Chapter 87

The festival revelry was still going. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

People who knew each other and people who did not were all exchanging blessings.

Every now and then, a couple of puzzled remarks slipped in.

“Strange, why doesn’t this year’s celebratory wine have any taste?”

“Cloud City didn’t cut corners, did it?”

But those tiny voices of doubt were quickly drowned out.

“Why do I feel like this year’s brew is richer and smoother than previous years? Brother, did you drink too much?”

“You didn’t drink too much. Maybe you ate something from some stall that affected your sense of taste. Ahaha, during New Year, you really have to be careful about what goes into your mouth.”

During a festival, a few little accidents here and there were perfectly normal.

Song Yi leaned close to Li Wenwen’s ear and muttered a few words. Li Wenwen’s eyes immediately lit up. “Little Yi, how did you do that? Hehe…”

Song Yi covered her mouth and dragged her out of the crowd to keep her from blurting it out. Running into accidents during a festival was normal, but when normal ran into bratty kids, it was hard for nothing unexpected to happen.

During the festival blessing speech, the “sweet spring” sprinkled across the whole city was actually divided into two types. One was a sweet, delicious spiritual liquid, standard issue for children. But in the tiny teacups of the adults, what automatically fell was another kind of hundred-year-old fine wine.

There was no choice in the matter. Whatever controlled a large-scale scene like this was either a great power or something like a divine artifact. Even if Song Yi raised her own cup a little higher, the brew would not fall into her cup.

Song Yi had not known how to drink alcohol before. Some spiritual wines could assist cultivation, but their side effects were also considerable, and they were not as good as other heavenly spirit and earthly treasures. A sword cultivator who could not maintain a clear state of mind was not a good sword cultivator.

But in this life, she felt like she could taste anything. She was also quite curious about what kind of flavor could make these adults so excited, one after another.

After all, in the New Era, there was a saying: “Interest is the best teacher.” The teacher: That is not how you are supposed to use that line.

Song Yi could not touch the brew in the air, but once it fell into everyone’s wine cups, there was much more room to operate.

Do not ask how she did it. Back when she had no spiritual power at all, she could silently get hold of Li Xiu’s identity token. Now that she had already begun cultivating, all the more so.

Tonight, some people were destined to drink a little off-tasting fake wine.

Li Wenwen was extremely excited too. This kind of New Year special was only available on certain special occasions and was never sold to the public. Every year’s special flavor was also different. She had been curious about it for ages, but unfortunately, no one had ever satisfied her curiosity.

When she had acted cute and begged her old dad to let her drink a little, Old Li had very unreliably dipped a bit of bitter tea drink to fool her. Seeing her face scrunch up into a ball and hearing her say she never wanted to drink this stuff again, he had said, “This is the bitterness adults have to swallow. Sigh, right now, your dad and mom are bearing it for you.”

For a while, Li Wenwen had actually believed it, until later, when she drank a bitter tea drink with the exact same flavor.

That had not been wine at all!

Sure enough, Little Yi was more reliable than Mom and Dad!

Following the location marked on Lin Ze’s identity token, the two of them found him. He was standing beside Cloud River near the central square, gazing off at who knew what.

Tonight, Cloud River was just as lively. Not only were the pleasure boats blazing with lights, but there were also people riding swords horizontally across the river, playing sword-racing games over the water.

No one knew which big shot was in such an leisurely mood, but they had cast a spell art that enveloped the river surface and both banks, playing out the cycle of four seasons. The temperature of the wind gradually changed; fine rain slowly turned into falling snow, and by the time it landed in someone’s palm, perhaps only warm, melting light remained.

Seeing all four seasons in a single day had its own charm: spring flowers blooming, summer cicadas crying, autumn fruits hanging heavy…

Just then, Li Wenwen had already jumped out. “Profiteer, you secretly ran here. Don’t tell me you were planning to make a move even on the ornamental fruits?”

“Nonsense. Am I that kind of person?” Lin Ze argued with perfect confidence, then muttered things like “It’s a waste not to pick them anyway” and “They’ve been touched by a big shot’s spiritual energy, everyone will like them,” words that made absolutely no sense to anyone else.

Li Wenwen let out a villainous bleating laugh. “Stop thinking about making money all the time. Look what Little Yi got.”

Song Yi took out a large bottle of wine. Calculating one small cup per person, who knew how many people she had swapped out. In any case, compared to Cloud City’s population, it could only count as a tiny portion and would not draw any attention.

Lin Ze’s eyes lit up.

Li Wenwen first vigilantly tucked the bottle into her arms. “You can drink it. You’re not allowed to sell it.”

Lin Ze regretfully stopped calculating numbers in his head.

Li Wenwen took out a blanket and spread it on the ground. Song Yi took out three cups and fairly filled them for everyone. But once Wenwen smelled the wine, she could hardly restrain herself. “Little Yi, I’m the eldest sister. I can drink a little more.”

Lin Ze: “…If we’re talking age, I seem to be older than both of you.”

Old Lin, who had repeated a grade for one year, felt that no matter what, he held the advantage here.

Li Wenwen immediately said, “Then you should learn to yield. Little Yi, pour his share for me.”

Lin Ze: …

When it came to shamelessness, in the end, I have lost.

Fortunately, Song Yi was a reliable master of even-handedness. Everyone got the same amount.

Li Wenwen raised her cup with great seriousness. She wanted to imitate the protagonists in dramas and say a couple of proper lines for a sworn-sibling scene, but then discovered that coming up with words was troublesome. So she simply said, “It’s all in the wine,” and heroically drained it in one gulp.

The spicy, fragrant, mellow flavor slid into her throat, and tears immediately welled in her eyes. “Wuwuwu, it’s so good. This is the flavor little kids should drink!”

It absolutely was not that bitter tea drink her dad had given her!

It was a little hard to tell whether she had been choked into tears or moved into tears.

Li Wenwen raised her cup again. “Another…”

And then there was no and then. She plunged headfirst onto the blanket.

Song Yi and Lin Ze looked at each other for a while, then happily clinked cups. Very good. One competitor was eliminated all at once. The rest belonged to them!

Song Yi was not as good at heroic drinking as Li Wenwen. She sipped in small mouthfuls, feeling warm, melting heat rise from her dantian. The occasional snowflakes drifting onto her were probably melted instantly by that heat too, so she could not feel the cold at all.

The taste of the brew was far more complex than the tea she usually drank. On the first mouthful, it was nowhere near as good as ordinary tea drinks, but after savoring it carefully, it had a long, lingering aftertaste that matched the cycling scene of four seasons before her eyes perfectly. One mouthful after another, she could not stop.

If she had known it tasted this good, she should have drunk it before!

Back then, what fine nectar could she not get?

Then she would not have to be so stingy now.

Do not be fooled by the fact that she had swapped over a big bottle. That was only big compared to the tiny free cup. Three people—oh no, now two people—splitting it meant it was gone very quickly.

But after thinking about it another way, even if she had known it tasted good back then, she still would not have touched it. She had not had that mood of “anything is worth trying.”

Song Yi took out the New Year gift Li Wenwen had prepared and gave it to Lin Ze. “If she wakes up tomorrow and realizes she didn’t give the gift out, she’ll start howling again.”

Wenwen cared a lot about this kind of ceremonial feeling. New Year gifts had to be given at the first possible moment.

While complaining that Lin Ze was always stingy, she was not stingy herself. She had prepared a real-time location teleportation artifact.

She had prepared the same model for Song Yi, but Song Yi and Lin Ze received slightly different treatment. The moment the New Year bell rang, she had already hung Song Yi’s on her. Lin Ze’s was the one she would forget.

Lin Ze silently sent a red packet in the discussion group, lest Li Wenwen nag him after she woke up.

But he emphasized again, “But if she wants to buy anything, she can come to me first for a quote. I’ll definitely give her the best discount!”

Song Yi: …

In through the left hand and out through the right, earning the money back. As expected of you.

Li Wenwen had also received quite a few red packets today. In other words, Lin Ze could earn even more.

“Speaking of which, why didn’t you go play with the Iron Round?”

“I don’t really like the Iron Round, because fake is fake in the end. I don’t have Wenwen’s good attitude, where she can gain something and then lose it without caring at all.” Lin Ze turned his head and cast his gaze toward the river surface. “My parents passed away when I was very young.”

Song Yi was a little stunned. “Huh? Then on the day of the closing ceremony…”

“That was my uncle and aunt.”

Song Yi opened her mouth. She kind of wanted to comfort Lin Ze, but she was not very good at this sort of thing. She recalled how Li Wenwen had patted her back before and wondered whether she should reach out.

“I’m not telling you this because I want to say I had a bad life. It’s just that before, I saw someone say that money could buy you everything you wanted. So I started wanting to make money. I hoped I could buy my dad and mom back.”

“Later, I learned that no matter how much money I earned, I couldn’t do it. But I came to like making money and saving money. Seeing my balance grow gives me a great sense of security. To me, that’s real.”

Song Yi could understand his thinking.

She had stepped onto the sword Dao because it was the strongest power. Only by mastering power could one stand undefeated.

In this life, she did not have to be attached to the word “power.” In this world, the brilliance of the sword Dao had even been overshadowed by other Daos. She could choose her own Dao anew.

But Song Yi still liked the sword Dao. Her sword intent had changed, but the sword Dao itself would not shift for anyone. It was simply there.

Lin Ze smiled sheepishly. “Do you all think I’m pretty strange?”

“What’s wrong with being strange? As long as this is what you want to do, that’s enough. Your Dao doesn’t need other people to understand it. It’s enough if you understand it yourself. Wenwen always says you’re a profiteer, but she also thinks you’re very impressive.”

Song Yi also recognized him.

Even now, she had not forgotten the scene from her first time arriving in the classroom, when Lin Ze shouted twice and a swarm of little radish heads immediately surrounded him.

“You all recognize me?” Lin Ze pressed.

Song Yi nodded without the slightest hesitation.

“Then can I drink the last mouthful?” Lin Ze burst into laughter and drained the last bit of wine in one gulp. “Hehe, my half day of misery-selling wasn’t wasted.”

Song Yi: …

She thought for a moment, then said, “The gift I’m giving you is the same as Wenwen’s. You can make a wish, within the range of my abilities. Unlike the Iron Round, I will truly make it come true for you.”

Song Yi was not like Li Wenwen, who had prepared for New Year long ago. Before today, she had not even had the awareness of “New Year,” so naturally, she had not prepared any gifts.

But influenced by the festival atmosphere, she also did not want to simply enjoy herself and let this New Year pass like that, so she prepared this surprise for them.

She felt that the quality of her “promise” was no worse than any other gift.

Lin Ze said without hesitation, “Then I wish that I can make ten wishes that will come true.”

Wish upon wish, descendants upon descendants without end.

Song Yi’s heart was itching to draw her sword.

She stared at him expressionlessly, using her eyes to indicate: You had better change that before I change my mind.

So he really could not exploit the rules?

Lin Ze expressed great regret. Then he asked, “Has Wenwen made a wish?”

“Mm. She asked me to help her finish all her holiday homework,” Song Yi said with bitter hatred.

Damn these little brats. Her promise was clearly something very important. How could it be wasted on a mere thing like writing holiday homework?

What a reckless waste of heaven’s gifts!

Song Yi did not want to expose the fact that she did not really want to do homework either.

Lin Ze chuckled. “I understand. Then I’ll save my wish and come find you once I think of it.”

Song Yi looked at him in surprise. Based on her understanding of Lin Ze, shouldn’t he immediately ask her to let him take a higher cut in the Work-Study Club?

“Even you know to save up tears first. I also have to find a way to maximize the efficiency of my wish,” Lin Ze said.

Song Yi had no objections to this. She had only wanted to use this New Year gift to shift Lin Ze’s attention a little.

Sentimentality was not something she was good at. She could only do something she was capable of doing.

Seeing Lin Ze’s expression return to normal, Song Yi wanted to pat his shoulder, but her hand hit empty air.

But it was not that Lin Ze had dodged. She herself had missed.

Seeing the confusion on Song Yi’s face, Lin Ze suddenly had an ominous thought. “You wouldn’t be drunk too, would you?”

She was not confused because she had missed. She was confused because the feel under her hand did not seem quite right.

Song Yi gave a呵呵. “No. A mere little wine…”

Lin Ze was a bit bewildered. If you said she was drunk, she looked quite normal. If you said she was not drunk, then what was that just now?

Just then, Song Yi suddenly stood up. “I’ll take Wenwen back first.”

Seeing her circulate her spiritual power with ease, Lin Ze breathed a sigh of relief.

But very soon, he discovered that he had relaxed too soon. Before she could carry Li Wenwen onto the sword, she shouted, “No, a demon moon has appeared! Protect her well. Wait while I cut down the demon moon first!”

Naturally, there was no demon moon. It was only that once her spiritual power began moving, the wine hit her even harder, and she mistook a flying artifact lit up in the sky for an eerie anomaly.

The New Year special brew was not ordinary wine to begin with and could not be directly refined away with spiritual power. Otherwise, why would everyone only get a tiny cup?

Funding was one reason. Fear that everyone could not hold their liquor was another. All right, to be honest, the main reason was funding.

Lin Ze slapped his forehead, looked at the already soundly asleep Li Wenwen, then looked at Song Yi, who believed herself perfectly normal, and suddenly felt that adults not letting them drink was far too reasonable.

He also had absolutely no need to feel that he was too “special.” Compared with the two of them, wasn’t he the normal one?

He hoisted Li Wenwen up and tried to grab Song Yi.

If he could not grab her, then there was nothing he could do. Lin Ze skillfully threw a hooded robe used to conceal identity over her. If she went crazy, then she went crazy. There were plenty of people cutting loose tonight. As long as the vest was hidden well, it was still very safe.

They just could not let people know they had secretly drunk the adults’ New Year celebratory wine.

Song Yi rode her sword upward, her momentum soaring into the clouds.

She felt that there was evidence she was not drunk. Once she got close enough and saw that it was a flying artifact, she stopped clamoring about cutting down the demon moon. But looking at the countless people below who were ignoring her, she felt that she had to win some dignity for sword cultivators.

The magnificent sword Dao was placed right in front of you all, yet you actually did not know to cherish it. How could that be allowed?

The sword moved from beneath her feet into her hand. Once its momentum was fully gathered, she struck in midair, a sword cleaving heaven and earth.

She did not use any sword technique. This was only one sword that directly expressed what was in her heart, peaceful, thick, and long-lasting.

Do not think sword cultivators were all silent gourds. Sword intent was their best way of expressing emotion.

Sword light illuminated more than half the sky, then descended, cutting apart the spell art of the four-season cycle and cutting apart the river water.

No spray splashed up, but everyone could see that the river had been split into two. A few unlucky boats almost fell in.

Everyone stared blankly at this New Year accident, then raised their heads to look at the sky. There seemed to be only a streak of flowing light flashing past the horizon.

But if they remembered correctly, wasn’t this not far from the place where the sword Dao secret realm had appeared?

When Lin Ze saw Song Yi like that, he already had a bad feeling. Once he saw the huge scene she created, he was truly afraid the hooded robe would fail to conceal her domineering aura.

Hearing the discussions of the crowd, who still had not reacted, Lin Ze had a flash of inspiration. Pinching an amplifying talisman, he shouted, “It must be that the secret realm has once again fused with Cloud City’s space! Bless Cloud City! Bless the human race!”

For an opportunity to appear on New Year’s Day, this was an auspicious sign!

Everyone was swept along by Lin Ze’s rhythm and raised their cups, shouting blessings.

There were even people who rushed into the sky in a swarm, searching for the legendary secret realm.

Lin Ze, meanwhile, carried Li Wenwen and quickly headed in the direction where the flowing light had fallen. He had to hurry up and pick Song Yi back up.

Having unleashed an all-powerful sword strike, Song Yi did not have much strength left again. She guzzled down a few pills to replenish herself and let herself fall to the ground with the momentum.

Small patrol officers Zhang Xuan and Li Xiu, who had been preparing to change shifts only to then hear that something had happened by the river, watched helplessly as a bright blue light descended right in front of them.

“Little Zhang, Little Li.” Song Yi casually greeted them.

From the familiar voice, Zhang Xuan and Li Xiu recognized the little friend beneath the hooded robe.

They felt that after a New Year, this little friend’s courage had expanded directly.

Also, what was with this outfit?

They sensed Song Yi’s unretracted sword intent, and their brows twitched. This child couldn’t have gone off to fight someone, could she?

Before they could ask in detail, a large group of people passed by in a swarm.

“Did you see the sword light by the river? I checked the images, and that blue flowing light seemed to come this way.”

“I only saw one thing clearly. That person was wearing a hooded robe!”

As soon as the two of them heard the details, they instinctively hid Song Yi behind them, cold sweat pouring down. What had Song Yi done to provoke so many people?

For safety’s sake, it would be better to take her back first.

They smelled alcohol on Song Yi. Both of them knew their goods. That smell was definitely New Year celebratory wine, but how had Song Yi drunk it?

And judging from the alcohol smell, it should have been more than one cup.

This fellow must have gotten drunk, which was why her attitude was so arrogant.

Inside the duty station, Song Yi stood with her hands on her waist, saying without a care, “It is their honor to show filial respect to their ancestor.”

Zhang Xuan and Li Xiu’s heads hurt even more. Could it be that she had secretly drunk other people’s wine and that was why so many people were chasing her?

Of course, very soon, they learned from their colleagues and messages on the Spirit Net the reason everyone was so excited. They were not chasing a little drunkard, but the legendary secret realm.

The two of them very much suspected that the “secret realm” and “big shot” everyone was chasing were right in their hands.

Because the person they described was very similar to Song Yi’s current situation.

But listening to everyone’s admiring and enthusiastic tone, then looking at the little child in front of them blinking her eyes, the two of them felt an extreme disconnect. Had she really done it?

If this time’s secret realm phantom was fake, then what about the previous one?

This was a question that became terrifying the more one thought about it.

Then they also caught Lin Ze, who was peeking around outside.

He came with an extra bundled Li Wenwen, sound asleep.

Good grief. Three little drunkards captured on the spot.

Lin Ze had to come. Once suspicion arose this time, Song Yi’s vest might end up stripped off from beginning to end. He had to come cover for her. “When the secret realm phantom appeared, Song Yi sensed it too and swung her sword. People who didn’t know would think she was the big shot.”

This explanation was one Zhang Xuan and the others could accept: everyone had chased the wrong person.

Thank goodness, thank goodness. The two instinctively nodded, then their eyes widened again. “Who let you drink?”

Lin Ze’s gaze darted around as he tried to prove his innocence. “That alcohol smell got on Little Yi. It’s not from me.”

Zhang Xuan smiled gently. “Do you think we don’t believe you, or that we don’t believe you? Do you want us to let you go explain things to the people who drank fake wine?”

Lin Ze adopted a well-behaved posture.

“Forget it. We’ll settle accounts once the other two wake up.”

The two small patrol officers who had worked overtime for several days were tired too.

But just because they wanted to rest did not mean Song Yi wanted to.

She slapped the table, her gaze bright as she stared at them. “Sleep? At your age, how can you sleep? Hurry up and cultivate!”

Zhang Xuan and Li Xiu were only minor cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage. All their resistance was suppressed by the great demon king Song Yi.

Of course, they did have some special methods for dealing with illegal crimes, but those were not suitable to use on Song Yi.

This made the two of them want to cry but have no tears. Could you reason with a drunkard? Absolutely not. They could only be disciplined by the energetic little brat holding a sword.

In the physical sense.

Urging them to cultivate was something Song Yi had long wanted to do. Usually, she could hold herself back: she must not offend superiors from below.

But now, the ancestor was the greatest. She could do whatever she wanted.

Lin Ze felt chills down his back, sensing that tomorrow he was doomed, yet also felt it was unbelievably exciting and extremely satisfying to watch.

Other colleagues also poked their heads in and out. This was a little strange. Better take another look.

The clever ones had already started recording.

They would not help teach the little friend a lesson. Watching the two of them suffer was so much fun. “Little Zhang, Little Li, your cultivation really does need improving, huh.”

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. “Song Yi, looking at them being so idle, don’t you feel heartbroken?”

Song Yi’s gaze shot like lightning toward those people.

Although she was not very familiar with them, herding one sheep was herding, and herding two sheep was also herding…

Oh, someone wanted to resist?

Everyone else was too embarrassed to lay hands on a little brat, but when it came to thick-skinned colleagues, there was no need to be polite.

Come along, you.

Song Yi indulged fully in her ancestor addiction, then fell asleep in satisfaction.

It was just that when dawn came, several people were sprawled all over the duty station, making others suspect whether this place had been attacked.

The Old Era’s cultivation method was truly not something ordinary people could endure.

Although spiritual wine could make a person drunk, it did not leave behind a hangover. After sleeping, Song Yi woke refreshed and clear-headed, and she remembered very clearly what she had done. She stood on tiptoe and tried to sneak away quietly.

One of the people playing dead on the floor suddenly moved, and the little brat’s ankle was caught by a hand.

“You’re awake, right? Very good. Now we can settle accounts.”

Song Yi tried to cute her way through it, blinking her eyes. “Uncle Zhang, Happy New Year. I hear that during New Year, you can’t hit children.”

As soon as the words fell, she used her nimble movement art to run outside, but Zhang Xuan, who had prepared in advance, caught her by the back collar of fate.

“Where is there a child here? There’s only a drunkard ordering people around.”

The memories of New Year’s Eve were very beautiful to Song Yi. It was just that after the year had crossed over, she returned to a life of deep water and scorching fire. She did not even have the chance to act bratty anymore.

Because Song Yi and the other two were even dragged into the duty station to write their homework.

Lin Ze, in particular, suffered Li Wenwen’s violent beating. Couldn’t he have just thrown her by the river?

After waking up from a beautiful sleep and looking around, only to find the police officers rubbing their hands and preparing to tutor her homework, anyone’s mentality would collapse!

He had specially carried her over to suffer with them. What kind of loyalty was this?

For a period of time, this duty station became the nightmare of quite a few little friends. If you’re not obedient, we’ll send you there for tutoring, the kind where you can’t even go home for New Year!

With Song Yi and the other two grimly writing homework at the duty station as precedent, the intimidation effect was quite good.

This also led to Li Xiu and the others discovering over the following long period of time that their child popularity had inexplicably dropped to a historic low. It reached the point that children would turn and run the moment they saw them. “The weird uncles who catch children are here!”

Li Xiu and the others: ?

Wait, we only catch bad people. We don’t catch children!

Li Wenwen and Lin Ze secretly high-fived. The rumors gradually becoming outrageous had no small amount to do with them. Children who had lost their holiday could only scare other people a little.

Song Yi, however, propped up her chin and stared at the Spirit Net rumors about the “sword cultivator secret realm,” falling into deep thought.

“Little Yi, what are you thinking about?”

Song Yi clenched her fist. “If we wait until we grow up to change this education system, it’ll already be too late. But what if we change it now?”

“What are you thinking? No one will adopt suggestions we make.”

“Hehe. The only suggestions that won’t be adopted are children’s suggestions. But what if they come from an adult?” She pointed at the news.

Thanks to more and more people describing it in vivid detail, the existence of this secret realm was becoming more and more real. The mysterious hooded big shot had also become a hot topic of discussion for everyone. Was he a divine soul, or a real person who existed?

In any case, all kinds of outrageous rumors were spreading everywhere, making truth and falsehood impossible to distinguish.

“We can create an adult who stands on our side, plant him in the Ministry of Education, and let him become a big shot. Miehaha…”

She could not help imagining the future. If a child said they did not want to write homework, nine times out of ten, they were asking for a beating. But if a big shot told you that education should be happy, wouldn’t you have to consider it?

Conversely, teachers were too idle, so they could have more research training arranged for them. Patrol officers were too idle, so more shifts could be arranged for them.

How could only children be given more homework? That was completely unfair!

The right to speak was too important.

As the saying went, if you did not explode while writing homework, you would go abnormal while writing homework.

Song Yi belonged to the latter.

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