A broad river separated the verdant banks on either side. The water was jade-green, the sky clear, warm sunlight poured down, and a gentle breeze drifted by.
The scenery here never failed to lift one's spirits. A bamboo raft rippled through the water, drifting slowly toward the stern.
"Even though this is the Eastern Divine Continent, the dangers are still manifold. I'm not even sure I can retreat unscathed, so you really didn't need to come along."
Beneath the canopy of the raft, Chu Xingchen lay half-reclined, his gaze falling on Xie Lingyu, who was gently poling at the back.
At this moment, Xie Lingyu wore a long white dress, a verdant green pole swaying gently in her hands. Her expression was placid, yet she fit perfectly with the green hills and blue waters surrounding them.
Xie Lingyu drew the pole back and set it on the raft. Actually, she had wanted to try poling since she was little, but never had the chance. After all, if she went out with Qinghe and insisted on playing with the boat pole, she'd definitely be laughed at.
This time the opportunity was perfect. It didn't matter if Chu Xingchen saw her playing with it—he wouldn't tell anyone.
Though... it wasn't as interesting as she'd imagined. Perhaps because she was no longer a child.
Xie Lingyu set the pole aside, took two steps to the edge of the canopy but didn't enter it. She lowered her gaze slightly toward the seemingly languid Chu Xingchen:
"You handle your business, I enjoy my leisure—what do you mean 'came with you'?"
Chu Xingchen nodded with satisfaction at her words: "Alright then. When we reach shore, I'll go take care of my business while you go enjoy yourself. Once I'm done, I'll contact you."
Xie Lingyu said nothing—she simply raised a hand and summoned a splash of river water toward Chu Xingchen.
Chu Xingchen reacted swiftly. He knew Lingyu was just joking around, but he didn't want to get drenched. Using cultivation techniques would feel like bullying her, so he simply shifted his body, and in the blink of an eye, he was outside the river.
Xie Lingyu's gaze followed him, only to hear Chu Xingchen call out in a clear voice:
"Brother Yuyang, we've arrived—why are you still hiding? What are you hoping to see?"
Xie Lingyu reacted quickly, hurriedly dispersing the water she'd been controlling. She glanced around but couldn't spot Yuyang Daozi's figure.
Then again, her cultivation was far below Yuyang Daozi's, so failing to detect him was perfectly normal.
But when Xie Lingyu's gaze returned to Chu Xingchen, she noticed that the smile on his face carried a hint of teasing.
"Chu Xingchen!" Xie Lingyu glared at him. "You lied to me."
Chu Xingchen put on an innocent expression: "How did I lie to you? Don't go making false accusations. Everyone knows I, Chu, am a man of my word—whatever I say goes."
"What about Yuyang Daozi then?"
Several streams of river water rose behind Xie Lingyu, as if to say that without a satisfactory answer, Chu Xingchen was definitely getting splashed today.
But suddenly, a voice rang out from the riverbank.
"I did arrive—I just thought you two seemed to still have things to say, so I planned to wait until you finished before showing myself, lest I interrupt."
Xie Lingyu turned to look. On one side of the bank, Yuyang Daozi stood watching them with curious eyes. The streams of water behind her dispersed once more.
This time she didn't speak—she simply walked straight into the bamboo canopy.
As if by not speaking and not showing her face, what just happened had never occurred.
Chu Xingchen didn't say much about it, nor did he acknowledge Yuyang Daozi on the bank. He took a step forward and sat down inside the canopy as well. He saw Xie Lingyu sitting sideways, legs curled up, half her delicate face buried in her arms.
"You can't be mad at me—you're the one who didn't believe me." Chu Xingchen sat down quietly beside her and spoke.
Xie Lingyu said nothing. She merely glanced sideways at Chu Xingchen, and after a moment, gave a small nod, as if conceding that he was right.
Seeing this, Chu Xingchen couldn't help but laugh softly. Xie Lingyu was sometimes remarkably easy to deal with—as long as you had reason on your side, she wouldn't hold a grudge against you. And once her mood improved a bit, she wouldn't bring up the past again.
When Chu Xingchen employed sophistry and Xie Lingyu couldn't argue back, this was usually how things went.
But if the sophistry went too far, not only would Xie Lingyu refuse to accept it—she would get seriously angry.
She had her own sense of right and wrong in her heart, and she lived by it.
"You're the one who called me here, yet now you've left me out in the cold without so much as a glance. That's rather dismissive of you, wouldn't you say?"
Outside the canopy, Yuyang Daozi stood quietly without entering, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
Chu Xingchen gave Xie Lingyu's head a light pat, then turned and stepped out of the bamboo raft:
"Does Brother Yuyang not understand that matters have their priorities?"
Yuyang Daozi's face was full of teasing amusement: "Indeed, Brother Chu is right. By comparison, I truly should be left out in the cold."
Chu Xingchen reached out and clapped Yuyang Daozi heavily on the shoulder, transmitting his voice:
"Say no more. If you truly provoke her later, I'll be helping her beat you up. You don't actually think she wouldn't dare to make a move, do you?"
Yuyang Daozi suddenly remembered that Xie Lingyu sitting inside was a bona fide core disciple of Bai Xuanling.
He dropped the teasing expression and looked out at the river: "I'm guessing you came to the Eastern Divine Continent and specifically called me here to cross the river—probably not just because you genuinely wanted to drink with me."
"Inviting you for a drink is certainly genuine."
Chu Xingchen's expression was sincere. As he spoke, he retrieved from his spatial ring the Tianyan Sect's top-tier specialty—Chunnuan.
On the emerald-green wine bottle was pasted a talisman radiating spiritual energy. Chu Xingchen directly peeled off the talisman, and immediately, an incredibly lingering and exquisite fragrance of wine wafted outward, drifting along the river breeze.
Yuyang Daozi's eyes brightened—he was clearly a connoisseur. "Is this Chunnuan?"
Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow and nodded.
He had specifically asked Yan Yun for this before departing, and his excuse was simple—if you want a friend's help but don't bring wine, forget about getting help, you probably won't even get to see their face.
Perhaps Yan Yun truly didn't drink—she didn't say much and quite readily allocated a generous amount to Chu Xingchen.
Yuyang Daozi pursed his lips slightly, clearly wanting to drink but saying nothing.
Sometimes, the better the wine you bring, the harder the task tends to be.
If it were something casual, there probably wouldn't even be wine involved.
It was said that even within the Tianyan Sect, the supply couldn't meet the demand, and it was never sold externally. Basically, aside from members of the Tianyan Sect, no one had ever tasted proper Chunnuan.
Chu Xingchen looked over, noticing that Yuyang Daozi's gaze had already drifted down to the river below. He spoke in a leisurely tone:
"You think if you don't drink, you won't have to help me?"
Hearing this, Yuyang Daozi looked up at Chu Xingchen gently shaking the wine bottle, and sighed:
"Fine, pour the wine. If we really let you run wild alone in the Eastern Divine Continent, it'd probably be even more troublesome."
Chu Xingchen nodded with satisfaction and produced two wine cups from his spatial ring. He handed one to Yuyang Daozi and poured him a cup.
Yuyang Daozi inhaled the wine's fragrance and was about to taste whether this Chunnuan lived up to its legendary reputation, but Chu Xingchen reached out and stopped him.
"Wait before drinking." Chu Xingchen held up a hand.
Yuyang Daozi looked puzzled, but seeing Chu Xingchen's serious expression, he stayed his hand.
The bamboo raft continued drifting forward, though at a notably faster pace.
A moment later, Yuyang Daozi sensed something and turned his gaze toward Chu Xingchen.
Chu Xingchen lifted his cup and poured himself some wine, then raised the bottle high:
"I come from above the clouds, to share in the affairs of the mortal world."
"Fellow companions, drink this wine, and let us face the future together."
With those words, Chu Xingchen tossed the wine bottle upward. The ambrosia-like liquid flew into the air, and simultaneously, the river water surged up, enveloping the precious wine.
Chu Xingchen retrieved the jade stone Yan Yun had given him from his spatial ring:
"I am Jiuxuan, and I invite you all to share in this heavenly wine."
The jade stone suddenly blazed with crystalline light, and a pulse of energy drifted outward.
In the next instant, countless voices rang out in response from every direction.
"As you command!"
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