Hundred Flowers Brew

Upon seeing Su Cheng, whom she hadn't seen for nearly a year, Ah Yin was initially delighted, but then, remembering his earlier mocking words, she felt a surge of anger and resentment.

The various emotions that had been churning within me, the complex thoughts of the past year, and the images that lingered in my mind...

When they finally met, all the things they wanted to say were completely shattered by Su Cheng's teasing remark.

How dare you speak like that!

Ah Yin's eyebrows furrowed and her face flushed red. She leaped off the bluestone, her previous dignified and ethereal demeanor completely gone.

Despite shouting angrily, she quickly approached.

However, when she got closer, Ah Yin was startled.

She sensed the difference between Su Cheng now and in the past.

At this moment, the opponent had completely lost the intense energy fluctuations that once permeated their entire body, constantly demonstrating their strong presence.

Although the young man in front of me looked very natural and did not appear weak.

But from an energy perspective, he is far less energetic than before.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Ah Yin's joy and anger subsided, and worry appeared in her eyes.

So they moved even closer, momentarily forgetting the offensive words the other person had just spoken.

Ordinary strong individuals might be able to detect Su Cheng's uniqueness, but they would find it extremely difficult to discern his true strength.

Those with exceptional strength, like Bibi Dong, can sense her terrifying nature, her seemingly innate and instinctive responses in every gesture.

However, that relied on the powerful intuition of a supreme expert, not that they truly saw through him.

In fact, if the two had not had a past experience of dual soul cultivation, Bibi Dong would never have been able to spy on Su Cheng's true situation.

But Ah Yin is different.

Although she is far inferior to Bibi Dong in terms of strength, she is even stronger in terms of perception.

Especially since she was currently in the Blue Silver Grass Forest, she had a unique advantage and was able to perceive Su Cheng's condition more clearly.

In Ah Yin's eyes, Su Cheng was extremely strange at this moment.

Despite his natural behavior, his entire body did not exhibit any strong energy fluctuations.

That's for sure; it's not that it's hidden or suppressed, it's almost like an ordinary Soul Master has lost most of their Soul Power.

As for the natural and composed temperament that she exuded, she saw it as outwardly strong but inwardly weak.

Su Cheng, on the other hand, was taken aback by her sudden question. "What? What's wrong?"

"Where is your Soul Power? Where are your Innate Power?" Ah Yin's eyes were filled with undisguised surprise and worry.

You noticed?

Su Cheng was initially surprised, but then a thought struck him, and he did not immediately explain.

He simply raised his hand, and the Martial Soul Longevity Sword appeared in his hand, surrounded by a solitary Soul Ring, looking quite pitiful.

The longsword's light had also dimmed and become restrained, lacking the undisguised sharpness it once possessed.

"Ring Detonation? No, this isn't Ring Detonation, all your Soul Ring have completely disappeared?! Why... why is this happening?"

Ah Yin stared at the Longevity Sword in disbelief, her voice trembling slightly.

She was extremely familiar with this Martial Soul.

Her Spirit Body once resided within it, and she could control the Talent Domain derived from the Longevity Sword.

She was also very familiar with the first five Five Elements Soul Rings that could generate each other. Even if the Ring Detonation, it would be impossible to completely eliminate that kind of fluctuation.

Therefore, it is even clearer that the current state of the Longevity Sword is not as simple as the Ring Detonation.

Those Soul Ring have truly all disappeared!

But with Su Cheng's strength, who in the world could hurt him?

When Soul Master's Martial Soul completely loses its Soul Ring, what difference is there between it and a cripple?

Under these circumstances, how could he possibly continue to improve, and would he still have a chance to advance to Soul Douluo or even Titled Douluo?!

For someone like Su Cheng, if his path forward is cut off, what will he do next?

All his wishes, his ambitions, and everything he had gained through day and night of study and practice—hadn't it all become a waste of time?

Can he withstand this blow...?

"Without your Soul Ring, how are you going to advance in the future?! Wait, perhaps..."

At this point, Ah Yin's eyes lit up, as if she had thought of something.

But then he suddenly stopped speaking, swallowing the rest of his words.

"So what? Even if the power is gone, we can just find a new direction. As long as we're alive, there's always another way out," Su Cheng said casually as he sheathed the Longevity Sword.

Although he still possesses immense power, this is also his honest opinion.

If he hadn't had this confidence and awareness, even if he had been forced to use the Ring Shattering at the time, he wouldn't have been able to handle it calmly, and his mindset would have inevitably become unbalanced in the subsequent handling.

Even if Bibi Dong risked her life to save him, she might not be able to pull him back from the brink of death; at best, it would be a life for a life.

If he places too much emphasis on power, how can he let go of the endless stream of soul essence that comes to him while the raging fire burns his soul?

In fact, when Su Cheng received Qian Renxue's sword, he was already prepared to pay the corresponding price.

It was already a stroke of luck for him to survive; the other unforeseen events that followed were merely a matter of chance.

Over the years, continuous study and research have accumulated not only a wealth of knowledge, but also the confidence to find a possible path from the impossible.

After putting away his Martial Soul, Su Cheng twitched his nostrils slightly and looked into the distance.

"It smells so good! Did you prepare something delicious for me?"

"What time is it? How can you still be in the mood to talk about these things?"

Ah Yin looked slightly anxious, becoming increasingly certain that something was wrong with the other person, otherwise there would be no need to change the subject like this.

At the same time, she made up her mind and looked up at Su Cheng, "Tell me what happened first."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other party completely ignored him.

After quickly turning his head and locking onto a direction, he walked straight towards it.

Ah Yin stomped her foot in frustration, but had no choice but to follow, saying urgently, "Say something!"

If she weren't worried about Su Cheng's current state, even with her personality, she would have been tempted to take action at this moment.

Su Cheng ignored the constant chatter around him and soon arrived at the entrance of a stone cave.

In the damp, moss-covered cave in front of them, several huge wine jars were neatly arranged, but they didn't seem to be sealed very well, as a pure and rich aroma of wine continued to waft out from them.

"You can brew wine?"

Su Cheng raised an eyebrow, his face showing surprise.

Immediately afterwards, he went into the cave without any hesitation and took out two jars.

I casually picked up one of the jars and held it to my nose to take a sniff. The rich aroma of wine mixed with the fresh scent of a hundred flowers filled my nostrils, and the smell was exceptionally alluring.

Su Cheng turned to look at the beautiful woman behind him, his eyes shining slightly, "May I have some?"

"No!" Ah Yin said angrily.

Unfortunately, the person on the other end rarely listens to her advice or tries to stop her.

The wine jar, weighing dozens of kilograms, felt as light as a feather in Su Cheng's hands.

The clear, transparent wine poured down from the broken mouth of the jar, turning into a string of shimmering threads that fell into his mouth.

The aroma of wine mingled with floral notes, exploding on the taste buds on the tip of the tongue, then flowing down the throat and through the esophagus, bringing a subtle spiciness and heat.

After swallowing a mouthful of wine, the strong aroma of alcohol still lingered between my teeth, which was incredibly satisfying.

Just one bite, and he felt like he was getting a little addicted.

In fact, Su Cheng never had a drinking problem.

Over the years, he has almost never touched such things.

Firstly, there's no time. My cultivation and research are still insufficient, so where would I find the mood to enjoy wine and get drunk?

Secondly, when his cultivation level is low, he cannot control himself well, and being intoxicated by alcohol might lead to mistakes, which would be detrimental to his cultivation.

But today, these Hundred Flowers Brew, carefully brewed by Ah Yin, are clearly quite different from others, and even Su Cheng finds it hard to resist the temptation of their flavor.

Just like the new teas she used to grow, they are unique and delicious drinks.

If Ah Yin were to open a teahouse or tavern similar to "Moonlight Pavilion" in the future, it would surely be very popular.

"Would you like some?" With a smile, Su Cheng handed her the wine jar, savoring the lingering aroma.

"I won't drink." Ah Yin shook her head.

Seeing Su Cheng looking so relaxed and happy after drinking, the worry in her eyes lessened, and a hint of joy appeared in her eyes and brows.

In any case, all my efforts were not in vain.

"Why did you prepare all this if you're not going to drink it? It wasn't prepared especially for me, was it?"

"Can't you be serious for once!"

Ah Yin gave a soft rebuke, feeling a sudden surge of anger in her heart.

I was so worried about him, but he acted so nonchalant.

Seeing this, Su Cheng smiled and didn't mind. He pulled Ah Yin to sit down on the grass next to him and said calmly, "You can see my current situation. I've been trying my best to heal for the past year. As for what I promised you before, researching methods for Soul Master to condense Soul Ring on their own, I'm afraid I'm temporarily unable to do so."

After saying that, he took another sip of Hundred Flowers Brew, but his eyes glanced at Ah Yin beside him, silently observing her reaction after hearing his words.

Ah Yin paused slightly. She had almost forgotten about this matter.

That seemed like a wish from long ago; what she once considered an extremely important pursuit now appeared so insignificant.

If she had known this would be the outcome, would she have still volunteered to fight in the Pope's Palace?

Even after Su Cheng and Qian Renxue joined forces to kill Xiao Wu and obtain her Soul Ring, she did not distance herself from her.

Between the two, which was more important, I probably already knew the answer in my heart at that time.

She shook her head and whispered, "It's okay, none of that matters. You still haven't told me how things got to this point?"

"What do you think it could be?" Su Cheng chuckled self-deprecatingly and asked softly.

"..."

Ah Yin was taken aback when she heard this.

Yes, what could be the reason?

Who in the world has the power to harm Su Cheng has mastered the Innate Power?

Unless, of course, the person who injured him also learned Innate Power, and possessed talent and ability far exceeding that of ordinary people, or even surpassed him.

For some reason, two faces with completely different temperaments, yet both exquisitely beautiful, appeared before my eyes.

"Bibi Dong? Or Qian Renxue?"

"Ha, you actually guessed it."

Su Cheng chuckled lightly, but there was no hint of amusement in his eyes.

"It's Xiao Xue. Her strength has improved a lot, and somehow she found out about what happened between me and Zhu Zhuqing. She's going to kill her. I had no choice but to take a sword strike from her, otherwise one of them would most likely die."

"How could she... how could she do this..."

Ah Yin's eyes trembled, and her pretty face turned slightly pale.

Is that woman really that extreme?

Whatever the hidden reasons, it shouldn't have escalated to the point of taking lives, right?

"The fault doesn't lie with her; this is my own retribution." Su Cheng sighed softly, raised the wine jar, and took a sip. "Alas, the punishment for greed..."

As he spoke, he made no attempt to conceal what had happened that day.

From the moment Qian Renxue broke through her seclusion and unleashed that astonishingly powerful sword strike on Zhu Zhuqing, until she herself narrowly escaped death and, with the help of the Ring Shattering Secret Technique, resolved the life-or-death crisis, Qian Renxue resolutely left Spirit City.

Aside from not discussing Bibi Dong's situation in detail, he recounted everything that happened that day, as well as the entanglement between himself, Qian Renxue, and Zhu Zhuqing.

As he recounted his story, Ah Yin's mood and expression changed constantly.

A range of emotions, including shock, sighs, and fear, emerged in turn.

"... That's all for that day."

"..."

After Su Cheng finished speaking, Ah Yin remained silent for a long time without saying a word.

He then reached for another jar of Hundred Flowers Brew, opened the mud seal, and, just like Su Cheng, took a sip.

However, she had clearly never truly tasted alcohol.

Although she brewed all these Hundred Flowers Brew herself and her own strength was strong enough, she was still choked by the spicy wine, her face flushed and she coughed a few times.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't drink?" Su Cheng looked at her in surprise, reached out and gently patted her back, and asked while trying to suppress a laugh.

"I... you... this stuff tastes awful!" Ah Yin wiped her lips, looking somewhat aggrieved.

"After drinking a lot, you won't find it unpleasant anymore, and besides, your brewing skills are superb. Moreover, wine is a good thing; it can make people forget many troubles. It's a pity that with my constitution, it's already very difficult for me to get drunk."

"..."

Ah Yin breathed softly, but out of the corner of her eye, she was sizing up Su Cheng sitting beside her.

Although she didn't like the taste of alcohol, it only slightly stimulated her taste buds and didn't have much of an impact.

Her mind was still focused on the person beside her.

Especially when she saw the faint confusion and bewilderment in the depths of Su Cheng's eyes, she felt a pang of heartache for no reason.

Caught between two women, feeling lost and helpless, and then seriously injured and nearly killed by the one he loves, his Soul Ring is now shattered and his future is ruined.

I'm afraid those excuses are nothing more than forced smiles.

What were his feelings as he came looking for himself at this moment?

At this moment, my previous thoughts suddenly became even more resolute.

She reached out and grabbed the young man's forearm. "Su Cheng, let me mend your incomplete Martial Soul."

"What did you say?"

Su Cheng looked up in surprise.

"I said..."

Ah Yin gritted her teeth, avoiding his slightly probing gaze, but her voice was very firm, "I can make up for the deficiency in your Martial Soul, I can do it."

"..."

Seeing that Su Cheng didn't speak, Ah Yin thought he didn't believe her, so she quickly explained, "I can perfectly match the Longevity Sword. As long as I rebind to the Longevity Sword, my current Martial Soul foundation and all my Soul Ring can be filled into your Martial Soul."