Green mountains spread far into the distance. The secluded path twisted through the land, and the greenery was thriving with life as it was nourished by a fine drizzle.

There was no killing, no fighting, no sinister schemes. Walking along the small stone steps, Long Chen felt his heart relaxing. He quietly enjoyed this feeling.

But Xia Youluo was completely unable to sense this feeling. The environment she had grown up in was already peaceful without any danger.

Xia Youluo had yet to recover from her shock. But looking at how sloppy Long Chen looked as he chewed a stalk of grass and hummed a vulgar tune, she was finally sure that this was the true Long Chen. The previous Long Chen had definitely been possessed by the Wine God.

“Girl, come and pick a path!” Long Chen smiled toward Xia Youluo upon seeing three possible paths in front of them.

“If you call me girl again, I’ll get angry. My name is Youluo!” Being repeatedly called a girl by Long Chen made her feel like a small bum beetle.

If Long Chen hadn’t generously split ‘half’ his wine with her, she would have already exploded.

“Alright, Youluo. Come pick a path,” Long Chen corrected himself. Jokes should be stopped before they went too far. However, he truly wished to be her uncle so that he could call the emperor of the Grand Xia big brother.

“Why have me choose?” asked Xia Youluo.

“Because you are the envoy sent by the Wine God. You are the fairy that will enlighten the Wine God Palace’s disciples. So you choose.” Long Chen smiled.

Although he was just teasing her, Xia Youluo was happy to be called a fairy. “Hmph, it’d be strange if anyone believed you. But even if all you said was nonsense, thank you for winning back my face.” Clearly, she was still very happy about how the Wine God Palace’s disciple had bowed and apologized to her.

“There’s no need to thank me. We’re working together, so we must be sincere and honest with each other. Pick a path,” pushed Long Chen.

“Then this one.” Xia Youluo pointed toward the central path.

Long Chen put on an act of deep ponderment, scratching his head and counting on his fingers. “Good, we’re walking the straight and narrow. To walk in the middle of the three great paths, princess’s directions can lead a person to the clouds and sky. Yes, this must be the path to get rich. Let’s go!”

Xia Youluo looked at Long Chen chewing a piece of grass with a serious expression. They completely contradicted each other, and adding in his crazy words, Xia Youluo bent over in laughter.

“Princess, why are you laughing? Are you questioning my abilities to peer through the heavens and see through fate?” said Long Chen with a displeased expression.

“Please, stop teasing me. My stomach’s starting to hurt from laughing. Your manner was pretty similar to those fellows from the Heavenly Fate Pavilion.” Xia Youluo was almost unable to breathe as she laughed. There was even some light sweat on the tip of her nose, like a peach blossom touched with dew.

“Your people have a relationship with the Heavenly Fate Pavilion?” Long Chen was caught off-guard.

“No. But when the Grand Han’s delegates come, some disciples from the Heavenly Fate Pavilion accompany them. They act very similar to what you just did,” said Xia Youluo.

“Do you often have dealings with the Grand Han?” asked Long Chen.

“Not really. After all, the relationship between our two nations is a bit tense, so we don’t have many interactions,” said Xia Youluo disappointedly. “I just don’t understand why my father has to have such a tense relationship with the Grand Han. The Grand Han’s people are so nice, and there are so many touching romantic stories from there that can make me cry. Both the men and women are so dedicated and faithful to each other.”

Xia Youluo’s eyes became unfocused as she sank into her beautiful fantasies.

“Sometimes what you see is what people intentionally let you see. Sometimes what you hear is what people intentionally let you hear. If you want to understand a person or a nation, you can’t just look at its exterior. That will cause your judgment to be gravely mistaken.” Long Chen shook his head.

What Long Chen hadn’t expected was for Xia Youluo to immediately get enraged by his words. “You… you’re just spouting nonsense. You’re clearly jealous of them to say such bad words about them.”

He finally lost his patience. “Haha, jealous? In this world, no one can make me jealous. Furthermore, I disdain saying bad words about someone. It was your big brother who told me to advise you. But why would I want to do such a stupid thing? I’m good at killing people, but advising others isn’t my forte. You’re eighteen now? When I was eighteen, I had already grown indifferent to life and death as I fought for my brothers and sisters. As for you, you’re a brainless, stubborn fool who would rather believe in your own wishful thinking than see the truth. Do you realize you have two eyes and two ears? But how much do they get used? The heavens gave you a head for you to use it. Pigs always have ears, but their ears are big so that they listen to others without using their minds. In the end, when they are about to be slaughtered, they will not hesitate to send themselves to their deaths when called,” sneered Long Chen.

This girl had been completely brainwashed by the idiots of the Grand Han and could no longer see reason. If someone was really able to change her mind, it would be truly heaven-defying.

Long Chen was unable to do such a thing. This work was too enraging. He was full of regret over his decision to help Xia Yunchong. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be stuck in such an irritating position.

“You’re the pig!” raged Xia Youluo.

“I can’t be bothered to say anything to you. If you can’t be reasoned with, then don’t come with me.” Long Chen snorted. He was sick of this girl. Their intelligence was not on the same level.

“Hmph, I’m going to come with you and irritate you to the end of the earth. You’re the pig.” Xia Youluo clamped onto Long Chen’s hand and pressed against his body. Long Chen tried unsuccessfully several times to throw her off.

Of course, Long Chen wasn’t using his real force. Although his cultivation base had been sealed, if he just used the power of his physical body, he would definitely be able to fling her off. But then she would be flung all the way back to the imperial palace.

Seeing Xia Youluo clenching her teeth and the tears in her eyes, Long Chen’s heart softened once more.

Ah, why am I quibbling with a child? Long Chen couldn’t help but shake his head. It seemed his magnanimity had degraded. Why did he have to take a child so seriously?

“Alright, let’s calm down. This is the Wine God Palace, and if we act like this, we’ll be kicked out. Then we really will have no face left.” Long Chen softened his tone.

“No, you have to apologize! Who said you could be so fierce and scold me!” Xia Youluo refused to let go of Long Chen’s arm, looking like she wouldn’t let go even if she died.

“Fine, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have been so fierce, I shouldn’t have scolded you.” Long Chen helplessly raised his hands in defeat, treating it like he was playing with a child.

“You… you…” Xia Youluo suddenly began to really cry.

“Hey, did you mix things up? I apologized. Why are you crying?” Long Chen was speechless.

“My father… my mother… my brother… none of them scolded me so viciously, but you… you said I was an idiot, and you said I was a pig…!” Xia Youluo began to cry harder and harder.

From a young age, Xia Youluo had always been pampered due to her high talent, and she had rarely been chastised. Although Xia Youluo was willful and obstinate, she was kind inside. She just had never been sternly disciplined.

That was why Long Chen’s scolding immediately caused such a reaction. She hadn’t cried when he had been scolding her because of her anger, but as soon as he apologized, she wasn’t able to endure it any longer.

“Hey, don’t make a fuss. This isn’t the place to cry,” said Long Chen.

“I don’t care. You bullied me…” wailed Xia Youluo.

“The Wine God Palace is a quiet place. Who is making a ruckus?” Suddenly, a chiding voice rang out from ahead.

“Ah, it’s a misunderstanding. This isn’t a ruckus. My little sister was moved by the surroundings and decided to sing a song to express her reverence toward the Wine God Palace,” called out Long Chen.

The crying Xia Youluo immediately chuckled upon hearing this. Her emotions quickly shifted to become embarrassed, and she hastily wiped away her tears.

“My little sister’s singing is very good. But in her excitement, she ended up off-key, which is why her singing sounded like crying. Please don’t take offense,” continued Long Chen. Long Chen then pulled Xia Youluo forward. “Alright, don’t make a fuss. It’s time to get back to work.”

Turning around a corner, they saw a man standing in front of a small pavilion, coldly looking at them.

He was a handsome man, tall with graceful facial features. However, his eyes were filled with sadness. Although he looked to be in his twenties, that grief in his eyes spoke of great experiences and time lived.

“Your song is quite sad, a song of the pain in the heart. Because of it, I’d like to invite the two esteemed guests to try my wine,” said the man.

Xia Youluo’s expression became a bit unnatural upon hearing this evaluation. Everyone knew that she had been crying just now. But this person acted like he hadn’t realized it.

“Please, go ahead.”

The pavilion’s interior decoration was almost identical to the previous one. Only the person had changed, as well as the wine. There were two cups of clear wine that had already been poured.

“Youluo, you should drink it first. This wine is very beneficial to you.” Long Chen urged Xia Youluo on, but he didn’t reach for his own cup.

Xia Youluo carefully received her wine, and she once more drank it in three gulps. Her depressed mood was wiped away, and she couldn’t help but smile as a feeling of joy welled up within her.

“How miraculous! It can actually allow me to forget all my troubles and clear my heart!” exclaimed Xia Youluo.

“Sir, are you not going to try it? I see that the pain in your heart is not any less than mine. This wine can suppress the gloominess crushing your heart. It’s very beneficial to your cultivation.” The winemaker looked at Long Chen.

Xia Youluo seemed to have heard the funniest joke. How could it be possible for Long Chen to feel pain in his heart? He was clearly a bad person with a wicked heart.

If this place wasn’t the Wine God Palace and they weren’t facing a disciple, she would have already laughed.

“The seven emotions and six desires of humanity are part of who we are. Pain, bitterness, they are all precious memories. Why suppress them? If you are trying to use your power to completely erase those feelings, isn’t that a betrayal to your past? Hence, many thanks for your kindness, but I won’t be having any.” Long Chen shook his head and pulled Xia Youluo away.