Chapter 1348: Great Omen

"This is a specialty of our Ghost-Mockery Abyss: Five-Poison Wine."

As a glass of the liquid was filled in front of each person, Chen Ling’s voice sounded again,

"This wine is fermented from the venom of the five poisons. It’s extremely rare; in the entire Ghost-Mockery Abyss, only I can enjoy it at any time... However, considering you are humans and not Calamities, you can't handle such strong toxins, so I’ve had your portions diluted a hundredfold. There shouldn't be any problems."

Sun Bumian looked at the "venom" sloshing in his glass, his expression incredibly vivid...

This stuff,

is it really drinkable??

Just as Sun Bumian was about to ask something, Jiang Xiaohua had already picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp.

Gulp, gulp, gulp——

The spilled wine flowed down the corner of Jiang Xiaohua’s mouth. After finishing the whole glass in a few gulps, a flush quickly appeared on his cheeks... He licked his lips, seemingly still savoring the aftertaste.

Jiang Xiaohua looked at the empty glass, turned to Chen Ling, and asked tentatively:

"...Is there more?"

Chen Ling was stunned.

"Of course, you can have as much as you want."

"Um... this wine seems a bit weak. Can I drink the kind you have in your glass?"

He looked at Jiang Xiaohua in surprise, but his expression quickly returned to normal, and he answered immediately:

"Sure... Someone, bring a few more glasses of the raw stock wine like mine!"

Soon, glasses of the same high-concentration Five-Poison Wine as Chen Ling’s were placed in front of Jiang Xiaohua. Jiang Xiaohua licked his lips, tilted his head back to drink again, and after downing half a glass in one breath, a look of intoxication appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Chen Ling also raised his own glass:

"Come, I'll drink with you."

Chen Ling and Jiang Xiaohua clinked glasses lightly.

Seeing this, Jian Changsheng also picked up his glass to join them. After hesitating for a moment, Sun Bumian gritted his teeth and joined in as well.

However, Sun Bumian had only taken half a sip before his features twisted violently, and he couldn't help but turn his head and spit it out.

Jian Changsheng didn't fare much better. Once the poisonous wine hit his throat, the burning sensation felt like it was going to scorch his esophagus, making it unbearable. His expression shifted repeatedly; he wanted to spit it out but felt it wouldn't be appropriate, so he finally swallowed it with great difficulty...

What terrible wine!

The two of them looked at Chen Ling and Jiang Xiaohua, who were drinking together in sync, as if they were looking at two monsters.

"Forget it, let's just eat the food," Jian Changsheng said, picking up a charcoal-grilled centipede. After a long period of mental preparation, he shoved it into his mouth.

Sun Bumian looked at the banquet of five poisons and really wanted to conjure up some candied haws to eat. Although he was already feeling sick, at least that stuff was sweet...

But thinking about how Chen Ling had carefully prepared and cooked this meal himself, he bit the bullet and ate a few bites.

Glass after glass of Five-Poison Wine went down. The originally reserved and shy Jiang Xiaohua had already stood up, swaying as he drank with Chen Ling. With Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian complaining while they ate, and the occasional terrified scream from the tableware, the originally dull and lonely palace became briefly lively.

No one knew how long this reunion dinner lasted.

There is no sun in the Ghost-Mockery Abyss, so it was impossible to tell the time. By the time it ended, everyone was a bit tired.

"The rooms for you to rest in have been prepared. I'll have someone take you there in a moment... Get some sleep early today," Chen Ling said to the three, his face also showing signs of intoxication.

"What about you? Aren't you going to rest?"

"Me?" Chen Ling laughed. "I am the King of the Ghost-Mockery Abyss. At this hour, I should go patrol the Calamity territory and chat with those eighth-rank poison lords... You don't need to wait for me."

"Patrolling the territory... tsk tsk," Jian Changsheng said sarcastically. "The King is really putting on airs."

"What? Jealous?"

"Jealous my ass."

"Stop chatting, you guys, hurry up and go... Red Heart, where's the bathroom? I think I have diarrhea," Sun Bumian said, his face looking terrible as he clutched his stomach, his tone urgent.

"It's next to your room. I'll have a centipede take you there."

Led by a small centipede, the three parted ways with Chen Ling and headed straight into the depths of the palace.

"Plum Blossom, can you move your own legs?"

Jian Changsheng supported Jiang Xiaohua with half his shoulder and said helplessly.

At this moment, Jiang Xiaohua was already too drunk to walk. After all, he wasn't a Calamity; even he couldn't handle drinking that much raw Five-Poison Wine. His steps were unsteady and he was swaying, but for once, a rare smile was on his face.

"My legs won't listen to me... Spade..." Jiang Xiaohua said softly, sounding aggrieved.

"That's because you've been numbed by the poison!"

"Hurry up! I'm not going to make it!"

As he spoke, Sun Bumian found the bathroom and rushed in without hesitation.

Seeing this, Jian Changsheng snorted, "Getting diarrhea from eating a few bugs, how delicate..."

Jian Changsheng and Jiang Xiaohua returned to their room. There were three beds inside, but there were no sheets or covers, only three thick piles of spider silk webs... Man-made bedding didn't exist in the Ghost-Mockery Abyss. Even if the former Mockery Calamity had collected bedding, it wouldn't have been enough for three people.

Fortunately, Jian Changsheng and the others didn't care. They had survived in the Gray Realm for half a year; even a flat piece of ground was enough for them to sleep on.

"Hiss... wait!"

Just as Jian Changsheng put Jiang Xiaohua down, his expression changed abruptly, and he clutched his stomach, "I think I have a stomachache too..."

Jiang Xiaohua: ...

Jian Changsheng immediately rushed out of the room and went to the bathroom next door, banging on the door!

"What?!" Sun Bumian’s vigilant voice sounded from inside.

"Diamond, are you done yet! I need to use the bathroom too!"

"I just got in, wait a minute."

"Wait how long??"

"I don't know, ten minutes or so."

“……”

Jian Changsheng gritted his teeth, his face turning pale. After struggling for a moment, he gave up on waiting for Sun Bumian and turned to rush out of the palace... He couldn't hold it anymore. Fortunately, this was the Ghost-Mockery Abyss; outside were wilderness and poisonous insects, so he could just find any spot to take care of it.

Ten minutes after Jian Changsheng left, Sun Bumian finally walked out of the bathroom, feeling relieved.

"Spade, you can go now... hmm?"

Sun Bumian looked around the hallway and couldn't find Jian Changsheng, so he walked into the room, puzzled.

"Where's Spade?"

"He seems to have gone out to use the bathroom," Jiang Xiaohua replied, lying peacefully on the bed.

"He went out alone? Isn't he afraid of getting bitten on the butt by poisonous insects while using the bathroom?" Sun Bumian shrugged and sat down on one of the beds.

He weighed the "spider silk quilt" in his hand. Although it looked thick, it wasn't actually windproof. Moreover, this underground palace was incredibly cold; if an ordinary person came here to sleep, they really wouldn't be able to handle it.

"A great omen..." Sun Bumian sighed. "Fortunately, I can suppress the ominous energy here, otherwise, something would really go wrong."

Jiang Xiaohua thought for a moment, "Would it be better if Red Heart built a new palace somewhere else in the Ghost-Mockery Abyss?"

"...No."

Sun Bumian shook his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the void, looking complexly at a certain part of the abyss...

"I only realized it while eating: this palace itself isn't actually ominous... It's ominous because it has been polluted by a truly ominous existence."

"It's not the palace itself that's ominous..."

"It's Red Heart."