Bi Zhen was still dressed as Master Qi, her face pale yellow, looking sharp and efficient, when suddenly she acted coquettly and petulantly declared she would no longer recognize Zhang Shisan as her master. Mei Qing watched this unfold, finding it quite amusing.
Hearing Bi Zhen’s complaints, Zhang Shisan hastily replaced his arrogant expression with a smiling face and coaxed, “Oh my dear apprentice Zhen’er, don’t be angry. Your master never said I wouldn’t save him… It’s just, well, this matter is indeed a bit troublesome. Your master is thinking of solutions right now!”
Upon hearing this, Bi Zhen’s anger turned to joy. She quickly moved behind Zhang Shisan, massaging his shoulders and back while giggling, “I knew my master was the kindest. Not like that bad guy who only knows how to bully others!”
Zhang Shisan was greatly pleased, his eyes narrowing into thin lines as he nodded repeatedly.
Madam Shi had already been on the verge of despair when she saw Bi Zhen suddenly act coquettishly, successfully forcing Zhang Shisan to change his tune, which filled her heart with joy. Yet, she still spoke hesitantly, “Immortal Master Zhang…”
Zhang Shisan waved his hand to stop Madam Shi, then hesitated for a moment before saying, “Little fox, I won’t hide anything from you. I do have a way to save your son. As for that golden spirit of yours, don’t bother showing it off. This old Taoist doesn’t care for that.”
Upon hearing Zhang Shisan’s words, Madam Shi knew he had agreed to save her child. Saying “Thank you, Immortal Master,” she could not help but burst into tears of joy.
“Hmph!” Zhang Shisan snorted, “Don’t get too happy yet. I’m only saving your son because my apprentice pleaded for you. I don’t need anything from you, but my two apprentices might need something from you two. Let me make this clear first—it might be a bit risky. Whether you agree or not, you two should discuss it first.”
Having said that, Zhang Shisan waved his hand and instantly summoned the master of the Stone Manor through the air, the long bands binding him falling loose all at once.
Although the Stone Manor’s master could not speak before, he had heard everything clearly. Seeing his wife crying and begging this old Taoist while the latter remained aloof and indifferent had already filled him with rage. As soon as he was free, he immediately stepped forward to protect his wife and child, pointing at Zhang Shisan and shouting, “You evil cultist, how did you trick my wife into pleading like this? Listen well, with Master Shi here, you won’t get your way!”
His eyes were red with fury, his beard bristling, and his teeth clenched so hard they made a clattering sound. If not for his concern for his wife and child, he would have already charged at Zhang Shisan to fight to the death.
But Zhang Shisan acted as if he hadn’t seen anything, calmly taking out his wine gourd and sipping his wine leisurely, not even glancing at the Stone Manor’s master.
“Master Shi!” Madam Shi cried anxiously, quickly grabbing her husband’s arm. “You… you… what are you doing? Immortal Master Zhang is willing to save our child—it’s a great favor from heaven! How can you…”
As she spoke, she became both angry and worried, and the tears that had just stopped flowed again.
Seeing Madam Shi cry again because of him, the Stone Manor’s master was immediately flustered. He clumsily reached out to wipe her tears, repeatedly saying, “Oh my dear wife, I was wrong. Don’t cry anymore. I’ll do whatever you say. If you say this old man is good, then he’s good enough!”
Seeing this, Bi Zhen couldn’t help but giggle, while Mei Qing, watching the big, burly Stone Manor’s master being so flustered by his wife’s tears, could only remain speechless.
Seeing her husband’s behavior, Madam Shi herself felt somewhat embarrassed. Blushing, she turned to Zhang Shisan and said, “Immortal Master, your great kindness is beyond what we could ever repay. Whatever you ask of us, we will never refuse.”
Saying this, she secretly pushed the Stone Manor’s master from behind. He quickly nodded and loudly declared, “Right, right! Old Taoist… I mean Immortal Master, you’re definitely a good person who would never deceive my wife, right?”
Faced with such a character, even Zhang Shisan could only shake his head helplessly. With a flip of his hand, a small talisman suddenly floated gently into the air, spinning as it drifted onto the child in Madam Shi’s arms, then vanished into the child’s forehead.
“To save your child, I still need some time. Don’t worry, first put him to sleep in the back, and we’ll take action tonight at the hour of Zi,” Zhang Shisan said, stretching lazily as he spoke. He smacked his lips a few times, muttering, “Ah, it’s amazing how different people’s fates are. My precious apprentice just pretends to examine a child, and not only does someone send a beautiful girl to serve him, but she even feeds him wine. Why can’t I even get a sip when I actually go to the trouble of treating someone?”
Upon hearing this, Madam Shi immediately gave orders for the family to prepare a banquet. She personally took the child to the back courtyard to settle him down, then came back to invite Zhang Shisan and the others to the feast, seating Zhang Shisan at the main seat while she and her husband sat at the side.
Seeing that his child was likely to be saved, the Stone Manor’s master was in high spirits. Seeing his wife bring out wine again, he became even more cheerful. He quickly raised the extra-large wine cup in front of him and said to Zhang Shisan, “Immortal Master Zhang, ha ha, what a pleasure to meet you! Master Shi will drink first to show respect!”
“Hmph!” Zhang Shisan snorted without even lifting his eyelids. The Stone Manor’s master was just about to down the cup in one go when Madam Shi suddenly pinched him from the side. Yelping in pain, he looked around and noticed that Zhang Shisan hadn’t raised his wine cup, quickly putting his own down and saying, “Why isn’t Immortal Master drinking? This wine is brewed here at our manor. My wife’s brewing skills are not to be boasted about—they make great wine, great wine indeed!”
“What’s the use of great wine?” Zhang Shisan rolled his eyes, “The host is holding up a chamber pot to drink from, while the guest is given just a tiny cup. If the guest has a big mouth, he might swallow the cup whole!”
Upon hearing this, Madam Shi realized that this immortal master was actually a wine connoisseur. She quickly ordered the servants, “Hurry and bring a large wine bowl and fill it for Immortal Master!”
Hearing this, the Stone Manor’s master chuckled, scratching his head and saying, “I thought you, old Taoist, being so thin and frail, wouldn’t be able to drink much.”
“Hmph!” Zhang Shisan blew his nose indignantly and said, “You fool, when I was drinking, you were still nursing at your mother’s breast. If I don’t show you today how much this Taoist can drink, you won’t know that the god of horses has three eyes!”
A sealed wine jar was originally placed on the table. Zhang Shisan carelessly glanced at it a few times, then extended his hand and gently brushed off the dust on the seal. With a light slap, he broke the seal, and a rich aroma of wine instantly rose.
Zhang Shisan sniffed a few times and said, “They say the aroma of good wine can travel ten miles. Haha, I didn’t expect you, little fox, to have such brewing skills. Very good, very good!” Saying this, he lightly slapped the jar again. The wine inside shot out like a dragon, flying into the air, yet remaining condensed, forming a large hovering ball of wine. With a wave of his finger, the wine ball floated over and then transformed into a long stream flying into Zhang Shisan’s wide-open mouth. In the blink of an eye, he had sucked it all in, not leaving a single drop.
The Stone Manor’s master watched in amazement, never imagining that drinking could reach such a level. His spirits suddenly soared, and with a loud “Bravo!” he tore open his chest and roared with laughter, “Indeed impressive! Let me show you my drinking skills!”
Without using the large wine cup anymore, he grabbed another jar from behind, imitating Zhang Shisan’s actions by slapping off the seal and bringing the mouth of the jar to his lips, gulping down the wine with loud gulps.
Of course, he didn’t have Zhang Shisan’s skills. The wine spilled all over his chest and beard. He wiped his mouth with his hand and laughed heartily, “Good, good! What a refreshing drink!”
Without saying a word, Zhang Shisan picked up another jar and, as calmly and effortlessly as before, drank the entire jar in one go. His complexion remained unchanged, and not even his belly showed any sign of swelling.
Seeing this, the Stone Manor’s master couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Who would have thought this old Taoist, so thin and withered, could drink so much? But now that he had been pushed to this point, how could he back down? He could only force a dry laugh, take another jar, and pour it down like the previous one. After finishing this jar, he felt a burning sensation in his stomach, his face turned as red as blood, and he began to feel dizzy and light-headed.
Seeing her husband’s stubbornness, Madam Shi originally wanted to stop him. But remembering Zhang Shisan’s tone, it was clear he wanted to teach her husband a small lesson. Perhaps the Taoist was still upset about being given only a small cup of wine earlier and was now showing off his skills. If she didn’t let him have his way, who knew what other tricks he might have? She was even more worried that he might not do his best in treating their child. Thinking of this, she could only let her husband endure the consequences.
Without Madam Shi interfering, the Stone Manor’s master was already feeling dizzy and seeing double, still trying to hold on. But no matter how strong he was, he was just an ordinary mortal, no match for an old fox like Zhang Shisan. By the time he hadn’t even finished half of the next jar, he was already swaying unsteadily, fell face-down on the table, mumbled a few words like “Drink again, drink again,” and then began snoring loudly, fast asleep.
This old scoundrel Zhang Shisan had a terrible drinking habit. Seeing that he had finally knocked his opponent out, he immediately burst into laughter and began boasting loudly, claiming he had traveled south and north, drunk water from the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, and that this little bit of wine was nothing more than a small appetizer. He kept bragging endlessly, making Mei Qing and the others feel very awkward, but he remained smug and proud.
At this point, even if he claimed he had drunk all the wine from the Queen Mother’s feast, Madam Shi wouldn’t have called him a liar. She could only order someone to carry the Stone Manor’s master away and herself sit with a small cup to accompany Zhang Shisan. Fortunately, after Zhang Shisan had boasted for a while and received no applause, he finally stopped his monologue and turned to Madam Shi, saying, “Little fox, speaking of the Changchun Palace, you had some bad experiences there, right? In these years, I suppose you’ve done some investigating. Do you know who exactly is involved in that place?”
Madam Shi sighed and replied, “Immortal Master, I dare not hide anything from you. Since that place was taken over by those people, I’ve been too afraid to return and investigate. After I married Master Shi and settled down, I did send people to gather information about it. The place is now occupied by the Wenshang Sect, established by the Liu brothers, Liu Wu and Liu Liu. Although the Liu brothers are nominally the sect leaders, the real power lies with the elders behind them…”
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