Light Fortress
Chapter 107 - 96 Lion Awakening

Chapter 107: Chapter 96 Lion Awakening

At half past eleven in the old city district, the lights were sparse and the night sky was dim, much unlike the bustling Main Great Capital and the riverside areas. Here, the lights bore the texture of an old era, reminiscent of a film shot on celluloid, even the sound of the wind seemed all the more serene, as if old songs were flowing in the air.

Some say it’s the air of fireworks, the air of humanities.

But in the eyes of many silent people... it was an air of being eliminated by the times.

Only fashion models would make a special trip to the old district of Great Capital, mainly for photo shoots to post on their social media to showcase their artistic flair, or to fulfill business orders. These people would leave right after taking photos. Before the shutter clicked, they would hold a coffee and lean against the old alley, smiling sweetly. Once the photo was taken, they would hurry to the next location, wishing to finish early.

Things truly eliminated by the times are never bad-mouthed.

The real elimination is forgetting, silently exiting the stage. When everyone suddenly remembers, they’ll only be surprised, perhaps with a second of regret, but then quickly forget again.

This old district no longer occupies much space in everyone’s memory... Nostalgic people cannot survive in a city like Great Capital.

Gu Shen stood at the street corner of the alley.

He glanced at the time and couldn’t help but hold his forehead, thinking he must be crazy.

According to his usual routine,

he should have been resting at this time.

But Crow had called Gu Shen, inviting him as a friend to have a midnight meal in the old district... An invitation that seemed wholly unappealing, and Gu Shen didn’t know what got into him, yet he chose to keep the appointment on time.

As expected, the unreliable one who extended the warm invitation hadn’t yet arrived.

He wouldn’t be standing him up, would he?

"Here I come!"

From the darkness, someone waved from afar.

A man dressed in a suit, wearing a heavy motorcycle helmet, waved with one hand while trying to take off his helmet with the other—perhaps because it was too tight, he failed twice... His top-heavy running posture appeared quite comical.

Finally, Song Ci stopped abruptly with a sudden brake, and made a bowing gesture, knocking on his helmet as he muttered.

"The strap is a bit tight... help me pull it off."

Gu Shen was somewhat helpless, lending a hand. Once could say the helmet was indeed very tight; he steadied it with both hands and pulled hard...

With a "pop" sound.

"Yo ho ho... that’s more comfortable now."

Crow exhaled a large puff of smoke energetically, surprisingly retaining a burnt-out female cigarette butt in his mouth. It was puzzling how he managed to ride with the visor all smoked up.

"The cigarette was a gift from the missus; couldn’t bear to throw it away."

Song Ci shook his helmet vigorously with both hands, dislodging a cloud of ash, and while doing so, he took another strong drag from the cigarette butt, then chuckled, "What’s with the unhappy expression on your face?"

Gu Shen angrily said, "I trusted your evil schemes, standing in the cold wind for half an hour!"

"Hey, hey, hey... that long? I had to deal with something suddenly after hanging up."

Song Ci scratched his head, "The old city is different from the river bank; at this time, everyone’s asleep. Behaviors like blasting down the streets on a motorbike would get cursed at, although my old lady is dead and I don’t mind the swears. But still, wearing this suit represents the face of the Missus and doing mean things... In the end, I pushed the bike here, just parked the motorcycle outside the alley."

"It’s good that you arrived; at least I wasn’t tricked," Gu Shen said quietly with a sigh.

"What do you mean by that! Am I, the trustworthy Crow, that kind of person?" Song Ci said with flying eyebrows, "Tonight, let’s eat without reserve, I’m treating!"

...

...

"You’re here."

At half past eleven at night, Old Xu’s Beef Noodle Shop hadn’t closed yet, but it was about to. The owner greeted Song Ci cheerily, "What dishes do you want to eat? I’ll cook them for you. After a while, we’ll stop serving. I’ve reserved a spot at the innermost for you..."

Song Ci chuckled, and he glanced up at the second floor of the shop.

"Don’t worry... she’s already asleep."

The owner whispered and gestured, "Just don’t wake her, or... she’ll drive you out."

Song Ci quickly made a gesture of understanding, and carefully led Gu Shen to a small table in the corner. He spoke softly, "The boss’ wife doesn’t really like me, let’s keep our voices down later."

Gu Shen laughed, "Isn’t it because of those unscrupulous things you usually do?"

Song Ci spat, mumbling, "I usually dine and dash, but it’s not that no one pays... I didn’t owe her a penny, yet that woman is always in a bad mood."

"How do you know those people you brought before always graciouslyfooted the bills?"

Song Ci snorted coldly, displaying his large fist, proudly boasting, "See? With this, I can make someone else pay the bill."

Gu Shen was somewhat helpless.

"Let’s have a mixed offal pot, a stir-fried pork dish, and spicy stir-fried chicken gizzards..." Song Ci didn’t even look at the well-memorized menu from start to finish, ordering three dishes in one go, then hinted meaningfully, "Take a look and see if you want to add anything else?"

Gu Shen immediately understood the meaning of his words, "No need... these are enough."

"Cough... Why are you looking at me with that kind of eyes?" Song Ci said with a cheeky grin, "I’m just a simple man with no high-class hobbies. I usually don’t like to spend an unfair amount on a three-hundred-dollar drink at the river bank. The drinks here are tasty and cheap!"

"The young people at the river bank like to drink sake at night, a beverage from the Yinghai District that sounds refined and elegant. You might want to try this..." Song Ci whispered a few words to the boss, and Old Xu took out a mysteriously long bottle wrapped in black newspaper from the deepest part of the cabinet, chuckling softly, "Real men should drink this!"

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes, eyeing the small cup of white liquor in front of him and thought that this drink was even more miniature than those in Qingtao Bar — one gulp and it’s gone?

For a decent young man like him, drinking was probably his least proficient activity. Out of investigation needs, he had once tried the "Great Capital" costing three-hundred a glass at the river bank, and it tasted not bad, not as terrible as Song Ci described.

With the thought of giving it a try, Gu Shen downed his drink in one go.

One sip and Gu Shen choked, almost spraying tears and snot everywhere.

This time, the liquor was distinctly different from before, extremely spicy from the first sip as if swallowing a raging fire, which spread along his throat and set his entire body ablaze.

"You really are... bold."

Watching Gu Shen make a fool of himself, Song Ci couldn’t help but laugh.

He took a tiny sip and softly said, "This small cup is meant to be drunk slowly, over seven or eight sips."

"What is this drink?" Gu Shen felt a heat wave shooting up to his crown.

Song Ci narrowed his eyes slightly, saying softly, "The name of this drink... is ’Lion Awakening.’ Like a sleeping lion awakening furiously, after drinking it one feels an endless surge of strength. The name no longer matters, as Lion Awakening stopped being produced ten years ago. Each glass drunk is one less available, I’ve kept this stored here with the boss for several years, this is the first time I’ve shared it with someone."

He raised his glass and asked softly, "How do you find the taste of Lion Awakening?"

The drowsiness of late night, before the small glass of liquor, completely dissipated.

Gu Shen felt a strange illusion.

It was as though he was examining himself... from a bird’s-eye view, with not a bit of muddled drunkenness, but rather an unparalleled clarity.

"I feel like, I’ve finally woken up."

Gu Shen murmured, "This drink is great, why was it discontinued?"

"Actually, to describe it as discontinued isn’t quite accurate, because Lion Awakening was never mass-produced," Song Ci’s eyes were downcast, "Its recipe existed only in one person’s mind, and that person died ten years ago. Thus, Lion Awakening doesn’t really exist anymore."

Gu Shen was stunned.

Song Ci pulled out his worn wallet, and fished out a yellowed photo from inside, saying with a laugh, "Last time I really had to pee. I didn’t get a chance to show off when I ducked out... here, my childhood sweetheart, Xiao Lu, isn’t she beautiful?"

The photo, rubbed by fingers many times, had faded and nearly developed patina.

The girl in the photo’s face was blurred, slightly tilting her head with a gentle smile, revealing a small tiger tooth.

Indeed... Xiao Lu is the senior sister.

Lu Nanjin.

Unexpectedly, the usually unsmiling senior sister had such a sweet smile as a child.

Gu Shen honestly commented, "Beautiful..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

"Of course she’s beautiful!" Crow crowed proudly as he took the photo back, his face full of show-off as he tapped on the table, "Xiao Lu is mine, don’t look at her too much!"

Gu Shen smiled, posing a question, "She is beautiful, but why do I feel... she looks a bit like your wife?"

"... They are sisters, biological sisters."

Crow sipped more Lion Awakening, "Don’t get the wrong idea, my liking for Xiao Lu is one thing, working for the madame is another, there’s absolutely no connection between the two. The madame brought me out of the old district, I owe her too much, there’s nothing I can repay her with, only this worthless life."

"Worthless life?"

Gu Shen glanced at Crow.

Though he didn’t know much about this guy, anyone who was the madame’s personal guard must be a top-tier Transcendent.

"I owe the madame... and the entire Lu family."

The voice of Song Ci brewed in his throat. After drinking the Lion Awakening, his voice was hoarse like a wild beast, this truly wasn’t a drink that could be mass-produced because every drop contained extraordinary spiritual elements, making one believe they were sober... until drunk and unconscious.

"Oh... how so?"

Gu Shen was in excellent condition, not affected by the "Lion Awakening" in the least.

He sipped the liquor slowly, simply because it was too strong and drinking quickly would irritate his throat... From start to finish, other than his cheeks being slightly warm, he experienced no adverse reactions.

The spiritual elements within the alcohol penetrated his mind, devoured by Chi Huo without rejection, making him the true suitable person for Lion Awakening Wine.

A hundred glasses not drunk.

A thousand cups stand firm.