Chapter 567: That Bitch

An open basket was filled with hay, carefully packed to prevent breakage, and nestled within it were two jars of wine.

The delivery method immediately suggested that the sender was not well-off. Otherwise, they wouldn't have resorted to such a primitive means of transport; a Spatial Pouch would have been much simpler, more convenient, and completely protected the contents from damage.

Li Hongjiu pushed aside the hay, and his eyes lit up the moment he saw the style of the wine jars inside. They were dark brown, melon-shaped vessels, flawlessly smooth yet seemingly unworked, exuding an uncommon elegance. A discerning eye would recognize them as objects used by someone of refined aesthetic taste.

The seals were equally exquisite, made of red jade paste. Judging by their discoloration, the jars were quite old.

Given that his master was the Sect Master of the Yanbao Sect, Li Hongjiu had managed to sample many fine things, even if his master disapproved of his love for wine. Thus, he possessed a keen discerning eye for such items.

Impatiently, he snatched up one of the jars, immediately popped off the mud seal, and tore away the golden sealing paper. A refreshing, yet not overpowering, fragrance instantly wafted out. He brought his nose close for a sniff, his eyes narrowing as he shook his head in satisfaction. Then, grabbing the bottom of the jar, he prepared to take a big gulp.

Guang Haoyou, watching from the side, immediately grew anxious. He wanted to ask if Li Hongjiu had lost his mind. If they weren't going to be cautious, what was the point of having someone escort the messenger in the first place?

He quickly reached out, grabbing Li Hongjiu's arm. Shaking his head at the startled Li Hongjiu, he said, “Uncle-Master, we don't know if this wine is from a true friend or an enemy. It would be best if I tested it for you.”

Li Hongjiu understood his concern. “I haven’t been drinking all these years for nothing,” he replied. “I can tell if there are impurities with just one sniff.”

Guang Haoyou, however, insisted, “Uncle-Master, it’s still best to test it.”

The exchange between the two made the messenger, standing nearby, uneasy. He was just an ordinary man with a family to support. One day, someone had suddenly offered him a substantial sum to deliver this package, and he had thought it a great windfall. But the current situation made him realize he might have been too hasty. If this involved some kind of feud, and if the wine truly was poisoned, he feared he'd be caught in the crossfire.

Li Hongjiu scratched his forehead with the letter in his hand, a puzzled expression on his face. *Wasn’t he clear enough?* he wondered. He could tell if something was poisoned. Why did everyone in the sect always doubt his word? Did they really think he would casually ingest something toxic?

Fortunately, he had grown accustomed to it over the years. He'd simply deal with it.

With a swift tap of the wine jar, a crystal-clear drop of liquid sprang forth. The hand that had tapped the jar extended an index finger to catch it. With a subtle incantation, the drop quickly vaporized, dissolving into nothingness at his fingertip.

He rubbed his thumb against his index finger, then showed it to Guang Haoyou. “See? No poison,” he said.

As he spoke, he lifted the jar and took a big, noisy gulp.

“Uncle-Master…” Guang Haoyou was speechless. He had wanted to stop him, to ask: *Are you really just going to accept this without even figuring out who sent it?*

Li Hongjiu set down the jar with a long sigh of contentment, smacked his lips, and exclaimed, “Excellent wine!”

He then tilted his head back and took several more gulps. Only after a moment of pure indulgence did he pick up the jar again, examining it carefully, turning it over in his hands. He muttered, “I’ve secretly had sips of the Royal Nectar my master brought back from the Imperial Court, but somehow, this tastes even better…”

As he spoke, he handed the wine jar to Guang Haoyou and began to mumble while opening the letter, “How could I possibly forget an old acquaintance capable of producing such fine wine…?”

Hearing that it tasted even better than true Royal Nectar, Guang Haoyou’s interest was piqued. He tentatively asked, “Uncle-Master, may I have a taste?”

Li Hongjiu waved a dismissive hand, indicating he was free to drink, while simultaneously unfolding the letter to read it.

The letter read: “Brother Li, please judge wisely. Your younger brother has fallen in with the wrong crowd and inadvertently leaked a scandal concerning my master. Certain parties now intend to expose this publicly, which could ruin my reputation. I therefore specifically invite Brother Li to lend a hand. Fine wine awaits you in Xiniu Jukuzhou. Your old friend from the Lightning Sword.”

As he read the letter, his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

“Truly good wine,” Guang Haoyou sighed, still holding the jar. But seeing his Uncle-Master’s strange reaction, he immediately leaned closer, wanting to glance at the letter’s contents.

However, Li Hongjiu’s reaction was swift; he immediately folded the letter, clearly indicating he didn't want anyone else to see it.

Guang Haoyou couldn't help but ask, “Uncle-Master, whose letter is that?”

Li Hongjiu retorted irritably, “None of your business! Go, escort the messenger back down the mountain first.” He gestured toward the messenger with his chin.

Alright, Guang Haoyou had no choice but to return the wine jar to him. He then gestured for the messenger to follow him.

The messenger cupped his hands in farewell.

After watching the two depart, Li Hongjiu unfolded the letter again and reread it, a grimace forming on his face.

The letter would be largely unintelligible to others, but he knew at a glance who had sent it.

Who else could be an “old friend from the Lightning Sword” but that scoundrel Shi Chun?

It would also be difficult for anyone else to impersonate. Xiniu Jukuzhou is a vast continent, and while the letter didn't specify a meeting place, Li Hongjiu possessed a pair of mother-child talismans that allowed him to contact Shi Chun directly once he arrived in Jukuzhou.

Furthermore, it was questionable whether that scoundrel even had a master to begin with; given his background, he had no reputation to fear losing. On the contrary, Li Hongjiu himself had indeed exposed his own master’s private affairs in the past. Therefore, the letter’s mention of “inadvertently leaking a scandal concerning my master” was not hard to interpret.

A person with a guilty conscience would instantly understand.

Thus, the letter’s intent became perfectly clear, with the previous and latter parts reinforcing each other: *If you don’t come, your scandalous secret will be revealed.*

How could he possibly let his fellow disciples see such a letter? If the sect became involved, it would be very difficult to explain.

He frowned in confusion, slowly settling onto the stone steps in front of the door. He held the letter, pondering it repeatedly, trying to decipher what that scoundrel was up to with this stunt.

While such a scandal, if exposed, would certainly affect him, for someone of his status and background, mere baseless accusations would not fundamentally harm him.

Of course, an exposed scandal would undoubtedly be troublesome. After all, his master had indeed done it; it was a true story with verifiable evidence, making any attempt to refute it extremely awkward.

He also knew that even if this matter escalated, his master wouldn’t truly punish him. Still, meeting his master afterwards would certainly be awkward.

Ultimately, he was quite open-minded and not particularly afraid of such a scandal. If he had been, he wouldn't have exposed it in the first place.

The person using this as leverage likely knew they wouldn't gain anything substantial from it.

What he was somewhat concerned about was whether that scoundrel would truly follow through if he didn't attend the meeting. If Shi Chun were serious, he might escalate the threats. Exposing the master’s privacy was a minor issue; revealing the incident of the ‘Myriad Thunderbolts’ destroying the magical artifacts of various sects – *that* would truly cause trouble for the sect.

He held the letter, tilting his head, repeatedly puzzling over what exactly that scoundrel wanted from him.

He could guess it wouldn't be anything good. Was it truly necessary to resort to blackmail just to invite him for a drink?

Furthermore, he had heard that fellow had been in secluded cultivation in the Eastern Victory Royal Capital. When did he suddenly run off to Xiniu Jukuzhou? He had only heard of that outlandish place; he had never been there.

Catching a whiff of the wine’s aroma, he instinctively grabbed the jar and took a few more gulps. He smacked his lips, shaking his head with an expression of profound appreciation. “What truly fine wine!” he exclaimed, then began to mutter to himself, “Plenty to drink, really? Where did that fellow get such excellent stuff? Some of the ingredients for this kind of vintage are incredibly hard to come by, let alone a hundred-year-old aged brew…”

Suddenly, with a flick of his wrist, the letter in his hand burst into flames, instantly turning to ash.

He ignored everything else for the moment, simply hugging the wine jar and indulging himself first…

The next day, after reporting to the sect, Li Hongjiu disguised himself and descended the mountain, claiming he wished to travel.

The sect offered to assign him two accompanying disciples, but he declined, stating he preferred no attendants.

Sect Master Qu Wuming did question him about the matter. He seemed remarkably well-informed about the messenger and the wine delivery, clearly having received a report from Guang Haoyou.

However, Li Hongjiu skillfully lied his way through the interrogation. He knew that revealing Shi Chun’s involvement would lead to many more complications, especially concerning the Five-Grade Immobilization Talisman incident, which his master had implicitly and explicitly warned him about numerous times.

He couldn't fathom how Shi Chun had ended up living such a life. He was a genuinely clever person, yet whether out of true brilliance or a misguided cunning, he constantly placed himself in perilous situations for the sake of fame and profit.

Sect Master Qu Wuming wasn't particularly worried that this disciple would cause trouble during his travels. Unless explicitly forced, Li Hongjiu was generally disinclined to get involved in others’ affairs. The Sect Master merely advised him to be careful and instructed him to discreetly descend the mountain after disguising himself, without even alerting too many within the sect.

The implication was that visible dangers were easy to avoid, but hidden ones were not.

While Li Hongjiu might be called lazy, it would be wrong to say he lacked intelligence. After leaving the mountain, he first traveled through the Xun Gate to the Eastern Victory Royal Capital and lingered there. During this time, he used his mother-child talisman to contact Shi Chun. Only after confirming there was no reply did he change course and head towards the Western Ox Royal Capital.

While exploring both locations, he discreetly inquired about the situation in Jukuzhou, asking if anything unusual had occurred.

He had no choice; based on his understanding of Shi Chun, that scoundrel often caused a massive stir whenever he got involved in something.

This was the true reason he was wary of Shi Chun; although the fine wine was enticing, he feared being implicated in trouble.

As for whether Shi Chun intended to harm him, he wasn't concerned about that at all, despite the underlying threat in the letter.

However, his method of gathering information on the streets yielded nothing. Information regarding matters involving powerful factions was subject to considerable control over its dissemination.

And so, on a bleak and windy day, he stepped out of the Xun Gate upon his arrival in Jukuzhou.

The moment he exited the Xun Gate, he sensed something unusual. He noticed that people queuing to leave were being meticulously inspected, one by one.

He walked over to a nearby shop and inquired of the shopkeeper, “Excuse me, is it always this strict to leave Jukuzhou?”

The shopkeeper shook his head. “I don’t know what happened,” he replied, “but the inspections suddenly became very strict recently, and it’s really impacted our business.”

Li Hongjiu turned his head again to observe the intensified inspections at the exit, muttering to himself, *Surely this can’t also be related to that scoundrel? It can’t be such a coincidence, can it?*

After thanking the shopkeeper and walking a short distance away, he finally pulled out the mother-child talisman used to contact Shi Chun, sending an enthusiastic message: “Brother, I’ve missed you. I’m here!”

Indeed, just as he expected, a warm reply from Shi Chun quickly appeared on the talisman: “Brother Wine, I’ve finally been waiting for you! A whole stash of excellent wine awaits! Come quickly to Yaoshan City.”

A whole stash of excellent wine? Li Hongjiu was certainly tempted, but he still cautiously replied: “There won’t be any traps waiting for me, will there?”

Shi Chun countered: “No traps, but there’s fine wine and beautiful women! Come quickly!”