Chapter 104 – To Living Life!

  The sun had already dipped low on the horizon by the time Shen Weifeng and Jun De entered Tranquil City. Rather than flying, as Shen Weifeng could do now that he was in the Foundation Establishment Stage, they chose to walk down the winding path to the city to enjoy the winter landscape.

  Tranquil City was as busy as ever now that the threat of the Demonic Cultivators seemed distant and long past. Merchants called out to passersby from their stalls as they hawked their products, and shoppers bought fragrant teas and medicinal pastes, while food vendors sold roasted chestnuts and skewers of meat.

  The chatter of the townsfolk and cultivators alike rose like a tide to wash over Jun De, who hadn’t had an opportunity to leave the Sect in over half a year.

  Shen Weifeng led the way with his hands clasped behind his back, moving unhurriedly down the street with the calm assurance of an expert cultivator. Walking beside him, Jun De’s youthful and refined appearance drew a fair amount of attention, something that always happened whenever he travelled.

  Their destination soon came into view. The Jade Whisper Pavilion was the same as Jun De remembered. Its lacquered wood panelling, three stories that overlooked the busy streets, and bright red lanterns that hung from the eaves seemed warm and inviting despite the cold and snow.

  The restaurant was alive with activity, and Jun De could see richly dressed patrons moving into and out of the wide open doors while the sound of a guqin emerged from within.

  As soon as the pair stepped through the doors, the atmosphere seemed to subtly shift. Shen Weifeng’s cultivation at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment rolled off him in a wave with a pressure that no one present could ignore.

  When matched with Jun De’s youth, his own high cultivation of the 7th Level of Qi Condensation, and his striking appearance, attendants scrambled to offer them the highest courtesy. They were guided upstairs to the best seats in the entire establishment, a private alcove with large windows that overlooked Tranquil City’s main road.

  The staff served them tea and brought dishes of food while Jun De watched the restaurant below. It thrummed with life, and there were dozens of Outer Sect Disciples laughing over cups of wine, merchants haggling or swapping stories, and the graceful musician was joined by dancers that swayed to the music she played.

  Jun De sat back in his chair and relaxed, taking it all in. After weeks of recovery and studying in the Sect, not to mention all the time he spent in the Ninefold Refinement Array, he was looking forward to an evening out.

  ‘It’s strange, back on Earth I would study for months without a break or going to a restaurant to eat a good meal.’ Jun De observed.

  Shen Weifeng, sitting across from Jun De, waved off the tea and ordered the staff to bring him a jug of strong wine. The man was still the same Elder Shen that Jun De knew from before, the same mentor who had guided him when he first entered the Sect, but it was as if a shadow had been lifted.

  Shen Weifeng’s voice was louder, his presence more vibrant, and he was more prone to laughter. With his unrestrained manner, there was an almost boyish energy to the older man that Jun De had never seen before.

  Jun De always thought of the Elder as someone strict and cautious, his words warning Jun De of trouble or advising him on the best path forward.

  Yet here Shen Weifeng was leaning on the table with a cup of wine in his hand, gesturing broadly as he spoke. It was as though he had already forgotten that his past was ever a burden to him. He looked younger, not just in appearance, but in spirit as well.

  ‘Is this what Elder Shen was like when he was younger?’ Jun De wondered as he listened to Shen Weifeng praise the guqin player one moment, before shouting to invite her up to their table to ‘play with Shen Weifeng’s instrument.’

  Jun De was seeing the Shen Weifeng of years past, the one who had once roamed freely, arrogant and untamed, throwing himself into fights without a care for the consequences.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Elder Shen had mentioned his past before, how he used to challenge anyone who caught his eye, fighting for pride, or his temper, or simply to feel the thrill of combat. At the time, Jun De had thought it was an exaggeration, but now he could believe it.

  The wine flowed freely, brought in clay jugs that the servers carried with both hands. Shen Weifeng poured it into his cup without delay, draining it as soon as it was full and reaching for more. When he filled Jun De’s cup until it nearly spilled over the top, he raised his own glass with a grin.

  “Drink! Don’t insult heaven’s generosity!” Shen Weifeng declared before downing it in a single motion.

  Jun De lifted his own cup hesitantly, already feeling the several cups he had consumed. He wasn’t accustomed to heavy drinking, either in this life or his previous one, and the liquid harshly burned as it slid down his throat.

  Unlike the wine he usually enjoyed, Shen Weifeng preferred something stronger, and Jun De coughed into his sleeve as the fiery drink warmed his chest.

  “Hah! You know, you remind me of myself in my youth. Supremely talented and handsome enough to make the heaven’s weep, but you need to enjoy yourself more. The first cup always feels like fire, the second one like a storm.” Shen Weifeng said nostalgically as he poured more wine from the jug and drank it.

  “But the third cup…ah, then it’s just like sunlight driving the cold of winter away.”

  Jun De smiled and shook his head wryly. Despite the changes, Elder Shen was still his friend, and he enjoyed his company.

  As the evening wore on, the former Elder’s voice grew louder, his gestures grander, until every person at the neighbouring tables could hear fragments of his stories. He recounted his youthful days with relish, telling Jun De how he had once challenged all the Inner Sect Disciples of a nearby minor Sect by himself, only to end up being beaten into the ground.

  “But I took two of those bastards down before I fell!” Shen Weifeng laughed until tears glistened at the corners of his eyes.

  Jun De listened intently, cup in hand, half dazed from the warmth in his stomach and the haze that was clouding his head. He found himself laughing nearly as loud as Shen Weifeng, and the restaurant’s noise seemed to fade into the background.

  The music, the conversation from the other tables, the clinking of dishes, it all blurred together. All that stood out to Jun De was the man across from him who seemed so unburdened.

  This was a Shen Weifeng as he should have been if failure had never touched him.

  By the time the fifth jug arrived, Jun De’s head was light, and his cheeks were flushed. Shen Weifeng wasn’t doing much better as he staggered to his feet and raised his cup clumsily into the air.

  “To living life!” Shen Weifeng roared, slamming his cup against Jun De’s and spilling half the contents across the table before draining the rest in a single swallow.

  Shen Weifeng’s booming voice carried above all others, and he knocked over the jug of wine and startled the servants as he attempted to drunkenly return to his seat. Jun De found himself laughing along while catching the jug before it could spill the remaining wine.

  As a high-ranking member of the Tranquil Mountain Sect and a Foundation Establishment Stage expert, no one in the restaurant was willing to say anything about Shen Weifeng’s behaviour. Especially not when they knew that the Sect would cover the expenses of everything they ate and drank.

  Then, from the far side of the hall, a voice rang out sharp and cutting that was followed by a chorus of jeers.

  “Enough of your drunken prattling, old bastard!”

  Jun De blinked, his head swimming slightly, as he turned to see a group of Inner and Outer Sect Disciples rising from a distant table on the same floor as them. There were more than a dozen of them, ranging from Qi Condensation youths to men and women whose auras were firmly in the Foundation Establishment stage.

  “Who’s a bastard, you bastard!?” Shen Weifeng shouted as he spun around and stared at the group with red-rimmed and bleary eyes.

  The leader stepped forward with an arrogant swagger, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his mid to late forties. He had sharp features and long black hair that was tied back in a jade clasp. His cultivation was in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and he moved as though authority clung to him like a cloak.

  “Still causing trouble wherever you go, Shen Weifeng? You should have stayed in the Outer Sect, where old, forgotten relics like you belong. But I suppose it’s hard to let go of the past, isn’t it? You were never more than a failure, and now you’re just a washed-up drunk embarrassing himself in front of his betters.”

  Jun De’s eyes flicked to Shen Weifeng, and he was surprised to see the former Elder’s expression shift in recognition, then hatred.

  “So, it’s you, Zhang Yuehong. I should have guessed that no matter how many years have passed, you would still be strutting around with your gaggle of lackeys, barking louder than your bite. Tell me, how many times did your master have to drag you out of the dirt after I flattened you back in the day?”

  The room erupted in murmurs, and Jun De straitened in his seat as he realized this wasn’t some random, drunken spat. There was real history between the pair, and each was looking at the other as if they would like nothing more than to settle it today.

  ‘I thought you said that you learned wisdom in your old age!?’ Jun De thought in despair as he realized once again that nothing good came with leaving his courtyard.