When the beef had been stewing for about half an hour, the pot began to emit a rich aroma, which made the two bandits restless. They circled the stove, drooling, and impatiently asked, “It’s been a quarter of an hour already. Shouldn’t it be ready by now?”

“It’s still early. The beef needs to stew for at least another half an hour to become tender.” Lin Dan wiped her hands with a cloth and then asked, “Big Brothers, could you take me to my carriages? I need to fetch some seasoning.”

The two bandits immediately grew suspicious, pointing at the jars and bottles by the stove and shouting, “Don’t try anything funny! We have all the seasonings you could need right here. Isn’t that enough for you?”

Lin Dan remained calm, explaining softly, “It’s like this, my stew needs one more ingredient to bring out its full flavor. You can escort me there and back. I’m just a weak woman. Do you think I could escape from under your watchful eyes? With that ingredient, the stew will taste several times better than it does now.”

The two bandits, tempted by the enticing aroma already filling the air, couldn’t help but wonder how much better it could possibly be. They realized that Imperial Cook’s skills were indeed extraordinary, far beyond that of ordinary people. However, recalling how Lin Dan butchered the cow earlier, they hesitated.

Lin Dan took the initiative, producing a length of rope to wrap around her wrist. Only then did the two bandits reluctantly agree. Before leaving, they locked the kitchen door to prevent Shaoyao and Dujuan from escaping. Then the three of them made their way to the innermost part of the mountain stronghold, winding through the paths until they found a cave hidden behind a curtain of vines. Without guidance, it would have been easy to overlook.

The bandits pulled aside the vines and barked, “Go in and find it yourself. Be quick about it!”

Lin Dan used the light from their torches to peer inside and saw that her five carriages were parked in the cave, along with dozens of large, padlocked chests, all filled with loot. She gave the scene a brief glance before climbing into one of the carriages. She then broke the seal of a large jar, scooped out a few ladles of wine, and poured it into an empty jug, before quickly covering it back with parchment and securing it tightly with rope.

Even though she moved swiftly, completing the task in just a few moments, the two bandits still caught a whiff of the indescribable fragrance of the wine, which made them feel slightly intoxicated.

“What kind of wine is that? Why does it smell so good?” One of them asked.

“It’s just ordinary wine that I brew for fun. It’s nothing special.” Lin Dan replied, her expression slightly stiff, her eyes evasive.

The bandits gave her a deep, probing look before leading her out. Back in the kitchen, Lin Dan poured the wine from the jug into the stewing beef and stirred it slowly with a spatula. The already rich broth grew thicker and more flavorful under her hands, with each piece of beef coated in a shiny, sticky glaze. A strange, enticing aroma wafted through the air, penetrating the kitchen’s doors and windows, before drifting over the entire stronghold and enticing everyone.

“Hurry up, hurry up, serve us some beef!” One of the bandits guarding Lin Dan banged an empty bowl and impatiently urged.

“Big Brothers, the beef isn’t tender yet. It needs a bit more time.” Lin Dan kindly explained.

“We don’t care if it’s tender or not, as long as it’s cooked! Just serve it up already! Enough with the talking!” The two bandits, their eyes bloodshot from the tantalizing smell, were so desperate that they felt like diving into the pot to gorge themselves. The other bandits, drawn by the scent, also gathered around, insisting on tasting the meat. Fortunately, the bandit leader kept them in check, or the kitchen would have been ransacked by now.

“What kind of wine did that woman put in the stew? How can it smell this good?” The bandit leader asked as he left the kitchen, grabbing one of his subordinates and sniffing the lingering scent in the air.

“Boss, let me show you.” One of the two bandits offered eagerly. “The food won’t be served for a while, so why don’t we have a drink first?”

“Alright, go get the wine.” The leader agreed and a few people carried the large jar to the main hall. They tore off the parchment covering it and they were immediately overwhelmed by the aroma. The wine was so fragrant that it was almost dizzying. It was stronger than ordinary spirits and richer than aged liquor, filling their mouths with saliva before they even took a sip.

“Fill my cup, quick!” The bandit leader ordered, grabbing a large bowl. After gulping it down, he paused for a moment and then burst out laughing, praising the wine. The others couldn’t resist any longer, each ladling out a bowl and drinking heartily. The potent fragrance of the wine spread through the air, attracting even more people……

———pr


In another part of the stronghold, Xiao Zhu and his companions, originally huddled together to discuss how to escape and rescue Lin Dan, suddenly quieted down when they caught a whiff of the indescribably rich scent of meat. One of them confidently declared, “The shopkeeper is making beef stew with rice wine!”

“I’m hungry!” Another one muttered, licking his lips.

The others exchanged glances and their stomachs growled in unison. Whenever the shopkeeper cooked, even those who weren’t hungry would soon find themselves ravenous. The handsome man meditating with his eyes closed opened them, glancing toward the kitchen’s direction as his Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably.

After a brief silence, the group resumed their discussion, only to be interrupted by a domineering aroma of wine that assaulted them from all directions, driving them to desperation. Xiao Zhu, who had remained calm despite being captured, beaten, and imprisoned, spat on the ground and cursed, “Damn those bastards, drinking our wine!”

The silent, handsome man suddenly asked, “What kind of liquor is this?”

Xiao Zhu gritted his teeth and replied, “There’s a legend from Zhongshan County. I don’t know if you’ve heard it— once, Liu Xuanshi bought some wine from a tavern in Zhongshan……”

The man, well-versed in knowledge, immediately interjected, “Xuanshi’s Drunkenness, the Thousand-Day Wine?”

Xiaozhu glanced at him in surprise and nodded. “That’s right, this wine is the legendary Thousand-Day Wine. Shopkeeper Lin spent three years traveling through Zhongshan County to gather information from various places before finally restoring the recipe for the Thousand-Day Wine. After it was successfully brewed, it was buried underground for seven years. It was only recently unearthed and we’re planning to take it to the capital to sell it for a good price. When we opened the wine jar, we found that a wine bug^[1]a parasite that makes the host fond of drinking had grown inside and the liquor was extremely rich and potent. While it might not cause someone to be drunk for a thousand days, it could certainly knock them out for three days and three nights.”

The story of ‘Xuanshi’s drunkenness’ has been passed down for centuries. It told of a man named Di Xi from Zhongshan County, whose winemaking skills were unmatched. One day, a wine enthusiast named Liu Xuanshi came to buy wine. Di Xi sold him a jar but forgot to warn him that the wine was extremely strong and should be consumed in moderation, as drinking too much could cause someone to sleep for a thousand days. After Liu Xuanshi drank the wine and returned home, he passed out in a drunken stupor. His family, thinking he was dead, buried him. A thousand days later, Di Xi suddenly remembered and rushed to find him. The Liu family then dug up Liu Xuanshi, who had just woken up and was still exuding a strong fragrance of wine. Those who were around him and smelled it also fell into a deep sleep and only woke up three months later.

In later generations, this wine became known as the Thousand-Day Wine, considered the true immortal of wines.

With the scent of wine filling his nose and the rowdy voices of mountain bandits playing drinking games in his ears, the handsome man licked his dry lips and gritted his teeth as he muttered, “What a bunch of beasts!” As soon as the words left his mouth, he broke free from the ropes, standing up with a face dark as ink. He had originally planned to wait until midnight to take action, but now he couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Y-y-you, how did you break the rope?” Xiao Zhu and the others stared at him with a dumbstruck look on their faces.

“You all stay here for now, I’m going to rescue Shopkeeper Lin. When you hear my whistle, come out and meet us.” The handsome man instructed after untying the others, worried they might panic and alert the bandits. He then tore apart the iron chain on the door latch with his bare hands before carefully putting it back together and slipping away in the direction where the smell of meat was strongest.

Lin Dan was busy stir-frying beef tendons, while Shaoyao and Dujuan were shaping the pounded beef into meatballs, dropping them into a pot of bone broth. When they saw the handsome man push open the door, all three paused in surprise. Lin Dan reacted the fastest, immediately pulling him inside and closing the door behind him.

“Why are you here? Where’s Xiao Zhu and the others?” She asked in a whisper.

“I’m here to rescue you three.” The handsome man, now in the kitchen picking out a knife since his weapons had been confiscated by the bandits, responded calmly. “I’ll get you out of here first. Once you’re in the woods, don’t run around. Follow the stream down to the clearing at the foot of the mountain and wait for me. Xiao Zhu and the others will join you afterward.” He knew the upcoming scene would be bloody, not suitable for the women to witness. Leaving Xiao Zhu and the others behind was fine. They could help him clean up afterward.

With that, he reached out to grab Lin Dan’s wrist, but she gently pushed his hand away. “There are more than thirty bandits in this stronghold. How do you expect to handle them alone? Sit down and eat something first. We’ll be able to leave soon.” She said, placing a plate of stir-fried beef with scallions in front of him and stuffing chopsticks into his hand.

Instinctively, the handsome man took the chopsticks and wolfed down a few bites, his eyes shining with satisfaction and pleasure. Then, he froze, his expression turning awkward as he said, “This isn’t the time to be eating. We need to leave now!”

“Leave? Sit down and eat!” Lin Dan lightly swatted away the man’s outstretched hand, her voice carrying a light-hearted laugh.

The man looked at his tingling hand, then at Lin Dan’s smiling face, and fell silent, lowering his eyes.

Shaoyao and Dujuan glanced at the pot, which was now half-empty of the stewed beef, and complained, “We told them the meat wasn’t tender yet and needed more time, but they still insisted on taking it. Such a waste!”

“Better to waste^[2]糟蹋 – spoil/ murder/defile food than people. It’s already considered fortunate.” Lin Dan said, her smile growing as she listened carefully. “The noise has stopped. Let’s go have a look.”

The handsome man immediately set down his chopsticks and stood up, but Lin Dan pressed him back into his seat by the shoulders. “Just sit down here, we’ll go.” She said, and then, with the two young girls, each carrying a plate of hot dishes, she leisurely walked out. Even if they ran into the bandits, they could use the excuse of serving food to cover their actions, so they weren’t afraid at all.

The handsome man touched his shoulder, his expression a bit odd, but he quickly followed behind them. The group smoothly made their way to the main hall, where they found the ground littered with bandits while some sprawled over tables, snoring loudly. The air was thick with the scent of wine, so overpowering that it nearly stopped them in their tracks as they pushed open the door. From the other buildings, more snores could be heard, indicating that the bandits had succumbed to the allure of the Thousand-Day Wine and had drunk themselves into a stupor.

Shaoyao and Dujuan tiptoed to peek at the wine jar placed in the center of the hall and gritted their teeth. “The whole jar was wasted on them!”

Lin Dan patted the heads of the two girls and repeated, “It’s fine as long as everyone isn’t harmed. Let’s pack up and leave.”

The handsome man looked at the drunk bandits on the floor, his expression one of surprise. He never expected that without a single battle, Lin Dan would be able to resolve the situation all on her own, not needing anyone to save her.

As Lin Dan walked past him, she said slowly, “In my experience, there’s nothing that can’t be solved with a meal.” As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of hoofbeats echoed from outside the stronghold, accompanied by the faint glow of torches approaching. Something unexpected was happening.