Chapter 194: Strong Liquor

“What a fragrance. What is that smell?”

People coming and going outside Tianyu Sect’s shop along the canyon cliff faintly caught an unusual aroma and turned to peer inside. Within the shop, Tianyu Sect’s own people had also traced the fragrance to its source. But even Sect Leader Peng Youzai was stopped from entering.

“Sect Leader Peng, my apologies. It is not time yet.”

Yuan Gang blocked the passage leading farther inside. Behind him, Duan Hu and the others felt somewhat guilty. They were standing inside Tianyu Sect’s own territory and barring Tianyu Sect’s Sect Leader from entering...

Chen Tingxiu barked, “Insolence! Are we supposed to let you run wild here however you please?”

Yuan Gang ignored him. He looked only at Peng Youzai.

“Does Sect Leader Peng want to ruin the money already within reach?”

Hearing that, Peng Youzai could only suppress his curiosity and continue waiting...

Inside the temporarily restricted area, Niu Youdao reached out and bent a brass outlet shut. He twisted the metal into a crumpled lump directly in his hand and tossed it aside. Then he destroyed the cooking pots, stoves, and the rest of the equipment as well. Only after thoroughly erasing the evidence did he come out of the room. He waved Wu Sanliang over from where the man stood guard in the passage.

“Make a trip. Invite Sect Leaders Fei Changliu, Xia Hua, and Zheng Jiuxiao over.”

“Yes!”

Wu Sanliang strode away. Once Niu Youdao emerged from the temporary restricted area, Peng Youzai and the others soon heard about it.

By the time Peng Youzai came over, Niu Youdao was drinking tea inside the bedroom Tianyu Sect had prepared for him. This time Yuan Gang did not stop the visitor.

Peng Youzai barged straight in and immediately demanded, “That strange smell—what exactly have you been making?”

The fragrance had become almost oppressive inside the shop. Only after they opened ventilation windows did it become easier to bear. Niu Youdao stood and smiled.

“Something that will naturally fulfill my promise.”

Peng Youzai asked, “Where is it?”

“Sect Leader Peng, don’t be impatient.”

Niu Youdao said, “When Fei Changliu and the others arrive, I will naturally bring it out.”

Then he paused.

“Ah... this is your house. Surely I don’t need to invite you to drink your own tea?”

Peng Youzai sat to the side and waited. From time to time, he glanced at Niu Youdao. If this matter had not involved the Ice and Snow Pavilion, how could something like this possibly have happened? Once the mysterious activity stopped, and with the ventilation windows open, the smell inside the shop gradually faded and dispersed.

After waiting for a while, Fei Changliu, Xia Hua, and Zheng Jiuxiao arrived one after another and waited in the reception hall. Once word came, Niu Youdao rose again and invited Peng Youzai to accompany him to meet the guests.

As he went out, he said to Yuan Gang, “Go bring those jars over.”

When Niu Youdao and Peng Youzai entered the reception hall, Fei Changliu and the others stood and greeted Peng Youzai. The two sides exchanged a few polite words. Then Yuan Gang came in carrying a tray. Five small wine jars sat upon it. Niu Youdao waved a hand.

“One jar for each Sect Leader.”

Yuan Gang walked past the sect leaders with the tray. By the time he returned, only one jar remained. He set it before Niu Youdao. Peng Youzai and the others held their jars and turned them over in their hands, examining them. Fresh sealing clay covered each mouth. For a time, no one understood what they were looking at.

“This is wine?”

Seeing that it had been placed in wine jars, Peng Youzai tried asking.

“Sect Leader Peng truly has discerning eyes. One glance and you recognized it.”

Niu Youdao picked up the jar before him.

“But Sect Leader Peng has probably never drunk wine like this.”

He turned to a Tianyu Sect disciple.

“Could I trouble you to bring five wine cups?”

The disciple looked toward his Sect Leader. Peng Youzai waved a hand for him to comply, then went back to turning the jar in his hands. Before long, the cups arrived and were placed before Niu Youdao. Niu Youdao broke the sealing clay and poured clear liquor into the cups. A rich fragrance began drifting through the room. It was quite different from the overpowering smell that had filled the shop earlier.

“How fragrant!”

Xia Hua drew a deep breath and praised it, then was the first to come over for a closer look. The other sect leaders could not resist either. They gathered around, wanting to see what kind of liquor could possibly smell this good. Once the cups were poured, Niu Youdao gestured toward them.

“This is a strong liquor I have newly made. Everyone, feel free to taste it.”

Each sect leader picked up a cup and examined the contents. After looking, Peng Youzai could not help giving a surprised sound.

“Why is this liquor so clear?”

Niu Youdao chuckled. What he had produced was distilled liquor, diluted to the strength he wanted. Naturally it was clear.

“The wine you ordinarily drink contains too many impurities. It is all cloudy wine.”

“My liquor contains no impurities, so naturally it is clear.”

“Everyone, please.”

The words made Black Peony and the others standing nearby itch with curiosity. They wanted to know what it tasted like. The elders accompanying the various sects were likewise watching with bright eyes. Only Yuan Gang curled one corner of his mouth in disdain. Master Dao was bullying a group of people simply because they had never seen such a thing before.

“Sect Leader, wait.”

Chen Tingxiu saw Peng Youzai lift the cup and quickly stopped him. He took out a small porcelain bottle, intending to test the liquor for poison. Niu Youdao sighed.

“Don’t ruin the pure flavor.”

“If I poisoned you here, could I possibly escape?”

With that, he picked up one of the cups himself, tipped his head back, and drained it in one swallow. The liquor entered his mouth, flowed down his throat, and gradually warmed his stomach. He breathed out a mouthful of alcohol-scented air. A trace of nostalgia appeared in his eyes. Seeing this, Peng Youzai waved Chen Tingxiu off. Then he too raised the cup and tossed the liquor back in one swallow. The instant it entered his mouth, his eyes flew wide and the muscles in his cheeks tightened.

“Sect Leader, what’s wrong?”

Chen Tingxiu was startled and hurriedly asked. Peng Youzai raised one hand to stop him, plainly signaling that he was not to be disturbed. He felt the liquor slowly pass down his throat. A current of heat flowed into his belly. The moment it landed, it seemed to ignite into a ball of fire. Yet the lingering fragrance filled his mouth. The fierce, mellow aroma clung to his teeth and tongue, leaving a truly endless aftertaste. Peng Youzai’s eyes remained wide as he exclaimed, “Excellent liquor! Truly strong liquor!”

Niu Youdao smiled. The people here drank wine that had merely been fermented and strained. It was completely different from distilled spirits. Naturally the taste would be worlds apart. Hearing Peng Youzai’s reaction, Fei Changliu and the others immediately drank theirs as well. The moment the liquor entered their mouths, each man either widened his eyes or knitted his brows. Xia Hua even covered her mouth and swallowed with difficulty.

“Whew! It really is good liquor.”

Fei Changliu opened his mouth and breathed out, then praised it.

“After drinking this, ordinary wine will probably taste like nothing.”

Zheng Jiuxiao smacked his lips and sighed. Xia Hua slowly lowered the hand covering her mouth and shook her head.

“This liquor is too fierce, too harsh. I am not accustomed to it.”

“This is what you call liquor!”

Peng Youzai burst out laughing and reached for the jar. That hearty enthusiasm for drink truly suited his imposing build. But Niu Youdao pressed one hand over the jar.

“Sect Leader Peng, this liquor is extremely precious.”

“Do you know how much money you just drank in that single mouthful?”

Peng Youzai asked, “How much?”

Niu Youdao looked around the room.

“Shouldn’t everyone unrelated withdraw?”

“We can drink the liquor slowly. Serious business cannot be delayed.”

“It is time for us to discuss proper matters.”

Peng Youzai tilted his head in a signal. The ordinary disciples were immediately dismissed. Apart from Niu Youdao’s own people, only elders from the various sects remained. Niu Youdao poured more liquor into the sect leaders’ cups. The cups were broad, while each jar was small, holding only about one jin of liquor. After making another round, the jar was not enough to fill every cup completely. Since Xia Hua was not accustomed to the strength, Niu Youdao did not pour any more for her.

In truth, Niu Youdao had only produced a small quantity. He had made enough to prove the thing genuinely existed and had not wasted energy producing much more. This time the sect leaders drank slowly and savored it. They had rushed the first mouthful. Now that they took their time, each one exclaimed over how satisfying it was. Niu Youdao shook the empty jar.

“Everyone, do you think liquor like this could sell for one hundred gold coins a jar?”

Peng Youzai’s eyes flashed. He seemed to understand what Niu Youdao meant. Xia Hua stared.

“Such a tiny jar? And it tastes so harsh. Who would pay that much?”

Zheng Jiuxiao waved a hand at her.

“It would sell. It would sell.”

“I think even two hundred gold coins a jar would find buyers.”

Fei Changliu nodded.

“Even if someone found it expensive and did not drink it often, there would be no problem buying some excellent liquor for entertaining guests.”

“There are plenty of wealthy people.”

“Liquor of this quality could sell for two hundred gold coins without difficulty.”

“Good!”

Niu Youdao nodded. He had originally intended to estimate the price at around one hundred. After hearing the two men, he changed his mind. He turned to Peng Youzai.

“I will sell this liquor to Tianyu Sect for two hundred gold coins a jar.”

“How much Tianyu Sect resells it for afterward is none of my concern.”

“Commandery Prince Yongping’s side and I will supply Tianyu Sect with ten thousand jars every year.”

Fei Changliu and the other two exchanged looks. There was obvious heat in their eyes. This was plainly a road to wealth. Tianyu Sect was getting ten thousand jars. How many would their sects receive? Peng Youzai’s eyes rolled slightly as he examined the jar beside him.

“Such a tiny jar, and only ten thousand a year?”

“Isn’t that too little?”

“And you dare charge me two hundred gold coins for something this small?”

“Isn’t that a little too ruthless?”

His attitude had changed seamlessly. In an instant, he had become a merchant bargaining for Tianyu Sect’s interests.

Niu Youdao said, “You have already seen how difficult this liquor is to produce.”

“Five tiny jars took me nearly half a month.”

“Ten thousand jars a year for Tianyu Sect is already plenty.”

“More importantly, Tianyu Sect will receive the exclusive supply.”

“And this money is not being spent by me. It will become military funding for your granddaughter’s husband.”

“Of course, if Sect Leader Peng thinks two hundred gold coins a jar is too expensive, Sect Leaders Zheng and Fei did not seem to consider it expensive.”

“I can supply Liuxian Sect and Fuyun Sect instead.”

Zheng Jiuxiao and Fei Changliu immediately looked full of expectation. Peng Youzai raised a hand at once and changed his tune.

“Fine. As long as you promise Tianyu Sect exclusive supply, I can agree!”

Exclusive control over the right to sell it meant the resale price would be easy to manipulate.

Niu Youdao said, “Sect Leader Peng, don’t agree too quickly. I have three more conditions.”

Peng Youzai frowned.

After a pause, he asked, “Let’s hear them.”

“First.”

Niu Youdao said, “The military authority over Guangyi Commandery and Qingshan Commandery must be unified under Commandery Prince Yongping.”

“All troops must obey his commands.”

“I do not need to explain the benefit of avoiding orders coming from two separate authorities.”

“More importantly, once your strength is concentrated and Nanzhou is taken, the benefits Feng Lingbo can receive will far exceed what little Guangyi Commandery can provide.”

“That is surely better than having him remain in Guangyi Commandery merely defending what he already possesses.”

“Second.”

“Other than collecting spirit herbs, Tianyu Sect must temporarily stop extracting wealth from the two commanderies.”

“At least until Nanzhou has been conquered, you may not take money from them.”

“There is no hidden meaning.”

“The burden on the people of the two commanderies is already too heavy. They cannot make a living.”

“Commandery Prince Yongping should also reduce taxes somewhat and allow the people to recover.”

“That is the best way to gather popular support.”

“Only by creating a good environment for people to live in across the two commanderies can refugees from all directions be attracted to settle there.”

“Only then can Commandery Prince Yongping obtain a continuous supply of young, able-bodied recruits.”

“Otherwise, where are two hundred thousand elite troops supposed to come from?”

“You cannot continue draining the pond to catch the fish as before.”

“That is not a sustainable path.”

“Third.”

“I do not care what happens on Guangyi Commandery’s side.”

“But within Qingshan Commandery, Tianyu Sect must surrender half the spirit-herb gathering territory to Liuxian Sect, Fuyun Sect, and Lingxiu Mountain.”

“After Nanzhou is taken, Tianyu Sect must also give up one-third of Nanzhou’s territory for those three sects to share.”

“The Song family has fallen.”

“The three sects have lost the power they depended upon, and I imagine their present circumstances are difficult.”

“Tianyu Sect already controls Guangyi Commandery and Qingshan Commandery, and you hold territory elsewhere as well.”

“Once Nanzhou’s thirteen commanderies fall into our hands, Tianyu Sect will not have enough manpower for a very long time to help Commandery Prince Yongping secure all of it.”

“Sect Leader Peng must also consider something.”

“Once we move against Nanzhou, the interests of many sects will be affected.”

“Does Tianyu Sect intend to bear all that pressure alone?”

“Better to let others share some of the burden!”

[End of Chapter 194]