Chapter 5: Fighting and Friendship

  "Haha, today's fight was truly exhilarating! Why don't we have a drink first before continuing?"

  Tiding is still in a state of extreme excitement.

  He rolled his eyes in disdain.

  Drink? If it weren't for his own efforts to gather the scattered energy just now, the entire Drunken Immortal Residence would have been destroyed by this family's hands. What's there to drink?

  However, Xiao Yao was not opposed to a ceasefire. In fact, this war was inexplicable, and he had long since wanted to stop fighting, but under the fierce attack of the bull-like Ling Er, he couldn't stop. Thinking of Xiang Nangong, the culprit who started this fight, he gritted his teeth in anger.

  Since boasting at the mouth of the sea in Xīyáng Villa, Xīyáng soon discovered that things were not so easy - this little girl was really not ordinary to deal with. Her noble status, stunning appearance, first-class martial arts skills, and clever personality had all become her winning treasures. The invincible masters of Tiān Chí Sword Sect and the powerful experts of Xīyáng Villa, who shook the Jianghu, were defeated one by one.

  In the end, he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands and, after much effort, finally managed to escort this young lady back to the capital.

  The result was that the carefree one lost face, and unexpectedly, when he arrived at his own doorstep, he was still fooled by this little girl, found such a silly boy, and had a big fight with him.

  It's too late to chase after that girl now, so he might as well make a carefree decision and have a few drinks with his family. He wasn't worried about where Xiao Nian Yu would run off to; anyone who wanted to hide from the Xiao Yao Manor would never be able to escape. The current Xiao Yao was instead very interested in the opponent in front of him.

  This guy is simply a born fighting machine, with innate divine power, naturally keen insight, and agility comparable to that of a fierce beast, making him more and more formidable in battle.

  The carefree and lazy Xiang Yang didn't want to waste his energy on this fierce cow, so the suggestion of a truce was just what he wanted.

  Ti Ding saw that the other party had agreed to his request, and he was overjoyed. He quickly cleared a vacant lot in front of the wine shop, set up tables and chairs, and shouted loudly: "Bring out the wine!"

  After a long time, the hotel owner finally came over with a nervous look on his face. Xiang Yang was not suspicious at all. If eyes could kill, he and this young man from the grasslands would have been reduced to ashes long ago. In fact, Jiu Xian Ju had originally asked for bodyguards, but experts can tell with just one glance whether someone is capable or not. After seeing the intense battle between the two men, of course no one was willing to be a scapegoat.

  Tiding, who was getting impatient on this side, couldn't help but scold: "What's taking so long? Our family will pay for the losses here!"

  As he put his hand into his pocket, he suddenly realized that he was already a prisoner of shyness. That annoying fly, Ye Lu Mu Hua, who usually followed him closely and couldn't be driven away, had now disappeared without a trace. For a moment, he felt extremely embarrassed. His hand didn't know whether to stay in or come out.

  With a faint smile, he pulled out two gold bars from his bosom and said, "Let me treat everyone to today's wine!"

  "Yes, yes! Old Han will go prepare now!"

  The boss saw the money and his eyes lit up immediately. This much money was more than enough to compensate for the loss of the wine house, and his attitude suddenly changed by 180 degrees.

  "What's going on here?!"

  Next to him, Tiding rubbed his head uncomfortably. His original idea was simple: it's rare to meet an opponent of equal strength, and according to the rules of the prairie, he should be treated with a big bowl of wine and meat. Of course, in his heart, there was another idea that would make Xiao Yao spit blood - after becoming friends, they could often fight each other. In these days on Holy Dragon Prairie, this martial arts enthusiast had been stifled, so when an opponent appeared today, he naturally wanted to fawn all over him. Who would have thought that his wallet wouldn't cooperate, and he ended up owing Xiao Yao a favor, making the prince of the prairie very embarrassed.

  Xiaoyao didn't know that this fellow would have so many ideas, and he also had the intention of making friends with him. He said lightly: "A thousand pieces of gold are easy to get, but a good friend is hard to find! This brother looks like a strong son of the grasslands, I suppose you won't be timid or indecisive?"

  "Well said!"

  Tiding slapped his thigh with force, and this sentence went straight to his heart. He had always admired those heroes who valued loyalty above all else, and after witnessing the endless internal strife and external humiliation of the grassland tribes due to their divisions, he hoped even more to make friends with the world's heroes and unify the grasslands so that his own tribe would no longer be bullied. After hearing Xiao Yao's words, he had an even better impression of this white-clothed youth who not only excelled in martial arts but was also so generous and open-minded.

  At this time, Tiding remembered a story told by Sheng Longshu, a saint who had drifted to the grasslands: In ancient times, there was an outstanding emperor of the Holy Dragon. When he was young, he traveled all over the world and made friends with several people of similar age and temperament, and they became sworn brothers. Later, with the help of these brothers, he finally established a vast territory and achieved great success. The story of these sworn brothers who went through thick and thin together also became a legend that has been passed down for centuries.

  At this time, a thought suddenly surged in Tiding's heart, to make friends with the young man as brothers and let him become his left and right arm in unifying the grasslands.

  With this idea in mind, Tiding loudly ordered three jars of strong wine, two sea bowls, and a few dishes to go with the wine, and then started drinking freely.

  Xiaoyao didn't decline, he knew that for people like those on the grasslands, if you can't drink in front of them, you won't get their respect. Although Xiaoyao's capacity for liquor wasn't good, his deep internal energy forced the alcohol out of his body as soon as it entered.

  Di Ding foolishly stared at Xiang Yang's expressionless face as he downed the large bowl of wine in one gulp, instantly becoming stunned.

  According to his original design, although the carefree martial arts were good and the person was refreshing, looking at his weak appearance, he would definitely not drink alcohol. At that time, getting him drunk and dizzy would allow him to trick him into becoming sworn brothers with himself.

  He didn't expect Xiangyao to be so formidable, greatly exceeding his expectations. For a moment, he didn't know how to speak up either. If he rashly brought it up and was rejected by the other party, that would really be embarrassing.

  With a strange and leisurely gaze at this dazed fellow, he couldn't help but cough and call out: "Brother, it's your turn!"

  "Oh,"

  Ti Ding responded with a sound, picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp. With the help of wine, he plucked up his courage and asked: "I've heard that in Sheng Long, friends with different surnames have become sworn brothers due to their similar temperaments, sharing good fortune and adversity together, which is a beautiful story. Today, thanks to the blessing of Heaven, I met a great friend like you, it's really a great match! Why don't we follow the example of our predecessors and become sworn brothers?"

  Tiding finished speaking, and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He had already tried his best to imitate the elegant speech of the Holy Dragon people, which felt quite awkward. What worried him even more was that Xiangyao might reject him outright, in which case he would really lose face.

  "Good! As you wish, I don't dare ask!"

  Xiao Yao smiled and replied, raising his cup in a toast to Ti Ding. He also liked this straightforward young man from the grasslands, mainly because the recent wars between the grassland tribes had been frequent and intense, disrupting the trade of the Holy Dragon and posing a threat to its northern security. Therefore, he too wanted to win over some outstanding figures from the grasslands to increase his influence there.

  Tiding chuckled with a big smile, although he didn't understand what Xiao Yao said at all due to his limited understanding of the sacred dragon language. However, from Xiao Yao's expression and actions, he still understood that Xiao Yao hadn't refused him, and he couldn't help but put his heart at ease.

  Suddenly, Xiao Yao furrowed his brow and said: "But there's still one more thing that hasn't been done, this can't be concluded like this!"

  "What's wrong?"

  Tiding was said by Xiao Yao with some tension, and hurriedly asked.

  "With a carefree and leisurely air, he took a bite of the dish, savoring it while slowly saying: 'I still don't know your esteemed surname and given name, brother, how can we become sworn brothers?'"

  "Ah!"

  Ti Ding felt embarrassed and touched his head, but before he could even report his own name, he asked others to become sworn brothers with him, which was indeed a bit abrupt.

  He hastily clasped his fists and said: "I am Tieding of the Xianbei tribe!"