Chapter 149 – A mysterious master
As he discovered this interesting truth, Jun Mo Xie curved his lips since he hadn’t intended on going through with this bet at first. Given his own status in life, picking a fight with someone like Dugu Wudi would be worthy of his status, but was a petty bets against pub owners worth it? The answer was of course no.
However, if the owner of the said pub turned out to be a Sky Xuan expert?
The verdict would obviously be reversed again.
“What is, and what isn’t, can be made clear since I have the means to convince you.” Jun Mo Xie smiled revealing his white teeth. His mood had suddenly become very good, and he started to stare at Old Song like a hungry wolf stares at a plumb lamb.
Even though Old Song was a Sky Xuan expert, he couldn’t help feeling a chill; this kid’s eyes are so evil!
“May the best man win! Young man, a bet is a bet, and what will you do if you lose?” the incited middle-aged man looked at Jun Mo Xie. He knew that Old Song wasn’t easy to beat, but he also felt that this mysterious boy wasn’t ordinary either. Perhaps this bet between these two will turn out to be a very interesting event, but should I be a little scared as well?
If I stay out of their bet and only watch from the sidelines then there shouldn’t be any reason to be scared from any trouble, or should there be? A razor sharp light gleamed within the eyes of the middle-aged man.
“If you lose then I only ask that you never demean my wine ever in the future, simply because you’re unworthy of beating its quality.” Old Song was carefully watching Jun Mo Xie: “Indeed, your standpoint on wine makes a lot of sense, but it doesn’t mean that you can insult my wine! This is, after all, is a craft which has been passed down from one generation to the other for centuries, and one shouldn’t demerit a wine unless they are capable to fermenting a better one.”
“That’s settled then!” Jun Mo Xie replied unambiguously. Faced with this bet, he didn’t have anything to lose even if he lost the bet.
The middle-aged man seemingly couldn’t wait for the contest to start: “And so it is!”, “But to be fair, shouldn’t there be a witness to assure that the two of you use fair and just means? Otherwise the other person will always feel a bit suspicious. So I believe that there must be a witness present while the two of you ferment your wines; not only should there be a witness….. there should also be a referee and a judge to announce the final results!”
These two seem very fierce about this contest, so I think that neither of them will produce the ordinary stuff. If I get to judge this match, then I would get an opportunity to enjoy both the wines simultaneously. No matter who wins, I will get to taste to excellent wines; this will be a once in a life-time experience!
With this thought going through his mind, the middle-aged man couldn’t help feeling elated. Old Song, young man, it’s time that I get to taste the best of your wines, ha ha……
“Great!” Old Song saw the calm and composed look on Jun Mo Xie’s face, and suddenly felt a pang of lacking self-confidence inside him, almost as if his soul was subtly telling him that he could lose.
What a joke…. He’s just a kid; It’s one thing to drink wine, but when it comes to making wine, I have accumulated decades of experience, and if I brew my signature wine, then I how can I lose to him? This thought helped in settling Old Song’s heart a bit, but he could still feel a vague sense of defeat… this is a good thing either way! I could ascertain that I’m the best wine maker if I win, but If I lose then I’ll find out some new things and I’ll be able to take a step in the forward direction….
“Three days from now, I will close my shop early so we can all meet here; how does that sound?” Old Song proposed.
Jun Mo Xie smiled and nodded. His mind was thinking, I don’t know if this mysterious Sky Xuan expert is associated with an organization….. Could he be associated with the Huang Hua Hall? But he said that he’s a fellow human at the time. I had managed to scare him away then, and he had run off quite hastily, so maybe he isn’t working with the Huang Hua Hall….. Jun Mo Xie looked Old Song and smiled slyly.
A less than Silver Xuan novice had managed to fool and scare away a powerful Sky Xuan expert, how could Jun Mo Xie not enjoy knowing this truth?
“A couple of pounds of beef, and two jugs of wine.” A voice unexpectedly echoed from behind, “Also, in three days from now, I will help you in judging the bet!” the categorical nature of this voice was extremely rare, almost as if he was an Emperor who was announcing his decision to his subjects.
His words didn’t sound like an inquiry, they sounds like a decision; certain.
But this was the first time that this voice had been heard inside the pub, and it didn’t belong to the three men present. On top of that, this voice seemed thunderously powerful!
The middle-aged man was a low skilled man, and would certainly not be able to defend himself without his guards, but Old Song was a Sky Xuan expert, whereas Jun Mo Xie’s senses had been amplified by the Hongjun Pagoda and ‘The Art of unlocking the heaven’s fortune’, but this man had somehow been able to conceal his trail for them all. In fact, none of them had even realized when this man had walked into the shop!
At this point, this man was sitting a few feet behind the trio.
The three men turned around simultaneously to look at this unknown man who was sitting around a table at some distance from them. Even though this person was human, it seemed that his back was as erect as a javelin. His face seemed very extraordinary as well, and was devoid of any lines; almost to the point where his face seemed to have been carved out from marble, while being completely devoid of expressions. His long hair was naturally falling over his shoulders unrestrained, and was covering about half of his face.
This man was wearing a black gown, and even though it was just noon at this time, but his face and breath gave out the feeling of an impending night fall!
Neither of three men could tell the age of this man… he could have been thirty, forty, or even fifty…. In fact he could even be eighty, but there was no way of telling his true age…..
This person is a true master, a master of masters; a master at the peak!
One look at the man and Jun Mo Xie had already reached a conclusion! The weather has become very unstable in the Tian Xiang City, and this man seems to be here for the same reason as several others. He is surely here for the Xuan Core, and which ever force is capable of sending such a man, must certainly be a very strong contender for the prize!
In addition to this, Jun Mo Xie could also sense a very familiar atmosphere around this mysterious man – A solitary aura!
This solitary aura seemed to be couple with pride; his loneliness was his arrogance!
Just the way Jun Mo Xie was in his previous incarnation!
Like a lonely wolf in a prairie… although the wolf is lonely, but he’d also fearless; he doesn’t want this feeling of loneliness to change since he enjoys it!
“Who are you?” Old Song and the middle-aged man seemed a bit wary all of sudden.
“Someone who loves wine.” The man’s eyes were downcast and he said lightly: “So, beef and wine please!”
Old Song lowered his gaze as he said: “Dear guest, please wait.” And then went inside the shop.
The middle-aged man chuckled and said: “If that’s the case, then we’ll look forward to seeing you in three days from today.” He could already sense that this man was something extraordinary, he seems like a legendary character from a folklore; if this person says that he will be the judge, then he won’t be biased in any way.
Such people don’t like being offended and they don’t offend others either.
“Little brother, I’ll see you in three days. Good bye. Ha ha, don’t let this old man down.” The middle-aged man laughed as he raised his hand towards Jun Mo Xie, and then turned away.
After he went out, his two body guards came out from hiding, and positioned themselves behind him: “Royal Highness, should we track that youngster to get a better idea of his true identity?”
“No, that’s not important.” The middle-aged man chuckled, but then his face suddenly became serious: “What about that other man? What do you know about his history?”
“Did a person just walk in? No ah.” The two guards glanced at each other, completely puzzled.
“Well, forget it.” the middle-aged man’s heart was secretly analyzing the situation; my two guards are first class elementary Earth Xuan experts, and are sufficiently strong to defend me from any threats in the capital under normal circumstances. But even though my guards are fairly strong, they didn’t even see the shadow of this man when he walked in….
Who is this guy?
~ Old Song’s Tavern ~
Jun Mo Xie interestingly looked that man in black, and then suddenly smiled and said: “Is everything okay in the savanna?”
This sentence caught the attention of the man in black, but even then his expression didn’t change as he slowly raised his eyes to look at Jun Mo Xie. At this moment, Jun Mo Xie was very surprised to find that this man’s eyes seemed as boundless as a sea; like they were as hidden in depth as a starry night-sky! It felt like his eyes could trap a person into feeling a sense of being wanted.
“How can you tell that I come from the savanna?” the man in black asked slowly in an unhurried tone. Each and every word from his mouth came out with precise clarity.
“Your shoes, they don’t belong to this region. And then there’s your belt, the knitting on it is of a unique flax which is found only in the savanna; these two were enough to deduce your origin.” Jun Mo Xie smiled and said down in front of the man.
“These alone are not sufficient.” The man in the black gown was now looking the tabletop in front of him: “And I did not allow you to sit in front of me; and therefore, you do not deserve to!”
“If this isn’t enough, then what about that unique savanna body odor of yours?” Jun Mo Xie smiled: “And then there’s that aura of a solitary wolf around you, can these be enough? I didn’t want to stand, so I obviously sat down. Whether I sit, or lie down, what difference does it make?”
Then Jun Mo Xie switched his tone to sharper note, and said: “As for the subject on qualifications, if I feel that our standards aren’t matching, and if I sense that you aren’t capable of drinking with me, then I will naturally stand up!”
The man in black stared at Jun Mo Xie for a long while, and then suddenly revealed a perfectionist’s smile and said: “Interesting words, I guess it really wouldn’t make a difference if you sit or lie down anyway.”
This man seemed really strange; even though he laughed…. even his laugh reflected a strong sense of loneliness. Although he laughed at Jun Mo Xie’s words, it still seemed like he was just laughing to something else entirely.
At this point, Old Song returned with a jar of wine in one hand, and some beef in the other. He looked at Jun Mo Xie, but didn’t say anything. Then, he set the food down on the table and turned away.
The eyes of the man in black remained fixed at the tabletop as he picked up the jar of wine and devoured it down in one gulp without making sounds. Then, the man said in a faint voice: “Tian Xiang City is quite extraordinary, even a bartender is capable of being a Sky Xuan; good, this is interesting!”