Though Mu Wansu was surprised by Lin Xun's composedness, when she saw the flagon Childe Shi took out, the expression on her face changed.
"Childe Shi…"
She could not keep silent anymore with anxiety between her frowned eyebrows.
"It’s okay."
Shi Shuan waved his hands to stop Mu Wansu talking, and then lifted the flagon and poured a cup full of it.
As glittering and translucent as chrysophoron, the liquor was in dark cyan, giving out an elegant and refreshing fragrance.
Looking at the liquor, he murmured "Wonderful liquor" his eyes brightened.
He had keenly perceived the changed expression of Mu Wansu and doped out the liquor should either be highly toxic or extremely valuable and rare.
And the latter was more likely to be true since if those two intended to kill him, it was unnecessary to make use of the liquor considering their formidable power.
Then Lin Xun raised the cup and drank off the liquor, after which his eyes became brighter.
Like spring rain, the liquor with warm and gentle spirit energy spread to the limbs and bones and permeated the whole body fully.
Within the time of one breath, Lin Xun felt all his spirit energy boiling, saturating and flowing through the body cheerily.
Lin Xun couldn't help to compliment, "Magical liquor indeed!"
Seeing what Lin Xun did, Shi Shuan was surprised and impressed by his free and easy attitude, so he laughed and added, "Brewed by Master Mei from the Heaven Workshop of The Green-deer School, the liquor is called Four Seasons. Like the wind slipped secretly into the night, the first cup of it moistened everything silently and softly."
Meanwhile he served another cup of the liquor, "Now please have this second cup."
Lin Xun was not hesitant and drank it off directly. Boom! As if scorching flood burst into his mouth, fierce and hot airflow ran madly in his body, making him shiver spontaneously. His face turned red immediately as every inch of his skin became red.
The feeling was like exposed under the sweltering summer. Burning hotness rolled over the whole body and copious spirit energy spurted out of every orifice and pore.
Lin Xun opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out, saying, "How can a pot of liquor taste so different in two shots? Master Mei at The Green-deer School is really a great brewing master."
Hearing it, Mu Wansu was speechless and despised Lin Xun's ignorance in heart. How could he not hear of Master Mei, one of the first class masters on refining medicinal pills and elixirs?
This pot of Four Seasons was a priceless treasure even in the Forbidden City, the imperial capital. Nobody had access to it except the bigwigs.
Even Mu Wansu, who could be counted as a famous and powerful person for being the principle of Keystone Business of Donglin Town,, dared not crave for a taste of Four Seasons.
However, Shi Shuan now served such a young boy at an obscure village with it. Feeling absurd, Mu Wansu also envied secretly in the heart. Ignorant the boy might be, he was really a lucky dog.
Knowing nothing of what Mu Wansu thought, Shi Shuan burst into laugh and said to Lin Xun, "Like scorching sun slid through the throat, the second cup of it would get into your stomach and burn it fiercely."
Looking at Lin Xun's bright red cheeks, he inquired, "Little brother, would you like to enjoy the third cup?"
Indeed, Lin Xun got into a muddle to some extent. He could hold the liquor, but due to the two cups of it, the spirit energy within his body rose suddenly and sharply, as if mountain torrents surged into a small pond which was too small to hold it.
Obviously, the Four Seasons was a kind of spiritual liquor which should be supremely precious and rare.
Lin Xun had no choice but to cultivate. Guided by Qi, the booming spirit energy looped constantly to dissolve the efficacy of the drug liquor.
Meanwhile, he smiled and answered, "It is known as Four Seasons, then if I miss the third and the fourth cups, how regretful I will be for a life time."
"How shameless the boy is!"
Mu Wansu criticized him in the heart. She could tell Lin Xun had gotten the usages and benefits of Four Seasons. Supposedly, he should refuse it with reverence and awe. After all, the liquor was so expensive and rare that no one would accept it shamelessly.
However, Lin Xun was so insatiable.
Shi Shuan was also in a trance, and then looked Lin Xun up and down with sharp sight, saying, "Honestly, your respond is really out of my expectation. For a general practitioner at the Martial Realm, the first cup will make him drunk and fall to the ground due to the abundant spirit energy in it. However, you are totally different."
With blurred eyesight and burning cheeks, Lin Xun mumbled, "Er…maybe I'm a good drinker."
Shi Shuan laughed and filled the third cup with the liquor. Then unexpectedly, he pointed to the beast meats and furs in the yard and asked, "Have you killed so many beasts by yourself?"
Lin Xun shook his head and answered, "No. There was a battle in the deep mountains far away a few days ago, and these beasts were involved and killed during it. I was just lucky to pick them up."
A battle!
Shi Shuan and Mu Wansu were both shocked.
As if having been drunk, Lin Xun continued, "You may not have heard of it. That battle was between two strong practitioners at the Spirit Sea Realm. One of them was flying on a sword like an immortal…"
It was Shie Yutang!
What Lin Xun said made Shi Shuan and Mu Wansu confirm their suspicion.
"Then who did he fight with?"
Mu Wansu could not help to ask.
"He is…Voodoo-barbarian?"
Lin Xun frowned and thought for a while, and then added, "I can't remember it clearly."
After that, he drank the third cup. This time, the liquor was clear and refreshing, gurgling down his throat like a stream in a valley. A feeling of broadness and freeness struck Lin Xun, bringing him back to the autumn under high sky and white clouds, full of solitude and bleakness.
Boom***
Like eruptible volcano, the spirit energy within galloped and looped unceasingly, washing out the meridians and collaterals of the body ragingly.
Although the energy was refined four times in the Heart Vessel and Four Acupoints, the soaring volume was still hard to control.
If it went on like this, irreparable damage would be done to his body.
Gritting his teeth, Lin Xun thought no more and took a deep breath in before crossing his legs to sit down on the ground and break through regardless of everything else.
Shi Shuan and Mu Wansu cared little about Lin Xun's uncommon behavior which was actually normal. With abundant spirit energy, Four Seasons were prepared for practitioners beyond the realm of Gang Spirit. As a young boy at the third level of Martial Realm, Lin Xun astonished them after he kept drinking three cups of the liquor.
All their attentions were now drawn to that Voodoo-barbarian Lin Xun mentioned.
"I can't believe that strong practitioners from the Empire of the Dark visited this place too. Have they also heard something about the Peerless Treasure?"
There was a stern expression on Shi Shuan's face while he frowned.
Empire of the Dark, which was located in the deep and turbulent wasteland, was an implacable foe of Ziyao Empire.
"If Shie Yutang said so, it couldn't be wrong. I can’t imagine the Empire of the Dark will start making troubles again after thousands of year."
Mu Wansu tightened her mouth with a touch of worry in her eyes.
"Forget it. I’m just wondering whether Shie Yutang has found that Peerless Treasure the Flamen referred to."
Coldness emerged in the eyes of Shi Shuan.
Mu Wansu didn't know how to answer the question since the clues they had found were too scarce. All speculations were unreliable unless they could have a conversation with Shie Yutang.
Shi Shuan thought in the same way, so he shook his head and turned the eyes to Lin Xun who was sitting nearby cultivating.
Mu Wansu looked into the same direction and asked impulsively, "Childe Shi, why did you serve the boy with the precious Four Seasons? It's quite lavish."
Shi Shuan shook the head again and stopped her words.
Seeing this, Mu Wansu became silent although many suspicions were kept in her heart.
After some time during which one may finish a cup of tea, Lin Xun opened his eyes. With copious spirit energy, the aura he held up changed a lot in such a short period of time. He now looked somehow incisive and fierce like a sharp blade just getting unsheathed .
Within the body, the vigorous and pure spirit energy traveled around the meridians and orifices, passed the Heart Vessel and Four Acupoints, cycled once in the five internal organs and then went back to the meridians.
The orifices in his body were now infused with subtle spirit light, echoing with the blood and Qi fiercely.
He reached Orifices Connecting, the fourth level of Martial Realm!
Connected orifices had a positive effect on the spirit, which then would influence blood and Qi energetically. When one reached this level, his Qi function and power would be transformed again.
"Congratulations! You had a new breakthrough on the cultivation."
Shi Shuan laughed and cupped his hands to greet Lin Xun.
Lin Xun got up hurriedly and saluted back, “I really have to thank you for this. Without the liquor you just gave me, I would never break through now.”
Shi Shuan laughed and waved his hands, saying, "Don't mention it. It's just a few cups of liquor. Please have a sit."
Lin Xun sat down joyfully.
The breakthrough was so accidental that he was also unprepared. However, he owed Shi Shuan a favor unconsciously.
Lin Xun wouldn't say anything about it. How could he know this Childe Shi did it purposely or not? If there was a chance in the future, he would return the favor; if not, he would forget it ever happened.
Never being a stubborn person, Lin Xun wouldn't work himself to death for someone who did him a favor once.
Seeing Lin Xun sit down naturally and leisurely, Mu Wansu praised him secretly. If others got such a chance to break through, they wouldn't keep so calm and quiet like him.
"To be honest, I come to the thousands of mountains on the southwest border to search for a peerless treasure. It was said three months ago a heavenly anomaly fell upon this place, so little brother, have you heard something about it?"
Shi Shuan asked casually while serving the fourth cup for Lin Xun.
"I can't recall anything special."
Lin Xun shook his head and replied, "If something happened in recent months, I should remember it clearly. However, nothing abnormal had occurred at all. All villagers here can prove it."
Shi Shuan nodded and then was lost in his mind whilst Mu Wansu frowned and asked, "Little brother, are you sure about it?"
Before Lin Xun responded, Shi Shuan waved his hands and said, "All right, ask no further. I got it."
Mu Wansu was dissatisfied with Lin Xun's respond and stared him with hostile eyes. The kid drank Four Seasons without appreciation; worse still, he never spoke of anything valuable. How irritating.
However, she understood a young kid at such a barren place might never hear of the Peerless Treasure.
At the same time, the gate of the yard was pushed open and the village head Shiao Tianren came in excitedly and blurted out, "Good news, Lin Xun, we have harvested…"
He stopped abruptly when he saw there were two strangers in the yard besides Lin Xun and the expression on his face changed subtly.