The Liquor Trade

“Exactly.”

A glint of cunning flashed in Lu Qiancha’s azure eyes. With a tap of her claw, a small, exquisitely transparent jade bottle materialized in the center of the low table. “Martial Aunt, why don’t you take this bottle of ‘Clarity Jade Dew’ wine and test the waters. If it sells well, we can discuss the details later.”

“Is this tiny bottle enough for them to drink?”

Xuan Mo was skeptical. From what she’d seen of those Raging Waves cultivators, they all drank from massive bowls, with the demeanor of men who could drain a whole wine cask. This amount… it wouldn’t even be enough to wet their teeth, would it?!

“This is the undiluted spiritual essence. One bottle can be mixed to make about five bowls of wine.”

Lu Qiancha shook the small bottle in her paw, then said, “The cost of this one bottle is about five mid-grade spirit stones. The pricing is up to you, Martial Aunt. After it’s sold, just give me seventy percent.”

“I get thirty percent?!”

Xuan Mo was stunned, not because she thought Lu Qiancha was taking too much, but because she was shocked by Lu Qiancha’s generosity.

She was just a runner, a middleman.

Thirty percent?

This child was far too magnanimous!

“No, no! This thirty percent is too much to accept! How can this be right?”

“Don’t be hasty, Martial Aunt. There is one other small matter I was hoping you could help me with.”

Lu Qiancha propped her chin on her paw, her large, watery-blue eyes looking at Xuan Mo with sincerity.

“What is it? Let’s be clear, I won’t do anything that violates the sect’s rules!”

Xuan Mo’s willow-like eyebrows shot up warily.

Lu Qiancha immediately puffed out her little chest and patted her paw in a solemn guarantee, “Even if you gave me ten times the courage, I would never dare to cross the sect’s lines.”

“Then what is it? Hurry up and tell me.”

Xuan Mo’s curiosity was instantly piqued.

What kind of favor could possibly be worth such a generous thirty percent of the net profit?

“This disciple has been studying the path of alchemy recently, but I’m troubled by the lack of a suitable alchemy furnace…”

Lu Qiancha rubbed her two little paws together in embarrassment, her eyes shining with anticipation.

“I wonder if Martial Aunt could keep an eye on the sect’s treasury? It would be wonderful if there were a high-quality, unused furnace…”

Her tone shifted, and a cunning arc formed on her small lips, “…but a discarded, broken old furnace would also be fine.”

“Hah, is that all?”

Hearing this, Xuan Mo’s eyebrows instantly relaxed.

She slammed her hand on the table, making the low table tremble.

“Done! Leave it to me! I’ll definitely find you a top-notch, massive one! Just you wait!”

“Then I thank Martial Aunt Xuan in advance.”

Lu Qiancha smiled knowingly. It seemed this matter was settled.

“What’s there to thank me for! You’re my senior sister’s disciple, which is no different from my own! When a disciple asks for help, how could I, as her martial aunt, not do everything in my power to assist?”

Xuan Mo laughed with heroic spirit, scooping the fluffy blue furball into her arms.

With a loud “smack,” she planted a resounding kiss on her smooth little cheek.

The next second, she had already transformed into a streak of light, sweeping up the jade bottle on the table, and shot off impatiently in the direction of the Raging Waves Sect.

Only the words, “Wait for my good news!” were left echoing from the peak.

Lu Qiancha stood frozen in place, a paw gently touching the wet kiss mark.

After a long moment, she shook her head, torn between laughter and tears, and continued with her great undertaking of cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, Xuan Mo had already arrived at the Hall of Ephemeral Life in the Raging Waves Sect.

“Little Mo, you say you’ve brought fine wine from the Tianyuan Sect? Are you trying to pull my leg, old Yuan?”

An elder dressed in a brown cloth robe with a giant wine gourd hanging from his waist eyed Xuan Mo with deep suspicion, his thick brows knitted together.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Xuan Mo, but the Tianyuan Sect’s wine-making… to put it bluntly, was a complete joke!

Didn’t they have to obediently purchase all their wine from his Raging Waves Sect?

For them to suddenly pop up with their own “fine wine”… was highly suspicious!

“What are you saying, Elder Yuan! We cultivators stand tall between heaven and earth. How could I dare to deceive you with falsehoods?”

Xuan Mo responded with a grin, calmly opening her palm to reveal the exquisite little jade bottle.

“This?! This is the… ‘fine wine’ you spoke of?”

Elder Yuan stared at the small bottle, which was barely larger than his thumb, and a vein twitched on his forehead.

If not for his deep friendship with Xuan Mo, he would have already sent her away with a flick of his sleeve!

“The best is yet to come, Elder Yuan. Just watch closely.”

Xuan Mo’s starry eyes twinkled with a smile. Without further words, she gave a light flick of her sleeve.

With a few dull thuds, five large bowls were placed on the stone table in the hall.

She uncorked the jade bottle, and a faint, yet clear and pure, exotic fruit aroma instantly filled the air.

The jade bottle tilted slightly—

One drop, two drops… A thick syrup flowed from the mouth of the bottle.

It split precisely into five portions, dripping steadily into the bottom of each bowl, forming a shallow pool.

The next moment, Xuan Mo pointed her fingers toward the spiritual spring pool outside the hall.

Splash.

Five streams of clear spring water, as if guided by an invisible hand, transformed into crystalline water lines and poured accurately into the five large bowls.

The spring water fell, the syrup dissolved.

The originally clear and transparent spring water, at the moment it merged with the syrup, suddenly transformed into five pools of bright, translucent, pale golden liquid.

A rich, yet not overpowering, mellow and exotic fragrance erupted, instantly filling the entire Hall of Ephemeral Life.

The aroma was elegant and deep.

At first smell, it was like a hundred fruits at the peak of ripeness; upon further savoring, it held the lingering finish of aged spiritual brew; and finally, it revealed a wondrous rhythm that made one’s divine soul tremble slightly.

“Elder Yuan,” Xuan Mo lifted a bowl and presented it to Elder Yuan with a smile, making a “please” gesture. “Try this ‘Clarity Jade Dew’, a special brew from my Tianyuan Sect. Is it worthy of your esteemed sect’s consideration?”

Elder Yuan’s nostrils twitched, the doubt in his eyes deepening.

This aroma… there was something to it.

Xuan Mo’s trick of “clear spring into wine” was rather flashy.

‘Fine, I’ll do my old friend a favor and buy a few bottles… just to add something new to the collection.’

He thought to himself, showing none of it on his face as he calmly accepted the large bowl.

First, a sniff—indeed, a light fruit fragrance dominated, mixed with an indescribable trace of spiritual energy.

“Mm, I’ll have a taste,” he replied casually, lifting the bowl to his lips and taking a symbolic, light sip…

Thump!!

A dull heartbeat echoed in the silent hall.

It was not a physical sound, but one originating from Elder Yuan himself.

His burly frame, holding the bowl, suddenly froze like a statue.

His cloudy old eyes, which had been filled with scrutiny, instantly widened into perfect circles, an incredible, brilliant light erupting from their depths.

The moment that small sip of wine entered his mouth, it transformed into an indescribable warm current.

It was not fiery like ordinary liquor, but gentle like a top-grade immortal spring.

Wherever it flowed, it felt as if a thousand kinds of sweetness bloomed on his tongue.

Furthermore, a cool, pure spiritual energy directly pierced through his throat, sliding down his esophagus into his Dantian, leaving a wondrous fragrance in its wake.

In that instant—

The formless barrier deep within his Dantian, which had been dormant for many years… was struck by that strange, warm current, revealing a flowing trajectory.

“Elder, how is it?”

Xuan Mo watched him nervously.

Elder Yuan didn’t reply.

He suddenly threw his head back and—glug, glug, glug—downed the rest of the wine in one go.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the four bowls below were instantly lifted by an unseen force, pouring into his mouth like a waterfall.

Boom!!!

An even more majestic power instantly exploded within his body.

The cultivation meridian map of the Raging Waves Sect’s ultimate secret art—the “Drunken Immortal Nine Meridians Art”—appeared in his sea of consciousness with a roar.

The ninth meridian, the “Pathless Dao Meridian” that existed only in legends, was now clearly visible under the glow of that warm current, its trajectory revealed.

“Good! Good wine!!!”

A vigorous and mighty roar shattered the hall.

Elder Yuan’s hair and beard stood on end as majestic immortal power erupted uncontrollably from his body.

Clang—

The wine gourd at his waist suddenly exploded.

A simple, dull, broad-backed longsword flew from its sheath.

Without any warning, Elder Yuan raised his hand and, facing the boundless firmament, swung his sword ferociously.

Rip—

Space itself seemed to be torn apart.

A terrifying sword beam, condensed to the extreme and wrapped in a scorching alcoholic aura, roared as it slashed towards the nine heavens above.

Instantly, ten thousand acres of clouds rolled back.

The light of the sky suddenly brightened.

Silence—the entire Raging Waves Sect seemed to have been put on pause.

The next moment—

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh—!!!

More than a dozen incredibly powerful figures shot from various peaks like meteors.

Countless more immortal and spiritual senses, filled with shock, inquiry, and disbelief, instantly focused on the Hall of Ephemeral Life.

“Yuan Mou! With such sword intent, what enemy is attacking?!”

An aged voice, laced with anger, rang out.

An old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a sloppy Daoist robe that couldn’t conceal his immortal air—the current Sect Master of the Raging Waves Sect, the Drunken Immortal—appeared in the hall with a grave expression.

His eyes, perpetually hazy from years of drink, were now as sharp as blades.

Elder Yuan slowly sheathed his sword, the heaven-storming aura instantly retracting.

But the ecstatic delight that was practically overflowing from his face could not be concealed.

He gave the Drunken Immortal a solemn bow, his voice shaking the hall, “Reporting to the Sect Master! This disciple is untalented! By your great grace… just now, I have comprehended the true meaning of the Drunken Immortal Nine Meridians! The nine meridians are all open! I have achieved union with the Pathless Dao! Fortunately… I have succeeded!!!”

“Nine Meridians Profound? How is that possible?!”

“Even the ‘Wine Immortal’ ancestor from a thousand years ago couldn’t fully master the ninth meridian.”

“Forget mastering it, I once tried to perceive the nine meridians by flooding my body with wine. I passed out halfway through for three days… almost couldn’t be woken up even with a sobering pill.”

The other elders and disciples who had rushed to the hall were instantly in an uproar.

Cries of shock and doubt rose and fell, their eyes filled with utter disbelief.

The Drunken Immortal’s pupils contracted sharply.

He took a step forward, and space seemed to shrink beneath his feet.

A withered hand pressed down on Elder Yuan’s shoulder.

A stream of pure immortal energy instantly probed Elder Yuan’s body.

Elder Yuan did not flinch or dodge, calmly accepting the inspection.

A moment later.

The Drunken Immortal’s palm began to tremble slightly.

His eyes, which had witnessed thousands of years, were now filled with an unprecedented shock.

After a few breaths, he slowly withdrew his hand, looking at Elder Yuan as if he were a peerless treasure.

“Hidden sea returning to spring… Nine Meridians Profound… moving as freely as one’s own limbs! The Dao Laws… evolving on their own… you…”

He muttered in a lost voice, “Yuan Mou! You! How did you do it?!”

Elder Yuan suppressed the excitement in his heart, his gaze sweeping over the stunned faces of the Raging Waves Sect’s upper echelon, finally landing on Xuan Mo in the corner, who appeared calm but whose palms were beginning to sweat.

He raised a hand and pointed, his voice filled with an irrepressible excitement and a touch of awe, “It was not by this disciple’s own ability… It was only because I drank a bowl of wondrous wine brought by an old friend from the Tianyuan Sect…”

A smile, tinged with pride and gratitude, appeared on his face, which had been stern for many years.

He enunciated each word, “The ambrosia entered my throat, and I gained enlightenment.”

In an instant.

Inside the Hall of Ephemeral Life, all eyes, as if pulled by invisible threads, swished in unison.

They focused on Xuan Mo.

The burning desire in those gazes was so intense it almost set her on fire.