Pineside Glow (Bonus Chapter for the Tip from "Jiulang of Fingal Cave")

This was the Falling Cloud Town the Old Man had spoken of.

Perhaps because this place was hidden deep in the mountains and had little contact with the outside world, the townsfolk's faces did not bear much of the sorrow and hardship seen elsewhere.

Several children chased and played at the mouth of an alley, while a woman stood before her door calling her child home for supper.

A few old men sat in bamboo chairs by the street, chatting idly at an unhurried pace.

As Shen Hui and Lu Huan walked along the bluestone street, they strangely felt as though they had been separated from the world for ages.

Shen Hui found an inn. Its frontage was not large, and its signboard was old, bearing the four words "Cloud-Among Inn."

He led Lu Huan inside and chose a square table near the back.

A waiter came forward with a smile and greeted them.

"What would the two guests like to eat?"

Shen Hui casually ordered two dishes, then suddenly recalled the wine the Old Man had mentioned before leaving and said,

"I heard there is a wine in this town called 'Pineside Glow.' Do you have any here?"

Upon hearing this, the waiter's smile broadened.

"Yes, yes, yes! You've certainly come to the right place, sir. Pineside Glow is our house specialty. Would you like a pot?"

"Then bring a pot," Shen Hui said.

The waiter answered and, before long, brought over a celadon wine pot. Its body was decorated with pine needle patterns, accompanied by two small white porcelain cups.

Shen Hui lifted the pot and poured himself a cup.

The wine was clear with a faint yellow tint. As it flowed into the cup, it carried an exceedingly subtle fragrance of pine.

He raised the cup and