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A sliver of fish-belly white appeared on the horizon.
Li Dixian, who was sleeping on the bluestone steps, turned over and got up.
"Last night…"
He had a dream.
In his dream, a mysterious figure was brewing wine.
Li Dixian, as an observer,
Saw the brewing techniques and steps clearly and distinctly.
"Unbelievable."
Li Dixian murmured, his soul power surging through his body, shaking the dew from his hair into a mist that dispersed.
In the hands of that mysterious figure, the blood of soul beasts, the juice of immortal flowers, the water of spiritual light, and even the killing intent of the abyss and the most steadfast love and desire, could all be brewed into intoxicating fine wines.
The crisp morning air
Made the hungover Li Dixian feel refreshed and invigorated.
There was no trace of the sorrow he had shown last night.
"That's right, since fine wine is hard to find, why don't I brew it myself?"
"The strange ingredients needed for brewing wine are surely easier to find than fine wine itself!"
He solemnly cupped his hands towards the distant sky.
"Although I don't know who you are,"
"Thank you, Li Dixian, for teaching me the method of brewing wine."
Having solved a major problem,
Li Dixian was in an excellent mood.
He went to meet Xue Qinghe in the morning.
The moment the two met at Lotus Lake,
Seeing Li Dixian's gleaming white teeth, the smile on Xue Qinghe's lips gradually faded.
"You don't have to be so happy just because you know the Royal Fight Team is back, do you?"
Li Dixian's sword-like eyebrows raised.
"The Royal Fight Team is back? What was the result?"
Xue Qinghe said indifferently:
"They lost. A very powerful seven-person team emerged from Soto City, apparently called the Shrek Seven Devils, and defeated the Royal Fight Team."
Li Dixian nodded, understanding.
He wasn't surprised.
Those seven people… or rather, Tang San, were the darlings of the Douluo World, following the protagonist's script.
Although due to his appearance,
Many plotlines had deviated from their original trajectories,
As far as current strength was concerned, Tang San and the Shrek Seven Devils were unaffected.
Li Dixian thought this to himself, then turned to see Xue Qinghe's cold expression and teased:
"Qinghe, why are you always angry?"
"Anyone who didn't know would think you were a girl."
Xue Qinghe's heart gave a sudden leap.
"Who… who's angry?"
Li Dixian shook his head and smiled:
"I'm in a good mood today, and it has nothing to do with the Royal Fight Team."
Xue Qinghe pouted.
"Why are you telling me this? I don't want to know."
— —
— —
The two sat side by side on small stools, holding fishing rods, looking at the calm lake surface.
After a few minutes of silence,
"Why are you in a good mood today?"
Li Dixian glanced sideways at Xue Qinghe.
"Didn't you say you didn't want to know?"
Xue Qinghe bit his teeth, his face showing embarrassment and annoyance.
"Are you going to tell me or not?"
"No."
Xue Qinghe's delicate cheeks flushed with annoyance, and he actually looked a bit pretty.
He simply rolled up his sleeves and suddenly pounced on Li Dixian beside him.
"This Crown Prince is giving you too much face!"
Xue Qinghe straddled Li Dixian's waist, his right hand gripping the latter's collar.
"Are you going to tell me or not?!"
...Porcupinefish made a move as if to rush out of the reeds.
Snake Lance quickly stopped him.
"What are you doing?"
Porcupinefish's eyes widened.
"Didn't you see?!"
Snake Lance looked at the two people stacked together in the distance, was silent for a moment, and then said:
"No big deal."
"Anyway, Li Dixian doesn't know that the Young Master is a girl."
"It's just deep brotherly affection."
"Li Dixian's talent is monstrous, and having a good relationship with him will benefit the Young Master."
Porcupinefish calmed down.
"You're right."
...Looking at Li Dixian beneath him,
Xue Qinghe suddenly realized how intimate their actions were.
He suppressed the throbbing in his heart and stood up.
"Li Dixian, this Crown Prince still has things to do. The dishes you wanted are left there for you. Eat lunch by yourself."
Having said that,
Without waiting for Li Dixian's response,
He fled as if escaping.
Watching Xue Qinghe's back disappear from view, Li Dixian shook his head with a chuckle.
"Eat by myself, then. No one will snatch my food."
After eating and drinking his fill, Li Dixian, with a blade of grass in his mouth, leisurely strolled back to his small courtyard.
He arrived at the courtyard gate, just about to unlock it.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, he sniffed.
"Hmm?"
Li Dixian's eyes flickered. He took out his clear spring wine pot, took a sip of wine, and held it in his mouth.
Then, with a normal expression, he unlocked the door and pushed it open.
The moment he turned to close the door,
Whoosh—!
Behind him, a sound of rushing air suddenly rang out.
Li Dixian didn't even look. He joined his index and middle fingers into a sword-finger and, turning around, delivered a horizontal sweep.
The blue soul power Spit from his fingertips possessed a sharp quality.
Swish—!
A strand of purple hair fell.
"You really are Jian Jiu. You're actually so young."
Dugu Yan leaned against the courtyard wall with her arms crossed, looking at the white-robed young man a few meters away. A hint of apprehension flashed in her alluring emerald eyes.
Only by facing him in person did she know how fast and how sharp Jian Jiu's sword was.
He hadn't even drawn his sword yet.
And she was already at a disadvantage.
"I don't like strangers dropping in uninvited."
Li Dixian sat down on a stone stool in the courtyard and tilted his head back to take a sip of wine.
He was not polite to uninvited guests.
"You prodigal dog, what do you want with me?"
Li Dixian wasn't surprised that Dugu Yan had found out his identity.
After all, she was the Poison Douluo's granddaughter.
But Li Dixian didn't know why Dugu Yan was looking for him.
Was it just because he hadn't agreed to Dugu Yan taking off his mask that day in the Soul Arena?
"As expected of blood relatives, Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo are both eccentric and unpredictable."
Upon hearing the words "prodigal dog," Dugu Yan narrowed her eyes.
"You know the Royal Fight Team lost in Soto City?"
Li Dixian didn't respond.
Dugu Yan continued:
"Among the Shrek Seven Devils in Soto City, there are some formidable geniuses."
"Especially that one named Tang San; he might make you draw your second sword."
Li Dixian shook his head and chuckled lightly.
"A clumsy attempt at provocation."
"If there's nothing else, leave. I'm not interested in wasting words with you."
Saying that, he got up and walked towards the house.
However, Dugu Yan's lips curled up behind him.
"Three, two, one…"
Bang—!
As the final "one" fell, Li Dixian's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
"You…"
He turned his head in surprise and alarm, his face pale as he looked at Dugu Yan walking towards him.
"Heh."
Dugu Yan stood with her arms crossed, looking down at Li Dixian.
She liked this pose very much; her chest was pressed, showing a weighty shape.
From her Ruyi Hundred Treasures Pouch, she pulled out a faceless mask and threw it in front of Li Dixian.
"Put it on."
"You do whatever I tell you to do."
"Dare to defy me, and I'll make you die from poison."
Li Dixian: "…"
He saw the excitement in Dugu Yan's green eyes.
Damn it!
This is a pervert!
Are all poison users crazy?!
Li Dixian had originally wanted to see what Dugu Yan was actually going to do.
This truly startled him.
He couldn't pretend anymore.
Li Dixian sprang to his feet, the Azure Lotus Sword already in his hand.
The sword light flashed.
Incredibly fast.
The Azure Lotus Sword was resting on Dugu Yan's slender neck before she knew it…