Wuxia: Drinking with Spring Breeze

"Oh, the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming..."

In a quiet inn on the second floor in Kaifeng Prefecture, Zhu Xian Town, a rugged man with disheveled hair and a messy beard, his face showing signs of hardship making it hard to determine his age, was holding a jug of wine and sighing deeply at the moon by the window.

"If you cannot return, how about I keep you company for the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

A crisp, serene voice suddenly rose from the darkness outside the window.

"You have finally arrived!"

The rugged man glanced quickly outside the window then, ignoring everything else, lifted his jug and gulped down a hefty swig, his expression unwavering.

"Were you waiting for me?"

The voice in the dark asked softly.

Drooping his eyelids, the rugged man replied weakly, "Yes, I've been waiting for you all along, almost thought you wouldn't come..."

Only a sound akin to a pebble hitting a tiled roof was heard, followed by a swift figure skillfully leaping through the window, sitting opposite the rugged man.

"Thud."

The newcomer silently placed two jars of wine on the table without uttering a word.

The rugged man studied his childhood friend sitting across from him for a long while before suddenly breaking into laughter, "That scar on your face, did my fourth uncle leave it?"

His laughter was broken, his voice hoarse, revealing a mix of emotions.

"No."

The newcomer softly replied, "It was inflicted by Bai Mujiu of the Ming Sect."

The rugged man laughed soundlessly, his head low, "Very good, at least the nickname 'Jade-faced Fox' was not destroyed by my Xie Family."

He paused, his eyes drifting towards the two jars of wine on the table, and casually asked in a soft voice, "Is this farewell wine?"

The newcomer's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but choked back the words just as they reached his lips.

He remained silent for a moment, then quietly raised his hand and slowly broke the clay seals of the two wine jars.

He pushed one jar towards the rugged man and with a poorly concealed provocative tone stated, "I say this is farewell wine, dare you drink it?"

The rugged man looked at the jar of wine in front of him and then back at the familiar yet strange face across from him, vigorously shaking his head, "I dare not, dare not!"

The newcomer's lifted eyelids drooped again as he grabbed the jar in front of him and gulped down a large swallow.

"Thud!"

He slammed the jar heavily on the table, wiped his mouth, and with sparkling eyes fixed on the man across from him, said forcefully, word by word, "You and I have known each other since childhood, haven't fought the fewest battles or drunk the least wine, calling each other brothers may seem pretentious, but to call each other close friends, is definitely not too much!"

"You know what business the Embroidered Uniform Guard is in without me saying it!"

"If all your Xie Family was involved in were mere corrupt dealings like selling offices and smuggling, and I acted against your Xie Family, I would be heartless and ungrateful, a man who disowns his kin!"

"But what your Xie Family has done is collude with enemies and betray the country for glory!"

"If it were you, what would you do?"

"The bodies of fifty thousand soldiers fallen at Songting Pass are yet cold, and their final cries of battle still echo in my ears night after night..."

"What can I do?"

The rugged man lowered his eyes, not daring to meet the gaze of the newcomer.

After a long while, he reached out tremblingly, lifted the jar of wine in front of him, and fiercely guzzled it, the clear liquor overflowing, wetting his cheeks and his clothes.

"Well said!"

He set down the jar, his eyes bloodshot, his face contorted as he burst into hysterical laughter, "What can I do? All I can do is watch as my best friend, kills my entire family!"

The newcomer picked up the jar again, took a large gulp, and burst out with alcohol on his breath, "I never thought of wiping out your entire Xie Family. I have always been giving your family a chance, but sadly, no one wanted it, everyone walked down that dark path... maybe they all thought, at worst they die, right?"

The robust man laughed, his face drenched, not knowing if it was from alcohol or tears, "You're speaking without feeling any pain. When things have reached that point, is there a difference between half dead or the whole family dying? Of course, you have to risk your life and fight. If you win the gamble, aren't all troubles gone?"

The visitor laughed too, "Since you already know that, why don't you teach me? What else can I do besides sending my best friend and his entire family to the execution ground?"

The robust man seemed to laugh out of fury, trembling as he leaned forward and backward, "It's truly a great fortune in my three lifetimes to have known you, Shen Fa!"

The visitor raised a jar of liquor to him, "If there is another life, better not to know me!"

The robust man grabbed the liquor jar and took a sip by himself, his tears splashing as he quietly said, "Yes, better not to know you. This taste, it's too agonizing, too painful..."

Carrying the liquor jar, the visitor gazed at his friend who once had the imposing agility of a champion reborn, but now looked disheveled and utterly despondent, feeling a profound torment in his heart.

After a while, he put down the liquor jar and said softly, "Go, take your elite men to the Western Regions, Lingnan, Dongying; anywhere you can make a stand... just don't come back to the capital. I don't want to kill my best friend!"

The robust man, with a mix of laughter and crying, hoarsely said, "I want to go too, but I can't just watch you slaughter my family!"

The visitor frowned, "Why don't you understand? You are just a pawn, someone is stoking you to death to preserve their glory and wealth!"

"I know!"

The robust man slumped back in his chair, looking up, "Since I led the brothers of my military unit out of Liaodong, I knew we were just a pawn. Someone hoped that we would return to the capital and create chaos... but what can I do?"

The visitor finally showed his first smile since he arrived. This fellow was still so shrewd, like a wolf—ferocious and precise, never missing any chance in battle.

It's a pity that they were naturally unable to fight side by side until the last moment of their lives...

He seemed to have made some sort of decision, abruptly picked up the liquor jar and took a huge gulp, saying fiercely, "Hand your men over to me, and I'll take care of your family!"

The robust man looked up at him steadily.

The visitor returned his gaze without shifting his eyes.

After a while, the robust man finally smiled and said, "Shen, oh Shen, you're still so indecisive and tenderhearted. If you don't change, you'll end up in a dire fate!"

That smile, on his dirty face, was exceptionally clean.

The visitor smiled and said, "What can I do?"

Without caring whether his friend was happy about it or not, he picked up the liquor jar and clinked it with the one in front of his friend, took a swig, and spoke, the liquor fumes escaping, "Forget about those with official roles or military commands. I'll try my best to find a way out for the women and children. It won't be great, but I can ensure they survive!"

The robust man smiled and said, "Can I still trust you?"

Shen Fa looked at him intently, "You might not trust me... If not, we'll settle accounts in the afterlife!"

The robust man lay back down in his chair, stared up at the spider webs on the ceiling and muttered, "With those words of yours, my waiting all this way wasn't in vain."

He stretched out his dirty hand and, under Shen's anxious gaze, gently tapped on the table three times.

The next second, several tall men in iron armor, with ring-headed swords hanging at their waists, jumped upstairs and saluted the robust man, "General!"

In the shadows, numerous fingers tensely rested on the triggers of their crossbows.

The robust man seemed oblivious, loosely pointing at the man opposite, and casually said, "Remember this person. As long as he continues fighting the enemy, you follow him, even if he sends you to die in the grasslands!"

"But if one day he turns traitor, even if he is merely suspected of it, immediately behead him and kill his entire family!"

With those threatening words, the visitor's mind suddenly relaxed.

He picked up the liquor jar and sincerely said to the robust man, "Being friends with you, Xie Yu, in this life, is a tremendous fortune!"

The robust man scoffed, without shifting at all.

The visitor didn't mind, he tilted his head back, finished the liquor in the jar in one gulp, and drunkenly stood up, "But in this lifetime, let's not meet again…"

The robust man lazily waved his hand, "Let's not meet then, but do remember everything you've said. Miss one, and I'll never let you off in this life!"

The visitor scoffed, leaped out of the window, "Who fears death? I just fear losing a friend like you..."

The robust man was silent for a long time, then he picked up the liquor jar in front of him, "Sorry, old friend!"