The next morning, after finishing her cultivation, Wen Jiayin went to knock on the door next door at the time she and Xinyun had agreed on.
By now, she was already used to using cultivation to replace sleep, especially since the male lead started making his presence known, which made her feel an even greater sense of urgency to improve her strength.
So the time she originally planned to use for sleep was now all spent on cultivation.
As a result, she became the well-behaved child in the eyes of all the elders, especially the sect leader who worried endlessly about his disciples.
When he saw Wen Jiayin, the look in his eyes was so bright that Xinyun would frown and hide her precious disciple behind herself.
“Whoa! That’s a strong smell of alcohol!” As soon as Wen Jiayin pushed open her door, she was hit by a wave of alcohol so strong it felt like their whole little courtyard had been marinated in it.
“Did someone come by this morning and knock over a wine jar?” Wen Jiayin walked toward Xinyun’s room in confusion, only to find the smell of alcohol getting even stronger.
By the time she reached the door, the smell was at its peak.
The people inside didn’t avoid her.
Wen Jiayin heard her Master say, “I’ll leave this matter to you, shishu.”
Shishu? Oh! That’s the one who saved her, the one known as the Wine Immortal, the most senior big shot in Jingdao Sect!
Inside, the Wine Immortal, who was rarely this sober, didn’t look too happy.
She opened her mouth, about to say something, but closed it again when she heard someone outside the door.
“Your little disciple is here.”
Of course Xinyun knew.
Before the Wine Immortal could say anything, she was already walking toward the door.
“Master.” Wen Jiayin, who had grown a bit slower than her peers over the years, wasn’t very tall—at least much shorter than Xinyun.
She had to stand on tiptoe and crane her neck to see inside.
“I smell a really strong alcohol scent.
Did little shishu-ancestor come by?”
“Good nose.
Yes, shishu is here.” Xinyun stepped aside to let Wen Jiayin in.
The Wine Immortal’s eye twitched, probably because it was the first time she’d seen such a doting smile on her little shizhi’s face, and she wasn’t used to it at all.
Some things she understood, but… if she let things develop like this, her shixiong—Xinyun’s Master—would probably jump out of his grave and curse her to death.
What a headache… The Wine Immortal took a small sip from her gourd.
The mellow taste made her pause for a moment.
This was a gift from her little shizhi, so she knew it had to be good, but she hadn’t expected it to be better than any wine she’d ever had.
Oh well, shixiong is already dead anyway.
At worst, he’ll get so mad he comes back to life, and that wouldn’t be a bad thing, right? Between good wine and shixiong, the Wine Immortal chose the former without hesitation.
“Little shishu-ancestor, I don’t know if you remember me.
You saved my life back then, and since you haven’t been in the sect these years, I never got the chance to thank you properly.” Wen Jiayin was finally meeting this legendary figure who was always coming and going like a dragon.
After taking Xinyun as her master, she’d wanted to thank the Wine Immortal for saving her, but by the time she asked around, the Wine Immortal had already left and no one, not even Xinyun or the sect leader, knew where she’d gone.
“Saved you?” The Wine Immortal looked Wen Jiayin up and down, as if trying hard to remember.
“Oh, right, right, I remember now.
Back then you were a dirty little thing, looked nothing like you do now.
Wasn’t your name Wen Migao? That name sounds delicious.”
Huh? How did the Wine Immortal know her nickname? Only two people should know that: one was Li Youxi, who she’d told on the immortal boat when she wanted help changing her name, and the other was Zhi Changan, who’d overheard after she and Li Youxi bickered.
No one else should know.
“Migao…?” Such a cute name—Xinyun had never heard it, in this life or the last.
“That’s… just my nickname, little shishu-ancestor.
My name is Wen Jiayin!”
“Wen Jiayin? I heard that little Li Youxi say her shizhi’s disciple was called Wen Migao.
Haha, so it’s just a nickname.”
Of course… Wen Jiayin’s forehead twitched.
Only that big mouth would go blabbing everywhere!
“That’s a cute name.
Migao… I remember that’s some kind of food in the mortal world, right?” Xinyun, who’d been brought back to Jingdao Sect as a baby, had barely eaten any mortal food, so she’d only ever heard of things like migao.
“That’s right, that’s right! It’s soft, sweet, and really tasty! If you’re interested, Master, I can make some for you to try!” After eating fasting pills every day in Jingdao Sect, Wen Jiayin had long wanted to cook for herself, but since Lingjian Peak didn’t have a kitchen and the only canteen in the whole sect was too far away, she was too lazy to go every day.
Xinyun was naturally delighted, but before she could say anything, the Wine Immortal cut in, “Can you make dishes that go well with wine?”
“I can, but just regular home-style stir-fries.”
“That’s good enough.
I’m sick of the food in the sect canteen.
Next time, make me some dishes to go with wine.
As thanks, you can pick anything from my storage bag except the knife and the wine gourd.” The Wine Immortal was especially generous, putting her storage bag right in front of Wen Jiayin.
“No, no! You saved my life, it’s just cooking a few dishes for you.” Wen Jiayin was too embarrassed to accept anything from the Wine Immortal.
“In that case… I’ll make time to spar with you.
I heard from the sect leader that you’re talented and work hard at cultivation, but since your Master keeps you by her side, you lack real combat experience.
He wanted me to teach you anyway.
Come on, let’s spar!” The Wine Immortal was a decisive person, and as expected, Xinyun immediately stepped in to stop her.
“Shishu, I usually practice swordsmanship with Jiayin, so you don’t need to trouble yourself.” It wasn’t that Xinyun didn’t want others to help Wen Jiayin with combat training, but her shishu really didn’t know how to hold back.
“Look at you, always protecting her, afraid she’ll fall if she runs, probably scared she’ll get scratched when you practice swordsmanship.
How is that sparring?” To be fair, the Wine Immortal had never seen it, but her guess was spot on.
Then the Wine Immortal turned to Wen Jiayin and said, “Little Jiayin, do you want to try? Don’t worry, I’ll suppress my strength to your level.”
Getting a chance to be taught by a big shot with plot-armor-level skills could only be a good thing for Wen Jiayin, so she nodded without hesitation.
But when they got to the training ground, she finally understood why her Master had tried to stop the Wine Immortal earlier.
Master really did care about her most—she should have listened!
The Wine Immortal casually picked up a bamboo stick as thick as three fingers, but Xinyun swapped it for a much thinner one.
The two of them stared each other down for a while over the weapon, but unfortunately, the Wine Immortal couldn’t out-stubborn her shizhi.
Wen Jiayin took out the sword the sect leader had given her, and the two of them took their places on the training ground.
“Ready? I’ll start if you are.” The Wine Immortal drawled lazily.
“I’m ready.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the Wine Immortal’s aura changed.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but even the breeze seemed to stop.
When those eyes, faintly tinged with blood, locked onto her, Wen Jiayin felt like her heart was being squeezed tight, making it hard to breathe.
The move she was about to make froze up completely.
Because of that brief hesitation, the Wine Immortal’s bamboo stick sent her flying, and she crashed hard into a bamboo stalk before coming to a stop.
That hit left Wen Jiayin dizzy, her blood surging, and she could almost taste blood in her throat.
But all those years of cultivation weren’t for nothing.
The moment she landed, she adjusted her posture and landed steadily, then immediately darted toward the Wine Immortal without hesitation.
The Wine Immortal, who’d just been about to sigh and shake her head, saw how quickly Wen Jiayin recovered and counterattacked, and laughed, “Not bad.”
“Shishu, please be more careful.” Seeing the Wine Immortal getting excited, Xinyun frowned, ready to step in at any moment.
Ever since the last war between immortals and demons, her shishu had become a heavy drinker and seemed a bit unhinged.
In the past, she might have felt at ease, but now, letting this shishu who’d achieved enlightenment through killing teach Jiayin, she couldn’t let her guard down.
