Imperial City Department Comes to Buy Wine

Back home, Ye Kang washed the blood from his body.

Then he took out the two thin booklets Li Jingming had gone to such lengths to obtain.

They appeared to be a martial arts manual, divided into upper and lower volumes, kept separately by the Li Family and Liu Family.

"Li Jingming spent all that effort over this martial art. Let's see what kind of treasure it is."

Ye Kang put the two incomplete volumes together.

He used the Quantum Fluctuation Speed Reading Method and rapidly skimmed through them.

The System Sound immediately sounded.

[ Ding ]

[ Innate Martial Arts recorded: Hundred Flowers Sword Finger ]

[ Martial arts description: Passing through a sea of ten thousand flowers, not a single leaf clings to the body. Gather the qi of a hundred flowers to form primordial Sword Qi, released from the fingertips, capable of shattering mountains, severing rivers, and taking lives from a hundred paces away. ]

[ Hundred Flowers Sword Finger requires 2000 comprehension to begin. The host is currently unable to learn it. ]

Fellow!

Innate Martial Arts!

This really was an unexpected harvest!

Ye Kang was overjoyed.

Innate Martial Arts were even more formidable than Ultimate Martial Arts. As the name implied, they were meant for Innate Masters to practice.

Their rarity was self-evident.

Yet who would have thought such a powerful martial art would be hidden within two utterly ordinary lineages? A great recluse hid in the marketplace indeed.

Had Li Jingming not stumbled upon it by sheer accident, Ye Kang truly might have missed this top-tier martial art.

Ye Kang looked at his remaining 600 points of comprehension and sighed helplessly.

"System, give me a task. The pot's about to run dry."

[ Ding ]

[ I know the host is in a hurry, but don't be in such a hurry. ]

"..."

What a system with personality. You win.

Ye Kang shook his head. Rather than dwell on it, he decided to sleep first.

The next day.

Ye Kang rose early and first sent several streams of Wood Element True Qi into Ye Ping.

It had to be said.

If it had been any other fierce and forceful internal energy, Ye Ping's ordinary body definitely would not have been able to endure it.

But that was precisely where the Wood Heart Sutra excelled.

It possessed considerable combat power, yet its true qi was incomparably gentle, brimming with vitality. It was most suitable for transferring qi to heal injuries.

After two rounds of qi transfer, Ye Ping's breathing had visibly improved. His wounds were healing much faster, and he was considerably more spirited as well.

Ye Long and Madam Ye stood nearby. Neither could see much, but as the person involved, Ye Ping could clearly feel that vast and mighty true qi.

His face was full of astonishment.

"Younger Brother, when did you become a martial artist?"

Hearing this, Ye Kang did not panic.

Sooner or later, he would have to come clean anyway. He merely needed to repeat the explanation he had given Lord Leng.

After spinning a string of nonsense, Ye Long and Madam Ye nodded again and again.

"Kang'er, being accepted as a disciple by a reclusive expert is your good fortune. Your father and mother are happy for you."

The Ye Family Members were not as shrewd as Leng Ruyi. They believed Ye Kang without hesitation.

Ye Ping forced himself to perk up and looked at Ye Kang with eyes full of hope.

"Brother, I'm useless. I made Father and Mother worry. But now it's all right. From now on, we'll have to depend on you."

Though Ye Ping spoke calmly, Ye Kang still heard the loneliness in his voice.

Then he looked at his elder brother's ear, half of which had been sliced away, and Ye Kang immediately rose to his feet.

"Don't worry, Elder Brother. Focus on taking over the wine shop and brewing the finest wine in the world. I guarantee that no one will ever dare bully you again. I'll even find you a sister-in-law, one a thousand times, ten thousand times better than that broad-shouldered, thick-waisted Liu Cui Cui!"

"Kang Di, that is thoughtful of you. Nothing matters more than taking care of Father and Mother."

Ye Ping only thought his younger brother was trying to comfort him and did not take it seriously.

Just then, a loud and boisterous shout came from outside.

"Old Ye! Where are you? There's great news!"

Then a middle-aged man in the uniform of the City Patrol Division strode inside.

It was Old Meng, Uncle Meng as Ye Long called him.

The moment he came in, he began talking with animated excitement.

"Big news! Those hooligans hired by the Li Family got beaten up last night. Every last one of them had broken arms and legs, all crippled! And Li Jingming was found dead on Old Street at dawn, his chest hollowed out. It was miserable... No! It was deeply satisfying!"

"What?!"

The three Ye Family Members all cried out in shock.

Then they simultaneously thought of something and looked towards Ye Kang.

Ye Long reacted quickly and immediately coughed.

"Understood, Old Meng. That is called evil people receiving evil retribution. When people are wicked, Heaven will collect its due."

Old Meng burst into hearty laughter.

Then he went out with Ye Long to drink tea.

Madam Ye, meanwhile, worriedly pulled Ye Kang aside.

"Kang'er, it wasn't you, was it?"

Ye Kang shook his head with righteous indignation.

"Mother, I'm with the Imperial City Department. Of course it wasn't me. It was probably some great hero who saw injustice on the road and acted on behalf of Heaven."

Madam Ye was half-convinced, half-doubtful, but did not pursue the matter further.

She also felt that her son should not be capable of such brutality.

Just then.

Another round of shouting came from outside.

"Which one of you is Ye Long?"

Everyone immediately went outside.

They saw a squad of military guards from the Imperial City Department standing at the entrance with several large chests carried behind them, their faces full of friendliness.

This sight also drew the attention of the nearby neighbors.

Quite a few people ran home and shouted, "This is terrible! The Imperial City Department has come to the door!"

When the Imperial City Department came calling, nothing good ever came of it.

That was something everyone knew.

The neighbors all immediately came out to watch.

Ye Long stepped forward first. "I am. What can I do for you officers?"

The leading officer first cupped his hands. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Ye Kang walk out from the courtyard.

His eyes instantly lit up, and he shouted, "Commander Ye! We've come to your home to buy wine!"

Hearing this, Ye Kang immediately understood.

These were all elites who had participated in the siege of the White Tiger Gang that day. They must have come under Zhu Cong's orders to deliver those Five Thousand Liang of silver.

It just so happened that his family ran a wine workshop, so they could use buying wine as a pretext and avoid giving people something to talk about.

"Buy wine? From my home? Officer, have you made a mistake?"

Ye Long's face was full of bewilderment.

The officer waved his hand. "That's right, that's right. Commander Ye is young and promising and has rendered great service. Our commander said that from now on, all wine for the Imperial City Department will be purchased from Commander Ye's home. This is the deposit."

As he spoke, the officer directly opened one of the chests.

Clatter! Clatter!

A thousand liang of Snowflake Silver lay inside, gleaming dazzlingly beneath the sunlight.

At once, countless cries of amazement sounded, and the entire street boiled over.

"The Ye Family has struck it rich!"

"So much silver! There's so much I can't even take it all in!"

"Even the Imperial City Department came! The Ye Family has a powerful backer!"

The news immediately spread. Several nearby streets stirred at the scent of it, and many people specifically came over to watch the excitement.

The officer was very tactful. He did not speak much with Ye Kang. Instead, he took Ye Long by the hand and called him "old brother" with every other word.

"Old Brother, rest assured. I've heard of your Peach Blossom Drunk long ago. It's the finest Peach Blossom Drunk in the entire imperial city! It must be sold for 200 liang per jin! Take this silver first. Once the wine is brewed, we'll come collect it."

Ye Long was completely numb. He stammered, "R-Really?"

Thinking he had some difficulty, the officer hurriedly added, "No rush! There's no deadline. Brew it whenever you can!"

Ye Long was on the verge of tears.

Though his family also brewed Peach Blossom Drunk, it had no great reputation and normally sold for no more than 10 liang of silver.

Two hundred liang per jin was something he had never dared dream of.

Watching this scene, Ye Kang walked over with a smile.

"Then it's settled. Brothers, you've worked hard. The wine will certainly be ready. Please go back and properly thank Deputy Commander Zhu for me."

The officer's eyes flickered, and he immediately leaned closer with a beaming smile.

"Commander Ye, there's no need to be so polite. The brothers should be thanking Commander Ye for leading us to fortune."

After saying that, he shouted, "What are you standing around for? Carry the chests inside for Commander Ye!"

The elites immediately carried the chests into the Ye Family courtyard, then pushed through the crowd and left.

By now, the crowd had been completely dumbstruck.

"The Ye Family's Peach Blossom Drunk is selling for 200 liang!"

"What sort of Qionjiang Jade Dew is it, to be so sought after? Old Ye, we've been neighbors for years. Let me have a taste too!"

Countless envious eyes turned toward the Ye Family's gate.

Through the crack in the door, they could still see those gleaming chests.

This time, the Ye Family had truly struck it rich.

At the same time, this major news spread without wings, traveling from Fusheng Gate to Wuwei Gate.