Chapter 1347: Great Misfortune

“This is a specialty of our Abyss of Ghostly Mockery: the Five Poisons Wine.”

As a cup of the liquid was poured for everyone, Chen Ling’s voice rang out again. “This wine is made from the fermented venom of five poisonous creatures. It's quite rare; only I can enjoy it anytime throughout the entire Abyss of Ghostly Mockery. However, considering you’re humans and not calamities, you can’t withstand such potent toxins, so I’ve had your wine diluted a hundredfold. There shouldn’t be any issues.”

Sun Buming gazed at the “venom” swirling in his cup, his expression utterly priceless. *This stuff... could it really be drunk?*

Sun Buming was about to ask something when Jiang Xiaohua, beside him, already picked up his cup and chugged it down. Gulp, gulp, gulp—

The overflowing liquid spilled down Jiang Xiaohua’s lips. After downing the entire cup in a few gulps, a faint blush quickly spread across his cheeks. He licked his lips, seemingly still savoring the taste.

Jiang Xiaohua glanced at his empty cup, then turned to Chen Ling and asked tentatively, “...Is there any more?”

Chen Ling was momentarily stunned.

“Of course, as much as you want.”

“Um... this wine seems a bit weak. Can I have some of what you’re drinking?”

He glanced at Jiang Xiaohua in surprise, but quickly composed himself and replied immediately, “Yes... Someone, bring a few more cups of the undiluted wine, like mine!”

Soon, the same high-concentration Five Poisons Wine as Chen Ling’s was placed before Jiang Xiaohua. Jiang Xiaohua licked his lips, then tilted his head back and drank heartily again. After finishing more than half a cup in one gulp, a look of pure delight appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Chen Ling also raised his cup. “Come, I’ll drink with you.”

Chen Ling and Jiang Xiaohua clinked their cups.

Seeing this, Jian Changsheng also picked up his cup and clinked it with theirs. After a moment of hesitation, Sun Buming gritted his teeth and joined in.

However, as soon as Sun Buming took half a sip, his features twisted violently, and he instinctively turned his head and spat it out.

Jian Changsheng fared no better. The moment the poisonous wine entered his throat, a burning sensation, as if scalding his esophagus, made it unbearable. His expression shifted rapidly; he wanted to spit it out but felt it was inappropriate, so he finally swallowed it with great difficulty. *What vile wine!*

Both of them stared at Chen Ling and Jiang Xiaohua, who were simultaneously raising their cups and drinking heartily, as if they were watching two monsters.

“Never mind, let’s eat,” Jian Changsheng said, picking up a charcoal-grilled centipede. After considerable mental preparation, he finally put it into his mouth.

Sun Buming looked at the spread of the Five Poisons Feast and desperately wished he could conjure up some candied hawthorns. Though he was on the verge of throwing up from the food, at least the hawthorns would be sweet. But remembering that Chen Ling had meticulously prepared and personally cooked this entire meal, he steeled himself and ate a few bites.

As cup after cup of Five Poisons Wine went down, the usually reserved and shy Jiang Xiaohua stood up and swayed as he drank with Chen Ling. Combined with Jian Changsheng and Sun Buming eating and grumbling, and the occasional terrified shriek from the cutlery, the previously dull and lonely palace became lively for a time.

No one knew how long this long-awaited reunion dinner lasted. The Abyss of Ghostly Mockery had no sun, so they couldn't tell the time. By the time the dinner concluded, everyone felt a bit tired.

“The resting rooms are prepared for you. I’ll have someone take you there shortly... Get some rest tonight,” Chen Ling said to the three, a hint of drunkenness on his face.

“What about you? Aren’t you resting?”

“Me?” Chen Ling chuckled. “I am the King of the Abyss of Ghostly Mockery. At this hour, I should be patrolling the calamity territory and chatting with those several eighth-tier poison leaders... You don’t need to wait up for me.”

“Patrolling the territory... Tsk tsk,” Jian Changsheng said sarcastically. “Putting on quite the kingly airs, aren’t we?”

“What? Envious?”

“Envious of nothing.”

“Stop chatting, let’s go quickly... Red Heart, where’s the bathroom? I think I have diarrhea,” Sun Buming said urgently, clutching his stomach with a pained expression.

“It’s next to your room. I’ll have the centipede lead you there.”

Led by the small centipede, the three parted ways with Chen Ling and headed deeper into the palace.

“Plum Blossom, can’t you move your own legs?” Jian Changsheng said helplessly, supporting Jiang Xiaohua with one shoulder.

Jiang Xiaohua was now too drunk to walk. After all, he wasn’t a calamity; even he couldn’t handle chugging undiluted Five Poisons Wine. His steps were unsteady, and he swayed precariously, yet a rare smile graced his face.

“My legs aren’t listening to me... Spades...” Jiang Xiaohua murmured weakly, feeling wronged.

“You’ve been poisoned numb!”

“You guys hurry! I can’t hold it!”

As he spoke, Sun Buming found the bathroom and rushed in without hesitation.

Seeing this, Jian Changsheng snorted, “Diarrhea from a few bugs? How delicate...”

Jian Changsheng and Jiang Xiaohua returned to their room, where three beds had been set up. However, there were no sheets or duvet covers, only three thick piles of spider webs. Man-made bedding was unavailable in the Abyss of Ghostly Mockery, and even if the former Mockery Calamity had collected some blankets, it wouldn’t have been enough for three. Fortunately, Jian Changsheng and the others didn’t mind; they had survived in the Gray World for half a year, and even a flat patch of ground was enough for them to sleep on.

“Hiss... No, wait!” The moment Jian Changsheng put down Jiang Xiaohua, his expression abruptly changed. He clutched his stomach. “I think my stomach hurts a bit too...”

Jiang Xiaohua remained silent.

Jian Changsheng immediately dashed out of the room and banged on the bathroom door next door!

“What do you want?!” Sun Buming’s cautious voice called from inside.

“Diamonds, are you done?! I need the toilet too!”

“I just got in. Give me a minute.”

“How long??”

“I don’t know, maybe fifteen minutes.”

Jian Changsheng clenched his jaw, his face paling. After a moment of internal struggle, he gave up waiting for Sun Buming, turned, and rushed out of the palace. He couldn’t hold it any longer. Fortunately, this was the Abyss of Ghostly Mockery, where the outside was wilderness full of poisonous insects, so he could find a place anywhere.

About ten minutes after Jian Changsheng left, Sun Buming finally emerged from the bathroom, feeling relieved.

“Spades, you can go now... Huh?” Sun Buming looked around the corridor but couldn’t find Jian Changsheng, so he entered the room, puzzled. “Where’s Spades?”

“He seems to have gone out to use the bathroom,” Jiang Xiaohua replied, lying peacefully on the bed.

“He went out alone? Isn’t he afraid of getting his butt bitten by poisonous insects while he’s out there?” Sun Buming shrugged and sat down on one of the beds. He weighed the “spider silk blanket” in his hand. Although it looked thick, it wasn’t windproof. What’s more, this underground palace was inherently chilling; an ordinary person certainly couldn’t endure sleeping here.

“Such ill fortune...” Sun Buming sighed. “Fortunately, I can suppress the ominous energy here, otherwise, something terrible would happen.”

Jiang Xiaohua considered this. “Would it be better if Red Heart built a new palace somewhere else in the Abyss of Ghostly Mockery?”

“...No.” Sun Buming shook his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the void as he looked with a complex expression toward a certain part of the abyss. “It was only during dinner that I realized this palace itself isn’t inherently ominous... It’s ominous because it has been contaminated by a truly formidable, ominous presence. It’s not the palace itself that’s ominous... It’s Red Heart.”