"Offering to the God of Wine increased by one level: +7 stamina, 5 Wine Marks gained."
"Achievement unlocked: Raise the Cup, Don't Stop — Unlock Normal Attack: Drunken Eight Immortals."
Talent
Normal Attack: Drunken Eight Immortals
Normal Attack
Drunken Fist: Drunken Eight Immortals — Use moves infused with the essence of alcohol to fight enemies hand-to-hand. Each talent level increases the number of attack hits, up to eight hits, dealing Alcohol Element damage.
X
Raise the Cup
Consumes 50 stamina to deliver a heavy punch, channeling concentrated alcohol power into the enemy, causing them to fall asleep. They awaken if attacked.
This time, the authoritative voice introduced the attack skill Xu Ning had been most eager to see.
He listened carefully, afraid to miss a single detail.
But…
"That's it? That's it?"
"Just a normal attack? Where's my E? Where's my Q?"
"'Don't Stop Drinking' is telling me to keep drinking? How much do I have to drink to get the big skill?"
Xu Ning's middle finger trembled slightly as he suppressed a furious outburst.
Back when he played games in his past life, it hadn't felt this frustrating!
He sighed and gulped down a mouthful of liquor to calm himself.
Closing his eyes, he slowly absorbed this so-called attack skill bestowed by the God of Wine.
"Normal Attack… first strike… Lü Dongbin — Drunken Strength of a Thousand Pounds."
A long moment passed.
Xu Ning exhaled deeply and opened his eyes.
Perhaps it was because his body had no martial arts foundation at all.
What appeared before him, aside from what seemed like pre-existing muscle memory, were detailed theories of fists, techniques, practical demonstrations, and instructions covering hands, eyes, body, methods, steps, essence, mind, qi, strength, and skill.
Xu Ning straightened up, thinking it was the perfect time to step outside under the night sky and try out some punches.
Turning to look inside the house, he couldn't help but laugh.
Beidou, the little girl, was sitting on the long bench by the table, having finished an entire bowl of wine.
She must have been very sleepy, nodding her head in little pecks like a tiny chick.
Xu Ning walked over, gently picked her up, and laid her on the only bed in the house.
The little girl was thin, and with Xu Ning's seven extra points of stamina, holding her felt like carrying a neighbor's child back in his previous life.
It seemed his strength now was no weaker than that of a normal adult.
After tucking Beidou in, he went outside to the open space behind the house.
Normally, it was used for drying fish or other seafood, but now baskets and bamboo racks were piled in the corners.
Xu Ning held the gourd in his left hand and clenched a cup-shaped fist in his right. With just a brief recollection of the moves, his body moved as if he had trained for countless years, naturally performing the first form.
His feet moved forward and back, his body swaying left and right; two fists shot out like arrows, elbows striking like mountains.
It was clear that this systematic teaching bypassed countless years of hard practice.
After practicing only a dozen times, Xu Ning felt the muscle memory forming.
No matter the situation, as long as he willed it, the moves flowed smoothly, like water.
Feeling warm, he tilted his head back and guzzled a few mouthfuls of wine, abandoning any formal sequence.
He recalled every move and technique he had seen in his past life, testing counters and defenses freely.
Just as he was getting into the flow, he caught sight of a tall shadow approaching.
Without hesitation, he executed a revolving dragon strike, swinging his right fist with full force directly at the shadow's ribs.
"Smack!"
Pain shot up his hand.
Looking down, he laughed, massaging his knuckles.
He realized he had already left the open space without noticing.
His punch had landed on a thick birch tree, startling a large bird perched above.
Though he struck with full strength against rough bark, his hand was only slightly scraped—a sign his body's toughness was steadily improving.
He poured a little wine on the wound and looked up at the flying bird, deep in thought.
Beidou woke to the cacophony of harsh, chirping birds.
Stretching a little on the bed, she rubbed her sleepy eyes with tiny fists.
Xu Ning peeled a cooked bird egg and reminded her, "Put on your shoes and wash up. I boiled extra water, so use the hot water for your face and rinse your mouth too."
Once Beidou was ready, Xu Ning smiled at her bright little face.
He set six peeled bird eggs in a bowl and pushed them to her.
"Last night the old man treated us to fish. Take these bird eggs to him, and tell him we have plenty more. Oh, and borrow his butcher knife while you're at it."
Beidou quickly delivered the eggs and returned with a bowl of plain rice porridge.
Xu Ning took the sharp knife she brought, then set the peeled eggs next to the porridge for her to eat.
The dead dog they had dragged back yesterday still lay behind the house. Though thin, it weighed at least ten jin.
After sitting half the day, little blood had come out, which Xu Ning didn't mind. In his past life, eating dog meat sometimes intentionally skipped bleeding, claiming it was nourishing.
He began: decapitate, remove paws, peel the skin, gut, chop into pieces.
Xu Ning worked steadily, while Beidou squatted nearby, feeding him leftover bird eggs, occasionally giving him a sip of wine, and sneaking a taste herself.
The village chief came by once, observing Xu Ning's skill with surprise.
In the end, he said nothing and returned to his house, pacing.
Xu Ning washed the dog meat in a clear-water canal and dumped it into the iron pot on the stove.
He added the spices the village chief had given, along with two bright red Jueyun Chilis.
Nearby lay cleaned shiitake mushrooms, to be added once the meat was nearly done.
The bird eggs, chilis, and mushrooms were all found by Xu Ning last night in a small grove.
At the foot of the bed were three or four large red apples, which he didn't mention to Beidou.
After the dog meat, they'd serve them to lighten the richness.
With everything ready, they simply waited for the meat to cook.
Xu Ning washed his hands of blood, added a couple of logs to the stove, and went to prepare the fire.
Beidou squatted in front of the stove, resting her chin on her hands, drooling slightly as she waited. The red glow of the fire reflected in her eyes like shining rubies.
Xu Ning gazed at the little girl's vibrant red eyes, and his mind flashed forward ten years, imagining her standing on a ship, hand on a greatsword, wearing a half-eye patch—radiant and fearless.
But why did she need an eye patch on her left eye?
Was it damage from abuse while wandering?
Or a wound from fighting sea beasts?
Whatever the reason, Xu Ning couldn't accept such a cute little girl losing an eye.
Even a small scar at the corner of her eye was unacceptable!
Xu Ning wasn't like some gamers in his past life who judged Beidou's eye to be fine just by a superficial look.
Wearing an eyepatch like a pirate? Fine. But he couldn't leave it to chance.
Besides, Beidou would gain her Eye of God only after defeating the Sea Mountain. Before she had enough strength, he had to ensure her protection.
Ruffling her hair, Xu Ning smiled, "Last night I came up with a really powerful set of fist techniques. Want to learn it?"
The little girl blinked suspiciously, "You practice it first. Let me see how strong it is!"
Xu Ning got into stance, barely throwing two punches, and Beidou laughed so hard she could barely keep straight.
"Silly! I'm not learning it!"