Chapter 573 - 573: Wine City

Hao Li said, "You didn't even put any force behind it. How could that needle possibly have been fired?"

Zhao Yuan shook his head. "You don't get it. I'm firing the needle using the same principle as an Electromagnetic Cannon. 'Strange. My practice sessions always went smoothly before. Why did it fail this time?'"

Unwilling to accept failure, he bent down, picked up the needle, and was about to try again.

Cheng Haoyu suddenly said, "Wait, let me see your needle."

Although Zhao Yuan was puzzled by his request, he handed him the needle anyway.

Cheng Haoyu took the needle, examined it for a moment, and then asked, "Is this a Golden Needle? Pure gold?"

"Yeah," Zhao Yuan nodded. Only then did he notice that he had taken a Golden Needle from his Storage Ring Space this time, not one of the Silver Needles he usually used for practice.

Cheng Haoyu gave a wry smile. "Gold and silver are both non-magnetic. It'd be a miracle if you could actually fire them as projectiles for an Electromagnetic Cannon."

"Gold and silver are non-magnetic?" Zhao Yuan genuinely hadn't known this. It wasn't his area of expertise, after all. When he had searched for information online before, he hadn't come across anything of the sort.

But he quickly raised an objection. "That can't be right. I was able to fire the Silver Needles just fine when I practiced before."

Cheng Haoyu was surprised as well. "Let me see the Silver Needles you use."

Zhao Yuan opened his Storage Ring Space and took out a Silver Needle.

Cheng Haoyu took it, examined it closely, and tested its elasticity and toughness before saying with a smile, "You bought these from a pharmacy, right? The disposable kind?"

Zhao Yuan nodded. "Yeah, what about it?"

Cheng Haoyu explained, "This isn't pure silver; it's an alloy, which is why it's magnetic. Many of the disposable Silver Needles on the market today are made from this material. For one, it's cheaper to produce. For another, these needles are harder, making them easier to use than ones made of pure silver or gold."

Zhao Yuan finally understood. "So that's what it is! No wonder. I was always confused about why silver needles were so soft—turns out they weren't really silver at all." He then asked curiously, "How do you know all this?"

Cheng Haoyu replied, "I majored in physics in college, so I have some background in electromagnetism. Plus, our family business is involved in medical products. It's entirely possible the Silver Needles you're using were made by one of our subsidiaries."

Zhao Yuan had a moment of epiphany. Hao Li clicked his tongue in amazement. "You actually studied physics? I can't believe it."

Cheng Haoyu shot him a glare and retorted, "What's so hard to believe? You're allowed to like all your anime and manga, but I can't be interested in physics? If I wasn't my dad's only son, forced to inherit the family business, I might have become a renowned young physicist by now. Ah, the cruel twists of fate."

"Damn it!" Hao Li flipped him the bird. "Your humblebrag is a little over the top, don't you think? If getting screwed over by fate turns you into a rich kid, then I'd be begging for it! Screw me over anytime, as many times as you want!"

"Shut up! Your mind is way too far in the gutter!" Zhao Yuan, Cheng Haoyu, and Ying Ji shouted in unison.

Then, at Cheng Haoyu's urging, Zhao Yuan demonstrated his makeshift Electromagnetic Cannon again. As expected, everything went smoothly once he switched to the alloy Silver Needle. With a WHOOSH, the needle shot out, pierced through the thick wall, and embedded itself in a tree in the courtyard.

Seeing this, Ying Ji and Hao Li's jaws dropped in shock, and they exclaimed repeatedly.

"That's not just powerful, it's absolutely insane!"

"Holy cow. If you used that as a hidden weapon, it would be impossible to defend against!"

Only Cheng Haoyu wore an expression that said he'd expected as much. He then began to educate Zhao Yuan on the science behind the Electromagnetic Cannon, which was far more enlightening than just reading about it online. The explanation not only deepened Zhao Yuan's understanding of the cannon's principles but also gave him many new insights into how to use it.

Hao Li and Ying Ji couldn't understand the topic they were discussing. But Ying Ji didn't waste any time, either. She found the contact information for the person selling the Thousand-Day Wine on the Cultivator Forum and made a phone call.

When Zhao Yuan and Cheng Haoyu's 'scientific discussion' ended, Ying Ji immediately reported, "I've contacted the person selling the Thousand-Day Wine. He's also in Western Shu Province, but in Jiangyang City. He doesn't have time to come to Rongcheng City, so he wants us to go to Jiangyang City for the trade."

Hao Li said curiously, "The home of Jiangyang Old Cellar? This Fellow Daoist isn't in the liquor business, is he?"

Ying Ji shook her head. "I'm not sure. I didn't ask."

"When's the trade?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Ying Ji replied, "Tomorrow. With things like this, the sooner the better. If we wait too long, someone else might trade for it with an Elixir that can purify Qi, and we'll be the ones who lose out!"

"You're right." Zhao Yuan nodded and suggested, "We should leave today, spend the night in Jiangyang, and visit our Fellow Daoist first thing tomorrow morning. But, Cheng Haoyu..."

Cheng Haoyu quickly said, "I'm fine. It's all rest anyway. Resting in bed or in a car, it's all the same."

"Alright, let's head out now. Fatty Hao, give me a hand. Let's get Cheng Haoyu into the car." After calling out, Zhao Yuan and Hao Li supported Cheng Haoyu on either side, helping him out the door and into Zhao Yuan's Mercedes G55 SUV.

Ying Ji said, "When did you buy a car? You've got good taste. Oh, by the way, can you drive it?"

Zhao Yuan replied, "I can't, but the Bone Woman can."

Ying Ji nodded, then immediately asked, "Does she have a driver's license?"

"Uh..." Zhao Yuan was stumped. He honestly hadn't considered that. "Definitely not. You know her situation. After the New Year passes, I'll sign her up for driving school. I'm sure with her abilities, she'll get her license in no time."

Once all four were in the car, Ying Ji immediately started the engine and drove toward Jiangyang City.

Three hours later, the group arrived in Jiangyang.

This was the famous Wine City, the birthplace of strong-aroma liquor. After getting out of the car, Hao Li took a deep breath and sighed in admiration, "It really is the Wine City. You can even smell the fragrant aroma of wine in the air."

"Really? I don't smell anything." Cheng Haoyu took several deep sniffs but still couldn't detect any aroma of wine.

Hao Li said with a perfectly straight face, "You have to smell it with your heart. Of course you won't get it if you just use your nose."

"Damn it!" Only then did Cheng Haoyu realize he was being messed with, and he flipped Hao Li the bird.

Because it was already late and their appointment was for the next day, Zhao Yuan's group didn't immediately go to see the wine-selling Fellow Daoist. Instead, they found a hotel and rested for the night.

Early the next morning, Ying Ji contacted the seller. Following his directions, the group arrived at a villa on the outskirts of the city.

The place was nestled against a mountain and faced a body of water. The scenery was so beautiful, like something out of an Immortal's paradise, that it made Zhao Yuan and the others quite envious.

However, when they were led into the villa, they discovered things were not at all what they had imagined...