After Xu Yi solidified his newly obtained second stage of BT, all three celebrated Xu Yi's success. Xu Jie made an extravagant dinner with a few courses from the best ingredients available in the tea-house. Xu Jie made roasted pork, which was carefully preserved in salt, which was very common among non-cultivators and cultivators, who were not able to use ice powers to freeze the food.
Xu Yi prepared a few side dishes made of rice, grilled vegetables, and chopped spirit fruits. After brewing spirit tea, Xu Jie made several trips to the second floor to check on the preparations. When everything was ready, she brought up a bottle of wine, and they all gathered around the table. Mei Lin arrived on the second floor from her room without a bamboo hat, which surprised Xu Yi, who had only seen Mei Lin's face two times before. The atmosphere was warm and relaxed as they sat down to enjoy their meal together.
Xu Jie placed three cups on the table and uncorked the wine. After pouring the wine, they all took a sip.
"Pfff. That's disgusting, how can we drink this?" exclaimed Xu Yi, causing his mother to burst into laughter. Mei Lin chuckled as well and then drank a whole amount of wine in the cup herself, sharing in the light-hearted moment.
The wine was not too strong and had a warm, fruity taste. After drinking the entire cup in one go, Mei Lin felt a surging sensation as the wine slowly moved through her body and settled in her stomach. The sensation lingered for a while before gradually dissipating, absorbed by her body. Mei Lin's face suddenly turned slightly red, a striking contrast against her jade-white skin that had been shielded from the sun all day long.
"Do you like the wine, Miss Lin?" asked Xu Jie with interest, noting that this was the first time Mei Lin had looked relaxed since she entered the tea-house.
"Yes, no, actually I don't know, I have never had wine before, but I feel strange. My head feels somehow heavy," Mei Lin replied, her voice slightly slurred.
Not wanting to be left out, Xu Yi also gulped down his wine. Almost immediately, his face turned pale, and he looked like he was about to throw up. The sudden reaction drew more laughter from Xu Jie, and even Mei Lin couldn't help but smile at the scene.
"Haha…" Both Mei Lin and Xu Jie started to laugh.
"You should eat after drinking, so you won't get drunk," said Xu Jie, placing a piece of pork on her plate and starting to eat. Xu Yi quickly followed her lead, and Mei Lin added a few pieces of spirit fruit to her plate. All of them began to eat, the laughter and camaraderie easing the tension that had been present before.
After eating a few more pieces of fruit and drinking a few more cups of wine, Mei Lin felt that something was wrong. Suddenly, she felt nauseous and wanted to throw up. Mei Lin quickly stood up and hurried to the toilet, hoping to make it in time.
Just as Mei Lin was in the middle of her move, she fell back onto the mat. She looked around, confused and disoriented. "Ahh, what is going on?" Mei Lin was completely clueless. Xu Yi looked concerned, rushing to her side, while Xu Jie chuckled softly.
"You might have had a bit too much to drink, Miss Lin," Xu Jie said with a gentle smile. "Just relax for a moment, it'll pass."
Xu Jie quickly poured Mei Lin some tea into a teacup. "You should drink some tea; it will help with the dizziness." Mei Lin slowly drank a few cups of tea, feeling the dizziness gradually subside. After eating a few more pieces of spirit fruit and letting a few hours pass, Mei Lin felt sober and more like herself again.
After Mei Lin sobered up, Xu Yi had a brilliant idea. "Mei Lin, do you want to spar with me? We can train together, and it will help me get accustomed to my new cultivation stage."
Mei Lin was taken aback by this idea because she had never really fought anyone directly. Her fighting style was a bit unconventional, because Mei Lin usually relied on backstabbing or surprising her opponents, making them think she was a powerless young girl. This tactic wouldn't work against Xu Yi, because he didn't know how strong Mei Lin was. From his perspective, Mei Lin was a very skilled fighter.
Mei Lin didn't want to spar, but she realized that a friendly match could help her learn how to fight properly. Xu Yi had been taught how to fight, so he knew much more about combat techniques. Despite her initial reluctance, she agreed. The night was already in full bloom as they went outside the tea-house to spar. They placed a few candles in the snow to provide some light, and then they stood in front of each other, ready to begin.
Mei Lin didn't use her crystal knife because if she accidentally hit Xu Yi, he would be seriously injured. Xu Yi was prepared for their sparring session and had brought two wooden swords. They used the wooden practice swords that Xu Yi had trained with alongside his father.
Xu Jie was also curious about Mei Lin's strength, though she didn't want to say it out loud. This was the perfect opportunity to observe what Mei Lin was capable of.
As they stood next to the slug in the spacious area, preparing themselves, Mei Lin felt that this was probably not a good idea. After drinking for the first time, fighting against Xu Yi was not the best outcome. The wooden sword in her hands was quite heavy, and even holding it was a problem. 'What if I accidentally hit him?' thought Mei Lin. 'When we were fighting with Lu Wei, I wasn't that bad and managed to land a few hits. He even praised me for being good with the sword.'
Xu Yi wasn't nervous. He was very experienced with the sword and was happy to spar with Mei Lin. He wanted to know Mei Lin better. Mei Lin, on the other hand, had never fought with a sword, only with sticks when she was with Li Wei.
They looked at each other. "Are you ready, Mei Lin?" Xu Yi asked.
Mei Lin didn't wait for a signal. She inhaled the cold wind into her lungs, and then the fight began. Mei Lin rushed forward and prepared to swing from the left side to the right. Xu Yi didn't try to block, he simply stepped back, and Mei Lin missed.
Mei Lin's posture was immediately off, and Xu Yi made a counterattack. He wasn't swinging too fast, so Mei Lin had a chance to block the attack. As the attack was blocked, Mei Lin felt like her hands would fall out from her shoulders. 'What is going on? Why are his attacks so powerful? I can't block more attacks like this,' Mei Lin thought, as her covered face by the veil instantly turned into a sweat field.
As they continued to exchange blows, Xu Yi discovered that Mei Lin didn't have any skill with the sword and was only swinging mindlessly from the left or right. He realized he had never seen her with anything other than her crystal knife. Even when Mei Lin shoots at the bandit from the bow, she doesn't kill him when he is exposed to her with no way to dodge or anything.
Xu Yi stopped and asked Mei Lin, who looked like she was having a hard time fighting, "Do you know how to fight? I've never seen you use anything other than a knife. You were always covered in blood when you came back from fighting bandits, and actually, you never came back without an injury." Xu Yi chuckled.
Mei Lin paused and angrily looked at Xu Yi. "Li Wei helped me train in the forest when we were collecting herbs. Also, I stole the knife from my master when I went to the forest to find something to eat. I wanted to use the knife for cutting plants and cleaning mushrooms, not for fighting. I never wanted to fight with anybody, but every time I met someone, it happened," Mei Lin yelled at Xu Yi.
Xu Yi looked at Mei Lin with wide eyes. He couldn't believe what he heard, but it wasn't unexpected. Mei Lin looked like a wealthy cultivator, and anyone who saw her would surely be tempted to get rich. "How old are you?" he asked.
Mei Lin glared at Xu Yi and pulled off her veil, revealing her bloody red eyes. "I will not tell you!" she snapped.
Xu Yi was surprised by her answer and started to laugh. "Then I won't ask again. If you want, I can teach you how to fight with a sword," he quickly offered, hoping to diffuse her anger.
Mei Lin was happy that Xu Yi offered to teach her, but she felt that fighting with a sword wouldn't be suitable for her, so she refused. Afterward, they went to the tea house. Mei Lin went to sleep while Xu Jie started to interrogate Xu Yi.
"Xu Yi, do you think you would win if she fought with her crystal knife?" Xu Yi was surprised by the question.
He knew his mother had been watching them, but he had a hunch that if this were a real fight, Mei Lin wouldn't try to fight in an open field. She would probably ambush him like a bandit or just let herself get hit and then stab him. Unlike Mei Lin, he probably wouldn't survive a direct hit from the knife. As he had seen when she was impaled by the spear and still didn't die, he was sure that a hit from his sword wouldn't kill her.
He knew that at her level, he wouldn't stand a chance against the crystal knife. The knife could cut through anything he had seen including bones and armor. Her extreme durability made her nearly an immortal enemy. "I hope we never find out, but her sword skills are non-existent," Xu Yi said, trying to suppress the thought of fighting Mei Lin. After all, he liked her and wanted to protect her despite that he wanted to compare their strength in combat. That was because he wanted to know if he would be able to protect her or not.
Xu Jie saw the sorrow on Xu Yi's face and knew that he loved her and that he would not try to suggest training once again.