"I wonder if I, Zu Qianqiu, have the honor to drink this fine wine with Hero Ding?"
"Please do."
Ding Ling casually gestured:
"If Zu Qianqiu fancies any jar of fine wine, feel free to take it away."
Anyway, it canât be finished, canât be taken.
Itâs just right to use âRen Woxingâsâ stuff for a favor.
Having lain down, Ding Ling had also seen through things.
Soldiers against generals, water with earth.
Whatever happens, once youâre there, naturally youâll understand it.
Unexpectedly.
After taking a sip from a jar of fine wine, Zu Qianqiu surprisingly acted seriously. He ceremoniously took out cup after cup, carefully placing them on the level ground. After arranging them, he looked at Ding Ling and smiled:
"Drinking must be accompanied by appropriate utensils! Hero Ding, if you donât mind, sit down with me for a few drinks? Let me introduce my drinking set to you!"
Ding Ling looked at Zu Qianqiu, then stared at his cups for a couple of glances.
As expected.
Under the light.
Faintly visible inside the cups were scattered some powder.
Within Ding Lingâs Dantian were already five drops of True Water, his ears and eyes far surpassing the average first-class expert. Now, as long as it wasnât hidden in the dark and not beyond ten meters, everything was crystal clear to his eyes, hard to conceal.
The powder is very small, cleverly blended with the inner wall of the cups, difficult for ordinary first-class experts to detect.
But given what Ding Ling was, he naturally saw through it at a glance.
Thinking of how dramas usually have similar plots.
Ding Ling immediately refused, saying:
"If thereâs life-saving medicine hidden in the cups. Itâs better not to use it on me."
Zu Qianqiuâs face slightly changed.
His expression became somewhat unnatural.
Ding Ling chuckled:
"I donât care from whom your medicine came, or what you intend. But if someone else uses it for saving lives, itâs best returned."
Zu Qianqiuâs medicine.
Most likely came from the old manâs Eight Life-extending Pills.
These Eight Life-extending Pills were painstakingly made by the old man, solely to save his daughterâs life.
Ding Ling naturally wouldnât commit such a vile act knowing this.
If I indeed ate it.
Wouldnât it harm someone elseâs daughter?
His Dantian had already condensed five drops of True Water, anytime possibly condensing the sixth, reaching the ultimate limit of this world, rendering more Great Medicines useless.
Therefore, he didnât care for such Eight Life-extending Pills.
"Hero Ding, you, you..."
Zu Qianqiuâs face turned slightly red, all his bravado dissipated completely, replaced by awkwardness and embarrassment.
"Farewell then."
The wine that can be carried is taken away.
Those that canât be carried can only be left here.
Because everyoneâs drinking capacity is limited, even if one wants to drink, they canât drink so much.
Ding Ling thus gave these wines to Zu Qianqiu and then rode away.
"Oh."
Zu Qianqiu watched the departing backs of Ding Ling and his companions, looked at the dozen or so jars of wine on the ground, and couldnât help but daze on the spot.
He had thought of various outcomes of meeting Ding Ling.
Just didnât expect it to end in such an embarrassing manner.
"Zu Qianqiu!"
Suddenly, a loud shout came from afar, the owner of the voice was still hundreds of meters away in the previous second, but the next second, he rolled through the void like a ball, landing not far in front of Zu Qianqiu.
After the ball landed heavily, it rolled three times on the ground, suddenly a head popped out, along with two hands and feet, then it was clear the ball was actually a person.
This person was also strange.
One couldnât see a neck, as if a head was embedded in a body, short and stout, at this moment his big eyes were glaring like copper bells, his face was flushed red with anger:
"Whereâs my medicine?!"
He roared.
"Here it is. Here it is."
Zu Qianqiu raised the cup and said:
"Donât worry, not a bit is touched. Iâll return it to you soon."
"You simply bully too much!"
The man roared:
"If the old man at my house faces any mishap, I will seek your life!"
Zu Qianqiu indifferently pursed his lips, but mumbled two sentences under his breath.
The man grew increasingly furious:
"What are you mumbling about!"
"I was saying Hero Ding really is a true hero, a true brave one! Knowing my cup was smeared with top-grade medicine, he still remained unmoved!"
He pointed at the fine wine beside him:
"He even gifted me so much good wine, truly leaving me humbled and ashamed!"
"Hero Ding Ding Ling?!"
The man was stupefied:
"Which Hero Ding Ling?"
"Which else could it be?"
Zu Qianqiu rolled his eyes at the man:
"Naturally itâs the Worldâs Number One, Ding Ling, whose name is widely spread across both black and white paths recently!"
"Itâs him!"
The man was surprised, looking around:
"Where is he?"
"Ugh."
Speaking of this, Zu Qianqiuâs face became hot:
"I intended to fulfill him, helping him advance his skills further. Unexpectedly, he saw through my actions. Not only did he refuse my medicine, but he also gifted me this excellent wine, medicinal wine. How could I repay such kindness?!"
"Hmph!"
The man looked contemptuously and angrily at Zu Qianqiu:
"Using old manâs Eight Life-extending Pills to gift Hero Ding. Such a thing only you, you bastard, could do! Quick, return my Eight Life-extending Pills."
"Return, return."
Zu Qianqiu scraped some powder off the inner walls of the cups, rolled them into pellets, and soon there were eight pills which he handed to the old man:
"Hero Ding doesnât care for them, nor do I."
"Bah."
The old man scoffed:
"You donât even bother to reflect on yourself, yet you wish to compare yourself with Hero Ding?!"
"Hehe."
Zu Qianqiu coldly laughed, fanning the broken fan in his hand, looking down at the old man, he said:
"If I compare with you, indeed Iâm a handsome, graceful man! I might not qualify, but you certainly donât qualify!"
"Haha..."
After collecting the Eight Life-extending Pills, the old man was angered by Zu Qianqiuâs words, laughed in irritation, then with a loud shout, he slapped at Zu Qianqiu:
"Blast it, the old man has disliked you for a long time. Take this palm!"
...
...
All along the way.
Various heroes and champions kept sending gifts.
Ding Ling was somewhat numb to it.
Not to mention Qu Feiyan and the others.
Only Huang Zhonggong and the others, who had been staying at Mei Manor for over a decade, suddenly entering Jianghu, witnessed all sorts of extraordinary scenes along the way, feeling greatly broadened in horizons, not regretting the journey.
Moreover, they were shocked by how many grassroots heroes were trying to curry favor with Ding Ling.
Through the lens, one could catch a glimpse.
Ding Lingâs current fame flourished visibly.
Indeed, that was the case.
Ding Ling didnât know who was secretly spreading his esteemed reputation.
His task 3 progress bar would rise rapidly.
[3: Your Worldâs Number One name must resonate throughout the Plane World. 13%/100%.]
From 1% to 13%.
Clearly.
There was certainly someone aiding secretly.
Because Ding Ling defeating Ren Woxing was known to only a few.
Ding Ling didnât actively promote it.
Who could know?