Staring at the three-inch glass bottle, radiant as if holding a slice of the Milky Way…
Li Zhexian's eyes lit up. He rushed forward in three quick strides.
"This…"
Xue Qinghe elegantly spat out a fish bone, not even raising his head.
"The Yaoguang Brew you asked for."
"For just two meals of fish, you're getting quite the deal."
"At the very least, you owe me ten more meals."
Li Zhexian's face was alight with joy.
"Forget ten! I'll treat you to a hundred!"
He grabbed the glass bottle and held it up to the light, examining it closely.
The wine within shimmered like starlight—at times glowing an aurora-like cyan blue, at other times blooming into a warm, sunset orange.
Seeing such an extraordinary wine,
Li Zhexian got a little too excited.
He clenched his fist and gave Xue Qinghe a friendly punch to the chest.
"Now that's what I call a bro!"
Xue Qinghe froze mid-bite.
Slowly, stiffly, he raised his eyes to look at the white-robed youth who clearly had no concept of personal space.
In truth—
The moment his fist landed, Li Zhexian knew he'd gone overboard in his excitement.
Though his eyes were still fixed on the Yaoguang Brew, his heart was already racing in panic.
He could feel it—that increasingly dangerous glint in Xue Qinghe's gaze.
What now?
In just a second!
Li Zhexian's reaction speed was even faster than when he drew his sword.
Act like nothing happened!
He's Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, not Saintess Qian Renxue!
We're all bros here—what's wrong with a friendly punch to the chest?!
He raised his hand again as if to land another one.
"Looks like a damn fine bottle of wine!"
"Good brother, you really came through!"
Xue Qinghe watched him closely.
Without a word, he subtly leaned to the side to avoid Li Zhexian's next punch.
"You carry that wine gourd with you everywhere at your age—do you really understand what you're drinking?"
"Do you?"
Li Zhexian grinned.
Saying he didn't understand wine—
Was like saying he didn't understand the sword.
Without hesitation,
He uncorked the bottle and took an eager sip of the Yaoguang Brew.
It was like swallowing a stream of starlight.
A look of pure enjoyment spread across his handsome face.
"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"
"The Yaoguang Brew—a wine even the royal family cherishes—is truly worthy of its name!"
After chanting three praises in a row,
Li Zhexian closed his eyes, savoring it slowly.
"The top note is as pure as spring from an icy mountain; the mid-palate carries a dense, chilled silkiness; the finish lingers with a subtle, mysterious cool."
When he opened his eyes—
The world before him seemed cloaked in night.
A shimmer of starlight flickered through the haze.
Feeling the Qinglian Sword tremble faintly within his spirit, Li Zhexian murmured in awe:
"Yaoguang Brew… a wine that embodies both dream and poetry."
Xue Qinghe stared in surprise at the white-robed youth, nodding and swaying slightly as he drank.
Fair-skinned, a lock of tousled fringe over his brow—he looked every bit the free and dashing young man.
Clearly no more than twelve or thirteen years old—
Yet when it came to wine, he showed a boldness and confidence like that of a connoisseur with decades of experience.
"What an interesting person…"
That was the assessment Xue Qinghe gave him, inwardly.
"I still don't know your name."
"Li Zhexian."
Li Zhexian casually asked back,
"And you?"
Xue Qinghe gave him a long look, then said slowly,
"You didn't know who I was yesterday, and you still don't know?"
Li Zhexian showed no shame. He grabbed a freshly cooked fish, tossed it into Xue Qinghe's bowl, and laughed heartily.
"Well, now that I know you're the Crown Prince—here, have the tenderest one!"
Xue Qinghe froze.
He'd thought that once Li Zhexian learned his identity, he'd become more reserved, maybe even respectful.
"You're not eating?"
Li Zhexian stood up and reached to take the fish back.
"If you're not eating it, I will!"
Xue Qinghe suddenly grew anxious.
"Don't you dare take my fish!"
—
That night.
In the small courtyard,
Li Zhexian poured the remaining Yaoguang Brew into his Clear Spring Wine Gourd.
Suddenly, a streak of starlight fell from the heavens and plunged straight into the gourd.
In that instant—
A prismatic mist curled up from the mouth of the gourd.
A fragrant and mysterious aroma of wine filled the entire courtyard.
And on the gourd's body—etched with the spring's eye and vines of fruit—an additional layer of starlight appeared.
Li Zhexian raised the gourd and took a deep swig.
Boom—!
His Adam's apple bobbed.
The intense wine turned into a scalding stream,
Yet it left behind a crisp coolness in his chest, like snow melting into spring.
His face flushed bright red.
He hiccuped once, and a mist of pale violet vapor puffed from his mouth.
"Good wine! Damn good wine!"
The imprint of the Qinglian Sword appeared on his forehead.
With a thought, Li Zhexian summoned the three-foot-six-inch Qinglian Sword into his hand.
The hot wine surged through his meridians, and brilliant lotus patterns formed along the sword's spine, glowing like stars.
With a leap, Li Zhexian soared into the air, his flowing robes stirring the fireflies in the grass.
He slashed with his sword—
And all the falling starlight suddenly froze in place.
That strike—
Was so beautiful it defied belief.
A sword move unlike any seen before.
A piece of starlight stolen from the night sky itself.
When Li Zhexian unleashed his final strike,
The sword tip didn't carry a cold edge,
But a solidified strand of star-radiance.
Centered around him,
Everything within a ten-step radius was reduced to fine dust—
Blown away by the breeze.
"The first form of the Qinglian Sword Song—Yaoguang Sword, perfected."
—
In the days that followed,
Li Zhexian's life settled into a three-point routine:
Fishing at Lotus Lake, eating with Xue Qinghe, and practicing swordsmanship at night.
Of course—
As good as fish was, one would tire of it eventually.
So, every now and then, Xue Qinghe would smuggle delicacies out of the palace.
On this day,
Li Zhexian was devouring a platter of Three-Immortal Chicken.
Sitting opposite him, Xue Qinghe curled his lip and muttered,
"You haven't even paid me back the fish you owe me."
"On top of that, I've lost two chickens, four ducks, and all kinds of meat and fruit."
Li Zhexian laughed loudly.
"We're brothers, aren't we? Why keep score?"
"If you ever need anything, just come to your bro."
Hmm?
Didn't he say something similar to Zhu Zhuqing?
Li Zhexian shook his head and pushed the thought aside.
It's fine. Debts don't crush the debtor.
Xue Qinghe opened his folding fan and sighed helplessly.
He never actually expected Li Zhexian to repay him.
In his heart, he knew—
Whether as the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou, or the Saintess of Spirit Hall—
There were things he couldn't accomplish.
And Li Zhexian couldn't either.
The reason he treated Li Zhexian as a brother,
Was simple—
Because it felt good.
This white-robed youth was carefree and unrestrained, with a heart seemingly untouched by all the burdens of the world.
Xue Qinghe truly envied people like that.
"Li Zhexian, have you really never considered enrolling in Heaven Dou Imperial Academy?"
"At your age, it's the best time for cultivation."
"If you want, I can help you."
Xue Qinghe still didn't know what Li Zhexian's Martial Soul or Spirit Power was like.
But he figured someone who treated wine like gold couldn't be all that promising.
"Nope."
Li Zhexian replied without hesitation.
He couldn't understand—
Why both Zhu Zhuqing and Xue Qinghe wanted him to go to school.
Xue Qinghe was about to press further when—
Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo walked over from a distance.
Xue Qinghe frowned slightly and said,
"I've got things to do. I'll be going."
Li Zhexian was too busy gnawing on chicken to even look up.
He just waved him off.
Seeing how this country boy treated their young master so casually,
Porcupinefish Douluo's face showed a trace of anger.
Snake Lance Douluo sighed and said,
"Let it go. Since the young master started coming to Lotus Lake, his mood has lightened a lot."
"As long as it doesn't interfere with the plan—just let him be."