Chapter 15 The Xi Feng Liquor

• He was also thinking of his foster father and Zhou Yingying’s entire family.
• The cold breeze brushed across Chu Feng’s face gently, which felt cool and made him feel lazy; he was slightly exhausted at the end of a busy day.
• He took out two bottles of fine wine that he made himself from his luggage and was planning to drink it to relieve his stress.
• As soon as he removed the cork of the bottle, the strong aroma of the wine wafted across the whole room in no time. Luo Gang sniffed at the scent, an expression of enjoyment upon his face as he looked at Chu Feng from a corner with his eyes wide open.
• “Do you want to drink some?” Chu Feng chuckled; it was clear to him that Luo Gang was also a wine enthusiast.
• “Hehe, thank you, Dragon Head. I’ll just help myself to it then.”
• Luo Gang smiled shamelessly and rubbed his hands together. He quickly found a big glass and poured himself a glass full of the wine. The rich aroma of the wine triggered his cravings immediately.
• Chu Meng gave him a word of advice, “This is a strong alcohol, so don’t gulp it down too quickly.”
• “Alright, alright.” Luo Gang answered him to show that he heard him, but internally, he couldn't care less; he was a bold person and he was good in martial arts, but his alcohol tolerance was even better.
• He could gulp down almost eight ounces of the 56% alcohol, Laobaigan Liquor[1] without a wince, so surely this wine was an easy case for him.
• He chugged down a mouthful of the wine but the very next second, his face turned red immediately and he started coughing violently; it was so intense that tears started streaming down his face.
• Chu Feng was cackling at the side.
• “W-What is this wine, Dragon Head? It’s too strong.” Luo Gang had a confused look on his face. He had tasted many different kinds of wine but he had never drunk such a strong one before.
• Chu Feng took a sip of the wine and gazed into the night view outside the window. “This is the wine from my expedition at Xi Ye.”
• Luo Gang was suddenly in awe as he asked, “T-This is the legendary ‘Xi Feng Liquor’?”
• It had been rumored that Xi Feng Liquor was created by the God of War of Dragon Soul himself. This liquor had a ruthless personality to it, fit for the bravest of warriors and the strongest of men!
• The ten thousand border troops at Xi Ye would always drink this wine during their expeditions, and they would win every war they fought!
• Thus, this wine was called the ‘God of War’s Wine’ in the army.
• Its name was widely known but besides the border troops of Xi Ye, only a handful of people had drunk it before, which was why Luo Gang was getting extremely emotional.
• “Yes, it is the Xi Feng Liquor, but we are more used to the other name, ‘Blood of Men’.” Chu Feng stood up, the look of his eyes was that of a tiger’s, containing a flood of emotions within them.
• “Xi Feng Liquor, it is a liquor that tastes like the blood of brave men, marching on their long journey to become heroes on a snowy road of a frosty morning.” Luo Gang was still watching eagerly as Chu Feng continued. “When this wine first enters one's throat, it tastes utterly bitter, a taste so strong that it feels like one’s throat is being burned away. The drinker will feel as if he was in the middle of a sandstorm at Xi Ye, finding his way through the endless stretch of land with extreme difficulty.”
• “The second time it enters the drinker’s throat, the bitterness fades and it will leave a sweet aftertaste, a coolness that originates from the deepest part within the drinker that thoroughly refreshes him! It will be as if the drinker was reminded of his good wife back at home, or of the miles of stretches of peach blossoms back at his hometown.”
• “The third time it enters the drinker’s throat, the bitterness and the sweet aftertaste will be gone; the drinker will only taste the true essence of the alcohol that reverberates in the chest! From then on, the drinker will be one of great ambitions and courage; no matter how vast the lands of Xi Ye are, he shall traverse across the endless plains at his will, gaining dominance over the mountains and rivers within his grasp!”
• Chu Feng raised his glass toward the moon and cheered loudly. His muscular build looked like a proud, mighty sword, pointing toward the sky; he was a man of pride, yet filled with sorrow!
• “The bodies of loyal men who gave their lives to war are spread all over great mountains; may they lay there in peace without having to be dragged back home in horse leather!” [2] This was the boldness of the God of War of the Dragon Soul, and such were the emotions of a man from Xi Ye like me!
• Luo Gang drank the wine again and this time, his eyes grew bloodshot. Through the silhouette of Chu Feng’s upright figure that resembled a long spear, he could imagine looking at the rows of brave warriors that stood upright in the boundless dessert; the men who drank 300 cups of the wine to their hearts’ content as they rode their horses and raised their swords, their spirits strong enough to conquer the Loulan Kingdom!
• Xi Feng Liquor, was indeed, worthy of sending the brave warriors onto their arduous journey to war. The effects of the alcohol was starting to show, as Chu Feng raised a sword and started singing aloud, filling the space in the room with the sounds of a familiar, classical song. “Perhaps I'll bid farewell and never to return, can you comprehend? Do you understand? Perhaps I will fall and never to rise again. Will you be forever waiting?” [3]
• Luo Gang was sniffing and could not help himself but to join in as well. “Perhaps my eyes will shut and never open again, will you understand my silent emotions? Perhaps I will sleep forever, never able to wake up. Will you believe that I have been transformed into mountains?”
• At the end, their eyes had turned red and they started singing out loud in a chorus. “If it's to be so, grieve not, the soil of our nation contains the love we have given. If it's to be so, grieve not, the flag of our nation has our blood-stained glory.”
• “Bloodstained glory!!”
• [1] Hengshui Laobaigan Liquor is a Chinese liquor that originated in the Han Dynasty, gained popularity in the Tang Dynasty, and officially gained its name in the Ming Dynasty. It is known for its mellow, sweet and elegant taste.
• [2] This was an extract of a poem from the ancient times that described the situation of great numbers of men loyal to their country who died in war, their bodies would normally be dragged back to their hometowns in horse leather, but their numbers were so great that it would have been unnecessary to do so, and it would be better to leave them to rest in peace where their bodies ultimately lay as a form of respect for their bravery and sacrifice.
• [3] These are the lyrics to the Chinese patriotic song, ‘Bloodstained Glory’, written in the year 1986, originally used to commemorate those who died during the Sino-Vietnamese War. Slight variations were made to the lyrics here.