Qian Sanjiang vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
But he chose to carry on in silence.
Whatever Big Brother did, he would do the same.
They would share blessings and bear hardships together.
The dishes were sumptuous and the wine fragrant. Yin Shen Gong and Qian Sanjiang chatted about everything under the sun, clinking cups and downing bowl after bowl.
Every time the two of them finished a bowl, they poured another before Hou Fang and Mu Linyuan's graves.
Before long, the whole area was thick with the smell of wine, almost condensed into something tangible.
Beneath the Soundproof Barrier, the wine fumes swirled like clouds and mist.
The two drank to their hearts' content and laughed freely, talking about embarrassing things from their youth, how they had been unable to walk whenever they saw a beautiful girl as teenagers, their masters and sects, and their beautiful senior and junior sisters.
Yin Shen Gong even spoke, for the first time ever, about his past with An Ruochen.
"Do you know how beautiful she was?"
Yin Shen Gong asked Qian Sanjiang proudly.
"How... beautiful?"
Qian Sanjiang's eyes were glazed.
Yin Shen Gong grabbed Qian Sanjiang by the shoulder, raised his hand, and pointed at the stars overhead. Slurring his words, he said, "See that star? Ruo Chen was that beautiful! That beautiful!!"
Qian Sanjiang stared at it drunkenly and said, "My junior sister was that beautiful too!"
"Hahahaha..."
Yin Shen Gong roared with laughter. "Come, let us drink to the beauty we could never have! Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
That round of drinking was fast and fierce.
Near dawn, only the last of the eleven jars of wine remained.
The two had drunk no more than four jars between them. Six had gone into the earth through pouring and spilling.
Yin Shen Gong