Chapter 3998 — Drunk by the Bear
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
With that said, Xu Lingchong downed it without the slightest hesitation, giving the impression that there really was no trick in it—nothing but a plain toast of apology to Wei Zhao.
Wei Zhao had not wanted to drink his cup at all. The cultivation world, after all, teemed with strange and uncanny things, unlike the mundane realm where only those few drugs known to all men existed. If Xu Lingchong really had slipped something into the wine, even Wei Zhao with all his strength would find it hard to detect. And if he fell foul of Xu Lingchong on that account, who knew what unforeseen consequences might follow.
But since Shangguan Lan'er had spoken as she had, he could hardly ignore her and let it pass; he had no choice but to take Xu Lingchong's cup.
"Young Hero Lin, I shall drink first in tribute—please!" No sooner had Xu Lingchong spoken than he drained the cup in one gulp.
Wei Zhao brought the cup to his nose and sniffed. Beyond the wine's fragrant bouquet and spiritual essence, he could find nothing at all out of the ordinary.
Watching this, Xu Lingchong sneered inwardly. Are the tricks I use so easily exposed? To think a mere human nose could sniff out anything amiss—that is sheer fantasy, sweet in its naivety.
Wei Zhao still had no confidence in the matter, yet since the cup had been exchanged from Xu Lingchong's own hand, then even if the fellow had truly laced the wine, it could not be any fierce poison capable of killing a man in short order.
Otherwise, even if Xu Lingchong held the antidote in his own grasp, with Wei Zhao stalling him face to face like this, it would be hard to guarantee nothing would go wrong. Besides, this was, after all, a critical occasion thronged with great personages; to use poisoned wine and bring about a death here, Xu Lingchong too would find it hard to bear the consequences—Shangguan Lan'er, after all, could bear witness on the spot that the wine Wei Zhao drank had come from his hand.
So much at least Wei Zhao could be certain of: even if the wine had been laced, it could at most be some unorthodox supplementary ingredient, one that would take a measure of effect in the short term but would never be too violent, nor leave any obvious lingering aftereffects.
Xu Lingchong was no fool. Wei Zhao could even go further and infer that if the stuff truly had been added, its effects were probably designed from first to last never to be easily noticed—in all likelihood, even when the effects came on, they would be mistaken for mere drunkenness.
"What's this? Young Hero Lin still dares not drink? That is a rather poor showing of face for me, and a rather shameful one for you, is it not?" Seeing Wei Zhao hesitate and delay, Xu Lingchong at once urged him on aloud.
"Since you beg me to drink, then drink I shall." By this moment the eyes of those around had been drawn over, and Wei Zhao could no longer keep putting it off and wavering; he gave a faint smile and drained the cup.
"Excellent—to take up what one can put down, that is the measure of a true man!" Xu Lingchong smiled in secret triumph, betraying nothing, then turned and poured another cup, which he offered to Shangguan Lan'er: "Junior Sister Lan'er, today is your birthday. By both sentiment and propriety, your senior brother ought to toast you a cup. Surely my little junior sister will not refuse?"
Shangguan Lan'er could not have been bothered to pay this pest any mind, but seeing that from afar Shangguan Tianxia, Xu Yuanzheng, and the others were looking her way, she could hardly leave with a flick of her sleeve. She could only endure it and take the cup, pouting as she said, "Let me make one thing clear—this young lady is not giving you face; she is giving your grandfather face. You have no face at all in this young lady's eyes!"