Chapter 305: Aged Wine

“ Sis Naoko, do you need any help?” Murashima Mami asked.

“No, I can handle it myself. Thank you so much for spending the whole day with them. You can go sit outside,” Naoko replied as she carried the groceries into the kitchen.

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Got it.”

When Mami returned to the living room, she saw Aiko playing an intense game with Bibi, both of them completely absorbed and shouting enthusiastically. She couldn’t help but laugh. If one were to listen without looking, it would be hard to tell who was the adult and who was the child.

Meanwhile, another, much quieter little girl was sitting on Lei Yin’s lap, chatting with him.

Seeing the faint redness on her sun-kissed face, Lei Yin smiled and asked, “Did you have fun swimming?”

From Aiko, he had heard that the four of them had gone to the community pool that afternoon and had only just returned.

The little girl nodded and said, “Mm-hmm. It would’ve been even better if Lei had come too.”

“That’s easy. How about Naoko and I take you tomorrow?”

“Really?” The girl’s eyes lit up with excitement as she looked at him.

Lei Yin playfully pinched her tiny nose and said, “The community pool is too small and crowded—it’s not much fun. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the water park instead. I’ll even show you how to dive. It’s really thrilling.”

Amy grew more excited the more she listened. She wrapped her little arms tightly around his neck, refusing to let go.

Seeing her glowing expression, Lei Yin found it amusing. If she were a puppy, her tail would surely be wagging like crazy right now.

“Can we bring Bibi along?” After her initial excitement, Amy loyally added.

“Of course. You can also ask Aiko and Mami if they want to come.”

“Okay!” The little girl quickly climbed down from his lap and ran over to Aiko.

“Water park? We’ve already been there a few times, but going again sounds good. Brother-in-law, you’ll cover our tickets, right?” Aiko called out to Lei Yin after hearing Amy’s words.

Lei Yin gave her an exasperated look. “You only call me brother-in-law when you need something. How shameless can you be?”

“Well, it’s the only time your value really shines. What time are we going tomorrow?”

“Afternoon.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.” With that, she went back to her game.

Compared to Aiko, Bibi was much more excited. Having only been to an amusement park before, she had never visited a water park. The moment she heard about the trip, she immediately put down her game controller and ran off to call Tani Akiko.

After successfully completing her “mission,” Amy ran back to Lei Yin, her sweet little voice pleading, “Lei, hug me!”

Both amused and exasperated, Lei Yin scooped her up and sat her on his lap, then gently pressed her cheeks with his hands, kneading them like dough.

The little girl found it so funny that she burst into peals of clear, melodious laughter.

After finishing her phone call, Bibi came over and asked Lei Yin, “Masashi-oniisan, can we invite Kuang Dao-ojisan to come with us?”

“As far as I know, Kuang Dao isn’t a fan of those kinds of places, but I’ll give him a call later and ask.”

“Thank you, Masashi-oniisan.” Despite her gratitude, Bibi knew the chances were slim.

Sighing like a little adult, she said, “It’s such a shame Kuang Dao-ojisan refuses to be my dad. I haven’t seen him in such a long time. Masashi-oniisan, do you know where he’s been lately?”

Lei Yin, of course, knew where that big brute was. Lately, Kuang Dao, frustrated from a lack of fights, had taken to the underground fighting circuit to relieve his boredom. However, even there, the man wasn’t satisfied. In one-on-one matches, few could withstand even a few of his moves. So now, he often fought multiple opponents at once, creating a bizarre spectacle in the underground fight scene. Having never lost a match so far, his reputation was growing rapidly.

Lei Yin wasn’t in a position to say it directly, so he simply replied, “That guy’s been busy with some things lately. If you want to find him, you can go to China Town. He’s usually there during the day.”

Bibi watched Amy, who was hanging off Lei Yin like a koala, with a bit of envy. After a moment, she asked, “Masashi-oniisan, you’re friends with Kuang Dao-ojisan, right? Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

※※※

“So it’s you.” When the door opened and Kuang Dao saw who it was, he didn’t even glance at Lei Yin before turning back into the room.

However, as soon as he walked over to the couch to sit down, he suddenly sniffed the air sharply and turned around to glare at Lei Yin. “What did you bring with you?”

Lei Yin resealed the bottle he had just opened and replied casually, “Just a bottle each of twenty-year-old Fenjiu and Nu’er Hong.”

Kuang Dao’s eyes immediately lit up. “Didn’t expect you, this bastard, to have a conscience for once. Bring it in, I’m thirsty.”

Lei Yin placed the large bag of items he was carrying onto the coffee table and said, “Besides the Fenjiu and Nu’er Hong, there are a few bottles of white liquor and half a dozen beers. Enough to drown you. By the way, do you have any snacks? I only brought peanuts. It’s a bit of a shame to have alcohol without meat.”

Kuang Dao grew more pleased the more he heard, quickly grabbing the phone to order takeout.

While he was on the phone, Lei Yin stood up and turned on the TV. As he did, he casually noticed that stacks of cash were piled up near the TV cabinet.

Lei Yin picked up a stack and ran his fingers over it before commenting, “Looks like you’re a rich man now. Should I congratulate you?”

As Kuang Dao opened a bag full of liquor bottles, he said, “I didn’t go into the black market for that kind of thing, but hey, if it’s free, of course I’ll take it. Damn, look at the color of this wine, it’s as dark as my piss. But old ghost, you’re too stingy, bringing only this little bit. How’s that enough to share?”

Lei Yin turned his head and retorted, “Bullshit. Just the two bottles alone are worth at least twenty thousand dollars. This is the first batch of aged wine China Tower just imported. I brought them specially for you to enjoy. For such a drunkard, it doesn’t matter what you drink, right?”

Kuang Dao swore, “You’re the one talking shit. Only someone like me knows how to appreciate such good wine. If you sold it to those foreign devils, that would really be a waste. They don’t know jack!”

Lei Yin shrugged. “I’m promoting our culture. Let those arrogant bastards know what XO and Remy Martin really are. Anyway, I don’t want to argue with you.” He walked back to the sofa and sat down.

At this point, Kuang Dao had already eagerly poured a glass of the twenty-year-old Fenjiu and carefully took a sip.

“This is good wine, really good wine. I haven’t had anything this good in a long time,” Kuang Dao praised as he drank. He was a connoisseur of wine, knowing that aged wine needed to be savored slowly. If he drank it like he normally did—gulping it down—he’d be wasting it, like chewing a peony with a cow.

Just as Lei Yin was about to pour himself a glass, the doorbell rang.

Knowing that Kuang Dao wouldn’t move until he finished his glass, Lei Yin cursed and walked to the door.

When he opened it, it turned out to be the delivery person.

After paying, Lei Yin spread out the roast chicken, duck, and other snacks on the coffee table, then quickly poured himself a full glass of Fenjiu and began to drink.

“Old Kuang, have you ever thought about visiting Shaolin Temple?” Lei Yin casually asked after taking a sip of wine.

Kuang Dao snorted, “What’s there to go back for? It’s not the Shaolin Temple I used to know.”

Lei Yin understood what Kuang Dao meant. Shaolin Temple had now become a genuine tourist attraction. The solemn and peaceful atmosphere that once characterized the Buddhist sanctuary was long gone. In its place, there were tourists from all over the world, and even the pagoda forest, where the remains of generations of monks were buried, had become a spot for visitors to casually take photos. Looking back at the past, when Shaolin Temple held a dominant position in the martial world, and comparing it to its current state, it was indeed a bit disheartening.

After a while, Kuang Dao slowly spoke, “It’s all changed. Everything’s changed. Sometimes I really regret it. Even if I had been killed by those dog lackeys from the Eastern Depot back then, it would have been better than being stuck like this now.” He finished the drink in his glass in one gulp, then poured another.

Lei Yin didn’t speak. He understood Kuang Dao’s frustration.

Waking up one day to find that the whole world had changed, with everything and everyone unfamiliar, was something Lei Yin had experienced many times. However, unlike the newly arrived Kuang Dao, Lei Yin seemed to have become accustomed to it—or perhaps, he had grown numb to it.

“Why think so much? All wise men have been lonely throughout history, only drinkers leave their names. Drink, drink until the world is dark, drink until the sun and moon lose their light, and drink until you forget who you are. Only then will you see things clearly.” Lei Yin lifted the wine bottle and filled both their glasses again.

“After knowing you for so long, this is the most human-like thing you’ve ever said.” Kuang Dao laughed heartily.

“Everything you’ve said is nonsense!” Lei Yin mocked with a laugh, raising his glass and clinking it with Kuang Dao’s.

Kuang Dao drank heartily, no longer concerned with savoring the wine, and the two of them continued to down glass after glass.

The aged wine was smooth and aromatic when first sipped, but its aftereffect was strong. Even though both were masters of Qi cultivation and regular drinkers, by the time they had finished the two bottles of aged wine, they were already quite drunk.

“Naoko… I’m at Old Kuang’s place, can you come pick me up?” In a daze, Lei Yin suddenly took out his phone and made a call.

Seeing him drunk and calling his beautiful wife, Kuang Dao laughed loudly, “Old ghost, when did you become so sentimental? Where did your former arrogance go?”

“Bullshit. Was arrogance meant for women? What’s the difference between that and those who only beat their wives? I don’t want to sleep in your doghouse when I could be in the arms of a beautiful woman.”

“This sounds so disgusting coming from you. I don’t care about all that. Tonight, if anyone doesn’t finish their drink, they’re a damn grandson!” Kuang Dao shouted, pointing at the three remaining bottles of white liquor and half a dozen beers.

Lei Yin weakly waved his hand. “You’re talking nonsense again. If we really finish those drinks, we’ll all end up in the hospital. I’ll drink with you until Naoko gets here.”

The two drunk cats began another round of drinking, each taking turns pouring drinks.

By the end, Lei Yin was almost crawling to the door to open it for Naoko, who was ringing the bell outside. Kuang Dao had a bit better tolerance for alcohol, and although he was already struggling to tell up from down, he was still able to pour his own drinks.

Naoko didn’t come alone; she had brought Tani Akiko with her.

Knowing that these two would never stop drinking until they were thoroughly drunk, Naoko had specifically called Tani Akiko to come help look after Kuang Dao.

When she saw Lei Yin in such a state, Naoko felt some pain in her heart. She hurried to help him up, letting him lean on her, then said to Tani Akiko, “Miss Tani, could you help me get him into my car?”

Tani Akiko nodded, and together, they helped Lei Yin downstairs and into Naoko’s car parked below.

Once Lei Yin was settled, Naoko wanted to go upstairs to clean up, but Tani Akiko stopped her, saying she would handle the cleanup alone and that Naoko should go back first.

Because she had to take care of Lei Yin, Naoko didn’t refuse further; she bowed to thank her and then drove away.

Returning to Kuang Dao’s apartment, Tani Akiko saw that he had fallen asleep. The bottle he was holding had tipped over, spilling alcohol all over the place.

Seeing this, Tani Akiko quickly went over to him and tried to pull him up with force.

After finally managing to support him, she realized he was much heavier than she had imagined. Yet, looking at him, he didn’t seem fat, so she couldn’t understand where all that weight came from.

Although it was only a few meters from the living room to the bedroom, Tani Akiko found every step difficult as she helped this man, who slept like a dead pig and was as heavy as one, towards the room.

She now regretted not asking Miss Hasegawa to stay and help.

After much effort, she finally got him onto his bed.

After positioning his body correctly, she suddenly noticed that his clothes were soaked in a large patch from the spilled wine, emanating a strong smell of alcohol.

It seemed she had no choice but to take off his clothes. Tani Akiko hesitated briefly, then lifted his t-shirt and pulled it up with some effort.

After removing his shirt, she suddenly stared at his bare chest and abdomen.

Gazing at his muscular, explosive physique, she finally understood where his weight came from.

After looking for a while, she suddenly felt an inexplicable heat spreading through her body, this heat intensifying and extending somewhere.

As a mature woman, she knew why this was happening.

After a moment, she slowly pressed her right cheek against his chest and murmured softly, “How much longer do you want me to wait?”

Lifting her head, she sighed gently.

After sitting for a few more minutes, as she stood up to leave, she suddenly heard his breathing becoming rapid.

She was somewhat puzzled, and when she turned to look, she saw that the skin on his face and neck had turned very red, a much deeper red than the flush from drunkenness.

When she touched his face, she found his skin was very hot, as if he had a fever.

Panicking a bit, she quickly patted his face to wake him up.

But despite her efforts, it only made his breathing heavier; he didn’t wake up.

At this point, she was certain he must be sick and hurriedly took out her phone to call an ambulance.

But just as she dialed the emergency center, two large hands suddenly grabbed her from behind and forcefully pinned her down on the bed.

Tani Akiko was startled; when she looked, she saw that the man had woken up, but his eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing was heavy.

After pinning her down, he immediately began to tear at her clothes and skirt.

Completely unaware of what was happening, Tani Akiko instinctively struggled.

However, Kuang Dao, now like a wild beast, easily tore her clothes apart with brute force.

At that moment, Tani Akiko suddenly stopped struggling, lying still as he tore her clothes off, her previously panicked eyes now calm with a mix of resentment and affection as she watched him do as he pleased.

“Hello, is anyone there? This is the emergency center, what’s happened?” A young woman’s voice kept coming from the phone that had fallen beside the bed.

But after a while, what came through the phone to the emergency center were increasingly clear, heart-pounding moans of a mature woman…