Book 1 Chapter 23

Sichuan First Okruguju

Forty-five days before the miraculous return of the main cast,

So the day after the main crew left Amishan, in the afternoon.

In the middle of a quasi-bar of amino acids, a single strand of

The white smoke danced, dragging itself up into the sky.

It had been a long time since Mo'och had blown smoke. White smoke rising into the Asrai sky, like the smoke an old man might blow out while lying on a windy patio, smoking a cigarette. At the edge of the smoke, a young man was humming and cooking rice. He hadn't cooked in a long time. For the past five months, others had cooked the rice, prepared the side dishes, and set the table, but now that they were gone, he had to do it himself.

A delicious smell wafted through the air, tickling his nostrils. For the time being, there was plenty of meat that the now departed disciples had hunted in the mountains as part of their training, and there were also tons of wild herbs that they had gathered, so there was no need to go hungry for now. The rewards of pampering the disciples by charging them three times their usual quota ten days before they left were paying off. Behind the young man, who was humming about what was so joyous about today, a grizzled but powerful old man's voice came from behind him.

"Ryu Yeon-ah!"

Turning around, Bi Ryuyeon could only stare at Master Mul'er's face. His head cocked slightly to the side, his posture stiff, his gaze swept over the old man's entire body in a piercing manner. As the apprentice stood stiffly, wordlessly questioning the master's solution, the master felt both arrogant and frustrated.

"What are you staring at? Shame on you……. You must be looking at my face."

I meant to say stop staring, but…….

"Did you take a bath?"

Bathing? I think it refers to the act of washing and cleansing the body. The words came out of nowhere. Judging from her tone, she wasn't asking because of the smell. She was asking for confirmation.

"Yes, yes, I shaved a little yesterday. I went down to the valley water yesterday evening and washed my beard and removed some grime."

The master spoke proudly about something that was not a big deal. In this case, the master is referring to the name of his beard. He admired Guan Yun, the master of the Ming Dynasty in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and was eager to succeed him as the second Ming Dynasty.

So he paid particular attention to his beard. He was proud of his waist-length white hair, pure white rice, and a beautiful, clean, full beard that reached down to the crown of his head, so whenever there was a big event or occasion, he would pay close attention to it, like a father raising his children. To add insult to injury, it was he who ultimately gave his beard a name. His beard was named Bai Xia! The idea of giving a name to a part of one's body that resembles one's own was quite bizarre.

"Why are you making such a fuss about it, all old and manly."

"It's been a while since I've been here, and I need to look good. A good impression and a clean, well-groomed appearance go a long way toward popularity. I'm just trying to manage my popularity."

"Yes?"

"Oh, no, just skip it."

The master stammers about something he doesn't like. Unable to find a palatable response, the master switched the subject to another topic. This change of topic was not a pleasant one for Bi Ryuyeon.

"By the way, what's the matter, I haven't seen you around much lately, and today you're done eating, and the sun will be setting in the east today, so are you done with your affair?"

It was a bit of a tingling sensation.

"Oh, it's no big deal, I'm just a little lazy after all this time. I'm not a cheating wife……. It's not like she's cheating on me……."

Her master's suspicious gaze made her feel uncomfortable. For someone who had only recently begun to take care of her skin, it felt deadly.

"You've been neglectful for about five months now, you're not doing your job, what's happened to you in the meantime, is this something?"

Without hesitation, the master raised his little finger and pointed it at her. But she shook her head fiercely in denial, and it was clear that the master was harboring a suspicion that she was wrong, but she didn't want to be caught up in an unfounded suspicion.

"No, not a woman. Don't get me wrong."

"If it's not a woman, what is it? You don't come home at night, you've been out of town a lot, you've cooked me three meals, but they weren't cooked here, they were cooked somewhere else, and the food didn't taste like you, though I'll forgive you for the frequent purchases of alcohol. But the food was clearly the work of a woman's hand, so confess."

Sweat beaded on his forehead. He had been constantly buying alcohol to cope with his frequent overnights, outings, and outings, but it seemed to have run out of steam.

"I'm not really, what's a girl to do, sheepishly……."

The master cut off Bi Ryuyeon's words mid-sentence, as she was about to say something tactically tongue-in-cheek, with an attitude that it was nothing.

"Uh, what's that?"

"Yes, what?"

"You know, the one sticking out of the side of your left side."

In an instant, Bi Ryuyeon's nerves rapidly expanded and became taut enough to be strung on a koto and played.

"No, what is it? It's nothing."

"No, it's not, my eyes are right, don't you dare fool the ghosts, don't you dare fool me, when you speak good words, speak them right."

"Why are you so suspicious, if you're not my beloved disciple, you're not, it's just a cotton ball, it's just a cotton ball……."

But the clothes she was wearing now were plain and could not have been cotton, and as she quickly turned away, something jumped out of her arms. It was betrayal. The Goddess of Fate had betrayed him.

"Poof."

The heavy sound, the pretty silk, people call it a silk bag. It was a very expensive looking pouch, with a colorful reddish glow and ornate embroidery on it. It was clearly a luxury item, given the current state of living of the Virgins, and as such, the Master could not help but be suspicious of its source and contents.

A flash of light flashed in the Master's eyes. The intensity of the flash told him that his ears had picked up on the sound that had just been heard. This sound was the sound of money…….

'I'm old, I've got bright ears…….'

I grumbled to myself and started looking for ways to make it go away.

"What is it?"

His voice was high-pressure, and he sounded as if he would use his skills if she didn't answer. Bi Ryuyeon was at a loss. She was still far from being able to handle her master's skill. At this point in her training, she hadn't completed the final stages of the Bi Liu Dao, and she didn't have the strength to withstand her master's test.

"It's really nothing. It's just a case, a case. A small gesture of kindness from the other side."

"That's pretty heavy for a heart sign."

The master still gave her a suspicious glance. Her skin tingled. Inwardly, she felt embarrassed. Somehow, she had to defuse this situation. To a brighter tomorrow!

"No, I, you know, I had some kids who wanted to be strong, and they kept asking me to be strong, and how did they know I was a student of yours, and they knew I was strong, and they were crying and hanging on, and I didn't have the heart to say no, because I'm kind of a softie, so I let them be strong, because I don't think a student of yours shouldn't be able to do that, but then again, trials are the best way to be strong, right?"

"So?"

"Oh, so I asked some people I know to do me a favor and say, 'Please make them stronger,' and they were so grateful that they gave me this money."

"Huh? You gave them money and they gave you a case and you did the case, so how can they give you money and you do the case when they asked you to do the case, when you asked them to do the case?"

"Well, how could I know anything that deep, they just said that they were so grateful to know about it and that I should be blessed to be doing such a great thing. It's a small case, so I said, 'Please take it, it's an information fee,' and they said they'd be happy to help me put them through their paces, so I took it, and they were very generous, and they were very kind. I said, "How can I accept money from people I don't know who will strengthen me, but they keep trying to give it to me even though I refuse, so I can't help it, and I don't think it's polite to keep refusing, so here I am. To make up for all the times I've neglected you, I thought I'd buy you a bottle of your favorite Okuju."

"Okruju!"

I was a little skeptical, but the sound of a bottle of eau-de-vie made my mouth water. It looked like her plan had worked.

"Yes, jade liquor. It's 20 years old, and it's a bit expensive. I've been unfaithful to my master, so I'll try to make it up to him today. I'll buy some this evening when I go shopping, and I've already placed an order with Hongaru."

"Two, twenty years!"

His eyes narrowed at the number twenty, and he swallowed hard. Jade liquor was his favorite, but it was expensive and he didn't drink it often. Even then, it was only jade liquor aged three years or less. If it was 20 years old, when would he ever try it. Sichuan's first liquor, Hong Aru, a secret liquor, Oklu, 20 years old, is the highest quality liquor recognized in the Ami area, and even in the Sichuan area.

The secret of aging is one of the top secrets of Hong Aru that is never revealed. There is even a story that Ami's precepts lose their efficacy in the presence of jade tea, as many Ami disciples have been caught drinking jade tea in Hong'aru and punished in the precepts hall. Although Ami is a female-centered sect, it is not without male disciples. As Ami's power grew, it began to accept male disciples, and although their status was lower than that of their female counterparts, they were no less powerful.

It is a well-known fact that there are still many incidents of people being overcome by the taste and aroma of jade tea, breaking the precept of abstinence from alcohol, descending the mountain to drink it in secret, and being dragged up to the court of the preceptor. Such a jade tea was the highest grade of 20-year cotton. It was perfect for a master who preferred alcohol to rice.

His mouth stretched into a horizontal line, and he smiled and nodded in satisfaction. Seeing this, Bi Ryuyeon wiped the sweat from her brow, thinking that the danger had passed. Things seemed to have gone well. Although the jade liquor was a bit expensive, it felt like a bargain compared to the sacrifices she had made to undo the events of today and yesterday. In fact, 20 years of jade liquor is the pinnacle of commodities, and as the name of Sichuan's best liquor suggests, the price was no joke. In terms of price, a 20-year old bottle of jade liquor was worth three or four gold leaves.

It's a drink that most people wouldn't be able to afford in their lifetime. The reason for the small sacrifice was that Bi Ryuyeon had no intention of buying jade liquor at the Hong Aru. This is not to say that Bi Ryuyeon was blackmailing his master; he was definitely going to take the jade liquor and give it to his master, for he had a bottle of 20 years of jade liquor that he had acquired through good words (?) when he met with the acquaintances mentioned above yesterday. By good words, I mean the exchange of communication through friendly conversation.

"Oh, come on upstairs, Master."

After finishing her lunch, Bi Ryuyeon hurried to her master's side. In times like this, it was best to act quickly so that the other person wouldn't think twice.

"Yeah, yeah."

He nodded and seemed to be moving on, but suddenly his eyes lit up. He had discovered something.

"Uh, Ryuyeon, by the way, you have something red on your sleeve, don't you?"

On the sleeve of her nicely dressed top, holding up the ends, was a red stain, just as her master had said, and when he noticed it, he asked her about it.

"Oh, it's just a little bite from a friendly conversation with people I don't know, no big deal."

"Really? It looks to me like you smashed someone's face and something splashed out."

"No way."

Bi Ryuyeon flashed a fraudulent smile.

"Hmm, yeah?"

Bi Ryuyeon was a little unhappy that her master hadn't yet given her the benefit of the doubt, even in the face of her bright smile.

'I'm old and doubtful and have…….'

Bi Ryuyeon chewed on her master in her heart, but she couldn't help herself.

"Be gentle. If you hit me, the bruises won't go away for two or three months."

It felt like the end of the world to hear the word 'moderation' come out of his mouth. Where is 'gently' in his dictionary, where is 'moderately' in his dictionary, where is the word 'degree' in his dictionary? He knew this well, having spent nearly ten years with him. What he said now was probably not what he really meant. He was probably just trying to mold him in front of his student. Despite her dissatisfaction with these facts, she replied politely.

"Yes, Master."

"Yeah, yeah. But stewed potatoes?"

"Yes, of course I'm ready, Master."

"Okay, then let's go upstairs."

The master said, his face full of whiteness and vigor. The two stepped out onto the patio and into the cool breeze from the mountains, where they set down the prize and began to eat their lunch. Autumn was almost over now. The story takes place in the afternoon of the day after the Zhujiajie troupe left Amishan, in a hut on the side of one of Amishan's semi-peaks.

<Continued from "Fault Tolerance" Volume 2