Keeping a Mistress in a Golden House?

After pouring the wine for the two of them, Xu Jinghuai returned to his seat and served himself a bowl as well.

Old He, however, had long been unable to restrain himself; with such fragrant wine set before him, he abandoned all image and tipped the bowl directly into his mouth.

Gulp, gulp—

“Haa!! Refreshing!!”

With a loud bang, Old He set down the bowl and wiped the corners of his mouth with his arm.

Looking back at the bowl, good heavens! Not a single drop of wine remained, while Xu Jinghuai had only just finished pouring his own.

Xu Jinghuai didn’t mind. Knowing when to stop, he didn’t fill his own bowl to the brim but passed the wine jar to Old He, saying with a smile: “Here, Old He, take it. Drink as you please, but remember to leave some for the Sect Master.”

“Otherwise, when the Sect Master arrives later, he’ll have nothing to do but munch on peanuts.”

“Haha! The Sect Master deserves to munch on peanuts! Who told him to come so late?”

Old He laughed heartily, reaching into the bag of peanuts Xu Jinghuai had prepared in the center of the table. He grabbed a handful and tossed them directly into his mouth, crunching them like sugar beans, while his other hand didn’t forget to hoist the wine jar and refill his bowl.

Xu Jinghuai shook his head with a helpless smile.

He knew Old He was joking. If Old He truly didn’t want to leave any wine for the Sect Master, he would have tilted the jar directly into his mouth long ago; why would he bother pouring it into a bowl like he was doing now?

Xu Jinghuai only poured his wine seven-tenths full.

It wasn’t that he disliked drinking, but knowing the Sect Master had business with him later, it was inconvenient to drink too much. It was easy to let things go wrong; he preferred to stop at a light taste to maintain a clear head.

Lifting the bowl, he found the wine rich with fragrance. Taking a small sip, it was sweet without being cloying; the sides of his tongue felt a hint of tartness, and the base of his tongue felt bitter, yet the aroma overflowed between his lips and teeth.

The brew felt rounded as it passed through his throat, and after swallowing, a warm current poured through his body, bringing a lingering sweet aftertaste. Moreover, after this single sip, he felt neither thirsty nor lightheaded; instead, he felt quite refreshed.

Xu Jinghuai also grabbed some peanuts and tossed them into his mouth; truthfully, he was quite enjoying himself.

Suddenly, Old He spoke up: “Hey, Junior Brother Jinghuai, is your friend alright?”

Her?

Xu Jinghuai paused. Realizing Old He was referring to Yunlai Xia, he turned to look at the seat where she was sitting.

He found her head swaying, her entire face flushed bright red. Every now and then, a hiccup of wine-scented air escaped her lips, yet the bowl she held in her hands appeared as if the wine within hadn’t even been touched.

Ah… drunk already?

“Haha, Junior Brother Jinghuai, it seems your friend’s tolerance isn’t very high.”

“Gulp, gulp! Haa!”

Old He drained his bowl with one hand again, smacking his lips with lingering desire.

He looked at Xu Jinghuai: “Junior Brother Jinghuai? Don’t you need to take her back to her room to rest for a bit?”

“It’s fine.”

Xu Jinghuai moved to sit beside Yunlai Xia. Her consciousness was already hazy, and sensing the familiar aura beside her, she could no longer hold herself up; her body went soft as she leaned into his embrace.

‘Honestly, if you can’t drink, then control your gluttony, you idiot.’

Xu Jinghuai looked at the tipsy girl in his arms and murmured helplessly under his breath.

He reached out to gently stroke Yunlai Xia’s head, letting her lie in his embrace.

Yunlai Xia let out another wine-hiccup and rubbed against Xu Jinghuai’s chest, burrowing a bit closer and letting out a cute whimper.

Truth be told, when she wasn’t being rowdy, the quieted Yunlai Xia was indeed a beauty—petite and lovely. The unconscious, spoiled movements of her drunkenness only made her appear more soft and adorable, easily sparking a protective instinct.

He Li watched the two of them leaning together so intimately and couldn’t help but click his tongue twice.

If anyone tried to tell him there was nothing between these two, he would never believe it even if he were beaten to death!

So, could this be considered Junior Brother Jinghuai’s hidden beauty in a golden house?

Seeing the meaningful gaze He Li cast his way, Xu Jinghuai didn’t know how to explain, so he simply didn’t bother. Using his free hand, he brought over Yunlai Xia’s bowl, gulped down half of it, and let out a long breath: “Come, Old He, let’s continue.”

“Good! Drink!”

Old He held out his bowl. Xu Jinghuai understood his intent and held out his own to clink them together.

The two smiled at each other and drained the brew in their bowls simultaneously.

A slight flush had begun to appear on Old He’s face. He had drunk quite a bit; although it was still within acceptable limits, he didn’t want to disgracefully collapse just yet. He reached out for another handful of peanuts and tossed them into his mouth to chew.

Xu Jinghuai also crunched on peanuts, and the two began to chat about various anecdotes from their time in the sect, occasionally breaking out into bursts of loud laughter.

Just as Old He was recovering from the kick of the wine and preparing to have another bowl, Xu Jinghuai sensed someone approaching Youyun Peak.

However, the newcomer was not just the Sect Master as expected; another familiar aura followed beside him.

Probing slightly, Xu Jinghuai was shocked to discover that the other person was actually the Demon Emperor, Luo Hanhai!

‘Holy crap! Why is the old Dragon Emperor at the Wuling Immortal Sect? And why is he with the Sect Master?’

In an instant, Xu Jinghuai recalled the headline he saw on the Oracle Network this morning.

[Demon Emperor Luo Hanhai left the Eastern Sea this morning and is heading toward the Inland Central Province. Destination unknown.]

Pairing that with the Sect Master’s message earlier about having business with him tonight…

An ominous thought immediately sprouted in Xu Jinghuai’s mind.

‘Luo Hanhai couldn’t be here specifically for me, could he?!’

Regardless of whether his guess was correct, the old Dragon Emperor had arrived, and he had to do his best to host him.

Xu Jinghuai quickly channeled his immortal power, pulling another clean, empty bowl from the cabinet and bringing it to the table. Then, with great urgency, he said to He Li: “Old He! The Sect Master and the others are here. Pour the wine, pour the wine!”

“Alright.”

At this moment, He Li only assumed the Sect Master had arrived and didn’t immediately register Xu Jinghuai’s use of “the others.”

He filled the bowls Xu Jinghuai pushed forward one by one; the jar of Immortal’s Drunk was nearly at its bottom.

And just then, the Sect Master and the old Dragon Emperor arrived.

He Li turned toward the door, complaining with a grin: “Sect Master, why are you so late? The Immortal’s Drunk is almost finished by u—”

“Holy crap!”

But before he could finish his sentence, he saw Luo Hanhai standing beside Tian Qingning. He was startled into a jolt, and his drunkenness instantly cleared.

Why was the Demon Emperor, Luo Hanhai, here?!

Xu Jinghuai caught Old He’s expression out of the corner of his eye and figured the Sect Master hadn’t informed him of Luo Hanhai’s arrival; otherwise, he wouldn’t be this surprised.

Luo Hanhai, however, appeared unsurprised. He chuckled and patted Tian Qingning’s shoulder: “It seems Sect Master Tian still brought me a step too late.”

Tian Qingning’s eyes went wide as he said in disbelief: “My god! No way, you two have already polished off the Immortal’s Drunk?”

“Not yet, not yet. We specifically left some for you, Sect Master. Come, you’ve arrived just in time; there’s still some left, and it’s all been poured.” Xu Jinghuai shook his head with a smile, reaching out to pull back two chairs and gesturing for them to take a seat.

The two at the door also saw the two porcelain bowls filled with wine on the table; the dense fragrance was wafting precisely from them.