Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

“The wine… the wine is all brewed.”

Shen Li walked out of the wooden hut with dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her cheeks were pale from exhaustion.

“You’ve worked hard these past few days. Thank you.”

To finish brewing two hundred jars of wine before the third day of the third month, Shen Li had led a dozen women in a frantic, day-and-night effort. They had slept only four hours a day to barely meet the deadline. Luo Yu felt a strange stir in his heart; this girl was much tougher than she looked.

Wait, she wasn’t exactly a girl. Shen Li was actually two years older than Luo Yu, but Luo Yu possessed a maturity that far exceeded his years.

“So, you actually know how to say thank you.”

Shen Li shot him a frustrated glare.

“I’m just scared, alright? Scared that if I don’t work, I won’t have food to eat. Scared you’ll kick me out. Hmph! But to be honest, since you already agreed to do business with Tingyu Restaurant, you shouldn’t be selling wine to Dingxiang Residence as well. Isn’t that a bit… rogue of you?”

“Hmph, only a bastard doesn’t earn money when he can.”

Luo Yu narrowed his eyes.

“There are so many people in Cangqi City to feed. Naturally, I’ll sell to whoever offers the most silver. It’s only right!”

“Fine, fine, fine! You’re the city lord, you have the final say! I’m going to sleep. Two hundred jars, not a single one missing. Deal with it yourself.”

Shen Li didn’t have the energy to bicker with him. She waved a hand and walked away. Only then did Luo Yu let out a sharp command.

“Meng Hu! Lü Qingyun!”

“Here!”

“Load all two hundred jars onto the carts. Deliver them to Dingxiang Residence first thing tomorrow morning. Do not let anything go wrong!”

“Understood!”

* * *

Srrk, srrkk…

A dozen donkey carts moved slowly along the muddy yellow road, escorted by dozens of sturdy men. Today was the day Cangqi City would deliver the goods to Dingxiang Residence.

With only five days left until the upcoming Fengchuan City wine market, the flow of people in the city had noticeably increased. Because Sanguotou had become so famous, many merchants from other regions had traveled there specifically, hoping for a chance to buy a few jars to take back with them.

The delivery location chosen by Dingxiang Residence was not inside Fengchuan City but in a desolate village ten li outside the city walls. In Du Gang’s words, they didn’t want to leak any word before the wine market began. They wanted to keep it a secret so that Sanguotou would make a spectacular debut.

As soon as they arrived, Meng Hu’s brow furrowed. He turned his head to look around at the abandoned, dilapidated houses. Not a single soul was in sight. It was a ghost village. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of disdain.

“What kind of place did Dingxiang Residence pick? This is even more remote than our Cangqi City.”

“It’s for secrecy. Naturally, they want to avoid prying eyes.”

Lü Qingyun gestured toward the front. “Look, their people are here.”

“General sirs, you are under City Lord Luo’s command, I presume?”

An old butler led dozens of workers out from around a corner, looking as if they had been waiting there for a long time. He bowed respectfully. “This old man is the butler of Dingxiang Residence. I have come to collect the goods today.”

Meng Hu pointed behind him. “These are the two hundred jars of wine we agreed upon. Old man, please count them.”

“Ha, no need to count.”

The old butler swept a casual glance over the carts, his face full of smiles.

“City Lord Luo is such a heroic figure, a man of great spirit who slaughtered countless Qiang bandits at Yunyang Pass. Could he possibly shortchange our Dingxiang Residence on a few jars of wine?”

These words sat well with Meng Hu. He gave a grand wave of his hand.

“Men! Bring a jar of wine over for the workers to taste! This jar is on us, free of charge. Consider it a quality check while you’re at it.”

The soldiers behind him quickly brought over a small jar and poured a bowl for every worker. The fragrance of the wine instantly filled the area.

The workers’ eyes lit up, their noses twitching as they inhaled deeply. They had long heard that Sanguotou was a top-tier product, a single cup of which could make one feel like an immortal, but it was simply too expensive. Workers like them could never afford it. They hadn’t expected to get a jar for free today!

“Haha, then we thank City Lord Luo!”

The old butler was equally delighted. The group downed the strong liquor in one gulp. The aftertaste was endless, and they repeatedly praised it as truly fine wine, well worth the price.

Meng Hu smiled and cautioned them.

“However, my city lord gave specific instructions. He said this batch has just finished brewing and will taste even better after fermenting for a few more days. That’s why we sealed the mouths of the jars with red clay before leaving. You must not open them before the wine market begins, or it will ruin the flavor. These are worth fifteen taels of silver a jar, after all. Don’t waste them.”

“The flavor can get even better?”

The old butler was shocked and nodded repeatedly. “Rest assured, how could we dare be careless with City Lord Luo’s instructions? We will keep the seals tightly covered!”

“Good. That’s all I had to say.”

Meng Hu rubbed his hands together, looking excited. “About the payment…”

“Of course. Men, bring it up!”

The workers carried over several wooden chests. With a heavy thud, they were opened, revealing piles of shimmering white silver.

“General sirs, according to our agreement, two hundred jars of wine come to three thousand taels of silver. City Lord Luo has already taken six hundred taels as a deposit. Here is the remaining balance.”

Meng Hu and Lü Qingyun both stared wide-eyed. Good heavens, so much silver. They had never seen this much in their lives. How much grain could this buy?

“Good, good! Haha!” Meng Hu laughed. “Then we can consider the transaction complete. A pleasure doing business with you!”

“A pleasure!”

A faint smirk curled at the corner of the old butler’s mouth.

Da-da-da!

Rumble!

Just as the words left his mouth, the rapid sound of galloping hooves echoed from the distance. Hundreds of cavalry and infantry surged into the abandoned village like a lightning storm, completely surrounding the convoy of fine wine. The soldiers all flew banners with the character “Yao.” They did not come with good intentions.

Meng Hu and Lü Qingyun sensed something was wrong. Their hands instinctively gripped their sword hilts, and everyone snapped to full alertness.

The leading general lightly tugged his reins, slowly approaching Meng Hu. He glanced at the carts full of wine jars and chuckled. “Quite a large shipment. So much wine. Tsk, tsk.”

Meng Hu heard the mockery in the laughter and frowned.

“May I ask who you are?”

“The Yao family, Yao Chang.”

Those four words, spoken lightly, caused the two men’s internal alarms to blare. The Yao family was the local tyrants of the Fengchuan City area. Why would they suddenly appear here for no reason?

Meng Hu was hot-tempered, but Lü Qingyun remained polite, clasping his hands.

“We are subordinates of City Lord Luo of Cangqi. We are currently conducting business with Dingxiang Residence. I wonder what business General Yao has with us today?”

“Heh, conducting business?”

Yao Chang laughed loudly, his expression suddenly turning ice-cold.

“We received intelligence that military equipment is hidden within this batch of wine, intended for smuggling to the Qiang bandits. By order of City Lord Yao, the wine is to be seized and taken back for inspection. Now, get lost!”

“Hidden military equipment? You’re full of shit!”

Meng Hu was enraged.

“You’re framing us! Where is your evidence? As long as I’m standing here, don’t you dare think about taking a single jar of wine!”

Shiing, shiing, shiing!

Facing the furious Meng Hu, the Yao family’s personal troops all drew their blades. Countless bows were raised, their cold, sharp arrowheads ready to fly. If Meng Hu and his men made another move, they would be met with a volley of ten thousand arrows, slaughtered on the spot.

“Brother Hu, stay calm.”

Lü Qingyun was the more composed one. He grabbed Meng Hu’s arm and whispered, “Don’t be impulsive. It’s not worth throwing away our brothers’ lives for two hundred jars of wine.”

Meng Hu gritted his teeth in rage, forcibly suppressing the fire in his heart.

“Heh, now that’s more like it.”

Yao Chang leaned down slightly from his horse, his face full of mockery.

“Let me tell you, on this small patch of land called Fengchuan City, it is not yet your city lord’s turn to have the final say!

“We’re leaving!”

The soldiers galloped away. The old butler of Dingxiang Residence clasped his hands with an apologetic expression.

“General sirs, since the wine has been seized by the City Lord’s Manor, our business can only be suspended. Once City Lord Luo delivers the wine to Dingxiang Residence, we will provide the silver. Let’s go!”

In the blink of an eye, the Yao family’s personal troops and the workers from Dingxiang Residence vanished without a trace. Lü Qingyun and Meng Hu’s fists creaked as they clenched them, their faces livid.

“Damn it, they dared to play us!”

Translator’s Note: Well, that escalated quickly! Luo Yu might be a genius at brewing wine and making deals, but it looks like he underestimated the local snakes in Fengchuan. Yao Chang and the Dingxiang Residence butler definitely had this whole thing choreographed. But did you catch that bit about the “red clay” and the “extra fermentation”? Meng Hu seemed a little too insistent on them not opening the jars. Knowing Luo Yu, do you think he actually fell for this trap, or is there something else inside those jars besides wine and “smuggled weapons”? Drop a comment—are we looking at a total loss for Cangqi, or is the Yao family about to get a very nasty surprise?

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