Fine wine

"Oh, we have a guest!"

Fang Zelin had just finished casting the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique when he suddenly raised an eyebrow and looked towards the riverbank.

The tiger demon and the deer demon, who were standing nearby, craned their necks to look when they heard this.

A person was seen walking slowly with an umbrella, accompanied by a child.

It was Zhang Weichu and He Chenyi.

Before they even reached him, He Chenyi greeted them with a beaming smile, "We've been eyeing your fine wine for quite some time now, sir. We've come hand in hand today, so please don't be stingy."

The two approached happily, then suddenly noticed Meng Yunqing standing to the side.

A slight pause crossed his mind. "Isn't that the Second Prince of the Jing River?"

"Yes, not long after I returned, he came to my door, and I had a conversation with him."

Fang Zelin nodded upon hearing this, and then gestured for the two of them to sit down to the side.

"It seems this person must have received guidance from an immortal."

Seeing Meng Yunqing still meditating on the side, He Chenyi immediately spoke up.

Fang Zelin did not respond to this, but simply gestured for the two to sit down.

"The fine wine has already been prepared. If I hadn't had to wait for you two, I would have already finished it."

Fang Zelin also had a smile on his face at this moment. He turned around and went into the house to take Clear as Empty out.

As soon as the cap was lifted, a rich aroma of wine wafted out.

The two of them, inhaling the fragrance, suddenly found themselves unable to sit still.

"I knew this wine was extraordinary, but I never imagined its aroma would be so mellow and lingering; it's truly a rare find in my life."

He Chenyi was rather short, and when he stood up, he looked a bit like a child who was craving something sweet.

Fang Zelin took out cups and poured one for each of them.

The liquor was poured out, its lingering flow disappearing into the glass.

Zhang Weichu held the wine glass in front of him, turned slightly to the side, and saw that the previously empty wine glass now contained a round patch of sky.

This patch of sky, however, was reflected in the wine glass.

Upon seeing Zhang Weichu exclaimed in surprise, "This wine truly lives up to its name, 'Clear as Empty '!"

He Chenyi also surprised to see this, and took the wine glass and placed it under the shade of a tree.

The wine cup contained half a sky and half nothingness, a truly wondrous sight.

"Let's try this wine first."

Fang Zelin couldn't help but find it amusing to see the two of them staring at the wine.

As he spoke, Fang Zelin took the first sip from his glass. The wine was refreshing and pure, without any harshness, and had a slight spiciness that left him with a lingering aftertaste.

At this moment, He Chenyi and the other person also put the wine into their mouths one after the other.

After the wine had been down his throat for a while, he opened his eyes and sighed.

"Even if it were nectar, it probably wouldn't be anything more than this!"

"This wine is exceptionally pure; it is refreshing and lingering on the palate—truly a fine wine!"

This was the first time the two had tasted such fine wine, and they couldn't help but praise it repeatedly.

"Sir, even using ancient brewing methods, I doubt you could produce such fine wine?"

Zhang Weichu realized what was going on and asked with some curiosity.

"It must be something special about my brewing that made this wine taste so exceptional."

Fang Zelin smiled slightly upon hearing this, "By the way, I prepared some separately, which I may give to Judge Wen to try later."

As he spoke, Fang Zelin took out a small bottle of Clear as Empty, "We didn't brew much Clear as Empty this year, just this little bit. We'll send you more when we brew more later."

"With such fine wine, even a small amount would surely please Judge Wen."

Hearing this, Zhang Weichu chuckled.

When the sun was high in the sky, the two finally left.

Zhang Weichu, carrying the fine wine given to him by Fang Zelin, returned all the way to the Underworld Bureau.

"My lord, this was given to Clear as Empty by that immortal master."

Judge Wen, who was at his desk, perked up immediately upon hearing this. "Clear as Empty, who has brewed this wine?"

Overjoyed, Judge Wen immediately gestured for Zhang Weichu to move forward slightly.

When Zhang Weichu stepped forward, his nose twitched slightly, and he immediately smelled the strong aroma of wine on Zhang Weichu.

The fragrance was indeed Clear as Empty, but it was somewhat different; it seemed to be a bit more delicate and lingering.

Judge Wen was now completely engrossed, his eyes sparkling. He carefully took the porcelain bottle and then took out a small wine cup.

After pouring himself a small glass, he carefully examined the color of the liquor and immediately nodded repeatedly.

"Even in the Clear as Empty, this wine is considered top-grade!"

After carefully observing the color and gently smelling the aroma of the wine, the Judge Wen sighed heavily after a long while.

"That's the fragrance."

He then picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and after a long while, finally let out a sigh of praise.

"This immortal is truly a wondrous person; Clear as Empty, whom I have tasted before, has never experienced such a flavor."

"You scoundrel, how dare you hoard such fine wine!"

Just as the Judge Wen was about to pour himself another cup, the City God arrived, drawn by the aroma.

Upon seeing the drinks on the table, he immediately reached out to take them.

Upon seeing this, Judge Wen was immediately alarmed and reached out to protect him, saying, "Your Honor, please don't act rashly! There's not much wine left!"

Upon seeing that the other party was about to snatch the fine wine, Judge Wen was so surprised that he even changed his way of addressing them.

Normally they would address him as "Master," but now they're calling him "Lord of the Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, the City God ignored it, chuckled, and pounced on the fine wine.

He couldn't resist the aroma of the wine.

"Master, that person has been there for so long, is he alright?"

At the foot of Yingping Peak, the young apprentice, seeing that Meng Yunqing still showed no signs of waking up, couldn't help but feel a little worried.

It was deep winter, and a lot of snow was falling from the sky.

Meng Yunqing, who was standing to the side, was almost buried in it.

"He's a dragon, a little snow won't bother him, and he won't starve."

Fang Zelin glanced at him and knew that the other person was in good condition and nothing was wrong.

The young apprentice nodded, somewhat bewildered.

Since the immortal said it's nothing, then it must be nothing.

With that thought in mind, the medicine boy stopped worrying.

"Don't be lazy, clear the snow in front of you."

Fang Zelin, holding a book in his hand, glanced at the young apprentice and noticed he seemed to be slacking off, so he immediately scolded him.

Upon hearing this, the young apprentice immediately intensified his sweeping efforts.

"Master, the New Year is almost here. I heard that people set off firecrackers, fireworks, and cut paper window decorations during the New Year. Do you do these things too?"

The medicine boy was still a young child and had only recently come of age, so he was particularly interested in many things about people.

Even if you asked him to go to Anzi County, he wouldn't dare.

All he could do was hope that Fang Zelin could create some New Year's atmosphere so he could satisfy his curiosity.

Upon hearing this, Fang Zelin thought for a moment and realized, "That's right."

The Chinese New Year is just around the corner.

I don't think I'd really thought about things like the Lunar New Year before.

We could do it this year.

Aside from anything else, there are also tiger demons and deer demons nearby.

Thinking of this, Fang Zelin nodded slightly, "Of course I'll celebrate. I'll go to Anzi County later to buy some New Year's goods."