A long moment passed before their lips parted.
Jiang Yuan felt as if he were lost in a sweet dream, unable to believe everything that had just happened!
"You fool!"
Seeing Jiang Yuan's dazed expression, Hamster Pudding blushed and spat out softly.
"It feels like a dream..."
Jiang Yuan reached out and touched his lips, finally realizing that this wasn't a dream at all!
"Jiang Yuan, I've never felt as peaceful and at ease as I do right now..."
Hamster Pudding buried her head in Jiang Yuan's chest, feeling his warmth, her arms wrapped around his waist as she whispered softly.
"If you're too tired in reality, come to the game. I'll always be here with you."
Having spent so much time together, Jiang Yuan had developed feelings for Hamster Pudding, but due to her real-world identity, he had never dared to reveal his heart. Today, however, she had taken the initiative to break through that barrier, and Jiang Yuan no longer held back. He reached out and embraced her, whispering tenderly in her ear.
"Clap! Clap! Clap! What a perfect couple!"
Just as their emotions deepened and they were about to take the next step, applause suddenly rang out from behind them.
Startled by the arrival of an outsider, Hamster Pudding quickly broke free from Jiang Yuan's embrace, tidied her disheveled long hair, and blushed deeply.
"Mr. Han? What are you doing here?"
When Jiang Yuan turned around and saw who it was, his face showed surprise as he asked.
The person who had suddenly interrupted their moment was none other than the mysterious Mr. Han they had encountered earlier with Ding Ye!
"The long night makes it hard to sleep, so I thought I'd take a stroll. I never expected to disturb you two. My apologies!"
Mr. Han was dressed in a moon-white robe today, his long hair casually tied back with a hemp rope, giving him an untamed and carefree appearance.
"Jiang Yuan, who is this?"
Hamster Pudding walked over to Jiang Yuan, linked her arm with his, and asked curiously.
"Well, this is Mr. Han, a recluse. I'm not sure exactly what he does. He's probably an NPC in the game."
Jiang Yuan didn't know how to introduce Mr. Han to Hamster Pudding, so he simply categorized him as an NPC, whispering in her ear.
"An NPC? Why can't I see any information above his head?"
Hamster Pudding cast a wary glance at Mr. Han, stood on tiptoe, and whispered back to Jiang Yuan.
"Brother Jiang Yuan, the moonlight is lovely tonight. How about we sit down and share a few drinks?"
Just as Jiang Yuan and Hamster Pudding were whispering to each other, Mr. Han smiled warmly at Jiang Yuan and made the suggestion.
"Since Mr. Han is so kind to invite us, I'd be honored to accept!"
Jiang Yuan had been wanting to thank Mr. Han for the bag of Heavenly Martial Coins he had given him and Ding Ye earlier, and he was also curious to learn more about him. So he smiled and nodded, agreeing to the proposal.
"Jiang Yuan, we..."
Hamster Pudding tugged nervously at Jiang Yuan's arm, but he turned and gave her a reassuring look, patting her hand.
"Good!"
Seeing Jiang Yuan nod in agreement, Mr. Han waved his hand, and a stone table with three stone stools appeared on the Moon-Grasping Terrace.
With another wave, as if performing a magic trick, a plate of peanuts, an antique-looking wine flask, and three cups materialized on the table.
"Brother Jiang Yuan, this first toast is to you. Congratulations on finding such a young and beautiful soulmate! Cheers!"
Mr. Han poured a cup of wine for Jiang Yuan and then one for himself, raising his glass with a chuckle.
"Thank you!"
Jiang Yuan picked up his cup, clinked it with Mr. Han's, and downed the wine in one gulp. Smacking his lips, he found it less potent than real-world liquor, with a hint of sweetness instead.
"Excellent wine! What's it called?"
Jiang Yuan set down his cup and looked at Mr. Han curiously.
"It's just a casual brew I made from wild fruits I picked in the mountains. It has no name. But since fate has brought us together again tonight, Brother Jiang Yuan, why don't you give it a name?"
Mr. Han refilled Jiang Yuan's cup, poured one for Hamster Pudding, and then spoke.
"I'm not learned enough to name such fine wine. Please, Mr. Han, you do it!"
Jiang Yuan waved his hand, declining repeatedly.
"Very well! Let me think."
Seeing Jiang Yuan's refusal, Mr. Han smiled and nodded, then pondered for a moment before suddenly slapping his thigh. "I've got it!"
He said, "The Moon-Grasping Terrace is quite high. Sitting here, the bright moon in the sky seems within reach. As the ancients said: 'Soaring vast and boundless, riding the wind, not knowing where to stop; drifting ethereal, as if leaving the world behind, ascending to immortality.' And looking at you two, with your extraordinary grace, you seem like banished immortals descending to the mortal realm. In my opinion, why not call this wine 'Immortal Brew'?"
"'Immortal Brew'? What a great name! Just for that, we should have another toast! Cheers!"
Jiang Yuan slapped his thigh in admiration of Mr. Han's literary allusion for the wine's name, raised his cup, and laughed heartily.
"Cheers!"
Mr. Han also raised his cup, clinked it with Jiang Yuan and Hamster Pudding, and happily tilted his head back, downing the wine in one gulp!
Over the next hour or so, Jiang Yuan, Hamster Pudding, and Mr. Han drank and chatted, covering topics from astronomy to geography, including yin-yang, the five elements, the eight trigrams, and feng shui. Mr. Han was knowledgeable in everything, leaving Jiang Yuan and Hamster Pudding in constant awe!
But the good times didn't last long. Just as the three finished the pot of "Immortal Brew" and Mr. Han stood up to fetch a second one from his residence, the space behind them began to ripple. A purple-black spatial rift appeared in midair behind the trio!
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
With a series of earth-shaking tremors, over a dozen towering demon soldiers emerged from the rift. The leader had a curved horn on his head—a mark of pure demon bloodline!
"Demons! And the leader is a centurion?"
Turning to see the demons filing out of the rift, Jiang Yuan's expression changed. He immediately stood up, instinctively shielding Hamster Pudding behind him.
"Hehehe, the air in the mortal realm is so refreshing. Stuck in that dark, sunless abyss all day is damn suffocating!"
The towering demon centurion twisted his neck, his bones cracking loudly. He grinned cruelly at the three before him.
But neither Jiang Yuan nor Hamster Pudding noticed the flash of shock that crossed the centurion's eyes when he saw Mr. Han in his moon-white robe!