Chapter 1404: Good Fortune in the Wine

He Qing froze, a jumble of emotions welling up as she stared at the tightly shut doors of the Wine Tavern.

He had left?

For some reason, He Qing felt a lingering emptiness in her chest.

But on second thought, she figured this was for the best.

“It's for the best that he left. Otherwise...”

He Qing pursed her lips, not knowing what else to say.

But where would she buy her wine now?

“Are you He Qing?”

A voice called out.

He Qing paused and turned. Someone was lying by the roadside, a lotus leaf covering his face.

Wei Shiyu removed the lotus leaf and looked at her. “Senior Chen told me to wait for you here. Here's the key. The wine is inside—just go get it yourself.”

He Qing stared blankly. “Where did he go?”

“Urgent business,” Wei Shiyu replied.

Confused, He Qing asked, “Will he come back?”

“He said he'll be back in three years.”

Wei Shiyu stood up and stretched. “My job is done, so I'll be off. You have the key. Whatever wine you want, help yourself.”

With that, Wei Shiyu hurried away.

Holding the key, He Qing stood in a daze.

After a moment of thought, she unlocked the door and stepped into the Wine Tavern.

Wine jugs sat neatly on the tables.

He Qing walked over, peeled back a paper seal, and took a sniff.

“It's Peach Blossom Brew, alright...”

He Qing checked the others. The jugs on the remaining tables were also Peach Blossom Brew.

So were the ones on the counter, and the ones in the back room.

Besides Peach Blossom Brew, there was no other wine to be found.

It was as if this entire Wine Tavern had been stocked just for her.

At that thought, He Qing quickly shook her head.

She simply took one small jug and returned to the mountain.

On the way back up, she couldn't help but wonder again.

“Could it really have been opened just for me?”

He Qing shuddered and hastily shook her head.

She really shouldn't entertain such thoughts.

She wasn't some precious treasure or rare gem; she shouldn't flatter herself like that.

In the blink of an eye, the seasons turned.

He Qing visited the Wine Tavern every half month to fetch wine.

Before long, she had cleared out all the wine on the shelves, leaving behind a pile of silver on the table, but Chen Changsheng still hadn't returned.

By the time winter arrived, the weather had grown cold, and the mountain was especially freezing.

And on this day, she was caught.

“Since when did you start drinking wine?”

He Yulu held the wine jug, looking at He Qing in confusion.

He Qing panicked slightly but mustered her courage. “This wine doesn't intoxicate you. It tastes really good.”

“What kind of wine doesn't intoxicate?”

“You'll know if you try it, Mother.”

Half-doubting, He Yulu popped the cork and took a small sip.

Upon tasting it, she froze.

“This is...”

Warmth spread through her body along with the liquor, and the Spiritual Energy within the wine nourished her meridians and Dantian. In an instant, her entire body felt incredibly light.

“Where did you get this wine?!”

He Yulu exclaimed, staring at the wine pot in her hand in sheer disbelief.

“I bought it down the mountain,” He Qing said.

He Yulu scoffed. “Nonsense. Where could anyone buy wine like this, and who would be willing to sell it?”

Confused, He Qing asked, “What are you talking about, Mother? It's just a jug of wine, not some rare treasure.”

“This is just wine?”

“What else would it be?”

“How did I end up with such a foolish daughter?”

He Yulu said, “This wine contains Four Seasons Spiritual Energy, and an incredibly pure trace of the power of yin and yang. Once consumed, it turns into five-elements spiritual power, shifting with the four seasons to seep into your limbs and bones. It's exactly like Elixir Pills without any pill toxicity! Not only can it cleanse the marrow and temper the bones, it can also advance your Dao Cultivation!”

“How could you call this an ordinary jug of wine?”

Hearing this, He Qing stared blankly and hurriedly stood up.

Half-doubting, she asked, “Is... is it really that miraculous?”

“Haven't you felt the warmth in your meridians?”

“I thought...”

“I thought all wine was like that.”

He Yulu took a step forward. “Tell me the truth. Where did you get this wine?”

“I really bought it down the mountain.”

“Down the mountain...”

“Yeah, right below our mountain, at that Wine Tavern.”

He Yulu remembered it. She had seen it when she went down the mountain, and she knew who had opened that Wine Tavern.

She asked, “The Wine Tavern opened by Senior Chen?”

“Yeah, him.”

“Didn't it close down at the start of autumn?”

“It did,” He Qing replied, “but there's still wine inside. I have the key to the Wine Tavern.”

“Huh?”

He Yulu froze.

Not long after, He Qing took her mother down the mountain.

Arriving before the Wine Tavern, she used the key to unlock the door.

He Yulu walked in and saw the rustic Wine Tavern, with numerous wine jugs of all sizes arranged on the tables.

She said, “Several of your fellow disciples used to drink here, but they never mentioned the wine having such effects.”

He Qing blinked. “I didn't know.”

He Yulu cast her a glance.

“Mother, I really don't know anything.”

He Yulu sighed softly, stepped forward, and removed the paper seal from one of the wine jugs.

Feeling the Yin-Yang Qi and the Four Seasons spiritual power contained within the wine, she couldn't help but feel shocked once more.

Such pure Yin-Yang Qi and Four Seasons spiritual power.

This was something countless cultivators begged for but could never obtain.

He Qing said, “It seems all the wine in this room is like this.”

“What?”

“Mhm...”

Finding it hard to believe, He Yulu stepped forward and opened a few more jugs.

It was true!

She opened her mouth to ask, “Why is it like this? And where did you get the key to this Wine Tavern?”

“He sent someone to leave it for me.”

He Yulu fell into silence.

She thought back to the events of the Xuanmen Grand Tournament. Only now did she realize that her daughter hadn't told the whole truth.

That Sword Immortal hadn't mistaken her for someone else at all.

“Take a seat.”

“Mother...”

“I won't scold you.”

Only then did He Qing sit down. “I was just curious about the taste of the wine. Besides, this wine really doesn't intoxicate you, and nothing bad happened...”

He Yulu said, “Do you have any idea what a huge favor you owe him?”

“How much of this wine have you drunk?”

“I don't know, I didn't count. Anyway, I've been drinking it non-stop since the start of summer.”

He Yulu reached out and grasped He Qing's hand. With a slight probe, she realized that her daughter's meridians had undergone earth-shattering changes over the short span of half a year.

Now, Yin-Yang Qi intermingled within the meridians throughout He Qing's body, ensuring that no matter how she circulated her energy, it would flow with absolute smoothness, without the slightest blockage.

And her Dantian had expanded beyond measure.

There were countless miraculous pills and medicines in the world, yet He Yulu had never seen anything as potent as this wine.

With just a little diligent cultivation, in less than two years, He Qing could step right into the Dongxu Realm relying solely on the spiritual power within her Dantian!

What incredible good fortune!

Yet this foolish girl knew absolutely nothing!