Seeing his granddaughter fully immersed into the sword art manual, Qin Yun did not interrupt her. He looked up into the sky.
When he figured out the Seven Stars Great Dao, it was the night in early summer. The sky was covered in stars and there were croaking frogs.
Now, it was already early autumn. There was a constant drizzle.
With a thought from him, the rain that fell down from above was made to divert so as to not affect his granddaughter.
“The breakthrough of the Seven Stars Great Dao has indeed elevated my strength, but it cannot be considered a true improvement.” Qin Yun understood this point very well. Compared to the perfect Great Dao existences, the gap between him and them remained huge. Even his defenses which he was most proud of would be given a little more weight by the perfect Great Dao existences.
“To make a big improvement, I need to figure out the Great Dao of Man.
“Great Dao of Man…”
Vexed feelings arose in Qin Yun’s heart.
How was he to achieve the breakthrough?
Apart from constant accumulation, he was temporarily out of ideas.
******
While Qin Yun passed his granddaughter the second volume of the Seven Stars Sword Dao, in a cave abode somewhere in the Heavenly realm.
“Junior Brother Meng, how rare is it for you to come to me.” A plump man smiled as he stroked his beard and smiled. “Go ahead, why are you seeking me? Let me be clear on one thing first. Uncle-Master Fuxi’s array formation is something that stumps me. I won’t be able to help with any of the array formation missions he gives. If you need herbs, that would be simple.”
“Senior Brother Li, do you think I come to you only to seek your help?” Meng Fu smiled exasperatedly.
The plump man did not put on any airs. He always laughed and in fact, was one of the top five mighty figures in the Three Realms when it came to alchemy. He was also a pinnacle Golden Immortal expert named Li Yu. He was the disciple who Shennongshi of the Three Sovereigns was most proud of.
“You aren’t here to seek my help?” Li Yu was somewhat intrigued.
Meng Fu smiled as he reached out his palm. A wine calabash appeared in his palm out of thin air as he pulled its stopper.
Immediately, a very faint alcoholic fragrance emitted. However, this fragrance was truly something one would never forget for all eternity. When the fragrance was sucked through one’s nostrils and entered the body, one’s heart would feel bitter as the numerous emotions in life and the infinite feelings they brought would surface in one’s heart. Li Yu’s eyes lit up as his nose kept taking a whiff at it. He looked excitedly at the calabash and asked, “Is this the legendary Seven Sufferings Wine?”
Life had the seven sufferings—birth, old age, sickness, death, getting what you don’t want, not being able to hold onto what is desirable, and not getting what you do want.
A cup of this wine would make one fully experience all that the mortal world had to offer.
Many mighty figures had minds as still as water. Causing them to undergo any strong upheaval in emotions was very rare. And the Seven Sufferings Wine’s action on mortals would make them feel like they were experiencing one calamity after another, causing them to wallow in inextricable sufferings. But for mighty figures, although they would not lose themselves, the various feelings they felt… would be a rare experience.
“Junior Brother Meng, not many things catch my fancy in life except good wine,” Li Yu said agitatedly. “I have also exchanged several good wines with various kinds of herbs and immortal pills, but there’s just too little of the Buddhists’ Seven Sufferings Wine… I have only drank it once. The taste is truly unique. Too many wines can’t compare to it.”
“There is very little. I only happened to chance upon it. I later recalled that the person who enjoys wine the most in our Fire Cloud Palace is you, Senior Brother Li. So here I am.” Meng Fu smiled as he pushed the stopper back in.
“Hey, hey, hey…” Upon seeing Meng Fu plug the calabash, Li Yu turned somewhat anxious. He hurriedly said, “Name your price. You must give me this Seven Sufferings Wine.”
“I’m not fond of wine. Here, this is a gift for you, Senior Brother Li,” Meng Fu said as he handed the calabash to Li Yu.
Li Yu did not hesitate to receive it and hug it. Following that, he said with a smile, “Just say it; what do you want from me?”
“Why not a Soul Returning Pill?” said Meng Fu calmly. “I’ll take however many you think the wine is worth.”
“Soul Returning Pill?” Li Yu pricked up his brows. “Who is it for?”
Meng Fu shook his head gently and did not elaborate.
Even this exchange for the Soul Returning Pill was a mere attempt; the chances of saving Yanyan remained slim.
“I’ll give you two Soul Returning Pills.” Li Yu flipped his hand and produced two jade bottles before handing them to Meng Fu.
“Thanks.”
Meng Fu knew how precious Soul Returning Pills were, so he immediately took them.
“If you need my help, feel free to ask. Don’t bury it in your heart,” said Li Yu.
“Alright. Then, I shall bid you farewell first.” Meng Fu got up.
“I’ll walk you out.” Li Yu got up to send him off.
After sending Meng Fu away, Li Yu returned to his room and sat down. Filled with anticipation, he looked at the calabash of Seven Sufferings Wine and gently pulled out its stopper.
“Seven Sufferings… The flavors are truly unique.” Li Yu took in the fragrance as he tipped his head to take a mouthful.
The intense emotions rushed to his head.
The feelings that left mortals in turmoil was an enjoyment for Li Yu.
“Great wine, great wine. This Seven Sufferings Wine is even stronger than the one I drank previously. It has to be considered a much superior grade of Seven Sufferings Wine. Even I can’t control myself. Is this the intense feeling of love? It has made me remember my youth.” Li Yu opened his eyes, his eyes welling in tears. “Unfortunately, there’s just too little in this small calabash. It’s only enough for ten mouthfuls.”
Seven Sufferings Wine.
Every brewed batch had their differences. This was because it was obtained by gathering the intense emotions people underwent in the world and ultimately refining and brewing them. Therefore, the more intense the emotions gathered, the stronger the wine’s flavors.
And at that moment, Li Yu was feeling the intense emotions—love, hate, grudge, greed, infatuation—all sorts of emotions were welling in him.
Amid the intense emotions was an invisible energy lurking within.
“Hahaha…”
“This Seven Sufferings Wine can only be considered somewhere in between the inferior-grade or medial-grade. However, I mixed in a Seven Emotions and Six Desires fruit, making the emotions and desire stronger.” Hidden amid the emotions was an avatar of Boxun. He was feeling rather pleased.
“Ever since the heavens were split apart from the earth, I have only grown a total of five Seven Emotions and Six Desires fruits. Yet I have used one on you, as well as my Greed and Desire avatar,” Boxun’s Greed and Desire avatar said in anticipation. After a few more decades, I’ll fully infiltrate you and have you under my control.
“Fire Cloud Palace has a total of six pinnacle mighty figures. Only Li Yu has a weakness for good wine, a flaw that can barely be used. I was confident only with the additional use of a Seven Emotions and Six Desires fruit.
“This time…
“I paid the price of two Six Desire avatars and a Seven Emotions and Six Desires fruit. I have to obtain the Torch Flame Kindling or it would be a tremendous loss.
“I’ll wait a little longer. Once everything is in order, it will be time for me to obtain the Torch Flame Kindling.” Boxun was very patient.
…
While traveling the world with his granddaughter, Qin Yun would give her pointers on her sword art.
This day, the both of them came to a very ordinary city in the Heavenly realm named Red Fish City. They were having one of their local delights in a restaurant. Apart from being good at sword arts, his granddaughter also enjoyed good food like him. After traveling the world for so long… both of them had tasted all sorts of local delights all across the Heavenly realm.
In a manor of Red Fish City.
An aloof woman dressed in red robes sat there with a brush in hand, drawing. Suddenly she frowned as she looked into the distance. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes.
“That slut,” said the woman through clenched teeth.
“Your Highness?” A middle-aged woman with deep green hair who was serving her asked softly.
“I can sense that the slut is here again!” The woman gnashed her teeth. “On account of Sword Immortal Qin, I have been tolerating her and have never really attacked her. Instead of staying away, she has come again… Only when I told her the last time and made it clear to her did she stand down and leave Cang City.
“I never expected that Brother Meng would move from Cang City and reside in Red Fish City. This slut sure caught wind of its fast and came to Red Fish City as well,” said the woman through clenched teeth.
She was one of the extremely strong descendants of the ancient Sagedemon, Nine Phoenix. Although she was stuck at the ninth firmament Skydemon realm, her strength matched that of a mighty figure. Her various moves were more brilliant than Qin Yuluo’s, who had cultivated for a relatively shorter period of time and was a half-step Golden Immortal. She could sense Qin Yuluo’s presence through karma.
However, Qin Yuluo was unable to sense Phoenix Voice.
“Could it be a coincidence?” asked the middle-aged woman.
“Coincidence?” Phoenix Voice scoffed. “Brother Meng left Cang City, and in few decades she’s here as well? Besides, the Heavenly realm is too vast, how can it be a coincidence that she comes to this city? A coincidence? I don’t believe it.”
“Use your divine powers and see what she’s doing. Is she at Brother Meng’s residence?” instructed the woman.
“Yes.”
The middle-aged woman’s eyes transformed and like a bird’s eye surveyed the surroundings.
She searched through every area.
At a glance, she saw Red Fish City.
“I can’t find her.” The woman was astonished as she said softly, “I have already searched every person in Red Fish City, but there’s no Qin Yuluo. In terms of aura, I did not discover any half-step Golden Immortal either.”
“She’s definitely here, no doubt about it. You can’t find her because she changed her looks and hid her aura.” The woman scoffed. “Coming here incognito to find Brother Meng. If you aren’t feeling guilty, is there a need to act so furtively?”
…
In a restaurant in Red Fish City.
Qin Yun shared a meal with his granddaughter. As they traveled across the world, they naturally converged their auras and changed their looks to prevent being disturbed.
“Oh?” A hawk demon has cast a divine power to search all of Red Fish City?” Qin Yun suddenly sensed it and with a thought, discovered the residence where a green-haired middle-aged woman was casting the searching divine power. And beside her was an aloof red-robed woman.