“Can you take us to find that Li Mei Xian? We’ll provide plenty of good wine.”
Young Master Lei suddenly perked up, his gullibility evident, marking him as a prime target for scammers. He didn't consider that the old man might simply be saying this to get free drinks.
“No problem, but you have to tell me why you’re looking for him. You’re not going to seek revenge, are you? I can’t lead you to him if that’s the case, as that would be a betrayal of my friend.”
“You said he’s one of the Four Great Powers, so how could we possibly seek revenge on him? Besides, we are people from beyond the heavens, and this is our first time in your world. You’re the first person we’ve met, so we have no reason to be enemies.”
“That’s true. Then what are you looking for him for?”
The old man didn’t stop drinking.
“Have you heard of… the Sacred Fire Legacy?” Wan Lei asked softly.
The old man’s expression changed drastically upon hearing this. He glanced around, and seeing no one other than his small donkey named "Mule" with ears to overhear, he leaned close to Wan Lei and whispered, “I have.”
“Is there some kind of taboo about it?” Seeing the old man’s caution, Wan Lei also became wary.
“No, everyone in the world knows about it.”
“…”
“Then why were you being so mysterious?” Young Master Lei was so annoyed he felt like hitting the old man with a hammer.
“You were the one who spoke quietly first. I thought it had to be kept secret.”
“Hurry up and tell me, you’re talking too much nonsense.”
“Heh heh, young friends, this Great Jin imperial family, without a Sacred Fire powerhouse, how have they managed to stand for three hundred years after the Three Families divided Jin? Do you know why?”
Seeing the old man wanting to show off, Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu played along, saying in unison that they didn’t know.
“It’s precisely because they hold the strongest… the Sacred Fire Legacy in the Sacred Fire Realm.”
“The Sacred Fire Legacy is held by the Jin royal family, used to check the Three Families and maintain royal authority. Although it didn’t increase their power, it was enough to make the Three Families hesitant. This is the Jin royal family’s last resort for survival, isn’t it?” Wan Lei said with a wry smile.
What was the difference between this and the Wan family using the Thunder Emperor’s Art to threaten the six great families? Suddenly, Wan Lei felt a pang of sympathy for the Jin royal family.
However, pity aside, Young Master Lei was self-aware. He had no intention of helping that royal family restore the old order of sovereign and subject and revive imperial glory.
“You have some insight, young man, but it’s a pity. The power of the three major forces is too strong. The imperial family has been suppressed for three hundred years and is already in decline. Just last year, under the joint pressure of the Three Families, the royal family had no choice but to agree to release the legacy. However, the royal family played a trick. They announced that not only could people from the Three Forces attempt to accept the legacy, but anyone in the country who believed they had the strength could try. The Three Families couldn’t agree to this, but they also didn’t want to pressure the royal family too much and make their intentions too obvious. So, they set a rule: a martial arts大会 would be held, and the strongest would receive the legacy.”
“Heh, the Four Great Powers, and they occupy three of them. And they still call it a martial arts tournament? In the end, it’s still decided by them?”
“There’s also a variable.”
“That Li Mei Xian?”
“Yes, this person is unrestrained and wanders the world. He’s elusive, rarely seen, but his strength ranks among the Four Great Powers. His reputation is not for nothing. Therefore, this time, friends from the martial world are all focusing their attention on Li Mei Xian.”
Wan Lei nodded. Now he understood why the immortal’s task was to help Li Mei Xian. It turned out the immortal didn’t want the Sacred Fire Legacy to fall into the hands of the Three Forces either.
“Then, old sir, where should we go now?”
After all, they were asking for a favor, and since this old man could be close friends with Li Mei Xian, his strength should not be too weak. Therefore, Wan Lei’s attitude became more humble.
The two of them fell from the sky and landed on this old man. Their cart was shattered, but the old man was unharmed. If you said he was an ordinary person, even ghosts wouldn’t believe it.
“Eighty li ahead, Plum Blossom Dock!” The old man mounted his donkey with the imposing aura of a great general commanding an army.
“Mule, go!” And this donkey, clearly displeased with the old man calling it Mule, bucked immediately. After being soothed by the old man, the donkey named Mule finally moved.
On the way to Plum Blossom Dock, the old man, with great interest, educated Wan Lei about some of the customs of this world.
“Let me tell you, in this northern region, the beast race is led by the Lava Giant Phoenix, and the human race is headed by the Cao family. Of course, the Cao family also obeys the Fire Phoenix, because of their strength. This Cao family’s current patriarch enjoys married women. Following his example, this custom permeates the entire northern region, and the young wives dare not go out. In the East, the Izanagi family, people there like the young, meaning lolis. Tsk tsk, their tastes are truly perverted. Thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls are their favorites. If they are a bit older but have a loli appearance, they like them too.”
As he spoke, the old man glanced at Fang Xiaoyu, shaking his head as if lamenting that her appearance would make no one like her anywhere.
Wan Lei was extremely fortunate at this moment that his Xiaoyu had disguised herself as ugly. Otherwise, her previous peerless youthful beauty as an ice queen loli would have driven the entire Izanagi family mad.
“Lastly, the Xi Ren family, that is, the region we are currently in. The people here are the most peculiar. Hey, guess what they like?”
“What do they like?” Fang Xiaoyu was too lazy to bother with the old man, so Wan Lei had to respond.
The old man beamed, his lips moving, and a lecherous glint in his eyes. He slapped his thigh and said, “Hey! They like men.”
Wan Lei remained silent, quietly moving a couple of steps away from the old man on the donkey.
“Don’t be like that. This old man doesn’t like men, I only like wine. Wine is the most wonderful thing in the world. But speaking of which, since we are in the Xi Ren family’s territory, we have to discuss them. The high officials and nobles here like to keep handsome and petite young boys. Besides enjoying themselves, when nobles gather for entertainment, they also bring their male companions to compete, to see whose male companion is more beautiful, more charming, and more alluring. Oh my, this old man has seen it before. Those young boys were truly pitiable.”
Seeing that Wan Lei seemed uninterested in continuing this topic, the old man changed the subject and continued chatting.
The eighty li journey was not far; they arrived in half a day. In the distance, there was a fortified village with a wine banner hanging above the gate: Plum Blossom Dock.
“Boy, bring us two jars of Plum Blossom Brew.” The old man, acting very familiar, invited Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu to sit. Soon, the wine was served. The old man eagerly broke the mud seal and drank heartily.
“Ah, the scent of plum blossoms in Plum Blossom Dock. This Plum Blossom Brew is truly unparalleled in this world.”
Wan Lei couldn’t bear it any longer. “Old sir, is Li Mei Xian here?”
“He is not.”
“Then why did you bring us here?!”
“You only said where you were going next, not that you were looking for Li Mei Xian. So naturally, we should drink now.”
“… Damn it!”