A Drink to Bolster a Hero's Courage

Chapter 43: A Drink to Bolster a Hero's Courage

Luo Qianshan had been brimming with heroic spirit, but it didn't take long for that spirit to fade.

"Drink! Are you going to drink or not?" Zi Bofeng held up a cup and pointed at Luo Qianshan, sneering. "If you can't hold your liquor, don't pretend you can. Drink it down!"

Damn, that scared me. I thought it really was Burning Knife Liquor, but it turned out to be only around ten percent alcohol. So they still don't have much distilled liquor these days; it's all pressed wine. These poor souls have never tasted strong liquor. Look at me—I can down a whole case of beer without even frowning!

In his previous life, Zi Bofeng's tolerance had been merely decent. But he didn't know whether it was because this body had been nourished by so much spiritual energy; his resistance to alcohol had increased dramatically. He could drink enough to scare anyone. Even Luo Qianshan, who prided himself on practically living in a wine vat, had to admit defeat.

"I... I'll drink it..." Luo Qianshan swayed as he lifted his cup, then tipped it back. More spilled than went down. Lao Guan stood by, serving them, watching the fine liquor go to waste. His throat bobbed, and his heart ached.

"Quit cheating! Drink it properly!" Zi Bofeng stepped forward, pinched Luo Qianshan's mouth open, and poured the rest in. Before he could finish, Luo Qianshan gave a thump and collapsed on the ground.

"Who's next? Anyone else want to drink? You? What about you?" Zi Bofeng looked around. Several soldiers had heard that a Xiucai with an incredible capacity for liquor had arrived and drunk their general under the table, so they'd come to watch. Seeing Zi Bofeng's bleary eyes as he challenged everyone, they shrank back one by one. It wasn't that they didn't want to drink; they knew their place and weren't qualified to drink with their general's guest.

"You?" Zi Bofeng pointed at Lao Guan, who hurriedly waved his hands.

"You?" Zi Bofeng beckoned to the young guard. "You, come here!"

"I... I don't drink..." The young guard was on the verge of tears. People said that when a Xiucai met a soldier, there was no reasoning with him—but right now, which one of them was the Xiucai, and which was the soldier?

"Look at you, scared out of your wits... Uh... Go fetch my mount, my epic steed, Tauxue..." With the young guard supporting him, Zi Bofeng staggered onto Tauxue. Before leaving, he didn't forget to swipe a bottle of fine liquor from the table.

"My precious Tauxue... Come on, let's go." Zi Bofeng climbed onto the donkey and looked as if he might fall off at any moment. Of course, he couldn't feel a thing and thought he was sitting steady and looking mighty impressive. He raised his riding crop and said, "Hyah!"

Tauxue brayed twice, whether in resignation or protest, but couldn't resist Zi Bofeng. Braying all the while, the donkey set off.

Riding his donkey through the streets, Zi Bofeng made a grand spectacle of himself as he headed to Mengcheng Prefecture.

"Xiucai..." The guards at the gate had changed shifts, but they all knew Zi Bofeng. They stared at him in surprise. "Xiucai, what are you..."

"Out of the way, out of the way!" Reeking of liquor, Zi Bofeng swept a hand through the air with great authority. "Feijianzi! Where's Feijianzi? Get out here!"

In Mengcheng Prefecture, in a small, separate courtyard, Feijianzi was brushing White Crane's feathers.

Feijianzi still remembered when he had first gone up the mountain. He'd been at the age when he was playful and carefree, and back then he'd clung to White Crane all day, making it carry him soaring through the sky. His laughter had rung throughout Bird-Mouse Temple.

Now, White Crane was old and could no longer carry him. It could barely even pull the Cloud Carriage, and yet, with its end drawing near, it still hadn't crossed that threshold.

Thirty years had passed. Feijianzi still had the same youthful looks, but his senior brothers had grown ever older.

The spiritual energy in Bird-Mouse Temple had grown thinner and thinner. His senior brother no longer cultivated diligently, instead spending much of his strength maintaining the Spirit Gathering Array.

His senior brother had completely let go of the path to immortality. He no longer even hoped to restore the sect to glory. He had given so much to Bird-Mouse Temple, and yet still hadn't managed to make it flourish. The spiritual energy of the world kept growing thinner, but Bird-Mouse Temple had to carry on.

The hope lay with him.

Though his senior brother had never said so, Feijianzi knew.

One by one, his senior brothers were growing old. His senior brother had once told him that among Bird-Mouse Temple's younger disciples, only Feijianzi might have even the faintest, most distant hope.

If one day his senior brothers passed on, he would have to support the sect, strive for it, and fight for it. Before then, he had to make sure he did a good job collecting the Jade Tax.

If he couldn't even handle this small task, how could he face his senior brothers' expectations?

Feijianzi, you must never let your senior brothers down!

Just as Feijianzi was silently working up his courage, a loud commotion rose outside. "Feijianzi, get out here! Get out here!"

The shouting drew closer and closer until it reached Feijianzi's door. Someone pounded on it.

Feijianzi frowned, walked to the entrance, and opened the door. He froze.

Zi Bofeng.

He remembered this boy clearly: spiritual energy poured from him, and it seemed he wouldn't live past twenty.

Now, the spiritual energy around him seemed even denser, almost as if you could squeeze water from it. He clutched a bottle of liquor in one hand, reeking of alcohol and hiccupping as he swayed in the doorway. Every so often he nearly toppled, only for the little donkey beside him to nudge him upright again.

"What is it?" Seeing Zi Bofeng, Feijianzi frowned. "Drinking in broad daylight—such extravagance and wanton indulgence. I was wrong about you."

"What are you acting so smug for? You think you're Hua Wuque or something..." Looking at Feijianzi, so handsome and elegant in his Taoist robes at the gate, Zi Bofeng suddenly felt inexplicably jealous... "Then I'm Little Fish!"

Feijianzi was bewildered for a moment, but his gaze fell on Tauxue beside Zi Bofeng.

Nourished by the Monster Raising Art Zi Bofeng had used, Tauxue now showed traces of spiritual energy. Though it looked worlds apart from White Crane, in truth White Crane had only reached the second stage, Enlightening the Stubborn Stone. It had to cross this second stage and reach the third, Spitting Spiritual Energy, before it could truly be considered a monster. Before that, no matter what, it was only a mortal beast.

But Tauxue had been nourished by the Monster Raising Art, and its essence, vitality, and spirit were already completely different from those of an ordinary donkey. Feijianzi couldn't help praising it. "What a fine donkey!"

"You're the fine donkey!" Zi Bofeng thought Feijianzi was insulting him and flew into a rage. "Feijianzi, let me ask you: what gives you the right to come down the mountain and collect Jade Tax?"

Zi Bofeng's conspicuous ride had drawn a crowd. Even the Prefect had been alerted and was watching from the shadows with the Chief Clerk and the others. Seeing Zi Bofeng reeking of liquor, the Prefect shook his head. But when he saw that Zi Bofeng had come to confront Feijianzi about the Jade Tax while drunk, he didn't know whether to admire him or feel helpless.

"This Zi Bofeng is far too much of a bookish idealist," the Chief Clerk said, shaking his head. "Some things in this world can be reasoned out, but others can't."

Zi Bofeng had argued his case against Hu Caijun in court because the bureaucracy had laws and regulations, reasons and precedents. As long as Zi Bofeng argued his case and held the high ground, he could prevail against anyone.

The Prefect had likewise used the same approach to reject Quzhou Prefecture's tax increase.

But the immortals had no reason to collect the Jade Tax in the first place. Trying to reason with those who refused to listen was like playing a lute to a cow—not just futile, but asking for trouble.

The Prefect shook his head. It was unclear whether he agreed with the Chief Clerk or not. He merely told the people beside him to stay alert: if Zi Bofeng went too far, they should hurry to pull him back; if he was in danger, they should protect him at once.

"Where's Qianshan?" The Prefect wondered why Luo Qianshan hadn't come with Zi Bofeng. Though the two seemed at odds, they were actually quite close. If Zi Bofeng had come, shouldn't Luo Qianshan have accompanied him?

"Well... General Luo got drunk... Young Master Zi was drinking with him just now."

"Qianshan got drunk, and Bofeng is still awake?" The Prefect clicked his tongue in amazement.

"How could he be awake? He's drunk out of his mind," the Chief Clerk said, shaking his head. To him, Zi Bofeng's actions were utterly crazy.

"He's only pretending to be mad with drink." The Prefect shook his head gently. He knew Zi Bofeng far better than the others, so he could tell that while Zi Bofeng had borrowed a little courage from the liquor, confronting Feijianzi was what he truly wanted to do.

Some things were easier to say plainly drunk than sober.

"Bird-Mouse Temple protects the people of Meng City and, in return, Meng City provides the temple with the jade it needs to cultivate. That's been the custom for generations."

"The custom? The custom is to pay the Jade Tax once every thirty years. It was paid ten years ago," Zi Bofeng sneered. "What kind of custom says it's paid once every ten years? If we pay this year, will you come back next year and demand another three thousand pieces, claiming that's the custom too?"

"When something is out of the ordinary, you can't lump it all together!" Feijianzi was rendered speechless by Zi Bofeng. He truly had no grounds to stand on, but even without grounds, he had to insist he was right.

"Just now you said it was the custom; now you say you can't lump things together. So when can we lump them together? Does that mean you're always right?" Zi Bofeng sneered. "Fine, let me ask you this: you say Bird-Mouse Temple protects the people of Meng City. Then tell me, whom has your temple protected? Never mind anything else. In the ten years since the last Jade Tax was paid, we've had three years of severe drought. Did Bird-Mouse Temple ever pray for rain? Two years of devastating floods. Did your temple ever clear the waterways? Thieves have run rampant these past ten years. Did your temple ever fly its swords and uphold justice?"

The Prefect smiled bitterly. "He's not slapping Feijianzi in the face. He's airing my dirty laundry."

Hearing Zi Bofeng sum it all up like that left the Prefect feeling thoroughly defeated. It seemed he had nothing to show for himself at all.

"And that's not all. You, Feijianzi, came swooping in from the west with your sword, putting on a grand show. Do you know how many homes were crushed when the huge stone you blasted apart collapsed? Thirty-one! How many people were hurt by the flying rubble? I'll tell you: more than three hundred! You, Feijianzi, are so lofty and aloof, so high and mighty. If you did what you claimed and truly protected the people, I, Zi Bofeng, would respect you from thirty li away and gladly hand over the jade with both hands. But did you ever go see a single one of those people? Did you even think of them? Just mortals, mere ants—is that it? What does a mere Feijianzi amount to? Don't imagine that because others respectfully call you an immortal, you're really one. You're just a minor cultivator. What makes you nobler than anyone else? What makes you so great? What are you so arrogant about? Whom have you protected? You're just daydreaming."

`Record of Raising Monsters`