...
The facts were indeed as the Young Master of Yinsu Sect had stated. That night's bloodbath was like a gentle breeze sweeping over the land, unintentionally stirring up dust that quickly settled.
In just a few days, no one mentioned it anymore. It was as if everything related to that inn had vanished into thin air. Of course... except for the perpetrators led by Xu Yu and the fortunately escaped Mu Yun.
...
In a secluded alley in Qingchuan City, Mu Yun paused. Before him, the inn's cloud banner, shimmering with light, displayed the words "Tongfu".
Mu Yun smiled looking at the words "Tongfu" and pushed the door open.
The waiter inside, seeing a young boy enter, didn't show annoyance. He called out a few times and then came to greet Mu Yun. Ordinary citizens of Qingchuan City knew very well that in this era where strength was revered, some children, though young, possessed strength and wisdom far beyond what commoners could compare to. The waiter had lived in this city for a long time and was already extremely smooth.
Upon entering the inn, Mu Yun casually found a table and sat down, ordered a few dishes he liked, and said no more. Soon, faint smoke rose in the shop, and the aroma of cooking wafted over.
...
"A rich aroma... this is stir-fried diced chicken, very good, very good."
The creaking of the wooden door, accompanied by the evening breeze, filled the inn. Mu Yun's nose suddenly caught a faint scent of pine ink. This scent was utterly out of place with the greasy, smoky air of the inn, yet it lingered faintly as the tattered scholar, who had just entered, moved his robes. The large gourd at the newcomer's waist swung with his steps, appearing somewhat out of place.
Mu Yun looked up at the disheveled scholar.
The next instant, the Zeus Genesis Neural System issued a warning in Mu Yun's mind. "Warning: current target exceeds risk threshold. System unable to determine combat power range". Mu Yun was secretly startled, but his expression remained unchanged.
"It's you again... Gourd-man! Quickly... this shop is about to close... quickly get out!"
Facing these sharp words, the scholar did not get angry. He merely smiled slightly and said in a pleasant tone, "There are clearly still people eating. What sense does it make to close?"
Mu Yun looked up upon hearing this. The waiter acted as if he understood very well, immediately leaning over to explain to Mu Yun, "This poor scholar came to Qingchuan City in recent years. He has visited all the inns and taverns in Qingchuan City, from the luxurious Yuque Tower down to small roadside shops like ours..."
The waiter saw that Mu Yun was not interested in interjecting, so he continued, "Whenever he enters a shop, he only drinks until he's completely drunk before leaving. What's most hateful is that when he leaves, he still says things like he hasn't had enough or the wine wasn't good. Over time, almost all the taverns in Qingchuan City became annoyed with him, and even if they had business, they wouldn't serve him."
Mu Yun nodded upon hearing this, indicating his understanding. The waiter, seeing that he had successfully approached, seemed happy and was about to say more when Mu Yun stopped him. He smiled and said, "Sir, what you said is not without reason. If your shop isn't closed, you can't refuse guests!"
As soon as Mu Yun's words fell, the scholar man took out an official silver from his robe and threw it to the waiter without even looking. The waiter quickly caught it, looking somewhat awkward. In contrast, the shabbily dressed young scholar, hearing Mu Yun's words, laughed heartily at him, seemingly grateful for Mu Yun's intervention.
"No need to return the extra money!" the scholar said as he passed the waiter, casually patting his shoulder.
"Good... good," the waiter quickly nodded, unable to suppress the upward curve of his eyebrows.
Seeing the dishes being served continuously at Mu Yun's table, the scholar man sighed and said, "Delicious food is easy to find, but good wine is hard to come by!" He then shook his head, expressing his lament. The waiter, who had just finished serving the dishes, casually said, "Our shop has good wine that's over a hundred years old." Then, remembering the scholar's frequent drunken state, he added, "But I can't give it to you. That would be a waste..."
"Sir, if you don't mind my rudeness, please come and sit down, so you can tell me about the principles of wine."
According to the Zeus Genesis Neural System's assessment, the person in front of him was very likely a cultivator beyond the Golden Core stage. Perhaps, this was a valuable opportunity to learn about this cultivation world.
The scholar's eyes subtly brightened upon hearing this. He immediately said, "Excellent, excellent!"
Once the delicacies were served, the scholar unfastened the gourd from his waist, placed it on the table, and said to Mu Yun, "Inside is Yuque Tower's two-hundred-year-old 'Daughter's Red'."
"Come, come... have a taste," the scholar said, opening the gourd's stopper. A rich aroma of wine emanated from within.
"Could it really be two-hundred-year-old Daughter's Red?" The waiter was deeply shaken. Many thoughts flashed through his mind. Just then, a voice came from the inner room, "Li Wan, you withdraw first. I will personally handle things here." As the words fell, a middle-aged, slightly plump man walked out from the inner room.
It turned out the waiter was named Li Wan. At this moment, he seemed to understand something. Yuque Tower's two-hundred-year-old Daughter's Red could only be afforded by those with renown in Qingchuan City or immense wealth. Now, it appeared with a shabby scholar. Whether stolen or robbed, it only indicated that this person had ability. Such a figure was not someone their small, hard-working shop could afford to offend.
Mu Yun, like the waiter, had been deeply drawn by the aroma of the wine as it permeated the air. It wasn't that he had never drunk alcohol, but it had been too long since his last drink. Ever since Earth fell into the solar flare crisis, he had been constantly working, leading Earth's scientists to solve the global crisis, almost exclusively relying on energy bars to supplement his energy needs. Drinking—he had once considered it a waste of time.
But at this very moment, he couldn't quite control himself.
At this moment, the middle-aged plump man had come before Mu Yun and the scholar. He said with a smile, "I am the owner of this shop, my surname is Li, and my given name is Yuan. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
The young scholar smiled slightly and said, "Shopkeeper Li, there's no need to be so polite. I heard your esteemed shop has very old sorghum wine. If Shopkeeper Li is willing to bring some out for this young friend to taste, I would be willing to pay handsomely."
Mu Yun quickly advised, "This young one has never drunk alcohol, no need for the trouble." But then he thought, this scholar is rumored to be addicted to alcohol. His words might just be using him as an excuse. As for Shopkeeper Li, seeing the disheveled young scholar immediately point to his shop's treasure, although his heart ached slightly, he did not neglect them. He agreed and left to fetch the wine, looking as if he was making a gamble.
After the shopkeeper left, the scholar, at some unknown point, produced two crystal-clear cups and placed them on the table. These cups emitted a faint white glow. As the scholar poured the wine, he said, "In ancient times, demons danced wildly, and wars raged. On this land, countless men shed their blood battling powerful enemies. The world of immortals was like this, and so was the mortal realm..."
By this time, the two cups were filled with wine. The young scholar then pointed to the cups on the table, which emitted a faint white glow, and said, "'Daughter's Red' has a red color. This two-hundred-year-old Daughter's Red is even more like fresh blood." The young scholar shook his head, seemingly in lament, "This cup is called the 'Luminous Cup'. To drink Daughter's Red from this Luminous Cup is absolutely perfect. When the wine is poured into it, it looks like fresh blood, and drinking it is like drinking the enemy's blood—that's true exhilaration!"
Mu Yun observed this upon hearing. Indeed, in the Luminous Cup, the wine shimmered, truly as striking as fresh blood.
"Come, come, young friend, you treated me to a meal, and I'll treat you to wine. Let's drink!" the scholar said, raising his cup to Mu Yun. Mu Yun, hearing this, also did not feign modesty and immediately raised his cup, saying, "It is this young one's good fortune to be treated by Sir with such fine wine." Having said that, he also learned from the young scholar and drank it down in one gulp.
As the fine wine flowed down his throat, he felt a burning longsword descending, striking directly into his internal organs. The moment the wine slipped past his throat, the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end, as if countless tiny lightning snakes coiled along his spine, exploding into a blazing fire cloud in his dantian.
At this instant, Mu Yun, as if influenced by the scholar's words, found himself in a chaotic ancient era. Flying through the air, drawing a sword to slay enemies, drinking enemy blood with exhilaration, truly invigorating!
Mu Yun had drunk half a cup, but saw the young scholar had already drained his, watching him with a smile. Mu Yun felt a slight embarrassment and quickly finished the remaining half cup.