Chapter 131: Wine Moves the Human Heart, the Drawbacks of Force

Fire Control Method Spell: Entry/10/100

Qi Observation Method Spell: Entry/9/100

Chen Ci withdrew his gaze from the void, reached out and pressed down, and the furnace fire beneath the alchemy tripod was extinguished instantly, leaving only a trace of residual heat.

Sure enough, the Nether Yin True Qi improved all the spells he practiced. The Qi Observation Method was not yet too obvious, but the Fire Control Method was truly at his beck and call; the alchemy tripod's fire would start when he said so and extinguish when he said so, without the slightest ambiguity. Over the course of an hour, apart from one tripod of Spirit Rice Meal having a tiny flaw, there were no problems with the rest.

However, this money was truly hard to earn. Cooking Spirit Rice in the eatery was not like him cooking one jin at a time; it always started at three or five jin of Spirit Rice. Cooking eight tripods of Spirit Rice in an hour exhausted him quite a bit, and it was no wonder Shopkeeper Zhuang had to hire extra help.

But tired as he was, the reward was only half a jin of Spirit Rice, not a fraction more.

If cooking Spirit Rice was like this, Chen Ci truly did not envy the Tripod-Operating Warriors who earned high wages on the Treasure Ships.

"No wonder they can never hire a part-time Spirit Chef here year-round. With such a meager salary, if there's a mistake, one has to pay for the losses out of one's own pocket. That man surnamed Zhuang certainly has a knack for business."

Chen Ci shook his head. If it weren't for the fact that they truly couldn't hire anyone, the owner of this Bawun Jian would likely be eager to hire an apprentice, not only to work for free but also to collect an extra tuition fee.

After exiting the back kitchen, there were still some sporadic customers in the shop, but as long as it wasn't busy, Old Daoist Zhuang could handle it himself.

"Daoist Chen, thank you for your hard work."

The somewhat rigid face of Old Daoist Zhuang softened a little. He first took out a small bag of Spirit Rice, then thirty taels of gold, and said, "Today, one jin of your Peiyuan Spirit Wine was sold. This is the money for the wine."

Chen Ci nodded and accepted it. It was only the first day, and being able to have earnings was already quite good. This path of selling medicinal wine was indeed quite decent.

"By the way, will you leave this jar of Peiyuan Spirit Wine with me, or take it back?"

Old Daoist Zhuang suddenly asked. Chen Ci smiled and waved his hand: "Moving it back and forth is a bit troublesome; just leave it in the shop."

The key to this Foundation-Nourishing Spirit-Nurturing Wine was only the 'Snow-Refining Red', which was the essence of flesh and blood. As for the things soaking inside, they were all gimmicks, and Chen Ci was not afraid of others learning it.

"Alright, tomorrow at the Hour of the Rooster again. I hope Daoist Chen will not miss the time."

After politely sending Chen Ci out of the eatery, Old Daoist Zhuang watched his back disappear outside the Pingkang Ward before entering the inner hall and pouring himself another small cup of Peiyuan Yangshen Wine to sip.

This wine was indeed invigorating; after drinking it, his whole body felt warm and very satisfied, but it was not true spirit wine and had no benefit to his True Qi cultivation.

However, some hidden injuries on his body from these years and his somewhat declining vitality had shown a faint improvement.

"How strange."

Although Old Daoist Zhuang's cultivation was not high, having opened an eatery in the Sea Market for so many years, he still had some discernment. He simply summoned his shop assistant, took a pot of Peiyuan Yangshen Wine, handed it over, and instructed: "Go, let the young master taste it and ask him if he has any comments."

"Very well, Master."

Old Daoist Zhuang felt that this spirit wine should have some market. That Daoist surnamed Chen looked like someone who wouldn't stay in the eatery for long. Any cultivator like that would eventually embark on the path of no return of alchemy, just like his unfilial son.

Once Chen Ci left, if Old Daoist Zhuang sold similar wine, it wouldn't be breaking the rules.

"What's so good about alchemy? Cooking Spirit Rice and being a Spirit Chef doesn't earn less than some alchemists, one after another."

Old Daoist Zhuang finished the Peiyuan Yangshen Wine, leaned back in his chair, and lazily stroked his long beard. He was only eighty-something; if he took care of himself, it wasn't impossible to have another son.

After all, this 'Bawun Jian' really needed someone to pass it down to.

"Staying at home every day to absorb Qi and practice methods, while cultivation can improve, knowing too little about the affairs of the Sea Market outside is not a wise choice."

Chen Ci sat cross-legged on the bed and touched his chin: "There are many people of all walks of life outside the Pingkang Ward, and one can hear quite a few interesting anecdotes."

Moreover, although Old Daoist Zhuang had exploited his labor, Chen Ci didn't lose out.

Half a jin of Green Bamboo Spirit Rice.

Thirty taels of gold in wine proceeds.

By the way, the cost of one dou of Peiyuan Yangshen Wine was twenty taels of silver, not even as valuable as that Jiao Whip, Old Ginseng, or the Glazed Jar. Health wine was truly a windfall in any territory; the only pity was that if it didn't sell in volume, it actually didn't earn that much.

As well as the progress in the Fire Control Method and Qi Observation Method.

Having free Spirit Rice to grind progress, though bitter, was not unacceptable.

"Miscellaneous Pills earn small money, Spirit Pills can earn big money. The Small Heavens Qi Absorption Pill Method must be practiced!"

Chen Ci slowly closed his eyes, extracted seven drops of Essence Refining, and began to practice today's Five Ghosts Transportation Method and Five Aggregates Yin Demon Method.

Perseverance, one must be down-to-earth, perseverance indeed.

Half a month later.

Bawun Jian.

"Daoist Chen, Daoist Chen?"

Old Daoist Zhuang greeted him politely, interrupting Chen Ci's train of thought and bringing him back from the Gold Finger panel.

"Daoist Zhuang, what is it?"

"Nothing, you've worked hard during this time, Daoist. Stay for a simple meal today."

Old Daoist Zhuang was very polite, his expression a bit wistful: "I know the salary I offered you is a bit low, but running a small business, it really doesn't make much money. Please forgive me."

He had to be polite; where else could he find such a cheap and useful employee? He had to keep him working for a few more days at any cost.

"No need, no need."

Chen Ci waved his hand nonchalantly and prepared to head home. Was he, Master Chen, the type of person to lack this simple meal?

Actually, it was mainly because the Five Aggregates Yin Demon Method was about to recover to its previous level of cultivation, and he wanted to go back early to absorb Qi and practice, so as not to always feel a bit uncomfortable.

Five Aggregates Yin Demon Method (Damaged): 42 (43)/100

Either today or tomorrow night, his True Qi cultivation would finally be restored to its original state, but he estimated that his practice of the Five Aggregates Yin Demon Method would also enter a bottleneck.

Five Ghosts Transportation Method: Perfected/54/100

To be fair, his Five Ghosts Transportation Method was already more than halfway through the Perfected realm, unlike when it had just barely reached it. At this time, practicing the Five Ghosts Possession Great Method should theoretically not be a problem. Seeing that the Five Aggregates Yin Demon Method had reached the point of needing hard cultivation, Chen Ci felt truly itchy inside, the kind that couldn't be suppressed.

But with the cautionary tales of those cheap fellow disciples of the He Mountain Sect, he was truly panicked about practicing Five Ghosts Possession before the Five Ghosts Transportation Method reached Perfected.

"You must eat, it's only right."

Old Daoist Zhuang pulled Chen Ci toward the table, where several of the eatery's signature dishes had already been laid out. Beside them sat a small tripod containing Spirit Rice Meal that was half Green Bamboo Spirit Rice and half Pearl Rice. Although it seemed a bit stingy, as a simple meal, it was actually somewhat luxurious.

Chen Ci's heart stirred slightly; he feared there was a trap in this meal.

"Daoist Chen, please."

However, Old Daoist Zhuang did not stand on ceremony, poured himself a cup of Peiyuan Yangshen Wine, poured one for Chen Ci, and then invited him to start, smiling as he said: "These days, your Peiyuan Spirit Wine has been selling quite well."

"It sells well but earns little; if it weren't for the sake of practicing the pill method, sigh."

Chen Ci suddenly realized that over the past half-month, his Peiyuan Yangshen Wine had gradually gained some reputation and a few repeat customers; he could sell a jar every three or four days, earning a hundred taels of gold, and in half a month, he had four Spirit Pearls in his account, which was much more profitable than cooking Spirit Rice.

Working as a part-time chef, he had only collected eight catties of Green Bamboo Spirit Rice in half a month, not even worth one Spirit Pearl.

Chen Ci just said that in "Bawun Jian," he only cooked Spirit Rice and sold some health wine; as for other matters, Old Daoist Zhuang couldn't find him.

"Shopkeeper Zhuang, you might not believe it when I say this, but I earn less than twenty taels of gold on this jar of Peiyuan Spirit Wine."

Chen Ci felt a sudden surge of sorrow and pinched his thigh hard under his Daoist robe: "If I'm unlucky and mess up, I lose money; otherwise, why do you think I don't lower the price? It takes days to brew one jar, and it's all right at the cost line."

Old Daoist Zhuang narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling that this man surnamed Chen didn't seem to be faking it, and he sighed a little, picking up his wine cup to toast with him: "We small cultivators, although we have some skills, earn only hard-earned money. Daoist Chen, I am older, so I'll take advantage of you—listen to your uncle's advice: don't practice any pill path; honestly cooking some Spirit Rice Meal is the right path."

After a pause, Old Daoist Zhuang lowered his voice and said: "How about this, you work as a Spirit Chef here with me, three Spirit Pearls a month, with room and board included, how about that?"

Chen Ci: "."

That is damn black-hearted; he cooks at least twenty catties of Green Bamboo Spirit Rice every day at the You hour alone, and one catty of Green Bamboo Spirit Rice can earn six taels of gold, so he starts at a minimum of thirty Spirit Pearls a month.

Although he didn't know what the other costs were, three Spirit Pearls a month—isn't this just pure slave wages? Bah!

Chen Ci resisted the urge to roll his eyes, picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and sighed: "Sigh."

Old Daoist Zhuang gave a sheepish smile: "Although it's a bit low, it has the advantage of being stable, and with the wine revenue, it's not too little."

Although Old Daoist Zhuang didn't understand the mysteries of the Peiyuan Yangshen Wine, he still had an uninitiated pill refiner in his family; while their fire control might be lacking for refining Spirit Pills, they still knew some simple identification methods. After tasting this Peiyuan Spirit Wine, he knew the main flavor was a substance that nourishes the origin, which was quite beneficial to the body but not profound; if he wanted to, he had ways to imitate a medicinal wine with similar effects.

But the problem was the cost; the concentration of the origin-nourishing substance in this Peiyuan Spirit Wine was quite high. If he were to do it, the cost of just one dou of wine would likely be around a hundred taels of gold, making it hard to turn a profit. The young master of this Zhuang family eatery had developed a little curiosity and wanted to probe the cost of Chen Ci's research into this wine.

It was precisely because of this that when Chen Ci said the cost of a jar of wine was nearly a hundred taels of gold, it matched what the young master had said, so Old Daoist Zhuang believed him.

At the dining table, both had their own little schemes; Old Daoist Zhuang drank Chen Ci's Peiyuan wine hard, and Chen Ci ate Old Daoist Zhuang's Spirit Rice Meal hard; it was a case of meeting an equal, neither winning nor losing.

However, it was a pity; Old Daoist Zhuang perhaps felt he hadn't lost out and drank the entire pot of Peiyuan wine.

Chen Ci, however, had truly made a killing; the five catties of Spirit Rice Meal were eaten clean by this glutton, which had to be worth at least ten or twenty taels of gold.

"Earned it!"

The two looked at each other and both smiled.

But suddenly, a strange tone came from the doorway: "Good wine, good meat, Spirit Rice Meal, bring it all up to me!"

A two-meter-tall, gray-skinned, muscular, black-bear-like brute slowly walked into the eatery. Although his voice was loud, his tone was quite slow, and the expression on his face was somewhat dull. Just seeing the food on their table, he moved his throat, revealed a set of grim white teeth, and walked toward them.

"Such fragrant wine, let me taste it."

As he spoke, he actually reached out to take the wine cup containing the leftover wine on the table, truly not treating himself as an outsider.

Chen Ci frowned slightly but did not move to stop him, because he inexplicably felt that this person was not right; he gave him the feeling of a fool wandering the streets in his previous life—wanting to eat and drink, without reason.

Old Daoist Zhuang's reaction was slightly greater; he hurriedly stood up, performed a salute with both hands, and said politely: "This Daoist, the shop is closed; would you like to change to another place to eat?"

"Hmm?"

The big man swallowed the leftover wine in the cup and licked his lips, a clear irritability appearing on his face. But before he could speak, Old Daoist Zhuang said in a deep voice: "This Daoist, Pingkang Ward has patrolling cultivators; you wouldn't want to go to the mines to serve hard labor, would you?"

The big man was stunned for a moment. After a few breaths, his expression became dull again; he crushed the wine cup in his hand, threw it on the ground, and walked slowly toward the door. As he was leaving, he kicked a chair to pieces and left without looking back; he seemed to have a rather bad temper.

Chen Ci touched his chin, gave a dark laugh, and watched the excitement.

"Bad luck."

After the big man had walked far away, Old Daoist Zhuang spat hard: "Another fool of a Si Ding Li Shi; truly bad luck."

"This person is a Si Ding Li Shi? The kind that works on a Treasure Ship?"

Chen Ci was quite surprised to hear this and couldn't help but ask: "Daoist Zhuang, listening to your tone, are there many of these Si Ding Li Shi who have gone stupid?"

"Heh, you must not have been in the Sea Market for long; you'll know after you've been here a while."

Old Daoist Zhuang pulled a long face, tidied up the things, and then said to Chen Ci: "Why do you think every merchant firm frequently recruits Si Ding Li Shi? Besides the fact that it is truly hard work in the ship's hold and the turnover is high, it is more because they cannot find proper Force Path Facie, so they just find some techniques to practice, and as a result, they suffer from Qi deviation and ruin their brains. Look, that's the kind of not-very-smart appearance from just now."

Chen Ci: "."

"Qi deviation? Doesn't look like it?"

Chen Ci frowned; although that person looked a bit wrong, his True Qi was still stable, not looking like someone suffering from Qi deviation.

"I don't understand either; I only heard it's some kind of evil fire backlash, attacking from both inside and out. If there are no means to regulate it, the intelligence will get worse and worse."

Old Daoist Zhuang sighed: "Although there are occasional incidents of evil cultivators killing and looting in the Sea Market, most of the disasters are caused by these stupid Si Ding Li Shi. It's like they are demented, and their tempers are irritable and extremely difficult to control. It's best for people with low cultivation to avoid them."

Damn it, did Lin Laohu mean that the Force Path method hinders True Qi cultivation?

Then what is the thing that is beneficial to the Five Ghosts Possession Great Method?

Chen Ci grinned; is this situation a problem with the Force Path Facie, or is the problem with Force Path cultivation different? He hadn't even mastered the Five Aggregates Yin Demon Art yet; where would he go to study the Force Path method?

No, if he can't latch onto Jiao Zhenren's thigh, he'd better latch onto Lin Laohu's thigh. A Dao Foundation is still a Dao Foundation; although it can't compare to a Golden Core expert, he wouldn't mind; he would reluctantly make some progress.

Chen Ci felt he was drifting a bit; he actually started to look down on Dao Foundation cultivators.

Suddenly, Chen Ci remembered something and asked casually: "Daoist Zhuang, if that's the case, where do the Si Ding Li Shi find the most reliable Force Path Facie?"

(End of this chapter)