"Heaven and earth, I reign supreme… Alone in my realm, I drink endlessly…"
A slurred singing voice echoed from the roadside tavern, followed by hearty, shameless laughter. Dare Drake Tran paused outside the tavern door, recognizing the familiar aura radiating from within.
"That voice…" He smiled, a wave of nostalgia washing over him. "Hasn't changed in a thousand years…"
[CelestialPalace_001: "Some people truly don't know the meaning of shame…"]
[CelestialPalace_002: "Be careful you don't catch his bad habits!"]
The small, simple tavern had only a few old wooden tables and scattered jars of rice wine. There were few patrons inside, aside from a chubby Daoist sitting in the darkest corner, surrounded by a dozen empty wine jars.
Seeing the drunken figure, Dare felt a pang of sadness. A thousand years ago, Zhu Bajie had been one of the Four Heavenly Kings, a proud general of the Celestial Court. Commanding tens of thousands of celestial soldiers, he had once been a powerful force in the heavens. And now…
"Seems I'm not the only one cast down…" Dare mused. "But why is the Great Heavenly Boar here? And who was that mysterious celestial maiden…"
[System: Special character detected!
Status: 99% drunk
Danger Level: 100% likely to wreck the tavern
Note: "Should we livestream this?"]
"Why not?" Dare chuckled, activating the livestream feature. After all, moments like these brought some lightness to his life in the mortal realm.
🔴 LIVE NOW: "Meeting the Drunken Daoist"
The Daoist was attempting to… drink through his nose. That's right—not with his mouth like a normal person, but by snorting it in as if he were using a nasal spray.
"Ah-ha!" The Daoist mumbled, between sips. "Mortal wine isn't as good as Heavenly Wine, but… it keeps me from missing home!"
[TinyFairy2k: "This Daoist… is so creative!"]
[Guest1810: "Drinking through the nose—a new trend?"]
[Viewers: 50,000+]
Dare approached, laughing, "Marshal Tianpeng, after all these years, you still haven't changed this habit…"
"Huh?" The Daoist raised his head, squinting through bleary eyes. "Who… who dares call me by my old name… ACHOO!"
SPLASH!
Wine sprayed from his nose like a fountain, but Dare deftly dodged out of the way.
[System: Special Ability Activated—"Wine Fountain Eruption"
Damage: 0
Messiness: 100%
Note: "What kind of attack is this?"]
"You…" The Daoist blinked, trying to focus. "I know you! You're… you're… No, I don't know who you are!"
[TinyFairy2k: "Major plot twist!"]
[Guest1810: "Best acting ever, LOL"]
[Viewers: 100,000+]
"Zhu Bajie…" Dare shook his head. "Have you finished your act yet?"
"Ha ha ha!" The Daoist erupted in laughter, slapping the table so hard the jars rattled. "Well done! But if you really are who I think… let's play a little game!"
[CelestialPalace_001: "An interesting challenge…"]
[CelestialPalace_002: "Seems the Great Heavenly Boar is as sly as ever."]
"A game?" Dare raised an eyebrow. "You intend to challenge me?"
"That's right!" Zhu Bajie thumped the table again, the wine sloshing in his jars. "Each of us will ask a question about the Celestial Court. Get it wrong, and you drink a jar!"