Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 316 Ordinary Wine

The banquet continued, and the conversation gradually turned to interesting anecdotes from the cultivation world, or exchanges about the local specialties of their respective regions. Chen Anran and Su Wan occasionally conversed in hushed tones, and he toasted and exchanged pleasantries with Tianbao, Shen Zui, and others sitting next to him, maintaining a composed demeanor throughout.

Feng Xiaolu quietly nudged Wei Qingyi's arm and whispered, "Second Senior Sister, do you really think it's such a coincidence that He Qingyun and Mo Han aren't here?"

Wei Qingyi picked up a slice of bamboo shoot, put it in her mouth, chewed it carefully, and then replied calmly, "Too many coincidences are no longer coincidences."

Feng Xiaolu nodded thoughtfully, asked no more questions, and then put a piece of her favorite pastry on Xiao Ling'er's plate.

As night deepened, the banquet eventually came to an end. People rose one by one, bid each other farewell, and, led by their respective disciples or hotel staff, returned to their lodgings.

Chen Anran and Su Wan stood at the entrance of Xian Shan Fang, seeing everyone off. Moonlight shone on the two of them, casting long shadows in front of the mountain gate.

Once everyone had left, leaving only Su Wan and Chen Anran, Su Wan breathed a sigh of relief, turned her head to look at Chen Anran, her eyes shining brightly in the moonlight: "You handled things very well today."

"It was Senior Sister who stabilized the situation," Chen Anran said.

Su Wan shook her head slightly, gazing at the still scattered lights of the resort below the mountain, her tone elusive: "The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease... Anran, after tomorrow, it will likely be difficult to find peace. Get some rest."

"Senior Sister, you should also rest early."

………………

Many were resting, but many were not. The various sects' control over their disciples was limited to the daytime. At this time, the young disciples from various sects, who had been strictly confined to the hotel by their masters during the day, slipped out in twos and threes like birds being released, blending into the colorful night scene of the resort.

The main street of the resort, not far away, was even more bustling than during the day.

Feng Xiaolu, pulling Zhao Mengmeng and Lin Xiaoman along, mingled in the crowd. Zhao Mengmeng held a cup of spiritual juice, her eyes sparkling as she looked around: "Third Uncle, look over there! Those young Taoist priests from Maoshan are playing ring toss!"

Feng Xiaolu looked in the direction she pointed and saw several young disciples dressed in apricot-yellow Taoist robes gathered around a ring toss stall. Each of them held several bamboo rings and was aiming at the various trinkets on the ground, their expressions as serious as if they were practicing their talisman aiming. The stall owner was a shrewd middle-aged man with a wide grin.

"Pfft—" Feng Xiaolu couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Let's go take a look!"

The three of them went over and just then saw a young Taoist priest flick his wrist, sending a bamboo ring flying that landed squarely on a small clay gourd. The young priest's face lit up with joy, and his companions gasped softly.

"This young Taoist priest has excellent skills!" The stall owner gave a thumbs up and happily handed over the small gourd.

Another disciple nearby, eager to try, exclaimed, "I'll give it a shot!" He concentrated and, mimicking the young Taoist, tossed the bamboo hoop. The hoop, however, arced through the air before landing with a thud on the ground. Good-natured chuckles rippled through the crowd. The disciple scratched his head, unperturbed, and pulled out some more money: "Five more, please!"

Feng Xiaolu watched for a while and found it interesting, so she also bought a few rings. Unfortunately, her aim was not as good as that of the little Taoist priest. She missed several times, which made Zhao Mengmeng and Lin Xiaoman chuckle.

"What are you laughing at! Everyone has their own expertise, don't you know that!" Feng Xiaolu put her hands on her hips and pretended to be angry, but she couldn't help but laugh herself.

After browsing the ring toss stall, the three strolled slowly along the main street. Passing "Lingqiaofang," they saw Jiang Yun seeing off two disciples dressed in Jiang family attire. (Chapter update reminder: Chapter 316 Mortal Wine, reading address). They bowed to each other in farewell, all with smiles on their faces, clearly having had a pleasant conversation. Jiang Yun glanced at Feng Xiaolu and the others, nodded a greeting from afar, but didn't exchange further pleasantries before turning back into the shop.

"Brother Jiang Yun seems to be quite busy," Zhao Mengmeng said while sipping her juice.

"When guests come to visit, we should at least greet them," Feng Xiaolu said dismissively.

Compared to the bustling main street, "Yunyin Bar" is much quieter. The bar has a small storefront with the name engraved on a wooden signboard. Warm yellow light shines through the windows, and soft, soothing music flows out.

The bar was nearly empty tonight, with only a handful of customers at each table. Behind the bar, Yin Xiaohao was expertly wiping a glass. He wore a well-fitting black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms.

The door was pushed open, bringing in a cool night breeze. Yin Xiaohao looked up and saw Feng Yue walk in alone. This elder of the Feng family still had his signature cold face, as if everyone owed him eight hundred spirit stones. His gray hair was neatly combed, and he wore a slightly old-fashioned dark gray robe, which was out of place with the relaxed atmosphere of the bar.

Feng Yue walked straight to the bar, sat down on a high stool, and frowned slightly as his gaze swept over the dazzling array of bottles on the liquor rack.

"What would you like to drink?" Yin Xiaohao put down the cleaned glass, his tone calm.

Without even glancing at the wine list, Feng Yue asked directly, "What's the best wine you have here?"

Feng Yue glanced at the wine bottle and snorted softly, "Foreigners' stuff. Do you have any of our own brewed wine? Spirit wine, immortal wine?"

Yin Xiaohao shook his head slightly inwardly, but maintained a professional smile on his face: "I'm sorry, senior. This is a bar, mainly serving various classic and innovative cocktails, as well as some selected distilled and brewed spirits. The 'spiritual wine and celestial brew' you mentioned, we don't have here."

A hint of disappointment, even a touch of disdain, flashed across Feng Yue's face. He casually waved his hand. "Then let's have this." He pointed to the bottle of whiskey. "Neat."

Yin Xiaohao nodded, took a clean antique glass, picked up a piece of ice, poured about 30 milliliters of liquor into it using a measuring cup, and gently pushed it in front of Feng Yue.

Feng Yue picked up the glass, first bringing it to his nose to sniff, then frowned again. He took a small sip, the liquid lingering in his mouth for a moment before swallowing. He then put down the glass, shook his head, and spoke softly enough for the people near the bar to hear: "Tsk, ordinary liquor, too fiery, completely devoid of spiritual energy. This resort... its reputation is nothing special. They don't even have a decent cellar for spiritual liquor; this bar is just for show."

He paused, seemingly feeling it wasn't enough, and added, "I soaked in that hot spring during the day. The water temperature was acceptable, but the spiritual energy it contained was pitifully thin, far from the 'spiritual spring' advertised online. It seems that the Cloud Hidden Sect's hype is mostly just hype."

Yin Xiaohao paused slightly as he wiped the cup, glancing up at Feng Yue. This elder of the Feng family was arrogant, his tone undisguisedly critical. Having spent time at the Yunyin Sect, Yin Xiaohao was well aware of the situation on the mountain, the abilities of Chen Anran and the others, and was also aware that the seemingly ordinary places in this resort actually concealed hidden secrets.

A faint sense of resentment rose in his heart, and he thought to himself: When you have time to go to the children's amusement park or see the statues in the side hall, you won't say such things!

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