[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain":3,"chapter-notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-56":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Notes on Cultivation at Wulong Mountain",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2272961,4440,"Chapter 56: Chapter Fifty-Five: Business Is Business","notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-56",56,"\u003Cp>Indirect practical proof showed that even without direct sexual cultivation, the Yin-Yang Art aided in unblocking meridians and acupoints; applying its principles to breakthroughs not only accelerated the pace of opening acupoints but also slightly enhanced the transformation of true qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Qing Jie’s help, the time to unblock the Neiguan acupoint was advanced by nearly two to three days compared to the original plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Liu Xiaolou joyfully moved to strike the seventh acupoint—Daling—but he had only one spirit stone left; half a month later, the last one was spent, forcing him to end this period of quiet cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Qing Jie visited again, Liu Xiaolou thanked her: “Qing Jie, I’m deeply grateful for your patient guidance these past days; I have nothing to offer in return except this jade pendant, a small token of my appreciation—please accept it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Jie blinked in surprise: “You’re not cultivating anymore?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou said: “It’s about time I return to the mountain; I don’t even know if the Qingyu Sect has left yet…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Jie hurriedly said: “They haven’t left—they’re still there. Just stay put. Didn’t you say your cultivation had improved significantly? Why not push forward while you’re ahead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou scratched his head: “They’re still here? It’s been three months already…” He chuckled bitterly: “But I have to leave anyway—I’m out of spirit stones. I need to go out and seek opportunities, earn some spirit stones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Jie smiled: “I’ve been thinking about this for you! The other day, a Qingyu Sect outer gate manager came to my place for drinks, got drunk, and started cursing Zhanglong Mountain, Dongyang Mountain, and Tianmu Mountain, blaming them for causing all the managers to be reprimanded by the sect and forced to travel thousands of miles in hardship. My mistress asked why, and he said these three mountains refused to sell them spirit wine or spirit rice, so they had to go far away—he was assigned to Qiandong, and he’s not even sure if the local sects there will sell to him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the various sects of Jingxiang, Zhanglong Mountain produced spirit rice, Tianmu Mountain brewed spirit wine, and Dongyang Mountain brewed a little too, though in small quantities; all other sects, clans, and hermit cultivators produced very little, barely enough for their own use, let alone for sale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou asked: “Why won’t these three mountains sell to the Qingyu Sect?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Jie sneered: “The Qingyu Sect came to Xiangxi claiming they were eliminating evils for Jingxiang cultivation sects, accusing these three mountains of jealousy and saying other sects were bound by regional bias and refused their goodwill—acting all indignant. But even we in this trade know business has limits. You’re a sect from Dongxiang, coming to Xiangxi to hunt bandits; they tolerate you out of face, but behind your back, giving you the cold shoulder? That’s all they’re doing—refusing to sell spirit rice and spirit wine. If it were us, we’d have stormed their gates long ago!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou raised his thumb: “Qing Jie, your insight is sharp—you hit the nail on the head!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Jie went on: “These Qingyu Sect masters—what if they don’t drink spirit wine or eat spirit rice? Will they die? Such spoiled brats… Anyway, forget that. I was thinking: I once had a patron from Jinping Mountain’s Zhang family—he seemed high-ranking. I’ll try to reach out to him; I know the Zhang family brews spirit wine too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou thought for a moment: “Your idea is good, Qing Jie. I’ll handle the spirit wine—I’ll be back in two or three days at the fastest, five or six at the latest. If you get a chance, help me contact a Qingyu Sect manager—we’ll find a way to sell the wine up the mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Jie immediately agreed: “Done. We’ll haggle for extra spirit stones to help Xiao Lou unblock his five meridians sooner!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou’s connection wasn’t the Zhang family of Jinping Mountain—he immediately locked up his room and headed for the Tianmen Mountain marketplace. Wei Hongqing managed the Hongji Wine House—wasn’t that the biggest connection?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he arrived at Hongji Wine House, Wei Hongqing wasn’t there, but the shopkeeper recognized Liu Xiaolou as Wei Proprietor’s friend and led him inside to sit, serving wine and dishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou took the chance to ask prices, and the shopkeeper gave him full details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hongji Wine House sold three kinds of spirit wine: the most basic was Lu’s Spirit Cellar, forty taels of silver per jar—the same kind Liu Xiaolou drank when he first arrived, with very faint spiritual power; even a Qi Refining third-layer cultivator like him found it barely satisfying, good only for rinsing his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The premium one was Bamboo Leaf Green—the same kind Wei Hongqing served him—each jar cost hundreds of taels of silver, or half a spirit stone per jar; the spirit wine brewed by Dongyang Sect’s Jinping Mountain Zhang family was of comparable flavor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The best was Tianmu Spirit Platform Wine, said to be brewed with Tianmu Mountain’s spiritual spring water; Liu Xiaolou had never seen it—Lu’s family kept it for their own use and never sold it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To deal with those Qingyu Sect masters, Lu’s Spirit Cellar wouldn’t do—it was too cheap and wouldn’t fetch a price; he needed Bamboo Leaf Green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the shopkeeper would sell only one flask. When asked why, he said this batch was made in small quantity, meant only for Tianmu Mountain’s own consumption, with no surplus for sale; if not for Wei Proprietor’s favor, he wouldn’t have dared even offer this one flask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected! So Liu Xiaolou said no more and waited patiently for Wei Hongqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By late night, as the wine house was about to close, Wei Hongqing hurried back. Seeing Liu Xiaolou, he wasn’t surprised—just shooed out all the bystanders and asked in a low voice: “Xiao Lou, have you heard? Lu Er’s gone missing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou remained calm: “What have you heard from your side?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing said: “According to Qingyu Sect people, he once forced his way into Taoyuan with two others, vanished after entering the mountain, and even spirit-form tracking couldn’t find him. One of them, I suspect, is one of my own managers—he’s also disappeared. The other’s identity is unknown.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou asked: “Is his disappearance good or bad for you, Wei Brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing smiled: “Of course it’s good. That bastard always caused me trouble; these past months, I’ve had far less headache.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou said: “Then that’s fine, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing said: “The problem is his elder brother, Lu Yuanlang—he’s gone mad like a rabid dog, blaming everyone he sees for his brother’s disappearance. But I stand upright, so I don’t fear shadows; let him rant. The trouble is, Lu Yuanlang has turned his spearhead back toward the Qingyu Sect…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou realized: “So your Tianmu Mountain cut off their spirit wine?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing nodded: “It was Lu Yuanlang’s suggestion, and the Zhanglong Sect also reached out. The clan elders agreed to cut off their spirit wine, and Zhanglong Sect decided not to sell them spirit rice either. The Qingyu Sect people are used to spirit wine and rice—suddenly switching tastes, they can’t bear it. Let’s see how long they can last in Xiangxi… So…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou changed the subject: “So I came today about the spirit wine—I’d like to ask, Wei Brother, could you sell me some Bamboo Leaf Green?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing nodded, smiling: “How much do you want?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou said: “I don’t want to trouble you—how about four jars to start?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing said: “Lately, we haven’t been selling spirit wine to outsiders… Here’s the deal: come every other day, take one jar each time, and I’ll sell it to you at eighty taels per jar—but you mustn’t say you bought it from me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou beamed: “Thank you so much, Wei Brother!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou emptied his entire fortune—including the gold hairpin and pearls the white goose had picked up and the silver ingot Qing Jie had given him—and barely scraped together over eighty taels of silver, handing it all to Wei Hongqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing had wanted to cover the cost, but Liu Xiaolou insisted—he wouldn’t let his good brother pay for him; since the amount was enough, why burden him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clutching the jar of Bamboo Leaf Green, Liu Xiaolou rushed back to Wuchao Town that very night.\u003C\u002Fp>",1395,"2026-06-19T23:11:25.549Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d60f6c0f7f000cd2731ef3af77aaf8049f4fe1c348434a8d08eb668d1f8411d0","notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-57","notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-55",638,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnotes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-cover.jpg"]