Su Yu unfastened the Cyan Spirit Transformation Gourd from his waist. With a flick of his finger, the cork came out with a soft POP, and a rich, intoxicating aroma of wine instantly filled the air.
This was a wine he had specially brewed with the seeds of the Nine-Turned Cyan Lotus before setting out; it was a healing Spirit Wine to begin with.
Moreover, Zhen’Er had infused it with the Wood Spirit Qi she had gathered for several days, making the wine capable of not only healing internal and external injuries, but also instantly washing away fatigue and restoring Qi and Blood.
Su Yu took out a white jade cup, filled it to the brim, and handed it to Qian Qinghong beside him.
"Qinghong, have a drink first. Get yourself back to peak condition."
Qian Qinghong nodded slightly and took the jade cup. A flicker of curiosity flashed in her eyes as she looked at the clear, jade-green liquid. Then, her small, rosy, and alluring lips parted slightly, and tilting back her snow-white neck, she drained the cup in one go.
As the wine went down her throat, it transformed into a warm, gentle current that spread through her body. Qian Qinghong felt her mind clear and her spirits lift. It was as if countless pairs of small, gentle hands were massaging her from head to toe. Wherever the warmth passed, the hidden injuries and fatigue from battle were swept away, and her Qi and Blood even showed signs of surging!
"What potent Spirit Wine!" Qian Qinghong’s eyes lit up, a glistening drop still clinging to the corner of her lips. "Brother Su, is there more? If I could have a few more sips to bring my Qi and Blood back to their peak, I’d dare to take on Xue Kuang even if he weren’t injured!"
Su Yu chuckled. "Don’t worry, there’s plenty to go around."
With that, he shook the wine gourd, which let out a series of clear SLOSHES.
"I want some!"
Qian Qinghong’s eyes lit up. Before Su Yu could even pour it into the cup, she snatched the gourd, tilted her head back nonchalantly, and began chugging it straight from the spout. GLUG, GLUG.
After several large gulps, she let out a satisfied breath tinged with alcohol. She casually wiped the wine from the corner of her mouth. A breathtaking flush now colored her usually cold and stunning face, adding a touch of flirtatious charm.
Su Yu smiled and took back the gourd. "Easy there. This wine has a kick. We still have people to kill in a bit."
"Don’t make me laugh. You think this little bit of wine is anything?" Qian Qinghong patted her impressive chest and declared with a heroic flair, "Back in the day, I once drank three whole jars of strong liquor all by myself!"
Su Yu smiled, then also raised the gourd. Aiming for the spout, which was still slick with moisture, he tilted his head back and took a large swig.
He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that besides its usual mellow body, the lotus wine today had an extra hint of a faint, elegant fragrance.
He licked his lips, his gaze unconsciously falling on Qian Qinghong’s rosy, delicate lips, then back to the spout of the gourd in his hand.
"What are you looking at! Time to kill!"
Qian Qinghong noticed his strange gaze, and her cheeks flushed red. With a SMACK, she slapped Su Yu’s shoulder and shot him an annoyed glare.
Su Yu laughed heartily. He didn’t break the unspoken, ambiguous mood between them. He simply hung the gourd back on his waist and set off across the waves, shoulder to shoulder with her.
...
The bright moon hung high in the sky, the night air tinged with a stark beauty.
「Meanwhile, at the other end of the Golden Waterway.」
"Cough, cough... PTUI!"
Yan Gulin’s face was ashen. He coughed violently a few times but ultimately couldn’t hold it back, vomiting a large mouthful of fresh blood.
He stared at the treasure ship in the distance as it fled and melted into the night, his expression grim. "Damned Xue Kuang! If it weren’t for my old age and depleted Qi and Blood, how could I have lost to your move!"
Just moments before, the two had engaged in a brutal battle for the black dragon fish. In the end, Xue Kuang’s skill proved superior. Although he took several of Yan Gulin’s mountain-sundering, stone-shattering Iron Hand strikes, he still managed to snatch the black dragon fish.
At this moment, Xue Kuang was fleeing with Sun Rui, steering the Giant Whale Gang’s treasure ship toward Jian’an Prefecture.
Hundreds of yards behind them, the treasure ship of the Cyan Wood Sword Sect was in hot pursuit. Xu Hesui stood at the prow in her green robes, her cold gaze as sharp as a drawn sword.
Xue Kuang glanced back, his face grim. He forcefully suppressed the churning Qi and Blood in his body. He knew that in his current state, if he were to fight Xu Hesui, his chances of survival were slim.
’Still,’ he thought, ’when dealing with a woman like her, who prides herself on being from a righteous sect, a psychological attack is the best approach.’
He strode to the stern of the ship and shouted toward the vessel behind him, "Xu Hesui! A moment ago, I fought Yan Gulin to the death because I trusted in the reputation of your righteous sect and held nothing back! Now I’m grievously injured, and you’re pursuing me. What kind of justice is that?"
Faced with Xue Kuang’s accusation, Xu Hesui’s elegant brows furrowed slightly.
’Exploiting an opponent’s weakness is indeed dishonorable,’ she thought. ’But while the Cyan Wood Sword Sect values its reputation, we are by no means inflexible fools.’
"Xue Kuang, you don’t need to provoke me. A moment ago, the two of you ganged up to force me out of the fight. Do you really take me for a blind fool?" Xu Hesui’s voice was like ice, carrying across the river’s surface. "If you want to take the black dragon fish today, fine! Take one strike from my sword, and I will leave!"
The moment her words fell, the treasured sword at her waist let out a high-pitched dragon’s cry!
SHIIING—
The treasured sword left its sheath, transforming into a streak of cyan light that tore through the night sky. In an instant, it crossed dozens of yards of open water, aiming straight for Xue Kuang’s head!
Xue Kuang’s pupils contracted, and his heart clenched. ’This woman’s sword control... it’s just like the flying sword Skills from the Ancient Era!’
"You think I’m scared?!"
He roared, drew the heavy Black Gold Halberd from his back, and forcibly channeled the Qi and Blood in his body, smashing it violently down toward the streak of cyan light!
BOOM!
The sword and halberd collided, erupting in a dazzling, ring-shaped shockwave in midair!
The sharp, cyan sword qi and the frenzied, blood-red Gang Wind tore at each other, letting out a series of teeth-grinding CRACKLES!