Chapter 1181: 1181
Although Long Chen had never gone to the Wine G.o.d Palace, just by seeing this construction, he could tell he had arrived .
It was less than thirty miles in diameter . Looking from the air, it looked like a huge wine pot lying on its side . It was definitely a unique structure .
The entrance was the wine pot’s spout . Even from the entrance, he could smell a dense wine fragrance that could intoxicate him .
“Hey, grand-uncle, once we go inside, you have to act with propriety . If you get kicked out, it would be too embarra.s.sing . At that time, don’t blame me for not being loyal and acting like I don’t know you,” said Xia Youluo solemnly .
Uncle Long had now become grand-uncle . It felt like he had aged another couple of decades . Well, it wasn’t as if Long Chen wanted her loyalty .
He shook his head . “That’s fine . In any case, someone as old as me isn’t afraid of losing face . But little girl, if you’re worried about being implicated, you can go first . ”
Since he was being called grand-uncle, Long Chen took advantage of his newfound seniority to call her little girl .
“Do you think I’m such a disloyal person? I’m just telling you to reserve yourself a bit . This is the Wine G.o.d Palace, and if you cause trouble, you’ll be kicked out . Not only will you lose face, but my imperial father will also scold you,” warned the little girl .
“Big brother won’t blame me . After all, we’re brothers . ” Long Chen thickened his skin and directly called the leader of the Grand Xia his big brother . Now he wasn’t just taking advantage of Xia Youluo, he was even superior to Xia Yunchong .
“You…! If my father learns of this, he’ll definitely cut off your head . ” The little girl clenched her teeth . She had never seen someone so shameless .
“That’s fine, to die to my brother’s blade, it wouldn’t be a vain death . I’m going in, so you should leave . Wine isn’t something a little girl should drink,” said Long Chen .
“You… you’re the child! I’ve already become an adult! What’s the big deal? The worst case is I get kicked out again,” snorted the little girl .
Long Chen looked at Xia Youluo oddly . “Why does it feel like you’ve already been kicked out before?”
Only then did Xia Youluo realize she had exposed herself with her own mouth . She turned red and bashfully said, “At that time, I was still young and didn’t understand . I won’t be kicked out now . ”
“Then will I end up being implicated by you? It’d be embarra.s.sing to be kicked out as soon as I enter . ” Long Chen hesitated . Now he really didn’t want Xia Youluo to follow him . He didn’t want to get kicked out with her .
“I was still young last year! They were the petty ones! Even if I was in the wrong, I was just a little child . Hmph, I can’t believe they quibbled with a child like that!” said Xia Youluo .
Last year? If she really had been a little child at that time, then she was truly a genius . But now that they had come here, Long Chen could only thicken his skin and enter . He hoped this little girl wouldn’t cause any trouble .
The entrance didn’t have any guards, nor was there anyone to receive them . Once they were inside, they found themselves in front of a tranquil courtyard . There was a stone stele in front of them with an image on it .
The image contained a man in shoddy clothes . He was half-lying against a peach tree, a wine pot in his hand . It was clear he was drunk . He was looking into the distance with a lost expression, seeming half-intoxicated half-sober . The scene was very lifelike .
His clothes were worn out, and he had dust all over him . He was extremely sloppy, with a few flower petals lying on his head .
But he gave off an air of freedom and relaxation . This was a realm, one where the body rested within the world of mortal dust, while the heart was flying within the clouds .
As soon as Long Chen looked at it, he was drawn in by that realm . In that instant, he felt all his mundane worries fall away from him . His heart became empty .
The lines forming the man were very simple, almost careless . But just these few lines bestowed that man a moving divine charm .
Long Chen followed where that man was looking to see nine brilliant stars s.h.i.+ning in the air . They were like a ring of blazing suns in the upper left corner of the image .
“Long Chen, go light the incense . ” Suddenly, Long Chen felt Xia Youluo push him .
Only then did Long Chen wake from his stupor and realize that a youth in hemp clothes with his hair worn in a bun was offering him incense .
“Ah, sorry . ” Long Chen hastily received the incense sticks .
The youth shook his head . “Esteemed guest, there’s no need for you to apologize . This image is the Wine G.o.d . For you to be drawn in by the Wine G.o.d’s divine charm means you have destiny between you two . ”
Although this youth was just a teen, his voice was naturally tranquil . He was neither servile nor overbearing, neither arrogant nor impatient .
Long Chen received the incense sticks . Lighting them, he placed them into the censer . He had only just put them in when his three incense sticks instantly turned to ash .
“What…?” The youth was shocked . He had no idea what had happened . These incense sticks were made of special material . No matter what kind of outer force tried to disturb them, they would always burn for exactly fifteen minutes .
But now, they had instantly been incinerated . He had never seen such a phenomenon . Long Chen and Xia Youluo were also surprised .
“Um, miss, please also place the incense . ” The youth hesitated but still handed incense sticks to Xia Youluo .
Xia Youluo ignited her incense sticks and placed them inside . Everything was normal this time . The three incense sticks were slowly burning .
“Please enter . ” The youth waved his hand to them in a welcoming gesture .
“Long Chen, what happened just now?” asked Xia Youluo stealthily as they entered the courtyard .
“How rude . Call me uncle . ” Long Chen intentionally put on a chiding expression .
“Hmph, who would call you that . ” Xia Youluo sniffed and turned her head .
Just like that, the t.i.tle of uncle was tossed aside . Long Chen laughed inside . This little girl wasn’t even close to his match .
But he also couldn’t offend this little girl . He said, “In truth, I also don’t know . I just felt a mystical energy destroy those incense sticks . It was just like…”
It was like a strange kind of energy had refused to allow Long Chen to offer incense . But Long Chen also wasn’t clear on that . He just felt it was extremely strange .
“Just like what?” Seeing Long Chen suddenly stop talking, Xia Youluo hastily questioned him .
“Just like… sigh, I’m not very erudite, and I don’t know how to describe it . ” Long Chen shook his head dimly .
“That’s fine, just think about it . I’m not in a rush . ” Xia Youluo was very curious, and had to know .
“It’s just like someone is going to the bathroom and suddenly realized they were out of toilet paper . At this time, someone gave them a wooden stick, but after a moment’s hesitation, they refused the stick . It’s probably because they’re waiting for someone to give them paper instead,” said Long Chen .
“What on earth are you talking about? How can you compare placing incense on a censer to such a thing? One’s fragrant and one’s smelly . They’re completely different . Furthermore, so what if there’s no paper or stick?” asked Xia Youluo .
It appeared his incredibly c.r.a.ppy joke was truly c.r.a.ppy . He supposed the royal people in the palace had never used a stick to wipe their b.u.t.ts .
But after Long Chen said this, Xia Youluo stopped asking . Once they were inside, Long Chen found that this building which looked like a wine pot actually had its own s.p.a.ce inside . There were mountains, rivers, and lakes . The scenery stretched as far as the eye could see .
“The Wine G.o.d Palace is in itself a treasure . It contains its own spatial formation inside . There’s plenty of farmland, and all the ingredients they put into their wine are grown themselves,” said Xia Youluo . She was now much more well-behaved upon entering the Wine G.o.d Palace .
There was a small mountain not far from them . A stone path meandered its way toward it . Plenty of old trees grew within the mountain, and everything was extremely secluded and beautiful . A few pavilions were hidden within the trees, looking like peaceful places to live .
At the foot of the mountain, they suddenly sensed a faint drizzle watering the flouris.h.i.+ng gra.s.s . This place was full of life .
“What an amazing place . ” As the drizzle washed over him, Long Chen couldn’t help but exclaim in praise . This seemed to be the kind of place where an expert would choose to live in seclusion . Here, all his troubles seemed to vanish .
“Does no one normally come to the Wine G.o.d Palace? Why aren’t there any outsiders here?” asked Long Chen .
“Do you think just anyone can come here? People who want to come inside have to make an appointment . Only the members of my Grand Xia’s imperial family have the privilege of bringing people in to pay respects at any time,” said Xia Youluo disdainfully .
It seemed she still remembered her enmity with him . As long as he gave her an opportunity, she would immediately get some revenge .
Long Chen stepped onto the stone stairs and suddenly felt a strange energy wash over him . He felt some kind of energy stripping him of all his power .
“This is the Wine G.o.d Palace’s formation . It strips us of our cultivation base, making us just mortals . It’s truly strange,” explained Xia Youluo .
“A mortal? Are you saying you’re an immortal?” laughed Long Chen .
As this mystical energy stripped him of his power, Long Chen felt the primal chaos bead begin to slowly circulate . Long Chen hastily stopped it . He knew the primal chaos bead was beginning to automatically resist this energy .
He didn’t want to cause a fuss and allowed the energy to wash through him . It sealed his meridians, immortal platforms, and even his Spiritual Strength .
At this time, Long Chen only had the power of his physical body . His divine sense vanished . At first, he wasn’t used to it, but as time pa.s.sed, he felt his heart became more relaxed than ever . There was a kind of pleasure in returning to being a normal mortal . It couldn’t be expressed with words .
After losing all that you depended upon, you would suddenly feel more at peace, as if all your burdens had been put down . It was another kind of experience .
But Long Chen saw Xia Youluo frown . She clearly didn’t like this feeling .
“Let’s go . ” Long Chen continued onward . This was his first time feeling so solid . It was a feeling of having his feet firmly planted on the ground . Even just walking across the ground was an extremely moving experience now .
However, these stone stairs had gra.s.s and moss growing over them, making them slippery . It was all too easy to lose your balance here .
“Aiya!” Xia Youluo had only taken a few careful steps when she slipped . Despite doing her best to avoid the mossy parts, she still slipped .
If she fell, she would become covered in mud . Long Chen hastily grabbed her, allowing her to steady herself .
“This d.a.m.n-” Xia Youluo was just about to curse this d.a.m.n path for being so hard to walk on when she clamped her hands over her mouth . She looked around, and seeing there was no one else around, she relaxed .