Drunk at the Phoenix Perching Tower

Shen Jingchuan was already so drunk his eyes were glazed over, and his tongue was slurring, but he still managed to slam his hand on the table and shout, with a thick tongue, "There's more!"

"The sun shines on the incense burner, creating purple smoke; a table of food and wine is set in the center!"

He slammed his hand on the edge of the table again, making the wine glass in front of him shake, then raised his voice:

"The waterfall plunges three thousand feet; once this jar is finished, I'll refill it!"

After saying that, he grabbed the wine jug, filled his cup to the brim, tilted his head back, and downed it in one gulp.

He grabbed Zhou Tong's arm, leaned closer, and grinned crookedly.

"Brother Zhou was about to leave by boat when he suddenly heard someone on the shore shouting 'Let's drink!'"

The Peach Blossom Pool is a thousand feet deep; don't leave until you've drunk your fill!

Zhou Tong burst into laughter upon hearing this, and slammed the wine jar onto the table:

"Alright! Since Young Master Shen has spoken, we must drink to our hearts' content today!"

The four girls beside him were suppressing their laughter, their shoulders trembling slightly, wanting to laugh but not daring to be too unrestrained. Bai Ruoli held her pen and looked at his drunken state, her eyes filled with amusement and a hint of doting helplessness. She wrote it down with flowing strokes and a mischievous smile on her face.

Seeing that Shen Jingchuan was swaying violently and his eyes were unfocused, Bai Ruoli quickly stopped him:

"Young master is quite drunk. Let's call it a day and get some rest."

This otherworldly city has a curfew at night, and the streets are locked up so that pedestrians are not allowed to move around. Therefore, brothels have always had special rooms for customers who drink until late at night to rest.

Upon hearing this, the four top courtesans immediately stood up and led Zhou Tong, Xu Mo, and Su Yan to the guest courtyard behind the building. Zhou Tong was still holding onto the half-jar of wine and refused to let go, shouting that he wanted to drink another three hundred cups. He was half-carried and half-pulled away by two girls who each grabbed one of his arms.

Xu Mo's steps were heavy, and Su Yan's steps were even more unsteady, unable to stand steadily. They swayed and muttered "Enjoy life while you can" as they followed each other to the guest room.

Bai Ruoli called her personal maid Qinghe, who then placed one on each of Shen Jingchuan's arms.

She was supposed to go to the guest rooms in the west courtyard, but after taking two steps, her fingertips tightened slightly, she bit her lip and instead turned a corner, heading straight for her private residence deep inside Phoenix Perching Tower.

Qinghe's eyes widened suddenly, and she lowered her voice and said urgently:

"Miss! Are you really going to take him back to your own room? If word gets out, your reputation will be completely ruined!"

"Reputation?" Bai Ruoli didn't stop walking, her tone was soft but carried a resolute air:

"Do you think I'll ever meet another man like that in my lifetime?"

"This servant knows that Young Master Shen is a prodigy, and his poems have spread throughout the city,"

Qinghe, standing beside him, couldn't help but advise:

"But aren't there plenty of talented but fickle men in this world of pleasure? What if he denies everything when you wake up tomorrow? Miss, please don't be foolish."

Bai Ruoli helped the person to the bedside, glanced back at her, and asked:

"Qinghe, think about it carefully. Could someone who can write 'What is love in this world?' and 'Groping for Fish' be a heartless and ungrateful person?"

"But Miss..." Qinghe wanted to persuade her again.

"Alright, stop talking." Bai Ruoli gently interrupted her.

"I know you mean well. If that's the case, I'll accept it."

Once inside, the master and servant worked together to help the man to the bedside, wiped his face and hands, removed his outer robe and boots, and carefully moved him to lie down on his side on the inside of the bed.

Shen Jingchuan was in a daze the whole time, only smelling a refreshing fragrance. He sank into the soft bedding, mumbled a few words, and then closed his eyes heavily.

Seeing that her mind was made up, Qinghe knew that further persuasion would be useless, so she could only nod with her lips pursed and quietly retreat.

She turned off the light in the outer room, carefully closed the door, but didn't go far. She stood guard in the corridor with her arms crossed, her heart pounding with anxiety, unable to put her mind at ease.

The room was dimly lit. Bai Ruoli stood by the bed, listening to the even breathing of the person beside her. She clenched the hem of her clothes and finally gritted her teeth.

She slowly removed her outer skirt, leaving only a plain inner garment, gently lifted the bed curtains, and lay down on her side beside Shen Jingchuan.

In his dazed state, Shen Jingchuan felt the warmth around him growing stronger and stronger.

The delicate, refreshing fragrance lingered closer and closer to my nose, mingled with a faint scent of alcohol, making my bones feel weak.

In a hazy moment, soft, smooth fabric brushed against his wrist, followed by a warm, delicate skin pressed against him, trembling slightly, and instantly becoming hot from the smell of alcohol on his body.

His mind was heavy, and he thought it was just a beautiful illusion in a drunken dream. His arm instinctively reached out and touched a smooth back.

The person beside him trembled slightly, and a soft, shallow breath fell on his neck. Strands of dark hair were scattered on his chest, tickling him and making his heart tremble.

The light and shadows inside the tent were dim. The rustling sound of silk robes being lightly removed mingled with overlapping breaths, as light as a feather in the still night, yet as heavy as a tap on the heart.

Shen Jingchuan felt an unnamed fire ignite, engulfing him layer upon layer, spreading from the places where his skin touched to his entire body, burning him with the effects of alcohol until he lost all sense of reason.

He unconsciously tightened his arms, and beside him was a very low, trembling voice, soft as water, which instantly dragged him completely into a world of chaos.

After an unknown amount of time, the commotion inside the tent gradually subsided, leaving only two intertwined breaths that slowly returned to calm in the darkness as dawn approached.

In his last remaining consciousness, all that remained was the warm, soft body in his arms and the lingering fragrance at the tip of his nose before he drifted into a deep sleep.

When he regained consciousness, the morning light had already seeped in through the cracks in the window, falling on his eyelids and making him slowly open his eyes.

It was already broad daylight, and Shen Jingchuan felt a headache coming on, as if he had been hit with a hammer. The hangover was all concentrated in his temples. He groggily tried to turn over, and as he raised his arm, he brushed against a patch of warm, smooth skin, with a faint, pleasant fragrance lingering in his nostrils.

He suddenly opened his eyes wide, looked down, and almost lost his mind.

He had an incredibly beautiful woman in his arms. Bai Ruoli was fast asleep, curled up in his arms, her long, black hair spread all over the pillow. The two of them were squeezed together on the bed, their legs draped together, and the sensation under the covers was very real.

Shen Jingchuan froze on the spot, frantically trying to recall what happened last night. But his brain, blacked out from drinking, was like a paste, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't piece together a complete picture, only scattered fragments remained:

All I remember is chugging one glass after another, reciting poetry while holding the wine jar, getting more and more excited as I drank;

Then I was helped walking, the evening breeze brushing my face, and I entered a warm and cozy room;

In the end, all that remained was the soft, fluffy bedding, a faint fragrance, and a vague, warm sensation—a hazy, dreamlike feeling.

The more he thought about it, the more his head ached. He couldn't remember any of the crucial details, not even how he ended up in this bed or what happened in between.

But the person before him, his body... everything clearly showed that his dream from last night was real, and that the two of them had...

He dared not move or make a sound, lying there stiffly, his mind a jumble of confusion, unable even to feel the hangover headache.