SWDnovel Chapter 44 Drinking and chatting with others is good for your health, but drinking with a friend is
Chapter 44 Drinking and chatting with others is good for your health, but drinking with a friend is
After several rounds, Senior Sister Qin was already drunk. Li Ya, shameless as ever, pretended to keep drinking, but actually most of the wine ended up in the Ling Shu Cave.
During the conversation, Li Ya also learned some old stories.
This unconventional wine shop owner turned out to be a close friend of his own advisor, despite their age difference. In a way, he should also address his advisor as "Little Advisor."
"Back then, that old geezer Yang Xun died young, leaving behind little Dao Yun. At that time, she was at a crucial moment in determining her destiny, and I was not around, so she could only find a piece of peach wood struck by lightning to use as her destiny object."
Upon hearing this, Li Ya immediately perked up and listened intently.
"Lightning-struck peach wood, possessing both wood and lightning attributes, is quite in line with the approach of your Yunfu Sect's Jia Wood Azure Dragon Thunder Star Pill."
"It's a pity that it was too rushed at the time. The peach wood struck by lightning was dull and lacked spirituality. Even after so many years of continuous refining, there has been no improvement."
"It just so happens that at this Dugu City auction, I saw a peach demon in the catalog that hadn't yet taken human form..."
Upon hearing this, Li Ya instantly understood.
In the seven stages of Qi Refining cultivation, one must choose one thing to refine in the Qi Sea as the foundation of one's destiny and the basis for one's path.
It could be a spiritual herb, a rare stone, a magical artifact, or a spiritual root.
If one believes their talent rivals that of the Dao Ancestor, they may choose several items as their natal artifacts.
It is not necessarily true that the more spiritual energy a natural treasure has, the better it is. For example, the best natal material for the Jia Wood Azure Dragon Thunder Pill is an object that has all three elements of dragon, wood, and thunder.
The master's natal object is a piece of peach wood struck by lightning. Since he already possesses both wood and lightning attributes, the remaining dragon attribute can only be refined in the acupoints of the body to create a dragon-attribute talisman.
This is a common method. Not all cultivators can find a suitable natal object at once; most of them supplement it with other protective items.
If you are lucky enough to find a perfect and flawless natal object, then the choice of a talisman will only require refining some things that enhance this natal object.
Take cultivators who practice fire magic, for example. They will usually refine a wisp of spiritual wind as a talisman in addition to their natal object. The wind helps the fire, and the fire helps the wind, complementing each other perfectly.
"Come on, come on, fill it up, fill it up!"
Then came several more rounds. Although there was still some stolen wine each time, eventually, after a while, he couldn't take it anymore.
Li Ya had no choice but to beg for mercy:
"Senior Yulang, I really can't take it anymore!"
"How can you say you can't hold on if you can still talk!"
As Shen Wuhuo spoke, he grabbed Li Ya's hand and tried to pull him into the inner room.
"I'll take you somewhere nice!"
After saying that, he didn't forget to call a maid to settle Senior Sister Qin and Senior Brother Lingji, and then pulled Li Ya to a hot spring in the room.
After changing their clothes, the two of them soaked in the pool.
It would have been better if he hadn't soaked in the hot water, because once he did, Li Ya felt dizzy and lightheaded. The hot water stimulated his blood and qi to flow faster, and he immediately felt drunk.
"Hehe, this is a good idea! Come here for a soak, it'll make you feel even more comfortable when you're drunk!"
Upon hearing this, Li Ya couldn't help but complain to his master, saying that it would have been better if he had told everyone about this senior before coming here.
"That's a good idea. Others use the methods to sober up, but you, brother, are doing the opposite – getting drunk to the point of death."
"The point of drinking is to get drunk; if you don't want to get drunk, why drink at all!"
"belch!"
He continued speaking only after letting out a long burp.
"This wine is not something ordinary cultivators can get their hands on. You cheated, you've taken a lot of my wine!"
Li Ya suddenly realized what was happening, but could only manage an awkward smile.
"It's okay. Although I know you're cheating, I couldn't figure out the specific method. You're pretty good."
"As long as you don't waste the leftover wine, it's not a big deal."
Li Ya wanted to express his gratitude by cupping his hands in thanks, but after soaking in the hot soup, he felt weak and powerless all over.
"Senior Yulang, this wine is no less than a powerful body-strengthening elixir; I know how precious it is."
Shen Wu Huo waved his hand and sighed, "Someone as fond of wine as me would be happy if I could catch a wine worm!"
"What are wine worms? Could it be that maggots have grown in the wine?" Li Ya couldn't help but wonder.
"Pah, pah, pah, do I look like someone catching maggots?" Shen Wuhuo took the wine cup handed to him by the servant and continued:
"This wine worm is a real treasure; it can turn the rotten into the miraculous!"
"The wine worm is indeed a wondrous creation of the world. Its origins are unknown, and ordinary cultivators would find it difficult to know. Even if they did know, it would be a fabrication."
"This wine worm exists between reality and illusion, making it extremely difficult to catch. Its shape resembles amber or solidified fat, like a piece of warm, soft jade. This little fellow does not like to eat herbs or spiritual fruits, but only enjoys absorbing the essence of fine wines and spirits."
"If you put it in clean water, the water can transform into fine wine; if you put it in inferior wine, the inferior wine will instantly become a fine brew."
"This strange insect is one of the highlight items at the Dugu City auction this time. I really want to rob Dugu City's treasury!"
But according to Shen Wuhuo, they were nothing more than some strange insects.
For wine lovers, this is indeed a supreme treasure, but for cultivators, it doesn't seem to be a particularly valuable treasure, so how could it be one of the final treasures?
"This doesn't sound like anything special, so why is it the grand finale?"
"You haven't been practicing for very long, have you?"
Li Ya nodded.
Upon seeing this, Shen Wuhuo immediately said to the servants attending him:
"No, go to the Red Sleeve Fragrance Pavilion. See the 'Map of Central Continent,' 'Records of Strange Insects,' 'Genealogical Records of Clan Families,' and more..."
"Buy it and give it to my friend's room. It must be a deluxe edition of the Baiyujing."
Books bearing the mark of Baiyujing City are not cheap, and I bought so many sets at once.
Li Ya intended to say something polite: "Senior Yulang, I cannot accept such a reward without merit, this..."
Shen Wu Huo thought for a moment and said, "You're right, Bu Si, go and call Bu San back!"
"I dare not refuse the gift from an elder; Li Ya thanks Senior Yu Lang."
"Back to this wine worm, this little fellow exists between the real and the illusory, and can manifest in a cultivator's Qi Sea."
"If it can be tamed and recognizes its master, as long as it is provided with fine wine from time to time, this little thing can absorb the cultivator's true energy in its dantian and then expel even purer true energy."
"Just tell me, how much time can this save in cultivation!"
In that case, this is truly worth saving as the grand finale. This thing will probably ignite the cultivators' true fire; which cultivator could resist such temptation?
"How wonderful it would be if I could obtain it! It seems my vision is too limited; I don't even know what good things exist. If I knew these good things existed, and had the Spiritual Pivot deduce their location, wouldn't that be amazing!"
In just a short while, Li Ya had already come up with more than a dozen ways to use the Ling Shu.
"Senior Yulang, could you please give me a copy of this auction catalog?"
"There's a copy in each of your rooms."
"You're so generous, senior!"
Not long after, the penniless man who had disappeared for a long time returned, bringing with him a jade bottle.
"Hehe, they've all collapsed, and you're still awake. You're lucky!"
"This wine is called 'Heartbroken Wanderer,' and it's the strongest in my collection! No cheating this time, just a small cup!"
Taking the small wine cup handed to him by Yi Qiong, Li Ya felt it was unreal. He had never seen such a small wine cup in the shop. Could it be that the wine was unusually strong?
On a whim, he brought the wine glass closer to the candlelight.
"Bang!"
A faint blue flame suddenly rose from the wine glass.
"Kid, I've added the finest Gelsemium elegans to this wine. Your stomach will feel incredibly comfortable after drinking it."
"Senior, the name of your wine is truly fitting. It's heartbreaking, but I wonder where 'Tianya' (the End of the Earth) is?"
After preparing himself mentally, Li Ya raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, only to find that the wine was as bland as water.
A moment later, he was carried back to his room by a bunch of shady characters.