Myriad Daos of the Heaven

He filled a large bowl and handed it to the slight, small youth. "Try some. Your Great Benefactor’s special seasoning makes it even tastier, hehe..."

The slight, small youth froze for a moment.

In that instant, a strange emotion flickered in his indifferent eyes. The frozen world within his heart actually felt like it was starting to thaw.

After a moment’s hesitation, the slight, small youth finally accepted the bowl of beef, painstakingly prepared by Great Benefactor Jiang.

"Thank you!"

The slight, small youth spoke in a voice so faint it was nearly inaudible. If Jiang Jichen didn’t possess hearing far superior to that of an ordinary Cultivator, he wouldn’t have heard it at all.

But regardless, that one bowl of beef had brought them much closer.

"Actually, you’re the one who roasted this beef. I should be the one thanking you. But it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed such delicious roasted beef so heartily. Oh, right! What’s good meat without good wine?"

As he spoke, Jiang Jichen pulled two jugs of fine wine from his Storage Bag. He handed one to the slight, small youth. "Meeting is fate. Come on, little brother, drink up!"

Jiang Jichen was being very forward this time. For some reason, seeing this quiet, indifferent youth made him feel mischievous. He wanted to get him drunk and see what would happen.

’I can’t wait!’

No sooner said than done, Jiang Jichen began to vigorously urge him on.

To Jiang Jichen’s excitement, the slight, small youth actually took the initiative, picking up the wine jug to clink against his and taking a large gulp.

"COUGH, COUGH..."

However, the moment the fine wine went down his throat, the slight, small youth began coughing violently, his grubby little face flushing red.

’Looks like it’s his first time drinking!’

The thought of tempting a kid into drinking was enough to make Jiang Jichen feel excited.

’Hmm, even cultivation and killing require some proper relaxation. It’s all about finding a balance!’

Jiang Jichen thought to himself, finding an excuse to tease the slight, small youth.

And so, he took the initiative and began proposing toasts!

"Little brother, meeting is fate! From now on, you’re my little brother and I’m your big bro. Come on, to our meeting as brothers, drink!"

"Of the hundred Loose Cultivators, only you and I are unscathed. That’s truly worth celebrating! Drink!"

"Your big bro here escaped death’s door, his life is no longer in danger! And the Barbaric Spirit Body will only be stronger when he wakes up! We must drink!"

...

The slight, small youth remained silent. Every time Jiang Jichen proposed a toast, he would clink jugs with him and down a third of the fine wine.

One chattered endlessly while the other remained silent and still. Time slipped by quietly. The scene possessed a strange, harmonious beauty of motion and stillness.

"Huh, little brother, you can really hold your liquor! Let’s have another!"

Jiang Jichen laughed loudly. He saw that the slight, small youth’s cold eyes had grown hazy with drink, revealing a hint of charm. His small body seemed to be swaying, possessed of a captivating allure.

’Am I drunk? Why else would I feel this way looking at a young man?’

Jiang Jichen shook his head, concluding he must have had too much to drink.

’Heh, his eyes are hazy and his body is swaying. Looks like he’s about to pass out. I have to keep going and drink him under the table! I, Jiang Jichen, have never lost a drinking contest before!’

Jiang Jichen thought proudly. They had each drunk more than ten jugs, yet the other person hadn’t completely collapsed. This irked him.

In his eyes, the slight, small youth was definitely a first-time drinker, just naturally gifted with a slightly higher tolerance. It wasn’t like Jiang Jichen had never met people like that before.

But this only made Jiang Jichen more interested. Getting him drunk would be even more satisfying. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Gradually, Jiang Jichen’s voice trailed off. The wine jugs around them slowly multiplied, piling up into a small mountain that completely buried the Totem Youth.

And yet the slight, small youth still had that same look—hazy-eyed and on the verge of collapsing, but not quite there.

"I’m tellin’ you... I’ve never lost a drinking contest to anyone. C’mon, drink!"

Jiang Jichen raised his wine jug to drink, but suddenly collapsed, falling directly into the slight, small youth’s arms.

And with that, Great Benefactor Jiang was completely drunk.

As for the slight, small youth, the moment Jiang Jichen fell into his arms, his body gave a sudden jolt. His eyes, which had been hazy with drink, suddenly became incomparably bright.

He looked down at the man in his arms, who was still mumbling drunkenly, though the words were unintelligible.

’It would be easy to lop off his head with one swing right now, wouldn’t it?’

The slight, small youth’s grip on the large machete tightened.

Just then, Jiang Jichen’s head shifted, as if searching for a more comfortable spot. He pressed his cheek firmly against the slight, small youth’s chest.

In that instant, the slight, small youth’s body trembled, and a blush crept up his fair, slender neck.

If Great Benefactor Jiang had been awake to see this, he would have been astonished, because only a woman would react like that when shy.

Jiang Jichen was unconscious, acting purely on instinct.

In his daze, he felt as if he were resting his head on something soft and smelled a captivating, fragrant scent, which made him nuzzle his head instinctively.

The slight, small youth finally reacted, pushing Jiang Jichen’s head away and pressing it down onto his thigh to keep it from moving.

In the firelight, the slight, small youth looked indignant. "You bastard! Move again and I’ll chop your head off!"

If Jiang Jichen were awake, he would have been flabbergasted.

Because that voice was clear and enchanting, like celestial music—it was distinctly a woman’s voice!

Alright, Jiang Jichen had been treating the slight, small youth as a male this whole time, and now he was resting peacefully on her lap.

However, as if he had heard the slight, small woman’s words, Jiang Jichen stopped moving and fell into a deep sleep, his head resting on her lap.

Perhaps even Jiang Jichen himself didn’t know why he felt so at ease, enough to get drunk and fall asleep in such an environment, in front of a stranger he had just met.

Maybe it was because he had been through too much recently—either fighting for his life and narrowly escaping death time and again, or desperately trying to raise his Cultivation. He was truly exhausted.

He needed a place to lean on, a place to sleep soundly.

The slight, small woman now quietly watched the young man sleeping peacefully on her lap.

His face was handsome and his features well-defined. In the past, she would have absolutely raised her large machete and lopped off Jiang Jichen’s head without a second thought.

But she didn’t. Tonight, she had quietly listened to this person talk and talk—more than she had heard in her entire life.

Before, when she had nothing to do, she would always just sit quietly, hugging her large machete and staring into space, sometimes looking up at the sky, or gazing at the sea of stars. Sometimes she couldn’t help but wonder, ’Where did I come from?’

Tonight, during their conversation, this young man had told her many things. For example, he told her his name: Jiang Jichen.

And after Jiang Jichen’s relentless pestering, she finally revealed her own name: Yee Youmeng!

In truth, she didn’t know her own name. For as long as she could remember, she had only seen the characters carved on the mysterious blood-red Jade Pendant on her chest, so she took them as her name.

Yee Youmeng... Night is dark, Youu is silent, fleeting as a dream.

When she had told him her name, Jiang Jichen had whispered this softly, sighing that her name’s meaning was profound and beautiful beyond words.

Perhaps it was because she’d heard those words that Yee Youmeng couldn’t bring herself to use her blade.

"Night is dark, Youu is silent, fleeting as a dream... Fine. I won’t chop your head off tonight!"

Yee Youmeng muttered to herself.

And just then, several black shadows shot in from all directions, quick as lightning, aiming to kill.

However, Yee Youmeng simply swung her large machete with one hand. Without her body even swaying in the slightest, the lunging figures fell to the ground, turning into headless Spirit Beasts.

Throughout the night, Spirit Beasts attacked continuously, but Jiang Jichen remained deep in slumber, seemingly oblivious, while Yee Youmeng was always ready to swing her blade.

The night passed quietly. A new day dawned, sunlight scattering through the forest in dappled specks of light.

The moment Jiang Jichen opened his eyes, the first thing he saw were piles of headless Spirit Beast corpses all around. The stench of blood filled the air, and he was instantly dumbfounded.

Then, he realized he was resting his head on a soft thigh. He shot up and yelled, "Yee Youmeng! You actually managed to drink me under the table last night! This..."