Chapter 208: The New Liquor Is Ready

After Niu Youdao and the three sects moved out, the residence behind the Commandery Governor's Residence effectively became Tianyu Sect's exclusive compound. Tianyu Sect Elder Chen Tingxiu strode back in from outside and went directly to Sect Leader Peng Youzai, fuming.

“Sect Leader, I went personally to check their progress. They wouldn't let me in at all.”

Before, Tianyu Sect had sent other people to inspect the place. Being denied entry then was one thing. This time Chen Tingxiu himself had gone, and they still refused to admit him. Naturally he was furious. Peng Youzai looked at his expression and shook his head slightly.

“Forget it. This isn't the time to argue over such matters.”

“Let them concentrate on getting the product made first.”

Chen Tingxiu said, “Sect Leader, think about it. Those three sects have so many people. How are they supposed to support themselves on half of Qingshan Commandery?”

“The entire brewing site is controlled by their people.”

“Who knows what tricks they may be playing?”

Peng Youzai said, “I don't care what tricks they play.”

“We already agreed that everything they brew will be sold exclusively through Tianyu Sect.”

“If they dare conceal production or keep some back privately, they shouldn't blame me for being impolite.”

Just then, a disciple entered to report.

“Sect Leader, word has come from the valley outside the city. They say the first batch is ready and invite Sect Leader to inspect and accept it.”

Peng Youzai immediately brightened. Chen Tingxiu, on the other hand, nearly exploded with irritation. He had only just gone there. Now the moment he returned, they suddenly announced that everything was ready. Had he not made the entire trip for nothing?

“Stop being angry.”

Peng Youzai patted his shoulder, laughing cheerfully.

“Call the other elders. We'll all go take a look.”

His mood was clearly excellent. They had waited this long. At last they were going to see actual results. Several elders quickly assembled. Together with Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting, they left the city. The group hurried toward the valley outside. The mountain road leading into the valley had already been roughly improved with temporarily conscripted civilian labor.

It could hardly be called a fine road, but at least the worst ruts, hollows, and protruding sections had been leveled. At the valley entrance, Niu Youdao was already waiting with the sect leaders of the three factions and others. After everyone exchanged greetings, Peng Youzai had no patience left for pleasantries. He waved a hand.

“Enough chatter. Let's go see it.”

“Please.”

Niu Youdao extended a hand in invitation. The group proceeded on foot until they reached the entrance to the brewing caves. There, disciples of the three sects guarding the entrance blocked them. No one was allowed inside. Chen Tingxiu's face sank.

“Are you saying even the Sect Leader of Tianyu Sect cannot enter?”

Niu Youdao quickly raised both hands in explanation.

“Elder Chen, don't misunderstand.”

“Some of these requirements may seem unreasonable. Secrecy is only part of the reason.”

“The true reason is that the requirements for brewing this liquor are extremely strict.”

“Not even a speck of dust may enter the liquor, nor can any stray odor be allowed into the brewing process.”

“Otherwise, all the work will be ruined.”

“Even I cannot casually enter this place.”

“Going inside is simply too troublesome.”

“Before anyone enters, he must first fast and purify himself by bathing.”

“On the way through alone, he must bathe three separate times until his body is completely clean.”

“That is precisely why I chose monks to handle the brewing.”

“If anything goes wrong with the liquor inside, then someone must have broken the rules and secretly gone in.”

“If Elder Chen does not believe me, later we can pour a cup of the liquor and compare it with the clear spring water from these mountains.”

“Even spring water contains minute impurities.”

“But this liquor, I dare guarantee, contains not a single mote of dust!”

“Enormous effort goes into keeping it utterly free of contamination.”

“That is the real reason production is slow.”

“It would truly be a pity to ruin all that work halfway through.”

“I hope Elder Chen can understand.”

Three baths?

Yuan Fang twisted his mouth aside, secretly delighted. Who among the people coming and going here had ever bathed even once before entering? Master Dao truly had a remarkable talent for inventing reasons.

Still, since Master Dao had said it aloud, Yuan Fang really would have to explain the rule clearly to the Nanshan Temple monks later. What a perfect excuse for keeping thieves out! Yuan Gang gave Niu Youdao a sidelong glance.

You can't casually enter because you've put most of your energy into cultivation and left everyone else to manage the brewing while you play the hands-off master, haven't you? As for the liquor being free of impurities, Yuan Gang had no doubt about that. Could distilled water possibly be unclean? Shang Chaozong, Lan Ruoting, and the others exchanged startled looks. What kind of liquor was this, exactly? Not even a speck of dust in it? Shang Shuqing had originally wanted to follow them inside and see the process for herself.

But the moment she heard that one had to bathe three times along the way, she became embarrassed as a woman and abandoned the idea. Even Fei Changliu, Zheng Jiuxiao, Xia Hua, and the others looked uncertain. This was the first time they had heard this explanation too. Was brewing this liquor truly so particular?

“...”

Chen Tingxiu had been left speechless by the excuse. If he continued demanding entry after hearing all that, he would simply look unreasonable. Still, he silently made up his mind.

In a moment, he was going to inspect that liquor properly and see whether it truly contained no dust at all. In fact, almost everyone present was thinking the same thing. They really wanted to see whether the liquor was truly that clean. Everyone possessed curiosity when confronted with something novel.

Peng Youzai said calmly, “Keeping to the rules is a good thing.”

“We'll wait outside.”

Niu Youdao waved toward Yuan Fang. Yuan Fang immediately stood at the cave entrance and shouted inside, “Bring it out!”

Before long, under everyone's gaze, monks emerged one after another carrying shoulder poles. The liquor had been packed into simple wooden frames made from nailed boards, twenty bottles to a frame. The original wine jars had all been replaced with white porcelain bottles at Tianyu Sect's special request. They looked clean and attractive. Tianyu Sect had even commissioned the bottles itself and sent them over after firing. Niu Youdao had to admit Tianyu Sect possessed some commercial sense. They understood that attractive presentation mattered.

Clearly, they had made up their minds to sell the liquor at a high price. Niu Youdao was curious to see how much they would eventually charge. Before long, several dozen frames had been set outside the caves. The first batch was not large. One thousand and eight bottles. Peng Youzai walked around the stacks once, eyes gleaming. Every bottle was gold in his eyes. He pried open one wooden frame, took out several bottles, and tossed one to each of the elders nearby.

“Try it. Check whether the flavor is right.”

Niu Youdao immediately signaled Black Peony to fetch wine cups. Soon a stack of cups arrived and was distributed. The sealed porcelain bottles were opened one after another. At once, a clear fragrance spread through the air, fresh enough to lift the spirit. The crisp, transparent liquor was poured into the cups. Chen Tingxiu was not the only one who immediately widened his eyes and stared into his cup. The others did the same. Peng Youzai was no exception.

At the Ice and Snow Pavilion, he had already known the liquor was clear. What he had not known then was this claim that it contained no dust at all. Now he actually opened his Dharma Eye and examined it carefully. After looking, one person after another let out sounds of amazement. They nodded to one another in praise. The whole thing seemed almost miraculous. Chen Tingxiu slowly shook his head with something like emotion. So it really was this clean. He was convinced now.

It seemed the place inside truly was not somewhere just anyone could casually enter. With people walking around, how could dust not be stirred up? Strict controls really did seem necessary. Peng Youzai shook his head and sighed.

“Clear indeed, without a mote of dust.”

“One can see how much effort went into it.”

Then he tipped his head back and drained the cup in one swallow. After swallowing and savoring the aftertaste, he praised, “That's the flavor. Excellent liquor!”

The others raised their cups and tasted it as well. Once they had drunk, praise broke out all around.

“Strong stuff!”

Lan Ruoting said to Shang Chaozong, still breathing alcohol fumes through his mouth. Shang Shuqing had taken only a small sip before covering her mouth. She had never drunk anything this strong before and could not get used to it at once. After several cups, Peng Youzai beckoned Chen Tingxiu and several other elders over. He indicated the liquor in the bottle.

“When you sell it, use this claim as well.”

“Make the arrangements.”

Some of the elders looked thoughtful. Others immediately brightened. They understood what he meant. When the liquor was sold, they could advertise that it was so pure not even a mote of dust existed within it. That was absolutely another selling point. This liquor was meant for wealthy buyers in the first place. The cleaner and more extraordinary it sounded, the better.

Then Peng Youzai called Niu Youdao over and asked, “It took this long to brew only this much?”

Niu Youdao replied, “A great deal of time went into preparations at the beginning.”

“From now on, there will be output every month.”

In reality, producing a little over one thousand jin of this liquor was hardly difficult. A few monks could finish it with some work. Niu Youdao was deliberately controlling the quantity. Peng Youzai fell briefly silent.

For the time being, there were some matters on which he was prepared to keep one eye open and one eye closed. His goal was for Tianyu Sect to take Nanzhou during his tenure as Sect Leader. Soon afterward, he had gold drafts brought over.

Including the bottles they had just drunk, Tianyu Sect paid Shang Chaozong more than two hundred thousand gold coins for the one thousand and eight bottles. Then all of the liquor was transported away... Niu Youdao had already given Shang Chaozong more than two hundred thousand gold coins. Now Tianyu Sect had provided more than two hundred thousand more. With money finally in hand, Shang Chaozong immediately began pushing new policies through Qingshan Commandery on a grand scale. Tianyu Sect had personally witnessed concrete results.

Now it too had to honor the next promise it had made. But this was a painful decision. Guangyi Commandery, after all, was controlled by Peng Youzai's own daughter and son-in-law. No one else in Tianyu Sect was well placed to open their mouth on this matter. Only Peng Youzai himself could do it. After leaving Qingshan Commandery, Peng Youzai personally led a group toward Guangyi Commandery.

When word reached Guangyi Commandery that the Sect Leader of Tianyu Sect had personally arrived, Feng Lingbo led a large group ten li outside the city to welcome him.

After escorting the honored guests back to the Commandery Governor's Residence, Peng Youzai immediately summoned his daughter and son-in-law for a private discussion. After a long conversation, Feng Lingbo surrendered the military tally. Under the eyes of Tianyu Sect disciples, he walked out of the courtyard in a daze. His back had bent. He seemed to have aged more than ten years in an instant. He had governed Guangyi Commandery for so many years. Years upon years of painstaking effort.

One sentence from Tianyu Sect, and everything he had spent those years building was stripped from him in an instant. No one could know the bleakness in his heart. Tianyu Sect disciples surrounded him on all sides. At a word from Peng Youzai, Feng Lingbo did not even possess the qualification to resist. His military authority had simply been removed.

“Father, do you know how much effort Lingbo has poured into Guangyi Commandery all these years?”

Kneeling at her father's feet, Peng Yulan wept uncontrollably and continued pleading.

“How can Tianyu Sect be so heartless and faithless?”

“Won't everyone governing Tianyu Sect's other territories lose heart when they see this?”

“Where is justice?”

“Where are people's hearts?”

“Insolence!”

Peng Youzai shouted sharply. But seeing his daughter like this, he too felt considerable pain. His expression soon softened.

“Yulan, Father has already explained it clearly.”

“This is only temporary.”

“We will not let the two of you suffer a loss.”

“The other elders of the sect have also judged this matter fairly.”

“They have all stated explicitly that you husband and wife are making a sacrifice this time.”

“In the future, the sect will compensate you twice over.”

Peng Yulan abruptly raised her head.

“Why must we be the ones to make the sacrifice?”

“Even by seniority, it shouldn't be Shang Chaozong's turn.”

“Why can't Shang Chaozong be the one to sacrifice?”

“Does Lingbo lack the ability to command the troops of both commanderies?”

“I am your only daughter!”

“Lingbo is your son-in-law!”

“You are the Sect Leader.”

“You have the final say in Tianyu Sect's affairs.”

“If you refused, who would dare force you?”

Peng Youzai gave his judgment.

“There is no need to discuss the other reasons.”

“Speaking impartially, Lingbo's ability is more than sufficient for holding what he already has.”

“But when it comes to expansion, he is inferior to Shang Chaozong.”

“For the sake of the larger situation, everyone in Tianyu Sect agrees that the troops of both commanderies need to be placed under Shang Chaozong's unified command.”

“The matter has already been settled.”

“Make the transfer honestly.”

“Do not play any tricks and bring trouble upon yourselves.”

“Do you understand?”

[End of Chapter 208]