May approached the crowd of guests and listened to their conversations. Some cast strange glances her way, but no one commented on her presence; she was still largely unknown in these circles.

  “Senior Lasha, are you perhaps planning to visit Yuena City this year?”

  “Oh no, this year I am traveling with my husband to visit his cousins near the Crocus Mountains. Perhaps next year?”

  Most of the conversations revolved around trivial matters rather than the juicy gossip May had been hoping for. Ultimately, she didn't learn much. She continued to look around for something interesting.

  She only knew Nadine, but she had no intention of approaching her again.

  So, she wandered through the hall, sampling various dishes and desserts. She was a bit hungry, so she decided to take the opportunity to fill her stomach. Many people were watching her. Well, with a two-meter-tall bodyguard by her side, she certainly looked like some kind of big shot.

  “May Shang?” A man in his early twenties with curly black hair and a bit of facial hair suddenly approached her. “My name is Mao Tang, and I am the son of Hua Tang.”

  Oh...?

  She hadn’t expected to run into a member of her master’s family.

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Senior,” she said, returning his bow.

  “Are you having a good time?” he asked, glancing at Niu Pin. “I noticed you were standing alone, and I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time now.”

  “I’m a bit of a stranger here. I don’t know anyone, and no one knows me,” May replied, setting down the glass she was holding. “Is there a particular reason you wanted to speak with me?”

  “Do I need a reason? You’re my father’s disciple, so I was naturally curious,” he replied, unfazed. Then, glancing at Niu Pin, he asked, “And the big fellow standing next to you is...?”

  May turned her gaze toward Niu Pin, who was acting like a total professional in public. Though he was more laid-back in private, on occasions like this, he maintained a stony expression.

  “Your father’s doing. He’s the bodyguard assigned to me, Senior Niu Pin,” she replied calmly.

  “Niu... Pin?” The man paused for a moment in thought, then suddenly looked as if he’d seen a ghost and gave a quick, nervous bow. “Please forgive me, Senior!”

  Niu Pin rolled his eyes and snorted. “At ease. This isn't a military occasion. Besides, I'm already retired.”

  May arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Oh, Senior Tang, are you in the military?”

  Mao Tang looked at May, swallowed hard, and replied, “Yes, I’ve been in the army since graduating from Cloud Academy.” He then turned his attention back to Niu Pin. “Once again, please forgive my disrespect, Senior.”

  Hmm, I wouldn't have expected the son of a famous alchemist to join the military... but it's none of my business; to each their own.

  This situation took May by surprise, as she hadn't expected Niu Pin to be so well-known or influential within the military. She had assumed his former rank of sergeant wasn't particularly high; furthermore, his current position as her bodyguard hardly seemed like a prestigious role.

  Perhaps I underestimated him? He was at the Foundation Establishment stage, after all. But if he truly is that influential, then maybe Hua Tang and the Sect Leader value me far more than I realized.

  Mao Tang seemed slightly flustered by the sudden appearance of Niu Pin and appeared to be under a great deal of stress. May cast a curious glance at her bodyguard.

  “Umm, Junior Shang... I actually have a favor to ask,” he said awkwardly, fidgeting in place. “Could you deliver a letter to my father?”

  May tilted her head but quickly agreed; it wasn't a particularly demanding request. “Can’t you give it to him yourself, Senior?”

  “Well, I’ll have to head back to the army soon, so it will be difficult for me to find any more time...”

  Shortly after, he took his leave, looking visibly uncomfortable in Niu Pin’s presence. May immediately decided to confront her guard.

  “What did you do to him?”

  “Me? Nothing,” he replied. “In fact, I didn’t even know him until today.”

  “And yet, at the sound of your name, he looked like he’d seen a ghost,” May said, narrowing her eyes.

  Niu Pin simply gave an indifferent shrug and fell silent. May sighed.

  “Well, he’s the first member of my master's family I’ve met,” May said after a moment. “Do you know anything about him? He seemed a bit strange to me.”

  Her bodyguard knitted his brows. “You shouldn't call your master's son strange. It’s improper,” he said, but after a short sigh, he continued. “But yes. I know that Senior Tang is estranged from him. That's likely why he gave you the letter; he probably wouldn't have accepted it from him directly.”

  “They’re estranged?” May asked, surprised. “Do you know why?”

  “I don’t know the details, but I believe it has something to do with him joining the military. Senior Tang was apparently quite unhappy about it,” he said. “I don’t know anything beyond that. I never pressed Senior Tang on the subject, and he never spoke about it willingly.”

  I understand. Perhaps he saw a different future for his son? Well, I shouldn't interfere in their family affairs.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  And so May continued on her way and eventually noticed people who appeared to be getting married. They were the most sought-after individuals in the entire place.

  So this is Sung Haoyu’s father. He certainly has a young wife.

  The woman standing beside him seemed to be about two decades younger. Of course, that still meant she was around thirty. Her youthful bearing and delicate face, however, did not match the sharp and wrinkled features of the gray-haired man standing next to her.

  She appeared smiling and radiant nonetheless. It did not seem as though she had been forced into this marriage.

  Thus, despite the age difference, she was not the one who seemed reluctant to marry.

  May stared at them for a moment, until she finally heard a voice behind her.

  “Nun Haoyu looks as if he doesn’t want to be here. He should be happy that he gets to marry such a beauty.” Said Peng Chen.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, tilting her head.

  “Nothing, forget I said anything,” he replied with a smile. “Anyway, it’s not that important. Will you come with me?”

  “Come with you? Where to?”

  “Away from this place, obviously.”

  “Mhm. And anything else?” she pressed.

  Truth be told, she had already secretly agreed. Regardless of where he wanted to go, she was certain it would be far more interesting than staying here. Besides, she didn't have anyone to talk to in this place anyway.

  “Everyone our age has gathered in one spot. We're hanging out together,” he said. “In fact, I specifically came to get you.”

  “That's nice of you,” she replied. “Lead the way, then.”

  And so, they left the building and set off toward the gardens.

  “Is he coming with us, too?” Peng asked, whispering in her ear and glancing back at Niu Pin, who was following them.

  “Don't worry about him,” May answered.

  “If it's a problem, I will fade into the shadows.” With those words, Niu Pin came to a halt.

  May and Peng kept walking, and after a few moments, they noticed that Niu Pin had vanished. There wasn't a trace of him, even though they were in a fairly open area. It would have been impossible for him to find a place to hide so quickly.

  “How did he do that?” Peng Chen asked.

  “I have no idea. Invisibility?” May replied dismissively as she walked on, not particularly bothered by it.

  Peng Chen just shook his head. “At the Foundation Establishment stage? That's almost impossible.”

  Honestly, May wasn't that interested in whatever trick Niu Pin had used. She had seen him vanish into thin air many times before, so she wasn't particularly shocked.

  Soon, the two of them reached what looked like a traditional Chinese garden. A charming wooden pavilion with white walls stood in the middle of a small artificial lake, connected to the shore by a long bridge.

  They stepped onto the bridge together, and May felt it give slightly; it had to be quite old. She glanced into the water and saw countless massive fish, and in the distance on small islets, there were snakes, frogs, and what looked like burrows.

  Unusual creatures. It is clear that Haoyu clan was originally specialized in beast training. That frog over there is definitely a Lesser Beast, and that crimson snake is radiating an immense amount of Qi… May thought.

  However, she didn't have any more time to admire these strange beasts, as Peng wasn't waiting for her and was about to go inside. May quickly ran after him. She didn't want to be left alone, especially since she suspected that she wouldn't know anyone there.

  They went inside. There were about ten people there. She recognized two of them, Zu Chen, Peng's twin sister, and... the groom's son.

  Her gaze met Sung Haoyu's for a moment, and he smiled at her. However, this was quickly interrupted by Peng Chen, who loudly introduced her to everyone gathered there.

  “Here is May Shang! A disciple of the famous Golden Alchemist!” he said enthusiastically.

  “We've heard a lot about you,” said one of the younger boys, who couldn't take his eyes off her.

  “Nice to meet you. Would you like to sit next to me?” asked the girl sitting on the left, wearing an uncomfortable-looking dress made of strange leather material.

  “Sure,” replied May.

  Then came her least favorite part: greeting and introducing herself to everyone one by one. After a few seconds, she had already forgotten half of their names. Then she was flooded with questions about Hua Tang, who was exceptionally well-known, the Eastern Court, because they didn't know anyone from there, and other things she didn't really feel like talking about.

  Well, I guess at least I'm socializing...? They're from not very influential families, but it's better than nothing.

  “Well, since we're all here...” Peng Chen said after about half an hour of conversation, and took a bottle out of his bag.

  Wine...? Come on. Even the oldest ones here are only fifteen or sixteen at most... Peng, damn it, you're only eleven!

  Contrary to May's opinion, most people beamed when they saw the bottle of wine. Peng Chen opened the wine and a sweet aroma filled the interior of the building.

  In this world, it was not uncommon for children to drink alcohol. Nor was it prohibited anywhere. In practice, children did not drink, and parents would never allow such a thing, but it was often the case that entire families, including children, drank wine with their dinner. However, getting drunk was generally rare, and certainly so in higher circles.

  “Hmm, but what are we going to drink from...!” The girl sitting next to May, whose name was Tian, suddenly panicked. She looked like a girl who had never experienced a normal life and always had everything handed to her on a silver platter.

  “We'll drink from the bottle. Come on, there are no old people here to watch us!” Peng Chen laughed.

  “But that's... inelegant!” She protested loudly.

  What May found funny was that she wasn't protesting against drinking alcohol itself, but against having to drink from the same bottle as the others...

  “So what? You're not saying you're disgusted by drinking from the same bottle as us, are you?” Said one of the boys, who was clearly teasing her,

  “Wait a minute! I didn't say anything like that...”

  “Enough! Calm down, everyone!” Peng Chen interrupted suddenly. “Whoever wants to drink from the bottle! Whoever doesn't want to, doesn't have to! That's it, end of story.”

  And so the bottle began to circulate from person to person. Peng Chen was the first to take a big swig. It looked as if he wanted to show off in front of the others. Then he passed the bottle to Zu Chen, who snorted haughtily and passed it on without drinking. She seemed annoyed that he had dared to offer her alcohol.

  All the other people drank, laughing happily and starting to sing some festive songs about a falcon flying over the fields...

  Tian, despite a slight hesitation, also drank in the end. Most people were watching her, so she must have felt a little pressure. She trembled slightly after drinking, then quickly passed the bottle to May.

  Less than half of bottle is left.

  May stared at the bottle of wine for a moment, turning it in her hands. Suddenly, she felt a slight pang of sadness and passed it on.

  “Oh, you're not drinking?” Sung Haoyu asked with a smile. “Well, that's a shame because it's really good wine!”

  “No... I have bad memories of alcohol,” she replied, without even knowing why. She didn't want to talk about it with anyone.

  Alcohol was the reason she died on Earth. If only she had drunk a little less. If only it hadn't been that glass of vodka and coke... Would she have survived then? It had been more than a decade since she came into this world.

  She couldn't help thinking about what might have been. Maybe she would have had children by now? Would her job have brought her the satisfaction she expected? It was no longer possible to find out the answers. She was trapped in the body of a child, in this strange world. And all because of stupid booze.

  Of course, she and the other kids were in no real danger. Unlike children on Earth, the kids sitting next to her were cultivators. Their livers were probably five times stronger than those of the most healthy people on Earth. Cultivators also had a higher tolerance for alcohol. While it was certainly not responsible, she doubted it would have any long-term effects.

  “That sounds like an interesting story...” Sung Haoyu said with a smile, standing up from the table. “Maybe you could tell me about it?”

  May looked at him strangely. Did he want to talk to her in private? After a moment, however, she realized that he had other matters to discuss. “Sure. Let's talk outside.”