Working Together to Brew Wine

Zhang Xuezhou's return to Western Kunlun was very timely.

The previous coincidence happened to coincide with the start of the centennial event, which propelled Kunlun to the top position among all the major powers.

The second coincidence happened to coincide with an internal court meeting within Kunlun.

The Emperor felt that Zhang Xuezhou might have some clues guiding him to "Mr. Ren". He repeatedly asked Zhang Xuezhou to express his opinion, but Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly declined, mentioning that he only returned to Kunlun to pick some Drunken Peach and then seek to brew wine.

Seeing the Emperor and Empress beside him with slightly angry expressions, the Emperor wisely stopped talking.

The Emperor and Empress's hairpins were large and small Ruyi divine weapons, possessing the world's top killing power. However, the Ruyi's spiritual power was tainted and it became difficult to use, which almost rendered the Emperor and Empress's top-level striking power useless.

This is equivalent to the loss of the Seven Treasures Tree by the Zhunti Master, the loss of the Azure Lotus Banner by the Sect Master Jieyin, and the loss of the Taiji Diagram by Laojun. The analogy is roughly the same, and the loss of such treasures is extremely significant.

Although the Emperor repeatedly advised the Empress not to rely on precious treasures, these treasures were indeed very useful and hard to part with.

The fact that the hairpin and ruyi scepter malfunctioned was a bad thing, but forcibly removing the hairpin might be a good thing for the emperor and empress. People's opinions on this matter will vary.

The grand event at Kunlun Heavenly Court brought good news of the Three Realms ' dominance, compounded by the Emperor and Empress's grief over the loss of the hairpin, and the Emperor's incessant questioning of Zhang Xuezhou's purpose in demanding the Drunken Peach. The Emperor felt that things were getting worse.

Brewing wine was something the emperor and empress absolutely hated, after all, the emperor had spent far too long passing his days in alcohol.

The Emperor had finally managed to get down to business, only to have his student stumble over the same thing again. The Emperor and Empress were caught between mixed feelings of joy and sorrow, and the Emperor didn't dare to add fuel to the fire.

"Jieyin and Zhunti have left the Holy Son behind to return to Mount Ling. The Holy Son must be very tired from his hurried journey these past few days. Why don't you return to the Wondrous Dharma Palace to rest first, and we can continue our court meeting?"

The Emperor figured things out. He first sent away Zhang Xuezhou, who had brought up the infuriating matter again, and then put on a show of being diligent and determined to govern the country.

After he began to explain, the emperor and empress's expressions brightened.

"Then I'll pick some peaches while I'm at it!"

Zhang Xuezhou called out, and the Emperor nodded repeatedly, then gestured for Zhang Xuezhou to hurry up and leave, since it was inappropriate to discuss brewing during the court meeting.

"Dear uncles and aunts, I must take my leave now!"

Before leaving, Zhang Xuezhou made sure to bow to these old friends he was meeting for the first time.

He followed the proper etiquette, but many of the old gods seemed not to understand it, and were instead interested in his achievements at the centennial celebration.

As Zhang Xuezhou left, he overheard some aged voices mentioning the Zhang Xuezhou battle tournament, seeking to test his combat prowess and attempting to use events like treasure hunts and competitions to inflict bloodshed, thereby unknowingly eliminating the younger generation of the Immortal Court.

Some wise old gods have mentioned that it is possible to instigate a proxy war among humans, thereby involving immortals and causing casualties.

Some experienced figures have also mentioned that the Western Sect of Mount Ling can easily disrupt the balance of power, and that to eliminate the threat from the Immortal Court, it is necessary to first target the Western Sect.

Some elders also mentioned that Zhu Jiuyin of the Xieluosi River Holy Land was reckless and had previously waged war against countries such as Loulan and Greater Yuezhi, showing no regard for the majesty of the Heavenly Court, and therefore had to be dealt with.

"Is winning this once-in-a-century event a good thing or a bad thing?"

Before participating in the event, Zhang Xuezhou felt that winning would be a good thing, since he could get what he needed.

However, the style of the Kunlun Heavenly Court was indeed quite domineering, and the court meetings were filled with fighting and eliminating rivals.

This is different from the situation Zhang Xuezhou and others encountered in reality where they sought common ground while reserving differences. In reality, many large and small countries may fight and quarrel, but they still share a common goal of moving forward. They do not fight to the point of no return. Even if they capture their opponents, they rarely resort to violence. Instead, there are opportunities for negotiation.

But once he arrived in Taoyuan, he quickly put aside these thoughts of comparison.

The Nine Treasures Wine is being brewed right now, and he's determined to make the most of this fortuitous opportunity.

Zhang Xuezhou took two baskets from the house built by Divine Lord Zhenyuan and picked out some red peaches, white peaches, and Green Peach of excellent quality.

These three types of peaches represent ripe, semi-ripe, and unripe, respectively. For normal consumption, red peaches are preferred, but different combinations are used for winemaking.

Zhang Xuezhou calculated the quantities and felt that the ingredients were sufficient for the first brewing.

"His Holiness the Dharma King, Sha Li!"

He spun the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches compass, and after searching through it, he returned to the Wondrous Dharma Palace and immediately summoned people to assist in brewing the wine.

Just like Zhang Xuezhou making elixirs in Shanglin Garden, choosing the right helpers can prevent him from being overwhelmed. Moreover, the Golden Toad Dharma King and Sha Li had previously helped him brew wine, so this time it can be considered as returning to his old skills.

"Croak, the Holy Son is back!"

"Holy Son!"

The Golden Toad Dharma King from the Wondrous Dharma Palace arrived walking on water, while Sha Li emerged from the lake.

"Greetings, Holy Son!"

Jiang Qi, who was assigned to guard Wondrous Dharma Palace, also surfaced, then transformed into a young man and quickly put on the white robes placed on the shore.

You have good eyesight!

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at Jiang Qi, then looked at Jiang Qi's blind eye.

The area where the eye was missing was now inlaid with a black and white gemstone. Without close inspection, it was difficult to distinguish between the real and fake eye. Jiang Qi's fake eye could even move and appeared extremely bright and piercing.

Zhang Xuezhou had just been marveling at how the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus had given the Buddha Son Shigong a new treasure when he saw Jiang Qi's fake eyes, which amazed him greatly.

"The Emperor and Empress took pity on me because of my blindness and gave me a precious pearl, which finally allowed me to see the light again," Jiang Qi said, bowing to the west.

"You're lucky," Zhang Xuezhou said. "I've never received any treasures from my master's wife!"

"The Holy Son shone brightly at the centennial celebration, and he can come and go freely in Kunlun, taking whatever he wants. The Emperor and Empress must have allowed it," Jiang Qi said enviously.

Jiang Qi's envy was genuine.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't spend much time in the Kunlun Sacred Land, but the Emperor and Empress never restricted Zhang Xuezhou in any way.

This means that Zhang Xuezhou very free, so free that he can even go to every part of the Kunlun Sacred Land.

With the divine robes Zhang Xuezhou was wearing, Zhang Xuezhou should have unimpeded access to every part of Kunlun, including the Emperor and Empress's Jade Pool Palace.

Such a high level of authority was rarely heard of in Jiang Qi's previous experience.

He rarely envied young people, nor did he ever think that those young people were much better than himself, but he did envy Zhang Xuezhou.

"Never mind, never mind, I won't take what isn't mine," Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand and said, "Congratulations on regaining your sight! Dharma King and Sha Li, come with me to Kunlun Ruins!"

"If the Holy Son needs someone to help with brewing, why not consider me?" Jiang Qi volunteered. "I also have some brewing skills, and I definitely won't be a hindrance!"

"Oh?"

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at Jiang Qi.

Jiang Qi's reaction was indeed very quick; he could guess what Jiang Qi wanted to do just by seeing him come to call for help.

Ordinary Ba Snake are not very capable, but the former Ten Yin Holy Son was considered a top figure among the younger generation. He had a wealth of knowledge and it was not surprising that he was skilled in brewing.

"I told Sha Li to go wash the base liquor tanks, and the Dharma King to chop wood and start a fire. What can you do?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"I can tell the degree of brewing by smelling the aroma of the wine," Jiang Qi said.

"Your abilities are just like mine," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile.

"I also possess a smoke-absorbing technique," Jiang Qi said. "This technique is usually useless, but when used in alchemy and brewing, it can absorb impurities and increase the purity of the flame, thus producing fine wine and pills!"

"Oh?"

Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed in surprise.

The Emperor's brewery was extremely advanced in its construction and was the best brewery Zhang Xuezhou could find at the moment. It was also meticulously adjusted to suit the Nine Treasures Wine.

The only missing element is the absence of the Golden Crow Great Emperor to assist in brewing.

Without the Golden Crow Great Emperor's feathers, it would be very difficult for Zhang Xuezhou to obtain a good flame.

He had previously chopped a lot of spirit wood for firewood, but no matter how he burned it, it always produced ash and smoke.

Jiang Qi's Technique Method were quite unique, and Zhang Xuezhou was itching to learn them, since besides brewing wine, he was also skilled in alchemy.

However, knowing that Jiang Qi's smoke-swallowing technique was a talent of demons, he had no choice but to give up in frustration.