Chapter 22: Aerial Journey

“Of course, it’s a drinking contest!” Wei Po Tian clapped his hands, brimming with vigor.

The sound of footsteps echoed on the stairs, and a dozen beautiful maidens rushed in, each cradling a bottle of strong liquor. The exquisite packaging alone hinted at their premium quality.

Wei Po Tian grabbed two bottles, smashed off the necks, handed one to Qian Ye, and said, “Let’s start with half a bottle! How about it, are you up for it?”

Qian Ye took the bottle, his expression complicated. He silently poured half a bottle into a glass and slowly sipped it.

In front of Wei Po Tian was a large bowl, and he tipped it back, downing the bowl of wine in one go. Another bowl made half a bottle disappear. Meanwhile, Qian Ye had barely finished a few sips, enough for a small glass.

“Forget it, I’ll finish this bottle first. Take your time; I can wait. No rush!” Wei Po Tian declared boldly. Tipping his head back, he downed the first bottle in two gulps.

By then, Qian Ye had only managed to drink two glasses. His face was already flushed, and his eyes were slightly unfocused. It seemed that one more sip would send him sprawling under the table.

Finally, Wei Po Tian felt a sense of triumph!

If he couldn’t beat this guy in combat, he could certainly outdrink him. Wei Po Tian thought, not feeling the slightest bit consoled.

Qian Ye continued to sip slowly, his elbows propped on the table, holding the glass, and began to wobble. But even as he finished the entire bottle, he still swayed.

“Gutsy!” Wei Po Tian praised, glancing at the bottles of strong liquor being warmed by the beautiful maidens, with ill intentions in his eyes.

A moment later, another empty bottle appeared in front of Wei Po Tian, while Qian Ye continued to drink slowly, still wobbling.

By now, Wei Po Tian’s eyes were a bit glazed, and his speech was starting to slur. However, perhaps due to the deep-seated grudge against Qian Ye, upon seeing him finish, Wei Po Tian promptly smashed open two more bottles of aged liquor, leading the way and draining a whole bottle in swift succession.

Qian Ye remained the same, looking as if he might fall under the table any moment. A crowd had gathered, their initial mockery turning into a peculiar fascination.

This drink, named Dragon Tongue, came from the frigid Ping Xi Province, and its potency was probably among the top three in the Empire. Usually mixed into cocktails, it wasn’t meant to be chugged like this. A man who could drink two large bottles and remain standing was a rare sight indeed.

An hour later, Qian Ye sat at the table, staring blankly at the empty bottles, then looked at Wei Po Tian and Shi Yan, who were sprawled unconscious, completely forgetting when they had collapsed.

Especially Shi Yan, how did he end up like this? This drinking contest had nothing to do with him!

Qian Ye rubbed his forehead, slowly recalling what happened. At some point, the somewhat inebriated Wei Po Tian had challenged Shi Yan.

Shi Yan, also hot-tempered, didn’t hold back and joined the fray. The one-on-one quickly turned into a three-way battle, and… well, Wei Po Tian and Shi Yan both ended up being knocked out by Qian Ye.

Even now, Qian Ye was still wobbling, but just barely. There was still a long way to go before he would actually fall.

Recalling the events, Qian Ye let out a bitter smile. What to do with these two men, passed out like pigs? In the end, he dragged one in each hand, staggering towards the inn, and miraculously found his room.

Qian Ye opened another room, dumped the two men onto a bed, gave them a middle finger, and staggered back to his own room, collapsing into bed and falling asleep.

Not long after, Qian Ye bolted upright, disoriented. His head throbbed, the hangover still lingering.

It was just 5:00 am, still dark outside. But in the training camp, this was the time to rise and begin the day’s drills. Nine years of this routine had ingrained an instinctive response in him.

Qian Ye got up, took a shower, and suddenly found himself at a loss for what to do next.

Since graduating from the training camp, this feeling often came over him. The tightly packed schedule and constant survival pressure had suddenly vanished. With so much free time, Qian Ye felt strangely unmoored.

He practiced some combat techniques in silence, and a beam of dawn light soon illuminated the room.

By noon, Shi Yan finally appeared. The usually stoic soldier blushed when he saw Qian Ye.

As for Wei Po Tian, he had quietly slipped away, too ashamed to face Qian Ye. But he kept his promise, leaving his belt behind, along with a note: “Another Round!”

Oh, and a giant exclamation mark!

Qian Ye balled up the note and tossed it in the trash, thinking of Wei Po Tian’s initial provocation, he had the urge to pummel him again.

But after hearing about the Wei family’s background from Shi Yan, Qian Ye packed the necklace, bracelet, and belt, and sent them to Wei Po Tian with a note: “Three Debts, Pay First, Then Fight.”

After lunch, Shi Yan dropped Qian Ye off at the inner camp, handing him over to a middle-aged soldier.

The middle-aged soldier sized up Qian Ye, smiled, and extended his hand, saying, “Welcome to the Red Scorpion, rookie!”

Qian Ye also extended his hand, shaking it. The hand was wide, warm, and solid, reminiscent of Lin Xitang’s.

Qian Ye didn’t understand the term “rookie,” but he sensed a warmth in the soldier’s words.

The middle-aged soldier looked at Shi Yan and said, “Shi, we haven’t seen each other in ten years.”

“Just nine years and eleven months,” Shi Yan corrected.

The middle-aged soldier didn’t argue and asked, “Why aren’t you by Marshal Lin’s side?”

“Because of this little one, I had to come personally. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with this.”

The middle-aged soldier raised an eyebrow, “Is he special?”

“A bit. You’ll understand when you see this. Qian Ye, show Colonel Wei your wound.”

Qian Ye pulled open his shirt, revealing the massive scar.

Colonel Wei’s eyes twitched, and a murderous aura spread across his face, but he only grunted heavily.

“Now you understand why I had to come personally. But this kid is good, he won’t disappoint you.”

The time for parting came quickly. These two comrades-in-arms, who had met only thrice in nearly twenty years since graduation, knew that their next meeting could be uncertain.

Perhaps next time, they would meet over the remains of a fallen comrade, such was the fate of soldiers. They didn’t hug or shake hands, but saluted each other and walked away.

This was the military way, no sentimentality, the deep bond of camaraderie buried in their hearts.

After Shi Yan left, the middle-aged soldier introduced himself to Qian Ye, “I’m Wei Lishi.”

“Colonel Wei!” Qian Ye saluted, albeit not perfectly.

Wei Lishi led Qian Ye onto an airship, heading to the Red Scorpion’s base. Along with Qian Ye, Wei Lishi had selected two others, a young man and woman, roughly Qian Ye’s age.

This airship was very different from the balloon-like ones Qian Ye had seen before. Instead of a giant egg-shaped steam sac, it had a bat-wing-like structure supported by metal frames.

All the joints on the ship were highlighted in bright red, with no other markings. The engine room was still at the rear, but there were twelve sets of cross propellers, with large clouds of steam still billowing from the numerous pipes.

The interior was spacious, with shock-absorbing mats on the floor. The seats were arranged along the walls, accommodating around twenty people. In the center, there were racks for weapon packs, and the remaining space allowed for movement and even close combat. Using a ship capable of transporting two squads for four people, the Red Scorpion was indeed wealthy.

Wei Lishi sat and fastened his seatbelt. Qian Ye and the others followed suit.

The door to the cockpit opened, and a large, bald head popped out, growling, “Hold on, kids! We’re in a hurry!”

A deafening roar soon filled the cabin, and the room began to vibrate violently, lifting off the ground.

Qian Ye and the others were pressed into their seats, the intense ascent making their hearts race. Finally, the ascent ended, and Qian Ye looked out the window, startled to see clouds passing by.

They were already flying through the clouds in such a short time!

Qian Ye’s experience with airships was limited to the gentle “Bluebird” and military cargo ships. The “Bluebird” glided smoothly, and the cargo ships, though noisy, required long takeoffs and landings.

The speed of the Red Scorpion’s airship was almost defying the principles of steam power. Qian Ye remembered that beyond black stone steam, there was another energy source called black crystal. But Hades hadn’t taught this, as it was the highest level of energy, a national strategic resource.

Still reeling from the sight, the airship suddenly began to shudder violently. Qian Ye saw the propellers spinning faster, becoming a blur. The airship felt like it had been kicked, shooting forward with a bang.

Qian Ye felt like a boat in a storm.

The voice of the bald captain echoed through the copper pipes.

“Hold on, we’re accelerating!”

“That crosswind is fierce! How do you like the rolling?”

“Ah! Ahead is a thundercloud, we’ll go right through it! You’ll get a close-up of lightning!”

“What’s that… a white eagle? Big one! Let’s see if we can hit it!”