Martial Arts: The Secret Villain Starting from Huashan

"Oh, let me help you!"

Seeing this, Xu Xingchen couldn't help but feel amused and a little bit of pity in his heart. He knew very well that Xia Qingqing's stubbornness at this moment came from an innocent kindness.

But he was also worried that she might accidentally drop the wine because of being drunk, so he quickly spoke out to dissuade her with a gentle smile in his voice. At the same time, he quickly stretched out a hand and gently, almost carefully, took the heavy jar of wine from Xia Qingqing's hand.

I was afraid that the drunken girl might stumble and fall to the ground and hurt herself.

At this moment, Xia Qingqing, born as a girl, has a frail and gentle body. Naturally, her ability to withstand the strong effects of alcohol is far inferior to those of men with heroic temperaments and who don't care about details.

Although she would occasionally have a few drinks to cheer herself up on moonlit nights or at gatherings with friends, her mood today was extremely complicated, and her depression was like a dark cloud covering the sun that could not be shaken off.

It was as if a weight of sorrow was weighing heavily on her heart, making it hard for her to breathe. Those troubled thoughts were like a tangled mess, difficult to sort out, and even more difficult to resolve, in such a state of mind.

Xia Qingqing had unknowingly drunk several bowls of the extremely mellow wine. The wine was crystal clear, as tempting as the nectar from the Fairyland, and exuded an intoxicating aroma.

Every sip of wine slid into her throat with a rich and charming aroma. At that moment, it seemed as if all the troubles were temporarily washed away by this sweet liquid. However, this intoxicating nectar was also unknowingly eroding her reason and sobriety.

Her eyes gradually became blurred, her cheeks flushed slightly, and the long-suppressed emotions in her heart were quietly released. The fine wine flowed into her heart like a trickle of water.

However, Xia Qingqing's consciousness gradually became blurred, and her hands and feet began to become uncontrollable. In this vague state, she could not even hold the wine jar in her slender hands steadily, and she almost dropped it several times.

Xu Xingchen, who was sitting nearby, felt nervous upon seeing this, fearing that if the wine jar fell to the ground, it would not only disturb the rare atmosphere of the gathering, but also that Xia Qingqing would get hurt. So, he quickly and gently reached out his hand to take the shaky wine jar from her hand.

"No...no..."

Xia Qingqing's voice was as thin as a thread, but it carried an indescribable stubbornness and deep reluctance. Every word seemed to be squeezed out with difficulty from the softest part of her heart, her delicate body.

It swayed gently with the rise and fall of the words, like a willow branch swaying in the spring breeze, soft and fragile, as if it might lose its balance and drift away in this invisible storm of emotions at any time.

Those drunken eyes, like the surface of a lake lightly shrouded in mist, flicker with a blurred and complex light, reflecting both an escape from reality and a longing and confusion for the future.

The exhaled breath of alcohol slowly dissipated in the air around him, mixed with a faint floral scent and the sweetness of being tipsy. It was the smell of alcohol and emotion intertwined, making people intoxicated and heartbroken.

"I... I'll do it! I haven't drunk enough yet!"

There was a hint of stubbornness and reluctance in Xia Qingqing's words, and her eyes were hazy but flickering with a light of unwillingness to give up. After she said this, her delicate body staggered slightly.

She tried to hold tightly the wine jar beside her with her delicate hands, which seemed less flexible due to the alcohol, like a child guarding her most beloved toy, afraid that it would be snatched away by others if she was not careful.

In Xia Qingqing's eyes, the wine jar seemed to have become the most precious treasure at the moment, the only link between her and the world, and there could be no loss or omission of it. Her red lips slightly curled up into a slightly childish smile, which showed her intoxication with the aroma of the wine, and she said coquettishly.

"I... I'm afraid you'll cheat... You promised to drink with me until you're satisfied, you can't run away halfway."

As she spoke, Xia Qingqing's soft and delicate jade fingers gently slid across the surface of the ancient wine jar in her hand. Subtle rhythms danced on her fingertips, as if she was silently having some kind of mysterious communication with this fine wine that carried the sediment of years.

Xu Xingchen quietly looked at the drunk but playful and cute woman in front of him. Her pretty cheeks were flushed, her eyes were shining with a hazy and innocent light, and her red lips were hung with an unintentional smile.

It was as if the whole world was swaying gently with her mood. At this moment, Xu Xingchen couldn't help but feel an indescribable warmth in his heart, a complex emotion mixed with helplessness and doting.

He knew very well that Xia Qingqing in front of him was completely immersed in her own carefree, fantasy-filled little world, where she had her own unique rules and happiness. Any attempt to pull her back to reality seemed so pale and powerless at this moment.

Just like a breeze blowing across the lake, it only stirs up tiny ripples before returning to calm.

Xu Xingchen sighed softly, his eyes full of deep tolerance and understanding for this woman. He knew that Xia Qingqing would only show this side of her when she was completely relaxed, and this authenticity and purity was exactly the part he cherished most.

"Qingqing, you are drunk."

Xu Xingchen's eyes were full of concern. He noticed that Xia Qingqing's steps had become unsteady. She seemed to have lost her balance and began to stagger uncontrollably with a dazed look in her eyes. It was obvious that the alcohol had quietly taken effect in her body.

"I... I'm really not drunk. Look, I'm still sober. I can still... I can still drink...!"

There was a hint of stubbornness and unwillingness in Xia Qingqing's words. Her delicate body looked crooked under the dim light, as if she would lose balance and fall at any time. Despite this, her slightly blurred eyes revealed a spirit of unwillingness to admit defeat.

Now, Xia Qingqing, although her consciousness was a little hazy and her steps were staggering as if she was walking on cotton, staggered but extremely determined to pick up the heavy wine jar.

A pair of slender hands that were originally delicate and smooth, like jade carvings, were now trembling slightly, as if even this simple movement had consumed a lot of her strength and will.

However, even so, her slender hands still firmly grasped the neck of the wine jug, tilted it carefully, and slowly poured the clear wine into the two bowls placed in front of her until they were full and almost overflowed the brim.

During this process, a few drops of wine in the jar splashed out due to Xia Qingqing's instability. After drawing a few crystal arcs in the air, they finally fell gently on the table, making a subtle but crisp sound.

The remaining wine beads quickly soaked every inch of the wood grain on the table, leaving behind some mottled marks, like an abstract painting that was inadvertently sketched.

These traces were disorganized, yet seemed to imply some inexplicable rules, just like Xia Qingqing's mood, which was complex and chaotic, intertwined with confusion, struggle, unwillingness and a barely perceptible determination.

Then, Xia Qingqing used her jade fingers, which were no longer under her control, to tightly pinch the edge of one of the bowls of wine. She turned around with difficulty, handed the bowl to Xu Xingchen, and poked it in front of his mouth.

“You…you drink!”

"Don't tell me you can't even take this!"

Xia Qingqing's tongue had begun to become tied and her speech became unclear, but her persistence and stubbornness became more obvious. Although her voice was gentle, it carried an unquestionable power at this moment, as if she wanted to impose her will on Xu Xingchen.

"Okay, okay, I'll drink it."

Xu Xingchen looked at Xia Qingqing, who was already drunk in front of him. She looked playful and childish, which made him feel both amused and helpless. He shook his head helplessly and could only obey Xia Qingqing and drink up the wine in the bowl in his hand.

The spiciness that passed through his throat seemed unable to take away the helplessness and amusement in Xu Xingchen's heart at the moment.

At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder: Wasn't this supposed to be a conversation? How come the atmosphere suddenly changed and it has inexplicably turned into a drinking contest? It's really ridiculous.