Chapter 16: Drinking

  "Xiao Mu, they say Tang An is in the imperial palace. Can we go to the imperial palace now? I've heard that there's a very strange person inside the palace, and Xiao Xie has never seen him before. Xiao Xie wants to take a look, will you take Xiao Xie there?" Xiao Xie said with his mouth full of a large pastry, chewing non-stop.

  Ever since Xiao Yao descended from the Heavenly Mountains, she seemed to have been captivated by the world's delicacies and transformed into a little glutton. Moreover, her physique was special, no matter what she ate, it couldn't fill up her small belly.

  "What kind of strange person can be in the palace? Under the sky, people are either men or women, what kind of strange person is one you've never seen before?" Mu Hongyu replied perfunctorily.

  But in an instant, she suddenly remembered that there was another creature in the palace called a eunuch. That should also be considered a freak among humans, right? Thinking of this, her face suddenly turned very strange, and she didn't respond, just pulling Xiao Xie along, heading north towards the city.

  "Xiao Mu, Xiao Mu, where are you taking me? You haven't bought that green and flowery thing for me to eat yet. I want that..."

  Muhong Jade didn't respond, she looked up and saw a pickpocket in the crowd ahead, snatching things from people's hands. Seeing his smug expression after successfully stealing something, Muhong Jade couldn't help but smile. She said to Xiaoxie: "Xiaoxie, I don't have any extra money on me anymore. You've already spent all the money I brought down the mountain. But now, someone is sending us money. Come, let's go rob from the rich and give to the poor..."

  "Rob the rich and help the poor?" Xiaoxie also saw the sly appearance of the little thief in front, and her eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement.

  …………

  Tang An had just come out of the imperial palace and in less than two days, His Majesty the Emperor had arranged for him a large mansion covering an area of three mu.

  That mansion was originally a private residence of some dignitary, but the emperor mentioned it and that minister volunteered to take care of the emperor's worries. No matter how much money you have, there will always be a time when it runs out, but making His Majesty owe himself a favor is different. This favor may save his life at any moment.

  Moreover, this mansion was given to Tianjian Tang An. This young marquis, now in the limelight, judging from his appearance, obviously won't be able to go to war or enter the imperial court to govern. At most, he'll be like those two great mountain estates, God Sword Mountain Estate and Famous Sword Mountain Estate, just a idle and indulgent marquis. However, in the imperial court, various people, after serving as officials for a long time, this face must be given, who knows what will happen in the future, maybe they'll need to ask someone for something. Having an extra face, having an extra path, is always a good thing.

  …………

  Wu'an Marquis Mansion: Four gilded large characters shining brightly in the sunset.

  Sixteen guards stood in a line before the Hou Mansion, dressed in black clothes and armor, with silver spears and curved knives. They stood tall and upright, each one majestic and imposing. The tiger and leopard patterns on their chest plates made them look even more fierce and intimidating! But don't forget, Tang An was still the deputy commander of the Tiger and Leopard Brigade.

  It's just this deputy leader that has made Yuan Wanli's face gloomy for the past few days. Just a few days ago, Yuan Wanli was still rejoicing and proud of himself for pulling in such an awesome master to be his deputy. Unfortunately, it seems that this deputy is even more powerful than himself in terms of martial arts, not to mention that he has also been enfeoffed as a marquis with a fief of a thousand households, while Yuan Wanli is only a count. How can Old Yuan bear this?

  Then Yuan Wanli became depressed. He was depressed and only drank wine and practiced martial arts in the big camp. A set of thunderbolt mixed yuan chui came down, tiger tiger was born, smashed on the ground, swung loudly in the big camp, shaking the ground. The soldiers all thought it was an earthquake and rushed out in a hurry, with panicked faces. But when they got outside, they saw that their own general was practicing his skills on the side, and they all gathered around to watch the magnificent appearance of this heavenly master. However, this final outcome was that Yuan Wanli used them as sandbags and beat them up one by one before stopping.

  Yuan Wanli looked at the little brothers who had fallen to the ground, feeling complacent, and said: "Although my kung fu may not be as good as Brother Tang's, I am confident that I can deal with you guys. Those who didn't last one move earlier will have to increase their training by a third within three months. Three months later, I'll assess again, and those who don't pass will have to double their training!"

  Seeing those soldiers with a bitter expression, Yuan Wanjun's mood relaxed a lot, and the feeling of depression was swept away.

  Just then, the guard beside him suddenly reminded him: "General, didn't you say that today you were going to invite me to drink at the Wu'an Marquis's mansion? The sky is getting late, and it's possible that the city gate will be closed."

  Yuan slapped his forehead, "Ah" shouted loudly, "How could I have forgotten this! Brother Nian invited me to drink wine, how many years ago was that? Old Yuan has almost forgotten the taste of that wine!"

  …………

  Inside the Wu'an Marquis Manor, Nian Wushuang, Tang An and Yuan Wanli sat in a triangular formation. Ming Xiao, who loved to join in on the fun, was not present today. It wasn't that he didn't want to come, but rather his old man had directly sent someone to fetch him back to the Mingsword Mountain Manor two days ago.

  The reason is that Ming Xiao's last sentence "sleeping together under the same quilt" at the Tiger and Leopard Fighting Competition, made everyone in the world know about it, but when his father heard this, his face immediately turned black like a pot bottom. He scolded repeatedly: "Bastard, bastard..."

  Pained and regretful, Ming Da Xia stood before the Sword Tomb in the mountain villa, letting out a long sigh. He felt that he had not taught his son strictly enough, and that he had disgraced the reputation of their ancestors. Finally, he made a firm decision: this time, he would definitely remake Ming Xiao's name, or else he would never let him leave the mountain villa again to tarnish the name of the Sword Tomb.

  …………

  Meng Wushuang sat opposite Tang An on the left, his drinking manner was as steady and heavy as the feeling he gave to Tang An. When he drank, he didn't like to talk, but quietly poured cup after cup into his mouth.

  The wine was given by His Majesty the Emperor, the best in the world. This wine is fragrant and sweet, with a rich aroma. Unfortunately, in Nian Wushuang's mouth, this tribute wine was no different from ordinary clear water.

  He just poured himself a drink, occasionally raising his glass in a gesture of solidarity with Tang An and Yuan Wanli.

  Yuan Wanli was a straightforward and unyielding person. He never drank, but once he started drinking, he would definitely get drunk. Unfortunately, as a Tianjing strongman, his powerful physique and mental endurance made it difficult for him to get drunk. So, he could only drink the strongest liquor, gulping down large cups of it before he would finally get intoxicated.

  Tang An quietly watched Nian Wujia, he already understood that when Nian Wujia was drinking, she must have thought of her own story. And that story must be sweet, and extremely sweet.

  Only then did the story shatter, and he was left bewildered, at a loss for what to do. He even hated the person who had made up the story for him!

  …………

  The sky is already very dark, the candlelight flickers, the starlight twinkles, a sliver of silver moonlight reveals a smile from behind the wall.

  "Slap"

  Nian Wushuang finally fell down.

  This man, feared by all and unmatched under the heavens, has fallen. He's lying on a wine table. His face is bright red, his mouth mumbling incoherent nonsense that can't be understood, he's drunk.

  He said, suddenly slamming his hand on the table and standing up, scaring Tang An and Yuan Wanli. However, Nian Wushuang let out two loud wails before falling back down again.

  Wanli waved his hand to indicate that it was nothing. A hint of helplessness appeared on his face. "You should have guessed, why Brother Nian rarely drinks alcohol. Once he drinks, he'll think of unpleasant things and become like this. He is Nian Wuxia, the number one general in the world, the war god of Great Yan... but he's still a person, a man with flesh and blood!"

  Tang An nodded, indicating that Yuan Wanli should not say any more. Such things, if known to others, would be bad in general. Tang An had already understood that it must be a story about a woman and a man. Nian Wushuang was already thirty-five this year, with great achievements and fame. Many young ladies from wealthy families, even princesses, wanted to marry the national hero Nian Wushuang. Unfortunately, Nian Wushuang was now alone.

  There must be a woman in his heart. A woman he can't forget for his whole life.

  Tang An let the servants help Nian Wusuo walk away. He looked at Nian Wusuo still waving his arms and muttering to himself: "I'll be back, I'll be back... But I came back, and you left. Why did you leave me alone in this world? You promised me, how could you just leave by yourself..." Even though he was unparalleled in marksmanship, bravery, and military achievements... it turned out that his drunken appearance was no different from an ordinary person's.

  Nian Wushuang left, and at this moment, only Tang An and Yuan Wanli were left in the house. Unfortunately, there was still a lot of wine, so the two began to chat idly about trivial matters.

  Yuan Wanli was an outgoing person who said things that made people happy. Tang An always listened quietly, occasionally responding with a few words. Gradually, Yuan Wanli discovered that Tang An wasn't actually a very arrogant person, nor did he seem like the notoriously cold and ruthless Heavenly Sword that everyone knew. Instead, he seemed more like a neighbor's boy who had contracted autism.

  The wine had gone through three rounds, the night sky was quiet, and even the summer insects seemed to have fallen asleep. Yuan Wanli stopped his cup, and suddenly said: "Tang brothers, I'm very happy to be able to drink with you tonight. We still have a long way to go, let's stop for today. But there are some things that I, old Yuan, can't hold back in my heart, and I want to ask you. If you think it's not good to answer, just consider it as if old Yuan had farted. Nothing happened, is that okay?"

  Tang Andong nodded slightly. He knew that Yuan Wanli seemed rough, but was actually meticulous and would not shoot without a target. So he nodded and said: "Whatever Big Brother Yuan says is right."

  "Alright, so be it! I, Yuan Wanjun, will now let loose!"

  "Tang brothers, I see that your swordsmanship is fierce and your killing intent is unmatched, surpassing even the Thunderbolt Fist technique I developed on the battlefield. But I also see that you are not a ruthless killer by nature. This puzzles me, old Yuan. The only answer I can come up with is that Tang brothers, your swordsmanship... is wrong."

  Tang An's heart skipped a beat. The thing he was worried about in his heart had already become so obvious? Even Yuan Wanli had already seen that something was off with this sword technique.

  Unfortunately, June 6th is imminent and he has no choice but to leave. At this time, Tang An said: "Brother Yuan, you don't have to say anything more, I already understand your meaning. Unfortunately, since I embarked on this path, I have deeply understood that it must be a road full of thorns. Now thinking about turning back is also impossible."

  Yu Wanli heard this and already knew Tang An's intentions.

  If it were him instead of Tang An, he would probably not accept starting all over again either.

  Even if he clearly knows his path is wrong, he will continue down it as always!

  Because, in fact, he and Tang An are the same kind of people, the same kind of eccentricity to the extreme!

  In this world, only those who firmly believe in themselves and are obsessed with themselves can walk to the end of the road and thus open up a truly belonging path.

  Imitating others will forever keep you in their shadow, unable to see the vastness of the world and the depth of martial arts...

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