Chapter 90

As the two of them walked to the east end of the town, people were already setting up the venue.

It was a vast open space, which Jiang Ning estimated to be even larger than a soccer field. In the center of the area, a simple stage had been erected with a few chairs and two large drums on it. Beneath the stage were rows upon rows of stacked wine jars.

People were gradually gathering around. Two elderly men with completely white hair stood behind them, casually chatting while shelling peanuts.

"Hey, do you think Wang Mengzi will take first place again this year?"

"Who else could it be? It's been five or six years in a row now. Nobody can outdrink him."

"True. Most locals don't even bother joining the fun anymore. It's all out-of-towners who don't know better, eyeing that bit of silver..."

"Haha... They're after the money, giving us some entertainment..."

Liu Ming'an turned around and asked the two elders, "Grandfathers, what happens if someone can't drink anymore but keeps forcing themselves? Couldn't that kill them?"

Jiang Ning had been wondering about this too. Alcohol poisoning was no joke.

"Oh! What a handsome young man! Here, have some peanuts!"

Instead of answering immediately, the old man smiled and offered Liu Ming'an a handful of peanuts from his pocket.

Liu Ming'an quickly thanked him and accepted with both hands, sharing half with Jiang Ning.

The peanuts were homegrown, sun-dried, and dry-roasted with sand. They were fragrant and crispy. As Jiang Ning ate, she listened to the old man explain, "Everyone's thought of that already. You'll see in a bit. They won't let someone who's drunk keep forcing themselves to drink."

More and more people arrived. By the time it was almost 9-11 AM, the place was packed with layers upon layers of onlookers.

A few men who looked like wealthy landowners walked onto the stage and sat down on the simple chairs. Two muscular men followed them and began beating the drums.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The drumbeats were deafening and heart-pounding, gradually raising the atmosphere.

More people emerged from the crowd, bringing dozens of tables and arranging them together. They then brought out bowls, lined them up densely, unsealed the wine jars, and poured the strong liquor into the bowls. The aroma of alcohol filled the air.

"Grandfather, who are those people sitting up there?" Jiang Ning heard Liu Ming'an ask again.

"Heh! Those are the owners of several big wineries in our town. All the wine down there is from them, and they're also providing the silver for the top three winners. They're sponsoring this drinking contest, not for anything else but to make their wineries famous!"

It really was amusing!

Jiang Ning walked steadily along the straight line for over a hundred meters. At the end, a young servant looked at her in surprise and said with a smile, "Congratulations, miss! You've passed the first round. That's quite an achievement already!"

Jiang Ning casually replied, "You're too kind," and stood with her arms crossed, enjoying the spectacle of others attempting the line.

She then witnessed people falling asleep after just one step, hopping in circles on one foot along the line, taking two steps forward then somersaulting backward, and some even vomiting all over the ground... The variety of antics was endless, each person's performance unique, filling the venue with waves of laughter and a festive atmosphere.

After the first round, two-thirds of the participants had been eliminated, leaving fewer than sixty people. Including Jiang Ning, only three women remained.

Liu Ming'an looked worriedly at Jiang Ning, but seeing her face neither flushed nor breathless, looking as composed as ever, he remembered her claim of being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk and tried to trust her.

Jiang Ning is so clever, she wouldn't do something foolish knowing it's impossible. Liu Ming'an told himself.

The people who had been pouring wine earlier returned to the tables, removed the empty bowls, set out new ones, and filled them again.

"For the second round, each person drinks fifteen bowls, then comes to the front to thread a needle. We'll count to ten, and anyone who hasn't threaded the needle by then is eliminated!" the man on the stage announced the new rules.

After listening, Jiang Ning walked to the table and began drinking.

The people pouring the wine stayed nearby. Fifteen bowls were too many, so they needed to keep count to prevent cheating, such as drinking fewer bowls or secretly pouring wine on the ground when no one was looking. That wouldn't be fair to the others.

"One, two, three, four... fourteen, fifteen!"

Jiang Ning drank all fifteen bowls in one go without even changing her expression. The young man counting for her was dumbfounded. He hadn't seen such a good drinker in a long time, especially not one so pretty. Where did this female wine immortal come from?

Jiang Ning walked to the front of the stage. More than half of the contestants were still drinking. Someone handed her a needle and a thin thread and began counting: "One, two—"

"Done," Jiang Ning said before he could reach "three," holding up the threaded needle.

"Huh? So fast? Congratulations! Please wait here, miss. We're preparing for the third round," the young man said with a smile.

"You're the second woman I've ever seen who can drink like that," a gruff voice suddenly came from beside her.

Jiang Ning turned to see a tall man with a bushy beard. He had just put down his needle and thread, his eyes clear of any drunkenness, only his cheeks slightly flushed.

Seeing Jiang Ning look over, the man continued, "The first one was my drunkard mother."

Faced with this unexpected conversation, Jiang Ning wasn't sure how to respond. The man didn't seem to have any ill intentions. After a moment's thought, she simply replied, "Oh."