This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 221 What Happened Back Then

"You can imagine the excitement of a destitute refugee who suddenly finds a mountain of gold and silver lying in front of him. This liquor is like a golden signboard. Anyone who takes a sip will praise it, especially those in the military, who love it even more."

"I only took out a few bottles, and it caused a huge uproar in the army. At that time, the Ling family army was at its peak. They were an important pawn that Emperor Wu placed in Nanling to contain the Xiao family. As long as the Ling family existed, Nanling would be safe. However, as this kind of wine appeared in the Ling family, they were wiped out overnight."

"This is all the bitter fruit of my selfishness, which even implicated General Wu, one of the two military families. Because of my wine, hundreds of people died. To this day, I am ashamed to face them, so I am drunk all year round. Whenever I sober up, I see their wronged souls in front of me and ask me why I harmed them."

Xiao Xingchen was utterly astonished and incredulous. The massacres of the Ling and Wu families had such unknown details. Neither Ling Feiyuan nor Wu Xie had likely anticipated that a mere bottle of wine would lead to their annihilation. Even he himself had always believed the Xiao family was behind it all, the cause of the Ling family's destruction. Who could have imagined such a connection?

"Dad, you mean the pursuers wiped out both families?"

"Not necessarily. After all, they are the backbone of the Great Qian Dynasty, and Emperor Wu could not possibly sit idly by. In my opinion, someone must have put pressure on Emperor Wu, forcing him to take drastic measures. In that case, everything would be logical. Moreover, Fifth Master's reaction at the time also confirmed this. This matter was planned by the pursuers and carried out by Emperor Wu himself."

"In other words, those people are after Fifth Master, and anyone who has any connection with Fifth Master will not escape death."

"That's right, that's why I'm extremely cautious about everything Fifth Master does. That's also why I've been relentlessly pursuing you. I absolutely cannot let this place become a ruin as well. Since then, Fifth Master has sent me here and repeatedly instructed me not to take a single step out."

"What about Fifth Master? What kind of person was he? And where did he go later?"

Xiao Xingchen continued to press for answers.

Old Man Chen shook his head and sighed helplessly.

"It was only when Fifth Master left that I learned that he had an amazing background. He not only taught me how to drink, but he himself was also a god-like person."

"What did he do?" Xiao Xingchen's eyes lit up.

"Hey, you might not believe it, but how can there be such an amazing person in this world?"

"He led me to mythology overnight, to enlightenment through wine, and to the path of Dionysus that I am today."

"You must have seen my powerful aura just now. The strength that others need to cultivate for a hundred years to obtain, I obtained in one night. What else could such a person be but a god?"

"What? How is this possible?"

Xiao Xingchen secretly speculated that something amazing might happen, but he never expected that Old Man Chen would say something so unbelievable.

Although he had only recently embarked on the path of cultivation, he knew all too well that the path of cultivation was like a ladder to heaven, requiring careful steps and with no possibility of ascending to heaven in one leap.

However, now I've encountered it myself.

"Therefore, you must not reveal a word of what I said today to anyone. To ascend to heaven overnight, something that only exists in myths, was actually accomplished by Master Zhu Wu."

If this gets out, wouldn't the whole world go crazy?

It was then that I finally understood why so many people were relentlessly pursuing him; perhaps what they were hunting was precisely this method of overnight ascension. Once someone mastered this divine technique, who in the world could stand against them?

"Old Chen, are you telling the truth?"

Xiao Xingchen asked again, still suspicious.

"How outrageous! Why would I lie to you? If you hadn't accurately stated Master Zhu's name, I would never have told you this secret. This matter concerns the very structure of the Nine Heavens. If word gets out, we will both be killed. Since then, I have never stepped out of this winery, for fear of being discovered. This is a matter of utmost importance, and it will surely bring endless disaster."

Xiao Xingchen knew that what Old Man Chen said was true; the impact of this matter was far greater than imagined.

At this moment, he finally understood why Old Man Chen had been so tough before, even going so far as to kill him. It was because the cause and effect of this matter was too great, too great for anyone to bear.

However, a flood of questions arose in his mind. Master Zhu Wu was said to have passed away, so why did he reappear in the world ten years ago? If he could really make someone a god in one step, why did he flee in such a panic? Who were the people chasing him?

All of this left Xiao Xingchen feeling utterly confused.

"Father, what kind of person is Fifth Master? Does he have any distinctive features?"

"Fifth Master was unremarkable in appearance and had nothing special about him, yet he often uttered words that puzzled me, such as: 'Stars are falling, time waits for no one, Feng Cang has perished, the ship is about to set sail.' These words were like voices from beyond the heavens, leaving me completely baffled. He often looked up at the sky and muttered these words to himself."

"Stars are falling, time waits for no one, Feng Cang has perished, and the ship is about to set sail? What does this all mean?"

Xiao Xingchen frowned, while Old Man Chen continued to shake his head.

"I don't know. I asked him, but Fifth Master didn't respond. He only said that the life-saving grace should be repaid with a spring of gratitude, so he helped me attain enlightenment overnight. This is my way of repaying his life-saving grace. As for anything else, he didn't reveal a single word. At least I can't understand it. It seems that he is a god from heaven, and his affairs are beyond our reach."

"In addition, he entrusted me with an important matter before he left."

"What is it? Is it perhaps related to me?"

“Exactly. He said that if anyone ever mentions beer or wine to me, then that person is either a pursuer or his accomplice. At this point, he hesitated slightly, then added that nine times out of ten they are an enemy, so the best course of action is to kill them before you can react, and you must go all out.” “I see. That’s why you were willing to kill me even with Ruoxue’s obstruction.”

Xiao Xingchen fell into deep thought. Old Man Chen's words were like a key that opened a door to a wealth of information. Although he couldn't quite grasp the mystery at first, the information was like twinkling stars, shining brightly. Upon closer examination, it seemed that countless stories could be woven from it.

"Yes, otherwise how could I ignore my daughter? Your appearance is like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, bringing me a huge shock. I thought I could sever all ties with Fifth Master's affairs for the rest of my life, but your appearance today makes me realize that perhaps these peaceful days are numbered."

"Don't worry, I'll leave after I ask, and I won't cause you any trouble."

“You’re wrong. Ever since I said those words to you, the chain of cause and effect has begun to turn. This is what Fifth Master said. Once a second person learns of this, the gears of fate will restart, surging like an undercurrent, and everything will be reshuffled.”

"What cryptic words. Does he always speak in such a cryptic way?"

"Perhaps this is the style of a master, as elusive as clouds and mist, which is difficult for us ordinary people to understand."

"And then what happened? He just left like that?"

"Fifth Master stayed in Yong'an for half a year. After the incidents involving the Ling and Wu families, he became like a frightened bird, knowing that he was about to be exposed. So he disappeared here silently like a ghost. Before he left, he told me to come here. This is the story between me and Fifth Master."

Old Chen reached for a jug of wine, and like a weary traveler, leaned back in his chair, took a large gulp, and gazed dreamily at Xiaoxingchen, as if it were an endless starry sky.

"Do you have any other questions? If I know the answer, I will answer them without reservation."

"Did he ever mention anything about time travel?" Xiao Xingchen was still unwilling to give up. Most importantly, information about time travelers remained shrouded in mystery.

"Time travel? It doesn't seem to be mentioned, but there's one thing that comes to mind: Fifth Master has a kind of effeminate quality about him. I've even wondered if Fifth Master might be a woman. Of course, this is just my guess and shouldn't be taken seriously."

Xiao Xingchen nodded to himself. This information wasn't entirely fruitless; it was the first time he had found information about transmigrators, and at least he could confirm it.

The time traveler is still being hunted, suspectedly because of that cultivation method that allows one to enter the Dao overnight. As for the claim that Master Zhu is a woman, he hasn't taken it to heart for now; more information is needed to verify that.

However, as long as he continues to investigate along this lead, he believes he will get more results. After all, this is a direction, and if he follows the clues, he will not believe that he will come up empty-handed.