Volume Two: The Mortal Realm, Chapter 110: Neither Wine Nor Hero

"To treat things as the essence."

Ye Mingke whispered the phrase, lost in thought.

"Why are you shouting so loudly? If you look down on 'things,' don't eat the food I cook later."

Having shed his iron-clad armor, Xu Zixian was in no mood to argue over differing philosophies with this stubborn old man before he had even sat down. He curled his lip.

"Just sit quietly and wait. I'll go make you all something to eat."

After neatly arranging everyone's luggage, he turned and headed deeper into the cave, disappearing behind a recessed stone wall.

A bubbling sound of water emanated from that corner, accompanied by a hazy mist drifting through the air.

Aru had been knocked unconscious by the earlier explosion but was otherwise unharmed. Curious, Ye Mingke, having nothing else to do, walked over to the corner and peered inside.

He saw a spacious area beyond the turn, featuring a spring bubbling with steaming hot water. Xu Zixian, dressed in white, was retrieving ingredients from wooden shelves set against the cave wall.

Sensing Ye Mingke’s gaze, Xu Zixian turned back. Only then did Ye Mingke notice that after removing his iron armor, Xu was wearing two glass lenses fixed to his eyes by a frame, giving him a somewhat grotesque appearance.

Perhaps sensing the confusion in Ye Mingke's eyes, Xu smiled—a smile both refined and wild—and pointed to the hot spring on the ground.

"That is an underground hot spring, a natural wonder born of subterranean fire veins. It stays warm throughout all four seasons."

"Legend has it that the Dragon Ridge was formed from an ancient divine dragon that governed the fires of heaven and earth. There are dormant fire veins deep underground; as you traveled here, you must have noticed the many tunnels and caverns in the local landscape. Those are the geographical features carved out by the eruptions of those fire veins."

"The mountain we are in is the dragon's neck of the Dragon Ridge. The fire is most intense here."

"And finally..."

Standing there, Ye Mingke realized that Xu Zixian already knew what he was wondering. Xu tapped the glass on his eyes and laughed.

"This is a device I invented to assist my vision. This cave is too dark, and I damaged my eyes after spending too much time on deductions and spell-casting, so I made this little trinket."

He was short-tempered with the old beggar, but his tone softened considerably when speaking to Ye Mingke.

"I have learned something today. I can cook too; let me help."

Ye Mingke also felt a sense of affinity for this peculiar man. After offering a smile, he walked over to the hot spring and began to assist.

The spacious cave was warm with firelight, filled with the gentle gurgling of water.

Chopping meat, cooking, and preparing the wild greens Xu Zixian had taken from an ice-lined chest.

Ye Mingke and Xu Zixian worked in quiet harmony without much conversation. On the other side, the old beggar and Liu Xi sat quietly, savoring a rare moment of peace after a day of frantic travel.

It had been a long time since Ye Mingke had cooked a proper meal—with pots, bowls, and a sense of home. How long? Not since the morning he cooked for his uncle on the day the dream of their small town was shattered.

Thus, he smiled, peacefully enjoying the calm, warm atmosphere.

The meal, consisting of several dishes, was soon ready—a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate. Although Xu Zixian started, most of the work was eventually taken over by Ye Mingke, whose professional touch was evident from the start.

Watching the smiling, taciturn youth, Xu Zixian suddenly spoke.

"You are quite good. Not many people these days know how to cook or enjoy fine food. Such people usually know how to live and respect life."

"You too," Ye Mingke replied with a smile. "Keeping so many wild greens in the dead of winter, and being willing to spend whatever it takes to keep every meal balanced with meat—you are a man who knows how to live as well."

As the food was served, Aru woke up and nestled beside Ye Mingke.

The group, tired of eating nothing but dry rations and roasted meat, couldn't help but stir at the sight of the sumptuous dishes.

Only the old beggar frowned as he looked at the spread.

"The food is good tonight, but what about the wine? Without wine, how can you call this a meal?"

"I don't drink such things. If you want some, old man, go outside and ask the 'big brothers' for it. But be careful—they seem to have just broken through to the Tongyuan realm."

"A trifle." The old beggar looked at the steaming food and said indifferently, "I'll be quick. It won't taste good if the food gets cold."

"Yezi, do you want a drink?" the old beggar asked, suddenly turning to Ye Mingke.

"I do." Ye Mingke nodded with a smile, though he couldn't imagine where one might find wine in the desolate Dragon Ridge. The only time he had ever drunk in his life was under the great banyan tree with Tao Yao and Qiaoqiao.

"Good."

The old beggar burst into laughter.

"Yezi, there are three things a hero must have: courage, righteousness, and wine. Without wine, you cannot call yourself a hero. Come, let me take you to find some."

The old beggar grabbed Ye Mingke’s shoulder and darted out with incredible speed. Ye Mingke felt a blur of motion, and in an instant, they were outside the cave, vaulting and leaping across the snowy ridges like they were riding the clouds. The wind whistled harshly in his ears.

In the blink of an eye, they had crossed several mountain ranges.

Ye Mingke wanted to ask where they were going to find wine, but the moment he opened his mouth, the howling wind stole his voice. However, the old beggar’s booming, heroic voice rang out clearly in his ears.

"Yezi, as a hero walking the path of the world, you cannot go without the spirit of wine in your chest!"

Shortly after the old beggar spoke, he carried Ye Mingke across several more ridges. With a thunderous "boom," they landed in front of a black, five-fingered mountain, startling the hibernating beasts nearby into a frenzy.

But at the same time, others were not startled—they were enraged.

"ROAR!"

Two apes, ten zhang tall and as massive as small peaks, crawled out from behind the five-fingered mountain. Four eyes, resembling giant yellow lanterns, fixed upon the two tiny figures on the snow.

Those eyes seemed to recognize them, instantly filling with fury. The apes roared at the heavens and charged toward them down the mountain.

"Fire Spirit Apes. One is an initiate of the Tongyuan realm, the other of the Lunhai realm. But that’s not important. What’s important is that the Fire Spirit Wine they brew is peerless."

The old beggar stood his ground, laughing, his hand hidden behind his back, fingers lightly curled into a fist.

"Cough, cough... we're just here for a drink, is all this trouble necessary?"

Ye Mingke, finding it hard to breathe under the oppressive aura of the two powerful beasts, managed a dry, nervous laugh.

"Mingke, being a hero isn't just about courage and righteousness when you are in a tight spot."

The two fire apes, pounding their chests, were nearly upon them. Their bodies began to erupt with roaring flames, carrying a suffocating heat.

"When you are in a tight spot, you can kneel and beg, or leave it to fate. When you see someone walking a crooked path, besides upholding justice, you can also twist yourself to squeeze through those crooked roads."

"Why do legendary heroes always love to drink? Because wine is what makes a hero."

"A hero is a hero because he seeks a life of unrestrained, free-spirited joy. Therefore, when faced with a tight spot, do not retreat. When the path is crooked, do not conform. In this life, I live only for the freedom of my heart and the soaring of my spirit."

"Hahaha!"

The two fire apes raised their flaming giant palms and smashed them down toward Ye Mingke and the old beggar.

The old beggar’s palm, glowing with a faint blue aura, traced a casual semicircle, blocking one giant palm before using it to parry the other.

He looked up at the two fire apes and laughed.

"Big brothers, we have a feast tonight but no wine. This old man is a bit greedy, so I’ve come to borrow some. Do not blame me, do not blame me."

Ye Mingke only felt another thunderous boom, followed by the sound of rapid, heavy punches that shook the mountains and shattered the earth.

All because the old man was greedy for a drink.

Ye Mingke felt a mix of exasperation and exhilaration.

The world is vast, and I am the greatest.

He looked up at the old beggar, whose figure darted between the two fire apes like thunder, accompanied by his heroic laughter.

He suddenly felt that this was not so bad.

Why measure the value of what you want to do and what you can do by worldly standards? Only you can decide what is worth it.

Just follow your heart.

But...

Ye Mingke suddenly thought of the ten years of confusion, pain, and self-reproach the old beggar had endured, thinking he had brought ruin to his family and brothers.

Could that kind of life truly be called unrestrained and free?

The old beggar had a patch of his hair singed off, making him look like a balding old man, but he had secured the wine. Laughing like a two-hundred-pound child, he grabbed Ye Mingke’s shoulder, crossed the mountains, and evaded the pursuit of the two terrifying apes, heading back toward Xu Zixian’s cave.

The round trip took less than a quarter of an hour. When they returned to the cave, the food on the table was still steaming.

The old beggar slammed two stone jars of Fire Spirit Wine onto the table, tore off the seal of one, and took a deep, hearty gulp.

Liu Xi and Xu Zixian showed no surprise at the old man’s life-risking behavior for wine. Seeing the old beggar start, the others picked up their chopsticks. Without exception, upon tasting Ye Mingke’s cooking, they all cried out in delight.

"That's right," Ye Mingke said with a smug lift of his brow, though he himself did not eat much.

The atmosphere at the table was always the most vibrant.

Wine, food, meat, and friends.

Amid the clinking of cups, the atmosphere grew thick. Everyone laughed, drank, and ate, the distance between them shrinking with every moment.

Even Aru took a sip of the Fire Spirit Wine, only to quickly fall into a drunken sleep beside Ye Mingke.

Ye Mingke didn't eat much, sipping his wine slowly. He was merely tipsy, refusing to let himself get drunk. After all, this was not his small town, not his home.

The youth who had been out for half a year had learned to always stay alert.

"Yezi, why aren't you eating much?"

Liu Xi, who had noticed, asked him, but Ye Mingke only smiled and shook his head.

Because of the "Overflow." After using it a few times to heal his wounds, Ye Mingke could feel the next occurrence was drawing near. The terrifying hunger was always clamoring in his flesh, forcing him to strictly control his food intake.

"Damn it! In this life, I follow only my heart and seek true freedom. How many of you youngsters can understand that?"

The people at the table were chatting with a hint of intoxication. The old beggar, eyes hazy with drink, laughed loudly.

*Not much consumed, and yet already a bit drunk?*

The youth, who had a poor tolerance for alcohol, felt his vision of the cave’s firelight begin to blur as well.

He looked at the old beggar with a hint of drunken boldness. Perhaps he wouldn't have asked under normal circumstances, but fueled by the wine, he spoke the words that might sting.

"After the Sword Sacrifice in Yangjing, you spent ten years in confusion, weighed down by guilt and sin. Are you truly free? Living a life like that—how can a man be free?"

The lively, harmonious banquet suddenly went quiet, filled with a cold seriousness.

But this coldness did not last long, for with a deafening "BOOM," the mountain range above their heads suddenly gave a thunderous roar, slowly cracking and collapsing.

Everyone looked up at the fracturing dome, where a ten-thousand-foot radiance of celestial light poured in.

"Liu Yifu, guardian of the Twelve Prefectures of the Heavenly Court and Chief Guardian of Yangjing, I have come to kill you and close this case!"

A thunderous roar echoed through the heavens and the earth.