Inquiry

"Men and women should keep their distance? We're both girls, so what are you afraid of?"

Without giving her a chance to argue, Tie Ling'er yanked over the blanket and burrowed inside.

With nowhere left to retreat, Su Yueli's back pressed against the wall.

Girls, my ass.

Though she had lived for decades wearing this face, deep down she was still a pure, rough-hewn man.

Across two lifetimes, she had never once shared a bed with any girl.

That enormous disconnect between what she saw and what she felt left her body stiff all over.

But Tie Ling'er clearly had no such concerns.

The little girl had exhausted herself practicing the breathing technique during the day. The moment her head touched the pillow, steady breathing soon sounded beside her.

Once she fell asleep, she wrapped herself around Su Yueli like an octopus, arms and legs both entwined around her.

Su Yueli tried to pull her leg free. After failing twice, she could only let out a helpless sigh.

By the moonlight spilling in through the window, she lowered her head. Her gaze passed over the edge of the blanket and fell upon her own flat lower abdomen.

Empty as could be.

A nameless fire shot straight to the crown of her head.

Damn it...!!

All that remained in Su Yueli's heart was endless frustration. She wanted to throw back her head and roar at the heavens.

Yet after taking two deep breaths, she still forcibly suppressed the irritation in her heart.

She closed her eyes, circulated her qi and blood, and forced herself into a meditative state.

The next morning.

Su Yueli rose early. After washing up, she hired several laborers to haul the newly brewed beer away on flatcarts.

The first batch was delivered directly to Mighty Prestige Martial Hall.

Zhao Xiu was straightforward enough. Not only did he pay the remaining balance in full, he also took the chance to invite Su Yueli into the martial hall for tea. Su Yueli took the silver and left.

After delivering to Mighty Prestige Martial Hall, Su Yueli brought the remaining several dozen barrels of beer to the same spot at the entrance of East Market Street as yesterday.

The instant the barrels hit the ground and the red cloth was lifted—

The regular customers who had drunk beer before, along with passersby who had heard the rumors and come by name, immediately swarmed over.

"Miss Su, hurry! Give me three big bowls!"

"Don't shove, don't shove! I got here first! Fill a whole barrel for me to take away!"

In less than half an hour, the stall was packed so tightly that not even water could pass through.

The weather was scorching, and this icy, heat-relieving drink with its peculiar wheat fragrance held fatal appeal for ordinary folk.

A bowl cost ten copper coins, and some people even spent two taels of silver to buy an entire barrel outright.

Business was far better than Su Yueli had expected.

While she was busy, several potbellied middle-aged men in fine clothes pushed through the crowd and approached the stall.

Judging by their attire, they were all managers from several major restaurants in Azure Province City.

"Miss Su, may we have a word in private?"

The Welcome Pavilion manager at the front cupped his hands, his face wreathed in smiles. "This wine of yours is wasted being sold loose on the street. How about we discuss a deal? From now on, you supply this wine exclusively to our restaurants. We certainly won't let you suffer on the price. What do you say?"

The other managers nodded repeatedly.

Merchants valued profit above all else. At a single glance, they had spotted the vast business opportunity behind this unusual wine.

If they could monopolize it in their own restaurants, then in this blazing heat, their business would surely double.

Su Yueli stopped ladling out wine and glanced at them.

"Cooperation is fine, but I have two rules."

Su Yueli's tone was calm. She was not excited simply because a large deal had come knocking. "First, I do not guarantee output. You take however much I can brew, and you are not to rush my orders. Second, payment is settled on delivery. No credit."

Upon hearing this, the managers looked at one another.

They had originally wanted to use exclusive distribution as an excuse to squeeze her production, never expecting this seemingly young girl to conduct business so watertightly.

But rare goods were precious. After weighing their options for a moment, they could only grit their teeth and agree.

Su Yueli accepted the deposit and quietly calculated in her heart.

At her current output, she could not possibly meet the consumption of several restaurants. But she could not spend all her time brewing beer either. Martial Dao was her foundation.

It seemed she would have to spend money hiring several honest, reliable workers, break this crude brewing process into separate tasks, and keep only the crucial control over heat and the ratio of medicinal herbs in her own hands.

The beer continued selling until the sun slanted westward and the sky darkened.

There were gradually fewer passersby in front of the stall.

An old farmer carrying a hoe passed by. Drawn over by the smell, he swallowed and said, "Miss, give me a bowl of wine to quench my thirst."

"It's sold out. Come again another day." Leaning against the cart, Su Yueli refused flatly.

The old farmer froze, then pointed at the dozen or so large wooden barrels behind her, sealed tightly shut. Bewildered, he asked, "Isn't there still plenty left?"

"Those were reserved by someone else."

Seeing this, the old farmer could only shake his head regretfully and leave.

In truth, the beer for retail sale had run dry hours ago. These remaining dozen or so barrels were all reserved for that immortal cultivator.

Yet the agreed time had long passed. The sky was already dark, but the man still had not appeared.

Standing in the shadows, Su Yueli watched the lanterns light up along the street, a trace of doubt rising in her heart.

Could it be that a dignified disciple of an immortal sect had stood up a mere mortal like her over a deposit of fifty taels of silver?

Just as she was pondering this, a faint sound of something slicing through the air suddenly crossed overhead.

A streak of light descended and took the form of a figure—it was the outer sect disciple from the Crimson Flame Sect.

With a little dust clinging to the hem of his clothes and a trace of weariness on his face, the young man walked to the stall.

"My apologies. Something went wrong in the sect at the last minute, and it delayed me for a while. I came late."

His attitude remained polite and gentle as he looked at the wooden barrels on the cart. "Miss, is the wine still here?"

"Anything reserved was naturally kept." Su Yueli pointed at the barrels behind her.

The young man did not stand on ceremony. He directly lifted the lid from one barrel, scooped out a bowl, and drained it in one gulp.

"Whew—"

The chilled liquor slid into his stomach, and the young man let out a long breath. The fatigue between his brows seemed to disperse considerably. "Good wine. It quenches thirst."

He set down the porcelain bowl and looked at Su Yueli. "I'll want this much again next time. Thank you for the trouble, Miss."

With that, he walked over to the barrels. A faint gleam flashed from his Storage Ring.

More than a dozen heavy wooden barrels vanished in an instant. Then he casually took out silver and held it out to Su Yueli.

Su Yueli looked at the banknotes he offered but did not reach out to take them.

"You are too courteous, Immortal Master."

Su Yueli clasped both hands and gave a bow according to mortal custom. "Consider this wine a gift to make friends with Immortal Master. I won't take a single coin."

The young man's hand offering the money hung in midair. His brows furrowed slightly as his gaze lingered on Su Yueli's face for a moment.

No money? A gift for an immortal cultivator?

He had seen this sort of performance too many times in Azure Province City.

Countless mortal nobles and Martial Dao masters fought until their heads bled, trying every possible means to curry favor with disciples of immortal sects—offering gold and silver, offering beauties. All they sought was a chance to enter an immortal sect and pursue longevity.

A trace of disappointment flashed through the young man's heart.

He thought that this girl who brewed such extraordinary wine was ultimately no different, unable to escape mortal selfishness and seeking the path of immortality.

But after studying Su Yueli carefully for a moment, he discovered that her eyes were clear as water, without a trace of fawning flattery.

Such a bearing was not something a person who wagged her tail and begged for favor for profit could pretend to possess.

The young man's heart stirred slightly, and he placed the silver on the wooden board.

"Xu Changfeng, Crimson Flame Sect."

The young man gave his name and looked at Su Yueli. "If you have something to ask of me, Miss, say it plainly. But payment for the wine is a separate matter. I, Xu Changfeng, do not take things from mortals for nothing."

Hearing this, Su Yueli secretly breathed a sigh of relief. An awkward smile flickered across her pretty face.

"Immortal Master Xu, you flatter me. I was presumptuous."

She put away the banknotes. In truth, she herself disliked that little act just now, but when facing an immortal cultivator high above the clouds, currying favor was the only way for a mortal to open a conversation.

Since he had laid his cards on the table, she no longer beat around the bush.

Originally, she had wanted to ask Xu Changfeng about the general situation of the entire cultivation world, such as the distribution of power among the major sects, or the details of the Azure Cloud Sect.

But when the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back down.

The cultivation world was far too vast, with far too many matters involved. For a mere mortal martial artist like her to suddenly inquire about the secrets of such top immortal sects would seem far too deliberate.

For a moment, she did not know where to begin.

After pondering for a moment.

Su Yueli raised her head, her cool eyes looking directly at Xu Changfeng.

"Immortal Master Xu, I wish to ask about something."