Inside the cave abode, the fragrance of wine was so rich it almost took on physical form.
Daoist Duobao stood in the doorway, his mouth slightly open and his expression frozen, as though the Immobility Technique had been cast on him.
Behind him, Golden Spirit Holy Mother, Wudang Holy Mother, Turtle Spirit Holy Mother, and the others filed in, then...
Froze as well.
All four gazes landed in unison on the figure sprawled askew across the bluestone.
Gu Changqing lay there with his limbs splayed, his face flushed, his breathing steady, and a satisfied smile still hanging at the corners of his mouth.
The Wine God Gourd had rolled off to one side. A few drops of wine still trickled slowly from its mouth, giving off an intoxicating, mellow fragrance.
That appearance, that posture, that snoring...
He had plainly drunk himself into oblivion.
And he was more thoroughly, more deeply drunk than ever before.
"..."
The corners of Daoist Duobao's mouth twitched a few times. He opened his mouth to say something, only to find that his throat seemed blocked by something. Not a single word came out.
Golden Spirit Holy Mother's beautiful eyes widened, her red lips parted slightly, and her expression became quite a spectacle.
Shock, helplessness, uncertainty over whether to laugh or cry, disbelief... all those emotions tangled together into something too complicated to describe.
Wudang Holy Mother took a deep breath, then another, and then-
"Pfft-"
She could not hold back a laugh.
That laugh seemed to break some sort of spell, and the atmosphere inside the cave abode instantly grew peculiar.
"Good grief..." Turtle Spirit Holy Mother murmured, her voice full of helpless amusement.
"He only just finished brewing the wine. He only just created that peerless Immortal Brew that would stagger the world, and