Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 128 A Lover of Alcohol

Seeing that Han Yi didn't reply, Jiu'er seemed lost in some kind of memory and continued, "Back then, older women who weren't good-looking were only bought as servants for five or six taels of silver. Beautiful women were ten or twenty taels, and some with special status were even more expensive..."

"For example, there are innocent family members involved in江湖恩怨 (jianghu grievances), young masters and ladies from fallen families who are sold into prostitution, and even wives and concubines of criminal officials..."

"If these people are caught, after being trained by human traffickers, they'll be like hawks being trained. First, they'll wear down your backbone, and if you have martial arts skills, they'll cripple them. Then they'll be brought from hundreds or thousands of miles away and sold on the black market..."

"Sigh..." As she spoke, Jiu'er seemed to recall some unbearable memories, her heart filled with sorrow, her eyes reddening as if she were about to shed tears.

"Miss Jiu'er..."

Han Yi wanted to say something to comfort her, but the words were on the tip of his tongue, and he didn't know how to say them.

'This damned world!'

For a moment, he felt as if a huge stone was pressing on his heart, making him feel uncomfortable.

At this moment, Han Yi realized even more how cruel this world was for ordinary people.

"I compose poems while planting peonies in my garden, and drink wine in the pavilion amidst the dogwood blossoms... This wine truly lives up to its reputation as the famous dogwood wine... Just smelling it makes me feel completely relaxed!"

Before the person arrived, the sound preceded them. Just then, the sound of drinking and composing poetry came from the courtyard, and Han Yi quickly got up.

In the courtyard, there was an old man with a ruddy complexion, a white beard on both sides of his face, and a wine gourd in his hand. He seemed to be about the same age as Bai Sanren.

The old man rubbed his face, closed his eyes, picked up the yellow gourd in his hand, and sniffed it.

He looked completely absorbed and smug, as if the gourd in his hand contained some kind of nectar that would intoxicate him. He raised his head and held the gourd as if he were drinking.

Tick ​​tock!

The gourd, which had turned white from being soaked in alcohol, was now only letting out a few drops of alcohol.

"Oh dear, Mr. Huang, you've been sneaking off to drink again! If my sister sees you, she'll scold you again!"

Jiu'er looked anxious and quickly stepped forward to help him up.

"Haha, Little Jiu'er, I've only drunk one gourdful, I'm not drunk yet!"

Huang Ze swayed, dodging Jiu'er's help. "Master Huang..."

"Hey, isn't this the 'Three Flavors Wine' from Zuixianlou?"

Upon entering the front hall, his eyes lit up. Ignoring Han Yi, who had just stood up, he pounced directly on the 'Three Flavors Wine' that Han Yi had bought from Zuixianlou.

"This wine is smooth on the palate, sweet on the finish, and leaves a lingering fragrance and a long aftertaste. It's perfect to drink right now!"

Huang Ze uncorked the wine and gulped down several mouthfuls of wine. The wine overflowed from the corners of his mouth, flowing down his beard and onto his clothes.

"Master Huang, you actually drank in front of me... I must tell my sister!"

Jiu'er, who had run over from the courtyard, said angrily.

Da da da

A woman of about thirty years old strode out from the back room. She was quite attractive, with a round face, but her skin looked unhealthy and pale, perhaps from being secluded for so long. "Master Huang, you've been secretly drinking again!"

Her eyebrows furrowed, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at Huang Ze, and she began to shout.

"hey-hey…..."

Huang Ze smiled sheepishly and put down the wine jar.

"And Jiu'er, keep a close eye on him, don't let him buy any more alcohol!"

"It wasn't because I wasn't watching carefully, someone else brought it..."

Jiu'er shrank back, stuck out her tongue, secretly glanced at Han Yi, and muttered to herself. Fortunately, her sister didn't hear her.

"Young master, I'm so sorry to have embarrassed you... Please have a seat for a while..."

The woman curtsied to Han Yi, then pulled Huang Ze to the inner hall. "And this is…..."

Han Yi quietly asked Jiu'er, "That woman's aura was really overwhelming. She didn't look like a maid; she seemed more like a young lady."

“That’s my older sister, Huang Xiuxiu… She’s in charge of the family affairs…”

Jiu'er responded softly.

"Haha, young friend, you must be the Han Yi that Old Bai was talking about!"

A short while later, Huang Ze changed into a clean robe and came out from the back hall.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad. Judging from your face, you are a loyal and righteous person. You are a good child!"

After he came out, he looked Han Yi up and down.

"Master Huang!"

Han Yi smiled faintly, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and glanced at Huang Ze a few times.

Huang Ze's overall strength was listed as '101~120'. Although he was a Qi Opening stage martial artist, he was considered one of the weakest among those who had reached the Qi Opening stage...

As Bai Sanren had predicted, Huang Ze had indeed suffered an accident, sustaining severe injuries that greatly diminished his cultivation and altered his personality considerably…

"Come, drink tea!"

After the two sat down, Jiu'er served two bowls of fragrant tea and several plates of snacks.

Han Yi looked closely and recognized one of the pastries as the 'Phoenix Tail Pastry' he had bought from the pastry shop a few days ago.

"Han Yi, I've also learned some information about you. In my opinion, Elder Li's position in the External Affairs Hall is far more promising than mine, this old drunkard's..."

Huang Ze said with a self-deprecating tone, his words tinged with confusion.

It's no wonder he had such doubts. The Crimson Flame Sect's recruitment competition rules state that new disciples who have joined the sect can freely choose which elder to serve and which hall to enter.

Although the selection of new disciples is not extensive, the selection is generally done by the elders.

The Crimson Flame Sect's Enforcement Hall is responsible for supervising the behavior of disciples from both the inner and outer sects. Although this position seems prestigious, it's like a chicken rib—tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away. One wrong move and you could get into trouble.

For example, when enforcing the law, they might encounter the children of high-ranking sect members, or a senior with an eccentric temper, and not even understand how they died…

The Internal Affairs Hall is responsible for various affairs within Anyan City. The city is generally quite peaceful, and the work is relatively leisurely. Of course, the rewards for tasks are also relatively few, so it is not a good choice for new disciples.

Therefore, only the External Affairs Hall was responsible for various affairs outside An'yan City, such as guarding the mines, clearing monsters from the camp, and hunting down bandits, etc.

Although these tasks are busy, the rewards are generous. Moreover, there is a possibility of earning extra money while carrying out the tasks. Therefore, the External Affairs Hall is a good choice for disciples who need a lot of resources to break through.

The External Affairs Hall is arguably the largest and strongest hall in the Crimson Flame Sect!