Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Drinks and Conversation
Right now, Caiyuan Village is full of Xuanqing Guards in black robes cleaning up.
They’re not just clearing out the corpses; they’re also re-planning the entire area. This is, after all, the territory of the Sword Emperor’s Tomb. Even if it’s sealed off, they can’t afford to let their guard down.
As for reopening the village—forget it. Even if you did, who would dare to live here? You never know when the Sword Emperor’s Tomb below might bubble up again. Wouldn’t dying here just be dying for nothing?
So from the Xuanqing Guard to the Local Government Office, it’s likely that from now on Caiyuan Village and the twenty miles around it will never see the light of day. Even if they don’t put up walls, at the very least, they’ll warn the locals: trespassers die.
After coming out, Shen Hao didn’t see Wu Changhe again. The one in charge of command now was a familiar face: Tang Qingyuan. This guy came over with a big smile, patted Shen Hao on the shoulder, and left without saying a word. But judging from his expression, he was in a pretty good mood.
Where did Wu Changhe go?
According to what Wang Yiming told Shen Hao: Households Commander Wu was ordered to return to the Governor’s Office to report on his duties, with no fixed date of return for now.
Report on his duties at a time like this? Just an excuse. Shen Hao was quite happy that Wu Changhe, that high-and-mighty buffoon who always made a mess of things, had finally gotten the boot. Best if he just stays at the Governor’s Office or goes straight back to the Commander’s Office—watching the gate or the warehouse, whatever. Just don’t let him out to cause trouble anymore.
The sect cultivators had left.
Besides the two from the Celestial Toad Sect looking sour, everyone else’s faces weren’t too bad. Especially those second- and third-tier sect folks who’d made it out alive—they were downright exuberant.
The three Golden Sword Cultivators also departed, leaving Shen Hao a token, saying that if he ever visited the Imperial City, he could find them at Fenghong Manor.
Shen Hao couldn’t leave just yet. But promises made had to be kept.
So, Yang Ming, who had just managed to recover after scarfing down two big bowls of porridge, got sent out as a runner. He raced off from Caiyuan Village all the way to Tu Kui City, to that "Zhang Family Five Spirits" shop, and used Shen Hao’s waist token to get sixty jars of half-year-aged Wuliangye.
Wuliangye is now a sensation across the whole Jingjiu Dynasty, but it’s only available in the Fengri City jurisdiction. Add in Shen Hao’s hunger-marketing play, and this liquor is stupidly rare—some folks are flipping it for ten times the price.
No one but Shen Hao would have the face to pull sixty jars out of the wine shop in one go.
Back to Caiyuan Village, in that same big house, up on the roof—Nie Yun and Shen Hao sat about a zhang apart, each holding a jar of wine.
"Didn’t expect you to have a cut of the Zhang Family’s wine shop. Looks like you own a big chunk, huh? Tsk tsk, with that kind of money, why are you still slumming it in the Xuanqing Guard? Wouldn’t it be great to find some quiet place and just focus on cultivation? Plus, you’ll never run out of good booze... Hoo..."
"Life is full of ups and downs, people’s hearts always in flux. I’m just an ordinary guy; compared to drifting freely between heaven and earth, I actually prefer rolling around in the mortal dust. And this wine? It’s nothing special yet—still room for improvement."
"Like rolling in the dust, do you? Hahaha, that’s funny. Really funny. So why bother cultivating? And you think you can make this wine even better? I don’t buy it."
Shen Hao raised his wine jar and took a sip, then laughed, "I cultivate to cultivate my fate. The longer I live, the more I can roll around; otherwise, if you’ve only got a short hundred years, wouldn’t you miss out on too much?
As for the wine, I can’t brew it myself, but the Zhang Family can—they’re the real craftsmen, and I know their roots. If they follow my ideas, they’ll keep improving and innovating. I’m sure it won’t be long before there’s even better booze to drink."
The two of them could really hold their liquor—after a jar apiece, aside from slightly red cheeks, their eyes were perfectly sober.
This was Nie Yun’s best quality as a drinker. He’s a dyed-in-the-wool boozehound, but never ropes people into drinking contests. He likes to savor it one sip at a time, and if someone joins him to chat about booze, all the better.
"Xiao Hai and Wind Bell are dead." Nie Yun grinned slyly, glancing over at the carp pond not far away—the one now roped off. Not long ago, it was the entrance to the Sword Emperor’s Tomb. Now, only a cloud of pitch-black mist blocks the way.
"I know."
"That trick of getting someone else to kill for you—smooth. You’re no saint, either."
Shen Hao shook his head at that, voice light: "Nie, that’s fair enough. I’ve never thought of myself as a good guy."
"So you admit Wind Bell and Xiao Hai died according to your plan? Poor Celestial Toad Sect idiots played right into it and didn’t even realize."
"Nie, you can’t just say stuff like that! When did I ever admit it?
Besides, I never told Zhang Lin and the other guy it was Wind Bell and Xiao Hai who killed their people. I heard the dead one had some real status, so Zhang Lin and his friend need an explanation to take home. That’s why they were desperate to kill, what’s that got to do with me?"
Of course, Shen Hao would never confess, and Nie Yun’s suspicion was just guesswork anyway. If he really wanted to get Shen Hao in trouble, he could’ve called him out in front of the Celestial Toad Sect instead of bringing it up in private now.
"Still not fessing up? Tsk tsk. The moment Wind Bell and Xiao Hai saw me, they nearly jumped out of their skin, asking if that named disciple I’d taken was still outside. Then they spent a while singing your praises. But tell me, what story did you feed the Celestial Toad Sect? If it was like you told them, Wind Bell and Xiao Hai shouldn’t have known you were a Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute Named Disciple.
You brought all this extra wine—trying to buy my silence, aren’t you? Well, fine, my mouth can be sealed with wine. But tell me, why bother going to all that trouble to get rid of Wind Bell and Xiao Hai? Did they cross you? Haha, don’t tell me you killed Yu Shengjue too?
Heh, just kidding. If you really killed Yu Shengjue, that would be a riot.
Oh, and one more thing. Right before they died, Xiao Hai and Wind Bell kept shouting about you having a hundred mid-grade spirit stones—that it was loot. If you actually have that, better find a way to clean ’em or get rid of ’em ASAP. If the Celestial Toad Sect catches you, it’ll be a big pain."
Nie Yun drank while talking, smiling the whole time, but always hitting the heart of the matter.
Shen Hao lifted his wine jar at that, didn’t answer—just toasted Nie Yun from a distance.
Everything’s in the wine.
"By the way, Nie, help me take a look at these. See if there’s anything special." Shen Hao took out the materials he’d gotten in the Cloud Sword Domain from his storage bag, tossing them over one by one.
A hunk of black iron, a dried red flower, a dead tree branch as thick as a pinky, and a hexagonal black leaf.
All of them artifact refining and alchemy materials—Shen Hao didn’t recognize them, but he figured Nie Yun’s horizons were broader. After all, Nie Yun could casually whip out a Little Gourd magical artifact to prove his identity—he’s obviously an expert.
Nie Yun took them, laid them on a tile in front of him, and commented one by one: "This is Black Flame Iron, main ingredient for fire-refining middle-grade magical artifacts. Pretty popular stuff. This is Qiaoling Flower, for alchemy—mainly Great Nourishing Pills—also in demand. This branch seems to be Heartless Wood? Not sure. This leaf is nice, probably Six-Ring Tree Leaf.
So, are you keeping these for your own use or planning to sell? If you want to sell, maybe think about us at the Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute?"
