Inside Ju'an Pavilion, aside from Ji Yuan's jar of Mortal Drunkenness, there were braised noodles with offal to accompany the wine, jujube cakes made by Mother Jujube, and a plate of jujubes.
There were nine jujubes on that small plate. Each one faintly glowed a fiery red, Spiritual Qi curling around it as though it were hidden within crimson mist.
Old Dragon showed no courtesy. Like Ji Yuan, he mixed the braised ingredients into his noodles and devoured them in great mouthfuls, picked up a bit of offal and put it into his mouth, then lifted his wine cup and took a light sip.
"Hiss—ah."
Drinking this Mortal Drunkenness stirred endless memories in Old Dragon's heart. From the Chi Dragon he had once been, painstakingly cultivating, to his step-by-step transformation, his life as a dragon had known peaks and valleys, hardship and splendor. The deeper the memory, the richer the wine became; while in those plain, uneventful times, its flavor seemed faint, yet its fragrance surpassed even that. Sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy—everything was within it.
"Fine wine indeed. Its aftertaste is endless!"
"Of course."
The two reached out and took Fire Jujubes. Ji Yuan bit directly into his, and fragrance instantly lingered on his lips and teeth. The incomparably delicious flesh released Spiritual Qi like endless juice as he chewed; wherever each morsel passed, it was as though a spiritual spring had opened within his mouth and viscera, and the sounds of heaven, earth, wind, and clouds echoed in his heart.
Old Dragon was in no hurry to eat. He merely studied the Fire Jujube carefully.
"Very few know of this fruit, fewer still have seen it, and those who have tasted it are rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. This is the Mystic Spirit Fire Jujube of