Chapter 119: A Cup of Wine

The villagers had long since begun their labor in the fields, as industrious as honeybees gathering nectar in the heat of summer.

Su Fan cast a glance at the seemingly startled Han Xiaoyue, then shifted his gaze toward the approaching old man. The elder was dressed in casual attire; while the style differed greatly from the clothing of the Longshi villagers, the fabric appeared to be much the same.

Han Xiaoyue said timidly to the elder, "I only wanted him to have something to eat, I didn't expect..."

Her words wiped the anger from the elder’s face. He spoke in a low, heavy voice, "Enough. Go inside."

The elder did not even look at Su Fan, acting as if he did not exist, or perhaps he was afraid of being seen speaking to him.

Once inside the small cabin, the elder sat down on the only chair and looked at the two of them with indifference, commanding, "Close the door."

Han Xiaoyue hurriedly said, "If we close the door at this hour, won't people become even more suspicious?"

Su Fan couldn't help but laugh inwardly. She was right, and he was curious to see how the old man would respond.

Instead of getting angry, the elder chuckled and retorted, "Am I doing something wicked?"

Han Xiaoyue fell silent and obediently went to shut the door tight.

Su Fan was startled; he noticed the elder finally turned his gaze toward him, ending the awkwardness of being treated like a transparent observer. Su Fan smiled tactfully, knowing that one must remain respectful toward one's savior.

The elder gave a mocking smile and said calmly, "So, you are awake."

Su Fan was stunned. That was a redundant statement—if he weren't awake, who would have been standing outside the door watching the old man for so long? Though he thought this, Su Fan was capable of keeping his emotions hidden. He nodded hurriedly, playing the part of an inexperienced young scholar, and replied, "I am awake."

The elder seemed to find his own words ridiculous as well, and he covered it up by asking, "Very well. What is your name?"

"Su Fan," he replied.

The elder, as if barely listening, continued to ask casually, "Where are you from?"

"Longshi Village."

The elder repeated the name, searching his memory, but found he had never heard of such a place.

Han Xiaoyue suddenly interjected, "Village Chief, you have never left this place, so of course you wouldn't have heard of it."

The elder glared at Han Xiaoyue, his old face flushing red instantly. "Indeed, I have not. But why did you come here?"

Su Fan sighed inwardly. The people here were truly simple; a village chief could be made to blush by a young girl. Hearing the question, Su Fan naturally could not reveal his experiences within the Tianyuan Sect—the old man likely wouldn't believe him anyway.

Su Fan replied without hesitation, "I was being hunted by villains, and while fleeing, I fell off a cliff and ended up here."

Su Fan recalled the storybooks he had read as a child, where the protagonists often suffered such fates, falling off cliffs only to encounter miraculous fortunes. It seemed like a fitting embellishment for his situation. Though he disliked deceiving his savior, a lie was necessary for credibility.

The elder pondered for a moment before saying, "If you hadn't fallen into Peach Blossom Creek and received the blessing of the Holy Spring, you would surely be dead by now."

"The Holy Spring?" Su Fan asked, puzzled.

The elder looked slightly indignant. "Isn't that why you came here?"

Taken aback by the question, Su Fan asked, "For the Holy Spring? Why would I?"

The elder sneered, "The Holy Spring concerns the lives of the forty-three households of Peach Blossom Creek. I would guard it even at the cost of my life."

As the elder spoke, Su Fan noticed that Han Xiaoyue wore an expression of earnest, almost devout, sincerity.

Su Fan frowned and asked, "If you do not trust me, Senior, why did you save me?"

The elder fell silent, looking at Su Fan as if contemplating the question himself.

Han Xiaoyue spoke up, "It is the rule of Peach Blossom Creek: we would rather save three thousand people wrongly than fail to save a single one."

A look of approval flashed across the elder's eyes; he looked at Su Fan as if showing off this noble quality. Su Fan wanted to say more but held his tongue, offering only a faint smile.

The elder said in a deep voice, "You will stay here for now. You are not to leave without my permission."

Su Fan smiled and asked, "Does Senior believe this child can stop me?"

The elder laughed suddenly and glanced at the frail Han Xiaoyue. She did not seem offended by Su Fan’s slight; instead, she nodded in complete agreement.

The elder remarked casually, "All your meridians are shattered. Even if you were an immortal, you have been reduced to a mortal—or perhaps even less."

Upon hearing this, Su Fan felt a shock run through him. He suddenly realized that his Dantian was unresponsive, and he could not sense the circulation of spiritual energy at all. Having lost his cultivation, Su Fan could no longer remain calm. His expression shifted drastically, though he was no ordinary man, and the look of distress vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

He cupped his hands with a smile and said, "Thank you, Senior, for saving my life."

The elder stopped smiling and headed toward the door, dropping one more remark that left Su Fan stunned: "Though Xiaoyue may not have the strength to stop you, she is the only one who can walk out of Peach Blossom Creek."

***

Seeing the Village Chief walk away, Han Xiaoyue looked at Su Fan triumphantly. "If you want to leave, I will see you off, but I’m afraid I’ll miss you too much."

Su Fan smiled bitterly. "We have just met; why would you miss me?"

Han Xiaoyue blinked and said, "Just because I will."

Su Fan gave up, deciding not to argue with the child, and walked into the courtyard alone.

Han Xiaoyue called out, "You had better not go too far, or I'll be sad if I can't find you."

Su Fan replied helplessly, "I'll just stay in the yard... and look at the peach blossoms."

***

The sun set, and the evening glow was as brilliant as fire.

Su Fan did not understand why, even though it was autumn and leaves should have been falling, there were both the vibrant evening clouds of summer and... peach blossoms.

The peach blossoms were dense and falling in a riot of color; as a breeze blew, it looked as if a rain of flowers were descending. Su Fan leaned against a peach tree, thinking of the recent events and sighing at the impermanence of the world.

"Do you have many things on your mind?" Han Xiaoyue asked softly, appearing before him.

Su Fan smiled faintly and nodded, saying nothing.

Han Xiaoyue smiled back. "If you have worries, keep them in your heart. You don't have to say them out loud... come, have a drink."

Su Fan paused, for he smelled a familiar scent. He instinctively reached for his waist, only to realize that his wine flask was long gone.

Han Xiaoyue asked curiously, "Is this what you are looking for?" As she spoke, she pulled his wine flask from her sleeve.

Su Fan took the flask with delight, as if he had received a great treasure. He then noticed Han Xiaoyue standing by with the wine cups, realizing he had lost his composure. He had just mocked the Village Chief for his lack of worldly experience, yet here he was, doing the very same.

Su Fan hurriedly asked, "What kind of wine is this? It smells wonderful."

Han Xiaoyue collected her thoughts and said, "Peach Blossom Wine. It is a unique wine of Peach Blossom Creek."

"Peach Blossom Wine... Peach Blossom Wine..." Su Fan murmured the name to himself.