CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 54: BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS, BEYOND THE HEAVENS

Chen Xu walked ahead, with a nameless village stream beside him.

The babbling stream meandered from the foot of the distant mountain, winding past patches of irregular fields, carrying a melodic tinkling as it flowed away into the distance.

The pastoral landscape has always been plain and serene, clear and amusing.

But that is often only for those who are accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the world, those who have their own vision and depth. When they descend from the heights, the mountain village appears vibrant and lovely.

Yet, if you were to ask the real villagers living there, it might not be a scene of distant mountain hues and green mossy steps.

The mountains are layers upon layers of insurmountable ridges;

The waters are lifelines that must be fought and contended for;

The fields are countless days with faces to the earth and backs to the sky;

The cooking smoke is the desolate gray smoke of having eaten today but not knowing where tomorrow’s meal will come from...

Once you step into this deep muddy land, when can you ever rise above it?

Chen Xu walked silently by the stream, saying nothing, but his steps carried an indescribable, silent force.

Cui Fu trailed behind him in small steps. At first, he was patient, but as they continued walking, and it seemed the sun was already climbing to midday, he feared that the Chen family’s lunch might already be ready.

Would they just go back in silence and say nothing?

That won’t do!

Cui Fu could not bear it and finally spoke carefully, "Master Chen, my young master has ordered me to invite you to the Prefecture City and insists on having you stay at our residence."

The patriarch has cleared the beds and is waiting for you, Master Chen, to grace us with your presence."

Chen Xu said, "Thank you for your owner’s kind intentions. Unfortunately, I’ve already promised the County School master and my classmates to go to the Prefecture City together.

My friend also has relatives there who have prepared a guest room, so I truly cannot split myself."

Cui Fu became anxious, "But if I can’t bring Master Chen, I..."

"Steward Cui, promises made in advance must be kept. Steward Cui wouldn’t want me to be someone who goes back on their word, right?"

Chen Xu smiled slightly, guessing that Cui Fu might mention "being punished if the task is not completed" or such things.

But some words needn’t wait for the other to say them first.

Cui Fu was immediately silenced, unable to persist further. He could only frown slightly, occasionally showing a look of distress on his face.

Afterward, when lunch was ready, the Chen family laid out two large tables of good wine and food, warmly welcoming Cui Fu and his group.

The wine, which Chen Xu had just brought back from the county town, used Fengli Wine from Nanquan Lane as its base, with some Blood Agar soaked in.

Because the Spiritual Food Recipes were not strictly followed, this Blood Agar Wine did not have a definitive effect of enhancing Qi Blood as a spiritual food.

However, compared to ordinary wine, the Blood Agar Wine processed by Chen Xu had a unique flavor. Long-term consumption actually contributed to the growth of one’s Qi Blood.

As it slid down the throat, it felt like a line of Jade Dew entering the belly.

At first, it was rich and fragrant, with only the aroma of wine.

Then a warmth suddenly rose from the abdomen like a spark, bursting through the limbs in an instant.

The effect of the wine surged to the head, leaving one in a state of semi-intoxication, yet a wave of heat rolled through the body.

"Good wine!"

After three sips, Cui Fu suddenly slapped the table, exclaiming in admiration.

After praising, he suddenly felt it was abrupt, hastily looking around, only to see everyone at the table already flushed and full of praise.

No one found him abrupt, and even the elderly Fang Taiye, who had been previously sluggish, suddenly became lively after a few sips of wine, lifting chopsticks vigorously, even nimbly snatching up the wine!

This can’t do!

Cui Fu quickly signaled, and one of the armoured guards at the table immediately took advantage of his martial skills, deftly snatching the wine jug like threading flowers.

Hey, the wine jug in Fang Taiye’s hand was lightly taken away.

Cui Fu took the wine jug, smiling faintly, "Elder, you’re too old, and excessive drinking is inadvisable. It’s better to rest well, and let me handle the pouring."

Fang Taiye’s old face flushed red, just about to argue, only to see Chen Xu wave, and Chen An brought over two more pots of wine.

"Everyone, enjoy moderately, excess is harmful," Chen Xu said. "Yet on a wine table, how can we not let the guests enjoy to their heart’s content? Rest assured, there’s plenty of food and drink."

Smiling and sighing, he said, "It’s just a shame the ingredients for soaking the wine are somewhat hard to come by, so I brewed a little less. Otherwise, I’d surely send a few pots home with each of you."

He expressed apologies while personally pouring wine for everyone.

This gesture was well-received by Fang Taiye, but Cui Fu immediately looked anxious.

Seeing him anxious, Fang Taiye and village head Fang Xinbai also stood up to refuse.

During their refusals, Cui Fu suddenly realized, "Master Chen, is it possible this wine... was personally brewed by you?"

Chen Xu replied, "I didn’t personally brew it; it’s just been soaked a second time by me. Added some medicinal herbs to subtly aid the Qi Blood."

"To aid the Qi Blood, no wonder drinking this wine makes me feel warm and revitalized."

Cui Fu immediately looked moved, showering Chen Xu with compliments.

"Master Chen’s broad-mindedness is truly admirable, humbling himself to associate with little folk, I am deeply embarrassed..."

[Likes +2+2...]

Amusingly, Cui Fu, after drinking Chen Xu’s processed wine, continued to praise both Chen Xu and the wine, with likes pouring in rapidly in multiples of "2".

Chen Xu discreetly checked the Food Cauldron Celestial Book.

It turned out the Blood Agar used in making Fengli Wine was a spiritual material, so even though the wine wasn’t a formal Spirit Wine, it still had advantages in receiving likes.

Additionally, Cui Fu’s daily like limit was normally 20 points, but after drinking the Blood Agar Wine, it doubled to 40 points that day.

The same applied to the armoured guards, whose usual limit was 10 points, which became 20 points after drinking the Blood Agar Wine.

Likewise, the others experienced similar adjustments.

Chen Xu immediately realized that he had discovered an entirely new path for cultivation.

No, this might be, so far, the most suitable path for long-term practice among all his cultivation "like-receiving" paths.

Brewing wine, or processing "pseudo-spirit wine," indeed came with such benefits!

Chen Xu felt joy in his heart, his face becoming more radiant.

For a moment, the banquet was buzzing with chatter, the atmosphere lively and harmonious.

Even Cui Fu, who had presented two faces before Fang Taiye and others while showing humility and deference to Chen Xu and the Chen family, gradually relaxed.

He began to open up, occasionally talking about various amusing things in Prefecture City.

Sometimes he mentioned the influence and prestige of the Yunjiang Cui family, although his words had a hint of boasting about his masters, they also revealed much useful information.

The guards, exchanging drinks, who were usually silent, began to chime in more frequently with Cui Fu’s words.

Chen Xu, while observing new likes emerging on the Food Cauldron Celestial Book, silently gathered various pieces of information.