Chapter 222: Soul Mates in Wine
"Oh? You're a wine expert as well?" Elder Hu Yan asked as a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"I wouldn't dare to call myself an expert in front of you, Elder Hu Yan," Han Li replied with a smile.
Indeed, he was far from a wine expert. He had only learned some things about this subject as he was often dragged along by Sun Ke to drink with him while crossing the Thunderstorm Sea, and it just so happened to have been the case that this was one of the wines that he had drunk with Sun Ke.
However, drinking the wine back then hadn't inspired any of these revelations in his heart.
"This is fantastic! I took a liking to you as soon as I saw you, but I didn't think you would be an avid wine enthusiast as well! Come, let's have a few more drinks!"
Elder Hu Yan was ecstatic, and he stood up from his reclining chair before returning to the room.
By the time he re-emerged, he was holding seven or eight different flagons, which he set down onto the table one by one.
The styles of the flagons were all quite varied, as was the case with the accompanying cups.
There was a copper goblet, as well as cups made from jade, wood, stone, gold, and various other types of materials. Furthermore, each cup had some peculiar designs engraved upon them, and these designs appeared to have been runes, rather than purely for decoration.
Han Li was immediately able to tell that every single one of these cups and flagons was a treasure, but he had no idea what effects they had.
A hint of intrigue welled up in Han Li's heart upon seeing this, and he smiled as he asked, "Why have you brought out so many cups, Elder Hu Yan? Could it be that each type of wine has to be served in its own cup?"
Elder Hu Yan was looking extremely excited, and he eagerly replied, "Of course! A fine steed requires a good saddle, and the same applies to wine. If you don't have the right cup, even the finest wine won't taste as good as it's meant to. For example, this Green Pear Wine must be served in Heavenly Azure Jade cups. Another example is this Red Mulberry Immortal Wine, which must be served using 10,000-year-old green vine cups to maximize its aroma..."
Han Li nodded in response and picked up the cup of Red Mulberry Immortal Wine, which was another type of wine that he had drunk with Sun Ke while crossing the Thunderstorm Sea.
After just a small sip, his eyes instantly lit up.
The Red Mulberry Immortal Wine that he had drunk with Sun Ke had been one of the most precious wines in Sun Ke's collection, so it was definitely of no lesser a quality than this one, but this cup of wine was far more fragrant in comparison.
Han Li took another, and after carefully savoring it for a moment, he quickly realized why this was the case.
As it turned out, the green vine cup was giving off an ancient vine aura that significantly enhanced the aroma of the wine.
"This Red Mulberry Immortal Wine is brewed from 1,000-year-old Red Mulberry Fruit, which is a fire-attribute spirit ingredient, while this green vine cup contains wood-attribute spiritual qi. Wood gives rise to fire, so it naturally enhances the aroma of the wine!" Han Li mused as a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes.
Initially, he had been rather skeptical about Elder Hu Yan's claims, but he now knew that iot really was necessary to pair certain wines with the right cups.
"That's correct. You really do have a knack for wine. Here, have a taste of this Flowing Light Immortal Wine," Elder Hu Yan praised as he picked up a white flagon, then poured out a cup of shimmering amber-colored wine.
Han Li was treated to several types of wine in a row, and all of them were rare and exquisite wines.
He knew very little about wine, but he was a great listener, and his willingness to listen and learn presented a very pleasing sight for Elder Hu Yan.
These wines weren't like ordinary wines in that they were immortal wines that were extremely beneficial for cultivation. Han Li was only at the early-True Immortal Stage, and after drinking so much, his dantian was already filled to the brim with chaotic energies, so it was most likely going to take him a long time to completely digest everything.
With that in mind, he immediately stopped drinking.
Meanwhile, Elder Hu Yan continued to down one cup of wine after another, and it was clear that his cultivation base was significantly superior to Han Li's.
Han Li waited for a short while, but he could see that Elder Hu Yan had no intention of stopping anytime soon, so he interjected, "Could we take a little break, Elder Hu Yan? I have something I would like to report to you."
"You're a real spoilsport, you know that? Fine, spit it out then!" Elder Hu Yan harrumphed in a disgruntled voice as he sat up in his chair.
Han Li gave an apologetic smile as he pulled out a storage treasure before offering it to Elder Hu Yan.
"All of the Fire Origin Crystals excavated from the Fire Cloud Peak over the past decade are in there."
Elder Hu Yan accepted the storage treasure, then examined its contents briefly with his spiritual sense before tossing it aside, following which he pulled out that azure book and scribbled something down onto it.
"It seems like the sect holds these Fire Origin Crystals in very high regard, Elder Hu Yan. May I ask what these crystals are used for? I can tell that they contained immense fire-attribute spiritual qi, but they're very brittle, and I'd say they're more like spirit stones than other types of fire-attribute ore," Han Li said.
"They're a type of fuel used for refining Immortal Origin Stones," Elder Hu Yan replied without even raising his head.
Han Li was rather taken aback to hear this, and he asked, "How are these Fire Origin Crystals used in the refinement of Immortal Origin Stones?"
Elder Hu Yan raised his head to take a puzzled glance at Han Li, then asked, "Are you not aware of the Nine Turns Immortal Origin Array?"
"I haven't heard of it before this," Han Li replied in a truthful manner.
"I see. You must've only recently joined the sect, right? Where do you come from?" Elder Hu Yan asked.
"You are correct, Elder Hu Yan. I've only been in the sect for less than a century, and I came from a secluded island on the Primordial Wave Continent," Han Li replied.
"That makes sense. The Primordial Wave Continent is a very secluded place, so it's no wonder you don't know about these things. The Nine Turns Immortal Origin Array is an extremely renowned array in the Northern Glacial Immortal Region, and it's capable of fusing 100 top-grade spirit stones into one in a short time to form a single Immortal Origin Stone," Elder Hu Yan explained.
"I see. It's no wonder that Immortal Origin Stones are so rare on the Primordial Wave Continent, yet they seem to be a lot more common in the sect," Han Li mused with an enlightened expression.
"Of course. The Primordial Wave Continent can't even begin to compare with our sect," Elder Hu Yan said in a proud manner.
He flipped a hand over to stow the azure book away as he spoke, then took Han Li's elder badge from him before adding 180 merit points to it.
"Thank you, Elder Hu Yan. Please spare me a bit more of your time and assign me my next mission. It'll only take a short while, and we can get back to drinking after that," Han Li said as he cupped his fist in a salute.
"I finally get some time to slack off, yet here you are, nagging me to no end!"
Elder Hu Yan glared at Han Li with a displeased expression as he spoke, then flipped through a few pages of the mission book before raising his head to look back at Han Li.
"Seeing as you're in such a hurry to complete your three missions, I presume you want to get them done as quickly as possible so you can return to cultivation, right? In that case, I have just the right mission for you. In total, it'll only take several months to complete."
Han Li was very happy to hear this, and he asked, "What's the mission?"
"In order for inner sect disciples to be promoted to direct disciples, they have to pass a trial, and your mission is very simple: you are required to protect some of the inner sect disciples in secret as they undertake the trial," Elder Hu Yan explained.
Han Li was rather taken aback to hear this. "Protect them in secret?"
"That's right. Those inner sect disciples must pass the trial through their own power, and under normal circumstances, they are to receive no assistance. However, many unforeseen mishaps have taken place during past trials, so it's become a convention to have one or two True Immortal Stage elders accompanying the trial-takers in secret for their safety," Elder Hu Yan explained.
"I see. When does this mission start?" Han Li asked.
"You're in luck, the mission starts in three days. When the time comes, go to the Rising Sun Palace, and someone will notify you of the specific details," Elder Hu Yan replied.
"Thank you, Elder Hu Yan," Han Li said with a grateful look on his face.
Elder Hu Yan had a rather sharp tongue, but he had been quite good to Han Li, and the three missions he had assigned to him had all been relatively easy to complete.
"No need to thank me, just make sure to come over and have a few drinks with me whenever you get some spare time," Elder Hu Yan said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"I'll be sure to do so," Han Li replied with a smile, then stood up to depart.
As he left the room, he passed by that spirit plant that was laden with yellow beans again, and he couldn't help but stop in his tracks to examine it again.
"Are you familiar with Dao Warriors as well?"
Elder Hu Yan's voice had rung out directly behind Han Li, and Han Li was quite startled by the fact that Elder Hu Yan had gotten so close to him without his detection.
However, he had already composed himself by the time he turned around, and he said, "I only heard about these things by chance in the past. It looks like you're quite an expert in Dao Warriors."
"Of course! If I rank myself as second in terms of Dao Warrior mastery, no one in the Blaze Dragon Dao would dare to claim the top spot!" Elder Hu Yan declared with a hint of pride in his voice.
Han Li was ecstatic to hear this, and he cupped his fist in a salute as he said, "I've always been very interested in Dao Warriors, but it's something that very few people are familiar with, so I've never been able to find someone to teach me. Would it be possible for you to..."
"You want to learn the art of Dao Warriors from me? No, absolutely not! There's no way I'll teach this to you, so don't even think about it," Elder Hu Yan interjected as he shook his head vigorously before Han Li even had a chance to finish his sentence.
"Is there really no room for discussion on this subject, Elder Hu Yan?" Han Li asked.
Elder Hu Yan was just about to turn Han Li down once and for all, but it was clear that he had taken a liking to Han Li after drinking with him, and he said in a meaningful voice, "It's not entirely out of the question. I have two vices in life, one of which is wine, while the other is the art of Dao Warriors. If you can find an immortal wine recipe better than the ones I currently possess, then I could perhaps teach you."
He had scoured the land for countless years for delectable wines and recipes, so he was confident that even in the entire Northern Glacial Immortal Region, there weren't many people who could exceed him in this area.
Han Li heaved an internal sigh at the sight of Elder Hu Yan's confident expression.
He didn't know much about wine, but even he could still tell that Elder Hu Yan was an expert in this area. All of the immortal wines that he had presented to Han Li just now had been extremely rare and delectable, and he had no idea where he was supposed to find better ones.
It seemed that Elder Hu Yan really didn't want to instruct Han Li in the art of Dao Warriors.
"Alright, I'll be sure to do my best, and if I do find something that fits your criteria, I hope you won't go back on your word, Elder Hu Yan," Han Li said.
Even though the chances were extremely slim, he still didn't want to give up. If worse came to worst, he would just have to release a mission in the Transient Guild, and he was sure that he would be able to find something as long as he was willing to pay the price.
"I never go back on my word, so there's no need to try and goad me. If you really can find such an exceptional wine recipe, then I'd be more than willing to impart my knowledge in the art of Dao Warriors upon you," Elder Hu Yan harrumphed.
"In that case, I'll be taking my leave now," Han Li said with a faint smile, then cupped his fist in a parting salute before departing.
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