Bring in the Wine

For his first attempt at making alcohol, Lin Su used only about a hundred catties of Ting Rice. The first batch yielded ten catties with an alcohol content of around 65%. The second batch also produced ten catties, reaching 50% alcohol, and the final tail batch yielded another ten catties at approximately 45%.

The overall yield was about 30%, which was already an excellent result.

Three jars were lined up side-by-side in the west courtyard. Lin Jialiang and Old Zhou were both flushed, not from drinking, but from the surging excitement in their hearts.

"Third Brother, a man without integrity cannot stand. You need to contact Mr. Bao Shan."

Lin Su smiled faintly, "Alright!"

He raised his hand, picked up the Treasure Brush, and wrote a sentence on the Treasure Paper Mr. Bao Shan had given him: "Come, let's drink!"

As the characters landed, the golden paper suddenly shot into the sky, transforming into a golden crane that flew towards the distant Qiankun Academy.

At the peak of the back mountain of Qiankun Academy, Bao Shan was holding a wine pot, feeling utterly bored.

Suddenly, a golden crane flew from the sky and landed in Bao Shan's hand, turning back into a piece of paper. As Bao Shan's gaze fell upon it, he saw the four earth-shattering characters: "Come, let's drink!"

Bao Shan threw his head back and laughed heartily, "Hahahaha..."

He shot into the sky, heading straight for the southwest...

The mountains trembled, and birds scattered in alarm. On another mountaintop, an old man shouted, "Bao Shan, where are you going?"

"To drink!"

As the words fell, he vanished into the distance.

The two old men looked at each other. Drinking wine? When do you not drink wine? If you hadn't said you were going to drink, I would have thought you were having a second spring, finding a young wife and celebrating your wedding night tonight, you're so excited.

When Bao Shan landed in the west courtyard, no one else was there except Lin Su and Lin Jialiang, along with a table full of dishes.

Three wine jars were placed on the ground, each labeled with a character: One, Two, Three...

"Mr. Bao Shan!" Lin Jialiang suddenly stood up and bowed.

Mr. Bao Shan completely ignored him, his imposing eyes fixed solely on the wine jars on the ground.

Lin Su said, "There are three jars of wine, with the potency increasing from low to high. I suggest you start with the lowest."

He raised his hand and pointed to the jar labeled "Three."

Bao Shan waved his hand, and the jar labeled "Three" flew up, its lid shooting straight into the sky...

A strong aroma of wine suddenly broke through the small courtyard. Bao Shan took a deep sniff, and his entire body trembled. So fragrant? Such an intoxicating aroma?

"Good wine!"

With just a sniff, Bao Shan felt as if he had drunk the finest nectar, and every cell in his body, having tasted the best wines from all the great mountains and rivers, entered a state of excitement simultaneously.

Just as he was about to drink from the jar, Lin Su stopped him, "Mr. Bao Shan, don't drink directly from the jar! We have bowls here, bowls..."

"What need for bowls? Only sissies use bowls!"

He drank directly from the mouth of the jar.

Lin Su rubbed his forehead. Well, that jar of wine is ruined.

As the wine entered his mouth, Bao Shan's entire body shuddered, and his bones cracked. He drank half the jar in one go before finally stopping. He held the jar high in the air, closed his eyes, and became like a statue.

After a long, long time, Bao Shan exhaled a breath of wine straight into the sky, seemingly dispersing the floating clouds.

"Hahaha, good wine!" The sound swept through the entire city, alarming half of it.

Ding Hai, who was meditating on a rooftop, suddenly opened his eyes, which shone with brilliant light.

Bao Shan put down the half-empty wine jar and, with a wave of his hand, the second jar flew up.

Another half-jar, and again that still, arrogant pose.

"Haha, kid, have a drink with me!"

With a wave of his hand, the wine jar flew directly towards Lin Su.

"Good!" Lin Su was also infected by his spirit. He caught the wine jar, flipped it, and like a cascading waterfall, poured wine into two bowls.

"Mr. Bao Shan, Second Brother, let's not stop until we're drunk!"

He clinked his bowl with Lin Jialiang's. The wine splashed high, and both of them raised their bowls and drank in one gulp.

The fiery wine went straight into their bellies.

The third jar, the highest proof wine, reached Bao Shan's hands. Another half-jar, and Bao Shan cried out to the heavens, "Strong wine reaches the Heavenly Dao! What fortune is this life! With such fine wine before me, where is the poetry?"

The wine's effect surged straight to Lin Su's brain. He suddenly stood up:

"Do you not see, the waters of the Yangtze River come from heaven, rushing to the sea and never returning..."

The wine poured down, his hair flying...

His voice was high and passionate...

Outside the courtyard, Old He and Old Zhou both turned their heads. Xiao Yao and Xiao Tao simultaneously stopped...

"Do you not see, in the brightly lit hall, one laments white hair, from morning silk to evening snow..."

In the main hall, Madam Lin suddenly stood up, gazing blankly towards the west courtyard, tears in her eyes...

"If life is good, you must enjoy it to the fullest; don't let your golden goblet be empty under the moon..."

"Heaven born, my talent will surely be of use; a thousand pieces of gold spent, and it will all return..."

"Let's cook sheep and slaughter cattle for fun; we must drink three hundred cups at a time..."

"Mr. Bao Shan, Scholar Lin, Bring in the Wine, don't stop the cups..."

"Hahahaha... Mr. Bao Shan, Scholar Lin, Bring in the Wine, don't stop the cups..." Bao Shan repeated, his laughter echoing for ten miles.

"Let me sing a song for you, and I ask you to lend me your ear.

Bells and drums, delicacies and jade are not worth much; I only wish to be drunk forever and never wake."

Bao Shan sang again: "Bells and drums, delicacies and jade are not worth much; I only wish to be drunk forever and never wake! My heart's desire, spoken in a single sentence, how wonderful..."

Lin Su downed another bowl:

"Since ancient times, sages and hermits have all been lonely; only drinkers have left their names."

Bao Shan raised his hand, and a wine jar flew into the sky.

"Since ancient times, sages and hermits have all been lonely; only drinkers have left their names! It strikes right to the heart, indescribably wonderful, drink..."

Lin Su had another bowl and stood up unsteadily:

"King Chen once feasted at Ping Le; he drank ten thousand coins worth of wine and reveled in merriment.

Why does the host say he has little money? We must go buy some and drink with you.

The five-colored horse, the thousand-gold fur coat, Call the boy to trade them for fine wine, and together we'll dispel the sorrows of ten thousand ages..."

Thump!

Lin Su fell face first...

Bao Shan roared: "The five-colored horse, the thousand-gold fur coat, call the boy to trade them for fine wine, and together we'll dispel the sorrows of ten thousand ages! A thousand-year masterpiece! Eternal romance! What sorrows of ten thousand ages..."

Suddenly, his whole body trembled, as if breaking free from some shackles. He suddenly grew ten times taller, stepping out. With just one step, he crossed the courtyard wall. With another step, he left Haining City. With a third step, he crossed the hundred-mile Yangtze River...

"A stone's throw to the horizon... Literary Heart Extreme Realm! He truly took that step..."

On the city walls of Haining City, Ding Hai's entire body shook. He suddenly shot into the sky, and in the next moment, landed at the gate of the Lin family.

Lin Su's drunkenness was so deep, he was lost and didn't know the way back...

Unbeknownst to him, his eyes slowly opened. Candlelight flickered red before him...

A pair of beautiful, large eyes fell upon his face. A warm, wet towel was placed on his forehead...

"Young Master, you're finally awake!" a woman's surprised voice came from his ear.

"Xiao Tao..." Lin Su's gaze shifted to the window. Outside, the starry sky stretched for miles.

"It's night. How long did I sleep?"

"Five hours. Young Master, are you hungry? Madam is in the kitchen. She said she'd personally make dinner for you whenever you woke up."

"Ah? My mother is personally making dinner?" Lin Su sat up abruptly.

"That sentence of yours, 'Don't you see, the mirror in the high hall sadly reflects white hair; from morning silk to evening snow,' Madam recited it all afternoon, and cried all afternoon. Then she insisted on making you dinner..."

Lin Su's heart skipped a beat. He had drunk too much; he hadn't said anything he shouldn't have, right?

Bring in the Wine was a very spontaneous poem. It had a line, "Master Cen, Scholar Danqiu," which had to be changed. He remembered he seemed to have become Mr. Bao Shan, Scholar Lin. If he had changed it, it would be easy. If not, this poem would be troublesome. Who knew who Master Cen and Scholar Danqiu were? Not good, there was still another name later, King Chen!

Lin Su's mind raced. Thank heavens, this world also had a King Chen, who was also a jovial fellow, befriending people all over the world...

Copying poetry was also a skill. The poem had to fit the occasion. If it didn't, people would find fault. The attitude of those in the literary world towards him was very complicated. Give them the slightest opportunity, and they would make a big deal out of it. Not a single mistake could be made.

Oh, and one more thing, Mr. Bao Shan...

"Third Brother, Mr. Bao Shan, thanks to your excellent wine and a timeless, extraordinary poem, has broken through to the Literary Heart Extreme Realm!" The door was pushed open, and Lin Jialiang brought in a large bowl, smiling very happily. "This matter has already caused a major earthquake in the literary world..."

"He actually broke through!" Lin Su was excited.

"He truly broke through. The Literary Heart Extreme Realm! It has blocked the path of so many experts. Who could have imagined that this ancient puzzle would be solved by Third Brother... Third Brother, do you think other experts might also seek your guidance?"

"Second Brother, you're thinking too much. Mr. Bao Shan breaking through to the Literary Heart Extreme Realm wasn't just because of a jar of wine and a poem. He was already at his peak; he just needed a bit of insight. Those literary experts all understand this. How could they have any illusions about me? However, this has greatly promoted our wine. The Lin Family's spring has arrived!"

The second brother handed him the bowl and smiled, "Third Brother, your calculations are truly divine. Boss Ding has been waiting outside the door for a full five hours."

Xiao Tao also smiled, "Boss Ding drank the leftover wine you guys left. He's completely out of it and is just sitting there in a daze..."