Drinking Revelry

"The Dragon King never drinks."

Watching Shangguan Ru drink nearly half a jar of wine by herself, Queen Ju said coldly, but her words no longer had any power to wound.

The wine was harsh and fiery. Queen Ju refused to drink, and after Xu Yanwei and Xiao Fengchai had each taken a few sips, they gave up too. Shangguan Ru licked her lips and complained that she hadn't had enough.

She was at the perfect stage of drunkenness—not quite drunk, yet not quite sober. She could still savor every pleasure, but was numb enough to laugh off Queen Ju's cutting remarks.

Clutching the wine jar by herself, Shangguan Ru walked into the large tent where they had once stayed. Now it housed only monks. They all panicked at the smell of wine and hastily made way for her. She went straight to the two Four Truths Blue Lotus monks. "Do monks ever get in the mood for a drink?"

Fa Yan's smile was broader than usual, but Lian Qing waved both hands repeatedly, hiding them in his sleeves as he pushed Shangguan Ru toward the entrance. "Nonsense, absolute nonsense. How old are you? And you reek of wine..."

Once they were outside the tent, Lian Qing pressed his palms together in a salute and sighed. "Little Girl, you're bold and generous. You're worth knowing. If this had been in the past... Ah, don't come again. Just smelling all that wine will cost me ten years of cultivation."

"Wait, haven't you only been a monk for two or three years?" Shangguan Ru's head was still fairly clear.

"My master says I have spiritual roots. I was a monk for ten years in my previous life, so... Ah, Amitabha. What kind of wine is this?"

Shangguan Ru laughed as she left,