Volcanic Age

It was too strange a location to be called the Tavern. Instead, it would be more accurate to call it a sparring ground.

When the heavy door with the four characters of the Sichuan Tang Family engraved on it opened, it revealed a marble floor resembling a stage inside.

On all sides, what looked like warriors of the Tang Family stood watching, and behind them, there was a table with bottles of liquor on display.

Even stranger were the chairs placed three zhang outside the stage, as if they were seats for an audience.

“What the hell is this…”

Even the experienced Zhou Xuchuan couldn't hide his bewilderment. Then, as if struck by lightning, his expression changed.

The Tang Family's Tavern! Now I remember what it is!

Among the sayings passed down through the generations of the Sichuan Tang Family, there was one that was known even to the gangho.

Yuan Chou Bu Mo Zhui.

Huo Shi Qi Qiu Er.

If they get away, use their family as bait.

Qiu Wu Sheng Ji You.

If you can't find a suitable hostage to lure them in, give them a path to survival.

Tang Jia Zhi Chou Bu Ju Dai Tian.

The Tang Family cannot share the same sky as their enemies.

"The rules are simple," Tang Hui said from the center of the Tavern.

“Drink and die.”

Her long, slender fingers held the neck of a bottle of wine.

"Or live."

Her frosty voice, colder than the harshest blizzards of the north, filled the Tavern.

"ROAR!!!!"

“Poison Phoenix! Poison Phoenix! Poison Phoenix!”

“Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!”

"It's time for the alcohol!"

The Tavern of the Tang Family had been created according to the tenet, Qiu Wu Sheng Ji You.

If one drank the liquor and survived, the grudge would be settled.

If one didn't, they would die.

It was a simple yet excellent way for the Tang Family to get revenge.

If one weren't an enemy but a guest, they would still be guided toward the Tavern, but to the reception rooms a bit further inside. There would be none of the pomp and formalities happening now.

“If you agree, sign there.”

Tang Hui pointed at a table right in front of the door. A sheet of paper and a brush were laid out, ready for signing. Upon closer inspection, it stated that the Sichuan Tang Family would not be held responsible for any internal injuries or even death if one chose to drink the alcohol."

“…Huh.”

As Zhou Xuchuan read through the contract, one particular point stood out. It was the most crucial detail.

"So it's poison liquor?"

Martial Artists could dispel drunkenness with their qi even while drinking alcohol. Zhou Xuchuan knew that the Tang Family wouldn't forgive their enemies so easily. He had initially thought that the condition would be to drink without using his qi to detoxify the alcohol. However, it turned out to be entirely different from his guess.[1]

"So, you live or die by the drink…"

"That's right," Tang Hui immediately responded, hearing Zhou Xuchuan’s muttering.

"Still, you won't actually die, considering you're not an enemy of the Family."

Tang Hui’s face grew regretful as she continued.

"The bet will be stopped immediately if you show any signs of trouble, and one of the Poison Masters, either the Patriarch or the Elder, will step in to help you detoxify it. That clause is also written in the contract, so please verify it."

"I see it."

"Still, you better not let your guard down. If you don't at least try to detoxify it yourself, you'll die before anyone can come help you."

"Understood. I accept."

Zhou Xuchuan signed without hesitation.

“You idiot!”

"How dare you look down on the wine the Miss brewed?!"

“Tsk, tsk, tsk! It seems you don’t value your own life!”

The audience clicked their tongues, pitied him, or laughed at him as they watched him sign so readily.

The title, the Poison Phoenix, wasn't given to just anyone in the Tang Family for beauty or status. It was reserved for the strongest of the Tang Family's younger generation.

"Hm, does his confidence come from his guts or from stupidity… hehe."

The elder, Tang Lian, let out an incomprehensible laugh.

"Anyone can see that he'll fall after the first drink. Is there really a reason for me to be here?" Tang Youqi, sitting next to him, asked with a discontented look.

Tang Youqi, the Patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Family and the greatest Poison Master in the world.

As the greatest, he was able to detoxify any poison faster and more effectively than anyone else in the world. He was required to attend just in case.

However, he would only need to step in if Zhou Xuchuan managed to get through three drinks. The other elders could handle things if Zhou Xuchuan stopped at one or two drinks.

"Don't they say that one can never know in matters of people? It won't take long anyway, so please just wait and see. You never know what might happen."

"Well, if you say so, Elder…"

Tang Youqi swallowed his words, knowing he had no choice but to stay, and got up from his seat. Despite his words, he was still full of complaints.

The noisy audience fell silent as soon as the Patriarch stood, as if they had planned it in advance.

"From this point on, everyone except the people involved and a few permitted people is prohibited from doing anything.” Tang Youqi announced.

"The rules are as follows. Zhou Xuchuan of the Mount Hua Sect must drink three cups of the Poison Phoenix, Tang Hui's wine, and speak a coherent phrase after each cup. If he is unable to speak or if his face changes color and doesn't return to normal within a certain period of time, he will be considered incapable of detoxifying the wine and will be defeated."

Is that old man the Poison King, Tang Youqi?

One of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven, the Poison King Tang Youqi!

Zhou Xuchuan didn't know much about him except that he was in the upper-middle ranks of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven. At the very least, the Poison King hadn't been that noteworthy in his previous life.

He remembered that the Poison King hadn't come to the forefront of the battlefield even during the Era of War and Chaos, spending his time commanding the Family from within the estate until he died of natural causes..

But had he always been that old?

The only curious thing about him was his age.

From what I heard, his eldest son hasn't even reached thirty yet…

Zhou Xuchuan clearly remembered the Poison King being in his mid-fifties to his early sixties at this time.

Moreover, things became even stranger considering that martial artists age slowly. Zhou Xuchuan tilted his head, wondering if the information he knew was wrong.

"If he succeeds in drinking all three cups of wine, the two must cooperate with each other's request. Everyone here will serve as the witness, and the contract will remain as evidence. Moreover, a copy of the contract will be sent wherever Zhou Xuchuan desires to prevent any trickery in the future."

The Tavern of the Sichuan Tang Family was well organized. It had to be, to make enemies feel at ease and invite them in.

Zhou Xuchuan's copy of the contract was sent to the Gold Will Merchants in Shandong through a homing pigeon, while Tang Hui's copy was to remain with the Family.

“Then, Poison Phoenix Tang Hui, give him the prepared wine."

"Understood."

Tang Hui stood up as if she had been waiting for this moment her whole life. It seemed like she had been preparing for this revenge for the past thirty years.

She turned her back to Zhou Xuchuan and picked up a wine bottle from the table.

Having prepared in advance for this very day, she didn't hesitate. She had already decided what she wanted to use for the bet, from the first cup to the last. The other wine bottles and barrels were just there in case she wanted to change things at the last moment.

Tang Hui picked up the bottle of wine she had prepared a few days ago and returned to her original seat.

"Do you like alcohol, Zhou Xuchuan?"

Tang Hui smiled, wetting her lips with saliva. The sight of her licking her lips was so captivating that the audience unconsciously swallowed.

It was a beauty that one couldn't help but desire, even with its accompanying thorns, or rather, poison.

There was a saying that flowers growing on a cliff were even more enticing. Here, the flower that no one had ever dared to look down on or even approach for fear of being poisoned, was shining more beautifully than anything else.

Looking into those narrowed eyes felt like falling for their owner without even realizing it.

"Are you really asking a Daoist ascetic if he likes alcohol?"

Zhou Xuchuan laughed in awe.

While there was no prohibition on liquor on Mount Hua, drinking excessively was prohibited. In other words, one could drink as long as they avoided any accidents.

"Well, that's the only way you'd be able to endure even a little."

The smile on Tang Hui’s lips seemed dangerous.

'I've prepared some famous and delicious wines and liquors so that you'd be able to endure as long as possible. At the very least, if you like liquor, you won't be spitting it out or vomiting out of regret. It would be good if you could hold it down."

She wasn't wrong. If Zhou Xuchuan really was a drinker, he might actually drink it all, even if it was mixed with poison. She was right to assume such a thing.

"Ha… oh dear."

Zhou Xuchuan clicked his tongue.

The first time he had killed someone, he found himself completely unable to forget it. Eventually, he endured his days by drinking alcohol.

After that came the Era of War and Chaos, a time when he often drank. However, everything he had drunk back then had been either cheap or slightly rancid.

He had never had a drink that could be called a famous liquor.

"Well, regardless…"

Tang Hui trailed off as she opened the bottle.

"Oh ho!"

Several audience members gasped as soon as it was opened. They could all recognize the alcohol from its smell alone.

Glug, glug, glug.

As the Poison Phoenix tilted the bottle, clear alcohol dripped down and filled the empty glass perfectly.

Even though everyone was sitting a little far away, they could all smell its strong scent. Without any wind, the aroma permeated the Tavern and spread to the audience.

"It's rare to have an opportunity to taste a bottle of Wuliang liquor that's been aged for about fifteen years, so be grateful for this taste," Tang Hui said.

Wuliang liquor was a form of Baiju and was known as the Sichuan Province's most famous spirit. Zhou Xuchuan had heard about it before.[2]

Moreover, considering it had been aged for fifteen years, it wasn't something that was easy to obtain. When converted to gold, it would be worth quite a bit.

"However, this Wuliang liquor is mixed with the venom of the Golden Reed Snake, so it might taste a little spicy."[3]

“The Golden Reed Snake!”

The audience members who had been concentrating on the wine were shocked.

“Indeed, she really is the Poison Phoenix!”

"To think she treats the poison of the Golden Reed Snake so casually…"

“She’s not a part of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes for nothing.”

“They said that Miss Hui’s poison is no less potent than that of the little Patriarch. Now, I can see that they weren't lying."

“If the Miss had been born a man instead of a woman…”

The Golden Reed Snake was a venomous snake with golden lines crossing its entire body, just like its name suggested.[4] They lived in the Southern Jungles, not the Central Plains.

Its venom was so strong that it couldn't be compared to the venomous snakes of the Central Plains, and not even the Poison Users of the Sichuan Tang Family could easily handle it.

“It seems like the young lady doesn’t want to lose.”

“Three glasses? It’ll be over in one.”

"It's been such a long time since the Tang Family's Tavern was opened. Who would have thought it would end so simply?" The audience murmured, a mix of disappointment and regret in their voices.

As the crowd focused on him, Zhou Xuchuan accepted the cup from Tang Hui. He glanced down at the Baiju, noticing its faint golden hue.

Even without inhaling deeply, the strong scent tickled his nose. Even a layman who didn’t know anything about alcohol could tell that it was an expensive drink.

"While there's no time limit, the poison won't get weaker even if you wait…"

"Still, you must not be too twisted, considering you're giving me such good alcohol. That's a relief.” Zhou Xuchuan interrupted. He drank the alcohol in one gulp, the liquid sliding smoothly down his throat.

Gulp!

“It’s a bit spicy!” Zhou Xuchuan exclaimed, turning the empty glass upside down to show he had finished it. Not a single drop remained.

“…”

The bustling crowd fell silent, each person doubting their own eyes.

Tang Youqi’s eyes widened in surprise, just as he was about to order Elder Tang Yan to intervene.

Did he really speak right after drinking it?

Mixing the venom with alcohol didn't dilute it at all. Instead, it was concentrated, as if one was drinking the venom of the Golden Reed Snake directly.

To detoxify it, most Poison Users would need to remain silent and focus for at least the time it took for an incense stick to burn to detoxify it. That was how potent the venom was.

But…

Zhou Xuchuan spoke immediately after drinking it.

That wasn't as easy as it sounded.

Detoxifying such a potent venom required immense concentration and control over one's qi. If one made a mistake, not only would they get drunk, but they would also fail to detoxify the poison and end up suffering a horrid fate.

"Is it time for the second glass?" Zhou Xuchuan asked, breaking the shocked silence of the audience.

“Zhouuuuuuu Xuuuuu CHUANNNNNN!!!”

Crack!

Tang Hui’s grip tightened around the wine bottle until it shattered into pieces.

1. The effects of alcohol on one's mind is one word—literally, Alcohol Poison. Read backward; it's poison liquor, and so he was just confused at the literal interpretation of detox in this case. ☜

2. This is a real thing called Wuliangye. It's one of China's most famous brands of Baiju and the company that makes it the world's second most valuable spirit brand (after Moutai). ☜

3. Wuliang liquor is about 53% alcohol, so it already burns like fire going down before the venom. Ooof. ☜

4. Reed Snakes are literally called line snakes in Chinese. ☜

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