Yang Qing took his seat in one of the futons. He gently shook the gourd of Flowing Cloud Sorghum Fire Wine from side to side as his gaze drifted to the other wine gourds and tea kettles clustered neatly on the gold-leaf table. After a bit of deliberation, curiosity got the best of him. He set the sorghum wine aside and reached for the other wines on the table, opening one after another and taking a generous whiff each ti, nodding appreciatively with each one.
Eventually, he seed to decide. He brought one gourd closer for another deep sniff. "Sweet glutinous rice wine it is," he said, licking his lips as he quickly poured it into a wine cup. The wine was pale and fragrant, with a faintly cloudy body and a silky viscosity reminiscent of light honey.
The wines on the table were all of a similar quality, which, if graded, would be akin to low-tier Blue-grade potions. Yang Qing had always had a fondness for glutinous rice wine, so the choice was instantly made for him the mont he found it. Not to ntion, he detected nine distinct aromas within it that piqued his curiosity.
"Mmh," Yang Qing humd in surprise when he swirled the wine in his cup out of habit and saw its color change from cloudy white to pale amber, its fragrance shifting along with it into a more earthy scent.
Indulging his curiosity, he swirled it again, and the color changed to aqua blue, accompanied by the scent of mint and pine. He swirled it once more; the color darkened to a deep water-like hue, reminiscent of a body of water in complete darkness, and carried the fragrance of a creek. He swirled it again, and it turned to liquid gold, accompanied by the scent of burnt millet. Nine tis he swirled, and nine tis the color and scent of the wine transford.
"What about the taste..." Yang Qing wondered eagerly as he moved to sip the wine, which had returned to its first form—cloudy white, with a faintly sweet, almost floral scent. It tasted as typical glutinous rice wine does: faintly sweet, with a smooth sharpness and a gentle fernted warmth.
After the sip, he swirled it to pale amber, where its taste held a gentle earthy bitterness. But it wasn’t only the flavor that changed; the effects shifted as well. Yang Qing could feel his qi being strengthened and compacted into a firr state.
At aqua blue, the taste carried the refreshing coolness of pine and mint, and its effect was to leave his body feeling refreshed.
At dark water, the taste was closer to water with a chill, bitter edge. Its effect restored his qi and unclogged his body, allowing for smoother flow not only of spiritual qi but also of his thoughts.
Every change in color brought not only a change in flavor but a shift in effects. It was quite a pleasant experience for Yang Qing, as it felt like he was drinking nine different wines, not to ntion the other benefits it provided. He wasn’t one to drink wine for cultivation benefits, but even unintentionally, the ingenuity of this wine and its form gave him fresh ideas and inspiration for his Purple-grade art, whose strength, like this wine’s, lay in variation of form.
With his wine choice settled, Yang Qing now had the freedom of thought to engage in other matters while he waited for the auction to start—Fan Jie, for example, ca to the fore of those thoughts.
He now knew more about the Vast Blue rchant Company than he had at the beginning, all owed to Fan i and her sagacious, ticulous nature. Even without him asking, knowing that Yang Qing would be dealing with them, she had kept regular contact with the Flying Shadow Hawks division for updates on any and all information concerning the company.
Thanks to her efforts, he now knew more about the organization, probably more than so of its own mbers did. Other than Fan i’s thoroughness, the Vast Blue rchant Company’s precarious position was another factor behind the diligent efforts of the Flying Shadow Hawks Division.
Any unstable elent within the continent warranted a closer look from them, given the propensity of such instability to cause ripple effects.
The Vast Blue rchant Company, as stable as it looked, was no different in classification from the Azure Sapphire Kingdom. The rchant company was another storm waiting to erupt, just like the Azure Sapphire Kingdom.
Their owners were about to die, and not only that, a rift was growing between them owing to their circumstances. Fan Jie’s actions and the awkward atmosphere he had created when he appeared more than confird the report.
Yang Qing now knew more about the founders than just their nas. Thanks to Fan i, and by extension the Flying Shadow Hawks Division, he knew their cultivation realms, a rough estimate of their remaining lifespans (which, given the division’s thoroughness, he felt was likely accurate rather than just an estimate), and a great deal about their history—so of which inford their present situation.
For example, though it wasn’t exactly a surprise to him, the Vast Blue rchant Company had more founders than just the four when they were starting. According to the report, there were originally thirteen. Among them was Fan Jie’s sworn brother, who had been the glue of the whole group. His talent and abilities were what allowed them to survive long enough to establish a foothold for their company.
That person wasn’t a combatant but a gifted alchemist and healer, whose abilities in those areas were significant enough for him to be considered a friend by a disciple of the dical Saint Garden. The reason Han Bai, ng Song, Fan Jie, and the others had survived as long as they did was because he had been there to nd them and pull them back from the clutches of death. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to make use of the fortuitous encounter they found. A gifted healer gave them the ti to digest it, and a healer who was also a talented alchemist sped up the ti needed.
But alas, he couldn’t apply the sa services to himself. Given the value of what they had found, it was safe to say the group was targeted. After all, the easiest groups to steal from were rogue cultivators. Countless organizations went after them, blood feuds and grudges were ford, and the resulting noise drew more greedy eyes to the situation.
For example, though it wasn’t exactly a surprise to him, the Vast Blue rchant Company had more founders than just the four. According to the report, there were originally thirteen. Among them was Fan Jie’s sworn brother, who had been the glue of the whole group. His talent and abilities were what allowed them to survive long enough to establish a foothold for their company.
That person wasn’t a combatant but a gifted alchemist and healer, whose abilities in those areas were significant enough for him to be considered a friend by a disciple of the dical Saint Garden. The reason Han Bai, ng Song, Fan Jie, and the others had survived as long as they did was because he had been there to nd them and pull them back from the clutches of death. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to make use of the fortuitous encounter they found. A gifted healer gave them the ti to digest it, and a healer who was also a talented alchemist helped shorten the ti needed to digest through their alchemical ability.
But alas, he couldn’t apply the sa services to himself. Given the value of what they had found, it was safe to say the group was targeted. After all, the easiest groups to steal from were rogue cultivators. Countless organizations went after them, blood feuds and grudges were ford, and the resulting noise drew more greedy eyes to the situation.
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