...

"This..."

Xiahou Hongde’s eyes were as wide as copper bells, staring at Wang Shouzhe with a fiery gaze.

Such an important matter, you brat didn’t mention it earlier? He even thought that swallowing the Fire Spirit Stone was a necessary step for drinking Fire Crystal Burn~!

Who would have thought, it was just to light a fire... or to add some ceremonial feeling.

Instantly, Xiahou Hongde felt the burning sensation in his stomach becoming stronger.

The difficulty of using Profound Qi to envelop the Fire Spirit Stone in the stomach is not small! Moreover, that "Fire Crystal Burn" is not simple either. After gulping down more than half a sea bowl, his whole body was heated, and his blood kept accelerating.

This was simply double the pleasure.

He hesitated whether he should first get off the carriage and expel that damned Fire Spirit Stone.

"However, Xiahou City Guard is indeed worthy of being a Celestial Human Realm Cultivator." Wang Shouzhe said while cupping his hands towards Xiahou Hongde, showing admiration, praising incessantly, "To swallow a burning Fire Spirit Stone calmly, truly has profound skills that reach the sky."

It’s known that once the Fire Spirit Stone is activated, it can burn without oxygen, releasing scorching heat waves. This stimulation, most people cannot endure.

Upon hearing this.

Xiahou Hongde immediately dismissed the thought of getting off the carriage to vomit.

"It’s just a trivial trick. When you, Patriarch Shouzhe, advance to the Celestial Human Realm, you will naturally be able to do it too."

He forcefully endured the intense discomfort and strange sensation, as if his organs were being roasted in a fireplace, and managed to display an air of mystery and nonchalance.

He picked up the Spirit Tea, which he had previously found bland, and slowly "savored" it, maintaining the demeanor of a serene expert even in the face of the collapse of Liping Mountain: "What were we talking about just now? Oh, yes, give me three hundred jins of Fire Crystal Burn, then this City Guard will forgive you this time."

This Fire Crystal Burn is really good stuff~

After just one drink, he was hooked. Even though he swallowed the Fire Spirit Stone, his stomach couldn’t handle it.

It’s very suitable for people like him, um, powerful soldiers who can lift mountains and cover the world. This made him nostalgic for the days when he was in the Spirit Platform Realm, fighting alongside his brothers on the battlefield.

Unconsciously, he raised the stakes by another hundred jins.

"A mere three hundred jins of Fire Crystal Burn is nothing. Besides, how long can a little Fire Crystal Burn last?" Wang Shouzhe nonchalantly refilled his tea, leisurely saying, "Xiahou City Guard is now just over two hundred years old, in the prime of life. Even if you only drink a hundred jin a year, you’d need to consume fifty or sixty thousand jins in your lifetime."

Fifty or sixty thousand jins?

Xiahou Hongde stalled, wondering why he hadn’t thought of this calculation?

Oh, right, this brat included his Purple Mansion Realm lifespan as well.

This brat really knows how to talk.

I like it.

However, he made a good point; even if he drinks a hundred jins a year, he’d still need to consume ten to twenty thousand jins in his lifetime, right?

Suddenly, he hesitated and asked, "Patriarch Shouzhe, how much does this wine cost per jin?"

Even the Red Mist Burn, which he was now bored of, costs several Qian Gold per jin. A "unparalleled fine wine" like Fire Crystal Burn probably wouldn’t be less than ten Qian Gold, right?

With his salary, he could afford to drink it.

But Xiahou Hongde was not a lone wolf; he had a big family to support, and his children and grandchildren were scattered across various military camps. He always had to subsidize them a bit.

Moreover, a Celestial Human Realm cultivator has Celestial Human Realm expenses; daily cultivation consumes resources, accumulating into astronomical figures over time. If one has ambition and seeks advancement, it’s not unusual for a Celestial Human Realm cultivator to spend tens of thousands of Qian Gold on cultivation each year.

This is also why some families that are not good at managing finances and have insufficient financial resources cannot advance to the Celestial Human Realm, or even if they do somehow, without quickly opening a source of income, a single Celestial Human Realm member could bring down the family.

Of course, if a Celestial Human Realm member appears, the family’s status changes.

With the protection of the Celestial Human Ancestor, they can quickly develop industries and expand financial resources. At the very least, the Celestial Human Ancestor can go hunt in the Outer Domain to maintain it.

However, hunting in the Outer Domain is ultimately a dangerous task, and missteps could lead to falling in battle. Therefore, it’s not a long-term strategy.

Putting aside idle chatter for now.

Wang Shouzhe leisurely said, "If sold externally, I tentatively set the price at ten Qian Gold per jin."

As expected!

Xiahou Hongde’s eyes slightly narrowed, a thousand Qian Gold is not an astronomical figure for a Celestial Human Realm cultivator. However, a long-term annual expenditure becomes an enormous cost. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"How about this, I offer you a price of seven Qian Gold per jin, with an annual quota of three thousand jins for Xiahou City Guard." Wang Shouzhe, who preferred drinking Spirit Tea, said, refilling his own cup, "After all, our Wang Family doesn’t solely rely on selling wine for a living."

Seven Qian Gold per jin? Three thousand jin quota! And annually at that!

Xiahou Hongde’s eyes glazed over.

If he could resell them, wouldn’t he make an extra twenty thousand plus Qian Gold out of thin air?

He fell silent, looking at Wang Shouzhe with an unusual gaze.

This kid, with a single word, proposes a business worth tens of thousands of Qian Gold annually, appearing as if it’s just a casual move. No wonder... he managed to unite so many noble families in a short time, and even the Changning Xu Family seems to regard him as a leader.

This is a God of Wealth~ Who wouldn’t like the God of Wealth?

"Patriarch Shouzhe, you’re bribing me," Xiahou Hongde said gravely, "What’s your purpose?"

As a City Guard, he had seen the world.