Volume Two, Chapter Thirty-Four: Cataclysm

"Are you blind?" A voice as cold as ice pierced his ears.

Yu Mu, who had been savoring the warmth and softness in his arms, was instantly sobered by the chill in those words. Having already suffered once before, he immediately sensed trouble was brewing again.

He hurriedly looked up and saw the veiled stranger standing before him, cradling her left hand, eyes fixed on him with frosty disdain. From within the black veil, half of her slender jade-like hand was visible, fresh blood slowly seeping from it.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Yu Mu stammered, flustered, and instinctively reached out to grab her injured hand.

She recoiled at once, her gaze growing even colder.

"Hmph! What do you want from us? My brother has already apologized, why must you press on so relentlessly? Let's go, brother, pay him no mind. Such affectation," Meng Fang muttered, unnerved when he realized it was the veiled woman, and hurriedly dragged Yu Mu away.

Meng Fang had no idea who she was, but Yu Mu did, and guilt gnawed at him. He turned back once more, apologizing earnestly, "I'm truly sorry—I didn't mean it."

But the veiled woman's eyes had already turned on them with the chilling indifference one might reserve for the dead.

They strode quickly out of the market. Yu Mu glanced down—the tip of the vine branch still bore droplets of blood among the thorns. He quickly tucked the dangerous thing away, lest it wound anyone else.

But as soon as the vine entered his inner space, the blood beads were instantly absorbed. At once, a purple-red mist billowed from the vine, bursting through the inner space and invading Yu Mu’s very body.

"Ah—!" Yu Mu let out a cry of pain.

"What’s wrong, brother?" Meng Fang, hearing him cry out for no apparent reason, thought he’d been ambushed. "Was it that veiled woman? I’ll go after her!"

Yu Mu grabbed Meng Fang’s hand, shaking his head faintly.

By now, Yu Mu's face was deathly pale, his eyes dull and lifeless. His vigor was draining fast—his very essence seemed to be ebbing away.

The vine had taken root inside him, like a grafted branch growing wild, ravenously devouring his spiritual energy. As it drank in his essence, it slowly began to grow; in moments, it had doubled in length.

Meng Fang was frantic, like an ant on a hot pan, yet helpless. In desperation, he began stuffing every kind of pill from their recent sales into Yu Mu’s mouth, hoping to stem the decline.

But the trickle of energy from the pills was far less than the vine's ravenous consumption—less than a hundredth, in fact. Yu Mu continued to wither away.

What could he do?

Gritting his teeth, Meng Fang scooped Yu Mu into his arms and dashed back the way they’d come.

Unexpectedly, Yu Mu’s sudden collapse made those shadowy figures who had been tailing them hesitate to act. Unsure of what was happening, all they could do was follow at a distance.

"Gada, brother, Gada, brother! What’s wrong? Wake up! Ahhh!" Meng Fang howled at the sky, then bent over his friend and wept.

Yu Mu’s condition forced Meng Fang to halt. He lay limp in Meng Fang’s arms, breath shallow, eyes glazed, as if on the brink of death.

Meng Fang’s wails seemed to rouse Yu Mu a little.

"Brother Meng, don’t be sad. Coming to this world and meeting you has been my greatest fortune. You care for me, protect me—you’re like family from my previous life. I’m sorry I can’t go any further with you. If there is another life, I hope to be born in the same world as my mother and you."

"Don’t say that, brother! I won’t let you die, never! I’ll take you to Auntie Goose right now—no one can stop me. Hold on, brother!" Meng Fang said, lifting Yu Mu to his feet again.

"Wait, Brother Meng, isn’t that a tavern over there?" Yu Mu pointed, voice weak.

Meng Fang followed his gaze; down a nearby alley, a pale yellow banner fluttered, bearing three bold black characters: ‘Even Immortals Get Drunk.’ On the reverse, a large character for wine rippled in the wind.

"A tavern—but saving you comes first. When you’re well, I’ll drink with you for three days—no, thirty!"

"Brother Meng, take me inside. There may yet be a sliver of hope. Hurry!"

"Alright." Meng Fang hesitated no longer; he trusted Yu Mu unconditionally.

Crash—

The door bolt snapped in two, and a burly man with a purple face burst in, carrying someone in his arms.

The manager and bookkeeper, busy with their accounts, were so startled they dropped their pens.

"What are you—what do you want? We’re closed for inventory, it’s written outside—"

"Shut up. Bring out your best wine, my brother needs to drink."

Hearing this, the manager looked closer and saw the state of the man in Meng Fang’s arms. He cried, "You must take him elsewhere—if he dies here, how will I ever do business again?"

"Nonsense! My brother won’t die, but if you don’t bring the wine now, I’ll burn this place to the ground. Here—this is for you, now fetch the wine." He flung a sack of spirit crystals onto the counter.

"Ah! Medium-grade spirit crystals—so many! Right away, sir, please wait!" The manager hastily barked orders: "Quick, quick! Bring the best wine!"

At his command, a servant rushed out with a jar of wine. Meng Fang snatched it before the man could pour, cracked the seal, and began pouring it down Yu Mu’s throat. The rich aroma filled the room.

"Sir, this is our century-old ‘Even Immortals Get Drunk.’ It’s incredibly strong—most folk can’t handle half a jar, and your friend is already in such a state. Can he take it?"

Meng Fang ignored him. Glancing at the suspicious figures peering in from outside, he said, "Shut the door and keep bringing wine. Don’t stop until I say so. If you need more money, I’ll pay."

"It’s enough, it’s more than enough! This buys all the wine in the house." The manager barked at his staff, "Shut the door and get more wine! Don’t just stand there—move!"

The tavern descended into chaos. In moments, a whole jar of wine had been poured down. The potent liquor was swiftly transformed into spiritual energy, nourishing Yu Mu’s parched body. But the vine was a bottomless pit, absorbing every drop as fast as it came. The energy from one jar was devoured in an instant—such replenishment was never enough.

Yu Mu, barely conscious, pointed at a massive wine vat. "Is that wine too?"

"Yes, sir—what do you intend?"

Yu Mu ignored him and turned to Meng Fang. "Brother Meng, put me in that vat."

Both manager and Meng Fang cried out in shock, "Sir, that vat holds four or five hundred pounds of wine—you can’t possibly—"

But before the manager could finish, Meng Fang had scooped up Yu Mu and plunged him into the vat with a splash. The manager stared, speechless, utterly dumbfounded.