"If you won't go to the mountain, the mountain will come to you."

"Then you have my thanks, sir."

"Hey, I told you not to call me sir. Call me Drunkard Xinghe."

Drunkard Xinghe was a little tipsy. Wang Kui, who had been standing to one side, had already stepped forward and discreetly tucked all the Stellar Gold into his robes. He estimated there had to be close to a hundred jin of it—a substantial haul.

"It's been so long since I last spoke to anyone."

"I got a little carried away."

"Forgive me."

Drunkard Xinghe suddenly sobered up considerably. He lowered his head and gazed at the cup in his hand, his thoughts unreadable.

Chen Fan immediately caught on and slapped his forehead, hurriedly turning to Crippled Monkey beside him. "Bring a fresh pot of wine."

"No need."

The Angler reached out to stop Crippled Monkey before he could leave. "This wine is perfectly fine."

"But isn't the Ten-Thousand-Year Glacier in it..."

"Isn't what? Are you trying to say it's Black Tortoise piss?"

Drunkard Xinghe gave a self-mocking smile. "Black Tortoise piss is good stuff, especially when it's been frozen in the Ten-Thousand-Year Glacier. Like dragon saliva, it's a treasure. It even has a more elegant name: 'Black Tortoise Elixir.' A potent tonic for virility."

"An exceedingly rare delicacy."

"Do you know what dragon saliva is? It's dragon spit."

"Sometimes, thinking about it really gets you down. Dragon spit and Black Tortoise piss are priceless treasures. But us? Nobody would want our spit or piss even if we gave it away. We might even get beaten up for offering."

"Some people are born noble."

"And others, no matter how hard they work, seem to be nothing more than props to make those noble people shine."

"Tell me, why is that?"

Chen Fan silently refilled the Angler's cup. Perhaps the alcohol had gone