Could he admit defeat? Absolutely not. Qin Chu could fall, but he would never admit defeat.
Holding the head-sized wine cup with both hands, Qin Chu gulped it down. Zihuan didn't stop him; she knew that the Sword Northern Forest's people drinking with Qin Chu like this meant they recognized him.
After an unknown number of cups, Qin Chu knew nothing more and slid from his chair under the table.
"Haha! Little Sister, this is an interesting little fellow, Big Brother likes him!" Great Ape King said with a laugh.
"Big Brother, you guys are too unkind," Zihuan said, pulling Qin Chu back onto the chair.
"Men, they should drink heavily, eat meat in big bites, and kill the fiercest enemies. That's the joy of living!" Great Ape King said with a laugh, then waved his hand, and a female demon Cultivator helped Qin Chu away to rest.
The old man who had toasted Qin Chu winked at Dahu, "Dahu, take it easy. It took all of us together to get him drunk. If we drank alone, it's hard to say who would fall first."
"Elder Xiong, you're being unkind. Qin Chu is still a child!" Zihuan said, looking at the old man. That was Elder Xiong of the Sword Northern Forest, and also the Bear King of the Bear Tribe.
"A child? Give him a big girl, and he can hold a child, haha!" Elder Xiong laughed loudly, and the other demon Cultivators also laughed.
Qin Chu fell into a coma, his Origin Qi circulated naturally, and the Vermilion Bird Holy Flame also helped him cleanse the alcohol from his body. In less than half an hour, Qin Chu sobered up and then returned to the side hall.
"Qin Chu has disgraced himself; he didn't properly accompany everyone!" After sitting down beside Zihuan, Qin Chu cupped his fists at the group of demon Cultivators.
"You've done very well. Now you can just drink tea," Great Ape King said to Qin Chu.
Qin Chu expressed his gratitude to Great Ape King, then drank tea and chatted with everyone.
"Qin Chu, this King heard from Elder Xiong and Dahu that you are a fifth-tier five-star Alchemist. When you have free time, would you be willing to refine some Medicinal Pills for our Sword Northern Forest's people? Without Medicinal Pills, some good talents can't grow," Great Ape King said, looking at Qin Chu.
"No problem. Once I'm completely sober, I can start Alchemy," Qin Chu said.
"This King won't shortchange you. We'll still follow the Alchemy rules: three sets of Materials for one Medicinal Pill is fine," Great Ape King said to Qin Chu.
Qin Chu looked at Zihuan, who nodded at him.
At this moment, Qin Chu stood up, "Great Ape King, there's one more thing. I might have discovered a Spirit Stone mine. There might not be many Spirit Stones, but there will be quite a few."
Great Ape King's hand slammed heavily on the table, "A Spirit Stone mine... This is good news. You lead us to it, and this King will arrange for people to excavate it. You take half."
"It's the pit in the Forbidden Zone. That's the mining area. I collected the Spirit Stones on the surface, so those who entered later didn't find any Spirit Stones," Qin Chu said. He felt at ease, as Great Ape King was indeed as Zihuan had described: fair in his dealings, valuing loyalty and adhering to rules.
"Dahu, you are in charge of this matter. Whatever is excavated is what it is. Do not hide or withhold anything by half. What belongs to Brother Qin should be given to him," Great Ape King instructed Dahu.
"Let's confirm the Spirit Stone mine first. This is just my estimate; the specifics are hard to say," Qin Chu said.
This drinking session lasted until dawn, after which Great Ape King led a group of people to the Forbidden Zone.
Upon arriving at the Forbidden Zone, Dahu led the demon Cultivators into the pit and began digging. After digging to a certain depth, they saw Spirit Stones, and the density of the Spirit Stones was quite high.
"Haha! Damn it, our Sword Northern Forest is also going to rise! Dahu alone here won't be enough. Elder Xiong, you also guard here and arrange for our people to excavate. Half of it will be given to Brother Qin," Great Ape King instructed Elder Xiong and Dahu. He was worried about some human Cultivators robbing them, so he sent more people.
"Um, could you please help send my share to the Vermilion Bird Holy Land? My Family has just revived and needs Spirit Stones quite a bit," Qin Chu said.
"No problem at all, this is nothing. Elder Xiong will handle it for you!" Great Ape King patted Qin Chu's shoulder.
Creak! Qin Chu's bones made a sound from the pat, and his face flushed red.
"Uh... I forgot to hold back my strength. Your body is quite something, isn't it? If it were anyone else, this King's slap would have killed them," Great Ape King said awkwardly.
"It's fine, it's fine!" Qin Chu exhaled. He felt that Great Ape King's words were true; an ordinary person really couldn't withstand his slap. He wasn't called Great Strength Ape King for nothing.
With the Spirit Stone matter arranged, Great Ape King and Zihuan led Qin Chu back to the core of the Sword Northern Forest.
After resting, Zihuan told Qin Chu about Great Ape King's situation, or rather, the situation of some demon Cultivators.
Humans have Holy Bloodlines, and demon Cultivators are the same. There are always some exceptionally talented individuals. Great Ape King possesses the Bloodline of the Ancient Great Strength Divine Ape, her second brother Azure Sky Python has the Bloodline of the Ancient Azure Sky Flying Python, and she has the Bloodline of the Ancient Zihuan. A powerful Bloodline makes it easier to achieve success. It was precisely because of her special Bloodline that Great Ape King and Azure Sky King kept her in the Sword Northern Forest, even going so far as to become sworn siblings to gain her trust.
"Qin Chu, demon Cultivators are more trustworthy than humans. Sworn siblings will never betray each other. Since they treat me this way, I must consider the Sword Northern Forest my home and cannot wander around the world with you. However, if you ever need help, I will absolutely not be stingy," Zihuan said to Qin Chu.
"I understand and can comprehend. I'm very happy to see Sister Zihuan doing well. However, Sister Zihuan, please also instruct the Sword Northern Forest's people not to fiercely attack me when I come again in the future," Qin Chu said with a smile.
Zihuan smiled, "Is there anything you're afraid of? You don't need to worry about some things. Before, you were just my younger brother, a friend of mine alone, but after that drinking session, you are a friend of the Sword Northern Forest."
"En! Then I'm relieved. The Vermilion Bird Holy Family has re-emerged in the Jianghu, so it won't be difficult for you, Sister Zihuan, to find me. If anything happens, I'll be there with just a message," Qin Chu said.
After resting for a day, Qin Chu set up his Pill Furnace in the courtyard of Zihuan's residence to refine Medicinal Pills for the Sword Northern Forest's people.
Alchemy was a troublesome matter, but it was Qin Chu's hobby and his process of collecting Materials, so for him, it was enjoyable. Great Ape King carried two jars of wine and drank with Zihuan while watching Qin Chu perform Alchemy.
"Little Sister, Big Brother understands now, your brother is very powerful. Among human Cultivators, he is a prominent figure, with a record of slaying kings," Great Ape King said to Zihuan.
"Big Brother, do you know? When I first met him, he was still very young and hadn't achieved much, but Little Sister just felt that he was a trustworthy friend," Zihuan said.
"Sometimes we have to trust our feelings," Great Ape King nodded.
Qin Chu stayed steadily in the Sword Northern Forest, but a major piece of news spread throughout the human world: Vermilion Bird Young Lord Qin Chu had betrayed humanity and defected to the Sword Northern Forest.
This news caused a huge uproar.
Subsequently, the Holy Martial Enforcement issued an announcement stating that human Cultivators and the Sword Northern Forest coexisted peacefully and were not enemies, so there was no such thing as betrayal or defection.
