Phoenix Top and Dragon Bottom Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Battle Unfolds Over Wine

Feng Xuan Yang let out a sigh, gracefully dismounted his horse, and tossed the reins to his subordinates. With his sword in hand, he slowly walked into the tavern, the scorching sun casting a radiant glow upon him, embodying the aura of a true king. His steps were steady and powerful, indicating significant progress in his martial arts. Each step he took struck Long Qinghan’s heart like a hammer.

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As Feng Xuan Yang stood calmly at the entrance of the tavern, a wicked smile gracing his face, the three underlings of the Five Venomous Sects continued their relentless discussion about the Nine Heavens Sect, mocking not only the sect but also other martial artists.

Many people clenched their fists, seething with anger but unable to speak. This only fueled the enthusiasm of the three men, who managed to offend everyone in the tavern. It was at this moment that the people facing the tavern entrance noticed Feng Xuan Yang. Their mouths slightly agape, they made silent gestures.

“Sky Splitting Ax” Shi Jing, who had been speaking fervently, paused for a moment, perplexed by the expressions on everyone’s faces. But as he turned his head slightly, a cold flash of sword light swiftly cut through the air. Before he could even utter a word, a bloody hole appeared in his throat.

The speed of that strike was indescribable. People hadn’t even realized when the sword was unsheathed or how it pierced Shi Jing’s throat. The only thing they could see was the slow descent of red droplets from the scarlet sword.

The collective breath of the crowd seemed to freeze in that instant as they stared at the towering figure in the red robe. His face was obscured by the backlight, but the bloodthirsty hue in his eyes instilled fear in their hearts.

“The affairs of my sect are none of your business,” Feng Xuan Yang coldly sneered, raising his hand. With a flick of his finger, the blood on his sword splattered onto Shi Jing’s body. With a loud thud, the lifeless corpse slumped to the ground, blood slowly trickling from his throat.

The onlookers were stupefied. Although they had never seen Feng Xuan Yang before, they deduced his identity from his words. His superior martial arts and swordsmanship were evident; daring them to speak ill of him in front of his face was nothing short of courting death.

“The Jade Blood Snake,” Zhuge Feng, and “Iron Eagle Claw,” Xue Li, had already drawn their weapons, yet they hesitated to attack. Their throats emitted a dry, hollow sound, and despite the coolness of the March day, beads of cold sweat formed on their foreheads.

“Hmm?” Feng Xuan Yang’s bloodthirsty gaze swept over them, radiating a terrifying aura akin to a demonic entity from hell. Startled, the two of them, without any hesitation, activated their light-footwork techniques and dashed towards the door. They were fortunate that when Feng Xuan Yang entered, they had coincidentally fallen silent, thus sparing their lives.

Feng Xuan Yang had no intention of causing trouble. He gently blew away the blood droplets hanging on the sword, turned around, and with a “swish” sound, the sword emitted a phoenix-like cry, and then…

“Clap, clap, clap!” Several strong applauses sounded from a corner. Following the sound, Feng Xuan Yang saw the indifferent man sitting in the corner.

Long Qinghan stopped clapping his hands and calmly said, “Impressive skill.” His face showed no expression, but Feng Xuan Yang unexpectedly sensed the admiration in his words.

Feng Xuan Yang suppressed the bloodthirsty killing intent in his eyes and raised a faintly intriguing smile. He slowly walked to Long Qinghan’s table, arrogantly looking down at him. “Long Qinghan.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.

Upon hearing this, the faces of the onlookers changed. They were just gossiping and insulting Long Qinghan, pretending not to notice him, but now they realized he had been listening all along. They felt embarrassed.

However, Long Qinghan paid no attention to those people. He slightly raised his gaze, and his eyes, like shimmering water, met Feng Xuan Yang’s blazing phoenix eyes. The two pairs of eyes met after being separated for a long time, realizing that even after witnessing countless scenes over millennia, only the figure of the other was truly precious.

After a long time, Long Qinghan lowered his eyes, concealing the excitement in his heart. He moved his lips and said, “Feng Xuan Yang.”

Feng Xuan Yang didn’t question how he knew his identity, just as Long Qinghan didn’t inquire either. Feng Xuan Yang’s lips curled up completely, and with raised eyebrows, he said, “It was you applauding just now.”

Long Qinghan didn’t directly answer Feng Xuan Yang. He lowered his eyes, took the wine cup from the table, and poured two cups of wine. “Would you like some?”

“Oh?” Feng Xuan Yang seemed greatly interested. The Nine Heavens Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect (Tianjian Sect) had always been like mortal enemies. Although they had never had any disputes, people in the martial world assumed they were opposed to each other due to one being a righteous sect and the other an evil one, and Feng Xuan Yang never defended himself.

Seeing that Long Qinghan showed no fear, Feng Xuan Yang found it even more intriguing. He raised an eyebrow and said, “Is Young Master Long inviting me for a drink now?” He glanced at the people from the martial world and continued, “You’re not afraid of rumors spreading?”

Long Qinghan paused, his tone devoid of any emotional fluctuations. “I am making friends,” he said, raising his gaze and meeting the enchanting red lotus mark between Feng Xuan Yang’s eyebrows, “not with the Great Leader of the Nine Heavens Sect.”

“Fascinating! Hahaha, truly fascinating!” Feng Xuan Yang laughed loudly, kicked the chair in front of him, and confidently sat down with his legs wide open. His posture was proud, exuding the demeanor of a king.

Long Qinghan handed over a cup of wine with both hands, and Feng Xuan Yang glanced at him before accepting it and boldly drinking it all in one go.

“Great wine!” He wiped the wine stain from his lips with the back of his hand and let out a satisfied sigh.

“The exclusive Drunken Immortal Brew from Guo Ting Wine House, the only place that serves it.” Long Qinghan poured another cup for Feng Xuan Yang, then raised his own cup, inviting him with both hands, and gazed at Feng Xuan Yang. “Please.”

“Haha, sure, please!” Feng Xuan Yang politely raised his hands and lifted the wine cup, extending an invitation.

The two exchanged a subtle smile, then simultaneously emptied their cups and placed them back down, producing a crisp sound.

“Brother Feng, I assume you haven’t had a meal yet, so let me treat you to this one. Long Mo, go call the innkeeper and ask for a few more side dishes on Feng brother’s tab. I’ll take care of it,” said Long Qinghan.

“The cost of the drinks is on me,” Feng Xuan Yang interjected without hesitation. Long Mo bowed and, after receiving a nod of approval from Long Qinghan, went to instruct the innkeeper.

Feng Xuan Yang smirked mischievously, rubbing his chin, and teasingly said, “How do you know that I am your elder brother and you are the younger one? Why not call me ‘Feng’s younger brother’?”

Long Qinghan’s hand, pouring the wine, paused for a moment but quickly responded, “Since ancient times, we honor the elders as brothers. I regard Feng brother with the utmost respect. Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Haha, very good, very good!” Feng Xuan Yang picked up his wine cup, glanced at him with an ambiguous look, and raised it to drink.

Long Qinghan’s hand holding the cup was slightly sweaty, and his breathing became somewhat rapid. He almost revealed the truth himself. Feng Xuan Yang was two years older than him, and he was aware of that. But now they had just met, and it would be problematic if his secret was exposed.

With a crisp sound, Feng Xuan Yang put down his wine cup, tapped his fingers on the table, and casually smiled, “Young Master Long, why did you applaud earlier? According to reason, you righteous martial artists should rush to eliminate us wicked individuals and uphold justice.”

Long Qinghan brought the cup close to his lips, took a slow sip, and his thoughts drifted back to his previous life. In his previous life, he was young and reckless. He intervened due to his status and tried to stop them, which led to his acquaintance with Feng Xuan Yang. However, after his rebirth, he realized how naive he had been back then. He saved Shi Jing and the others, but instead of receiving gratitude, he brought trouble upon himself. Now, in retrospect, those people deserved to be killed.

“Those who slander others are no good either. Feng brother is also doing good deeds. Look.” Long Qinghan raised his sleeve and gestured toward the others, saying, “Esteemed heroes, isn’t that true? None of you opposed.”

A hint of embarrassment appeared on the faces of the crowd. In theory, they should have confronted Feng Xuan Yang, accused him of wanton killing, and drawn their swords against him. However, firstly, those three people insulted them earlier, so they deserved to die. Secondly, given Feng Xuan Yang’s extraordinary martial skills, it would be fortunate if they could last ten moves under his sword.

Although they couldn’t preserve their dignity, the fact that the Heavenly Sword Sect’s young master stood alongside Feng Xuan Yang and appreciated his actions made them feel somewhat relieved.

Therefore, when Feng Xuan Yang turned his head to look at them, they all pretended to be serious and nodded slightly.

Long Qinghan had anticipated this reaction from the crowd, which gave him the courage to invite Feng Xuan Yang to share a drink.

The corners of Feng Xuan Yang’s mouth curled even higher as he turned back and asked, “I wonder how well Young Master Long can hold his liquor?”

“How well can you hold your liquor?” Long Qinghan’s tone remained as calm as water, but he couldn’t hide the amusement in his eyes. “Perhaps I can match you, Feng brother.” In their previous lives, he had once drunk with Feng Xuan Yang for a whole day and night, with no clear winner. In the end, both of them collapsed in the room, falling asleep together. Thinking back to those intoxicated days, it was truly a peaceful time, but unfortunately, it was too short-lived. If they could get drunk together again now, it would be wonderful.

“Oh, I don’t believe it.” Feng Xuan Yang raised an eyebrow. “I can hold my liquor even after a thousand cups.”

“Let’s give it a try, shall we?” Long Qinghan’s smile grew even broader.

“Very well, but…” Feng Xuan Yang turned the wine cup in his hand and, after emptying it, frowned slightly dissatisfiedly. “The potency of this Drunken Immortal brew is lacking. We’ll need to drink more to feel satisfied.”

“The Drunken Immortal brew has different vintages. The one we have now is only twenty years old, but the innkeeper has some older ones that will have enough potency,” Long Qinghan explained.

“Oh, I’d like to try it.”

Long Qinghan nodded and called Long Mo to bring the aged Drunken Immortal brew. He said, “Long Mo, serve the wine.”

“Hold on!” Just as Long Mo was about to pour the wine, Feng Xuan Yang raised his hand to stop him. He casually took the wine jar from Long Mo’s hand and said, “Drinking from a cup won’t be satisfying enough. If Young Master Long doesn’t mind, we can drink directly from the wine jar.”

A rare, faint smile appeared at the corner of Long Qinghan’s mouth. “Why not?” He picked up the wine jar from the table, opened the lid, and said aloud, “Please!”

“Please!” The two wine jars collided, and they both tilted their heads back to take a big gulp.

After finishing a mouthful, the two simultaneously set down their wine jars with a heavy thud, exchanged a glance, and suddenly, without any warning, they each flipped their hand and struck each other.

Long Qinghan’s palm carried cold air, while Feng Xuan Yang’s palm wind was filled with fiery energy. Their hands met, exchanging blows, and two moves later, they were evenly matched. Long Qinghan knew that he and Feng Xuan Yang were always on par with each other. In their previous lives, his internal strength was slightly inferior to Feng Xuan Yang’s due to an injury. However, after waking up in this life, he had cleared his meridians based on his past memories, elevating his martial arts to a higher level, and his internal strength now matched Feng Xuan Yang’s.

Feng Xuan Yang seemed to have discovered something interesting. He flipped his right palm and continued to attack Long Qinghan. Long Qinghan blocked with his palm, then turned strength into gentleness, swirling his hand in a circle, bypassing Feng Xuan Yang’s palm, and striking towards his chest.

To his surprise, something quickly blocked Feng Xuan Yang’s chest—it was the wine jar. Upon closer inspection, the wine jar had withstood Long Qinghan’s powerful blow without shattering. It only formed a thin layer of ice on its surface. While Long Qinghan was still astonished, Feng Xuan Yang pulled out a smile with a mysterious meaning and, with a backhand strike, aimed at Long Qinghan’s wine jar.

Long Qinghan quickly regained his focus, waving his sleeve to dissolve Feng Xuan Yang’s attack. He scooped up the wine jar and brought it to his lips, tilting his head slightly to drink, all while keeping his gaze locked on Feng Xuan Yang, his attacking movements not ceasing.

Feng Xuan Yang also neutralized Long Qinghan’s palm force, tilting his head back to let the wine from the jar flow into his mouth. Drinking while tilting his head limited his field of vision and slightly slowed down his movements, so the two shifted from hand-to-hand combat to footwork.

The two engaged in a fierce exchange of kicks under the table several moves in, causing the table to waver and showing signs of potential collapse due to their powerful feet impact.

A glimmer of shrewdness flashed in their eyes as they simultaneously continued to drink from their wine jars with one hand while pressing down on the table with their other hand, stabilizing it. Meanwhile, their feet continued to tangle and fight without a clear winner.

This was a showdown between experts. Despite the fragile table, it remained intact under the influence of their powerful inner strength.

As they fought, their excitement grew. Both of them looked at each other with eyes filled with admiration. In an instant, their wine jars were empty, but their movements didn’t stop. They simultaneously turned their wine jars upside down, signaling that they had finished drinking. Then they burst into hearty laughter together, simultaneously ceasing their footwork and gazing at each other with a complex expression in their eyes.

At the same moment, they shouted, swiftly grabbing their swords from the table and swiping at each other in an instant before retracting their hands, tapping their toes, and retreating behind themselves along with their stools.

“Crash!” The table, devoid of the support of their inner strength, shattered into pieces, along with the utensils placed on top.

In the blink of an eye, both of them stood up with a start, a gust of wind rising beneath their feet. A flash of red and blue light, and a sword thrust toward the other’s throat!

Author’s note: If you like this story, please bookmark it. There’s a dashing Feng at the top and an icy-cold Long at the bottom~

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