Chapter Fifteen: The Fire Dragon Burns

  At dusk, Ji Wenyun and Ji Changkong rode back to Qingyan City.

  "Alright, I'll head to the City Lord's Manor to see Ruolan first. I might not be back tonight. You already have Yuan energy in your body, so go ahead and ride back home alone. Hehe, once you're home, find your Third Grandfather and tell him that you can now circulate Yuan energy to your bones. I guarantee he'll be so excited that he won't be able to sleep tonight." Ji Wanyun said with a smile as they entered Qingyan City.

  "Aunt, why not go back together? What's so good about seeing Nie Ruolan that you have to see her again on the way back?" When she mentioned Nie Ruolan, Ji Changkong curled his lips and had a strange expression.

  "The Flame Origin Pearl was given to me by my aunt, who exchanged it with the Lingbao Pavilion. Now that the Flame Origin Pearl has been kept by the old mother of Wushan, I still need to go and explain myself. Besides, although Yulan is a bit tomboyish in her temper, she's actually kind-hearted, and Auntie really dotes on her. I also promised to teach her embroidery before, so I shouldn't disappoint her."

  As soon as she mentioned Huoyuan Pearl, Ji Changkong's face darkened and he nodded silently, saying no more.

  "Don't blame yourself, I was prepared to lose the Flame Origin Pearl when I went to Wushan. Although the Flame Origin Pearl is gone, you can now gather Yuan power, right? In any case, our trip to Wushan has achieved its purpose. Alright, it's getting late, you should head back to the Ji residence yourself. As long as you don't dawdle on the way, you'll definitely make it home before dark."

  Ji Wanyun patted Ji Changkong's head and comforted him in a soft voice before smiling and leaving, heading towards the City Lord's Manor.

  She was stunned for a moment, and then Xi Changkong deeply imprinted the two names of Wu Shan Old Mother and Lu Yun in her heart. Then she suddenly patted the horse's neck and headed towards Luo Tian's residence.

  ……

  For some reason, Ji Changkong always wanted to tell Luo Tian about things that happened to him first.

  All these years, whenever Ji Changkong encountered something he couldn't tell Ji Yuanyun about, he would habitually come to Qingyan City to find Luo Tian and vent his frustrations to the silent Luo Tian.

  It's probably because of Luo Tian, this weirdo who can let him speak freely and boldly, that Ji Changkong, who has suffered from many cold eyes, ridicule, and mockery in the Ji family, is able to maintain an optimistic attitude in such an environment, without being crushed by the hardships of life, and not becoming isolated, self-abased, or apathetic.

  Riding a tall horse, Ji Changkong felt relaxed all over. Previously, due to his weak physique, Ji Wenyun never dared to let him ride alone, fearing he would accidentally fall off the horse and hurt himself.

  Today, Ji Wanyun's indulgence also implies that she truly acknowledges Ji Changkong's strength. Ji Changkong likes this feeling very much. With the horse's jolting, Ji Changkong soon arrived in front of Luo Tian's three rows of tile-roofed houses.

  The first row of tile houses was empty, but it was wide open. According to Ji Changkong's understanding of Luo Tian, he must be waiting in the back.

  He tied the big horse to a nearby green rock, and Ji Changkong's mouth corner smiled, not seeing anything outside, he shouted loudly: "Lao Luo, where is the person?"

  "Inside." Luo Tian's indifferent voice came from the third row of wine jars in the tile house.

  "Ha ha, Lao Luo, I'm asking you, did that red-faced middle-aged man finally buy wine from you that day?" Ji Changkong was already familiar with the way to Luo Tian's place and laughed all the way until he reached the last three tile-roofed houses, where he pushed open the door without hesitation.

  Bam!

  Inside the house, Luo Tian's hands held a wine jug that shattered into powder. Luo Tian, who had been motionless until now, suddenly flashed a bright light in his eyes. His two hands still maintained the action of putting down the wine, and he stared blankly at Ji Changkong, his body frozen in place, unmoving.

  "Lao Luo, what's going on? It's rare to see you so surprised!" Ji Changkong walked towards Luo Tian in surprise and suddenly exclaimed: "What kind of wine is this, it has such a strong flavor! Ah, it must be a strong liquor!"

  "What's happened to you these past two days?" Luo Tian didn't answer Ji Changkong's question, but instead asked back with a slightly trembling voice.

  At this moment, Luo Tian's eyes shone with a strange light, his gaze mixed with excitement, surprise, and uncontrollable joy...

  It's as if he had finally gotten something he had been waiting for a long time!

  "I was taken by my aunt to Wushan, originally intending to worship the old mother of Wushan as a teacher. Unexpectedly, that old ghost not only didn't accept me but also took all the things my aunt offered, and finally drove me and my aunt down from Wushan..." Ji Changkong's face was full of resentment, and he recounted his trip to Wushan with hatred. After pausing for a moment, he smiled softly and said: "However, I finally understood what 'suffering ends in happiness' means. At the foot of Wushan Mountain, I..."

  Perhaps it was because he was used to speaking boldly in front of Luo Tian, Ji Changkong freely and comfortably gathered his yuan power, repeatedly fainting, and when he thought he was going to die, the experience of suddenly having yuan power in his body was spoken out without any concealment, until just before mentioning the Tai Xuan Secret Record, he remembered Ji Yuanyun's severe warning, hesitated for a moment, and finally glossed over that part casually.

  Lu Tian listened quietly, not interrupting a single sentence, until Ji Changkong finished speaking. Then, he slightly furrowed his brow and said: "From now on, don't go to those deceitful people who steal fame for yourself as teachers... Those people can't teach you!"

  Ji Changkong's face twisted into a bitter smile as he said, "The old mother of Wushan indeed has real skills and abilities. Even the servants by her side are incredibly powerful. However, she is too despicable as a person. I will remember this grudge and one day, I will repay it tenfold!"

  Lu Tian narrowed his eyes, seemingly disdainful of the old mother of Wushan, but he didn't say much. He gazed deeply at Ji Changkong for a while before curling up the corners of his mouth and saying, "Let's drink!"

  "Alright, today is the day to get drunk!" Ji Changkong smiled freely, without needing Luo Tian to say more, he himself took action to grab that familiar "bitter ferry", planning to indulge thoroughly.

  "Don't drink bitter wine anymore." Luo Tian handed him a new jug of wine from the side, squinting his eyes and saying: "In the past, I let you drink bitter wine because your body was weak. From now on, don't drink bitter wine again... The two words 'bitter wine' are no longer suitable for you..."

  Lu Tian paused for a moment and unceremoniously stuffed the jar of new wine in his hand into Ji Changkong's hand, saying: "From now on, drink this wine!"

  "Good! Then I won't drink the bitter wine!" Ji Changkong let out a loud whoop, tore off the oilcloth covering the mouth of the new wine jar in his hand, and hugged it as he tilted his head back and started chugging loudly.

  Pfft!

  He had only drunk a few mouthfuls when Ji Changkong suddenly spat out a mouthful of wine, his face as red as if it were congested with blood, feeling like he was being roasted over an open flame, his body burning hot as if afflicted with some strange illness, his throat almost spewing fire.

  "Cough...cough...cough..."

  After a violent fit of coughing, Ji Changkong jumped up and down in front of Luo Tian like a monkey with its tail on fire, shouting: "Old Luo, what kind of wine is this? It's too strong! I've never had such strong wine at your place before! This isn't drinking, it's swallowing fire!!"

  Lu Tian twitched the corner of his mouth, seemingly finding the lively and energetic Ji Changkong quite amusing at this moment. He didn't respond, simply narrowing his eyes as he gazed at Ji Changkong.

  After a while, when Ji Changkong finally came to his senses, he said expressionlessly: "This wine is called 'Fire Dragon Burn', I will definitely like this taste later. Hmm, when you go back later, bring three jars of Fire Dragon Burn with you, and come back here for more after you finish drinking."

  "Thank you! No need!!" Ji Changkong hastily waved his hand, indicating that he didn't want to take away a single jar. Seeing Luo Tian's face looking somewhat unpleasant, he dryly laughed and said: "Old Luo, forget it, I really don't like this flavor - it's too strong! Strong to the point of being scary! I've only had a few sips, but my whole body is already burning hot, it feels like there's a fire dragon burning inside me."

  "Take three altars back!" Luo Tian said with a straight face, insisting.

  "Hmm... alright, I'll bring three jars back then. When I really want to drink it, we can talk about it later. Old Luo, the wine you brew is getting stranger and stranger - this one's so strong, I have no idea how you managed to make it!" Ji Changkong made a bitter face, knowing that Luo Tian rarely insisted on anything, but once he did, if others didn't follow him, he would never give up.

  "The more you drink, the more accustomed you'll become..."

  Ji Changkong agreed to bring three jars of wine back, and Luo Tian pulled the corner of his mouth again, indicating that he had laughed enough. He immediately grabbed three jars of Huo Long Shao and followed him outside. Ji Changkong had one jar already opened in his hand, a total of four jars of Huo Long Shao were tied up with rope and tightly bound to Ji Changkong's saddle.

  "Lao Luo, I'll head back first... wow, this wine is really strong, the aftertaste is also scary, my head is a bit dizzy already and I've only had a few sips..." Ji Changkong was indeed a bit dizzy, his face was bright red, and with Luo Tian's support he managed to get on his horse.

  Before he could sit firmly, Luo Tian gently patted the horse's buttocks, and the horse suddenly rushed out like a madman.

  ……