Volume 1, Chapter 14: The Show Begins

Shi Yong, having been struck three times by Old Wu, was lying on the ground, groaning feebly. Having hoped for a delightful free meal today, Shi Yong had instead suffered a miserable fate. Not only did he fail to taste any fine food or wine, but it was also unclear how many days he would be bedridden.

Si Nanxi had only intended to teach him a lesson to make him more humble, but Old Wu’s misunderstanding had left the man half-dead. On the challenge stage of the Immortal Spirit Pavilion, life and death were always at one’s own risk. Moreover, Shi Yong had been insufferably arrogant after defeating three consecutive opponents earlier, much to the annoyance of the spectators. Seeing him sent flying by a single blow from a stout man in black, a wave of muffled cheers rose from the crowd.

The purpose of the Immortal Spirit Pavilion’s arena manager asking for Shi Yong’s name earlier now became clear. Several servants quickly lifted him onto a stretcher, preparing to transport him to the Tyrant Body Academy outside the mountains.

"Young man, if you lack the ability, you should keep a low profile," Old Wu, hidden within his black robes, said with earnest gravity as he patted the edge of the stretcher, watching Shi Yong being carried away.

The moment he was taken off the stage, Shi Yong turned his head and caught sight of Little Liuli, who had been the one to order the dishes earlier. "Something's not right... I’ve definitely seen her somewhere before..." His mind was a blur, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall where he had encountered the young girl.

Watching the half-crippled Shi Yong disappear from sight, Si Nanxi took a deep breath, a fleeting look of cold malice passing through his eyes. With Shi Yong dealt with, it was time for the main event of the day.

Mo Daoke had not participated directly in yesterday’s affairs, but Si Nanxi knew without a doubt that without the backing of someone from the Spirit Cultivation Academy, Fan Ci and his dozen thugs wouldn't have even been able to get past the martial arts gym at the end of the street, let alone run rampant through Liuhua Street collecting "protection fees."

When Little Liuli hopped back up from below, looking delighted, Si Nanxi took her back to their private room. Gazing at the spread of delicacies displayed on the table, Si Nanxi rubbed his eyes to make sure he hadn't walked into the wrong room. Before entering, he hurriedly pulled Little Liuli behind a curtain and whispered, "I told you to order the remaining expensive and good items, but did you really order them all?!"

Little Liuli looked at the table full of exorbitantly expensive food and wine, equally bewildered. "I didn't! I told the kitchen to prepare the most ordinary dishes. This menu wasn't sent by me."

"This is bad!" Si Nanxi had come out primarily for revenge; the treat was just a pretext. Naturally, he hadn't brought that much money. He had just counted: the few jars of century-old Divine Radiance Wine alone, along with the Millennium Snow Mountain Lingzhi Soup in the center, would be enough to keep him washing dishes at the Immortal Spirit Pavilion for ten years to pay off the debt.

Thinking of this, Si Nanxi rushed out in a panic. If he didn't return these, it was unclear who would end up making a fool of themselves. "Sorry, sorry, it seems the kitchen made a mistake..."

Before Si Nanxi could finish, Yan Jin and Mo Daoke acted as if they were in sync. One uncorked all the century-old wines, while the other took a light spoonful of the Millennium Snow Mountain Lingzhi Soup from the center of the table and tasted it.

"It's over. Everything is over."

"Si Nanxi, why are you just standing there? Come and sit down."

Pale-faced, Si Nanxi turned his head and confirmed with Little Liuli, "Hey, Little Liuli... you were trained all morning, does this Immortal Spirit Pavilion have any tradition where you can eat today and pay tomorrow?"

"Eat and skip out on the bill?! I've never heard of anyone who ate for free at the Immortal Spirit Pavilion and managed to walk out."

"Fine, I get it. Go down quickly and ask if we can get back the box of Tyrant Body Primordial Pills we donated earlier. Otherwise, your young master is going to be stuck here doing forced labor for ten years."

Little Liuli froze in embarrassment for a moment before reluctantly dragging her feet downward. Asking to take back a gift was truly humiliating.

"Si Nanxi, what are you doing here?" As Si Nanxi was whispering strategies with Little Liuli, Yan Jin had already walked out holding that bowl of Lingzhi soup. "Didn't we say we were eating together? Why are you hiding back here alone?"

Si Nanxi hardened his heart. Forget it, what’s done is done and can’t be returned. He might as well enjoy himself first and deal with the consequences later. With that thought, he strode to the table and, like a starving ghost, began devouring the most expensive dishes.

"This Immortal Spirit Pavilion is interesting. They don't have fifty-year-old osmanthus wine, but they brought out century-old Divine Radiance Wine. Junior Sister Yan, would you like to try some?"

Mo Daoke knew Yan Jin had a low tolerance for alcohol, yet he secretly goaded her into drinking a few cups. In the past, Yan Jin would never have agreed. Today, whether she was in an exceptionally good or bad mood, she agreed immediately.

"Si Nanxi, thank you for what happened yesterday." Yan Jin raised her white jade cup, looking at Si Nanxi with sincerity.

"Eh, you're being too formal. How should I put it? My arrival at the Spirit Appraisal Academy was an accident, but meeting you is fate. If someone bullies you, I won't sit idly by!" Si Nanxi responded, his eyes sparkling with a hint of a smile.

After finishing a cup, Yan Jin felt a warmth in her chest, and her previously troubled mood from yesterday gradually calmed down.

"Don't get too familiar. Who are you 'you' and 'I'-ing? Please address each other as teacher and student while in the academy." Seeing Yan Jin and Si Nanxi acting intimately, Mo Daoke was overcome with jealousy and abruptly pulled him back into his seat.

"Junior Sister Yan, how does the wine taste? Let me toast you; consider it a congratulatory drink from your senior brother for your successful entry into the Spirit Appraisal Academy." Seeing Yan Jin finish her first cup, Mo Daoke immediately refilled it for her.

"Hmm, the taste is lingering and the aftertaste is endless," Yan Jin remarked after savoring it. Having toasted Si Nanxi, she didn't want to reject Mo Daoke's gesture. Seeing her glass refilled, she steeled herself and downed it in one go.

With two cups down, Yan Jin felt her whole body heating up. Afraid she might get drunk if she continued, she hurriedly waved her hand at the two. "No, no more. I can't drink any more."

Mo Daoke knew Yan Jin’s limits well. This Divine Radiance Wine had side effects on those without a foundation of spiritual power, so he didn't press her further.

At this moment, Mo Daoke looked at Si Nanxi, thinking, "What right does this brat have to make Yan Jin toast him? And the way Yan Jin spoke to me earlier, asking me to apologize to this stinking brat—it was so natural, without even a thought for my feelings!"

In an instant, jealousy surged in Mo Daoke's heart. The more he looked at Si Nanxi, the more annoyed he became. He grabbed him and asked, "What did you do to Yan Jin? Why is her attitude toward you so much warmer than toward those kids in the freshman class?"

Si Nanxi knew Mo Daoke was a jealous fool, so he played along. He leaned into his ear and exaggerated the events of a few days ago, when Yan Jin had visited his home and they were alone together. As expected, Mo Daoke flared up halfway through. In deference to Yan Jin's presence, he let out a cold laugh and said to Si Nanxi, "Brat, do you know? Legend has it that this Divine Radiance Wine was created by ancient immortals and can stimulate a cultivator's spiritual roots, which is of great benefit to cultivation. Since you’re apologizing so sincerely, come! As your senior brother, I’ll have a few more drinks with you!"

"This wine... is beneficial for cultivation?" Si Nanxi feigned surprise. Although his spiritual power was crippled and his cultivation lost, his spiritual body and meridians were those of a top-tier expert. If Mo Daoke wanted to drink him under the table, he was more than happy to oblige.

"Come! Senior Brother Mo, let's drink until we're soaring!"

*Hiccup.*

As soon as he finished speaking, Si Nanxi downed three cups in quick succession and let out a satisfied belch, his face flushed with a hint of red. Mo Daoke wore a sinister smile as he raised his own cup and drained it. According to this fool's method of treating Divine Radiance Wine like water, after two jars, he would be unable to dissipate the surging spiritual energy within a day and would surely explode and die!

Now that Yan Jin was nearly unconscious from the wine, he only needed to pretend to be unable to hold his liquor and find a place to sleep. Even if the brat died, no one could blame him.

Thinking this, Mo Daoke continued to fill his cup. The two drank cup after cup, enjoying themselves immensely. By the time they had finished three rounds of drinks, the alcohol had hit them, and Yan Jin had already passed out.

At this point, Si Nanxi and Mo Daoke looked like sworn brothers who had met too late, arms slung over each other's shoulders, chatting enthusiastically. Si Nanxi hadn't expected that after just a few whispered words with Yan Jin, Mo Daoke would want him dead. It seemed he wasn't just a "sycophant," but a psychologically twisted one at that.

From an outsider's perspective, both were harboring ulterior motives, each thinking they were the director of this fine play. However, Mo Daoke could never have dreamed that the brat sitting in front of him calling him "brother" possessed a Sovereign-tier spiritual body. Even if he brought ten more jars of century-old Divine Radiance Wine, it wouldn't be enough to fill his vast, empty spiritual meridians.