Chapter 24: Old Wine

Third Pov:

"See, there's nothing that can't be solved by talking," ZiNuo smiled. He seated himself down, and his back laid on a peach tree.

"Not everything can be solved by talking," YuHan sighed.

"Give me a few examples. From my experience, I got away with talking every time."

"Your pretty sweet lies get you somewhere. They are lies, after all."

"Wait, I think I sense something."

"Another spirit?"

"No, wait, there's something under me." ZiNuo kneeled and started digging the dirt he sat on. "Oh my lord, what type of luck do I have? There's peach wine here." He grabbed the wine jugs out and opened the lid of one of them. He took a sip and looked at YuHan. "You want some? It tastes delicious, spectacular wine. Even better than the wine from the capital. The fruity taste amazes me. You will miss out on good wine. Just one sip won't hurt, right?" ZiNuo held the wine jug out in front of YuHan.

"Fine." YuHan seated himself down next to ZiNuo and took the jug of wine. He took a sip. The fruity taste of peach covered the bitter taste of wine. His eyes widened from the taste of the wine.

"How does it taste?"

"It tastes like freshly made juice."

"Told you, you would be missing out on this if you said no. Now hand it back. I want more." YuHan handed the jug of wine to ZiNuo, their hands touched. YuHan quickly let go and looked away.

"Better not get drunk and pass out. I might just kill you when you're unconscious."

"You wouldn't. You even carried me back to my room when I was too tired to move," ZiNuo laughed.

"You were awake." YuHan's eyes widened, and his face was flushed red.

"I only get sober, but I never get drunk. Wine doesn't knock me out. I've been drinking since the moment I was able to. Fruity wine like this doesn't affect me that much." ZiNuo took more sips from the jug. ZiNuo turned to face and stared at him.

A few seconds passed, "Can you stop staring at me? Did I grow flowers on my face?"

"No, I just want to stare at you. You have a handsome face. Especially when your face is red." YuHan's face heated up even more from ZiNuo's words. "Does your face only get red because of wine?"

"No?"

"Well, anyway, look at the moon. It's getting closer to the full moon." Both of them stared at the moon. ZiNuo sips wine while looking at the moon. YuHan's heart is beating faster than before, staring at ZiNuo.

"Give me a jug." ZiNuo's eyes wandered to YuHan's eyes.

"Here." ZiNuo opened a new jug and handed it to YuHan. YuHan gulped down a lot till he started to feel a bit dizzy.

"It's bitter but addicting." YuHan held the jug against his chest as he stared at ZiNuo, who was looking up at the sky admiring the moon.

"Yeah, that's why I like wine so much. It makes me forget everything that I don't want to remember, though it is a temporary solution." ZiNuo turned away from the moon to face YuHan. YuHan was taking more gulps of wine. He immediately stopped when he caught ZiNuo staring at him. "You can keep drinking. I promise I won't do anything to you." YuHan smiled and continued to drink from the jug. Little did YuHan know that that smile warmed ZiNuo's heart, making it beat faster than usual. ZiNuo rested his face on his hand as he continued to stare at YuHan. Despite the minor hiccup that happened, YuHan continued to drink. "Slow down, YuHan. No one is going to steal that wine from you."

YuHan placed his jug of wine down and grabbed ZiNuo's face. Their faces were only centimeters apart. Peach blossom petals were falling as they stared into one another's eyes. "Why do you have to look so beautiful under the moonlight? I can't decide if I want us to become friends or maybe," a hiccup interrupted his sentence. "If only this was a different time and a different world. Maybe..." YuHan collapsed on ZiNuo's chest. ZiNuo's eyes widened from YuHan's words.

"Is this just a dream?" ZiNuo looked down at YuHan, who was asleep. "If you stop keeping your guard up, maybe we could be friends or whatever you wanted. You're adorable when you are drunk." ZiNuo smiled before laying YuHan's head on his lap. He continued to drink wine till they ran out.

The sun comes up, and YuHan's eyes open from the bright light. He widened from what he was laying on, ZiNuo's chest. He quickly got up. But he stumbled, falling back onto ZiNuo's chest. "This early in the morning, and I feel like a rock was thrown at me." YuHan rolled his eyes and got back up.

"I'm not a rock." YuHan dusted dust off his pants.

"It must have been nice to sleep on my chest," ZiNuo smirked. YuHan sighed and stretched his arms. "Where are we heading to now?"

"We are going to the Su Sect. I'm expected to be there every year with my uncle, but this time he isn't coming."

"Why do you have to go to the Su Sect?"

"If you don't want to come, you could go somewhere else on your own."

"Too bad I can't leave you, so I'm coming along," ZiNuo smiled.

"I go to the Su Sect every year for their annual festival, and it's also because my mother is from that Sect. She was an important figure in the sect. Even though my mother is dead, the Su Sect still welcomes me, and my uncle tells me to go there every year to pay my respects. There's also an annoying brat there."

"More annoying than me?" ZiNuo asked. YuHan nodded in response. "Well, let's get going because I want to know who this person is that is more annoying than me." ZiNuo grabbed YuHan's arm and started to walk.