Chapter Forty-Eight: Invitation to the Banquet

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Cui Xiu found that Daoist somewhat odd, yet could not discern anything truly amiss. He shook his head inwardly and decided not to dwell on it, leaving the restaurant straightaway.

…

In the following two days, Cui Xiu first visited the residence gifted by Wu Yu. The house was in an excellent location, ideal for living, and boasted two courtyards—a rare find indeed. All the furnishings had been thoughtfully prepared; it was clear Wu Yu was attentive to every detail.

It must be said that Wu Yu truly conducted himself with the bearing of a distinguished family, especially now that he had matured further. His actions and words left little room for reproach.

Believing that news from Guan Yuan would arrive soon, Cui Xiu moved into his new home. He considered returning to his hometown to bring his family to live with him, but then remembered his father was still responsible for the clan school—a duty not to be taken lightly. Family was paramount in those days, and Cui Xiu concluded that moving his family was perhaps not the best idea.

Of course, he would still send word home; there was no reason to conceal such news. On the contrary, his family would be delighted to hear of his friendship with the young master of the Wu family.

That day, he sought out a fellow townsman who worked in the city and entrusted him with the letter he had prepared to take home. This man frequently returned home to visit relatives and had delivered letters for Cui Xiu before.

Anyuan County was not large, so his fellow townsman was well aware that Cui Xiu worked at the Wu family pharmacy. More than two months had passed, and Cui Xiu had long since informed his family of his situation. Most of the villagers in Gaoyun had heard of his work in the county.

Though some regretted that Cui Xiu had not passed the imperial exam, managing a pharmacy under the Wu family was still an enviable position. His fellow villagers only praised his parents for their good fortune in having such a son; no one thought it inappropriate for a scholar to perform such tasks.

After handing over the letter, Cui Xiu returned to the pharmacy to review all affairs one last time, preparing for a smooth handover.

Unexpectedly, as he walked back to the pharmacy, he noticed that the expressions of the passersby seemed different from before, as if something significant had happened. Even the street vendors, in their leisure, were quietly discussing some matter.

He found it rather curious.

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Cui Xiu was intrigued but did not question anyone right away. Only after returning to the pharmacy did he summon a shop assistant and ask, “Ayou, has something happened in the city these past two days? The atmosphere seems a bit off.”

In truth, he had been too preoccupied lately to pay attention to outside events; otherwise, he would not have been so clueless.

Wu You, the assistant, was just coming over to greet Cui Xiu but paused in surprise at the question, then smiled. “Master Cui, I heard a Daoist with supernatural powers has arrived in the county—quite an extraordinary figure. The other day, he put on quite a spectacle at the Drunken Moon Pavilion. The manager there is not having an easy time now.”

“What exactly happened?” Upon hearing ‘Daoist’ and ‘Drunken Moon Pavilion,’ Cui Xiu immediately recalled the short, lean, donkey-faced Daoist he had encountered days prior. Could it be…?

“It’s said that the Daoist wanted to drink at the Drunken Moon Pavilion. Normally, that would be no issue, but the Daoist was so disheveled that the manager, not wanting to drive away customers, only brought him a jug of wine and asked him to dine elsewhere. Offended, the Daoist felt slighted, so in a fit of anger, he removed his robe and sprawled in front of the pavilion, loudly accusing them of being miserly and snobbish. Then he declared he would treat the onlookers to wine.”

“Of course, no one believed him at first, thinking he was just making a scene to sabotage the pavilion’s business. The manager sent for staff to remove him, but the Daoist immobilized them with some trick. This astonished the crowd, who realized he had some real abilities. But that was not all—true to his word, the Daoist performed a spell and transformed his robe into a giant vat filled with wine, inviting everyone to drink.”

At this point, Wu You even wiped his mouth, as if recalling the taste of fine wine.

Cui Xiu couldn’t help but shake his head. “Is this really true?”

“Don’t doubt it, Master Cui—it really happened. The wine in that giant vat never ran dry. Many in the city had the good fortune to taste it. They called it ‘immortal wine,’ saying it was even better than the Pavilion’s best. The taste… ah, indescribable.”

Wu You swayed his head, savoring the memory.

“You went too, didn’t you?”

“Of course, I…”

Speaking of it, Wu You seemed a bit proud, but halfway through, he realized Cui Xiu was the one asking and hesitated, unsure what to say.

“I told you to mind the shop, but you found time to slack off and drink. Clearly, you have too little work.”

Seeing his nervous expression, Cui Xiu’s face grew stern.

Wu You immediately paled with shame. “Master, I…”

“That’s enough—just be more careful next time. What else happened? You mentioned the manager is having a hard time. The Daoist only treated people to wine; that shouldn’t have ruined business. Explain in detail.”

“Yes, sir…” Wu You, no longer daring to joke, obediently explained.

It turned out that after entertaining the crowd, the Daoist drank all the wine in one gulp, transformed the vat back into his robe, and put it on.

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Only then did the Daoist release the immobilized staff of the Drunken Moon Pavilion, and, hiccupping drunkenly, prepared to leave.

At that moment, a staff member rushed out to report that all the fine wine in the cellar had mysteriously vanished.

Hearing this, the manager immediately realized what had happened. The Pavilion’s wine was no ordinary stock; some casks were worth dozens of silver taels each. With the entire cellar emptied, the loss amounted to at least a thousand taels.

Though he managed the Pavilion, he was not its owner. If the true proprietor learned of this, not only would he lose his job, but he would also be saddled with a heavy debt.

Given the situation, there was no way the Pavilion could let the Daoist go. Yet this time, the Daoist was full of biting sarcasm and denied any involvement, no matter what the manager said.

The manager pleaded in every way, but the Daoist was adamant about leaving.

“In the end, if the young master of the household hadn’t intervened to pay for the wine, I fear the manager’s troubles would be far worse now,” Wu You concluded with a shake of his head.

At the mention of ‘young master,’ Cui Xiu frowned slightly. “Do you mean Brother Zixing? He paid for the Daoist’s wine?”

“Yes,” Wu You nodded. Being a distant relative of the Wu family, his master was naturally the Wu family.

Hearing this, Cui Xiu recalled the Daoist’s peculiarities. Now, having learned of the events at the Pavilion, it was clear this Daoist wielded real magic. Whether this would bring fortune or disaster remained uncertain.

The affair at Liu Village had only just concluded, and now Wu Yu was involved with someone so strange—this could hardly be a good thing.

“And the Daoist? Has he left?”

If the Daoist had departed, that would be for the best.

“No, I heard the young master invited him to the residence.”