The Wine's Name: Reunion

Seeing that the annoying people and cat had all left, the gloom on God of Fire's face finally dissipated.

He knew that this mere fat cat and this mere mortal were just fleeting passersby in his friend's long life, an Encounter. Now that the boat had reached the shore and the people had disembarked, it was only natural that they should go their separate ways.

Isn't God of Fire the one who will always stand by his friend's side?

A friendship spanning tens of thousands of years—how could this little kitten possibly compare?

When God of Fire was in a good mood, he remembered his original purpose.

He originally intended to pay a personal visit to the God of Wine.

Unexpectedly, before he even had a chance to visit, they met here.

But none of that matters now.

The important thing is that he really hadn't visited the God of Wine Palace in a long time.

"We're going to your God of Wine Palace. This time, I won't leave until I've drunk almost all the wine there."

God of Fire crossed his arms, a heroic air rising in his dark red eyes, and a rare smile appeared on his lips.

He meant "mostly," not "all of it."

Because he knew better than anyone that his friend had far too much wine. From the Divine Realm to the mortal world, from volcanoes to glaciers, from the Spring God's flower garden to the back of the Music God's music room...

His friend buried the wine wherever he went.

Even God of Wine himself probably couldn't remember exactly how many jars of wine he buried in how many places.

He just wanted to drink to his heart's content at all the wines openly displayed in the God of Wine Palace.

As for those treasures buried in strange and unusual corners...

Let my friend find it on their own.

"What?"

Wuma Xiu's smile froze instantly, his eyes filled with heartache.

"Could you drink less? I just woke up not long ago, and I haven't even had a proper sip of that wine myself."

His face was filled with genuine sorrow and regret.

When Wuma Xiu was brewing wine, he never expected that such a mischievous friend would come along to freeload.

Those were treasures he had kept hidden for countless millennia, each jar he opened a precious item that was becoming increasingly rare.

Seeing his appearance, God of Fire not only did not soften his heart, but was actually in a better mood.

He strode quickly towards the God of Wine Palace.

Wuma Xiu followed behind with a pained expression.

As he flew, he pondered which of his most treasured wines he would hide away once he returned to the God of Wine Palace.

Lin Yan, who had been virtually invisible until now, watched his father and the god of God of Wine disappear one after the other, and felt as if the invisible volcano pressing on his heart had finally been removed.

He stood there, tilted his head back, and took a deep breath of the air, which smelled of burnt smoke. It felt fresher and sweeter than ever before.

They survived.

After being brutally beaten by the Father God, after the cat nearly sparked a divine war, and after God of Wine played the marimba to accompany the Father God's punches, he was still alive.

Thank God, thank God.

He bent down and picked up the bronze Spear he had thrown on the ground.

You've really suffered.

Lin Yan carefully wiped the ash off the gun.

Then, he leaped into the air and sped off in the exact opposite direction from Wuma Xiu and God of Fire.

That's the direction of Fireglow Star, the direction of the Lin Family.

He wanted to go home, back to that place where, although there were a bunch of unworthy descendants, at least there was no raging Father God or troublesome God of Wine, to close the door, take a lava bath, drink a couple of jugs of strong liquor, and properly recover from the fright he had suffered today.

When asked why he didn't go drinking with them, he replied...

Please, it's a private drinking party between the Father and the God of Wine.

Why did he follow along and join in the fun?

Moreover, if he went to that kind of situation, he would probably get beaten up again, even if he didn't die, and then be thrown out by his own father.

Lin Yan has lived for so many years, he still has this much sense.

When it's time to leave, leave; when it's time to disappear, disappear.

This is the way he can survive in the presence of the Father God.

The God of Wine Palace is nestled in a secluded valley where spring reigns all year round.

It was completely different from the scene of lava churning and volcanoes towering over the God of Fire Hall.

Here, the hillsides are covered with fruit trees and flowerbeds.

A clear stream meanders through the valley, its water so clear that you can see the smooth pebbles on the riverbed.

The palace itself was not as majestic and solemn as the God of Fire Hall.

It's more like a winery magnified many times over.

The walls were made of Bluestone, and vines climbed the eaves. Inside, hundreds of wine jars of different sizes were scattered haphazardly.

Some were sealed with red clay, others covered with straw mats, and the air was filled with a rich aroma of wine, a blend of fruit and grain fragrances...

Just smelling it is enough to make one feel slightly tipsy.

God of Fire pushed open the door with practiced ease.

He strode inside, his gaze sweeping over the piles of wine jars, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, there's a lot more than last time."

"Last time? Last time was tens of thousands of years ago!"

Wuma Xiu squeezed in from behind him, took a quick step towards the huge Ancient Tree inside, spread his arms to protect the wine jars sealed with gold mud at the foot of the tree, like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

"You can't touch these jars. They're brewed with the Drunken Blossom Wine from the Spring God Temple. There are only a few jars of them in total, and I can't bear to drink them myself."

God of Fire scoffed and didn't argue with him.

He turned and walked to the stream, bent down and fished out a celadon wine jar that had been polished to a shine by the water.

The jar was ice-cold, clearly having been submerged in the stream for countless years, and its mouth was sealed with a thin layer of pale blue ice.

This is the very batch of ice wine that the God of Wine sealed away with Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade.

With a tap of God of Fire fingertip, the thin ice shattered.

A clear and mellow aroma of wine wafted from the mouth of the jar, even tinging the stream with a hint of its fragrance.

Upon smelling the aroma of the wine, Wuma Xiu felt a pang of heartache and gasped for breath.

"There's not much left, I was planning to save it for my birthday!"

"Your birthday is still more than half a year away. Besides, we live as long as the heavens, and it's normal for us to celebrate our birthday only once every tens of thousands of years. Unlike you, who celebrates it every year."

The God of Fire sat down on the Bluestone by the stream, carrying a wine jar, broke the mud seal, and took a big gulp.

The icy liquor entered his throat, carrying the unique crispness of the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade. It exploded like a cool flower on the tip of God of Fire's tongue, slid down his throat, and then ignited a warm little flame in his stomach.

God of Fire let out a satisfied sigh and casually handed the wine jar towards Wuma Xiu.

Wuma Xiu rolled his eyes at him, walked over, took the wine jar, and sat down on the Bluestone.

They sat side by side by the stream, taking turns sipping the jar of chilled wine. After drinking more than half the jar, God of Fire suddenly spoke, his voice lower than usual, tinged with the effects of the wine:

You slept for quite a long time.

"The same as you."

God of Fire snorted, snatched the wine jar, and took a few more gulps.

"You woke up and went to tease the cat, and then got tied to a boat by some mortals. You, the God of Wine, aren't you ashamed?"

"That's no ordinary mortal, he's my friend," Wuma Xiu declared confidently. "And that cat... didn't you praise its bravery?"

God of Fire was taken aback, turned his head away, and remained silent.

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Wuma Xiu couldn't help but laugh out loud, causing God of Fire's ears to blush slightly, whether from the alcohol or from his laughter, it was hard to tell.

"Alright, alright, have you laughed enough? Go get another jar; this one's too weak, not potent enough."

The God of Fire shoved the empty wine jar into his arms and stood up.

Wuma Xiu, holding the wine jar, looked up at him, a smile still lingering on his lips:

"Didn't you just say you were going to drink about 70-80% of the wine here? At this rate, you probably won't even get a fraction of that."

"Then drink slowly. There's plenty of time. I can come whenever I want to drink; you won't close the door and stop me from coming in."

Wuma Xiu narrowed his eyes, jumped up from the Bluestone, and threw the empty wine jar into the stream.

The flowing water carries the empty wine jars, heading towards the distance.

Wuma Xiu turned and walked towards the largest Ancient Tree in the courtyard.

His most prized possessions were buried under the tree.

Okay, this will do.

However, he hasn't named this jar of wine yet, but today is a good day.

"I'll make an exception today and open this jar for you to try."

Wuma Xiu squatted under the tree, digging away the soil covering the mouth of the jar with his hands, and said without turning his head.

"But after you finish drinking, you'll have to do me a favor."

"What kind of help?"

God of Fire walked over and squatted down beside him.

"Help me think of a name. This jar of wine doesn't have one yet."

Wuma Xiu lifted the wine jar out of the ground, brushed off the dirt, and held it up to the God of Fire.

God of Fire looked at the mud-covered wine jar, then at his friend's bright eyes. He reached out and took the jar, carving two characters on its surface with his fingertip.

"Reunion."