They all exchanged glances, and then started laughing.

“Now that I think about it,” Fatty continued, starting to laugh, “it’s pretty funny. All four of us were there on Mount Daqing that year. Me, Little Tiger, and w.a.n.g Youcai. We all got kidnapped by Elder Sister Xu....” By this point he was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face. Finally, he collected himself and went on. “Elder Sister Xu, you were too cruel back then. You just grabbed us and took us all away. You know, my dad had arranged for me to get married, but before I could even consummate it, you took me away. I never got to see what she looked like!” Fatty lifted the alcohol flagon to his lips and took a drink.

Cheeks a bit flushed, Xu Qing glared at him like an Elder Sister should and said, “Did you forget about how you peed your pants when I grabbed you?”

Fatty’s eyes went wide, then he smiled wryly and raised his hands in surrender.

Meng Hao burst out laughing, and Xu Qing looked a bit embarra.s.sed. Looking back at what had occurred that year on Mount Daqing, everything seemed to be connected somehow. Here they were, the same group, thousands of years later, all sitting together drinking.

Xu Qing felt a bit dazed by it all. Who could ever have imagined that her casual trip out of the sect on a mission to grab four youngsters would have resulted in all four of them becoming such ill.u.s.trious figures.

Of course, there was the final person among those four.... She would never forget the image of that little scholar bent over the edge of the cliff, his rear end sticking up into the air as he lowered a vine rope down to the others, simultaneously making fun of them for talking about Immortals.

If someone had told her back then that she would end up marrying that little scholar, she would never have believed them.

A strange look could be seen on Dong Hu’s face, and he was just about to say something when Xu Qing glared at him.

“Dong Hu, as I recall, you came with me willingly. All I had to do was offer you a piece of candy.” A geyser of alcohol sprayed out of Fatty’s mouth. As for Dong Hu, he looked a bit embarra.s.sed. All he could do was smile wryly and capitulate as Fatty had.

By now, even grim-faced w.a.n.g Youcai’s expression had softened. Raising his alcohol flagon, he turned to Meng Hao and said, “Meng Hao, do you know why I’ve always considered you to be my brother all these years?

“It’s because when I was finally able to go home to visit my father, he said that you went to see him once. You told him that I was out practicing cultivation.... The old man wasn't so worried after that, a.s.sured that I wasn’t dead.” [1. Meng Hao visited w.a.n.g Youcai’s father in chapter 45] w.a.n.g Youcai took a drink, and then turned to Xu Qing. Although he was blind, the eyes within his heart caused his feelings to be plainly written on his face. “Elder Sister Xu, there’s no need for you to tell the story. Allow me. Back then, I saw you flying through the air and yelled out that I wanted to become your apprentice. That was how you ended up taking me away!”

With that, w.a.n.g Youcai cleared his throat.

After hearing his three friends’ stories, Meng Hao laughed until his sides hurt. It was actually his first time hearing such tales. In the past, of course, none of them would have revealed the truth so freely.

Then he thought back to how they had been calling for help from within the cave on the cliff, and how he had dropped that vine down to help them. He smiled.

“You should all be grateful I was willing to try to rescue you....” he said.

Fatty chuckled. “You know what? You were actually the smartest of us all. You went to rescue us and then got yourself thrown in as well.... I remember Elder Sister Xu saying something back then, heh heh. What was it? Something about latent talent, and that you had found your own good fortune.” Fatty even imitated Xu Qing’s tone of voice from back then, and everyone immediately started laughing again.

“The craziest of all was how, after you joined the Reliance Sect, you somehow finagled your way into getting into the Inner Sect. You didn't shy from using even the most devious methods, and even pulled a fast one on w.a.n.g Tengfei. Then there was how you sold medicinal pills in the fighting arena. And the general store you started! However, most underhanded of all was that you... you actually managed to snag Elder Sister Xu!” Fatty’s brazen expose caused Xu Qing to glare at him once again. But a moment later she started laughing again. She laughed so hard that soon she was leaning up against Meng Hao. It was the hardest she had laughed in centuries.

Meng Hao glared at his friends and gave a sarcastic chuckle. They continued to tell stories, and Xu Qing’s face reddened. And yet, the smile never left her face, and she seemed very content.

Time pa.s.sed. They laughed and drank, recalling old times, and soon Xu Qing was getting a bit tipsy. Finally, under the cajoling of Fatty, w.a.n.g Youcai, and Dong Hu, Xu Qing looked over at Meng Hao with fluttering eyelashes.

Meng Hao cleared his throat, and then gave into the pressure. Wrapping his arms around her, he gave her a pa.s.sionate kiss.

Dong Hu laughed uproariously, and the normally taciturn w.a.n.g Youcai couldn’t hold back from chuckling. Slapping his thigh, Fatty raucously said, “Too bad Elder Brother Chen Fan isn’t here....”

Meng Hao froze for a moment, but didn’t say anything. He chose not to explain what had really occurred with Chen Fan. The Chen Fan that existed in the hearts and memories of his friends was by far the better version.

They laughed and chatted through the night, and it was as if the pressure which had weighed down on them all throughout the centuries slowly vanished. Around the third watch, late in the night, Fatty lit up a bonfire. Then, to the shock of Fatty’s wives and offspring, the entire group began to dance and sing.

It had been a very, very long time since Meng Hao had indulged himself. He told stories about promissory notes, about Planet South Heaven, and about all the things which had occurred when he was young.

By the time day broke, all of them were completely drunk.

Fatty wrapped his arms around Meng Hao’s leg and wept as he talked about all of his dead wives. He talked about how much he had missed Meng Hao, and about his parents, who had long since pa.s.sed away. And in the end, he congratulated Meng Hao once again on being able to reunite with Elder Sister Xu.

Dong Hu and w.a.n.g Youcai sat across from each other solemnly and took turns exchanging blows. One punch after another was landed until both wept and embraced each other.

“Big Bro Youcai,” Dong Hu wept, “I... I made a mistake back then....”

Xu Qing held Meng Hao’s arm tightly, worried that if she released it, he would vanish. Her face was flush and her eyes a bit glazed as she stared at him, her beautiful treasure.

She suddenly giggled. “I love you, Meng Hao....”

He patted her back gently until she closed her eyes and fell asleep in his arms. Then he looked at his friends and smiled.

It was impossible for cultivators to get drunk unless they wished to. But at certain times it was necessary to relax. It didn't matter how powerful they were in terms of magic, they were still just people....

A few days pa.s.sed, and Dong Hu left, as did w.a.n.g Youcai. Fatty saw them off, and then Meng Hao and Xu Qing also took their leave. As they traveled through the lands, they were like a celestial couple, perfectly matched. Their next destination was Li Ling’er.

Li Ling’er, the successor of Paragon Sea Dream, offered formal greetings to Meng Hao. There was no strange expression on her face, only a warm smile. However, as she watched him leave, she couldn’t help but think... about their past marriage agreement.

“I truly wish you... lifetimes of happiness, and eternal blessing.” Meng Hao and Xu Qing slowly disappeared off into the distance.