"It seems nothing is wrong," Rui’er said, blinking as she looked at the Assassin, who was just as puzzled.
Why did it turn out like this?
Given the situation, however, he had no choice but to let it be.
"Forget it. Let’s just drink by ourselves," Rui’er said. The Assassin nodded, and Rui’er ordered two cups of Monkey Wine.
Seeing this, Wu Tian’s eyes narrowed. He immediately used the 72 Transformations. His true self became a mosquito and flew away, leaving a convincing duplicate of his body in its place.
I, Wu Tian, will treat others exactly as they treat me.
He flew behind the Liquor Tree, where a herd of horses was conveniently kept, and swapped their Monkey Wine for horse urine. Once the deed was done, the mosquito flew back and reverted to his original form. This was a technique Wu Tian had learned from Sun Wukong’s 72 Transformations; Sun Wukong himself had used this very method to win a bet against the Immortal of Tiger Power.
"Your wine is here." A servant brought the Monkey Wine to the Assassin and Rui’er.
The Assassin, who loved to drink, was growing impatient and gave a quick nod. "Si’er has Wu Tian, and you have me. Don’t worry, when we work together, we won’t be any worse than them."
With that, he tipped his head back and drank deeply. By the time the liquid flowed down his throat and he realized something was terribly wrong with the taste, it was too late. He had already swallowed more than half the cup.
"No, what is this... BLECH..." The Assassin vomited violently.
Rui’er, ever graceful and methodical in her actions, had not yet taken a sip. But seeing the Assassin’s reaction, her expression turned strange. She immediately smelled her own cup of Monkey Wine, and her face grew complicated.
"What is this?" the Assassin shouted. "What did you give me to drink?"
"Horse urine," Rui’er stated flatly.
"What?" The Assassin was stunned. Coming back to his senses, he continued to retch violently.
The commotion disturbed the surrounding patrons, making them unable to continue drinking. A wave of nausea washed over them as they, too, felt the urge to throw up.
Seeing this, a servant approached coldly. "Hey, what do you think you’re doing? Are you deliberately causing trouble?"
The Assassin realized his outburst was inappropriate and replied placatingly, "My apologies, this is my fault, but why... why would you serve me horse urine?"
"What?"
"Horse urine?"
"Is there something wrong with the wine?"
Hearing this, the other guests stopped drinking at once. The thought that their own drinks might also be tainted made them feel even sicker. The servant became furious; this entire mess had been caused by the man in black before him.
"It seems I’ll have to teach you a lesson." The servant made his move.
"I mean no offense! I was just asking why there was horse urine in my wine!" the Assassin explained as he dodged.
But to the servant, this explanation was incredibly grating. "You’re still talking? You still dare to talk?"
When one servant couldn’t subdue the Assassin, the others swarmed him.
"No!"
The Assassin was promptly beaten. Rui’er could only watch, stunned.
Wu Tian, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about them, though he had lost his mood for drinking. He decided to settle the bill. A servant who hadn’t joined the brawl approached their table.
"You had six cups of Monkey Wine. That will be 600,000 Gold Coins."
The price left Ye Qingxian speechless. She knew that this world’s Gold Coins were equivalent to the Dragon Country’s currency back in Earth City. In the Immortal Emperor Realm, an ordinary mortal’s monthly salary was only two or three thousand Gold Coins. Earning tens of thousands a month already marked someone as talented. At one hundred thousand Gold Coins a cup, Monkey Wine was outrageously expensive.
Ye Qingxian, however, had the money. Just as she was about to pay, Wu Tian suddenly spoke up. "This wine is not bad. It barely merits a forty out of one hundred."
"What?" Hearing this, the servant lost all interest in collecting the money and stared at Wu Tian angrily. "Did you misspeak? You’re giving our Monkey Wine a score of forty?"
"Yes, I was mistaken," the little guy suddenly piped up.
The servant nodded, thinking the child was at least being honest.
But in the next moment, the little guy chuckled. "It’s a forty, but thirty of those points are for charity."
So he’s saying our Monkey Wine only deserves ten points? This was an insult that simply could not be borne.
The servant who had spoken was, in fact, the Head Servant. "I am Ma Yagu, the Head Servant," he said, his voice taut. "Every servant here is also a Brewmaster, and we take great pride in our Brewing Technique. I will ask you one more time. Are you being serious? If this is a joke, we can let it slide. I’m giving you a chance. Are you serious, or are you joking?"
Rui’er hadn’t expected to run into such trouble. Her companion, the Assassin, was currently being ganged up on by six servants. The cloak that had covered his face had fallen to the ground, revealing a swollen, bruised face that looked like a pig’s head. Afraid the Assassin’s trouble would involve her, Rui’er stayed silent off to the side. But when she looked over at Wu Tian’s table, she smiled.
Looks like Wu Tian has found his own trouble.
Looking at Ma Yagu, Wu Tian gave a faint smile. "I’m serious. Your wine really isn’t anything special."
"That’s right, not special at all!" the little guy chirped, echoing him like a parrot.
Ma Yagu was speechless for a moment. Snapping back to reality, his face darkened. "Alright, so my wine isn’t good? Do you know of a better one, then? Let’s hear it. If you can’t name one, the price of your drinks is doubled."
Seeing this, Rui’er’s face lit up with excitement. He’s digging his own grave.
Servants, of course, were supposed to treat customers with the utmost politeness. However, insulting their wine was the one thing that would infuriate them. In the Immortal Emperor Realm, many professions existed. While Martial Artists and Array Masters were the most revered, other professions had not disappeared, and Brewmasters were one of them. Brewmasters held no high status, but those who chose the path undoubtedly had an incredible dedication to their craft.
"Heh, you’ve probably never even heard of the wines I’ve tasted," Wu Tian said dismissively. His words left the Head Servant, and even the servants who had stopped beating the Assassin, stunned. They wanted to laugh.
Are there any wines we haven’t heard of?
The next moment, Wu Tian continued, "I once drank some wines from a friend surnamed Ji. Those wines were called..."
"Ding Fire - Blue Phantom Fluid!"
"Ren Water - Vast Sea Nectar!"
"Yi Wood - Essence of Life!"
As Wu Tian listed the names, the servants remained in disbelief. Wu Tian went on, "I possess a Spirit Root called the Pan Peach. It matures once every three thousand years, and eating it can instantly bring a person to a state of enlightenment. What kind of wine do you think that would make?"
"I also have another item, the Ginsengfruit. It falls when it meets metal, scorches when it meets fire, dissolves in water, withers near wood, and burrows into the earth. If one were to use that to brew wine, how do you imagine it would taste?"
Wu Tian spoke calmly and methodically, his reasoning sound, leaving the entire crowd utterly astonished. The servants were equally dumbfounded, standing frozen as if they had been turned to stone.
Wu Tian smiled faintly, a wicked glimmer in his eyes. "Tell me, Head Servant, do you still want us to pay the bill?"
His smile was profound and mysterious, yet it felt as pleasant as a spring breeze, stirring complex feelings in the hearts of all who saw it.