Feng Zikang was slightly surprised; at least, he had never seen Ye Tiansheng drink, nor was there any hidden wine in the small bamboo grove.

Wen Lingsu blinked, gently lifted the bamboo couch, and just as Feng Zikang expected, there was nothing underneath—it was spotlessly clean.

"He hid it well!"

Wen Lingsu let out a soft laugh, her eyes narrowing into slits. She hitched up her cloth skirt, bent over, and lightly tapped the smooth floor. With a faint creak, a soft green light washed over the spot where nothing had been, revealing a bamboo door that sprang open slightly, exposing a wine cellar.

"Ah?" Feng Zikang jumped in alarm. He hadn't expected his serious, upright Master to hide liquor in his room, and to hide it so securely. He had used his Wuxiang Tianmo Huashen to sense the surroundings, yet hadn't detected a thing.

The divine abilities of a Condensing Core stage cultivator were truly unfathomable. Feng Zikang deeply cautioned himself, daring not to underestimate it further.

"Senior Brother Ye is meticulous. If I hadn't spied on him two hundred years ago tricking our Eldest Senior Sister into drinking, I would never have guessed he’d hide wine under the bed!"

"Trick..." Feng Zikang's expression grew strange. Could it be that his Master, Ye Tiansheng, had been a romantic in his youth?

He did not know that wine was brewed from grain. And the rules of the Mount Tai farming clans were the strictest; grain was revered, and brewing alcohol was absolutely forbidden. They believed that every millet and every ear of wheat was the product of hard labor, and using grain merely for pleasure was an unforgivable sin.

Since brewing wine was sinful, drinking it was logically also sinful.

Therefore, disciples of the Farming School were forbidden from drinking.

And that certainly included the sect leader's eldest disciple, Xu Rou, who was designated to inherit the position of Farming School Sovereign.

Wen Lingsu, peering from outside the window at that time, felt a shock and fear that could barely be expressed in words.

Her Eldest Senior Sister, whom she viewed as dignified and majestic, had violated sect rules by drinking alcohol, her face flushed red. Although she had been coaxed, she had been willing!

Was wine truly that delicious?

The very idea that something could tempt the reserved Eldest Senior Sister had taken root in her young mind.

Just like the taste of Snow Bamboo Ginseng Tea, this flask of Bamboo Leaf Green made her mouth water uncontrollably.

So, the small medicine furnace usually used for decoctions was today used to warm the wine. Wen Lingsu was full of anticipation. She somehow managed to pull out another wine ewer and several porcelain cups, acting as if she were more familiar with this thatch hut in the small bamboo grove than Feng Zikang, the owner.

Feng Zikang could only comply with her wishes, sighing as he warmed the wine. When the crisp Bamboo Leaf Green met the rising heat, it released waves of aroma.

The little fox was also drawn over, circling the ewer happily, its mouth watering profusely.

"You like it too?"

Feng Zikang helplessly picked it up. Seeing the wine was warm enough, he poured a cup for Wen Lingsu. As a junior, he felt obligated to have a cup as well.

He dipped a chopstick into the wine and offered it to the little fox. The fox sipped it with relish, emitting contented chirps.

After three cups, Wen Lingsu, unable to hold her liquor, became delightfully tipsy, her eyes hazy, making her look even more captivating.

"It really is... good wine..."

She scooped up the little fox and laughed, "Little Brother Kang, you drink far too slowly! You're worse than this spirit fox! Come, let me drink a few more rounds with him!"

"Junior Aunt..."

He hadn't expected the usually gentle woman to transform after just three cups of the strong liquor. Feng Zikang was quite helpless; he himself did not drink much and was very moderate.

As a Heavenly Demon residing within the orthodox path, he had to avoid anything that could cloud his clarity of mind as much as possible.

He watched as Wen Lingsu drank one cup herself and fed another to the little fox. The person and the fox drank together like old friends, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Though the jade ewer warming on the stove was only half a foot high, the liquor within seemed inexhaustible. This was a marvelous immortal technique connecting heaven and earth; as long as the Bamboo Leaf Green in the cellar wasn't finished, the wine in the ewer would never run dry.

Feng Zikang stole a glance; the large jar holding the Bamboo Leaf Green was already half empty.

"The Condensing Core stage cultivation is truly unfathomable..."

After consuming more than half a jar, Wen Lingsu was only slightly tipsy, with no other noticeable effects. The little fox was even more amazing; despite its small size, it drank just as much as Wen Lingsu. Now, only its fur had taken on a faint pink hue, and it was swaying its head, yet remained sober—truly worthy of being the descendant of the Nine-Tailed Fox, a naturally born anomaly.

"More... more!"

When the jar, which held at least two-hundred-year-old Bamboo Leaf Green, was finally empty, the woman and the fox could no longer fight the intoxication. The little fox was the first to succumb, tumbling off Wen Lingsu’s lap onto the floor, where it began to snore softly.

Wen Lingsu smiled gracefully, stood up unsteadily, and collapsed onto the bamboo couch, falling into a deep sleep right there.

"Little... Little Aunt!"

Feng Zikang called out a few times, but receiving no response, he simply fetched a thin felt blanket to cover her and summoned his mechanism men to clear the mess.

By this time, the sky had darkened, the moon hung high, the fire under the warming stove was dwindling, and the moonlight before the bed was like frost, carrying a hint of chill.

Wen Lingsu lay drunk on the couch, her cheeks flushed crimson, beautiful as a peach blossom. The alcohol had brought a fever, and she had pushed her sleeves up high, revealing an arm as fair and supple as a lotus root.

A celestial fairy, utterly pure, incomparable to the ordinary mortal women of the mundane world.

Feng Zikang let out a breath, closed his eyes, and sat down cross-legged, beginning his Qi circulation practice.

Just then, he heard a whooshing sound nearby, and a child's loud shout rushing toward the small bamboo grove.

"Senior Brother Feng! You're back! I missed you so much!"

Feng Zikang recognized the voice as Gu Ya, a disciple from the Star Gazing Study. This child lacked any sense of propriety and was surely about to barge into the thatch hut. If he saw Fairy Wen in this state, it would be quite improper.

He let out a soft hum, picked up the Spirit Shaman Bone, and used an illusory spell to conceal Wen Lingsu’s form.

As expected, Gu Ya didn't wait for him to speak, charging straight in foolishly and plopping down onto the bamboo couch. Feng Zikang watched clearly; his backside was mere inches from Wen Lingsu’s feet, and he couldn't help wiping a bead of cold sweat.

"Senior Brother, you came back and didn't even tell me!"

Gu Ya complained a little, "I went with Master to Sunset Peak to meet a few Elder Grandmasters and only then learned you had returned. I eagerly begged for the task of delivering things to you, and rushed over! That pretty-boy Meng Qinglu tried to snatch the task from me, but I glared at him long enough that he dared not contend!"

He snorted a few times, "If he dares contend again, I'll kick his balls in when I get back!"

"Delivering things?"

Feng Zikang then remembered that the Sect Leader Yuan Buhuan had mentioned arranging for people to deliver the gifts from the Confucian and Daoist houses later. He hadn't expected Gu Ya to snatch this errand.

Gu Ya thrust a pile of gifts in front of him carelessly, yet he fidgeted, restless and uneasy.

"Alas, I was thinking about how long it's been since I saw Senior Brother; yet, I'm also unsure why Master suddenly emerged from seclusion to discuss things with the Sect Leader and those visiting Grandmasters from other sects. Loyalty to Master and loyalty to Brother cannot coexist, it's infuriating!"

"Oh?"

The Heavenly Secret Feathered Taoist suddenly came out of seclusion? What could he possibly be discussing with the Sect Leader and those visiting masters from outside sects?

Feng Zikang couldn't help but feel a stir of curiosity as well.