82 Lan Jius' Hobby

"Wait, let me demonstrate it to you. I won't be as good as the chef, but it might help you guys." He breathed out. It took some time for him to actually find the flow. He wasn't an expert after all. But, eventually, he had gotten the hang out of it. A single strike was all he needed to demonstrate. They would get the message afterward unless they truly had no talent in cultivation.

His fist flew a straight line, cutting through any unnecessary embellishments. The wind followed right behind, like a soft squall part of the summer breeze. It differed greatly from the usual demonstrations, which were filled to the brim with theatrics.

"...I see," Zhang Yong muttered. His eyes were glued to Lan Jius' hand. Maybe it was that this long-haired man, unlike Shou and the chef, was native to this land and country, thus, he finally came to enlightenment. To get stronger, it was not only necessary to swing your limbs and reinforce your body but also to put value and meaning within each of the attacks. He had never thought about that. No, maybe he did, a long time ago, but his pursuit of martial arts and the teachings of elders, all fixated on results, have made him forget.

"Then for you, do you base it on the teachings of the Waning Principle sect," Zhang Yong asked. As Lan Jiu said, to get in tune with the Dao, one needed to understand it from a path outside combat first. If the chef based his raison d'etre on food, it would make sense for an ex sect-member to use the religious teachings instilled within them from birth.

Yet, Lan Jiu shook his head. "No, these people also did not know the path of the Dao, otherwise they would not have perished so humiliatingly." He paused for a moment, thinking if it was the right thing to say. But then again, he wasn't a person to think much in the first place, so he just went for it. "I have a hobby for creating alcohol."

"...Huh?" His statement caused the other guys to tilt their heads. Zhang Yong crossed his arms and asked, "Like, deadly, poisonous alcohol? The one that kills you?"

"What? No, just regular alcohol," Lan Jiu spoke. "All legal. Last time, I made plum blossom wine. It had a mellow taste with a rich aroma. Too and, with all the escaping, I did not have a chance to pursue this small little passion of mine."

"Oh, I get it. It's to loosen the lips and gather blackmail from the upper-class right? To get you out of prison, or use it for money."

Lan Jiu shook his head. "No, it's purely for me. It's fun. You should give it a try."

"...You guys know how to enjoy stuff?" Zhang Yong scratched his head. He was genuinely baffled. "Don't you get pleasure only through killing?"

"Am I some kind of monster in your head? This is slander." Lan Jiu complained. But as he thought about it, it might not be too far off. "Well, it isn't usual, but my former mentor was a drunkard and forced me to learn it. You know, from times, I wonder if she took me in just to further her addiction. By now, I may have gotten better at brewing than fighting." He lamented his misfortune.

"Pfft," An Bai could not help laughing. He was the straightforward kind after all. He quickly held his mouth, but already gathered the attention of everyone around him. It did lighten the mood though. But in the first place, the previous heavy atmosphere of this store had long dissipated while watching Lan Jiu play.

In the end, regardless of one's background, heritage, or ideas, while inside the Store of Fates, they were all equal. Though they may not all agree or even like each other, in this shop, they all had the same goal regardless.

Mei Xue grumbled. She was smart enough to realize that too. As such, even though she had unmatched hate for these sects, she showed restraints, not just out of respect for the shop, but also for the other customers.

Shou shouted from afar, "If you are lacking any drinking partners, I'm always open, by the way."His remark was certainly addressed to Lan Jiu. 

"Sure," the man answered, though as time went on, he'd come to regret giving such halfhearted thought to this little reply.

"By the way, what happened to the others," An Bai suddenly commented. He glanced around and saw Ah Liang still standing a few feet away from Lan Jiu. He had already forgotten, when it came to things not involving his business, that man was the biggest coward in town.

"You guys seemed busy doing adult stuff, so we didn't want to interrupt," Ran Wei spoke, and Lin Zhuyue nodded. 

"Aren't you guys adults too?" Zhang Yong gave them a reasonable question.

Lin Zhuyue disagreed. "You wouldn't get it, for ordinary people like us, you guys are like the pinnacle of adults, with all your etiquette, social politics, meetings, and big words. It makes me feel like I am still just a child."

"What that she said, just a little less rude," Ran Wei accepted Zhuyues' explanation. "In the first place, I don't even know what the Dao is."

Lan Jiu snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "You go girl."

"Get away from me, you. Brewing alcohol is a rich man's hobby. The worst people are those fake humble rich people, who have no financial worries yet pretend to understand the life of a commoner." Ran Wei formed an X with her fingers. "Also, I don't associate with men unless they are work-related."

"..." His finger slowly deflated, like a balloon with an incredibly small hole.

"Well, that only leaves us with Miss Yinyi," An Bai spoke and all the eyes then gathered at one spot: There, a beautiful young lady, with long black hair sat on a small chair, her eyes closed.

Li Yangyis' eyes twitched. "Holy shit, she's fucking asleep."

"Maybe she entered the illusory world?" Mei Xue inspected her.

"I think we'd realize if that happened." Li Yangyi shook his head, then pointed at his sister. "Also, she has an 'I couldn't care less' face written all over her."

Li Yinyi snoozed without the worries of the world, her whole demeanor peaceful and harmonious. She had her mouth slightly open, with her head bobbing up and down—a rather unsightly side for a young woman like her.

"I guess, all this political and cultivation stuff was a bit boring for her, I wager," Mei Xue spoke, brushing away Li Yinyis's hair. "In the end, we all come here to play, so let's play." She poked Li Yinyis' cheeks, who promptly awoke from her beauty sleep.

"Yawn~" Li Yinyi stretched her arms and neck, as she rubbed a tear from her eye. "Is it time to leave already?"

"No, I just wanted to remind you that the store will close if you don't start playing soon," Mei Xue reminded her.

"Ah!" Li Yinyi shot from her seat. She held her head in panic and shouted, "I forgot! Oh no!" The girl looked around with a pointing face until her sight fell upon her brother. "This is all your fault!"

"...How?"

And with that, the other guys also started their instances.

...

Mei Xue held a cup of tea, warming her fingers. She glanced out the window, seemingly in thought. There, she saw the small village, with its little huts, great farmlands, and uneven roads. It was idyllic in a sense, and she would not mind coming here from time to time, even without the completion rate.

"What are you spacing out for in another persons' home," the old apothecary asked. She had an irritated expression. . . or maybe that was just how she looked like?

Mei Xue sighed. "Just this and that."

"Whatever," the elderly woman threw her hands in the air. "I've asked around, and apparently one of the huts in the east is free. The ol' flutist died, challenging the witch. Crazy fool," she spat out. "But it's good for you. Many loved his music, and he earned quite a coin, so his house is quite the cozy one."

"Do you guys just give these houses out? What if they are haunted by yin spirits?"

"If not, are we supposed to let them rot? New people come, while the old disappear. It's the circle of life, though quite a messed up one, I admit."

"But he went out fighting with that masked woman? I thought her destructive abilities were well-recorded. Staying in this godforsaken place does drive a person crazy and foolish though, I wager." Mei Xue shrugged her shoulders. "That reminds me, did you ever fight against that monster?"

"I was young and stupid then. But I guess I was luckier than those who perished."

Mei Xue nodded. "Did you also get a body part taken?"

The old lady threw her head back. "How dare you," she shouted and reached her hand to slap her head. "Who told you that?"

Mei Xue caught her attack between her hands, like a blade. "I just guessed. That chef is just the same right? His shoulder or something?" If she really wanted to attack her, then Mei Xue had no chance of blocking this attack, thus she was not that worried.

"You are such an uncouth woman." The apothecary clicked her tongue. She retracted her hand and threw herself on a seat. "But yes, I too, just like most in this village, have lost something to her." She lifted the cuffs on her pants, and one was able to see her feet. One of them was pitch black, and without life.