179: Chapter 179 Incense Offerings and Human Wishes

The snow continued to fall.

Su Chen ignored what Su Daji had said.

He was determined to go to Wenli City.

After all, Su Chen still had trump cards in his hand.

He had been in this investment world for quite a long time.

Clearly, those so-called immortals, and even everyone in the Hehuan Sect, harbored a deep hatred for him.

Yet they never dared to take action personally.

They had only bribed some of his ministers and sent Su Daji—a disciple with excellent talent but low cultivation because she had never practiced dual cultivation—to assassinate him.

Su Chen had already guessed the reasons behind it fairly accurately.

The carriage slowly drove toward the gates of Wenli City.

This was a small county town.

It wasn't large.

The city walls were only about three people high.

However, what made this town different from other small counties was...

By the city gate, there actually stood a crude wine stall.

The wine stall looked exceptionally lonely in the light snow.

The wine flag was half-damp, hanging from the pole; occasionally, a corner was whipped up by the cold wind, revealing the faded character for "Wine" underneath.

A few middle-aged men stood before the stall buying wine; they looked like local soldier-thugs, chatting idly.

The stove fire in front of the stall was on the verge of dying out, warming the last pot of cloudy wine.

The stall owner was a White-haired Youth with a rather extraordinary appearance.

Dressed in a green robe, a half-worn wine gourd hung from his waist.

He was bowing his head, wiping a coarse ceramic wine bowl with steady, unhurried movements.

Seeing such an unusual-looking wine stall before Wenli City...

Su Chen pulled the horse's head, changed direction, and headed toward the wine stall.

The men buying wine at the stall heard hoofbeats behind them and looked back curiously.

They sized up Su Chen's extremely luxurious carriage and glanced at the royal emblem on it.

Their expressions changed instantly, and they hurriedly ran off with the wine they had bought.

However, the stall owner appeared exceptionally calm.

He didn't even bother to look up.

It wasn't until Su Chen, holding Su Daji's hand, walked slowly to the stall and sat on the only bench not completely soaked by snow that he finally raised his eyes.

Those eyes seemed gentle at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they were like deep pools.

Reflecting the snowy light and the embers of the stove fire, they were calm and rippleless.

His gaze lingered on Su Chen's face for a moment, swept over Su Daji's exquisite features, and finally settled back on Su Chen.

He offered a formulaic smile.

"Guest, the road is cold on a snowy day. Would you like a bowl of hot wine to warm yourself?"

He ignored Su Daji's small hand, which was being held by his large one and was constantly fidgeting as if trying to warn him of something.

Su Chen did not answer immediately.

He just quietly observed the person before him.

Snow fell onto the fur collar of his black cloak and quickly melted.

Su Daji huddled close to his side, draped in his snow-white fox fur coat, her slender arms clutching him tightly.

Her lithe body was tense, her fox-like eyes downcast.

She looked exactly like a little fox protecting its food.

Having confirmed that the few villagers who had hunched their shoulders and hurried away with their wine were now far off...

Inside and outside the city gate, aside from the rustling of falling snow, there were only a few scattered barks of dogs in the distance.

Su Chen finally spoke.

"Wine, of course, I shall drink."

"But I wonder, are you willing to let me drink your wine?"

"After all, I don't have the habit of carrying money when I go out, so naturally, I have no silver to pay you."

The White-haired Youth's movement of wiping the wine bowl paused slightly, and then he let out a light chuckle.

He set down the bowl, lifted the ceramic pot warming on the stove, and poured half a bowl of cloudy but fragrant wine for both Su Chen and Su Daji.

"Wine is just wine; anyone can drink it, and you are no exception."

"It enters the mouth."

"Warming the body and intoxicating the heart—that is its purpose."

"As for whether the one drinking is a human or an immortal, a ghost or a demon, or whether they pay or not—what difference does it make to the wine itself?"

He gently pushed the wine bowls in front of them, his gaze falling on Su Chen's face once more.

"Just as whether you are a passing merchant, a traveling scholar, or some other identity, it makes no difference to me, a wine seller."

"Furthermore, within the borders of this Great Yin, you shouldn't need to pay for wine anyway."

"Draconic qi flickers, the Ziwei star is hidden, and the lady beside you is... well, she possesses immortal roots and spiritual charm, with a natural allure in her very bones."

"Such a pair, coming through the snow to stop at this place of Wenli, where resentment soars to the heavens..."

"It would be difficult for me not to be curious."

"In that case, consider this pot of wine my treat to you both, and consider it a favor I'm doing for you."

"After all, in this Great Yin, there aren't many people capable of doing you a favor, haha."

Su Chen picked up the wine bowl but did not drink.

"Your insight is quite extraordinary."

"It seems that your selling wine here is a case of 'the old drunkard's interest not being in the wine'."

"Old drunkard?"

The White-haired Youth shook his head self-mockingly, poured himself half a bowl, tilted his head back to drain it, his Adam's apple bobbing as he let out a satisfied sigh.

"I haven't reached that level of attainment yet."

"As for me... I'm just an anonymous deserter from the Upper Realm."

"Tired of the endless schemes, internal strife, and other filthy affairs up there, I came to this mortal world to find some peace and, incidentally, to atone for sins that might not even exist."

"Upper Realm?"

Su Daji looked up abruptly, facing the wine-selling youth directly for the first time.

Her eyes were full of doubt, as if something was about to burst forth.

"Indeed."

The youth set down the wine bowl and cast his gaze toward the dark, uncertain sky shrouded by the curtain of snow, his tone carrying a hint of mockery and exhaustion.

"That is what the mortal world usually calls us, or 'Immortal Realm'—that works too."

"As for what I've said... you needn't be surprised, miss."

"The Immortal Realm is not the place of pure non-action and tranquility that legends describe."

"On the contrary, the struggle there for incense and aspirations, and the calculations for authority and providence..."

"...are more naked and cruel than the changing of dynasties in this mortal world."

He turned to Su Chen, his voice lowering slightly.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I'll follow the mortal custom and address you as 'Your Majesty'."

"Does the King of Great Yin know why, since the founding of your Yin Shang Dynasty—especially in recent generations with a succession of wise rulers, light taxes, and the people finally finding some peace..."

"...those high-and-mighty immortals and gods find you more and more eyesore?"

"To the point where they don't hesitate to violate heavenly laws to secretly support Western Zhou, vowing to destroy your Yin Shang Dynasty?"

Hearing this, Su Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I would like to hear more."

"It is the incense."

The White-haired Youth said calmly.

"Immortals cultivate to live forever; though they seem carefree, they actually require a foundation."

"This foundation consists of two things: first, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and second, the incense and aspirations of the mortal realm."

"The latter, in particular, concerns the advancement of one's cultivation, resisting heavenly tribulations, and even vying for positions of power in the Heavenly Court."

"The monarchs of the Yin Shang Dynasty, especially in recent times, have been pragmatic and less devoted to ghosts and gods, encouraging farming and weaving while suppressing excessive sacrificial rites."

"When the people live in peace, they place less hope in ethereal gods and Buddhas, so the incense naturally becomes sparse."

"On the other hand, the Ji Clan of Western Zhou..."