Chapter 33: Drinking among Friends

　　Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor:

　　Yuan Zhenyi wasn’t bragging, the wine he brought was really good; mellow tasting with a long aftertaste. What made it even more amazing was its faint, tipsy feeling which circulated around the body. Mo Wuji could even feel his opened meridian being stimulated.

　　“This really is good wine! One mouthful, and I can feel my whole body being invigorated,” Mo Wuji praised. He could guess that there were some spiritual ingredients within the wine. Otherwise, he would not have felt such comfort.

　　Hearing Mo Wuji praise his wine, Yuan Zhenyi proudly said, “Brother Mo really knows his wines. I am from the Chang Yan State and there was once I stumbled into the Thunder Fog Forest. I did not expect it to be a blessing in disguise as I actually obtained a spirit fruit. I used that fruit to brew ten jars of wine, this is my last pot. But this is a large pot, Ha ha ha …”

　　Mo Wuji could tell that Yuan Zhenyi was a very generous and carefree person. This cup of wine brewed using a spiritual fruit must have an amazing value. Many people would not even be able to buy it, but Yuan Zhenyi readily took it out just because he liked Mo Wuji’s words.

　　“I’m really ashamed. We only met each other by chance but I drank Brother Yuan’s good wine,” Mo Wuji suddenly recalled that Chang Yan State and Cheng Yu State were currently at war. But it didn’t matter to Mo Wuji. Afterall, he did not have any sense of attachment to Cheng Yu State.

　　Yuan Zhenyi laughed, “Brother Mo, you’re treating me like a stranger! When I heard your words ‘There is little common ground for understanding between persons of differing principles’, I immediately felt like we were old friends. I would have offered you better things, not just this jar of wine. No matter how good something is, it can’t be as good as meeting an old friend!”

　　“No matter how good something is, it can’t be as good as meeting an old friend! Brother Yuan, Aunt Eleven, Ding Bu’Er, let’s have one more cup!” Mo Wuji’s heart was open. This was the first time he felt so happy and carefree ever since he was plotted against by his lover.

　　The four people raised their glass, and drained it in one gulp.

　　When he managed to open his first meridian, what he felt was agitation and excitement. It wasn’t carefree happiness. At this moment, he truly felt free and relaxed.

　　After drinking, Mo Wuji could not help but sing:

　　“There are several friends in the world of life

　　How much friendship can survive

　　Today let’s not separate our hands

　　Friendship is often in our hearts

　　But we still need to say goodbye

　　He will ask to meet

　　But some would be unable to

　　There was a friend

　　Thousand miles away

　　Separated and remote

　　There’s no need to meet

　　We will know in our hearts

　　Friendship cannot be changed [1]

　　…

　　At first, it was just Mo Wuji singing. Afterwards, Yuan Zhenyi and co. learned the lyrics and they all sang together.

　　…

　　Wen Manzhu was standing outside Mo Wuji’s tent, frowning. Seeing Mo Wuji mixing around with someone like Yuan Zhenyi made her unhappy.

　　Afterall, Mo Wuji was once a prefecture prince. Even though he lost his status, he should not have fallen so far. If he continued to fall further, he could no longer climb back up. If not for the guilt in her heart which made her want to help Mo Wuji, she would have turned away and left. Perhaps she was not aware about it, but she had another purpose for coming, and that was to help Situ Po inquire about the origins of ‘The Sly Gentleman’.

　　But when she heard Mo Wuji sing ‘The Light of Friendship’, she was shocked. It could be said that she spent most of her life with Mo Wuji, and she understood Mo Wuji down to his bones. But she never knew that Mo Wuji had such talent in music. This song was extremely sweet, and at the same time, it contained great sincerity.

　　“Brother Mo, that song was good, I like it! We may be separated by thousands of mountains, or millions of seas, but our friendship will not change!” Aunt Eleven drank till her whole face was red. Behaving like a man, she staggered to Mo Wuji’s side, grabbed his arms and looked at him with a pair of drunk eyes.

　　Yuan Zhenyi also stood up and raised his glass, “It indeed is a good song. I like it too! The only pity was that there was no wine in that song, if not it would have been perfect! Here, let’s have one more glass!”

　　Mo Wuji stood up tipsily, drained his glass and said loudly, “If that’s the case, how about I sing another song,

　　Yesterday is gone again

　　Happiness is the most important

　　Water cannot be recovered again

　　After a peach withers, there’s still a rose

　　Life will always have strong winds and rains

　　A sprinkle of rain will not stop us from drinking

　　Whether we regret or not, we can slowly decide

　　At this moment friends this cup of wine is the most precious

　　Have a cup full of wine and sing loudly

　　Good friends, nice friends, we’ll have so much fun tonight

　　Also let me know how to cherish a friend’s shoulder

　　The sun will always shine after a heavy storm

　　Let us raise our head and learn to be strong

　　Like a friend, this cup of wine warms my heart

　　I do not worry about anything else

　　Today we have come to meet

　　Feelings of affection filled the glass

　　Years rush like water

　　Who cares who he was yesterday

　　… ［2］”

　　Mo Wuji’s hoarse, husky voice made Wen Manzhu completely stunned. She preferred this song to the previous one. Each and every word strummed her heartstrings, making her blood boil, compelling her to go in and drink with them.

　　Is this the feeling of friendship? She also had her own friends. Cheng Yu State’s Ninth Prince, Situ Po. Cheng Yu State’s general, Zhao Feihu’s son, Zhao Pu. Minister Yao Kang’s son, Yao Bingzhen. There was also the hypocrite Zhao Xu… [3]

　　Which one of them wasn’t handsome? Which one of them wasn’t a promising hero? Why was it that she can’t seem to find this feeling of boiling blood when she’s with them? If Situ Po wasn’t interested in Mo Wuji’s knowledge of the Sunflower Law, would he have advised her to chat with Mo Wuji?

　　“Good… Good… Brother Mo, I like this song… Have a cup full of wine and sing loudly! Good friends, nice friends, we’ll have so much fun tonight…” Yuan Zhenyi joined Mo Wuji and sang loudly.

　　Ding Bu’Er and Aunt Eleven also joined in.

　　Wen Manzhu stood outside the tent for a long time, and finally dispelled the idea of entering the tent. If not for what happened today, she would never have known how talented Mo Wuji was. By casually singing those two songs, he was able to make her blood boil and compel her to join in the singing.

　　She walked faraway to a place where she could no longer hear the songs. Wen Manzhu slowly lowered her head. She knew, it didn’t matter how well Mo Wuji could sing, they were two different people from two different worlds.

　　If Mo Wuji had spiritual roots, she would think of ways to help him. Unfortunately, Mo Wuji only had mortal roots. After she enters a sect and starts cultivating, this distance between them would only get wider.

　　“Let the past go. If I’m successful in my cultivation, and if we were to ever meet again, I will give him great fortune. I can even help him achieve his dream of taking back the Northern Qin Prefecture,” Wen Manzhu muttered as she walked into the inn. She seemed to have found a reason to truly say goodbye to Mo Wuji.

　　[1] This song is called 友谊之光. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xklq9C79f9A

　　[2] This song is called 朋友的酒. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QAIm49rC2k

　　[3] Throwback to when Mo Wuji was in the Worker’s Union.