Fantasy: I’m Really Not A Supreme Master!
Chapter 1098 - 1004: New Year's Eve

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Late at night.

In the little mountain village.

The banquet was almost finished, everyone was somewhat full.

People gathered around, engaging in late-night conversations by the stove.

Roasted fish and whole deer among other delicacies were on the fire, their fragrance filling the air.

"Let's go, I'll take you to set off the fireworks."

Li Fan spoke up. He had learned how to make fireworks under the guidance of the System, so he had prepared plenty before the holiday since New Year celebrations definitely need some atmosphere.

Upon hearing this, a group of disciples became very excited.

"Fireworks time!"

"I heard the fireworks are so beautiful!"

Li Fan smiled and handed out the fireworks to them.

"Li Fan, how do we set these off?"

Yun Xi asked, puzzled.

Li Fan went over to teach her, saying:

"Hold the bottom, then light the fuse at the top, and that's it."

He gently held Yun Xi's hand and said:

"There will be some recoil, hold it steady."

Then he lit the fuse.

Instantly, a beam of light shot into the sky, bursting into glorious radiance.

"Boom!"

The night sky lit up as if a flame had been ignited in the darkness, brilliant and diverse, fleeting and beautiful.

"So pretty!"

"I want to set one off, too!"

The group of disciples were extremely thrilled.

Soon, fireworks after fireworks soared into the dark skies, competing in splendor and blooming into beautiful flowers.

Meanwhile, on the side, a bunch of lunatics stared in amazement.

"Divine Dao blossoming... this is clearly the ultimate flower of the Martial Path!"

Luo Xingchen exclaimed, as he glimpsed the trajectory of the Sword Dao in the burst of the fireworks.

"Nonsense... This is clearly the Art of Painting..."

Murong Wanci, with fascination in her eyes, said:

"Countless paths explode forth in that instant, bursting forth with the greatest beauty of this world... How could ordinary Art of Painting ever capture such a spectacle?"

...

Soon, the fireworks display was over.

The disciples were all thoroughly enjoying themselves, and the villagers were very happy.

"Little Li is really impressive."

"The fireworks are beautiful!"

They all praised.

"Old Zhang, this wine of yours isn't very good..."

And at this moment, Elder Zhao, drinking Uncle Zhang's ten-year-old wine, shook his head and said:

"It's not as good as Little Li's one-year-old wine."

Uncle Zhang said:

"You don't understand, go away, I've wasted my ten-year-old wine on you."

Seeing this, Li Fan couldn't help but laugh and say:

"Da De, go dig up the wine I've kept for five years, today we drink till we're all merry!"

Wu Dade, Lu Rang, and the others immediately ran back to fetch the wine, and soon enough, they brought back several large jars.

Everyone filled up their cups.

"Here's to everyone, I wish you all a prosperous and thriving year!"

Second Elder raised his glass, and immediately, the villagers all smiled.

"Prosperous and thriving!"

They drained their glasses.

"Now this is what I call wine! Such richness, such flavor, good!"

Second Elder praised while drinking, complimenting Li Fan's wine.

Li Fan had been in the village for five years so far, so this was the longest he had ever aged his wine.

The taste, of course, was unquestionable.

Nan Feng, Zi Ling, and the others were also drinking heartily.

"Master, why do people celebrate New Year? It seems very interesting..."

Zi Ling, while drinking, looked up at Li Fan with curious big eyes and asked.

They had always been cultivating and had almost never experienced such worldly festivals as the New Year.

Li Fan smiled slightly and said:

"Three hundred and sixty days of the year, with the seasons changing, leaves sprouting and falling, crops being planted and harvested, from the spring blessings to the winter chill... However, every year is the same, yet each year is a new cycle, celebrating New Year is to welcome the beginning of a new cycle."

Upon hearing this, many disciples became reflective.

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They feel that there seems to be something implied in Master's words.

"Master, Elder Zhao said that during New Year, we have to fight monsters... There is a kind of monster called 'Xun', which is particularly ferocious and can devour everything. We must paste divine talismans on the door, hang lanterns, and set off fireworks to drive it away... Is it true or false?"

Su Baiqian is also asking.

Li Fan laughs and says:

"It's all just legend."

"There's no such monster in the world."

But Elder Zhao shakes his head and says:

"No... originally, there should've been one. Back then, celebrating New Year was like passing a level. The divine jumper in the village used to personally write couplets for us, make red lanterns, and set off firecrackers... However, his couplets looked like scrawls by ghosts, and the lanterns were also made hideously. Little Li's work is better; the couplets look pleasing, the lanterns are beautiful, and the fireworks are pretty too."

"These years... the 'Xun'... have seemed to disappear, not knowing where they've gone... Let's drink, drink up!"

He raises his glass and drinks together with Li Fan.

Yet the disciples are all somewhat itching with curiosity. Every time Elder Zhao speaks of the old times, they resolve each mystery as if reflecting some truth within the years, but they cannot grasp the full picture.

"This wine is so strong..."

At this moment, many disciples are finally feeling somewhat tipsy.

And in this state of intoxication, their consciousness slowly enters the Path-Scenic Land.

The alcohol transforms into Daoist insight; their minds forget everything else.

Nan Feng plays the sound of years in the Path-Scenic Land, her zither music seeming to disrupt the years, traveling through the river of history. The sounds of the zither echo year after year, a melody that never ends, and the rules of the Sound Dao coalesce into the grand path.

Long Zixuan's true essence of the Martial Path explodes forth, unstoppable, as if ascending to the heavens, rhythmically moving with a snap cloaking the sky.

Lu Rang dreams within his drunken state, dreaming that he is lying on a verdant grassland, with a gentle breeze brushing his face, his Path-Scenic Land like ten thousand li of green, the verdant path stretching onward...

At this moment, Dugu Yuqing, Qing Chen, Jiang Li, Xinning, Gong Ya... they've all begun their Ascendant Path.

They all fall into drunkenness, one by one collapsing.

Li Fan looks at this group of disciples and can't help but shake his head and smile. It's the New Year, and all of them are drunk... there's no way to stay up through the night now.

"Little Greedy Cat, after tonight, next year will be your zodiac year."

He gently pats Xiao Bai's soft belly, but is somewhat puzzled; the little cat... hasn't grown at all.

When it first met him, and now, its size hasn't changed much, nor has it become fatter... Mm, just its belly has gotten softer.

The joy of raising a little cat with his own hands... Will he not experience it?

Never mind, as long as it is healthy, that's good enough.

He dips his finger in some wine and feeds it to the little cat. Licking the wine, the kitten seems to fall drunk into sleep, its pink tongue almost forgetting to retract.

Time is getting late; finally, past midnight, the new year has arrived.

The year of the Ox has passed; the year of the Tiger arrives.

Li Fan first takes Xiao Bai back to bed, then comes back to carry Zi Ling, Nan Feng, Su Baiqian, and the others.

Yun Xi has drunk a fair bit and her face is flushed, but she hasn't fallen yet. Together with Li Fan, she helps drag Wu Dade and the others back to their rooms.

"Li Fan, the fireworks are so beautiful... I really like them... Why are the fireworks so splendid?"

Yun Xi, tipsy, has a smile still in her eyes, immersed in the beauty of the fireworks she has seen earlier.

Li Fan smiles slightly and says:

"Because the night is deep, so the fireworks are brilliant."

Hearing this, Yun Xi giggles and says:

"I get it, because it's burning itself in the night... Fire in the darkness, that's why it's so beautiful..."

Her head tilts and she falls into Li Fan's arms.

Li Fan gently holds her and brings her back to her room, covering her with the quilt.

Watching her sleep peacefully, Li Fan takes out a small red envelope from his bosom and places it under her pillow.

That is... New Year's money.

During the New Year, it doesn't feel quite right without New Year's money, but Li Fan is truly too poor...

To be honest, since he came to this world, he has never seen money!

The villagers are self-sufficient and do not trade with the outside world. He has not gone out to see the world, let alone know what the money in this realm looks like.

So, he secretly made a few copper coins to give to his disciples as New Year's money.

It's just a symbolic gesture, nothing more.

That's why he didn't reveal them in public just earlier... after all, one copper coin per disciple...

That's too shabby!!!

After leaving Yun Xi's room, he goes to each of the disciples' rooms in turn, leaving New Year's money under their pillows.

Then Li Fan sits for a long while under the peach tree in the small courtyard.

Night deepens, silence prevails.

The wind of the Tiger year blows through, and in the courtyard, various plants await the vitality of the coming year.

Nan Feng's Divine Blood Herb has green growth amidst the yellow leaves; Zi Ling's grapes have turned quite large.

Long Zixuan's lotus leaves have spread open in the pond, floating on the water, while Lu Rang's grass is next to his bedside. Qing Chen's Bodhi tree has already grown as tall as a person.

Dugu Yuqing's Undying Tree, with its pale trunk, is now as thick as an arm; Jiang Li's bamboo, over this year, has reached three to four meters; Wu Dade's Melting Gold Tree resembles a huge Wolf Fang Club, with thorns as long as two fingers, sharp and unmatched...

Lin Jiu Zheng's Kirin Tree stands tall in the courtyard, and Su Baiqian's Two-Leaf Clover continues to grow...

Li Fan suddenly smiles lightly and says:

"Wildfires never extinguish, the spring breeze brings them back to life."

"Vitality is endless; it's just a pity that though flowers are similar year after year, people change with each passing year..."

He gets up and leaves.

...

Goodnight.