Chapter 140: Questioning a Gentleman with Wine
Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll
"Oh, as the saying goes, ‘Since ancient times, Saints have all been solitary; only those who drink will leave their names behind’ [1]. Thus, the people who are aware of the eight pleasures of drinking are not many and it’s not strange that Mister is unaware. You’re not to blame…" Ling Tian’s words left Ye QingChen’s face alternating between red and white, awkward beyond belief. "However, I believe Mister is aware of the eight commandments of drinking?"
"...errr! I haven’t heard of this as such, tell me more!" Ye QingChen felt a bead of cold sweat drip down his face, more than half out of his drunken stupor.
"Umm~ then, I’m sure that Mister will know of the ‘Eight Mortals of Wine!" Ling Tian spoke with a tone of certainty, seemingly reassuring himself.
"This…" Ye QingChen turned into a shade of persimmon, a brilliant red tinged with purple.
"Aiii, to think that Mister would also be unaware of this, I really feel estranged!" The regret in Ling Tian’s voice became more and more prominent, as well as the disappointment. Shaking his head, he seemed unwilling to continue talking. It was only after a long time which he whispered with what seemed to be his last ray of hope, "Then, Mister should definitely know about the ‘Eight Locations of Drinking’, right?" This sentence carried a hint of reproach, as though censuring him for bragging that no one was more knowledgeable about wine when compared to him, but he could not even answer such simple questions! At least he should be aware of such a simple question, right?
Ye QingChen had already reached the point that he was completely ashamed, afraid to show his face! His face was red, bordering on purple, his expression carrying a subtle sign of begging for mercy, his originally proud head slowly slinking inwards! He looked as though he was searching for a hole to throw himself into!
To be able to reduce the ‘immortal of wine’ of this era, a peerless expert of the pugilistic community, to such a stage in a mere few sentence, most likely, only Ling Tian could do such a thing! Now, and in the future!
Ye QingChen let out a long sigh, dispirited beyond belief. He snatched the wine jar over, pouring for himself a cup, intending to down it to chase away his sorrows. However, he thought of how he had acted so conceitedly, arrogantly looking down on a junior whose random phrases already left him far behind in the dust. How could he be deserving of such a heavenly wine? As this thought sunk in, he could not help but slowly put down the winecup, letting out a long sigh.
"!!!" Ling Tian seemed to have suddenly snapped back into reality, his face carrying an embarrassed look as he said, "Junior didn’t watch his mouth, please do not take my words seriously. Since we are all lovers of wine and merely comparing notes, if there’s any area which I’ve offended you, please forgive me!" Ling Tian lifted up his cup in a salute, as if to make amends.
Merely comparing notes?! Ye QingChen almost jumped out of his seat. You have just destroyed this old man’s decades long pride of being a wine connoisseur, making me seem so worthless, and you actually say that this is mere commentary! If this was heard by the rest of the wine-lover population, where should this old man put his face to?
Ye QingChen was all ready to jump out and rage. But upon realising that his knowledge was indeed far below the other party, what harm was there in Ling Tian berating him? It was not like he had the knowledge to answer every question which Ling Tian posed. Furthermore, the matters which he did not know, there was a high chance that the majority of the wine-lovers would not be aware of as well! Besides, Ling Tian had a valid point, which was the fact that they were comparing notes, so under what grounds should he get angry? What could he be angry over? He could only smile dispiritedly, unconsciously sipping on his winecup. The original fragrant wine now suddenly tasted so bland and tasteless. It was like a mute being fed a mouth of chinese goldthread [2], bitter but unable to convey it!
"Having met with Mister today, the troubles in my mind for a few years have been cleared one by one, making me feel very comforted. The lump in my chest has also been cleared. I really have Mister to thank for all this help." Standing up, Ling Tian performed a deep bow of respect, giving off the impression that he was about to leave. However, his expression betrayed a look of melancholy, as though he was about to bid farewell to a bosom buddy. This merely lasted for an instant, before being forcefully covered.
What kind of person was Ye QingChen? To have met someone who truly understood his feelings towards wine, to be able to hold a conversation with himself, and furthermore being more knowledgeable, how could he so easily let the person go? Furthermore, after hearing the Eight Pleasures of Wine, Eight Locations of Wine, and etc, he had long felt an itch in his heart for an answer. Thus, with a ‘whoosh’ sound, he had stood up and grasped onto Ling Tian’s sleeve to stop him, saying hurriedly, "Young Noble, please hold!"
His back facing Ye QingChen, Ling Tian’s eyes flickered with a barely perceptible light, as he turned back slowly. However, his eyes had changed to a look of questioning, "I wonder what Mister has to bestow upon me?"
Ye QingChen’s eyes bulged, his beard trembling as he tried to speak, but found out that he could not speak. With his status, does he really have to say something like, ‘Will young noble please enlighten me on the matters of wine’? If that was the case, then he might as well just commit suicide by slamming his head on the wall! While it was customary for a person who wanted answers to beseech first, Ye QingChen was after all a sixty-year-old man! How could he throw his face away just to ask a fifteen-year-old kid to educate him?
However, if he wanted to keep his face, this would mean throwing away the chance to find out the mysteries of wine! What should he do now?
Ling Tian secretly grinned to himself upon seeing the dilemma on Ye QingChen’s face. For such otherworldly men such as Ye QingChen, Ling Tian would never dare to look down on them, and even more not have any thoughts of playing games with them! Thus, to reduce one of them to this point, Ling Tian was very pleased with himself, but...
To this point, Ye QingChen was still a mystery to Ling Tian at this point! An exceptionally confusing, hard to decipher, and probably unsolvable mystery!
Where did he originate from? What was his purpose here? How many secrets did he have on him? How much does he know? Questions popped up one after another in Ling Tian’s mind, before these questions were answered, even if Ye QingChen wanted to go, Ling Tian would not let him do so!
However, Ye QingChen was not someone who would give in to power, wealth, or charm! To get news from his mouth, Ling Tian had to take a different path; from the time Ling Tian had bade Ling Chen to take the Azure Bamboo Leaf from his own collection, Ye QingChen had already fallen into Ling Tian’s plans!
Thus, Ling Tian only put on a difficult expression, as he lamented, "Mister, it was hard to come across someone as agreeable as you and I regret that we have not crossed paths sooner. Mister is someone with remarkable ability, and furthermore erudite in nature. This leaves Ling Tian in admiration. I wished to speak more to you originally, but the day is growing dark. Ordinarily, this would not be a problem, but with the state that Sky Bearing is in now, if I stay out too long, my family would be concerned."
[1]: Another poem from Li Bai, titled ‘Bring in the Wine’. More details can be found at the link. (https://eastasiastudent.net/china/classical/li-bai-jiang-jin-jiu/)
[2]: Chinese goldthread is an eastern herb used for its medicinal properties. It is bitter but since a mute cannot talk, he cannot vent his frustrations.