Chapter 5: Offering Wine

Most of the wine was fruit wine.

Yellow wine came next.

There was less sake and white wine.

Regardless of the type, the taste and quality of the wines were superb.

Even Xiao Shi, who wasn’t much of a drinker, found himself having a small drink before training every day after tasting these delicious wines.

If even he did this.

For those who loved wine, the value of these wines was self-evident.

As long as Elder Qiu loved wine…

Xiao Shi could use these wines to gain his favor!

But before that.

Xiao Shi decided to gather some information about Elder Qiu.

At the very least, he needed to understand the man’s character.

After all, in these chaotic times, there were plenty of domineering and unreasonable people. If Elder Qiu was one of them, Xiao Shi would need to be very careful.

Xiao Shi first asked the miscellaneous disciples who tended to the Five-Colored Tail Sparrows in the forest.

These disciples had some contact with Elder Qiu and knew a bit about his temperament.

Xiao Shi then asked among the outer disciples.

He found that Elder Qiu had a good reputation in the sect, being laid-back and never bullying the younger generation despite his status.

Even when he asked the miscellaneous disciples for wine, he would always compensate them.

He was a good person, just a bit lazy and fond of drinking…

However, Xiao Shi was cautious by nature.

The information he gathered wasn’t enough to put him completely at ease.

So, he decided to meet Elder Qiu in person to verify the information. He found that Elder Qiu indeed matched the description, which reassured him.

One day.

Xiao Shi was reporting the status of the Five-Colored Tail Sparrows to Elder Qiu as usual.

Elder Qiu was dozing on a bamboo chair, not really listening.

Xiao Shi knew this report was just a formality.

Elder Qiu never paid attention.

As long as the sparrows didn’t die, it was fine.

After finishing the report, Xiao Shi didn’t leave immediately. He cleared his throat and spoke.

“Elder Qiu, I have a jug of wine with me. It tastes pretty good. Would you like to try it?”

As soon as he said this.

Elder Qiu, who had almost fallen asleep with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and instantly sat up from the bamboo chair.

“If you’re talking about wine, I’m wide awake!”

Elder Qiu looked at Xiao Shi with great interest, completely awake now.

As expected, a wine lover…

Xiao Shi laughed inwardly.

He took out the prepared fruit wine and respectfully handed it over.

Elder Qiu received it with a beaming smile.

First, he opened the stopper and sniffed it.

He instantly felt refreshed.

As a seasoned wine enthusiast, he could tell just from the aroma that this wine was different from anything he had drunk before.

This made Elder Qiu smile even more. He eagerly took a small sip.

As soon as the fruit wine entered his mouth.

Elder Qiu’s eyes widened.

He looked like he had been electrocuted.

He almost jumped out of his chair.

“This wine!!”

He breathed heavily, his face turning red, his entire body trembling with excitement.

After swallowing the wine, he took another sip and closed his eyes to savor it.

A long while later.

Elder Qiu finally opened his eyes again, looking satisfied, reminiscing, and reluctant to let the experience end.

“Good wine, truly good wine!! I’ve drunk countless wines in my life, but I’ve never tasted such a delicious fruit wine!”

He looked at Xiao Shi curiously.

“Where did you get this wine? Do you have more?”

Xiao Shi smiled.

Elder Qiu’s reaction was just as he had expected.

Even someone like him, who didn’t love wine, was attracted to this fruit wine, let alone a seasoned wine lover.

As for Elder Qiu’s question, Xiao Shi had already prepared an answer.

“Before I joined the sect, I met an old gentleman who sold wine. This wine was bought from him. If Elder Qiu likes it, I’ll bring another jug tomorrow.”

Based on his previous inquiries and interactions, Xiao Shi knew that Elder Qiu wasn’t the type to be domineering, so he didn’t mind revealing that he had more wine.

If Elder Qiu were the domineering type, Xiao Shi wouldn’t have handled it this way.

Such a person would only take the wine forcibly without any gratitude.

This was the main reason why Xiao Shi spent time investigating Elder Qiu’s character before offering the wine.

Given Elder Qiu’s character, even if he knew Xiao Shi had more wine, he wouldn’t forcibly take it due to his status as an elder.

This allowed Xiao Shi to build a relationship with him.

The next day.

Xiao Shi brought another jug of wine to Elder Qiu.

Although it was also fruit wine, it tasted different from the previous day’s wine.

Elder Qiu praised it highly, sipping it slowly, not wanting to drink too quickly.

Xiao Shi then took out a delicate, small wine cup and handed it to Elder Qiu, suggesting that using this cup would enhance the experience and add a touch of elegance.

Elder Qiu’s eyes lit up as he accepted it.

He poured a small cup, took a sip.

He was surprised to find that drinking from this cup was indeed different from drinking directly from the jug!

For a seasoned wine lover like him.

Drinking wine was not just about the taste; it was about the experience, savoring life.

This wine cup elevated the experience, making him enjoy it even more.

And so.

Xiao Shi continued to bring a jug of wine to Elder Qiu every day.

Starting with fruit wine, then yellow wine, then sake and white wine.

Each day a different type.

And each wine could make Elder Qiu crave more.

During this week.

Elder Qiu tasted various exquisite wines he had never encountered in his life.

He was completely immersed in the joy these wines brought.

Besides bringing wine to Elder Qiu every day.

Xiao Shi didn’t forget to catch the spotted bugs.

Although he still hadn’t found anything valuable, he kept diligently hunting these bugs.

Now, most of his room was filled with all sorts of items.

This made Xiao Shi realize that as he collected more items, he needed to consider storage issues.

If his room became too full, he wouldn’t have any space left.

“If it comes to that, I might have to rent a room in the sect…”

Typically, outer disciples had one room each.

But they could also rent additional rooms.

Xiao Shi thought that once his items accumulated, he might need to rent a room for storage.

Another week passed.

Xiao Shi brought wine to Elder Qiu as usual.

However, today Elder Qiu didn’t start drinking as soon as he received the jug.

He set the jug aside.

He looked at Xiao Shi deeply and spoke.

“I’ve drunk quite a bit of your wine these days. I don’t like owing favors. Tell me, what do you want?”

End of Chapter 5