Chapter 129: It Is Not About Money—The One-Armed Man Borrows Wine from an Immortal

That evening, with the breeze and moon left unmentioned, the hall rang with lively conversation and laughter.

Master Gao Ming had displayed such a remarkable trick that the entire gathering burst into applause.

Seeing that Master Gao Ming was clearly a man of many talents—and that he had amused the distinguished guests who had come to offer birthday congratulations—Xiao Xiong smiled as well. He was not stingy; with a single gesture, he rewarded Master Gao Ming and his disciple with fifty taels of silver.

Gao Ming was naturally overjoyed to receive it.

But the silver itself was a small matter. Winning the applause of the entire hall was the true prize of the evening.

He and his master had traveled thousands of miles to Jian'an to make a name for themselves and earn a fortune, after all.

Performing magic tricks was not like singing opera. The greatest fear was remaining unknown—after all, even the finest wine could not be appreciated if it were hidden in a remote alley.

Even if one possessed a few genuine skills, what good were they if no one knew of them? Without fame, there would be no reward.

But now, having made such an impression at the Xiao residence, Gao Ming's reputation would surely spread throughout Jian'an within days. Xiao Xiong was an important court official, and the guests who had come were all wealthy or powerful. The fifty taels he had given them were nothing compared with what might follow. If they could win over the various gentlemen present, the money would flow in endlessly, like rivers pouring into the Eastern Sea.

The guests were naturally delighted by such a rare magical performance. Once their spirits were high, they inevitably drank a few extra cups.

And where there was wine, there had to be entertainment to accompany it.

Thus, the guests began clamoring for Master Gao Ming and his disciple to perform another trick.

Gao Ming glanced at his master, who showed no sign of refusing.

In fact, Master Gao Ming smiled and replied to the guests, “It is rare for all you gentlemen to be in such high spirits. I have no way to repay your kindness, so I shall perform another trick for you—Borrowing Wine from an Immortal.”

The guests were filled with anticipation at once.

Borrowing wine from an immortal—just the name alone sounded mysterious.

Yet someone muttered under his breath, “What a boast. If he can borrow wine from an immortal, why not borrow a few years of life from the King of Hell?”

Master Gao Ming was not offended by the mockery. He casually picked up a wine jug from the table.

First, he gave it a shake and discovered that there was still wine inside.

Then, without the slightest hurry, he began reciting a toast while filling the cups of several nearby guests. Before long, the jug could no longer pour out a single drop.

Master Gao Ming placed it back on the table, calmly took out the paintbrush he had used earlier, and walked to another white wall, where he began to paint.

The guests widened their drunken eyes. With only a few deft strokes, Master Gao Ming sketched a flying beauty upon the wall.

She wore a blue-green robe and a thin skirt, her full breasts rising beneath the fabric, her sash fluttering in the air.

“What superb brushwork!”

Someone among the guests could not help exclaiming, and the others all cried out in admiration.

Master Gao Ming smiled faintly, without the slightest trace of pride.

Before the time it took to burn a stick of incense had passed, the white wall had become a painting of heavenly palace maidens. The maiden on the wall held her right hand high and supported a jug of fine celestial wine in her left.

Master Gao Ming put down his brush and said in a deep voice, “Watch closely, gentlemen, and see how I borrow immortal wine.”

With that, he closed his eyes.

In an instant, wind rose beneath the gallery, and all the candles in the hall leaned toward the west.

Master Gao Ming suddenly opened his eyes and shouted in a deep voice, “The heavens are bright, the earth is pure! The immortal road stretches far, creation never rests—go!”

Suddenly, a thin mist arose from nowhere in the great hall.

Through the white haze, the guests saw the flying maiden on the wall appear to move.

She began to dance, and the celestial wine in her hands poured downward.

It fell precisely into the empty wine jug on the table.

Before long, another gust of wind swept through.

When it passed, the mist dispersed completely.

The guests stared in astonishment. The flying maiden was still on the wall, exactly as before.

While they were still wondering what had happened, Master Gao Ming laughed heartily and said, “The immortal wine has been borrowed. It should now be presented to the host as a birthday blessing.”

As he spoke, he picked up the jug and poured it into an empty cup.

To everyone’s astonishment, the jug that had been completely empty once again produced wine.

The guests were filled with wonder.

“This is truly immortal wine,” they exclaimed. “I would love to taste it.”

Xiao Xiong was generous enough to divide the wine among them at once.

After tasting it, every guest applauded and praised it, declaring that immortal wine was indeed the finest of all.

Nearby, Gao Ming could barely contain himself. He could only hide to one side and laugh silently.

…

When Gao Ming reached this point in his story, Yi Rushi could no longer suppress her curiosity.

“Was your master’s magic real?”

Ji Duoduo likewise stared at Gao Ming with open curiosity, as though she hoped to find the answer written on his face.

But Gao Ming now began putting on airs. With a sly smile, he said, “When false appears true and true appears false, when truth and falsehood mingle together, why insist on getting to the bottom of it?”

Song Mo said nothing. He simply took five taels of silver from his person and placed them in his palm.

“Tell us. There are only four of us here. No one else will ever know.”

Gao Ming glanced at the silver in Song Mo’s hand and hesitated.

“It isn’t a matter of money—”

Before he could finish, Song Mo produced another five taels.

Gao Ming gave a sly chuckle. “In that case, I’ll tell you. But be sure not to spread it around.”

Song Mo was secretly delighted. So it truly was not a matter of money—only of how much money was offered.

Gao Ming pondered for a moment before finally revealing the secret.

“Actually, both the Nine-Lotus Lamp birthday blessing and Borrowing Wine from an Immortal were merely sleight of hand.”

“Sleight of hand?” Yi Rushi asked in disbelief.

Ji Duoduo also pricked up her ears and listened intently.

Gao Ming nodded. “That’s right. Sleight of hand.”

“The Nine-Lotus Lamp trick is actually very simple once you know the secret. My master borrowed a paintbrush from the Xiao family, dipped it in wine, and painted upon the white wall. Before long, nine lotus flowers appeared—red here, green there. The secret was hidden beneath his fingernails.”

Song Mo froze. He remembered the secret behind a magic trick Xia Yu had once told him about and cautiously asked, “Vitriol and lye powder?”

Gao Ming stared at him in astonishment. “How did you know?”

Hearing this, Song Mo could not help admiring Fatty Xia’s vast knowledge.

“I heard it somewhere,” Song Mo said casually.

Gao Ming nodded, though he clearly did not believe him. Still, he asked no further questions and continued, “That’s right. What my master had hidden beneath his fingernails was lye powder and vitriol.”

“The guests were standing too far away to see what he was doing. My master calmly finished painting the nine lotus flowers on the white wall. Once he sprayed the wall with wine, the nine lotuses naturally appeared—red was red, green was green, each one looking perfectly real.”

Yi Rushi asked again, “Then how did they turn into the Nine-Lotus Lamp?”

“Exactly,” Ji Duoduo added. “How did the lotus flowers on the wall begin to glow?”

Gao Ming first glanced at Song Mo. Seeing that Song Mo was equally curious and had not spoken, he smiled and continued.

“That part is simple too.” Gao Ming cleared his throat. “My master had one more thing hidden on him.”

“What thing?” Ji Duoduo and Yi Rushi asked together.

“Camphor.”