Chapter 445: Chapter 30: Carpe Diem, Drink Today’s Wine

April 24, 2018, early morning

Amidst a rumbling sound, in a corner of the western part of Golden Jade City, under the towering city walls, a lifelike stone statue of a fairy emerged from the ground. The fairy held a porcelain vase, her starry eyes half-closed. Although it was just a gray stone statue, it appeared incredibly vivid and dynamic, astonishing the passersby who stopped to watch.

At the same time, in the east, south, and north of Golden Jade City, stone statues of fairies of different poses rose from the ground, attracting numerous gazes.

As the morning sun grew gradually brighter, more and more fairy statues appeared in various places around the city, as if spreading a dense network that connected all areas together.

While people curiously discussed the purpose of these fairy statues, their emotions and thoughts were quietly collected by these statues, converging into an invisible unity.

By this point, Golden Jade City’s "United Strength" had taken its initial shape. Although the collection efficiency remained relatively low, and the maximum capacity of Wish Power was no more than a hundred thousand people, the fact that the statues could collect Wish Power normally meant the framework of the array was established. To complete the framework of such a large-scale magical formation in just one night, the execution capabilities of the temporary government were indeed astonishing.

Even during Zhao Chenlu’s era, the execution ability of Golden Jade City was no more than this.

It certainly wasn’t because of the wisdom and charisma of Zhao Hongwu and others, comparable to Zhao Chenlu, but rather because these members of the temporary government had been pushed to a dead end.

From the 18th when Zhao Lingbo suddenly moved to initiate the Golden Jade Seventeen Linked Rings to suppress Zhao Chenlu until now, a week had already passed. The Seventeen Linked Rings operating underground in the City Lord’s Mansion indeed showed ominous signs of slowing down and True Essence leakage, terrifyingly foreboding. And the woman suppressed in the array often emitted soul-stirring laughter, like a Primordial Demon that could break the seal at any moment.

The time left for Zhao Hongwu and others was running out. Even though countless veteran experts in Golden Jade City assured them the Seventeen Linked Rings could at least confine Zhao Chenlu for another ten days, looking at the increasingly shaky magical formation, recalling Zhao Chenlu’s glorious past achievements, faced with this impending catastrophic threat, Zhao Hongwu and others were sleepless day and night, driven by unprecedented zeal.

By noon on the 24th, the main structure of "United Strength" was fully completed, with three hundred and seventy fairy statues arranged throughout the city. Under Zhao Hongwu’s Primordial Spirit control, they began to vibrate slightly in unison, shaking off the thin Wish Power clinging to the statues like snow from the treetops, before converging towards the City Lord’s Mansion.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a colorful glow bloomed in Zhao Hongwu’s palm.

"We did it!"

The surrounding attendants couldn’t help but cheer.

Zhao Hongwu also looked pleased: "It really worked, and the trial run results exceeded expectations. Perhaps Golden Jade City’s favorable weather and unified public sentiment increased the collection efficiency of Wish Power by fifty percent compared to the standard value on the Array Map."

"Congratulations, Lord City Lord! Now we can surely suppress that demoness."

Zhao Hongwu nodded: "Let’s hope so."

Beside him, his brother Zhao Hongwen frowned: "It went too smoothly, which makes it feel suspicious. Do you really trust that Zhao Xinyu?"

"How could I trust him, but what choice do we have but to trust him?" Zhao Hongwu smiled wryly, "We’ve been in a desperate situation from the start. Even a straw, we have to grasp firmly... By the way, how’d it go with the surveillance?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Zhao Hongwen shook his head, "I personally went over, and he stayed in his room at East City Tavern without stepping outside... unless his Illusion Technique is far beyond mine, at least for today, he’s clean. But I feel that the absence of any suspicious points is the biggest suspicion. A man who suddenly appeared claiming to be Zhao Chenlu’s former husband without any suspicious points—isn’t that in itself extraordinary?"

"Speaking of extraordinary, ten days ago, if someone told you or me that Zhao Chenlu would be suppressed by her own magical array in the basement of the City Lord’s Mansion, and we would stand here ruling over Golden Jade City, wouldn’t that be extraordinary?" Zhao Hongwu laughed self-deprecatingly. "I won’t lie, I just got a lifetime membership card at Drunken Moon Tower earlier this month, spent a good sum, thought it’d be my dining hall for the next 20 years, and yet... Anyway, I can’t use the membership card now, not had the time to even return it these days."

Zhao Hongwen said, "Regardless of success or failure, we can never go back to the old days. But the way things have developed, every step is unexpected. First Zhao Lingbo suddenly initiated the Seventeen Linked Rings to suppress Zhao Chenlu, then the Saint Sect and major families didn’t interfere in our coup, and then Zhao Xinyu popped up. We’re nominally coup leaders, yet we’ve been drifting along at every turn, helpless...Don’t you feel like we’re dancing on the edge of a cliff?"

Zhao Hongwu said, "Of course, every step now feels like walking on thin ice. But don’t you find that exhilarating? As a member of the Zhao Family, how can we live a mundane, uneventful life. Those past years of debauchery—did you really like that? Now, even if it’s a temporary illusion, even if in a few days that demoness breaks out and captures us all, at least now, I stand in the City Lord’s Mansion overseeing these two million people, controlling uncountable vast resources, accomplishing the Primordial Array of ’United Strength’ overnight. Even if just for a day, it’s better than twenty years of dullness."

"So you listened to Zhao Lingbo’s urging to become this leader? You..." Zhao Hongwen sighed. "Did you not consider the issue with Zhao Lingbo? For many years she was Zhao Chenlu’s loyal dog, suddenly biting back. Even if you explain it as the result of long-standing grudges, it could also be explained as..."

"I know, there are many explanations possible, but does it matter? We witnessed her sealing Zhao Chenlu personally. With Zhao Chenlu’s demoness nature, even acting, could she allow a maid to step on her head? Of course, it could also be that the demoness suddenly changed her disposition, willing to disgrace herself just to scourge the world. But if we endlessly speculate on every possibility, we’ll do nothing." Zhao Hongwu said, "If you can’t put your mind at ease, just cherish every minute and second in the present, like..."

As he spoke, Zhao Hongwu beckoned and retrieved a silver wine pot from the Storage Bag.

Zhao Hongwen took one look and was astonished, his mouth agape: "Wuxiang Immortal Brew!?"

"Haha, it’s indeed the Wuxiang Immortal Brew, a gift brought by the principal of the Wuxiang Sword Academy when visiting Zhao Chenlu five years ago. This wine was personally crafted by a legendary Sword Immortal two hundred years ago, an unrivaled marvel that once even sparked struggles and battles among many Great Cultivators. And after settling for more than two hundred years, this Immortal Brew has now become priceless, with less than five bottles remaining in the entire Xiangzhou Continent. The Wuxiang Sword Academy still holds two bottles, the Saint Sect’s Sect Leader has two, and the last one ended up here."

When it came to the Wuxiang Immortal Brew, Zhao Hongwu recounted it with great familiarity.

"Currently, scouring the Xiangzhou Continent, there are definitely no more than three kinds of wine that can be compared to this Wuxiang Immortal Brew. Moreover, one with a two-hundred-year aging history is absolutely unique. So, when the Wuxiang Sword Academy gave it away back then, it was reportedly hard to part with. Zhao Chenlu had to resort to very nasty means to cunningly snatch it away. Yet she couldn’t bear to enjoy much of it herself. For years, it’s been displayed in the office showcase, and this bottle is at least more than half full by now."

At this point, Zhao Hongwu shook the wine jug, listening to the sloshing sound, with a sinister smile, he said, "And today, I’m going to drink it all up!"

Zhao Hongwen was silent for a moment, then quietly took out two wine glasses from his storage bag, "Brother, you’re wise."

"Heh, after finishing this Wuxiang Immortal Brew, there’s still the Dark Moon Immortal Pill and the Spirit Communication Ointment, all treasures Zhao Chenlu used for flaunting in the display case. Now that she’s underground, these things benefit us brothers. Honestly, just with these treasures, I think staging a coup is already a sure-loss deal," Zhao Hongwu declared.

"That’s true," Zhao Hongwen chuckled as he set the wine glasses and waited for his brother to open the jug and pour out a clear stream of wine.

Afterwards, Zhao Hongwen frowned, "Hmm? It’s supposed to be the supreme of wines, but there’s no hint of wine aroma, this..."

Zhao Hongwu was also surprised, "Indeed a bit strange, but perhaps the Wuxiang Immortal Brew has concentrated all its essence in the liquid. Anyway, let’s taste it first."

With that, Zhao Hongwu lifted the glass, clinked glasses with Zhao Hongwen, and tipped back the wine.

"...Weird, there’s no wine taste at all."

"Almost plain water, with a slightly salty touch?" Zhao Hongwen furrowed his brow, "Could this be what Wuxiang Immortal Brew is supposed to taste like?"

"I don’t know either. This kind of wine, over the past two hundred years, hardly anyone could have tasted it. I couldn’t find any record in the books about its real taste."

With great suspicion, the two brothers drank several more glasses, finding it increasingly peculiar.

"This absolutely can’t be wine, can it? No matter how unique, it should have a wine taste to be considered wine. This stuff is too strange for even water. Could it be that Zhao Chenlu didn’t store it properly, and it’s gone bad?!"

"Gone bad? How could such an Immortal Wine go bad? Theoretically, stored for ten thousand years, it wouldn’t spoil!"

While speaking, Zhao Hongwu poured out the remaining Immortal Brew from the jug.

This time, besides the clear liquid, a note slipped out.

With a deep sense of foreboding, Zhao Hongwu picked up the note.

"Congratulations on seeing this note. Without my permission, you’ve taken the treasures from the display case. As a reward, here’s the truth: I finished the Wuxiang Immortal Brew the moment I got it. What’s in the jug is bathwater."

"Pfft!" Zhao Hongwu sprayed instantly, but on second thought, if this was Zhao Chenlu’s bathwater...

The bathwater of the world’s greatest beauty, it seemed... not that unacceptable.

While contemplating, another note slid out from the wine jug.

It had a simple line written on it.

"By the way, the bathwater was fetched by my servants from the East City public men’s bathhouse. Hope you like it."

"Ugh!"