C1 The Beginning Turned into a God!

Ma Tianming was stumbling drunk when he suddenly tripped and fell flat on his face with a thud.

As he hit the ground, he let out a groan and realized something soft was cushioning his fall.

Beneath him was a person... emitting a sour, foul odor.

It was a beggar lying by the roadside!

Ma Tianming sprang up as if on a spring and nearly exclaimed, "Even if you're a beggar, you shouldn't sleep on the roadside."

The beggar was filthy and emaciated, his frame skeletal—an elderly beggar, no doubt.

Any anger Ma Tianming felt for tripping vanished; his fall alone could have been fatal to the old man.

His irritation at being tripped up dissipated too; after all, what good would it do to be angry at an old beggar?

Ma Tianming patted himself down, hoping to find some food or money to offer the old beggar, but his pockets were empty.

"Have a drink, then!"

All Ma Tianming had left was the unfinished alcohol in his gourd.

He poured a mouthful of the liquor into the old beggar's mouth, then, still drunk, he sat down beside him, his breaths heavy and on the verge of sleep.

In his semi-conscious state, Ma Tianming heard a voice beside him sigh in appreciation, "Wow! That's some fine wine!"

Unseen by Ma Tianming, the old beggar had snatched the gourd from his hand and was guzzling the wine with gusto.

"This is Celestial Fragrance Wine!" the old beggar declared contentedly. "No one has ever treated me to a drink before, especially not one this exquisite. Hmm... Young man, since you've shared your wine with me, I owe you my thanks."

Ma Tianming, still fuzzy from the alcohol, thought to himself, 'I don't do things for thanks, especially not from an old beggar. What thanks could he possibly give?'

"How would you like to become a wine god?" the voice proposed.

"Wine god? I'm already a wine god... although many people say I drink like a madman and jokingly call me the wine god."

Suddenly, Ma Tianming snapped to attention. Though his head was still spinning, the drunken haze lifting from his body had significantly cleared.

To put it accurately, Ma Tianming felt an unexpected surge of power coursing through his body, including his limbs. As a frequent drinker, he was all too familiar with this sensation: it was as though a potent liquor had flooded every inch of his being, filling him with boundless energy. Yet, it also felt as though his entire body was intoxicated.

Why was this happening? Ma Tianming's mind was still somewhat clear, not fully overcome by the drink. As he harnessed this intense alcoholic vigor, it felt like a force within him had exploded with a resounding 'boom.'

Then, Ma Tianming's head started spinning as if he were caught in a whirlwind, and he stumbled, collapsing onto the ground.

From afar, Ma Tianming heard the beggar's voice: "I've roamed this world for many years, and few have given me a second glance. Those who deign to offer me something usually leave me scraps and leftovers. No one has ever invited me for a drink. You and I, we're fated! Lad, consider yourself my earthly embodiment from now on.

"Hmm, one might even call that divine."

Ma Tianming could hear the beggar's words clearly, but they seemed surreal, like the ramblings of a dream. He was surely too drunk and hallucinating, so he simply collapsed by the roadside, unable to make sense of the beggar's message.

Some time later, two young men approached and spotted Ma Tianming on the ground.

"Isn't that Ma Tianming over there?"

"It looks like him! Is he drunk?"

"Humph! He's always been a drunkard. Now, he's just drowning his sorrows in alcohol to avoid facing reality."

"Should we try to wake him up?"

"That's a good idea. Let's go." Mei Zhengyao strutted over to Ma Tianming, his mind brimming with mischief.

Su Yu, on the other hand, didn't say much and simply followed Zhengyao.

"Master Ma, enjoying a drink, are you? What kind of wine? How about I treat you to the Celestial Fragrance Restaurant for some Milk Spring Snow Tune? Or perhaps the Heavenly Fragrance that only the celestials can savor?"

Observing Ma Tianming on the ground, completely unresponsive, Su Yu remarked, "He seems to have passed out drunk. A few words won't be enough to sober him up."

Mei Zhengyao caught on immediately and delivered a hard kick to Ma Tianming, who grunted but remained unconscious.

"Hold on a second." Just as Zhengyao was about to administer another kick, Su Yu raised his hand, seemingly struck by a mischievous thought, and casually suggested, "Young Master Ma isn't afraid of a beating or pain, but he dreads being without a drink."

"Exactly!" Zhengyao's eyes sparkled as he noticed the wine gourd in Ma Tianming's grasp. "His family's estate was just confiscated. That bottle must be the last one he could afford. Taking his wine is practically like taking his life, isn't it?"

"Not at all! He'll just go begging for a drink!"

"Indeed! Like a beggar, he'll be bowing and scraping, pleading with the tavern keepers, 'Please, have mercy and give me a drink.' I can't wait to see that." As Zhengyao spoke, he approached Ma Tianming, pinching his nose to avoid the stench of alcohol, and reached for the wine gourd in Ma Tianming's hand.

But Ma Tianming clung to the gourd as if it were his lifeline.

"You care more about your liquor than your life, you drunkard. Let go of the gourd," Zhengyao demanded, increasing his grip, intent on prying the gourd from Ma Tianming's hand without any restraint, enough to potentially break the unsuspecting man's hand.

The pain jolted the inebriated Ma Tianming awake. Realizing someone was trying to take his wine gourd, he sprang up like a coiled spring, his grip strengthening and easily breaking free from Zhengyao's hold.

Ma Tianming swayed on his feet, squinting at the two people before him, and slurred, "Su Yu, Zhengyao, why are you trying to steal my wine?"

Zhengyao, whose hand had been forcefully released, was uninjured but grew furious upon seeing Ma Tianming suddenly stand up. He accused, "Ma Tianming, you were faking your drunkenness to ambush me!"

Mei Zhengyao had already delivered a swift kick to Ma Tianming. Ma Tianming, in his drunken haze, couldn't dodge in time and was struck, causing him to fall backward onto the ground.

Despite knowing that the alcohol would only intensify Ma Tianming's pain, Mei Zhengyao found it insufficiently gratifying. He charged forward, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks upon Ma Tianming while shouting, "That's for pretending to be drunk! That's for trying to trick me!"

Ma Tianming, overwhelmed by his inebriation, was powerless to defend himself and simply endured the beating.

"Enough, enough! Don't beat him to death."

"Hmph!" Mei Zhengyao wore a smile of satisfaction on his face.

Yet now, a searing pain coursed through his body, leaving him feeling utterly drained.

Mei Zhengyao, who had just been the aggressor, felt his strength waning. He was the one delivering the blows, yet the victim hadn't uttered a single cry for mercy. How could he, the assailant, be the one left debilitated?

Determined not to let Su Yu perceive his weakened state, Mei Zhengyao stomped on the wine gourd that Ma Tianming clutched in his hand.

"What a waste of space, you drunkard! Is this how you fall apart just because your father got caught? Such a disgrace. I used to see you as a rival, but you're nothing but an arrogant fool."

The gourd was still in Ma Tianming's grasp when Mei Zhengyao's foot came crashing down, hitting his hand. The intense pain jolted Ma Tianming out of his stupor, and he looked up to see Su Yu and Mei Zhengyao towering over him.

These two? They were the ones attacking me.

"Let's get out of here," Mei Zhengyao said, straightening his clothes. "Spending another minute with him is an embarrassment. Look at how he struts around normally. Aside from being able to hold his liquor, what else is there to him? Such arrogance."

"Sigh! Wait, that's not all! He has a beautiful sister!"

"Yes, Marmin Xin is truly stunning. With her mother gone, her father imprisoned, and her brother a worthless drunk, her prospects are grim. We need to help her."

Mei Zhengyao felt the urge to continue his assault on Ma Tianming, but he restrained himself, wary that Su Yu might notice his sudden weakness from the exertion. He couldn't let it end like this, though. He would have to provoke Ma Tianming using his sister... Marmin Xin was indeed a beauty who could captivate any man.

Mei Zhengyao had taken Marmin Xin captive, inciting Ma Tianming to come after him. Once Ma Tianming made a scene, they'd use it as a pretext to give him a beating. That way, no one could accuse Zhengyao of using his power to bully others.

It was a cunning plan!

Ma Tianming was still groggy from the drink, but he could hear Zhengyao's voice raised in excitement: He was planning to harm Xin.

"Zhengyao, if you dare to harm my sister, I will never forgive you."

"Go ahead, try not to forgive me!"

Zhengyao seemed thrilled by Ma Tianming's furious shout, responding with a taunt. He even went so far as to wiggle his rear at Ma Tianming and let out a fart, though his walk was unsteady. Su Yu, standing by, thought Zhengyao was deliberately trying to shame Ma Tianming with his antics.

"You…" Ma Tianming lunged at Zhengyao, but still woozy from the alcohol, he swayed and collapsed once more.

Su Yu and Zhengyao burst into laughter and walked away, calling out, "Off to find the beauty!"

The world was spinning for Ma Tianming. The shock had sobered him up a bit, and he could think clearly: "Don't harm Xin. If you dare to harm Xin, I will never forgive you..."

But the drunken Ma Tianming couldn't even stand, only able to shout in agony within his mind, "Why did I have to get drunk? Being drunk gives them the chance to hurt Xin...

If they dare to hurt Xin, I will never forgive them."

After a dizzy spell, Ma Tianming felt strong enough to stand. He was certain Zhengyao was off to harm Xin and he needed to hurry home.

But as he ran, Ma Tianming stumbled and fell, wracked with pain all over again.

"Take a drink, ease the pain."

That was Ma Tianming's instinctive thought. As a "gentleman of the bottle," his first response to any trouble was to reach for a drink. But with the situation so dire, he knew he couldn't afford to drink any more.

Staggering and crawling, the inebriated Ma Tianming made his way home. He vomited a few times along the road, and gradually, the effects of the alcohol began to fade.