Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

Thus, Xie Xiaoyi settled down at the Zhenwu Dao Sect.

During the day, you can either stroll around and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Zhenwu Mountain, or find a secluded place to hone your Vajra Holy Imperial Body.

At night, he would close the door to regulate his breathing and refine the ancestral dragon's true energy, the dragon essence of the Flood Dragon, and the phoenix blood within his body.

The curse that signaled the arrival of the third watch never appeared again. Occasionally, a stray thought would surface, but it was quickly dispelled by the auspicious dragon and phoenix aura emanating from him.

Ten days passed by at a leisurely pace.

That noon, after meditating for an hour, Xie Xiaoyi finally couldn't stand it any longer and started walking towards the foot of the mountain.

Although the scenery of Zhenwu Mountain is beautiful, one can get tired of it after a while. He was kicking pebbles out of boredom when suddenly, a familiar aroma of wine wafted over on the mountain breeze.

It's the fragrance of a cold pool!

It tasted exactly the same as the jar he drank with Fu Yaoqin!

Xie Xiaoyi's eyes lit up immediately, and he completely forgot about wandering around and being bored.

With a gust of wind beneath my feet, I followed the scent of wine and, as if possessed, moved toward the left peak.

We had only reached halfway up the mountain when a cheerful and unrestrained song drifted down on the mountain breeze:

Those who depart from me, like aged wine, cannot be kept.

Those who trouble my mind, I need no more worry about alchemical scriptures and talismans.

Today, there are urns to collect the cloud liquid.

Let us get drunk and carefree among the pines.

Picking dewdrops and fermented rice,

Amber-colored liquid was brewed in the earthenware jar.

A cup goes down, the wind fills my sleeves.

Why bother riding a crane to the Isle of Immortals?

You can't cut water with a knife; the water just keeps flowing.

Raising a cup to dispel sorrow, even sorrow becomes gentle.

Lying drunk on mossy rocks, I care nothing for worldly affairs.

The fragrance of wine dispels the sorrow of the blue lotus.

As the song ended, the aroma of the wine intensified.

Xie Xiaoyi paused, "The Brewing Song?"

What a beautiful, ethereal piece!

He immediately channeled his inner strength, his voice booming like thunder, reaching the summit, and loudly praised:

"Senior! What a wonderful winemaking song! I, Xie Mo, was fortunate enough to taste your Cold Pool Fragrance wine in Qingjiang City."

I was drawn here by the aroma of alcohol today and unknowingly ended up on the left peak of Zhenwu Mountain. Please forgive me, senior!

After he finished speaking, there was no sound from the mountaintop for a long time.

Just when Xie Xiaoyi thought the other party hadn't heard him, a voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Boy, tell me, what's so good about my Cold Pool Fragrance?"

The voice wasn't loud, and even carried a hint of languor from having just finished drinking, yet it reached his ears clearly.

Xie Xiaoyi was deeply shocked!

Such powerful internal energy!

Just now, in order to make my voice reach the summit, I almost pushed my inner energy to the limit, shouting like thunder.

But his voice sounded like it had been compressed into a thin thread, drilling directly into my ears.

This person's cultivation level is unfathomable!

The playful smile on his face completely disappeared, and his eyes became more serious.

If someone asks you where to find good wine, how should you answer?

Xie Xiaoyi thought to himself: The other party's drinking song is wonderful, so I will respond with a song in return.

He immediately channeled his inner energy and loudly chanted:

The icy pool melts into fire upon entering the throat.

A cup of wine can dispel all sorrows of ages past.

Xiao Bai floated thirty cups in a row,

The righteous spirit at your fingertips resounds like spring thunder.

Without using the Golden Elixir to increase internal strength,

Only this wine can comfort the zither.

If we drink lotus wine today,

Let's cherish the spring breeze and the cup of wine!

The song ended, and the mountains fell silent.

After a full three breaths, a hearty laugh suddenly erupted from the summit!

"Excellent! Excellent is 'A cup can dispel all sorrows'! Excellent is 'The spirit of righteousness at the fingertips resounds like spring thunder'! Even more wonderful is 'Living up to the spring breeze and living up to the cup'!"

Li Qinglian's voice was filled with genuine excitement.

"Boy! Since you've tasted my Cold Pool Fragrance and can even appreciate its flavor, come on up here! Get up here right now!"

I just opened a jar of ten-year-old wine; today, I'll drink thirty cups with you, little one!

Xie Xiaoyi was overjoyed.

Not only were they not kicked off the mountain, but they were also able to drink ten-year-old vintage wine!

He could no longer contain himself. With a light leap, he shot towards the summit like a streak of light, shouting as he did so:

"Please wait a moment, senior! I'll be right there to accompany you on this journey!"

Climbing up the left peak of Zhenwu Mountain, the Drunken Immortal Temple comes into view.

The temple is small, with blue tiles and stone walls. Two bronze lamps stand in front of the door, and a wooden plaque shaped like a wine gourd hangs under the eaves, inscribed with the four characters "Rarely Confused".

In the small courtyard of the temple, a middle-aged Taoist priest dressed in a blue robe sat at a blue stone table. He had a handsome face and an elegant demeanor. He was none other than Li Qinglian, the Immortal of Wine.

In front of him was a freshly opened jar of wine, with two celadon wine cups beside it, the aroma of the wine wafting continuously from the jar.

Xie Xiaoyi landed silently, quickly stepped forward, and bowed to Li Qinglian.

"Junior Xie Mo pays respects to Senior Wine Immortal!"

Li Qinglian raised her eyelids slightly, her gaze falling on him, and asked bluntly, "How did you come to the True Martial Dao Sect?"

Xie Xiaoyi spoke respectfully and then recounted the whole story.

Li Qinglian nodded after hearing this: "I didn't expect you to be Hua Youwu's grand-disciple, or Lu Fang's sworn brother?"

Xie Xiaoyi responded with a "Yes".

Li Qinglian laughed and said, "According to Lu Fang, you should call me Martial Uncle, but according to Hua Youwu, you should call me Grandmaster Martial Uncle."

Xie Xiaoyi raised an eyebrow and thought to himself:

Am I really that low in seniority?

According to this calculation, wouldn't I have to call Ninghua Grandmaster Uncle?

"Uh—this junior should still address him as Brother Lu, hello Uncle Li!"

As they spoke, Xie Xiaoyi and he sat down at the table in the courtyard.

Li Qinglian scrutinized Xie Xiaoyi for a while, then nodded in satisfaction: "The young man is quite handsome; no wonder he's so popular with women."

Xie Xiaoyi chuckled, "Senior, you could even tell that?"

Li Qinglian smiled slightly, flipped her wrist, and two silver streams of wine instantly filled the two celadon cups: "Come on, let's drink to that first."

Xie Xiaoyi raised his glass to clink with his, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. The aroma of the wine warmed him.

Li Qinglian put down her wine cup, gently tapped her brow with her fingertip, and then pointed to Xie Xiaoyi's forehead:

"In Taoist physiognomy, one can discern one's destiny by observing one's aura. The red phoenix aura beside your forehead lingers around your eyebrows, and the peach blossom lines at the corners of your eyes are faintly visible."

This is irrefutable proof of being prone to romantic entanglements. This fortune is neither a blessing nor a curse; it all depends on how you handle it.

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised two fingers together and suddenly slammed them on the table!

The rim of the wine jar trembled slightly, and two streams of wine burst forth from the jar, swimming in the air like silver snakes, perfectly filling two celadon cups. When the streams of wine receded, not a single drop of wine spilled from the rim of the cups.

Xie Xiaoyi exclaimed "Wonderful!", took the wine glass, and downed it in one gulp.

One cup, ten cups, thirty cups!

Just as he finished thirty cups, Li Qinglian suddenly grabbed his wrist, her breath reeking of alcohol in his face:

"Back then, I was known as the Immortal of Wine, while Hua Youwu was known as the Drunken Immortal of the Sword."

"In swordsmanship, I'm a step behind him; in drinking, we're evenly matched; but when it comes to brewing wine, he's on the other side of the world, like comparing apples and oranges. Do you believe me?"

Xie Xiaoyi nodded vigorously.

Li Qinglian put down her wine cup, changed the subject, and stared at Xie Xiaoyi with a half-smile:

"Since you are a disciple of the Drunken Sword Immortal, then I will test you."

Test me?

Are you trying to test my swordsmanship?

Xie Xiaoyi was startled and sat up straight: "Please speak, senior."

"I'm asking you, what are your thoughts on winemaking?"

Xie Xiaoyi thought to himself, "Damn it, I thought if I mentioned my grandmaster uncle, he'd test my swordsmanship with the Eight Trigrams, but I didn't expect him to ask me this?"

"How dare a junior speak presumptuously before a senior like myself?"