Chapter 62: I use the finest wines of the world to bid you farewell

The white stone remained unchanged in size, but the acquired energy contained within it had grown considerably denser.

Qu Junhui lowered his head to examine the white stone closely for a moment, a flash of doubt suddenly crossing the depths of his eyes.

"This stone, which carries the acquired energy... is rather interesting."

He muttered to himself before looking back up at Chen Zhi'an. "You have good fortune to acquire such rare acquired energy. It is sufficient to refine an exceptionally fine medicinal pill to help you perceive the mud-pill palace and nurture your divine essence."

"However, while I can refine the pill for you, you must procure the medicinal ingredients yourself."

Chen Zhi'an nodded. "That is only natural, of course. May I ask what herbs I need to prepare, Senior?"

Qu Junhui walked over to a desk to the side, picked up a writing brush, meticulously listed the medicinal ingredients, and handed the paper to Chen Zhi'an.

"Sichuan pepper, dragon vine wood, sea-calcite ink, thousand-year zichen, fairy-art fruit, glorious multifiower, mind-awakening wood..."

A cursory glance revealed that the paper listed some forty to fifty medicinal ingredients, momentarily making Chen Zhi'an's scalp tingle.

Just from their names alone, he could tell that several of these herbs were exceptionally costly.

Spending money was actually of little consequence to Chen Zhi'an; he still carried over seven hundred liang of gold with him, so as long as the herbs were not too exorbitantly expensive, he could likely afford them.

His only worry was that some of these ingredients might be too rare to find on short notice.

"It seems I will need to write a letter to Xu Yuanshou and ask him to track these down as soon as possible."

Chen Zhi'an frowned slightly.

Perceiving the mud-pill palace and nurturing the divine essence was an extremely protracted process. Even with extraordinary comprehension and innate talent, it would still consume a year or a half of one's time.

After all, the mud-pill palace was fragile; if it was to contain the divine essence, it required meticulous accumulation and careful refinement.

During this period, the growth of true essence would be severely limited, and the enhancement of combat power negligible, until the divine essence was finally completed.

Without this acquired energy, Chen Zhi'an had intended to use the [Mud-Pill Shattering and Condensing Technique] recorded in the White Jade Cicada Shedding Scripture to forcibly accelerate the accumulation of divine essence.

Yet doing so would inevitably destabilize his foundation, and his cultivation speed after forming the divine essence would also slow down somewhat.

The reason Si Hougui dared to make a wager with him was precisely because breaking through his true essence into the divine essence realm consumed an immense amount of time, while building a solid foundation required a vast array of cultivation resources.

In Si Hougui's eyes, given Chen Zhi'an's background, where could he possibly obtain such cultivation resources?

Between time and foundation, Chen Zhi'an would be forced to choose only one, with the consequence that whichever he chose, he would miss his chance at the Fledgling Tiger Monument.

The reason aristocratic families, powerful clans, and profound sects were so formidable was that they monopolized the vast majority of cultivation resources in heaven and earth.

Let alone ordinary commoners, even those from humble or collateral lineages would never have a day of prominence.

Yet... there was always a turning point to everything, just as Chen Zhi'an had obtained the White Jade Cicada Shedding Scripture, and even this strand of acquired energy.

Having acquired the energy, he naturally wished to use a more stable medicinal pill to break through into the divine essence realm alongside it.

"In a month's time, I wonder if he can track down these herbs," Chen Zhi'an calculated inwardly.

"In addition to these herbs, you will also need two kinds of profound minerals: purple dragon ore and peacock mica. They must be ground into powder and added to the medicine together to ensure that the wondrous utility of the acquired energy is brought to its absolute limit."

Just as Chen Zhi'an was deep in thought, Qu Junhui spoke again. "Wait here for a moment. Purple dragon ore looks remarkably like ordinary iron ore. I happen to have some square-solution wine here; when a drop of this wine touches purple dragon ore, the ore will turn purple, which can help you distinguish the true from the false so you aren't swindled."

As he spoke, he walked into the inner room of the shop.

Hearing that he also needed two types of minerals, Chen Zhi'an felt a trace of helpless resignation.

The path of cultivation was inherently piled high with mountains of gold and silver. Now that he wished to cultivate faster, he required even more, which was simply unavoidable.

While Qu Junhui went to fetch the square-solution wine, Chen Zhi'an finally had the chance to look around the Rest-Keeper's Abode.

The facade of the Rest-Keeper's Abode was small, but the interior was quite spacious, displaying numerous pieces of porcelain, calligraphy, paintings, iron decorations, and many other items Chen Zhi'an had never seen before.

His gaze swept all the way across, suddenly pausing on the north wall.

A giant deer head was embedded in the north wall, its antlers forming a rack that surprisingly supported a saber.

The scabbard and hilt of that saber were pitch-black. Other than that, there was not the slightest bit of ornamentation; they formed a uniform, seamless whole, as if naturally born.

When Chen Zhi'an saw that saber, for some reason, a strong wave of yearning welled up in his heart.

"I wonder what grade this saber is."

Chen Zhi'an stepped forward and examined the saber closely.

"Since the Rest-Keeper's Abode is a shop, surely it isn't discourteous for a customer to take a look at this blade."

Pondering thus, he reached out his hand and slowly grasped the saber.

The long saber entered his hand, and the profound aura within the Azure Mountain Tower surged, intertwining with the radiance of Nan Liujing and passing through Chen Zhi'an's true essence to fall upon the blade.

[Saber Name: Gruel and Rice. It has slain nine hundred and twenty-two iron soldiers, nurtured entirely by fresh blood. Highly inauspicious; its forging grade and lethality are both unknown.]

Chen Zhi'an raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What an odd name for a saber. Such a devastating weapon of mass slaughter is actually called [Gruel and Rice]."

"Moreover, with the current wondrous nature of the Azure Mountain Tower, it cannot even discern the grade and power of this blade."

He toyed with the four-foot-long saber and drew it from its scabbard, revealing a chilling gleam along the blade, though there was nothing particularly unusual about that.

"Clatter!"

Something fell to the floor and shattered.

Chen Zhi'an turned his head and saw that the flask of wine in Qu Junhui's hand had somehow dropped, smashing on the ground and breaking as the wine spilled everywhere.

He saw the master of the Rest-Keeper's Abode staring unblinkingly at the saber in his hand.

Chen Zhi'an looked at the [Gruel and Rice] in his grasp and smiled awkwardly. "I thought this saber looked rather peculiar, and since we're in a shop, I assumed it was an item for sale, so I took a look."
"However, is this saber for sale?"

Qu Junhui took a deep breath, his expression turning somewhat solemn as he shook his head. "This saber is inauspicious. Falling into the hands of a young man will inevitably destroy him."

Chen Zhi'an shook his head with some disappointment.

"However... young man, your opportunity has arrived." The snobbishness completely vanished from Qu Junhui's face. He returned to the inner room and brought out another flask of wine, though it was not the [square-solution wine] that had just smashed onto the floor.

"This wine is called Luofu Spring. Jiang Xiangshu of the Old Sword Mountain once wrote a poem in praise of it: *The Three Mountains are close at hand yet unvisited, a single cup is surrendered to Luofu Spring.*

The ingredients for this wine come from the Luofu Sea of the Five Thunders Lord; it is the rarest and most treasured fine wine in the world."

As he spoke, Qu Junhui walked back to the desk, set out two cups, and asked, "Little brother, you know my name, but may I ask what yours is?"

Chen Zhi'an stated his name.

"Chen Zhi'an... A fine name. *Weary of the bustling mortal paths, unwilling to entangle; wishing to hide in Peach Blossom Spring for peaceful years!* I imagine the elders who named you hoped you would live out this life in peace."

Qu Junhui offered a word of praise, but his gaze suddenly turned sharp. "Chen Zhi'an, I have a favor to ask of you today. If you agree, I will use this rarest of fine wines in the world to bid you farewell."

Chen Zhi'an remained silent, listening quietly.

Qu Junhui continued, "Beyond that, you need not worry about the herbs required to refine that acquired divine essence pill. I will gather them within two days and do my utmost to refine the rarest mud-pill medicinal pill in the world for you!"

Chen Zhi'an's expression did not change as he continued to listen.

Qu Junhui asked again, "Where is your saber?"

Chen Zhi'an retrieved the [Yangsui] from his Dew-Receiving Ring, finally opening his mouth to ask curiously, "How did Senior know I use a saber? Could it be because I wanted to buy that inauspicious blade?"

"Without a saber, you could never take down that evil blade." Qu Junhui took the three-hundred-fold-forged [Yangsui] long saber, glanced at it, and nodded. "With your current cultivation, this saber is sufficient, but... if you step into the divine essence realm, a three-hundred-fold-forged blade will inevitably fall short.

I still have some minerals here; I will help you refine this saber into a thousand-fold-forged weapon. Wielding a thousand-fold-forged blade with your divine essence cultivation will be enough to last you several years."

Chen Zhi'an grew even more curious. "Senior, what is it you want me to do?"

Qu Junhui's gaze fell upon the evil saber [Gruel and Rice] in Chen Zhi'an's hand. He took a deep breath and said, "Let me tell you a story."

"Da Yu and the northern state of Da Li have been at war for a long time. Da Li controls the vast grasslands, and their cavalry moves like a storm, repeatedly violating our borders. Countless heads of Da Yu's commoners have been plundered as forage by Da Li's cavalry!

Over the past twenty or thirty years, Emperor Zhaofu has dispatched troops to subjugate the northern state many times, and quite a few meritorious generals have emerged from among them."

"On the border between Da Yu and Da Li, there was originally a mountain called Black Stone Mountain, which fell under the jurisdiction of Da Yu. The place was barren and short of grain, and coupled with the treacherous mountain paths, the hundred and sixty households on the mountain were somewhat impoverished, but they were far from the flames of war and managed to eke out a meager existence.

Suddenly, one day, military officers arrived and slaughtered all six hundred and forty-two people across those hundred and sixty households, severing their heads."

At this point, Qu Junhui paused slightly and asked, "Chen Zhi'an, do you know which country's officers those were?"

Chen Zhi'an replied, "Since Senior is asking me, they must have been officers of Da Yu."

Qu Junhui nodded. "The officers of Da Yu rode their horses there, massacred civilians, and took their heads. What were they doing?"

A glint flashed in Chen Zhi'an's eyes. "Killing the innocent to claim military merit."

"Precisely killing the innocent to claim military merit." Qu Junhui clapped his hands. "It's just a pity that, for all their care, a boy who grew up eating from a hundred families managed to escape, and in the blink of an eye, nine years have passed."

"The saber in your hand is named [Gruel and Rice], and it is an evil blade! That boy who grew up on the charity of a hundred families used this weapon to slaughter over nine hundred of Da Yu's iron soldiers.

Those nine hundred troopers, several centurions, and platoon commanders who had killed the innocent for merit and been dispersed to various posts have all been hunted down and executed by him.

Right now, a young general still sits in the high hall, lowering his head and drooping his brows, waiting for the boy to come."

"That boy once willingly sold himself into slavery, entering the general's manor to assassinate him and failing. Later, he blackened his skin and swallowed charcoal, retraining a wondrous technique before attempting assassination once more. Though he failed both times and managed to escape, this saber was separated from him and eventually found its way into my hands."

Qu Junhui's gaze burned as he stared at Chen Zhi'an. "Now, that former boy has come to Suspension Capital. But the karma upon me is too heavy; if I deliver the saber for him, he will not survive.

Chen Zhi'an, since you could catch the eye of that saddle-gazing scout, you must possess a certain backbone.

Are you willing to go outside Suspension Capital and deliver this long saber?

If this matter succeeds, it will be considered as I, Qu Junhui, owing you a massive favor. Refining pills or forging weapons are merely incidental; one day, you will realize that this favor of mine is heavier than a mountain!"

Chen Zhi'an lowered his head to look at the saber. "Since it's just delivering a saber, wouldn't it be far better to casually find a footman to do it?"

Qu Junhui shook his head. "There is karma attached to the saber. Ordinary people cannot pick it up."

Chen Zhi'an thought for a moment, then walked over to the desk on his own accord and uncorked the prized Luofu Spring. Instantly, the fragrance of wine billowed forth, filling the entire Rest-Keeper's Abode with rich aroma.

Qu Junhui watched him.

Chen Zhi'an drank a full cup of his own accord, seemingly unsatisfied, then grabbed the wine flask with one hand and tossed back several large gulps.

"Hiccup..."

He burped, a flush appearing on his cheeks, and then stowed the remaining half-flask of "Luofu Spring" into his Dew-Receiving Ring.

He staggered as he walked out of the Rest-Keeper's Abode.

"This saber carries too much malevolent intent; it cannot be stored in an ordinary cosmos ring and draws too much attention. I have a saber box here; carry it on your back."

Qu Junhui shouted aloud, tossing over a saber box.

Chen Zhi'an placed [Gruel and Rice] inside it and strapped it to his back.

Watching Chen Zhi'an leave, Qu Junhui cupped his fists in salute. "Thank you on behalf of the six hundred and forty-two lives of Black Stone Mountain, little brother."

Chen Zhi'an, feeling slightly intoxicated from the alcohol, turned his head and mumbled vaguely, "I never saw the six hundred and forty-two lives of Black Stone Mountain, nor do I know how miserable their fate was.

However... I am quite interested in that boy who sold himself into slavery and blackened his face and swallowed charcoal just to take revenge.

I simply must go see what he looks like!"