Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments-Chapter 75 - 73: Volcano Ant Wine and a Chance Encounter at Changlai Square
On a map of Li State, Shattered Stone Valley was just a small, unremarkable valley.
But within the territory of the Azure Flame Sect, it was a grand Marketplace that had existed for over three hundred years, its fame spreading far and wide.
Countless Loose Cultivators had grown accustomed to trading their goods here. Over time, a small town even developed just outside the valley.
Within its haphazardly arranged streets, over a thousand Cultivators had lived here at its peak.
Even now, six or seven hundred people resided here year-round.
Although most of them had low Cultivation levels, their sheer numbers meant that trade of all kinds was booming.
As a newcomer, Xiao Chen curiously sized up the various small stalls lining the streets.
Perhaps because it was located in the southwest, closer to a group of volcanoes, nearly half the items on the street were related to Fire Manipulation or fire resistance, and the prices were quite cheap.
After a stroll through the streets, he arrived at the center of town, where the largest restaurant stood—Changlai Square.
After so many days on the road, Xiao Chen was more than ready for a change in diet.
He walked right into the restaurant and chose a small table by a window on the second floor. "Do you have any house specialties?"
The waiter introduced the menu as he poured some tea. "Specialties? You’ve come to the right place. We have two amazing items you won’t find anywhere else."
"First is our Volcano Ant Wine. It’s a volcano wine brewed from local volcanic fruits, with volcano ants steeped inside."
"It’s buried at the foot of a volcano for at least twenty years before being unearthed."
"Second is our steamed sea bass. It’s good for the spleen and stomach, nourishes the liver, and even strengthens the kidneys."
The waiter put special emphasis on the last part.
"Strengthening my kidneys isn’t the point. I just want to try some local specialties."
"In that case, bring me both, plus a plate of braised pork ribs, a roasted squab, a cold appetizer platter, and a bowl of plain noodles."
The dishes weren’t expensive. He ordered four dishes at once, and including the Spirit Wine, the total came to only thirty-five grains of Spiritual Sand, which was equivalent to three and a half Spirit Stones.
At first, Xiao Chen was a little puzzled.
Why did the Spirit Fish cost two Spirit Stones, while the Spirit Wine was only one?
When the waiter brought over the Spirit Wine, he saw that it was served in a remarkably small Silver Pot, containing a mere two taels of the wine.
As someone who didn’t normally drink, he had specifically ordered the Spirit Wine.
This was because, generally speaking, drinking a special Spirit Wine for the first time could bring a Cultivator benefits, to a greater or lesser extent.
But two taels was clearly too little to have any effect.
"Wait a minute."
Xiao Chen called out to the waiter. "Why is there so little? Who could possibly get by on this?"
"You should’ve said something earlier. It’s not like I’m going to short you on Spirit Stones. Bring me another pot."
The waiter, however, explained with an apologetic smile, "Ah, customer, you may not be aware. We’re only allowed to sell one pot of this wine per person, per day. We can’t sell any more."
"Otherwise, the Azure Flame Sect will come and arrest people."
"The main reason is that while the portion is small, the wine is potent. One pot is as strong as three."
’The Azure Flame Sect even meddles in this?’
Xiao Chen waved the waiter away. "Fine. You can go back to your work."
He poured himself a glass and downed it in one gulp.
Sure enough, a fiery current coursed from his throat, down his chest, and straight into his Dantian.
Then, a burning flame seemed to ignite near his navel.
’Hiss... maybe there’s a reason for that rule after all.’
Xiao Chen set down the Wine Glass and quickly circulated his Magical Power to dissipate the wine’s energy.
Just as he closed his eyes to focus, he overheard a conversation from some diners behind him.
"Did you guys hear? The Xiong Family isn’t just putting up a lot of their own Treasures for auction this time, they’re also recruiting Loose Cultivators at the valley entrance to consign items."
"I saw it this morning, too. I heard that if the auction is successful, they only take a five percent service fee. It looks like the Xiong Family is taking this very seriously."
"Yeah, and they’re also taking the opportunity to hold a tournament. I heard it’s to find a husband for the Xiong Family’s young miss."
"How could they not take it seriously? Look at the state the Xiong Family is in now. If they don’t attract and recruit some talent... heheh."
"Zhang, what do you mean by that?"
"Haven’t you noticed? Even the fish here have changed. The Xiong Family hasn’t transported any Spirit Fish from Gourd Lake for over half a year. I’ve asked around. The Tian Family is in control there now."
Just as Xiao Chen was listening intently, the waiter brought over a dish. "Sir, your steamed sea bass."
He took the opportunity to ask, "Hey, what kind of fish is this? Where is it from?"
The waiter explained, "Rest assured, sir, this is Spirit Fish from South Lake. I guarantee the meat is fresh and delicious."
"The Nanhu Su Family from the north?"
"That’s the one. Since you know of the Su Family, sir, you know there’s absolutely no problem with the quality of our fish."
’Damn. I came all this way just to end up eating fish from the Su Family, right from my own backyard.’
’Ah, that’s right. The Su Family has no shortage of fish.’
Xiao Chen suddenly recalled the time he had made fish soup for Su Wanqing. She had only seemed to take a small sip.
He remembered she had even praised how delicious the soup was, but she never took a second taste.
He picked up a piece of the Spirit Fish with his chopsticks and tasted it. It was salty, savory, tender, and smooth—countless times better than any ordinary fish.
’The old saying is true after all. The more beautiful a woman is, the better she lies.’
Just then, two more men came up to the second floor and also chose a table by the window.
"Waiter! Ten catties of wine, ten catties of beef, and bring us a couple of side dishes to go with the drinks."
Hearing the waiter’s explanation, one of them immediately took out a Spirit Stone. "Two taels of wine isn’t even enough for me to rinse my mouth with! Just bring out the good stuff. I’ve got plenty of Spirit Stones."
Seeing the waiter’s predicament, the other man interjected, "Forget it, Biaozi. We’re here now, so we should follow the local rules. Let’s just drink what we brought."
He took out a Wine Gourd. "Waiter, there’s no problem if we drink our own wine, right?"
The waiter nodded eagerly. "No problem, no problem at all. Please wait a moment, sirs. The beef will be right out."
Biaozi also took out a Wine Gourd. "What a stupid rule!"
Xiao Chen heard a familiar voice and looked up.
Whoa!
That Wine Gourd... he had an identical one himself.
His was loot from killing Scarface.
The two men before him were very likely Scarface’s two brothers!
To be sure, Xiao Chen discreetly opened his Storage Bag and took a look. It was indeed the same model of Wine Gourd, even the degree of wear was similar.
Moreover, their unfamiliarity with the local alcohol restriction showed that they were outsiders, too.
Outsiders, a Wine Gourd, and the second brother was also named Biaozi.
The three clues lined up. He could be certain it was them!
According to the clues left in Scarface’s diary, each of the sworn brothers likely carried a Spirit-Imbued Snow Lotus.
That day, they had run off to chase Ye Fei. By the time Xiao Chen had thought to look for them, it was already too late.
He had thought that finding them in this vast world would be impossible, never knowing when they might meet again.
But who would have thought? It was a classic case of meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land.
