Chapter 80: Liquid Courage for the Faint of Heart

Most of the gifts had been received, and now it was time to give Lin Xiao a proper send-off. Song Mingze took out some fine liquor from his spatial ring.

“In the past, I could never bear to bring out this wine. But today, for Lin Xiao’s farewell, I’ll go all out—tonight, we drink until we drop!”

The other elders’ eyes sparkled. Song Mingze, after all, was a national banquet-level chef with a discerning palate. Any wine he’d chosen to hoard away was bound to be truly exceptional.

Almost immediately, a few of them snatched the bottles from Song Mingze’s hands and began pouring with gusto.

A glass was poured for Lin Xiao as well. He looked at the glass before him, rubbing his nose awkwardly. Across two lifetimes, he’d never drunk alcohol—not even once, and now it was strong liquor.

“Um, everyone, dear brothers and sisters, I don’t know how to drink.”

At his confession, the crowd burst into laughter.

“Lin Xiao, not knowing how to drink won’t do! Tonight, you can drink without a care—whether you get drunk or sick, we’re all here for you. No matter what, tonight you must drink—there’s no escaping it.”

After all, this was his farewell. How could they let him not drink?

Unable to refuse, Lin Xiao could only raise his glass. “Thank you all for your care. Here, I offer you my heartfelt respect.”

The elders regarded Lin Xiao with loving smiles and raised their glasses in turn. Only Song Mingze looked on in pain—this was his treasured wine, after all. He’d only intended to bring out a small amount, but in the end, he’d parted with so much that his heart ached.

But this was not the time for regrets. After tonight, he could reclaim his losses from the others—if they didn’t appease him, he’d simply refuse to cook for them in the future!

Everyone downed their glasses in one go. Lin Xiao was no exception, though he had truly never tasted alcohol before. As the liquor burned down his throat, his face turned a shocking shade of red, and his consciousness began to blur.

Seeing Lin Xiao so thoroughly undone by a single glass, the elders couldn’t help but laugh.

“Haha, who would have thought this boy really can’t hold his liquor? Just one glass and he’s already out of it.”

“Leave him be—we’ll keep drinking!”

The elders merrily toasted one another, while Lin Xiao sat there dazed, feeling a fire ignite in his belly and his mind growing ever hazier.

He staggered to his feet, mustering what little awareness he had to bid farewell.

“Everyone… dear brothers… sisters… I can’t handle my liquor… I’ll go rest now…”

No one worried about Lin Xiao; in the retirement home, nothing could possibly happen to him.

“Alright, can you get back on your own?”

“No… no problem,” Lin Xiao slurred, and then left.

“Old Sun, do you want to check on him?”

“Check on him? Are you all plotting to drink more while I’m gone? I’m not falling for that!”

“So you saw through us. Drink more slowly—the wine won’t last!”

Liu Jiao, who rarely drank, watched Lin Xiao stumble off and felt a bit uneasy. She decided to follow, just in case. While there was little danger in the retirement home, it would still be a problem if he accidentally fell into the lake.

With that thought, she excused herself and trailed after him. The others were content to let her go, knowing Lin Xiao would be fine in her care.

At this point, Lin Xiao’s mind was a fog—he was running entirely on instinct. But instead of returning to his room, he made his way to the kitchen.

Liu Jiao found this odd but didn’t stop him, curious to see what he was up to.

Guided by nothing but subconscious urge, Lin Xiao entered the back kitchen, which was empty at this late hour, and proceeded to sweep the place of spirit beast carcasses and medicinal herbs, storing them in his spatial ring.

Liu Jiao, trailing behind, could only shake her head in disbelief. What was this boy thinking, raiding the kitchen at a time like this?

As a level nine healer, she could tell he was completely drunk. He likely wouldn’t even remember what he’d done come morning.

She considered waking him but then thought better of it. After all, the boy was about to leave for the capital—he wouldn’t be able to eat this food anymore. Bringing some ingredients with him to cook for himself wasn’t too much to ask.

Just as Liu Jiao suspected, Lin Xiao’s actions were entirely subconscious. He’d never been the type to sit still, and truthfully, he’d wanted to do this for a long time. He just hadn’t dared, with so many powerful elders about and having become close to them.

But now, drunk, his inhibitions were gone, and he was acting on impulse. Perhaps this was the legendary courage found at the bottom of a bottle.

Liu Jiao had thought he would return to rest after looting the kitchen, but she’d underestimated his greed. Instead, Lin Xiao proceeded to ransack the alchemy room, taking all of Li Tai’s pills, then moved on to the forge, collecting every weapon in sight.

Everywhere he went, he took whatever he could. Many of these places were locked, but that posed no obstacle for Lin Xiao; he made off with everything effortlessly.

Liu Jiao, trailing behind, was left speechless.

After a brief internal struggle, she decided to let him be. The boy was leaving, after all—was it so wrong for his elder brothers and sisters to let him take a few things for self-defense?

Only after Lin Xiao had plundered everything he could did he finally stagger back to his room, collapsing onto his bed and drifting off to sleep almost immediately, his breathing steady.

Liu Jiao could only stare at the ceiling in resignation. If he was drunk, how had he managed to loot every possible corner and use all his learned skills so deftly, then find his way back to his own room? But if he wasn’t drunk, why had he staggered so much that she’d almost reached out to steady him several times?

Oh well—let it be.

She wondered how the others, still feasting and drinking, would react when they discovered their things had been stolen by this boy.

It would surely be a sight to behold.

At the thought of their expressions, Liu Jiao couldn’t suppress her smile.

Served them right for being so fond of their drink—it was time they paid a little price.