Chapter 67: Master likes you too! (Begging for continued reading!)

You brat, you scared the life out of me!

As Ning Mu placed her on the chair in front of the table and suddenly left that warm embrace, for some reason, a sense of reluctance arose in Liu Qingmei's heart.

How she longed to stay in this warm embrace forever! Thinking this, Ning Mu had already opened the wine stopper and poured her a cup of wine.

"This wine... why is it as clear as mountain spring water?"

Liu Qingmei widened her eyes in surprise.

The wine in this world was mostly yellow wine; other types like fruit wine and rice wine were more niche, though they were more popular among women.

But regardless of the type, most were murky, and few were as clear and limpid as this.

That was why it was called "murky wine."

Yet the wine Ning Mu had poured before her was even more translucent and clear than mountain spring water, which inevitably left Liu Qingmei feeling astonished.

What shocked her even more was that after the teacup was filled with wine, a rich, fragrant aroma of alcohol immediately rushed to her nose.

Although she rarely drank, as a martial artist, a little alcohol could not affect her.

Immediately, she picked up the teacup and took a small, shallow sip.

"Hiss... why is it so spicy!"

Liu Qingmei set down the teacup, feeling very surprised.

At this moment, her curiosity about this wine rose in a straight line.

"Master, how is the taste?"

After pouring a cup for himself as well, Ning Mu asked with a smile.

"Hmm... although it is a bit spicy upon entering the mouth, the aftertaste is long and lingering after it passes the throat. Although I do not drink, I am sure this must be a fine vintage. If it could be promoted, it would surely be widely popular among wine lovers. I just wonder how this wine is brewed; why is it so mellow and long-lasting, and yet so clear and translucent, compared to ordinary wine?"

Liu Qingmei took another small sip, savored it carefully, and then looked up, staring intently at Ning Mu.

At this moment, her face was already flushed with a rosy glow from the alcohol.

From Ning Mu's perspective, looking down from above, it was truly extremely alluring!

"The brewing process is cumbersome, so I won't go into detail. It's just that this wine is too expensive. I have only brewed a little over five hundred catties so far, but it has already consumed over two thousand five hundred catties of refined rice. It is basically five catties of refined rice for one catty of wine. If I improve the technique later, I should be able to reach the level of three catties of refined rice for one catty of wine."

"Five catties of refined rice!"

Liu Qingmei was startled upon hearing this.

Immediately, she silently did the math.

Currently, one mu of land only produced a little over three hundred catties of refined rice, and one catty of refined rice cost about five qian of silver on the market. To brew one catty of wine, the grain alone cost at least two liang and five qian. Adding labor, the site, and other factors, the cost alone was over three liang.

Then how much would this catty of wine have to be sold for? "Xiao Mu, currently there are disaster victims everywhere, and grain prices are skyrocketing. The victims are all starving, and we are still wasting grain to brew such fine wine; is this not inappropriate?"

"If this refined rice were exchanged for inferior Coarse Grain, how many commoners could it benefit!"

Liu Qingmei frowned, her eyes filled with a compassionate light.

Hearing Liu Qingmei's words, Ning Mu set down his wine cup and said solemnly, "Master, you are wrong!"

???

Liu Qingmei raised an eyebrow, staring at Ning Mu; she wanted to hear where she was wrong! "This wine was never meant for the disaster victims to drink, but for those from wealthy households and high-ranking, powerful clans!"

"Although the brewing cost seems high, after passing through my hands, it can be earned back ten or a hundred times over from those rich people. Then, I can use this money to buy grain, continue brewing, and help the disaster victims. Wouldn't that be a triple win?"

Hearing Ning Mu's words, Liu Qingmei could not help but be stunned.

After thinking about it carefully for a while, her eyes brightened, and she nodded in agreement, "You are right; I was shallow!"

"I shall punish myself with a cup!"

Saying this, Liu Qingmei raised her wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

"Master, you must not gulp it down like that..."

Ning Mu wanted to stop her, but it was already too late.

With a cup of strong liquor down her throat, the fiery sensation immediately made Liu Qingmei's cheeks flush red, and her pair of amorous, beautiful eyes became increasingly hazy.

【Notification: The Perfume and strong liquor you developed have deeply moved Liu Qingmei, not only because of the benefits brought behind it, but also because your ability has gained her approval. Liu Qingmei's Loyalty Value has increased by 2%, current Loyalty Value is 78%!】

78%!

Ning Mu's eyes lit up immediately. Only 2% more, and he could possess a second Sub-system! Time waits for no one.

Immediately, Ning Mu opened the system and searched, wanting to see if he could issue a new task now to try and get this 2% settled as soon as possible.

【Task status: No new tasks available to issue!】

???

Such a good opportunity, and you tell me there are no new tasks to issue?

Looking at his pretty Master, who was already gradually paralyzed by the alcohol, full of charm, and enchantingly alluring, Ning Mu wished he could slap this damn system a few times!

"Master, are you drunk?"

Seeing Liu Qingmei swaying, as if she might fall at any moment, Ning Mu hurriedly went over to support her.

"No... *hic*... not drunk. Xiao Mu, Master knows, you like Master, and Master likes you too!"

"But some things are destined to be beyond one's control, do you understand?"

"This affection, let us, master and disciple, bury it deep in our hearts, okay?"

Liu Qingmei looked up, grabbed Ning Mu's hand, and pressed it against her own heart, her amorous eyes flickering with sorrow and pain.

At this moment.

She suddenly felt so powerless.

She wanted to completely unlock the shackles in her heart at this moment!

But in the end.

Reason still overcame emotion! Just as he touched her chest, before he could even feel the sensation of her heartbeat, suddenly, a scene that left Ning Mu speechless occurred!

"Watch as Master uses internal energy to force away the drunkenness!"

Liu Qingmei let out a sharp cry, then immediately circulated her Cultivation Points, and while pushing Ning Mu back, the drunken flush on her face faded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"…Is this how you play?"

Ning Mu was speechless for a moment.

He had been thinking that, taking advantage of her drunkenness, perhaps something imaginative might happen tonight.

As expected, he was just overthinking it! A moment later.

Liu Qingmei opened her eyes, and when she looked at Ning Mu, her gaze flickered.

"Xiao Mu, Master spoke too much; you don't need to think too much about it, understand?"

"It is very late, go back and rest; Master is going to sleep!"

Liu Qingmei stood up, turned her back to Ning Mu, walked toward the bed, and issued an order to leave.

Clearly, she remembered what she had just said.

It was nothing more than drunken talk brought on by the alcohol.

Now that she was sober, she felt endless regret.

But for some reason, deep in her heart, there was a trace of a heartbeat she had never felt before; this feeling... seemed like something she had never experienced.

Could this be the joy described in storybooks after two people fall in love and pour out their hearts to each other?

"Then... Master, Disciple will take his leave."

After Ning Mu left, Liu Qingmei shook her head, a flash of deep hesitation and struggle appearing in her eyes.

"What should this concubine do!"

"I can already feel Xiao Mu's burning, fiery heart..."

"But Liu Qingmei should not be such a shameless woman!"

"But..."

Liu Qingmei subconsciously furrowed her brows, her eyes revealing deep unwillingness.

If all of this really didn't happen, would she... be content?...

(End of this chapter)