Chapter 324: Chapter 249: The Advantages of Old Elixirs_2
 

“`

“Since that’s the case, which senior brother do you recommend?”

“Master Ling Shu of Putuo Peak, Master Chi Yuan of Dayue Mountain, Master Ban Que of Long Peak, they are all well-known masters of wine brewing within the sect, junior brother may choose any one of them.”

“Thank you, senior brother, I have confirmed the completion of the task, you may collect the Spirit Stones,” Jiang Cheng said with a bow of thanks.

“Haha, you’re welcome, you’re welcome,” Qiao Jie said, beaming with joy.

Getting Spirit Stones for answering a small question, he could wake up laughing from his dreams at night.

After listening to Qiao Jie’s introduction, Jiang Cheng did not take action recklessly; he truly did not understand brewing and had to hear a variety of opinions first.

In the following days, Jiang Cheng met with quite a few senior brothers and sisters, roughly grasping the layout of the Tongtian Sect’s wine circle.

Overall, Qiao Jie’s words held true; although Bailiang Peak dominated the market, most of the “high-end wine” in circulation within the Tongtian Sect came from the hands of small workshops.

Moreover, small workshops naturally did not face any “production line” issues; as long as they had spare equipment, they could start brewing.

Taking into account the opinions of several senior brothers, Jiang Cheng eventually decided to visit Master Ban Que of Long Peak.

Master Ban Que excelled at Elixir Wine, so choosing him for the production of Elixir Wine should be a safer bet.

The next day, at Long Peak.

Jiang Cheng and Liu Qing came to pay their respects to the mountain gate.

The one who greeted them was a Core Formation cultivator.

“Is this junior brother here to find Uncle-Master Ban Que?”

“Exactly.”

After a series of polite exchanges, Jiang Cheng successfully met with Master Ban Que.

Master Ban Que was an old man with a goat beard, his cultivation profound, much like Jiang Cheng’s master Yun Shu, seemingly in the Perfect State of Spiritual Transformation.

“So you are Jiang Cheng?”

“I am, junior.”

“Hmm.” Master Ban Que nodded, his eyes half-closed as he sized up Jiang Cheng and Liu Qing, then asked, “I see you’ve reached Foundation Establishment at nineteen; your talent is quite decent. Who did you study under?”

Jiang Cheng truthfully replied, “I am a disciple of Yun Shu.”

“Who!?”

“Master Yun Shu.” Jiang Cheng, fearing that Master Ban Que hadn’t heard clearly, emphasized again with increased emphasis.

Master Ban Que’s expression suddenly changed, and he quickly waved his hands, saying, “No, no, the disciple of Yun Shu won’t do!”

Jiang Cheng froze, asking, “May I ask why?”

Master Ban Que clenched his teeth and spat out bitterly, “That damn girl comes to rob me when she runs out of wine! It’s one thing to rob me of my regular wine, but she even goes for those that haven’t aged properly! It’s a total waste of good wine!”

Jiang Cheng hurriedly tried to distance himself from Yun Shu, “Master Ban Que, please see clearly, I am not close to Master Yun Shu, my master’s actions should not reflect on his disciple!”

Master Ban Que, still fuming, grabbed Jiang Cheng and wouldn’t stop talking about Yun Shu’s misdeeds!

“Among all my fellow cultivators, my cultivation level is the lowest! And I’m in the same realm with that girl. As a result, that damn girl targeted only me to rob! She has no sense of propriety at all!”

Jiang Cheng mulled it over, then with high emotional intelligence said, “Master Ban Que, Master Yun Shu only targets your wine; is there a possibility that she thinks your wine is peerless, the king of wines?”

However, Master Ban Que did not catch on to Jiang Cheng’s high EQ.

He forcefully slapped the stone table and said, “Impossible! Absolutely not! My Elixir Wine is not that good! She robs me simply because I am in the same realm as her!”

“Ah?”

“Anyone with a higher cultivation level than her could defeat her, so of course, she wouldn’t dare rob them!”

“Then Master Yun Shu is quite clever, isn’t she.”

“Clever? She would have been beaten to death if she weren’t cunning… Forget it.” Master Ban Que stopped himself and finally said to Jiang Cheng, “You should find someone else; I do not wish to help you. Chang Lu, see the guest out.”

The Core Formation cultivator named Chang Lu came to escort Jiang Cheng out.

Jiang Cheng did not insist on staying; seeing Master Ban Que’s attitude towards Yun Shu, even if he put a knife to his throat, he doubted he would help.

“Master Ban Que excels at Elixir Wine; he would have been the perfect person to help us brew Elixir Wine, what a pity.”

Liu Qing clenched her fist, her intentions clear.

Jiang Cheng pushed her fist down and said, “Let’s not force anyone; asking someone else’s help will work just as well.”

In Tongtian Sect, there were many who could brew wine, and while others might not be as skilled as Master Ban Que at Elixir Wine, simply brewing was something many could achieve. It was merely a matter of skill level differences.

Jiang Cheng’s next stop was to go to Putuo Peak and look for Master Ling Shu.

Unfortunately, it just so happened that Master Ling Shu was in closed-door cultivation.

“`

Jiang Cheng didn’t think too much, gave up on Putuo Peak, and went to Dayue Mountain to seek an audience with Master Chi Yuan.

As it turned out, quite unluckily, Master Chi Yuan had also entered closed-door cultivation.

“Strange, why have they all entered closed-door cultivation so coincidentally?”

At the foot of Dayue Mountain, Jiang Cheng was utterly baffled.

In the modern Cultivation World, it was not like the ancient times of the Scroll Kings, except for some particularly ambitious geniuses, most people wouldn’t enter closed-door cultivation before breaking through a realm.

The probability of two people consecutively being in closed-door cultivation was even smaller. How could he have encountered both?

“Not in closed-door cultivation,” Liu Qing suddenly said.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes widened in disbelief, thinking, you didn’t just casually release your Mahayana realm Divine Sense because of what I said, did you?

This is awful, this foolish snake!

This is Tongtian Sect! How can you be so bold?

You dare to disregard Immortal Sect elders so flippantly?

This is bad; we can’t stay here anymore; we need a plan…

“You, come with me!”

Jiang Cheng grabbed Liu Qing’s hand and pulled her into a small grove of trees, pressing her back against a tree trunk, then he leaned in close…

Jiang Cheng’s movements were hardly gentle, even a bit hurried, but Liu Qing just blinked in confusion, then allowed Jiang Cheng to wrap his arms around her waist, firmly pressing her against the tree.

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly, looking at the close Jiang Cheng.

“Don’t talk,” Jiang Cheng whispered.

A breath later, a man in a white robe abruptly appeared where Jiang Cheng and Liu Qing had just been standing.

He surveyed the surroundings with Divine Sense, and apart from a young couple snuggling covertly in the woods, he noticed nothing unusual.

“Strange, did I sense it wrong?”

The man in the white robe sighed, “Perhaps I’m too anxious, even mistaking Mahayana Divine Senses. Alas, the world is changing, people aren’t as they used to be. If Yun Shu ever dares to fool around with a male cultivator without being married like that female cultivator, I’d break her legs! And confine her for a thousand years!”

After speaking, the white-robed man disappeared just as suddenly.

But Jiang Cheng was unaware of all this; he silently held Liu Qing for two hours before he felt a hint of safety.

Really, you couldn’t blame Jiang Cheng; he was just following his instincts. He felt as if he had only held Liu Qing for a short while, thinking he could evade an Immortal Sect elder’s inspection, and then released her immediately.

He had no intention of taking advantage of her.

“Master Chi Yuan is a Void Refinement Realm predecessor; our two Foundation Establishment Divine Senses wouldn’t be able to detect him. Did you remember that?” Jiang Cheng warned.

Liu Qing sniffed her nose, detecting that Jiang Cheng was a bit angry.

“Understood,” she obediently replied, not daring to provoke Jiang Cheng’s ire.

“That’s good. We at Foundation Establishment should do what we can, and avoid meddling with matters beyond our reach,” Jiang Cheng reiterated, finally feeling relieved.

This time they had barely gotten lucky, not being discovered by an Immortal Sect elder; had Liu Qing’s identity been exposed, it would have been far too dangerous.

“Let’s go, we’ll visit another elder elsewhere,” Jiang Cheng said.

Liu Qing’s rash use of Divine Sense, though dangerous, had not been without its gains.

At least she let Jiang Cheng know that Master Ling Shu and Master Chi Yuan hadn’t entered closed-door cultivation but simply found an excuse to refuse a meeting with him.

Probably Master Ban Que had sent word ahead of time…

No use dwelling on it, what’s done is done; let’s find the next one.

After several setbacks, Jiang Cheng finally found an elder who was both competent and willing to help him brew wine.

Changhe Peak, the residence of Master Bai Liu.

Master Bai Liu was an early-stage Void Refinement cultivator, with flecks of white at his temples, indicating he wasn’t young.

However, a cultivator’s appearance does not determine their lifespan; some simply care about their looks, while others let nature take its course.

“Elixir Wine? Interesting, I can assist you with that, but upon success, I’ll take a third as my fee,” said Master Bai Liu.

Jiang Cheng said, “Agreed. May I ask elder, when can the wine be ready?”

Master Bai Liu stroked his chin, “About ten years or so.”

“Ten years?” Jiang Cheng frowned.