Before long, the two gourds of wine were empty. Li Jia still hadn't had his fill and kept urging Xiong Bei Ming to bring out any more he had. His craving for wine had just been roused, and being left hanging like this was unbearable.
Xiong Bei Ming could only spread his hands and say he was out. Xu Yi laughed. "Brother Zong, don't hide it. I know you've still got two gourds stashed away. Bring them out already."
At that, Li Jia's face lit up, and he rubbed his hands together eagerly.
Sun King waved his hands again and again. "No, no. I scraped these together with great difficulty, and I was saving them for a chance to drink with Old Tan. You all know I'm new here, and I haven't got a handle on anything that goes on. Old Tan's an old hand—people say he's the most experienced veteran aboard this vessel. He knows everything about the ship, and he's well informed about the Western Ox Continent, too. I managed to get these two bottles of wine just to show my respect and have him tell me about the world outside, so I can broaden my horizons. If you drink them, wouldn't that be like gouging out my eyes? No, no."
No one pressed him further. Suddenly, Li Jia burst out laughing. "What kind of old hand is Old Tan? Back when I was making a living here, he was probably still wearing split-crotch pants."
As he spoke, he beckoned Sun King over and over. "Bring the wine, bring the wine. Ask whatever you want to know. If I can't answer, I'll wager these two eyes of mine."
A flicker of hesitation still crossed Sun King's eyes. Bai Jizi said, "You greenhorn, what would you know? Old Wine