Chapter 123 Slaying the Grand Duke Jupiter (Part 11) Disregarding the proper separation of men and women...

The Drunken Immortal Pavilion was bustling with noise.

As soon as they sat down, the waiter rushed over like a whirlwind, wiping the table and pouring tea. His words fell like scattered beans: "You've come at the perfect time, sir. Zuixianlou is having a grand celebration today. For every even number of tables, we'll give you a complimentary bottle of our signature drink, 'Qianshan Zhuo'."

Upon hearing this, Song Qiling looked up with delight: "Is our table also full of even numbers?"

But then she saw the waiter mark a line on the booklet in his hand with his pen and shake his head at her: "No, sir, your table is exactly the seventy-seventh table today."

Song Qiling looked dazed: "So there was no gift?"

"No, no." The waiter shook his head vigorously. "This number is even better. The manager said that for consecutive numbers, you'll also get a free drink. Sir, please have some."

Having said that, he left Song Qiling, who was speechless with rage, behind.

A moment later, the man returned carrying seven wine jugs.

Song Qiling: "..."

With such capricious behavior, this shop owner is probably trying to make a loss.

Seeing her surprised expression, the waiter assumed the young man was overjoyed. While piling wine onto the table, he laughed and said, "Our manager not only runs this Drunken Immortal Pavilion, but also has another winery. He's in a good mood today, so he's using his stock to entertain our distinguished guest. If you enjoy the food and drinks, please come again next time. It's a great honor for our Drunken Immortal Pavilion."

It is known that waiters need to be good with words, and Song and Gu were already completely bewildered before they even touched a drop of wine.

"Seven bottles...that's a bit too many. Can we store them if we can't finish them?" Song Qiling didn't consider herself an alcoholic, nor was she very confident in her alcohol tolerance. Looking at the bottles, they were quite heavy, clearly not something that could be finished in a day.

As soon as he finished speaking, the waiter, as if he had been expecting this, straightened up and said, "You can save the wine if you don't finish it, but after today, you'll have to pay the original price if you want to drink it again, which isn't worth it..."

After a pause, he gave Song Qiling a bad idea, "How about this, I see that there are only two of you guests, and your drinking capacity seems insufficient. Why don't you invite a few more brothers to drink this wine together? Wouldn't that be more enjoyable?"

Song Qiling: "..."

I'll make you happy, my foot!

She said, "How can a pie fall from the sky? Turns out, this is what was waiting for them here."

It seems the shop owner wasn't entirely clueless; he had a knack for business and knew how to exploit customers' desire for bargains. By offering free drinks as bait, he could gain a good reputation and attract more customers.

If you're really bringing friends and family to drink this wine, you'll inevitably order a few more dishes. And those who are looking for cheap deals, those who want to try their luck, and those who were dragged along to join in the fun... will flood into Zuixianlou in waves.

At that time, money will flow out in droves, and your wallet will probably be empty.

Free drinks are indeed a great idea to attract customers.

"Let's serve the dishes first. As for the wine... we'll just drink it as we see fit." Song Qiling chuckled awkwardly, glancing at her junior brother across the table and noticing the wry smile in his eyes.

After everyone left, he leaned forward and whispered, "Senior brother, act according to your ability."

I don't know if I was saying this to her or to myself.

She weighed her alcohol tolerance and poured herself a glass.

"If I drink slowly and eat more vegetables, I shouldn't overeat." She considered it for a moment, then picked up her glass and took a sip.

The drink is refreshing and goes down smoothly without being spicy.

"Huh?" Song Qiling paused, her gaze falling on the clear surface of the wine. "Why is it plum wine?"

I thought it was aged wine.

On second thought, the shopkeeper wasn't really stupid; why would he think of giving them that vintage wine, which was worth real money, for free?

Song Qiling was already holding back her anger, and now that she had encountered such free drinks, she was like a fish that had been waiting for rain. She simply opened two bottles of 'Qianshan Zhuo' and handed one to her junior brother, saying, "Here you go."

Gu Lianzhou obediently accepted, but seeing his senior brother's displeased appearance, he felt that all his previous instructions had been in vain.

-

The bottle tipped over, rolled a few times on the table, and dripped a few drops of wine.

"Senior brother, are you still conscious?"

He slightly bent his knuckles and tapped lightly in front of her.

No response.

But his light brown eyes were fixed on a plate of braised pork knuckle in front of him, as if they contained endless flames.

Was he distracted or did he enter a meditative state?

When he was at a loss.

The senior brother, who had been resting his chin on his hand, finally slowly raised his eyes and then leaned back.

This time, it was Gu Lianzhou's turn to widen his eyes.

"Why!"

They were sitting on benches, with nowhere to lean against!

He quickly stood up and reached out, but the arm seemed to have eyes and dodged him. Then it gripped the edge of the table tightly, its ten fingers as firmly embedded as steel nails chiseling wood, instantly stabilizing its body.

"..."

Good skills.

Song Qiling felt exceptionally clear-headed at that moment.

I went through all the recent events in my mind, summarizing and reflecting on them, and then repenting.

Her biggest mistake was not buying that velvet flower hairpin at the market last time.

That brightly colored, exquisitely crafted, and reasonably priced velvet hairpin, if placed among jet-black hair, would surely be more eye-catching than a rooster's comb.

Oh, right, speaking of rooster combs.

My junior brother killed quite a few chickens when he was a child.

I wonder if seeing those bright red, blood-red velvet flowers will remind him of that unpleasant memory from his childhood?

Thinking of this, Song Qiling felt a tightness in her chest.

Her poor junior brother.

But he never told her that when he was on the estate, he couldn't even afford a clean set of clothes.

The shirt was made of coarse linen, and the hem was patched.

Unlike nowadays, when people wear fine silks and satins and dress up in flamboyant ways.

How come I used to live like a bitter gourd with thorns?

"It's getting late, senior brother, we should head back." The thorny bitter gourd opened its mouth and stretched out its hand to her.

Those fingers were long and slender, white as warm jade, and the veins on the back of the hand were slightly bulging due to the movement. The pale blue veins made the skin look cold and white, which made people feel inexplicably uneasy.

She stared at the hand for a long while, until her junior brother's hesitant voice sounded above her: "Drunk?"

"You're drunk." She raised her hand to press down on that hand, and shook her head. "That's impossible."

Gu Lianzhou: "..."

My senior's face was really red.

The vibrant crimson blood spread upwards from her bare neck, past her cheeks, and settled on her earlobes, like two ripe cherries, poised to fall.

His light-colored pupils were covered with a thin layer of moisture, clearly indicating that he was not sober, yet he insisted that he was not drunk.

An inexplicable itch rose from my chest, gripping my breath. Warm tremors spread inch by inch along the base of my palms where they were clasped together.

Gu Lianzhou looked down.

His senior brother had already grabbed his fingers with his own, the knuckles disappearing between his fingers, and slowly tightened his grip.

“Come on, I’ll take you home,” she said confidently.

Gu Lianzhou slightly raised his eyebrows.

Who brought whom home?

The fingers were gripping him so tightly that he couldn't resist at all, and could only let the drunkard drag him forward, stumbling along.

If only he had known this day would come.

He would definitely try to dissuade his senior from eating on the first floor.

I would never go up to the third floor of Zuixianlou just because of the gimmick of "private seating".

Now, being dragged down the stairs by his senior brother, Gu Lianzhou only regretted not having brought a rope to tie him up.

"Slow down, slow down..."

He called out in vain, his heart pounding in his throat.

Song Qiling, however, felt as if she were walking on flat ground, as if she were flying.

If you can go down one section of stairs, or two or three sections, why can't you go down all at once?

The original purpose of building stairs was naturally to make it easier for people to climb, but people's legs are of different lengths, so how can we stick to the rules and not know how to be flexible?

Although she was badly injured today.

My elbows and knees are burning hot...

"Ugh—" Something seemed to be churning inside her, making her face turn red, and she was about to vomit on the ground.

Gu Lianzhou immediately lost his composure and, disregarding everything else, half-supported and half-carried his senior brother as they rushed out of the restaurant and to a deserted corner on the street.

"Hey, I'm fine." Song Qiling let out a hearty burp, instantly relieving the tightness in her chest and making her feel refreshed.

She braced herself against her junior brother's arm, her legs wobbling as she moved forward. "This yellow liquor... it'll dissipate in the wind, it won't make you drunk."

Helpless, the junior brother could only act as a crutch, helping the man slowly stagger back to Lake Stone Alley.

Once inside, they lit an oil lamp.

The firelight illuminated half of Song Qiling's face.

She suddenly became much more awake, let go of Gu Lianzhou's hand, moved to the bedside, and said in a clear voice, "Junior brother, you should go back and rest quickly. It's late and the dew is heavy. Be careful of the slippery road on your way back. If you encounter any inconvenience, just call me."

As he spoke, he was about to fall onto the bed.

Gu Lianzhou was at ease.

Then there would be ghosts.

The person who was singing loudly just moments before, even chasing after stray dogs on the roadside to kick them, is now so calm; it's hardly a good sign.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "After drinking so much, if I just go to sleep like this, I'll definitely have a headache tomorrow. I'll go make some hangover soup..."

As they were talking, the person on the bed rolled off again.

"I'm sorry to trouble you again, but it's really not necessary." Song Qiling felt that the bricks under her feet were not very obedient, as if they had been dug up several times, making them uneven.

Therefore, when she finally reached her junior brother with difficulty, she could no longer stand and had to look for a stool.

Seeing her like this, Gu Lianzhou returned, picked up the teapot on the table, and poured a cup of cold tea. "Senior brother, have some water first."

As soon as I turned around, I felt a dark shadow rushing towards me.

Caught off guard, Gu Lianzhou fell backward onto the falcon stool.

Following closely behind, the senior brother leaned down and pressed down, stretching out one hand and pressing his palm against the edge of the table before sitting down steadily.

The cold tea was spilled by the impact, soaking the cuffs and sliding down the inside of the wrist.

Gu Lianzhou raised his hand helplessly, his gaze slowly moving down from Song Qiling's arm, finally landing on the place where the two were intertwined.

The person on top of him still felt uneasy sitting there and moved forward a few inches.

The fingers gripping the rim of the cup tightened suddenly.

The fingernail struck the ceramic, producing a sharp "squeak" sound.

Song Qiling finally managed to sit up, then lowered her gaze to her junior brother's face, which was very close to hers, and was momentarily confused.

"Junior brother, you're so close to me..."

She actually had the nerve to say that.

Belatedly realizing that the current situation was inappropriate, Song Qiling felt uncomfortable and pulled back a distance.

But there was nothing behind him, nothing to lean on.

Gu Lianzhou's temple throbbed.

Why does this person never learn?

"Bang--"

The moment the porcelain cup shattered, he swiftly wrapped one arm around the waist of the person who was falling backward, pulling her back to him.

Perhaps because the commotion came so suddenly, or perhaps because the two were so close, Song Qiling slowly opened her eyes wide.

After a moment of silence, she raised her arms and placed them around her junior brother's neck, leaning close to his ear and whispering, "Junior brother, men and women shouldn't touch each other..."

Gu Lianzhou's breath hitched, and he felt his ears go numb.

He stepped back a little, his gaze returning to her face: "What did you say?"

Song Qiling belatedly felt a little embarrassed and lowered his head even further, almost burying it in his junior brother's neck. He said in a muffled voice, "Junior brother, I didn't mean to hide it from you... As you know, ever since I burned down Chu Yue's house and escaped from Tianji Sect, I've been wandering around and living a hard life."

A warm wave of air brushed against my neck.

Gu Lianzhou looked up and gave a soft "hmm" in response.

Then the person hanging on him continued, "If you dress up as a man, things will be much easier, and you can avoid a lot of trouble."

She paused, then suddenly spat, "Blame this world for how unfair it is to women, even sorcerers. No matter how low the price, they can't get jobs at the temple, and even being a waitress is met with all sorts of criticism..."

“I was reluctant to get too close to people, afraid of getting too involved and not being able to let go in the end.” She suddenly raised her head, stared into Gu Lianzhou’s eyes, and frowned slightly. “Who knew you would suddenly appear out of nowhere.”

At this point, she cupped her junior brother's cheeks in her hands with a troubled expression, kneading them until his angular face was deformed, before bursting out with a "pfft" laugh. "I've never seen anyone as clingy as you in my life. It's one thing to call me senior brother, but you've been sticking to me so tightly all the way here. I can't shake you off no matter what I do."

She was truly drunk.

Not only did they disregard the traditional boundaries between men and women, but they also revealed all their secrets.

Gu Lianzhou lowered his eyelashes and remained silent for a moment.

After a moment, she asked the question that had been bothering her, "But senior brother, how did you conceal your identity?"

He may be slow, but he's not stupid.

Men's bone structure differs greatly from women's. Although my senior brother is not tall, he has a strong outline and distinct bones. Even his Adam's apple is no different from that of an ordinary man.

How did she manage to make it look so real?

“This…” Song Qiling lowered her eyes, her gaze falling to her waist, a smile playing on her lips. “I am a sorcerer, of course I have my own methods.”

She reached down, tore open the emerald green lucky bag, and took out a triangular yellow talisman. She waved it in front of her junior brother as if to show off, "The talisman is a unique charm. Wear it with you and you can change your appearance by relying on the power of the runes."

Seeing her so smug, Gu Lianzhou smiled helplessly and said, "So amazing...should I praise you?"

"Of course." Song Qiling, who was tipsy, couldn't understand the hidden meaning in his words. She just nodded and stretched out her arm with a smile, past Gu Lianzhou, and held the talisman paper towards the oil lamp.

The flame flickered and smoldered, igniting the edge of the talisman.

In an instant, the talisman paper curled up with charred edges.

Gu Lianzhou turned his head and saw that hand raise to the sky, and ashes fell, covering his face.

"It should have been burned long ago." Song Qiling breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. She felt her eyelids were heavy and she was too lazy to move. Using the warm "cushion" beneath her, she buried her head in her junior brother's neck. "Junior brother... I'm sleepy."

Gu Lianzhou, however, was perfectly clear-headed.

Neither the darkness of night nor the effects of alcohol could cloud his mind in the slightest. At this moment, it was as if a dark fire was burning in his chest, making his internal organs feel slightly hot.

He was so desperate to confirm something that his heart was pounding uncontrollably.

His fingertips trembled slightly as he lifted them, touching the soft skin.

She gently cupped her palms and carefully lifted her senior brother's face, her gaze sweeping over his eyebrows and eyes inch by inch, not wanting to miss a single detail.

The same familiar eyebrows and eyes, only the lines are much softer, and less sharp than before.

Her nose bridge remained straight and elegant, but her lips seemed to be fuller.

Her facial features were vaguely the same as before, but her outline had inexplicably gained a touch of softness.

His gaze shifted downwards, landing on the earlobe that was unbelievably red, and his breath caught in his throat.

On the originally smooth skin, there was a dent the size of a pinhole, clearly a mark left after the earring was pierced.

Further down... his slightly protruding Adam's apple also disappeared, replaced by smooth and delicate skin. His slender neck descended, quietly disappearing into the slightly loosened collar, completely lacking its former rugged features.

Song Qiling let him look her over, and stared at her junior brother's handsome face for a long time. Suddenly, she saw him raise his hand and put it around the back of his neck.

The next movement caused the binding on the top of the head to suddenly loosen.

Her long, black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, a few strands brushing against her flushed cheeks in the breeze, tickling her lips.

She seemed puzzled by this sudden action, and subconsciously looked up, her eyes filled with a bewildered glint, while the blush on her cheeks grew even more intense, spreading all the way to behind her ears and down to her neck.

Why are you staring at me like that?

Her voice still carried the limpness of alcohol, and as her eyes darted around, the absurd dream from earlier that day suddenly flashed through her mind.

In my dream, my junior brother was just as close, just as entangled with me...

At this moment, the effects of the alcohol began to rise, and dreams and reality gradually overlapped.

His gaze unconsciously fell on Gu Lianzhou's lips.

Her lips were pursed, as if unwilling to reveal any emotion, yet they shimmered with a soft, watery hue in the candlelight, inexplicably reminding her of freshly steamed glutinous rice cakes.

The thought had barely formed when I felt my tongue already tasting that faint, almost imperceptible sweetness.

She nervously licked her lips, and as if possessed, leaned forward, slowly approaching her junior brother's slightly pursed lips.

Do you know what you're doing?

Gu Lianzhou's voice was a few decibels lower than usual, and the end of his voice even trembled slightly.

Song Qiling blinked.

She didn't understand why her junior brother would ask that question. "I just want to try it."

"What are you tasting..."

Before he could finish speaking, the person in front of him leaned closer and gently brushed his lips with the tip of their soft tongue.

The soft, alcohol-scented substance brushed against my slightly cool skin.

Gu Lianzhou froze.

The person in front of him, however, still felt dissatisfied. He parted his lips slightly and directly took his lower lip into his mouth, gently sucking on it.

It was as if they really wanted to taste something.