Tian Yuan

Chapter 2567 Drunk

On the desolate plain, Chang Ziqiu, dressed in a simple light gray cloth robe, sat on the ground, closing his eyes in thought.

He lost an arm a long time ago.

One sleeve starts at the shoulder, shrunken and hollow.

He had stubble around his mouth and rough skin, looking weathered and worn.

A few strands of white hair had appeared at his temples, a far cry from his former vigor.

Time is like a knife, cutting many 'scars' on his body, leaving deep marks that cannot be erased.

He sat there, and a gentle breeze would occasionally rise, causing his long hair to sway and his empty sleeve to swing wildly.

On his left side, a long knife was stuck straight in the ground.

The tip of the knife was embedded in the ground, with only half of it exposed.

The blade is jet black and perfectly straight. There are tiny cracks in certain areas of the blade, which are difficult to spot without close inspection.

"Old Chang, why is the house so messy?"

Suddenly, a voice reached Chang Ziqiu's ears, startling him so much that his whole body tensed up and he abruptly opened his eyes. His first reaction was that someone had intruded, and he hadn't even noticed.

Then, he realized the voice was very familiar, and he immediately understood. His worries lessened, and his face lit up with joy.

Following the direction from which the sound came, he immediately looked and indeed saw the figure that matched his memory. His lips slowly parted, his eyes widened involuntarily, filled with a mixture of surprise and joy.

After many years, old friends meet again.

Chang Ziqiu's eyes flickered, his mouth opened, and he hesitated several times as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

After a few moments of hesitation, he calmed himself down and tried to make his tone sound indifferent as he chuckled, "I'm a rather sloppy and casual person, too lazy to tidy up."

Chen Qingyuan teased, "With such an unkempt appearance, you're probably destined to grow old alone."

"I only seek the pinnacle of swordsmanship in this life, and I don't care about matters of love."

Chang Ziqiu was not interested in women.

Of course, he had even less interest in male beauty.

You look much older.

How could Chen Qingyuan not notice the wrinkles on his old friend's face and the white hair on his head?

"Having lived half my life, I will soon be entering my old age. How could I not feel the vicissitudes of life?"

As he gets older, Chang Ziqiu misses his youth more and more.

Upon hearing this, Chen Qingyuan's smile froze, and a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes. He had attended a grand banquet of the highest order, only to return to find that his old friends had grown old and some had even passed away. This feeling was extremely painful.

"You're not far from reaching the ninth step."

To avoid discussing these sentimental matters, Chen Qingyuan changed the subject.

With just one glance, he saw through Chang Ziqiu's physical condition and immediately had a method to guide him.

"We're just missing a crucial opportunity, and we're looking for it."

Chang Ziqiu truthfully recounted his situation.

Do you have any wine?

Chen Qingyuan abruptly changed the subject, leaving everyone puzzled.

"Have."

Chang Ziqiu was slightly taken aback. Although he didn't know what his old friend meant, he gave a positive answer and immediately took out all the fine wines he had with him and placed them aside, piling them up like a mountain.

"Today we meet, let us drink together."

After speaking, Chen Qingyuan sat down opposite Chang Ziqiu, his voice loud and clear, brimming with pride.

There were no elegant seats or tables inlaid with gold and jade; people sat on the floor.

The two sat facing each other, about ten feet apart.

They looked into each other's eyes, raised their glasses, and drank together.

I still remember those days, you and I...

After drinking several jars of fine wine, Chang Ziqiu began to talk about his past deeds, which seemed to span thousands of years, and sighed at the fleeting nature of time.

"This cup is a toast to the Azure Emperor!"

Chang Ziqiu held up a jar of fine wine with both hands and said boldly.

"please!"

Chen Qingyuan retaliated.

And so the two brothers drank for several days, and all the wine that Chang Ziqiu had brought out was finished.

At this moment, Chen Qingyuan took out his treasured wine, which he had kept for many years, and they continued to drink together.

Fine wines are rare finds.

After drinking for so long, even with Chang Ziqiu's cultivation level, it was difficult to remain absolutely sober. His eyes were blurry and he was slightly tipsy.

"Old Chang, you're no good!"

Chen Qingyuan was not affected at all and joked.

"Compared to you, I am far inferior."

Chang Ziqiu felt ashamed.

Several more hours passed, and Chang Ziqiu felt even more intoxicated. He could no longer sit still, leaning against his long sword, looking languid and half-asleep.

Seeing his friend's exhausted appearance, Chen Qingyuan smiled and asked softly, "Are you drunk?"

"Yeah, I'm drunk."

After a few breaths, Chang Ziqiu finally responded.

"Then get a good night's sleep."

Chen Qingyuan suggested.

The intoxication surged over him like a tidal wave, and Chang Ziqiu was powerless to resist. His eyelids drooped, his whole body went limp, and he uttered incoherently, "Ugh..."

Before long, Chang Ziqiu was completely drunk, leaning against the blade and falling into a deep sleep, oblivious to everything happening around him.

His current situation puts him at extremely low risk. Ordinary cultivators cannot break through his protective runes, but experts of the same realm can do so with ease.

He didn't need to worry about his safety while staying in the Qingzong sect. Besides, Chen Qingyuan was right in front of him. If he were to fall into a drunken stupor and have his life taken by someone else, wouldn't that be a huge joke?

"I'll feel better once I wake up."

Chen Qingyuan slowly got up, looked at his friend who had fallen into a deep sleep, and couldn't help but recall the scenes they had spent together, and smiled warmly.

The wine is exceptional, and Chen Qingyuan has infused it with some profound insights into the Dao of the Sword.

Chang Ziqiu, in a state of blissful reverie, experienced a sudden enlightenment, allowing him to better grasp the profound mysteries within. This sleep would likely last for decades.

When he wakes up, the so-called cultivation bottleneck will be broken with a single thought. The Quasi-Emperor realm will be within his grasp.

Before leaving, Chen Qingyuan set up a large array in this area to protect Chang Ziqiu. When the time was right, the array disintegrated on its own.

I have many old friends, and if I were to meet them one by one, I don’t know how long it would take.

Wu Junyan and Chang Ziqiu are at a critical moment in breaking through their bottlenecks, so they naturally need to be treated specially.

Before visiting his other old friends, Chen Qingyuan had to first visit an elder.

This time, An Xiruo did not hide and observe from the sea of ​​clouds, but instead accompanied him hand in hand.

Qingzong, Shengzhang Pavilion.

It covers a vast area and is covered with countless plants and trees.

In this vast territory, only one person lives.

The Ghost Doctor, Gongsun Nan.

She is the chief pharmacist of the Qingzong sect and has made great contributions to the sect's prosperity and development.

Two thousand years ago, she resigned from her position as head of the alchemy workshop and semi-retired, passing the position to her carefully trained disciple. Unless there are special reasons, she no longer refines elixirs or researches new methods.

Originally, the sect wanted to arrange some servants and maids for her, all of whom were selected from the inner disciples and core disciples of the sect to ensure that their character and temperament were up to standard and that their work ability was definitely not bad.

Being able to do odd jobs for Gongsun Nan is a great honor and has extraordinary significance, equivalent to climbing a high branch, and many disciples are willing to go.

However, Gongsun Nan preferred peace and quiet and declined the sect's offer.

Chen Qingyuan and An Xiruo crossed countless peaks and traversed vast seas of clouds to arrive at Shengzhang Pavilion.