Chapter 24
Chapter 24
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Alcohol Gets You Drunk Faster When Mixed
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Don't worry, it's just your average bandits-24 (24/178)"
"Rest assured, it's just ordinary bandits."
I agreed to the bet, and the Hao Sect Leader smiled as she poured liquor into a cup.
"This is Yi Guo Du Jiu. Whatever poison is mixed in is our secret. I hope you understand."
"Just give it here."
She handed the full cup to a courtesan, who then passed it to me.
Clink.
A faint aroma of Yi Guo Du Jiu wafted from the cup placed before me.
Sniff.
...No, upon properly smelling it, it wasn't faint at all. A thick scent assaulted my nose.
Normally, Yi Guo Du Jiu has a fruity apple scent, but this smelled more like fermented apples.
It was impossible to guess what poison was in it—a visual and aroma that even a liquor enthusiast might hesitate over....
Gulp.
I lifted the cup and downed it straight.
"Mmm~."
The first sip definitely burned. My mouth and tongue felt like they were on fire.
But that's how you drink liquor. I savored the fiery sensation with my tongue before slowly letting it slide down my throat.
As it passed, a lingering aftertaste remained in my mouth. It felt like someone had concentrated the essence of a hundred apples and shoved it in there.
At the same time, the energy within my body automatically circulated to neutralize the liquor that had entered.
Just one sip, and I already felt the buzz. This stuff was top-shelf.
"Tasty, huh?"
"..."
I gave my honest impression, and the Hao Sect Leader looked a bit deflated.
No, she seemed a little flustered too.
Of course she did. She'd been confident, but I'd drunk it down like it was delicious.
'Who told you to bet against me with poisoned booze?'
I snickered inwardly and said to her,
"One cup down. I'm feeling fine. Wanna check for yourself?"
"...No need. You look perfectly fine at a glance. First round's yours, as promised. Ask your question."
"Alright, first one."
Obviously, I'd win all three rounds, but to prepare for any surprises, I decided to ask the thing I was most curious about.
"That higher-level info you mentioned earlier about the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult... spill it."
Information on the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. That was the real reason I'd agreed to this drinking contest.
The Hao Sect Leader, having anticipated I'd ask this first, opened her mouth without any particular reaction.
And the info she gave me was...
"It appears the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's executives have left the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and infiltrated the Central Plains."
"...What?"
...It was downright shocking.
I was dead serious now, so I had to ask again.
"...Is that for real? Not a single lie?"
"When we sell information, we don't mix in falsehoods. It's the tradition and pride of the Hao Sect. Our spies definitively witnessed warriors bearing the elders' insignia slipping out of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains."
"......"
...Yeah, the Hao Sect doesn't lie about stuff like this.
Knowing that only made me more confused.
...Why? Why the hell...?
Why had the story changed?
Sure, since I transmigrated into this world, the future might have shifted a bit. But had my actions influenced the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's movements?
My head was already pounding, and the Hao Sect Leader's next words hit me like a combo.
"Among them was reportedly the Vice Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
"...That hikikomori bitch came out of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains?"
"Hiki... I don't know what that means, but... do you have some connection to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Vice Cult Leader?"
"......"
I naturally didn't answer that question.
As I stayed silent, the Hao Sect Leader glanced at me cautiously and continued.
"...You're trembling a little."
"......"
"I see you as someone with exceptional martial prowess. So why throw your lot in with those apostate scum from the North?"
She asked with what seemed like genuine curiosity.
Just apostate warriors stirring up minor chaos in the North.
That was the common view of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
And sure, you could see them that way. After the founding Heavenly Demon, they'd been holed up in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains for centuries without any real moves.
But that didn't mean they were weak.
'Troublesome... Too much hassle to kill them, can't they just die on their own?'
They were just biding their time. Hiding their claws thoroughly.
Apostate scum from the North?
The person who held the most information in the world was spouting that nonsense right now.
That's how complacent the current martial world was. That complacency would drag it into hell. I'd seen that future clearly in the novel.
And now the ones bringing that disaster were moving faster than scheduled?
...Disappointing.
So disappointing that I craved a drink.
"...Hey, my question's done, so pour the next one quick."
"...You sound just like a guy ordering daytime booze at an inn."
The Hao Sect Leader looked baffled but reached for the next bottle anyway.
Whoosh—.
The moment she uncorked it, I knew.
This one's way stronger than the last.
As she poured it into the cup, she began explaining.
"This is Bamboo Leaf Green."
"Bamboo Leaf Green? I was hoping for something fiercer and more premium..."
I grumbled, and she chuckled softly before handing the poured cup to the courtesan.
"It's premium Bamboo Leaf Green made directly in Sichuan, the origin of the original. Nothing like the cheap swill at inns. Naturally, the poison mixed in is a secret."
"...Fine. Gimme, I wanna get drunk."
I took the cup from the courtesan and sniffed it first.
The sweet, refreshingly unique aroma of Bamboo Leaf Green hit strong. I immediately tossed it back.
Gulp.
"Mm."
Not bad.
Just as the Hao Sect Leader said, the taste and depth were worlds apart from the cheap Bamboo Leaf Green at inns. Of course, with the poison, it burned quite a bit.
'She must've prepared thoroughly.'
Even a top expert would've passed out from this poisoned brew. But no matter how strong, to me, it's just tasty liquor.
"I finished it. Question time now?"
"...You seem fine again, so go ahead."
Tsk tsk.
Poor thing.
She had her pride as Hao Sect Leader, yet I was crushing it thoroughly.
'You gotta pick your opponents for bets.'
I clicked my tongue inwardly and tossed out a casual question.
"Uh... what was it. How'd you know I was interested in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?"
"I received a full report on the Yu Clan of Shanxi earlier. Elder Wei Yongming there turned out to be a demon. I could infer from that."
"Yeah... pretty much what I figured."
That was the only leak possible, so I'd roughly expected they'd pieced it together from there.
Her answer left me even more bored.
Aside from the first question, nothing really piqued my interest.
My main focus now was solely the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's deviation from the novel.
'Damn... I was gonna ignore it all and live carefree...'
I'd planned to stay out of it, whether Heavenly Demon Divine Cult or righteous sects—it was none of my business, live happily ever after. But my eyes kept drifting there.
It felt like watching a kid play with fire in front of an oil drum.
It's fine, right? Even if details change a bit, the flow should follow the novel?
In the novel, even though the world burned to ash, the Martial Alliance won. I didn't see the end, but they'd seized the advantage, so they probably triumphed.
'It's fine. It'll be fine. Don't get involved, no matter what. Stick to the plan from a year ago...'
I tried to suppress my anxiety and refocus my mind. By then, the third drink was ready.
The Hao Sect Leader uncorked the final bottle and explained as before.
"Everything about the last one is a secret."
"Yeah...?"
Pour.
Unlike the others, this one poured without any spicy or burning aroma.
But return to simplicity, return to true nature, or whatever. Being the final drink, it probably looked ordinary but packed the biggest punch.
'Maybe... I should be a bit tense?'
I took the cup from the courtesan with a slightly different mindset than before and downed it.
But...
"...?"
This is weird.
Why's the liquor... sweet?
"Something wrong?"
I made an odd face, and the Hao Sect Leader spoke up.
Her expression was remarkably serene, as if she'd given up on everything. Curious, I asked,
"The liquor... it's sweet?"
"The liquor... is sweet, you say...?"
"Yeah. Did you give up since I wasn't nodding off...? Hng!"
It happened then.
Urp.
Nausea rose from my stomach, while drunkenness clouded my head and shattered my focus.
The liquor's effects were kicking in hard.
Whoosh.
I quickly closed my eyes and assumed a cross-legged position. Time to manually circulate my energy for detoxification.
'What the hell...? It was fine, why suddenly...'
I couldn't help panicking. I'd been okay until now, why... And besides, I'd...
'Sigh, lucky bastard. This opened your Ren and Du meridians, so you'll never fall to ordinary poisons. About at the Thousand Poisons Immunity level, roughly.'
...That's what happened!
I was indignant, but no time for questions. I focused fully on detoxifying.
The silver lining: my detoxification speed outpaced the poison's spread.
Sniff.
But then, with my eyes closed, I sensed movement in front of me. The Hao Sect Leader had stood up.
'What the hell's this bitch up to...?'
No using force in a drinking contest—that's rule one. So I wondered even more why she'd risen.
'If she tries anything funny, detoxification be damned, fist first.'
With that thought, I continued detoxing. At that moment, the Hao Sect Leader spoke.
"You're truly arrogant. Until now, I've focused solely on you to beat you, making you my entire world. How can you have stray thoughts even in the middle of our bet?"
Guess I'd been too obvious with my inner thoughts. Still, no hostility in her tone, so I stayed silent and focused on detox.
"Poison mixing doesn't just happen externally. It happens internally too. Do you remember what was in the drinks you had today?"
Damn, how am I supposed to remember that? More importantly, internal poison mixing?
Gurgle.
No wonder new toxins kept rising despite my detoxing.
Still, almost there. A bit more, and I'd fully neutralize it.
Meanwhile, the Hao Sect Leader kept monologuing ahead of me.
"The drinks today contained poisons like Crane Spirit Herb, Ice White Poison, Flame King Poison, and Wine Poison Flower. Of course, blended harmlessly to the life—no issue there, and even mixed, it wouldn't form a lethal toxin for warriors..."
"......"
"But when those poisons mix inside with certain spices from the snacks you ate today, it becomes Drunken Immortal Wine—the favorite of the Third Clan Leader of the Sichuan Tang Clan, who was immune to ten thousand poisons."
"...!"
Immune to ten thousand poisons, and he drank this...? But I'm... Thousand Poisons Immunity?
I panicked for a moment, but detox was progressing. I tried not to get swayed by her words and stayed focused.
"Oh, but I almost made a mistake. The key to Drunken Immortal Wine is the strong sourness of tangerines—I nearly forgot."
"...What?"
Sensing her next words were bad news, I hurriedly opened my eyes.
But...
Thud.
Her soft hand was already over my mouth, and something slid down my throat.
Gulp.
From the brief taste on my tongue, it was a tangerine.
What harm could a mere fruit do?
But...
Bubble.
"...!"
The tangerine hit my gut, mingled with the poisoned liquor, formed a bizarre harmony, and unleashed an unbearable wave of intoxication.
"Ugh...."
My mind reeled. Exhaustion poured over my body, eyes drooping.
For years, I hadn't gotten drunk. Even if I did, never deeply.
But now, I was drunk to the bottom of my soul.
It'd been ages since I'd felt this pleasure, but at the same time...
"You fucking... bitch."
...It brought the frustration of losing the bet.
"...We'll settle this when I wake up, you bitch."
"Yes, once you're up, we'll see each other again."
With that, I closed my eyes, staring up at the Hao Sect Leader looking down at me.
And when I opened them again...
"You're awake?"
"Ah...."
I found myself with my head pillowed on someone's thigh.