The flames danced, and the firewood occasionally crackled, sending a shower of sparks swirling through the night. It was a beautiful sight.
The firelight reddened the face of the old man, Zheng Chunqiu. Whether from excitement or drink, his face was flushed, and the firelight made it look even redder.
He held a roasted leg of lamb, bit down hard, and tore off a piece. Chewing, he said with a laugh.
"Wine and meat. Life is good."
Beside him, the skinny, monkey-like Lin Bingjiang puffed on his pipe and said, "Eat less. Aren't you afraid of bursting a blood vessel?"
Zheng Chunqiu said unconcernedly, "What's there to fear? Every extra day I live now is a bonus. Since it's a bonus, why not enjoy it properly?"
"We were lucky today. That little girl took down the Heavenly Ghost all by herself. In the future, it'll be hard to say whether we'll be able to protect other 'special talents.'"
"So you see, good things like this don't happen often. Naturally, we have to cherish them."
Lin Bingjiang snorted. "Nothing but twisted logic."
In the distance.
Fang Yao looked toward the Tianjian Squad's camp, seemingly lost in thought. Footsteps sounded, and then a bottle of wine was shoved into his hand.
He raised his head and saw Tu Maochun's rugged face.
Fang Yao smiled, twisted open the cap, and took a sniff. "You still remember what I like to drink."
Tu Maochun laughed heartily. "We always liked having a few drinks after a battle back then. The captain kept a tight leash on us, so we had to drink in secret."
"You even used an IV drip bag to hold wine once. After you were caught, the nurses had to sniff the IV drip bag before giving you an infusion, to make