The God of Wine

Peng Dahai's heart gave a jolt. He was no lightweight when it came to drinking. Even after downing a bottle and a half of Moutai, he was only a little tipsy and still quite clearheaded. Have I run into a wine immortal? But never backing down at the drinking table was simply his nature. Even if it killed him, he wouldn't admit defeat.

"Haha, come on! Pour the drinks, pour them!"

Peng Dahai was a little puzzled, but the alcohol had gone to his head. There was no way he'd chicken out or back down now. He could only charge ahead, not retreat; otherwise, he'd never be able to show his face again.

Zhang Hao had downed six cups. In truth, he was still rather apprehensive. He had never drunk so much at once in his life. But to his surprise, those six cups had gone down even more easily than six cups of water. Afterward, he felt refreshed and invigorated—it was wonderful. So he immediately sprang into action and ordered a case of Baijiu to be brought over.

Wu Renbao's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Only today had he learned that his boss could drink so much! Wu Renbao himself could handle around eight taels of liquor, and a pound was about his limit. Any more than that was definitely too much.

Someone said, "General Manager Peng, General Manager Zhang, why don't you eat something first? You haven't touched a thing, and you've already knocked back three bottles. You're putting us under way too much pressure! Haha!"

Everyone laughed. Peng Dahai knew they were trying to save face for him, so he laughed and said, "All right, all right. General Manager Zhang's a real man. How about we eat something before we continue?"

Zhang Hao nodded. "All right, let's eat first. General Manager Peng, please sit."

Peng Dahai said to the man beside Zhang Hao, "Old Qin, let's switch seats."

Old Qin grinned. "Sure, sure. I'll move, I'll move!" He was sitting to Zhang Hao's left, and the pressure was immense. There was no way he could keep up with Zhang Hao's drinking, even if you killed him.

Wu Renbao, sitting to Zhang Hao's right, said quietly, "General Manager Zhang, have something to eat."

After downing six cups, Peng Dahai no longer dared underestimate Zhang Hao. He said, "Come on, have something to eat..." He thought much better of Zhang Hao now. At the very least, he acknowledged the man's drinking capacity. In truth, he had simply disliked Zhang Hao's cold demeanor. But after drinking with him, he understood that Zhang Hao was the sort of person people called cold on the outside, warm on the inside.

That was how things went at a drinking table. You might find someone very unpleasant, then become friends after sharing a drink. Of course, sometimes you thought you got along wonderfully with someone, only to find that after drinking together, you couldn't stand the sight of each other.

Before long, the drinking table was lively. As the main table, they had no shortage of people coming over to toast them.

Zhang Hao and Wu Renbao in particular, as the hosts of this seminar, were impossible to avoid. They were toasted round after round. Fortunately, Wu Renbao used little cups, so it wasn't a big problem. But Zhang Hao was terrifying.

Zhang Hao's rule was simple: if you used a small cup, he'd use a small cup too; if you used a large glass, he'd match you with a large glass.

According to Mifeng, the first replenishment required ten jin of liquor.

Some sharp-eyed guests helped keep track of how much Zhang Hao could drink, but the more they counted, the more confused they got.

Six bottles of Moutai!

"At least six bottles of Moutai!" the man blurted out.

Peng Dahai had begun holding back. After round upon round, he'd drunk no more than half a jin at a time, for a total of two jin—far less than Zhang Hao. He was waiting for the chance to land the final blow.

The more Zhang Hao drank, the brighter his eyes became. In fact, he was watching the words that appeared across his retina. He was now certain that he had drunk five jin and seven taels, with four jin and three taels left to go. He got up, raised his glass, and went around toasting each table. When he returned to his seat, the display on his retina showed that he still needed to drink one and a half jin. He had deliberately saved that amount.

"General Manager Peng, by the rules in Sixian County, let me bring things to a close. Three, two, one—how about it?"

Zhang Hao stood up with his glass in hand.

Peng Dahai was already trembling inside. This guy could drink far too much, and there was no telling where his limit lay. What kind of person was he? But at this point, he had no choice. He could only stand up with his glass. Even if he collapsed now, he still had to drink!

They each had three more cups, then two more. Zhang Hao cheerfully finished his, but Peng Dahai truly couldn't drink anymore. The first three cups had already kept churning back up in his throat. Then came two more. He managed just one before turning his head and spewing it out. Once he started vomiting, he really couldn't stop.

A moment later, he slumped in his chair. Zhang Hao smiled faintly and said, "Sorry, General Manager Peng's had a bit too much. I'll finish the remaining drinks." He drank a little more, making up the remaining amount, then said, "All right, I can't drink anymore either."

Everyone stared at Zhang Hao, dumbfounded. The guy was an absolute bottomless pit. They'd have a story to brag about when they got home—this fellow was the God of Wine.

Peng Dahai had people from his own company to look after him, so Zhang Hao didn't need to arrange anything.

Wu Renbao was utterly impressed. The man could drink far too much! He asked quietly, "General Manager Zhang, are you all right?"

Zhang Hao stood up and grinned. "Do I look like I'm not all right? I'm heading home!"

He felt refreshed and completely at ease. Zhang Hao had drunk exactly ten jin, not even one extra qian. He had known beforehand that any liquor beyond ten jin would have to be absorbed by his own body. He also knew just how pitiful his drinking capacity was. Forget ten jin—two taels would already make him woozy. Any more and he'd be asking to get drunk.

Cheng Yuan drove Zhang Hao back to Yuan Mountain Villa.

Back at the villa, Zhang Hao asked, "Boss, is the Nano-machine's energy fully replenished?"

Of course! It's fully replenished!

From now on, when you drink, start with your own limit. Once you feel a little tipsy, then replenish the Nano-machine's energy. Otherwise, who would dare keep drinking with you at this rate?

Zhang Hao said helplessly, "My limit? I can't drink at all. Two taels and I'm already drunk!"

Good! That way, you can make more friends!

Zhang Hao smiled bitterly. "Why would I need so many drinking buddies?"

It's not you who needs them. I do!

Huh? Zhang Hao was stunned, then quickly caught on. He immediately checked the little Nano-machine bead on his wrist. Sure enough, it had gotten a little smaller.

I need people to do the work!

Zhang Hao finally understood what Mifeng was after. "All right, you're the boss. You call the shots!"

At five in the morning the next day, before it was even light, Mifeng woke Zhang Hao up.

Get up and exercise! Jog for thirty minutes, then head to the Underground Base!

Zhang Hao had no idea that Mifeng was adjusting his body. Humans were weak, so Mifeng had to make Zhang Hao stronger.

For thirty minutes, Mifeng had him alternate between jogging and sprinting, working him so hard he was drenched in sweat.

After showering, Zhang Hao entered the basement elevator and went straight down to the sixteenth floor. There was a gym on that level, filled with all kinds of exercise equipment. Mifeng began another round of instruction, continuing to put Zhang Hao through his paces.

In less than an hour, Zhang Hao was already drenched in sweat and panting like a dog. He gasped and wheezed, feeling as though his lungs were about to fly out of his chest. Without the Nano-machine's repairs earlier, he would have been unable to move after training this intensely. His shut-in lifestyle had left him with almost no stamina. He used to get up and run in the mornings, but the intensity had only been enough to keep him healthy.