scratched his head and laughed, "Shihua, do you like the food from Jiangnan? If you don't like it, I'll have the kitchen make you a couple of Northeastern dishes."

Guan Shihua waved her hand and said heartily, "Fatty Wang, what are you being so polite about? This feast is quite substantial, there's plenty to eat! Sit down and have a drink!"

She patted the empty seat next to her, her attitude was generous, but there was a clear sense of distance between her and ordinary friends.

Seeing that Guan Shihua didn't let her leave, Wang Ai was overjoyed and quickly sat down, starting to find topics to talk about again:

"Shihua, how have you been in the Northeast lately? I heard your gang has had quite a few clashes with the Japanese pirates. Are you alright?"

"Hey, it's just a little scuffle, it won't hurt us!"

Guan Shihua raised her wine glass and clinked it against Wang Ai's, then downed it in one gulp with clean, decisive movements, saying:

"But you, Fatty Wang, are making quite a splash in Chongqing. Your title of archbishop is quite prestigious now. Logically speaking, you're a level above me in the church."

Seeing that Guan Shihua downed her drink in one gulp after clinking glasses with him, Wang Ai could only follow suit, downing his own drink in one go as well, and then continued:
“Those are all empty words. We only talk about those rules with the immortals. We don’t talk about those things among ourselves. Besides, what archbishop? He’s just someone we call out to fool the believers. We can’t be fooled among ourselves.”

Wang Ai made a modest remark, then tried to build rapport by saying:

"Shihua, if you ever come to Chongqing, I'll definitely treat you well and take you to try the local specialties..."

"Okay, okay, I've heard that the local cuisine in Chongqing is pretty good. If I have the chance to go, I'll definitely have to try it."

Guan Shihua gave a perfunctory reply, and then started playing a drinking game with the others at the table.

Wang Ai didn't know how to play the finger-guessing game, so she just stood by like a follower, trying to hand Guan Shihua a towel one minute and serving her some food the next, all the while muttering:

"Shihua, drink slowly..."

"Shihua, eat some of this, it'll help with the hangover..."

Guan Shihua was never a patient person. At first, she patiently exchanged a few pleasantries, but as Wang Ai became more and more attentive, asking all sorts of questions and even subtly inquiring about her life's important matters, she became more and more anxious.

Guan Shihua frowned. She was straightforward by nature, and after a few drinks, her "tigerish" spirit was starting to show.

Wang Ai moved closer, calling out "stone flower, stone flower" in her mouth.

Guan Shihua finally lost her patience. She stood up abruptly, the movement so sudden that the chair moved back half a step, making a jarring sound.

Amidst the astonished gazes of those around her, Guan Shihua, without a word, raised her foot and kicked Wang Ai's round, plump buttocks!

"Ouch!"

Caught off guard, Wang Ai stumbled from the kick and nearly slipped off her chair, spilling half of the wine in her hand.

He covered his buttocks, looking at Guan Shihua with a bewildered and aggrieved expression.

Guan Shihua, hands on her hips, eyes wide open, and slightly intoxicated, shouted:

"Hey Fatty! What's wrong with you? If you want to drink, just drink up. If you don't want to drink, go to the table where people don't drink. What are you doing, buzzing around here with that glass of wine like a fly? How long have you been holding that glass? Are you raising fish?"

Guan Shihua's shout immediately attracted the attention of those around her.

When the surrounding guests saw Wang Ai's disheveled appearance and Guan Shihua's fierce demeanor, they were first taken aback, and then burst into laughter.

Lu Ci slapped the table, laughing so hard he almost fell over: "Hahaha! Fatty, I told you that going to find a Northeastern woman like Guan Shihua requires drinking, but you chickened out at the table with your glass in hand. No wonder she kicked you!"

Duanmu Ying, who was at the next table, was watching the commotion with a wine glass in hand. When she heard Lü Ci's laughter, she suddenly found it very grating and couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks.

"I said, Hedgehog Head, you were the one who encouraged him to go, and now you're laughing at him for being a coward. You're such a bad friend."

“Even a bad friend is still a friend. I’m laughing at Fatty, what’s it to you?” Lu Ci said irritably.

Duanmu Ying sneered: "You still have the nerve to laugh at others? Earlier at the door, who was it carrying a hoe, shouting that he wanted everyone to know how many eyes Lord Ma had? But as soon as he saw Shi Xiaotianshi's junior brother, he immediately put away his weapon and became as cowardly as can be. In my opinion, you two are brothers in misfortune."

Lu Ci's smile froze instantly, and he said stiffly, "Who...who's a coward? Me, afraid of him? Today is Old Lu's big day, do you think I would actually make a move?"

"Oh? Is that so?" Duanmu Ying drawled, her beautiful eyes sweeping over Lü Ci. "I just heard from Daoist Jinzhong that you spent a long time at Longhu Mountain and sparred with that big-eared Daoist quite a bit. Well... tsk tsk."

Although she didn't say it explicitly, those two meaningful "tsk tsk" sounds made Lü Ci feel even worse than if she had said it directly.

When Lü Ci heard Duanmu Ying mention Tian Jinzhong's name, he knew that the big mouth had definitely betrayed him. But how could he back down in such a situation? The only person who could make Lü Ci back down was Zhang Zhiwei.

He retorted, "Stop talking nonsense! I'm just not serious with him! If it really came down to a fight, the outcome would be hard to predict!"

"Fight to the death?" Duanmu Ying scoffed. "Always talking about fighting to the death, you're just a muscle-bound brute. Besides fighting and killing, what else can you do? Weren't you just mocking that Fatty Wang for his poor drinking capacity? If you could hold your liquor, why don't you go and have a drink with that Shi Hua girl and get revenge for your brother!"

Lu Ci was speechless, his heart burning with anger, but he didn't know how to refute her. He wasn't good at arguing, but Duanmu Ying was sharp-tongued and had repeatedly looked down on him, yet he couldn't really bring himself to teach her a lesson.

"What do I have to be afraid of?" Lu Ci slammed his hand on the table. If someone questioned whether he could beat Zhang Huaiyi, he really couldn't refute it because he really couldn't. But if someone questioned whether he dared to drink with Guan Shihua, he wasn't afraid of that.

Back in Northeast China, he and Guan Shihua had a pretty good relationship and had drunk together several times. In terms of drinking capacity, he was no match for her.

"Then go ahead." Duanmu Ying gestured with her lips in that direction.

"Fine, I'll go! You think I wouldn't dare?" Lü Ci picked up a large bowl, filled it to the brim with wine, and strode towards Guan Shihua's table.

"Tiger Girl!"

Guan Shihua turned around and saw that it was Lü Ci. A smile immediately appeared on her face: "Hedgehog, what are you doing here?!"

"I brought this bowl of wine with me, what do you think I'm supposed to do?" Lu Ci said irritably.

"Oh ho, are you here to get revenge for your good brother?" Guan Shihua said.

“Absolutely!” Lü Ci replied, echoing Guan Shihua’s words.

“Then you can’t raise fish!” Guan Shihua laughed.

"Who's raising the fish?!" Lü Ci slammed his wine bowl down on the table, spilling a lot of wine. "You want me to raise fish? I was going to give you some face, but it seems I don't need to now. Come on, let's drink this bowl!"

"Alright!" Guan Shihua wasn't going to back down at the dinner table. She threw down her cup, grabbed a large bowl, and filled it with wine.

"Bang!" The two large bowls collided violently, making a crisp sound.

Without saying a word, the two tilted their heads back and gulped down a bowl of strong liquor.

"That's great!" Lü Ci wiped his mouth and laughed loudly.

"Again!" Guan Shihua retorted without backing down.

"Let's play rock-paper-scissors!"

"Come on, come on!"

…………

Duanmu Ying, who was not far away, was stunned for a moment when she saw this scene. She was a little surprised. She thought that Lü Ci would be humiliated, but she did not expect this kind of situation.

She glanced at it twice, then stopped paying attention and turned to chat with the other bridesmaids.

At the main table, however, it was a completely different scene.

As the host, Lü Xuan picked up a celadon wine bowl, slowly rose, looked at Zuo Ruotong, and said in a deep voice:
"Master Zuo, today's scene shows the orderly inheritance and the unbroken flame of tradition. Seeing this, we know that the righteous path in the world is not lonely. Master Lu Xuanjing also respects this unbroken flame."

"Master Lu, you're too kind."

Zuo Ruotong usually practices a life of quiet contemplation and rarely drinks alcohol, but today, on the occasion of his beloved disciple's wedding, he was filled with joy and made an exception by raising his wine cup.

Then, Lu Xuan raised his cup to Zhang Zhiwei and said, "Little Celestial Master, today your single thought blossomed, already in accordance with the natural way, achieving everything through non-action. To see this today is truly a blessing. This bowl deserves a toast! It is Jin'er's good fortune to have such a close friend as you."

Zhang Zhiwei also picked up his bowl: "Senior Lu, you're too kind!"

After that, drink it all in one gulp.

Afterwards, Zuo Ruotong had another drink with Grandpa Lu. Grandpa Lu hadn't drunk alcohol for many years, but he was so happy about his grandson's wedding that he wanted to have a few drinks.

Lu Xu was initially reluctant because he was concerned about the old man's health, but in the end Zhang Zhiwei spoke up, telling the old man to just drink as much as he wanted, assuring him that he would be fine with him there.

Upon hearing this, the old man immediately burst into laughter, declaring that he would not leave until he was completely drunk.

"Jin'er's marriage this time has finally put an end to a long-cherished wish!" Old Master Lu picked up his wine cup, stood up, and said, "Come, Master Zuo, come, Little Celestial Master, this old man toasts you both."

When Old Master Lu stood up to offer a toast, the two men naturally couldn't remain seated and also rose to clink glasses.

After several rounds, Old Master Lu's complexion became rosier. He seemed to have gotten a little tipsy and began to tell the people at the table some interesting stories from his youth.

Occasionally, the figure of Zhang Jingqing, the Celestial Master, would appear among these anecdotes of the martial arts world. Since it concerned his master, Zhang Zhiwei listened very attentively.

At the same time, he also admired Old Master Lu's good memory; even though he was almost a hundred years old, he could still remember things from his twenties and thirties clearly.

Of course, Zhang Zhiwei and Master Zuo also had a few drinks at the table. Zhang Zhiwei was the one who offered the toast first. He saw that Master Zuo had picked up his cup and seemed to be about to talk to him, so he offered the toast first.

However, a moment later, Master Zuo returned the toast. He raised his wine glass, looked at Zhang Zhiwei, his gaze deep, carrying a hint of barely perceptible appreciation and emotion:
"My dear friend Zhiwei, your level of understanding is beyond what ordinary people can achieve. This cup is my toast to you. I hope that you will continue to uphold righteousness and lead us forward."

"Master Zuo, you flatter me. I also raise a toast to you, wishing the Sanyi Sect continued prosperity and Master Zuo's cultivation to advance."

After saying that, the two of them drank the wine in their cups in one gulp.

The entire Lu residence was immersed in a festive and peaceful atmosphere.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Lu Xuan, as the head of the family, rose, raised his glass to toast all the guests, and thanked them for coming from afar to attend his son's wedding. His words were sincere and touching.

Then, Zuo Ruotong also stood up and said a few words of blessing on behalf of his sect. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, showing the demeanor of a master.

When the atmosphere was at its most lively, Lu Jin finally returned to the banquet venue from the bridal chamber.

He changed out of his formal attire and into a lighter red short jacket, his face still flushed.

His appearance immediately made him the center of attention.

"Hey! The groom finally decided to come out!"

"Old Lu, that's not fair! You've left us hanging here!"

"I must punish myself with three cups! I absolutely must punish myself with three cups!"

The table where Lü Ci and Wang Ai were in particular erupted in chaos, with everyone jeering and making a fuss.

Lu Jin was in a great mood today, so he didn't refuse. He smiled, took the wine glass, and drank three glasses in a row, which drew cheers from the room.

He then went from table to table toasting, thanking the elders and relatives for coming.

When Lu Jin reached Zhang Zhiwei's table, he was exceptionally solemn. He held the cup with both hands and bowed deeply to Zhang Zhiwei and Zuo Ruotong: "Master, Senior Brother Zhang, thank you!"

Zuo Ruotong and Zhang Zhiwei had a drink with him.

Afterwards, Lu Jin toasted the other seniors at the table, and finally turned to Lu Ci's table.

Sure enough, as soon as they arrived, they were surrounded by Lü Ci and the others, and all sorts of "punishments" and "blessings" followed one after another, with laughter and commotion filling the air.

“Brother Lu, do you remember the old master’s 80th birthday celebration last time?” Feng Ping chimed in from the side, “Back then, Hedgehog asked you to drink one cup, but he drank four cups and earned the nickname ‘Lu the Four-Cup.’ How about we follow suit today?”

"Alright, alright, alcohol is something you should only drink in moderation!" Lu Ren quickly said before Lu Ci could even speak.

He still remembered that time when Lü Ci overestimated himself and challenged Zhang Zhiwei to a drinking contest, saying that if Zhang Zhiwei drank one cup, he would drink four. As a result, his foolish younger brother got drunk like a dead dog in no time, which also dragged him down, forcing him, as the older brother, to take over his mantle.
“That won’t do, it has to be lively and bustling!” Fengping continued.

"That's right, it has to be lively!" Lu Ci suddenly said, "We Lu family men are never inferior to anyone. Old Lu, I'll drink these four cups, you can drink as you like!"

After saying that, he downed four bowls in no time.

"Great! You're so generous, Brother Lu. You're the host, aren't you? How can you just sit back and drink four cups while others drink four? Hurry up and follow them, don't back down!" A strange voice suddenly rang out.

"Then I have no choice but to accompany you to the end!" So Lu Jin was also encouraged and drank four bowls in a row.

Under such intense circumstances, the two fought for a short while before two "dead dogs" appeared on the table. After Lü Ci fell, Lü Ren was forced to take over.

As night deepened, the bright lights within the Lu residence and the garden full of exotic flowers complemented each other.

The lively atmosphere of the banquet gradually turned into conversation.

Afterwards, some of the older guests began to take their leave, and Lu Xuan and the Lu family members saw them off to the door one by one, thanking them repeatedly.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Zhiwei bid farewell to Zuo Ruotong, Old Master Lu, and the others, thus bringing the wedding to a successful conclusion. (End of Chapter)