Chapter 124: The Prime of Wine

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The yet unidentified man frowned as he looked over, tilting his head with a dissatisfied gaze. It was obvious that he was extremely displeased.

Anyone could understand why he was upset.

I was here fis.h.i.+ng quietly and you came throwing rocks the moment you arrived. Not only have you frightened the fish away, you've destroyed my mood to fish as well!

And here you are, making a platform.

Why don’t you stack it up all the way up to heaven?

While you're at it, why don’t you build a house here as well?

Despoiler of all things good and fair!

He glared, watching in disbelieve as the outrageous actions of the newcomers became increasingly irritating.

The culprit seemed to be a young master from a wealthy background, the type who was weak and could do nothing. No, this one was severely injured… Why was he here to fish when he was so badly injured?

Upon closer inspection, everything was being executed by the man who came with him.

He had stacked the platform, set the chair and even a backrest for Yun Yang; he then was prepared the fis.h.i.+ng rod, pa.s.sed over the fis.h.i.+ng line, tied the hook and buoy…

He had even set a small blanket for his master.

Are you going to help him fish as well?

Is he not done yet? Are they still going on with their antics?

Plop, plop, plop…

He threw in the baits without a care, as if he single-handedly wanted to kill all the fish swimming merrily in the lake. After a while, he turned to the elder and smiled, saying, "I apologize for scaring your fish away. Let me share this with you as well."

Plop, plop, plop…

He threw the bait to where the elder was standing.

The man fis.h.i.+ng was entirely stunned – shocked, stupefied, speechless.

With his years of experience, he was still dumbfounded by the odd development of events. He could not help but scratch his head in irritated wonder.

His actions allowed Yun Yang to observe the gray hair on the man’s head.

He did not know how high his cultivation base was for now, but it seemed that he was rather aged.

When Yun Yang finally sat down, at least an hour had pa.s.sed.

What a farce!

However, this absurdity was not ending anytime soon, it was just the beginning. The elder watched as Yun Yang sat down firmly. He was just sitting, not even looking like he would extend the rod out. He was just holding the bait and toying with it in his hands.

What was this fellow doing now?

"Ahem!"

The man coughed and questioned the young man, "Young master, you have set your spot up with so much effort, and dropped so many baits. Why are you not throwing your line in yet?"

Yun Yang answered with a smile, "The fish have been frightened just now. They won’t dare come close for now but there are baits underneath so I only need to wait quietly for a while and the fish will come. Of course, I’d have to drop the fis.h.i.+ng line then."

Despite his irritation, the man could not help but chuckle. "Then the young master might have to wait for some time. With this old and useless one’s experience, only palm-sized fish would return within two hours after such a commotion. The bigger fish won’t come for sure. You’ll have to wait at least six hours for bigger fish."

Yun Yang sat down comfortably, leaned against the backrest and said, "As long as I can get the big ones, six hours is nothing. I’d wait even if it took me three days and three nights."

Yun Yang smiled, "Patience is needed to score the big prize. Old sir, do be calm and don’t be impatient."

The elder’s intention to mock Yun Yang failed and he had been taught a lesson instead. Outraged, he sat down, fuming internally and shut his mouth, not saying another word.

He had intended to chase this man off with ridicule and regain his peace back but who knew that this fellow would actually be willing to wait for three days and three nights. He would just have to wait to see if this young master, who needed someone to do everything for him, really had such patience.

However, just because he kept silent did not mean Yun Yang would stop speaking as well.

"Old sir, where did you purchase this straw cape? It looks mightily fine. As long as you wear it, you have to be afraid of neither storm nor snow. And for the straw hat, why, it could cover even the entire lake."

The elder snorted but did not deign to reply.

"It is so sunny. If only I had a straw hat as a shade…" Yun Yang sighed, lamenting his situation.

The elder remained quiet.

"May I inquire as to old sir’s name?" Yun Yang then asked.

The man watched his buoy with intense concentration as if he did not hear the question directed at him.

"How old is old sir?" Yun Yang asked again.

The man’s gaze remained on the buoy bobbing on the water's surface, not speaking a word.

Yun Yang scratched his head and suddenly produced a rock as big as a man’s head from his side, throwing it out with a loud ‘hey’.

Plop!

Water splashed high and far.

The rock had been thrown right in front of the old man’s fis.h.i.+ng rod.

The rock made a large ripple; the surface of the lake that had just regained its peace formed ripples again. It would have to be a very long while before fish would come here again after the rock had been thrown.

The old man stood up at once and shouted angrily, "How can you be so insensitive? You – you… are you looking for trouble?"

Yun Yang asked with an impudent grin, "May I ask for old sir’s name?"

The elder was huffing. "This old man is changing places, I’m not staying here anymore."

He then stood up, getting ready to leave.

"Old Fang, we’re not staying here either. This old sir looks like an expert, how can we lose the chance to make an acquaintance with an expert? Let’s follow him, we’ll go wherever he goes. We can’t afford to lose him." Yun Yang called out for Fang Mofei and stood up as well.

The elder was speechless, heaving a long sigh against the sky.

Losing his composure, he felt around his back, producing a large wine gourd. He twisted the cap opened and gulped down a big mouthful, glaring. "I’m so infuriated…"

"Old sir, you shall not be angry. Don’t be enraged, don’t be furious." Yun Yang said gently, "You have seen many years of life. What if something bad resulted from your anger? This place is so secluded and lifeless, the consequences will only elicit sighs… What if something unexpected occurs?"

Not only did the old man feel like he was about to pa.s.s out from the frustration, even Fang Mofei was exasperated.

He still could not fathom the objective behind Yun Yang’s intentional trouble-making.

Was he looking for trouble for no apparent reason?

Young master, are you still young? Is it really acceptable to behave this way?

Yun Yang looked at the large wine gourd, a strange emotion dancing in his...o...b.. as he said softly, "Old sir’s wine looks good!"

The old man scoffed and rolled his eyes as he hugged the wine gourd.

Does this child think that he can try my wine?

He’s thinking too much.

The old man snorted and wiped his mouth, putting his wine gourd back, still refusing to acknowledge the irritating pest that stood before him.

"Old Fang, where is our wine?" Yun Yang asked turning his head.

The corners of Fang Mofei’s lips twitched in amus.e.m.e.nt. "Right here."

A while later, a table was set up securely in front of Yun Yang. Ten steaming dishes were served to the table, a plate at a time.

Two crystal-clear goblets and a wine pot were placed by the side of the table.

With just a single glance, it was obvious that the wine pot was immensely aged.

Even the label on it was close to being ineligible.

From the look of things, this pot of wine was aged – a good wine indeed!

The old man held his fis.h.i.+ng rod and took an unintentional peek at the pot of wine. He actually did a double take. His eyes, s.h.i.+elded by the straw hat, stared unblinkingly.

"Speaking of wine… There are countless master brewers in the world, countless wine types that compete against each other. They have their own characteristics and specialties, an abundance of them." Yun Yang continued slowly, "However, right until now, there is only one master brewer who is acknowledged by the whole continent and recognized by the world – the G.o.d of wine from three hundred and thirty years ago, Feng Xiange."

As he spoke, even the old man who had been ignoring Yun Yang all the while, could not help but nod in agreement.

Indeed, Feng Xiange’s achievement in the field of wine was undeniably impressive.

"Feng Xiange, as an expert of his times, stood aloof from worldly strife. From his prime age of thirty to two hundred and seventy-nine, he has only disappeared twenty years ago. He has only focused all his efforts on two things throughout his life – medicine, and wine. Members of the martial arts world called him the ‘Phantom Physician G.o.d of Wine’ then."

"His medical skills were phenomenal, his physical arts mostly unconventional thus lending him the moniker phantom. However, we’re not talking about his medical skills today, only his wine. There was a legion of wine personally brewed by him in his lifetime, but those that were acknowledged by him were rare and few in between. There were only seven types which he called the Wine of the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper."

The elder sat aside, derision apparent on his face under his straw hat. What do you know? Feng Xiange has even better and highly praised wine…

Yun Yang continued nonchalantly, "However, not many people know that this so-called Wine of the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper was the only wine that Feng Xiange released to the public. Despite each type of the Northern Dipper wine being a top grade brew, they were still far from being superior!"

"Actually, the three types of wine that Feng Xiange valued the most, the ones that he used to serve his closest friends, are sorted into Heaven, Earth, and Man. They were served to his friends depending on the relations.h.i.+p, cultivation base, the past, and experience."

The elder heaved a sigh of relief, thinking, "This child actually knows such a tale. Rather impressive, actually."

Yun Yang went on. "Even when these three wines were called superior, they are still not the best acknowledged by Feng Xiange. His best-kept wine, the most superior of the entire Tianxuan Continent, is not Heaven, Earth, and Man but… the Prime of Wine!"

"The Prime of Wine’s brewing ingredients were already extremely rare. Feng Xiange had searched all over the world for the rarest and most treasured ingredients to brew it, brewing only ninety-nine pots in his lifetime."

"The day the wines were ready, they were sealed for storage before being tasted, only being opened when there was a suitable occasion. Even Feng Xiange himself hardly got to drink it. After the age of two hundred and thirty, this was the only wine he’d take every time he drank. To Feng Xiange then, there was no other wine in this world that could be ingested other than the Prime of Wine!"

"Until the day he disappeared, of the Prime of Wine that was renowned yet had never been tasted by others, only nine pots remained."

"Once they had been released to the world, people went out of their way to get them. In the end, only six pots entered the market and went through numerous auctions. The highest offered price reached three thousand mystical crystals!"

Yun Yang narrated unhurriedly, his voice laced with a certain charm.

Three thousand mystical crystals.

The old man wearing a straw hat looked up into the sky, remorse filling his heart.

The news about that auction has reached my ears far too late! Otherwise, one of the six pots would definitely be mine!

What are three thousand mystical crystals? I can afford it, even if it cost me thirty thousand!