Xiao Jinxu stared at the cave entrance with a look of deep concern.
He asked the man beside him, "Will my wife truly recover?"
The man threw an arm around Xiao Jinxu’s shoulders and turned him around. "Of course she will, rest easy. With the Divine Envoy here, I guarantee your life together will be blissful and fulfilling!"
Xiao Jinxu felt that the man’s smile turned rather lewd at the end, but before he could ask, the man patted his shoulder and urged him forward. "Don't just stand here waiting, brother. Come drink with us. Let me tell you, the wine we brew in our village is absolutely peerless. I guarantee you’ll be begging for more after the first sip. Hehehe..."
Like a man of indecisive character, Xiao Jinxu fretted over his wife and didn't want to leave, yet his refusal lacked conviction. Thus, he was swept away by the group’s clamor.
***
Jiang Wuyan was led by Tao Youcai through a narrow, winding passage. Sensing the shift in the airflow, she knew they were nearing the end.
The end of the tunnel, which opened into the cave, was a rather expansive chamber—likely a natural cavern that had been expanded and remodeled by human hands into its current state.
The first thing that hit Jiang Wuyan was a nauseating, unbearable stench. It was a complex odor, containing the stagnant, miasmic air of a poorly ventilated space, but driven primarily by the scent of "humanity"—a mix of various bodily secretions and the iron tang of blood.
The smell alone was enough to make one retch, but through the transmission of the miniature bird above, she "saw" the scene inside the cave, which was even more gut-wrenching and repulsive.
Scattered across the vast cavern were all sorts of torture racks, still stained with fluids and blood. They were clearly meant to satisfy someone’s depraved habits; even a single glance was enough to trigger a visceral, physical revulsion.
In the center, a large pool had been dug into the ground. It emitted a pungent, heavy aroma of alcohol, as if the "water" within were actually spirits. Floating upon the murky surface were all manner of rotting debris, though its purpose remained unclear.
Immersed within the large pool were dozens of women.Beyond the large pool, there were several waist-high vats arranged around the perimeter. Each vat held a woman, her body submerged in the liquid with only her head visible above the rim.
These women varied in height and build; it seemed as though all the younger wives and maidens of the village had been gathered here. Their eyes were vacant, their expressions numb, and their complexions deathly pale, as if their souls had been stolen away, leaving behind nothing but hollow shells.
"Jingle, jingle, jingle—"
The divine messenger who followed behind shook the bell in his hand. This time, the bell rang out, creating a sound that grated on the nerves.
The messenger wore an arrogant expression, his face etched with the cold indifference of someone who had performed this task thousands of times. He pointed a finger at Jiang Wuyan and said to Tao Youcai, "Cure her properly before letting her enter the wine pool."
"As you command, divine messenger," Tao Youcai replied respectfully.
At this point, Tao Youcai shed his mask. He did not ask Jiang Wuyan a single question; instead, he grabbed her and marched her toward an iron-framed bed with chains attached at the back of the cave.
Jiang Wuyan "sensed" that something was wrong and began to struggle with all her might, her voice trembling with panic and fear: "Let go... let go of me..."Tao Youcai grabbed a handful of her hair, forcing her head back, while his other hand clamped onto her chin. Looking at her terrified and helpless expression, her blindness only made her vulnerability all the more prominent, making someone want to bully her all the more!
Clearly, the first time he looked at her, he had thought this woman was plain and unremarkable. Yet the more closely he looked, the more utterly bewitching she seemed.
Tao Youcai smiled ferociously. "If you're a good girl, my heart might soften a bit, and I could let you suffer less. Otherwise..."
He patted her face, grabbed her again, and dragged her toward that dark, gloomy, and chilling iron-plate bed...
***
Xiao Jinxu was invited into a tavern.
He was quite surprised as well—to think there was a tavern in this small village?
The villagers were exceptionally enthusiastic. As soon as they stepped inside, they told the tavern owner to bring out their signature wine, along with several dishes to go with the drinks.
Xiao Jinxu looked around and asked with curiosity, "How come none of your wives are here?"If the "demon-cleansing" ritual was considered inappropriate for women, surely in a place like this, when men gather to drink, they would at least have women prepare the snacks. Yet, there was not a woman in sight.
He had wandered through the village quietly that day and hadn't spotted a single female figure. Had the wives of the others, along with their mothers and daughters, all vanished, just like Tao Dachai’s wife?
The enthusiastic villagers paused for a moment. Then, a man who seemed to be their leader—a man called Dayong—let out a booming laugh. "Our women are plenty busy! Why bother them late at night? Besides, if they were here, their nagging would keep us from enjoying our drinks properly!"
The others chimed in, "Exactly, exactly."
"Brother, when men are drinking, why are you thinking about women?"
As he spoke, the tavern owner set a jar of wine in the center of the table. "Brother Duoyan, this is the best wine we have. You must have a good taste!"
"That's right, that's right." Dayong grabbed the jar, poured a bowl, and set it in front of Xiao Jinxu. "Go on, drink up!"
Swept up in their momentum, Xiao Jinxu lifted the wine bowl to his lips. He was just about to drink when he paused.
"I still have a small question. If I don't get it cleared up, I truly cannot drink with ease."
"They say one who lives off the mountain draws from the mountain. The trees in the surrounding woods are so laden with wild fruit the branches are bowing, yet no one seems to be harvesting them, and I see no fields nearby."
"I am truly curious: what is it you all live on?"
The corners of Dayong’s eyes twitched twice, revealing a fierce look that didn't belong on a simple villager. He let out a dry chuckle, rested one hand on the table, and leaned toward Xiao Jinxu. "Naturally, we have other ways of making a living. If you are truly curious, I’ll take you for a look tomorrow. But for now... Brother Duoyan, if you refuse to drink this wine, are you looking down on us?"
"That’s right, he’s looking down on us!"
The crowd began to jeer.
At this moment, Xiao Jinxu remained composed, a faint, mocking curve playing on his lips. He was still in no rush to drink; with a leisurely air, he sniffed the wine in the bowl and sighed, "Beauty's Intoxication. It’s actually Beauty's Intoxication."
"You’re a sharp one, Brother. You could even smell that." Dayong stared at him intently. "This wine is utterly enchanting when you drink it. Why not try some?"
"Before I try it, I still want to know," Xiao Jinxu said, raising his eyes to look at Dayong and the others, who were growing impatient at his repeated questioning. "I believe I heard you say earlier that this wine is brewed by your own hands?"
Beauty's Intoxication, a liquor so rare it was worth a thousand gold pieces in Shangjing City and obsessed over by everyone, had somehow appeared in this remote, reclusive village.
It was truly interesting!
Dayong continued to smile, but his expression had turned sinister. "Of course. Anywhere else, you wouldn't have the good fortune to drink this."
If he were a smart man, he would drink it immediately and stop wasting everyone's time.
But Xiao Jinxu was not going to be that "smart man." He set the wine bowl back down. "I am quite curious. With so many of you here, you could have easily attacked me head-on. Why go through the trouble of tricking me into drinking this bowl of wine?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the noisy, lively little tavern went deathly silent—so quiet, one could hear a pin drop. It was chilling.
After a long pause, Dayong let out a cold snort. He no longer felt the need to keep up the charade. He irritably bent one leg and rested his foot on the stool, the simple villager persona instantly replaced by the air of a bandit. "Wugu Cliff is high and steep. To fall from the top and survive, even with a ledge to cushion the blow, and then to bring a blind girl—a complete burden—all the way here in one piece... you must possess profound internal power."
"If we had fought you man-to-man with real blades, my brothers would surely have suffered casualties. We were hoping for a peaceful outcome..." Dayong pulled a knife from under the table and tapped it against the surface. "Why couldn't you just cooperate?"
"But then again, it works out. I’ve found you irritating for a long time, you punk!"
He had been rambling endlessly over a simple drink—it was maddening. Today, he would see him chopped into pieces!