Lin Hai took a sip of wine and continued, "The seven sects are the White Lotus Sect, Sun Moon Sect, Five Poisons Sect, Heaven One Sect, Vast Righteous Sect, Lotus Sect, and Moonfall Sect! It's just that the situation surrounding these seven sects is a little complicated!"
"How so?" Jiang Liu hurriedly refilled Lin Hai's cup and asked.
"Well! How should I put it? In general, there are three evil sects, three righteous sects, and one that is neither righteous nor evil! It's actually rather amusing when you think about it. These seven sects happen to be perfectly balanced." Lin Hai smiled as he spoke.
"Oh? Something like that really exists? Could it be the result of interference from the other sects?" Jiang Liu said with an expression of disbelief. What were the odds of something being that coincidental?
"It's genuinely unclear! The three evil sects are the White Lotus Sect, Sun Moon Sect, and Five Poisons Sect. These three sects act viciously and mostly practice unorthodox arts. To increase their strength, they can be said to stop at nothing. That's why they're called the three evil sects!"
"As for the three righteous sects, they're the Heaven One Sect, Vast Righteous Sect, and Lotus Sect! These three sects often aid the poor, rescue orphans, and uphold justice. Since they have built up such good reputations, the public calls them the three righteous sects!"
"As for the Moonfall Sect, they act entirely according to their own whims. As long as you don't offend them, they won't pay you much heed. But once you do offend them, they won't show mercy either. Wiping you out root and branch is a common occurrence. That's why they're called neither righteous nor evil."
"Each of these seven sects has at least one Grandmaster presiding over it! That's why they're also known as the Seven Great Sects!"
After Lin Hai finished speaking, he raised his cup, and the three of them drank together. Then he continued, "Next, let's talk about the Eight Valleys!"
Jiang Liu hurriedly filled all three cups and gazed at Lin Hai with eager anticipation.
"The Eight Valleys is the collective name for the Eight Great Exotic Valleys. They are the Insect Valley, Longevity Valley, Exotic Weapon Valley, Medicine King Valley, Soul Valley, Exotic Beast Valley, Corpse Valley, and Exotic Poison Valley!"
"Let's start with Insect Valley. As the name suggests, it's a valley where insects are raised. Every kind of insect can be found there, and all the disciples of Insect Valley possess the ability to control and drive insects."
"Disciples of Insect Valley can borrow all sorts of strange insects to cultivate. They can help insects advance and evolve, and they can even form contracts with insects to fight. If you ever have the good fortune to witness it, it'll certainly open your eyes!"
Lin Hai wore a look of longing as he spoke.
Seeing Lin Hai's yearning expression, Jiang Liu immediately teased him, "Brother Hai, do you want to go learn how to control insects?"
"Of course! Unfortunately, Insect Valley doesn't recruit disciples easily. They only accept specially selected candidates. I don't even know what conditions are required to enter."
"I see! Then what about the remaining Exotic Valleys, Brother Hai?"
"You little rascal, why are you in such a hurry? The night is still long! We'll talk slowly. We've got plenty of wine left."
"Haha! Exactly. It's rare for us to relax like this! You two boys, don't just talk! Drink!" Uncle Hai chimed in from the side.
The three of them immediately raised their cups and began drinking again! After they finished, Jiang Liu conscientiously refilled all three cups.
"Longevity Valley is rather strange. If you say they're martial artists, they rarely make a move. But if you say they're not martial artists, whenever one of their disciples is bullied, the person who bullied them will invariably be dealt with the next day!"
"After a while, everyone learned that Longevity Valley's disciples were not to be bullied. As for why it's called Longevity Valley, supposedly the valley's goal is immortality. Whether they can actually achieve immortality, no one knows. All anyone knows is that Longevity Valley has existed for a very long time. Of the Eight Great Exotic Valleys, Longevity Valley is the oldest."
"Exotic Weapon Valley is said to be the best in the world at forging weapons, so Weapon Forging Sect would definitely have something to say about that! But at present, nearly all the highest-grade weapons circulating throughout Jianghu come from the hands of Exotic Weapon Valley!"
"It is said that the founder of Exotic Weapon Valley came from Weapon Forging Sect. Yet now, Exotic Weapon Valley's forging methods are even more sophisticated than Weapon Forging Sect's. One can't help but sigh. The ways of the world are truly fickle!" Lin Hai said with a sigh of emotion. Then he drained the wine in his cup in one gulp!
Jiang Liu hurriedly filled Lin Hai's cup to the brim. By now, Jiang Liu had quite naturally slipped into the role of a wine-serving page.
"As for Medicine King Valley!" Lin Hai cast an oblique glance at Uncle Hai as he spoke.
Jiang Liu noticed the subtle exchange as well, but since neither Uncle Hai nor Lin Hai said anything, he had no business prying into someone else's privacy.
Seeing that Uncle Hai showed no reaction, Lin Hai continued, "As the name suggests, it's a valley that grows medicinal herbs and practices medicine! There's nothing much to say. Once you venture out, you'll have plenty of chances to meet them. Most of them are out traveling the world to heal people."
"Oh! If I meet them, I'll have to learn from them properly!" Jiang Liu said with interest.
"What, Brother Jiang, are you interested in learning medicine?" Lin Hai asked.
"Of course I'm interested! Besides, once I roam Jianghu in the future, I'll inevitably suffer cuts from blades and scrapes from swords! If I learn medicine, I won't have to run around looking for a physician every time I get a minor injury!" Jiang Liu said with an embarrassed grin.
"Haha! You little rascal! Well said! Isn't the whole point of learning medicine to treat yourself first? Saying that physicians can't treat themselves—that's just the excuse of a quack!" Uncle Hai slapped his thigh and laughed.
"All right! I know what you're thinking. How about this? Whenever you have some free time, you can come to me and learn medicine." Uncle Hai promised him.
When Lin Hai heard Uncle Hai say this, he gave him a somewhat puzzled look but said nothing. He lowered his head and continued drinking.
Before you continue