Chapter 37: Su Yunjin

Su Xuan left the house and went to the restaurant in the Inner Market, where he bought two jars of high-quality Immortal’s Drunk for ten Spiritual Stones.

‘Now is not the time to be stingy,’ he thought. In the game from his previous life, this was the only wine Su Yunjin could stomach and the only way to increase her favorability.

Carrying the two jars of wine, he followed the path from the game and walked straight toward the tower in the Inner Market.

The tower was called Zhongtian Tower. Located at the center of the Inner Market, it offered a view of the entire Marketplace from its summit.

This was where he had first met Su Yunjin. Even after the two of them became extremely intimate later on, they always had to get drunk here before heading home, wasting a lot of time in the process.

“Miss, the wind is so strong here. I’m scared! Please, let’s just go back down!”

Just as Su Xuan reached the foot of the tower, a trembling, pleading voice drifted down from above.

It was the voice of Huan’er, Su Yunjin’s young maid.

Sure enough, when he reached the second floor, he saw a young girl around 15 or 16 years old with her hair tied in buns. She was clutching a white cloak and shouting upward while shaking with fear.

The little girl was terrified of heights. Even though the tower was only about three or four stories tall by modern standards, she was scared out of her wits.

Yet, every time Su Yunjin came here, she insisted on following out of concern and would wait below. Their bond was clearly very strong.

“Your lady doesn’t want to come down again?” Su Xuan asked with a smile.

This scene played out once every few days.

Huan’er gave him a suspicious look and ignored him.

‘Oh, right. She doesn’t know me yet, so she isn’t going to respond to my greeting.’

Su Xuan shook his head and continued walking straight toward the top of the tower.

“Hey, wait! Where are you going?” Huan’er called out, startled to see him continuing upward.

“Going up to drink and enjoy the view.” Su Xuan hefted the wine jars in his hands.

“Oh no, you can’t go up there!” Huan’er grew anxious and reached out to grab Su Xuan.

“Hmm?” He was momentarily stunned. This wasn’t part of the game’s script. “What, your lady can drink up there, but I can’t?” he instinctively countered.

“A-A-Ay, my lady is very fierce when she drinks! She gets violent if she’s disturbed. She’s a…” Huan’er cut herself off mid-sentence as if she had almost let a secret slip.

She sized Su Xuan up. Seeing that he didn’t seem to have any cultivation and looked like nothing more than a handsome face, she decided to try a threat.

“Her cultivation is very, very high! With your small frame, she could knock you flying with a single punch!”

“Oh, is that all?” Su Xuan chuckled. Ignoring her, he turned and continued his ascent.

That was indeed a setting in the game, but for a player who had completed multiple runs, it wasn’t much of a threat.

“You… I’m warning you! If you have bad intentions, your end will be miserable!” Huan’er called out coldly, her mouth hanging open slightly as she watched him climb.

Given her mistress’s beauty and figure, they had encountered many ill-intentioned Cultivators before, but their fates had always been gruesome.

Su Xuan seemed to remember something. He paused, turned around, and walked back to her side.

“Hmph, at least you’re sensible,” Huan’er said proudly, puffing out her flat chest.

“Hold this for me.” Su Xuan skillfully took off his cloak and handed it to her, as if he had done it many times before.

Once she instinctively took it, he nodded and turned to head back up.

“You… you’re insane!” Huan’er stared at his back, fuming.

She had kindly warned him, yet he still rushed up? This man looked clean and talented, so why was he not only shameless but also eager to throw his life away?

‘Don’t blame me for not warning you when you get kicked back down!’ she thought resentfully.

Su Xuan ignored the girl and focused on the memories of CGs and illustrations from the game as he stepped onto the roof.

The top of the tower was covered in tiles carved with exotic beasts, arranged to leave a small platform that overlooked the entire Marketplace.

As he reached the summit and looked over, he felt a brief sense of daze.

Su Yunjin was there, dressed in a red gown. Her voluptuous silhouette was faintly visible as the wind blew against her clothes; in moments of movement, her soft curves seemed almost like they could melt into water.

Her fair skin glowed under the sunlight, making the red dress appear even more enchanting. She looked like a flame that could ignite at any moment.

However, her aura was steeped in a deep, inseparable sorrow. She was surrounded by empty wine jars, looking lonely and miserable in the whistling autumn wind—a sight that invoked pity in anyone who saw her.

As if hearing his arrival, she turned her head. Her eyes were misty and blurred from the alcohol, and her lips glistened with moisture. A small tear mole at the corner of her eye was the finishing touch, adding seven parts of charm to her three parts of vulnerability.

‘A paper character that could only be looked at in the game is now standing right in front of me, even more graceful than she was in the game. I might even have a chance to actually touch her later…’

Su Xuan looked at her with a clear gaze. Though his face remained expressionless, he felt a wave of heat in his chest, and his heart rate quickened.

Su Yunjin scanned him, looking him up and down before turning away in disappointment.

The young man before her had clear eyes, lacking the weariness and numbness of one who had faced life and death. He clearly hadn’t died before, so he wasn’t the person she was waiting for.

‘But in this world, can someone who has died and come back hundreds of times really exist? Even if they do, with less than two months left to me, can I really wait for them?’

“This spot is taken. Go somewhere else,” she sighed. She picked up her wine jar and tilted her slender neck back, only to realize it was empty again. She frowned.

Su Xuan did not listen. He took a deep breath, suppressed his wandering thoughts, and walked straight toward her.

In the game, this was her first test. If he left now, he would never see her again.

“Here. It’s Immortal’s Drunk.” He tossed one of the jars toward her.

Hearing the name, Su Yunjin caught it reflexively and stared at him in a daze.

Who was he? How did he know this was the only wine she drank? Was it a coincidence, or did he know her?

Su Xuan did not meet her gaze. He walked to a spot near her—neither too close nor too far—and looked out at the Marketplace, taking a large swig of wine.

In his compiled strategy, this was a necessary step. If he didn’t do this, Su Yunjin would leave regardless of whether he acted cold or remained enthusiastic, and there would be no follow-up.

He had originally intended to just follow the game’s rhythm, but as he looked at the Marketplace—both strange and familiar—the cold liquid hitting his throat turned into a sharp spiciness that stirred old sorrows.

‘I didn’t have family in my previous life, but I had a few good friends. I wonder how they’re doing…’

Su Xuan slowly sat down, truly beginning to feel melancholy.

Su Yunjin looked at the “weirdo” in front of her, feeling confused. This was the first time she had seen someone come up and start drinking heavily without saying a word, barely even glancing at her.

Strangely, she also raised her jar and took a sip.

The two of them sat in silence, drinking one sip after another as if they were in a competition.

“Hey, who are you?” Su Yunjin had already drunk a lot, and the extra wine was starting to go to her head. She glanced at him, tilted her head slightly, and blinked.

Seeing that the youth didn’t answer and only stared into the distance while radiating a tangible sense of sorrow, her heart tightened. Her intuition told her that the boy’s emotions weren’t fake; they came from the heart.

“Are… are you also here waiting for someone?” Su Yunjin asked without thinking, her eyes hazy.

Su Xuan froze, snapping out of his melancholy instantly.

He had never heard that line before!