Sui Xin and the others listened quietly to the old man's words, somewhat confused for a moment.
"Then why does the senior drink?" Sui Xin asked, puzzled.
Being inexperienced in the ways of the world, they probably thought that alcohol was nothing special except for satisfying their appetite.
The old man picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said, "Me? Hehe, you're still young. Perhaps you'll understand after you experience more things."
"Our lives are always full of disappointments, but where does it end? Even at my age, I still can't see the direction."
Some say that living each day well makes life meaningful. But when will this cycle of days ever end?
I've lived for too long, and every day seems to be a repetition of life. I don't know how many times I've done drinking with strangers like this before; it's all meaningless.
But that's life. Even though it may seem repetitive, some things can never be repeated. Even as time passes and the sun and moon rise, nothing from the past can be relived, and past regrets can never be remedied.
As he spoke, the old man's eyes were filled with reminiscence.
"When I drink, I want to escape the constraints of time in that brief numbness, and at the same time, I long to make up for past regrets in my drunken dreams. Even if it's all just a mirage, it still makes me intoxicated."
"Is it a pity?" Sui Xin murmured to herself.
In an instant, I thought of Li Xian and Lin Xi. After thousands of years, their paths crossed again in the present world, which is the best possible ending.
According to the old man, he had clearly missed many important people or things.
Thinking back on his past, his face relaxed.
I have no regrets. My life with my parents, Yun'er, and friends is wonderful. Although there have been moments of sadness at parting and intense physical pain, I have never felt any regret. Life continues to move forward.
Thinking of this, he casually asked in return, "Aren't there any happy memories?"
"Happy memories?" The old man was clearly taken aback and did not answer immediately.
"I think it's precisely because we once felt joy that we feel reluctant to leave, heartbroken when we lose something, and constantly think about the past as time goes by," Sui Xin said in a gentle tone, expressing her thoughts.
"Yeah?"
The old man appeared somewhat dazed, his eyes lifeless, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
The people around did not disturb them. Everyone had their own thoughts on this issue, and the atmosphere was somewhat solemn.
quite a while
As the old man raised his glass and downed a mouthful of wine, he exclaimed, "Phew, I didn't expect you to be so insightful, young friend. I've learned a lot."
"What are you saying, senior? Perhaps it's just that we're inexperienced and lack life experience."
"Haha, young friend, you're quite thoughtful despite your young age."
The old man chuckled, as if an invisible shackle had been broken open, his tone carrying a hint of clarity.
"Let's not dwell on this topic. I just don't know your names yet. Let's make friends today. Would you be willing?"
"Ye Suixin"
Ye Xiyun
"Li Wu"
"Lucheng"
Wu Qianyu
Peng Fei
Seeing that the old man was also a man of character, they did not hesitate and stood up one by one to give their names.
"I am Tianhe, please call me Old Man Tian if you don't mind."
"We've been chatting for so long, shall we have a drink together?" Old Tian smiled and glanced at the group of people in front of him, raising his glass in a gesture of invitation.
"Drink!" Xi Yun exclaimed, getting excited. She poured herself a glass of wine and raised it up.
Sui Xin and the others exchanged glances and had no choice but to do as they were told.
After clinking glasses, Xi Yun downed her drink in one gulp, sticking out her tongue and nodding, "Delicious."
The others, however, were different. They took a small sip and then put their cups down.
"Haha, this wine is indeed delicious. How come I didn't notice it before?" Old Tian stared at the wine glass, somewhat puzzled.
"You young men are not as good as a young girl."
"Who said that? Come on, Mr. Tian, I'll have a few more drinks with you," the chubby boy immediately protested, adding that he could just get rid of the alcohol before getting drunk.
"Alright, would you all like to drink more?"
The old man then looked at the remaining four people and asked.
"I won't drink anymore, I'm too tired today. I'll take my leave first," Wu Qianyu quickly stood up, clasped her hands in a fist salute to the old man, and then walked away.
Lu Cheng and Peng Fei did the same, bowing and then heading to their rooms.
The old man nodded and looked at Suixin, "Young friend Suixin, what about you?"
"I'll have some more too."
Xi Yun is still here, so there's no way he'll leave. He can have a few more drinks.
Okay, let's try again.
...
People who drink are always like this: they say they won't get drunk, but when they actually start drinking, you'll be the next one to collapse.
The tavern was still bustling, with quite a few people even late at night. Only the upstairs rooms had good soundproofing; otherwise, the noise would have kept people awake.
"Young friend Suixin, I didn't expect you to have such a high alcohol tolerance. You're not even drunk yet?" The old man's face was slightly flushed, and his voice was a little light.
There were originally four people at the table. Xi Yun and the chubby boy had long since slumped down, occasionally popping up to say a few words that were hard to understand. The remaining people were the old man and Ye Suixin, who was leaning on the table with her head drooping.
"Hahaha, God...you...you're not bad either. I must say, the wine...the wine is really delicious, hehehaha," Suixin began to lose her senses and her speech became somewhat incoherent.
"It's been so long since I've had such a satisfying drink," the old man remarked.
“Young friend Suixin, how about we call it a day? Your little girlfriend has been lying on the table for half the day.”
Tian Lao stood up. The seven jugs of wine had been almost finished by the group. Xi Yun and the little fat boy each drank one jug, while the rest were drunk by the old man and Sui Xin.
"Huh? Okay."
"Waiter, could two people help me get my friend to his room?"
Sui Xin gently picked up Xi Yun, and then groggily greeted the waiter.
"Senior, we'll be leaving now."
"Okay, I'm leaving too."
After saying that, he swayed and walked towards the door, a smile involuntarily spreading across his face.
Sui Xin also walked upstairs, stopping every step, the floor in front of her spinning incessantly, all the while saying, "Oh dear, Yun'er, you're so heavy, I can't carry you anymore."
...
Old Tian slowly walked out, seemingly very slowly, but in the blink of an eye, he was already several miles away. "I never expected that the last knot in my heart would be untied by a child. It's truly amazing."
"Those kids are indeed extraordinary. Will the next decade belong to them? Or can I take another step forward?"
The old man stopped and pondered for a long time, the entire Xuanxing Continent appearing in his mind.
"Oh, why think so much? Let time take its course."
...
"We've finally arrived, Yun'er, time for bed."
After wandering around for a while, I finally managed to walk back to my room by leaning on the handrail. I gently put Xiyun on the bed, took off her shoes and coat, and covered her with a blanket.
Then I crawled into bed myself.
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