A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1419: Drinking Contest

After Qi Xuansu finished his speech, there was a thunderous applause, regardless of what the people below truly thought of him.

Tampering slightly with seating arrangements could still be brushed off as an unintentional mistake, but if no one applauded, it would not only embarrass Qi Xuansu in public, but it would also be a slap to Great Sage Shi’s face.

After all, it was Great Sage Shi who decided to grant Qi Xuansu an honorary title of Daoist Palace Laureate. Qi Xuansu also made it clear at the beginning of his speech that it was Great Sage Shi who asked him to speak.

In any case, Qi Xuansu belonged to the Beichen Hall and had no authority over the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, which was one of the reasons they felt emboldened. However, Great Sage Shi could determine their futures and fates as a member of the Golden Tower Council.

Qi Xuansu was certain that rumors would soon spread, claiming he was arrogant and looked down on the people of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, even bringing up his past experiences. After all, his time at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace had not been particularly outstanding, with no notable awards. His truly remarkable achievements all came after he left the Daoist Palace.

Despite the Daoist Order distancing itself from Confucian influence for many years, the idea that all pursuits were inferior to academics still ran deep in people’s minds.

Their strategy was to first prove that Qi Xuansu was only average at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace and question how a mediocre student could rise so quickly. Then, they would attribute it to his privilege of having an influential adoptive mother and a powerful master like Sage Donghua.

With that, they would have ample grounds for criticism and defamation, allowing them to brush off all of Qi Xuansu’s efforts and contributions.

This was based on the logic that academic performance determined one’s life achievements. Those who studied well would surely be capable officials. If they failed, it must be due to an unfavorable environment. This was a scholar’s narrow view.

The knowledge learned from books must be transformed into practice and applied. To study without being able to apply it was just rigid memorization.

Truly outstanding people excelled at everything. However, some people were only suited for exams and were not genuinely phenomenal.

Since these people shared certain similarities with truly outstanding individuals in terms of academic performance, they were mistakenly believed to be exceptional. When those truly outstanding individuals soared ahead while they failed to rise, they usually blamed fate and resented others.

The Daoist Palace was filled with such people, those who were stellar students but were not truly outstanding individuals.

Qi Xuansu did not care about this. There were already plenty of people who slandered him, so a few more made no difference.

After Qi Xuansu was granted the title of Daoist Palace Laureate, it was time for the banquet.

It was held in a more relaxed, Western-style banquet so that the Sages could mingle around. Huangfu Ji was still somewhat unaccustomed to it, as such arrangements were considered a major taboo in the Western Daoist Order.

Besides the usual red wine, yellow wine, and baijiu, they even prepared Dreaming Death for the Sages. Back when Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had not yet risen to prominence, they rarely drank such fine alcohol, as a single bottle could cost half their savings. Clearly, the event had been elevated in scale, mainly to cater to the Western Daoist delegation. If not for Great Sage Shi or Sun Hewu giving the order, the Daoist Palace would never have been willing to bring it out.

Qi Xuansu was known publicly as someone who abstained from alcohol but only broke it with Zhang Yuelu. Still, under normal circumstances, he drank very little, especially not the intoxicating Dreaming Death.

So he only took a cup of yellow rice wine to go through the motions.

People kept coming to toast Qi Xuansu, who went through the motions and had no intention of getting drunk. His status was high, and he carried an awe-inspiring aura, discouraging many from pressing him further, especially when he was capable of toppling Wang Jiaohe.

While some sought to provoke Qi Xuansu, there were also many who feared him. Yet there were always those who lacked judgment and insisted on making trouble for him.

A Deputy Palace Master approached Qi Xuansu with several others, intending to toast him, even showing signs of wanting to engage in a drinking contest. Such contests had rules. One could not use cultivation to dispel the effects of alcohol and had to rely purely on one’s own drinking capacity. Otherwise, it would not be a drinking contest but a contest of cultivation level, yielding no meaningful result and wasting the fine liquor.

Under normal circumstances, anyone who secretly used cultivation would be considered to have poor drinking etiquette, which in turn implied poor character. Thus, no one would resort to tricks.

However, Martial Arts Practitioners had a natural advantage. Their physique was strong, and their metabolism was fast, so few people would challenge them to a drinking contest.

This was also the source of these people’s confidence in challenging Qi Xuansu. In terms of cultivation, they were no match for him, but when it came to drinking capacity, that was another matter, especially since they had numbers on their side. They did not know Qi Xuansu was a Martial Arts Practitioner. Throughout the Daoist community, it was generally assumed he was a Banished Immortal.

Zhang Yuelu was famous for her high tolerance, able to withstand Dreaming Death without using cultivation, so few dared to challenge her. At every banquet, she found herself invincibly lonely, drinking by herself.

On the other hand, Qi Xuansu was known as someone who did not touch alcohol, so many assumed that he had a low tolerance. It seemed only natural that a couple would complement each other in this way.

That was how the drinking contest started.

They likely did not know how Qi Xuansu used to deal with those who tried to force him to drink back when he was at the Poluo Daoist Mansion.

As usual, Qi Xuansu refused a drinking contest.

This Deputy Palace Master was an unfamiliar face. Though he forced a smile, there was a fierce aura about him. He might be ingratiating toward superiors, but he was certainly ruthless toward subordinates. When Qi Xuansu rejected him, he felt somewhat humiliated.

Qi Xuansu roughly understood this man’s mindset. Both of them were ordinary second-rank Taiyi Daoists, and both had the potential to be promoted to Palace Master. This Deputy Palace Master was also a seventh-generation disciple and older than Qi Xuansu, so he likely felt they were of the same tier and should show each other mutual respect.

In his view, Qi Xuansu refusing to drink with him was an act of disrespect, as if Qi Xuansu thought nothing of him. Clearly, he was accustomed to his own pride and ego, unable to tolerate even the slightest defiance. He truly believed himself to be an important figure.

In truth, there were quite a few such people. After all, anyone who reached the level of a second-rank Taiyi Daoist had some form of backing or connections. Aside from a decent character, Pei Xiaolou had little else. But he remained in his position simply because his elder brother was Sage Donghua. Although Qi Xuansu had just taken Sage Donghua as his master, changes in perception always lagged behind reality. Many people still had yet to adjust their thinking.

Qi Xuansu had no intention of investigating Deputy Palace Master Gao’s background and only wanted to brush him off casually. At that moment, Ning Yuqing approached as well, intending to toast Qi Xuansu.

Ning Yuqing was undoubtedly a beauty, and with her distinguished background, she was practically the foremost beauty of Wanxiang Daoist Palace, the dream goddess of countless instructors and novice disciples. Before reaching Qi Xuansu, she had already drawn the attention of many.

At times, men lacked self-control. Their eyes followed women, and sometimes, their thoughts and emotions were also led by women without realizing it, only to end up with regret later.

Drunken men were even more so. Upon seeing a beautiful woman, they felt compelled to show off their masculinity. If the woman had a male companion, they might even pick a fight with him to demonstrate their own strength, no different from animals competing for a mate.

When Ning Yuqing raised a toast to Qi Xuansu, he immediately became the target of another wave of hostility.

Although most people were wary of Qi Xuansu’s status and did not dare act, Deputy Palace Master Gao had no such reservations. He used Ning Yuqing as a pretext, speaking in a sarcastic and insinuating tone.

Ning Yuqing had originally held a glass of red wine, but he insisted that red wine did not show sincerity. It had to be Dreaming Death. He further remarked that Qi Xuansu might refuse his toast, but he could not refuse a beauty’s toast, as that would be impolite.

Qi Xuansu was not a saint. He had a violent edge to him, though he usually suppressed it by constantly reminding himself to restrain his anger. But repeated provocations from certain people in the Daoist Palace had worn his patience thin.

Thus, Qi Xuansu said, “Daoist Ning is my friend. I can drink with her anytime. But today, I will not. However, it seems I have no choice but to drink with you, Deputy Palace Master Gao.”

Ning Yuqing glanced at Qi Xuansu in slight surprise. By a woman’s intuition, she faintly sensed that he was already angered. So she said nothing and quietly stepped aside.

Deputy Palace Master Gao remained completely unaware and loudly exclaimed, “Good! Chief Deputy Qi, let’s drink!”

Qi Xuansu added, “However, I’m the kind of person who either doesn’t drink at all or drinks to the fullest. If anyone quits halfway, don’t blame me for being merciless. The Daoists of the Poluo Daoist Mansion know this well.”

Qi Xuansu swept a gaze at the few people standing beside Deputy Palace Master Gao. They felt a chill rise along their backs and wanted to back down immediately. But with their leader refusing to retreat, they could only brace themselves and agree.

Qi Xuansu ordered, “Bring two jars of Dreaming Death.”

Ning Yuqing immediately instructed a nearby attendant to fetch the liquor.

Soon, two jars of Dreaming Death were brought to Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu said, “No using cultivation.”

With that, Qi Xuansu opened one jar and gulped it down in a single breath. He did not use his cultivation to suppress the effects, so his face flushed bright red. But since he had the physique of a Martial Arts Practitioner, he could still stand steadily.

As Qi Xuansu’s face turned red, Deputy Palace Master Gao’s face turned pale.

Only then did he realize he had miscalculated. “What...What are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” Qi Xuansu snorted coldly. “Drink.”

Deputy Palace Master Gao was about to say something when Qi Xuansu cut him off. “All that nonsense you just said about your admiration for me flowing endlessly like a great river was all bullshit, wasn’t it? Do you look down on me?”

As soon as Qi Xuansu finished speaking, he had already seized the back of Deputy Palace Master Gao’s neck. “Since you won’t drink, I’ll help you.”

Qi Xuansu moved as fast as lightning. In the blink of an eye, he had poured an entire jar of liquor down Deputy Palace Master Gao’s throat. He had also sealed Deputy Palace Master Gao’s cultivation, preventing him from dispelling the effects.

In an instant, Deputy Palace Master Gao felt the world spinning. He forgot his own name, his lineage, and everything about himself. His mind was wiped clean.

The others were not spared either and soon made complete fools of themselves.

This incident greatly enraged Great Sage Shi. That very day, he suspended all of Deputy Palace Master Gao’s duties and ordered him to await further punishment.