Three-Year-Old Wine

Night fell.

In Small Mountain Village.

The atmosphere was incredibly lively tonight, with people from every household, young and old, gathered in the open space of the village.

The children were playing loudly, the men were sharpening their knives and starting to butcher the large loach, the women were picking vegetables and peeling onions, the campfire was already burning, and the water in the large iron pot was boiling.

"So many big loaches, enough to eat for three months."

Second Uncle, leaning on his cane, watched everyone bustling about, his old eyes filled with contentment.

After all, life in the village is tough; everyone is a farmer who only gets to eat meat during holidays and festivals.

In the last year or two, it felt like someone was delivering goods, with large quantities of wild game arriving from time to time, enough for everyone to enjoy.

Li Fan rolled up his sleeves and got to work himself, currently stir-frying loach meat.

"Master, is the loach delicious?"

Ziling stared wide-eyed at her master stirring the food, filled with curiosity.

"You'll know once you try it."

Li Fan smiled slightly.

"But Great Devil King, won't it taste fishy?"

Yunxi also spoke up, saying that loaches have a muddy, fishy smell.

Li Fan laughed and said, "Don't worry, eat as much as you want, it definitely won't taste fishy."

He was quite confident in his culinary skills.

He had already mastered all the cooking methods taught by the system; removing the fishy smell was just a trivial skill.

"Gongya, come here, hold this loach, I'll teach you how to cook."

At the same time, Li Fan spoke to Gongya, saying that the book he had given her didn't cover how to catch loaches yet, so he would have to teach her himself.

"Clench your fist and move it up and down repeatedly to make the loach expel its contents. This will prevent it from tasting fishy later."

Upon hearing this, Gongya seemed to be deep in thought, but also nervously followed the instructions.

Li Fan nodded as he continued cooking.

"This loach is huge; its tentacles are almost as big as squid tentacles. Hmm... it can be cooked like squid tentacles."

Li Fan pondered for a moment, then immediately chopped off the dragon's whiskers one by one, stringing them together, and stir-fried them with chili peppers and other seasonings.

A fragrant aroma immediately filled the air.

"It smells so good! Great Devil King, I want to eat this!"

Yunxi's eyes lit up.

"Master, I want one too!"

Ziling also spoke expectantly.

Li Fan smiled and handed them the stir-fried dragon whiskers.

Immediately, they all started eating eagerly, wolfing down their food; it tasted so delicious!

"This is so delicious! Stir-fried loach whiskers, Master, I want more!"

"Great Devil King, it really doesn't taste fishy at all, I want more!"

"Master, I want to perform a ritual to help the stir-fried loach pass on to the afterlife!"

The disciples all spoke up one after another.

"Let's sit down at the table and begin the meal!"

At this moment, Uncle Zhang let out a loud shout.

In no time, men, women, and children were all gathered around the tables.

Grilled, stewed, steamed, braised... all sorts of dragon dishes were served, creating a lively atmosphere.

And at this moment.

Outside the Small Mountain Village, Yun Yinchen, Yun Qianshan, Mu Wanqing, Mu Rantian, and others finally arrived.

Their faces all wore a somewhat solemn expression.

"Hmm? What's that noise coming from the village... It sounds quite lively?"

Mu Wanqing was somewhat puzzled.

They went inside immediately, and soon they witnessed a very lively scene!

The village was like a banquet, with every table full of men, women, and children, filled with laughter and joy.

The pot, the grill, the cutting board... it's all covered in meat!

"What... what's going on?"

Mu Wanqing was stunned.

"Wait... that meat, that meat... it feels like the flesh of an extremely powerful Demon Race?"

Yun Yinchen's expression changed. Suddenly, he noticed that there were quite a few pale golden scales in the garbage heap...

"A dragon's reverse scale?!"

He was shocked and said:

"One of the great clans of the Demon Realm, the Flood Dragon Demon Race?!"

"The village... treats the Flood Dragon Demon Race as prey?!"

He was utterly shocked.

At first glance... the meat is piled up like a mountain.

How many Flood Dragon Demon Race must have been killed?

Moreover, some of the meat strips possessed incredibly powerful energy, seemingly surpassing the level of Heavenly Demon...

At that moment, he felt completely numb.

The Demon Lord... that's an existence on par with the God Lord, a truly renowned figure in the Demon Realm.

As a result, today it was... served on the table.

Moreover, the reverse scale of Demon Lord level dragon... is an extremely precious material even in the God Realm.

They just threw it away like trash?

Yun Qianshan and the others were also shocked upon hearing this.

"Isn't this Wanqing?"

At this moment, Uncle Zhao Er spoke up, walking over with a smile.

"Second Uncle,"

Mu Wanqing spoke up, saying, "We... we've come to find Senior Li."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Zhao Er said:

"Senior Li? Oh... you mean Xiao Li?"

"Why do you young people all like to call Senior Li? There used to be two girls named Huo Ling'er and Mu Qianning also liked to call him Senior. It's been a long time since they've eaten in the village... Come on, I'll take you to see Xiao Li."

The Second Uncle immediately led them over and said:

"Xiao Li, these people are looking for you."

Li Fan was stirring the last batch of stir-fried dragon whiskers when he looked up and saw Yun Yinchen, Mu Wanqing, and others. He was immediately delighted.

"Senior Yun, Miss Mu, you've come at the perfect time. We caught some loaches in the village, please sit down and eat with us."

He spoke immediately.

Upon hearing this, Yun Yinchen and the others all had complicated expressions. A mudfish?!

You call a dragon a loach?

Yun Yinchen felt a pang of heartache; a mighty demon clan...

However, considering that Senior Li was someone who could even suppress the Calamity Grey Mist, it seemed reasonable that in his eyes, the dragon was like a mudfish.

"Grandpa, Dad... please sit down, Li Fan's cooking is so delicious... ooh..."

While eating the dragon beard skewers, Yunxi happily spoke to Yun Qianshan and Yun Yinchen.

Yun Qianshan and the others exchanged a glance; at that moment, they both understood.

Senior Li doesn't care about the blood demons from beyond the realm at all!

After all, even the Demon Lord level senior of the Flood Dragon Demon Race, Senior Li, treated him like a mudfish, which clearly shows that he doesn't take the Demon Race seriously.

"Never mind... since we're here, let's just enjoy the free meal!"

Yun Yinchen simply decided to ignore it!

The group of people immediately sat down, and looking at the various kinds of cooked dragon meat on the table, they were instantly tempted.

This is a truly wonderful thing, a rare treat indeed!

"The stewed loach is so tender it melts in your mouth, it's delicious, so incredibly delicious!"

Even Uncle Zhao Er started eating; the meat was stewed until very tender, and even elderly people like them could eat it.

"Wow, this soup is so delicious! And these loaches are really good!"

"Mommy, I want to eat your tail! Give me my tail to gnaw on!"

"Stir-fried dragon whiskers, Xiao Li, this dish is really good!"

Everyone ate their fill.

On the other side, even Ming Tianbei and the others were summoned and sat together, eating meat and drinking soup heartily.

Soon.

As night fell, bonfires lit up the village, and men, women, and children sat together, chatting, drinking, and talking, creating a scene of perfect harmony.

"Great Devil King, I want to drink..."

Sitting around the campfire, with golden-brown loach meat roasting over it, Yunxi spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Li Fan smiled and said:

"Good."

"Lu Rang, Dade, go and dig up some of the three-year-old wine that I buried."

Li Fan spoke directly.

This is the first time the village has had a feast since we came to the Yang Realm. We should celebrate and drink some good wine.

Upon hearing this, the disciples were overjoyed!

They all knew that their master's wine... was all a priceless treasure.

Soon, Lu Rang and Wu Dade returned with more than a dozen jars of wine.

"Xiao Li's three-year-old wine? That's some good stuff!"

Uncle Zhao Er suddenly felt a craving for wine.

The disciples were filled with anticipation.

"Distribute it to everyone."

Li Fan spoke with a smile.

Immediately, a group of disciples stepped forward and began pouring wine for everyone.

The aroma of the wine was already spreading as soon as the seal was opened.

"What is this smell? In an instant, the sacred aura around us... seems to have become a hundred times stronger?!"

"What kind of exquisite wine is this... I've never seen anything like it in the world!"

Yun Yinchen and the others were all shocked.

"Wow, this aroma of wine... just one whiff is enough to transport you to a state of blissful oblivion..."

Nan Feng's beautiful eyes lit up!

"The aroma is even richer than two-year-old... it must taste amazing!"

Ziling couldn't wait either.

Soon, everyone poured themselves a drink and began to enjoy it.

Nan Feng picked up the glass of wine and took a small sip.

The icy liquor feels incredibly refreshing on the palate, but it burns as it goes down the throat. Once it's absorbed into the body, it's like a divine mist, nourishing the entire body and seemingly making every cell explode with energy!

"The wine is rich yet refreshing, like a clear stream in the mortal world... Forget the world, forget the world, let's get drunk..."

Nan Feng had only drunk half a bowl when she felt intoxicated. In that instant, she forgot herself and the world around her, and entered a wonderful state in her drunkenness.

Her eyes were somewhat unfocused. At that moment, she seemed to see a little girl, born from her mother's womb, crying out, then babbling and toddling... growing up carefree, but ultimately forgetting her initial joy in the mortal world.

Once upon a time, we looked up to immortality, cultivated immortality to become saints, and High God... But in our seemingly calm hearts, there was a utilitarianism, a desire, and a longing!

"Who can truly understand their own heart...? I originally thought that by nurturing my soul with the zither, I had long since cast aside worldly desires. But it turns out, I have not transcended them; instead, I have strayed from my true self..."

"The true self is like that of an infant or a child, without desires or wants, innocent and carefree... This is the real self!"

At that moment, the divine aura emanating from her entire body suddenly transformed into a little girl, who sat cross-legged in her Dantian!

That was her... true self!

At that moment, she quietly stepped across a threshold and became... a true god!

The aura of a true god was released, instantly shocking everyone around!