Gulp.
A stream of red liquid splashed into Wei Kun's mouth. Its sourness tickled his taste buds and its cold energy smoothed down his throat, washing a flood of painful memories into his stomach.
Burp!
A warm sensation spread throughout his blood vessels. His face paused at the almost empty jar. This red wine had brought him more warmth than the blazing sun outside. He didn't know beer could be this comforting.
He finally understood what the poets meant when they said , "the difference between cloud and mud". His nostrils recalled the earthy taste of his tribe's old brew and compared with the wafting fragrance from the wine. The difference was akin to clouds and mud. Wei Kun smacked his lips and raised the jar to his mouth.
Countless eyes followed the red liquid from the youth's jar to his gurgling throat… After staring for a moment, a burp rang throughout the tavern and yet no one blinked or showed any sign of disgust and instead remained glued to the dark skinned youth who looked no more than twenty.
His entire body was covered by a thick layer of fur that made him look like a skinny bear in human clothes. If it weren't for his martial robe and the standard saber hanging on his waist, they'd have thought he was a barbarian that had escaped the Wild lands.
Fortunately, that was not the case. Then the only explanation was that this young man was a heaven-shaking genius. One had to know that the red liquid that the youth was drinking was no ordinary wine but an immortal wine brewed from spiritual herbs and heavenly materials.
Such a brew was reserved only for the esteemed martial warriors because only those whose bodies and minds were tempered with spiritual energy could remain sane and alive to enjoy this elixir. And even then, they will need to take small sips of the wine to prevent unplanned suicide by upsetting their internal energy.
Yet, this mortal, without any cultivation base was not only taking large gulps but showed no signs of collapsing. Such a miracle, they had to witness to its end, even if this lad were to explode in their faces, it'll be worth the story to tell a thousand times.
Even though countless eyes were on him, Kun continued to drown himself in the fragrant wine. His hairy cheeks had already turned rosy, and his stomach was forming a small belly, and yet the chugging did not pause. By the time he swallowed the remaining mouthful, his hands were already on another sealed jar.
"Impossible, he's opening another one"
"That's the sixteenth already!" Said an old man, pulling his whiskers.
"Just who is this kid? At this rate, he might just attain the Dao of wine and ascend to heaven with another swig," an outer court deacon of a renowned sect laughed.
He never imagined he would find such a great seedling in this remote town. If he wasn't wrong then the reason for this young man's ability should be that cultivation legend.
The Heavenly Physique!
Only that constitution could possess such heaven defying ability. Thinking to this point, he stopped pulling his beard and noticed the stern expressions on the surrounding practitioners.
Surely, he wasn't the only one having these thoughts, as more experts continued to flood the small tavern. The heavens look down on my sect.
Defeating all these experts would be impossible with his strength alone. "If only the sect leader was here," the deacon thought, sighing as he crushed the jade pendant hidden in his sleeves. His only hope was that the sect received his message in time.
Thick wafts of powdered jade drifted from the tavern windows and onto the streets. A genius who could excel in martial arts at a rate faster than his peers. Who wouldn't want such a seedling in their forces.
While everyone hurried their agendas, the person at the center of the storm was already in another world. His thoughts had slowed down and his ears had shut down. He could no longer hear or perceive the outside world.
"Cloud, Chasing. Chasing the clouds," Wei Kun murmured beneath his breath. He had left the mortal world, hoping to find a way to fight the so-called immortals, but it was only after arriving here that reality slapped him away from his dreamland.
What heavenly physique? The humans beyond the Kunlun fields could not only move mountains but could even pluck stars and overturn moons; trying to go against them with the force of one man was no different from chasing clouds.
At this moment, the wine in his blood diminished, and his eyes had a moment of clarity. This wine deserved its name, Cloud Chasing Wine. In his stupor, Wei Kun caught a metallic glint from the corners of his eyes. It was a shiny silver sword hanging from a youth's waist.
At its sight, the buzzing in Wei Kun's ears stopped, and the fog in his eyes cleared. He moved the wine jar away from his lips and tried to suppress the memory forming in his mind. However, that shiny sword was like a fishing hook, slowly pulling that memory to the surface and he, like a helpless fish, was unable to stop it.
Soon enough, his vision turned crimson, and his ears were flooded with rustling fires and wails of women and children.
Then the scene in front of him fully transformed, and before him now stood rivers of blood and mountains of mutilated flesh. The smell of burnt thatch assaulted his nostrils as he took a deep breath. Around him was charred debris from fallen buildings.
Crack!
His grip on the wooden jar tightened.
Though his appearance mirrored that of a young adult, he was way younger – twelve years old. If this news got out, then this place would be flooded by cultivators, thinking he was some supreme genius.
No one could have imagined it.
After all, his height was almost twice that of an average adult, not to mention that he even had a 'beard' growing on his cheeks. However, that was just hairy. A trait common to wildlanders.
A group that secluded itself from normal civilization and resided in the wilderness. Living off wild beasts, fruits, and other edible plants.
It was like this for countless generations. They never left the green plane of the Kunlun fields or waged wars against foreigners.
One could call them a peaceful race. That was until…
Bang! Wei Kun dropped the half-filled jar and let out a deep breath before emptying what was left.
Flooding his mouth with wine was the only thing keeping him from cursing out loud. Otherwise, he might just blurt out his real identity. He was no genius like the crowd thought, and was instead a wildlander or what they called them: savages. If this news ever got out, Buddha knows how many righteous cultivators would swarm the place, wanting to protect the Dao and eliminate all demons.
Pr-gh-bastd-urgh-gg(Pretentious bastards)
His actions, which would have aroused suspicion on normal days, were simply taken as him struggling to swallow. It was only normal that the wine was now taking effect after drinking that much. Otherwise, if he continued unfazed then he'd no longer be a genius but an utter monster.
His logical actions stirred the crowd once again. Yet, their noise could no longer reach him, who was already back in the past.
Ash blew into the eyes of Wei Kun as he hid behind a bush. He stood still, not daring to blink and relieve himself of the itch.
In the distance, a group of soldiers covered in a glowing hue stood amid his previous home. Their posture resembled an immortal army.
He who had just returned from his isolation witnessed the last moments of the massacre. No cat or dog had been spared.
Had he not been away, he'd have suffered the same fate.
His unrefined physique and scholarly behavior had turned him into an anomaly in the tribe. While other boys his age were already either pot-bellied or jacked and competing with trees for air space, he remained a frail dwarf.
Wei Kun would be resting in the trees, analysing the world around him and keeping a scholarly appearance. Compared to those brutes, his hairy arms were slender and carved of jade.
Yet, he who was considered a weakling was the last one standing.
Was this poetic justice? He mused.
Ting.
The sound of the doorbell rang in his ears and pulled him back to the present. Then a sound came from behind him.
"Young Kun!" The voice sounded like thunder and quickly covered the entire tavern. Many wails of toddlers could be heard from a distance.
This was no ordinary man. Then a realization struck him. That voice, he could never forget that voice.
"Squad leader!" Wei Kun saluted while hurrying to his feet. The earth seemed to escape his feet as he stumbled around the tables trying to find balance.
He almost collapsed onto the floor, but with the help of his 'fans', he was able to regain his footing and stand on his feet. His back stood straight while facing the man before him.
Bai Kun, Squad Leader of the Clawed Tiger Battalion.
Upon recognizing him, the tavern quietened down, leaving only whispers and hushed gossip in the air.
Clawed Tiger Battalion was part of the national army, and all their squad leaders were once geniuses whose fame resounded throughout the country. Each one held a cultivation base above the ordinary martial artist.
These members were rarely seen, and one could only spot them at the demon border, guarding the kingdom against demonic beasts and energy.
Naturally, such heroes were revered by all practitioners.
Except for one person.
Wei Kun.
Because this person was the one waving the imperial flag while the army slaughtered his kinsmen.