A Thousand Cups Down, Qian Renxue Pouts

Qian Renxue sneered, walking slowly to the table and tapping her fingertips against the sandalwood branch:

"When you snuck out of the Crown Prince's Mansion, incited the spectators to place bets, and turned the entire arena into a chaotic mess, I didn't see you looking so frail."

She paused, looking at Ye Yunxi's pale, frightened face, and finally relented:

"Don't worry, I didn't say I was going to hit you."

"I called you back because I have something to ask you."

Ye Yunxi was stunned, and before she could even catch her breath, a cheerful system notification rang in her mind.

[Ding! Triggered fun drinking game quest: Get the Crown Prince drunk]

[Quest requirements: Drink with Qian Renxue, do not use soul power to cheat, rely on true ability to make her drunk first, and say at least three things during the process that make her jump with anger]

[Quest reward: Soul power surges by 5 levels (promoted from a level 63 Soul Emperor directly to a level 68 Soul Emperor), plus "Constitution of a Thousand Cups Without Drunkenness" (drinking does not harm the body and can nourish soul power)]

Ye Yunxi's eyes lit up instantly!

Jumping from level 63 directly to 68? This was a massive windfall!

Her inner abacus clicked and clattered; the previous fear vanished, and when she looked up at Qian Renxue, a cunning light flickered in the depths of her eyes.

Qian Renxue was taken aback by this sudden change:

"What kind of mischief are you plotting again?"

Ye Yunxi stepped forward, grabbed her sleeve, curved her peach-blossom eyes into crescents, and spoke in a cloyingly sweet voice:

"Oh, since Your Highness the Crown Prince isn't going to hit me, why don't we have a couple of drinks? We can talk while we drink!"

Qian Renxue watched her fawning behavior, alarm bells ringing in her heart; she felt that this little enchantress was up to some new trick.

"Fine, since the Imperial Concubine has proposed it, how could I refuse?"

Qian Renxue accepted readily; she couldn't refuse, for if she did, it would make her look cowardly.

It was also a good opportunity to ask about subduing the affiliated clans of the Clear Sky Sect.

Qian Renxue called out loudly upon hearing this: "Porcupinefish Douluo!"

Before the words had even faded, the figure of Porcupinefish Douluo appeared silently outside the door, bowing in salute: "What are your orders, Young Mistress?"

"Go to the storehouse and fetch that jar of Drunken Immortal Brew buried twenty years ago."

Qian Renxue spoke indifferently, her tone carrying a hint of confidence:

"And prepare two of the largest wine bowls."

Porcupinefish Douluo was stunned for a moment; was the Young Mistress going to challenge the Imperial Concubine to a drinking contest? But he dared not ask more, responding and retreating.

A moment later, he returned holding a jar of wine with a sealed mud cap. Before the wine was even opened, the rich aroma filled the entire room.

Ye Yunxi looked at the jar, a flash of cunning in her eyes, and waited until Porcupinefish Douluo had set out the bowls and exited.

She was the first to pick up the jar, pouring amber liquid into both bowls with a "glug-glug" sound; the foam surged, and the fragrance grew even stronger.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince,"

Ye Yunxi lifted her wine bowl, her peach-blossom eyes curving into crescents:

"Let's agree, no using soul power to force the alcohol out. Pure drinking capacity. Whoever gets drunk first loses. The loser must agree to one condition set by the winner, how about that?"

Qian Renxue glanced at her, picked up her bowl, and a look of disdain curled her lips:

"With your drinking capacity, you dare to bet against me? Could this Crown Prince possibly be afraid of you? Don't say I bullied you."

A mere woman, could she not outdrink her?

That would be underestimating her, Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue tilted her head back, and a bowl of wine went down. The spicy liquid entered her throat, turning into a hot current that surged through her body, making her throat burn slightly.

Ye Yunxi did not show weakness, downing a bowl of wine herself. With the system-granted Constitution of a Thousand Cups Without Drunkenness, the wine felt mellow and fragrant, with not a hint of intoxication; instead, it nourished the soul power in her body, making her feel completely refreshed.

The two drank bowl after bowl, and the wine in the jar gradually reached the bottom.

Qian Renxue's cheeks flushed with a faint rosy hue, and her gaze softened compared to usual, yet she still held on. Watching Ye Yunxi's calm expression, she was secretly surprised—this little enchantress's drinking capacity was actually this good?

Seeing that she already had a hint of intoxication, Ye Yunxi took the opportunity to tease her:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, your drinking capacity isn't very good. You're blushing after only a few bowls; are you about to reach your limit?"

Qian Renxue, you calculated everything, but you didn't know my drinking capacity is excellent, did you?

A boy's drinking capacity is much better than a girl's.

Qian Renxue glared at her and downed another bowl:

"Nonsense! This Crown Prince is perfectly fine!"

She set down the bowl, tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, and changed the subject to the main point:

"Speaking of which, when you were wandering outside the palace earlier, did you hear any news about the four affiliated clans of the Clear Sky Sect?"

Ye Yunxi's hand holding the bowl paused, and she raised an eyebrow in surprise:

"The Strength Clan, the Breaking Clan, the Speed Clan, and the Defense Clan? Why are you asking about them?"

Qian Renxue drained the wine in her bowl, a flicker of ambition crossing her eyes. Her voice, though raspy with the effects of the alcohol, still carried the domineering air of the Crown Prince:

"Naturally, I intend to bring them to heel."

"These Four Great Sects have been passed down for generations and possess deep foundations. There is no shortage of Spirit Douluo-level powerhouses within their ranks. If I can bring them under my command, the spirit master strength of the Heaven Dou Empire will ascend to a new level."

He looked at Ye Yunxi, his tone resolute: "With these sects as my trump card, it will be of great benefit in the future, whether it is to deal with Martial Soul Hall or to solidify my position as Crown Prince."

Ye Yunxi blinked, thinking to herself that Qian Renxue's ambition was truly not small.

She took a sip of wine, deliberately provoking him:

"Oh? Your Highness the Crown Prince's calculations are so loud that even Bibi Dong in Martial Soul City must be able to hear them, right? Aren't you afraid of losing the bait without catching the fish?"

Qian Renxue's expression darkened instantly, his fingers tightening on the table until his knuckles turned white:

"I, the Crown Prince, plan with strategy and foresight; how could I fail to subdue a few branch families? You must remember that I am the one destined to be Emperor."

Damn that Ye Yunxi, why bring up that woman? Is she doing this on purpose?

"Oh?"

Ye Yunxi gave a playful smile, lifted her wine bowl for another sip, and beamed:

"Then do tell, how do you plan to subdue them? By using the authority of the Crown Prince to suppress them? Or by using the power of a Title Douluo to force them?"

"You are discussing these matters with me because you want to ask for my opinion, aren't you?"

Ye Yunxi set down her wine bowl, her fingertips tapping lightly against the table, her voice filled with mockery:

"Don't forget, these Four Great Sects are loyalists who have followed the Clear Sky Sect for hundreds of years; they would rather live in seclusion than attach themselves to others. You can't even subdue a 'weak woman' like me, yet you want to subdue those stubborn bones?"

"Don't forget, even the matters regarding Xue Beng and Prince Xue Xing were half my doing. Furthermore, if I hadn't reminded the Crown Prince, you still wouldn't know that this Xue Beng is also a threat."

"Thinking about it this way, the Crown Prince's capabilities don't seem to be much to look at."

These words were like a sharp blade, precisely piercing Qian Renxue's sore spot.

Qian Renxue slammed his hand onto the table, causing the wine bowl to vibrate and hum, the fury in his eyes instantly igniting:

"Ye Yunxi! Don't push your luck!"

"Are you questioning me? I, the Crown Prince, treat you well and indulge you in everything so that you would help me think of ways to subdue the Four Great Sects, not so you could sit here and insult me."