Drunken Rongrong, the Illuminated Sword Heart!

On the Lima Plain, beside a clear stream.

A campfire had been lit by the stream.

The night was beautiful, and the breeze was gentle.

Su Zui and Ning Rongrong had spent the whole afternoon bickering. Now they were gathered around the campfire, roasting fish to eat.

They sat barefoot on a blanket Ning Rongrong had taken out, surrounded by the tasty food she had brought.

There were baked cheesecakes, strawberry tarts, egg tarts, dried fish, dried veal, and preserved plums.

But Ning Rongrong had clearly grown tired of them. Her eyes were fixed on the fish Su Zui was roasting.

Drops of fat fell into the campfire with a crackle, and a savory roasted aroma filled the air.

As Su Zui tended the fish, he kept pouring wine from his gourd into his mouth.

Su Zui had always made drinking his first priority.

So he spared no Soul Power, directly using his first Soul Skill to fill the gourd with wine rich in vitality.

With a single mouthful, Su Zui could feel an abundance of vitality coursing through his body.

Trading Soul Power, which he could cultivate back at any time, for an equivalent amount of vitality was a bargain that paid ten thousand times over!

Beside him, Ning Rongrong watched Su Zui drink with such relish that the little glutton in her belly was roused. Her big eyes sparkled as she gazed at him, blinking like a pair of flashing lights.

How could Su Zui not know what the girl wanted? With a light lift of his hand, he passed the wine gourd to Ning Rongrong beside him.

Ning Rongrong immediately hugged the gourd, put its opening to her lips, and tipped her head back for a large mouthful.

The intoxicating wine, infused with powerful vitality, entered Ning Rongrong's body.

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up.

"Oh my gosh, Su Zui, your wine is amazing! Could it have been brewed from some kind of immortal fruit?"

Ning Rongrong had yet to connect Su Zui's wine with a Soul Skill.

She simply assumed that the ingredients Su Zui used to brew it were exceptionally potent.

Ning Rongrong was rather fond of drinking too, and she hugged the wine gourd as she gulped it down.

She failed to notice that her little face had turned completely red.

Su Zui's wine had four major qualities: it healed injuries fast, restored blood fast, got people drunk fast, and went to their heads fast.

Only an old drunkard like Su Zui could drink the wine in the gourd like water.

How could a young girl like Ning Rongrong withstand such terrifyingly potent wine?

Before long, a mist had gathered over Ning Rongrong's eyes, and her thoughts grew muddled.

"Hehehe, Su Zui, your wine tastes so good! Let's drink!"

Ning Rongrong threw herself straight into Su Zui's arms, raised the wine gourd, and poured it into his mouth.

Su Zui naturally turned none of it away, letting the fragrant wine flow into his mouth.

Ning Rongrong watched Su Zui's Adam's apple bob up and down, and her mouth went dry.

Driven by drunkenness, she blushed and stuck out her little tongue, reaching for his Adam's apple.

Su Zui was still lost in the fine wine when he felt a tingling jolt, like an electric shock.

The sensation sent goosebumps all over his body.

"Whoa, why are you getting handsy again?"

Su Zui pressed a hand against Ning Rongrong's head, stopping her from causing any more trouble.

Held in Su Zui's grasp, Ning Rongrong wasn't angry. Instead, she wrapped both arms around him and rubbed her little head hard against his palm.

"Su Zui~ How about you come with me? I'll take you back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and treat you to the finest food and drink..."

Looking at Ning Rongrong's adorable appearance, Su Zui smiled and gently scraped her nose.

"Well, well, who would've guessed? Our little Rongrong is actually the young miss of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Ning Rongrong was clearly even more excited. She gave Su Zui's arm a gentle bite and proudly raised her chin.

"That's right! I, Ning Rongrong, am the young miss of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The whole sect belongs to me!"

Growing more animated as she spoke, Ning Rongrong wrapped both arms around Su Zui's waist and kept bumping her little head against his chest, laughing like a string of silver bells.

"Hehe, Su Zui~ Su Zui!"

Ning Rongrong's little face was full of smiles. She lifted her head, and her watery eyes were filled with Su Zui's reflection.

Looking at Ning Rongrong's rosy face and big, watery eyes, Su Zui's heart inexplicably began to race.

He felt an itch in his heart and an indescribable sweetness.

Driven by that feeling, Su Zui reached out as if guided by an unseen force and pinched Ning Rongrong's cheek.

Feeling Su Zui's touch, Ning Rongrong's face grew noticeably redder.

But rather than growing shy, she rubbed her cheek against his palm.

Little Ling'er, who was nearby, was a little excited too. She seemed to have caught a whiff of spring.

Su Zui looked at Ning Rongrong, his mouth a little dry, but reason ultimately gained the upper hand.

He withdrew his hand and simply held Ning Rongrong in his arms, taking the opportunity to restrain her restless hands.

Ning Rongrong didn't continue either. She just laughed and lay in Su Zui's arms.

Perhaps affected by Ning Rongrong, Su Zui was especially exhilarated tonight as well.

He gently laid Ning Rongrong on the eiderdown blanket beside him. Then, holding the wine gourd in his left hand and a sword in his right, he walked to the open space beside the campfire.

Under Ning Rongrong's gaze, a pitch-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring rose beneath Su Zui's feet.

A layer of light also shimmered over the Chaos Wine Gourd in Su Zui's left hand.

A pattern of red grapes appeared on the surface of the wine gourd.

A rich aroma of wine immediately spread through the surroundings.

This time, Su Zui directly activated the Soul Skill, pouring at least twenty percent of his Soul Power into it.

Su Zui could feel that, amid the intense emotional ups and downs of the night, he seemed to have gained some insight.

In that case, he might as well see it through to the end!

Without the slightest hesitation, he raised the Chaos Wine Gourd and drank at least two jin of wine in one go.

Afterward, Su Zui's gaze grew hazy as well.

Driven by the drunkenness, Su Zui slowly raised his right hand.

Point, thrust, flick, chop, slash...

Su Zui used no flashy techniques. Instead, he tirelessly practiced the most basic sword moves over and over again.

His imposing presence visibly grew stronger as well.

Su Zui had entered the state of the Clear and Empty Sword Heart.

He paid no deliberate attention to the changes in his sword moves, yet they flowed and transformed as he pleased.

Nor did he deliberately pay attention to his surroundings. But if an enemy appeared now, Su Zui could absolutely, one hundred percent, thrust his longsword into their heart.

Moonlight poured down, and the flowing stream stirred the heartstrings.

In the state of the Clear and Empty Sword Heart, Su Zui's mind was like a pool of cold spring water, its countless stray thoughts sinking to the very bottom.

Yet with every swing of his sword, he became more aware of an intangible barrier.

This tranquility had come from forcibly suppressing all the emotions in his heart, from freezing his mind and relying solely on a swordsman's instincts to sense his surroundings.

He knew that what he needed to do now was break through this state.

He continued practicing the basic sword moves over and over again.

Slowly, he accepted the noise around him and began practicing his sword amid the clamor.

He could clearly hear the flowing water and the rustle of wind through the grass. He could also hear Ning Rongrong calling out to him again and again.

In this state, Su Zui felt it. He felt the barrier deep in his heart slowly trembling.

The noise around him continued, but Su Zui was surprised to discover that even though he could hear the clamor around him, he could still calm his heart.

At that very moment, a solid barrier within Su Zui shattered completely.

He no longer needed to deliberately block out the sounds around him. Now, he could calm his heart at will.

Amid the utmost clamor, he drew and swung his sword with a tranquil heart.

Su Zui called this state the Illuminated Sword Heart!