Wine God

Along with the changes in Elder Yang's body, the temperature of the surrounding air was surging. Waves of heat caused the objects in Ji Dong's vision to blur.

Elder Yang was quite satisfied with Ji Dong's surprised expression. He slightly smiled and said, "How is it? Do I now have the qualification to taste the fine wine you made? Don't worry, I'm not threatening you. I just want to tell you that I have the ability to change your life. My name is Yang Bingtian, the president of the Li Fire Academy in Li Fire City. I am a Five-Crowned Sun Crowned Bing Fire-type Seventh Level Grand Master."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand. The white crown above his head slowly floated out and fell above his palm, but it did not solidify and instead slowly revolved above his hand. Only now did Ji Dong clearly see that on the nine triangles on the crown, the front five were all marked with flame symbols. The back four weren't. These five flame symbols, are they what he referred to as the Five Crowns?

Ji Dong pointed at the crown in Elder Yang's hand, somewhat stunned, and said, "Can you first tell me what this thing is? And what do you mean by that Bing Fire-type Seventh Level Grand Master of a Five-Crowned Sun Crown? I don't understand what you mean."

This time it was Yang Bingtian's turn to be surprised. He stared wide-eyed at Ji Dong as if looking at a strange creature, "You...you don't even know about the Magic Master Yin and Yang Crown?"

So hot, so hot. Ji Dong only felt the sight in front of him becoming more and more blurred. The feeling of his head being heavy and his legs light caused his body to sway slightly, but he still shook his head and mumbled, "I don't know."

A trace of understanding flashed in Yang Bingtian's eyes, "No wonder you don't know, with your day-to-day begging for survival, you probably haven't been exposed to this level yet. Eh, what's wrong with you, little brother..."

Ji Dong's body no longer allowed him to persist. He hadn't had a proper meal for a month now, and his body was already weak. The concentration from mixing the drink earlier had nearly exhausted his energy. Now, being baked by the scorching heat in front of him, he blacked out and collapsed. His last sensation was that his body seemed to have been caught by someone, stopping him from hitting the hard ground.

When Yang Bingtian caught Ji Dong's body, the extraordinary phenomena surrounding him had already disappeared. Feeling Ji Dong's weak pulse, he sighed softly, "This child looks pitiful too. I just can't guess how a youngster of his age could mix such unique cocktails. Is he a fallen noble? Better take him back first for questioning." With that, he picked up Ji Dong's body, took a few strides, and disappeared at the end of the street in the blink of an eye.

After an innumerable time of unconscious sleep, Ji Dong gradually regained consciousness. The strong aroma stimulating his sharp sense of smell accompanied his breathing. This was… the smell of chicken soup?

Gently opening his eyes, the feeling of weakness and being powerless did not disappear completely because of the sleep. Upon closer inspection, Ji Dong discovered that he was lying in an unfamiliar place.

The windows were clean, the place was very neat, the room was not very big, about twenty square meters, and not luxurious, only simply decorated. What attracted Ji Dong's attention the most was the mural on the ceiling, it was a lively Fire Phoenix, entirely flaming red in color, looking majestic. Its double wings were flapping as if wanting to break through the air and fly away. Beside the fiery red pattern on the edge was gold, similar to the red light released by Yang Bingtian before he fainted. At this moment, Ji Dong realized, the light behind Yang Bingtian before was actually the Fire Phoenix!

"You're awake." Yang Bingtian's gentle voice sounded. Ji Dong propped up his body to sit up, seeing Yang Bingtian sitting on the other side of the table by the bed. On the table was a clay pot, a plate of soy-braised meat, and two steamed buns. He looked down at himself and noticed that the dirt on his body had been washed clean, and he'd been dressed in clean clothes. The long-lost sense of freshness invigorated Ji Dong.

Looking at the food on the table, Ji Dong asked, "Are these for me?"

Yang Bingtian nodded with a slight smile, "Eat something first, your body is very weak."

Ji Dong wasn't polite. He picked up the bowl on the table and opened the clay pot. Without even looking, he knew it was a pot of chicken soup, his nose had already uncovered the answer.

What surprised Yang Bingtian though was Ji Dong, who was clearly very hungry, didn't rush to eat. He slowly tore the steamed buns and put them into his mouth, but after only half a bun, he stopped. He only ate three or four thin slices of soy-braised meat, instead drinking two bowls of chicken soup. Although his movements were not noble and elegant like those of the nobles, his natural movements gave people a very harmonious feeling.

"Why don't you eat more?" Yang Bingtian asked.

Ji Dong shook his head, "I haven't had a proper meal for a long time. There's too little oil and water in my stomach. Eating too much would actually be bad for my body."

After Ji Dong's words, Yang Bingtian was even more astonished, this kid's mindset is truly mature! "Are you willing to talk about your story?"

Ji Dong looked at Yang Bingtian. The two bowls of warm chicken soup had dispelled some of the weakness, and his body seemed to have regained some strength, "There's nothing to say. I come from a family that took refuge in alcohol. After my family was destroyed and everyone died, I was left drifting to this place. You want to know why I can mix drinks, right? It's simple, it's my family skill."

Before yesterday's action, Ji Dong had already thought of his explanation. The more he said, the more he risked exposure. Less was better. He never thought his words would make Yang Bingtian suspicious, but what if he did? His aim wasn't his own identity.

Just as expected, upon hearing Ji Dong's words, Yang Bingtian knitted his brows, carefully inspecting Ji Dong for a moment, but from the indifferent but still somewhat proud and melancholy expression, he couldn't see anything.

"It seems, you're a hard-luck kid."

Ji Dong placed his hands on the table, and in a heavy voice said, "I don't need pity. You brought me back here, at most, only to mix drinks for you."

Yang Bingtian looked at him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "So, are you willing?"

Ji Dong said, "First tell me, what were those changes in your body yesterday, and what is this Magic Master Yin and Yang Crown you mentioned?"