Chapter 716: An Overnight Sensation

Chapter 716: Chapter 677: An Overnight Sensation

As he spoke, he tossed out a Qiankun Bag. Youjing, still in a daze, completed the sale. Just like that, they had made eight hundred thousand gold.

‘Is this money coming a little too fast?’

Wang Shifeng was completely petrified. ‘So there really were plenty of people in this world dumber than Wang Meng. Someone actually fell for this act. Even the best wine wouldn’t be worth this price! The Wine Immortal’s wine at least has a reputation and is a status symbol, but this Drunkard Wine has absolutely nothing.’

‘Did Yanl Luoqi fall for it?’

“Young man, might you be willing to part with that third jar for me?”

A resonant voice rang out, and everyone searched for its source. Upon hearing it, Yanl Luoqi bowed respectfully. “If Senior is interested, then it is of course no problem.”

Keep in mind that Yanl Luoqi would merely nod even when meeting the Emperor of Great Zhou, yet now he was performing a full bow. The newcomer’s identity was self-evident.

In Haojing, there was only one person: Fire Emperor Yuan Gang!

Holy crap! This is insane! The Fire Emperor actually showed up! The Yuan Family and the Wang Family are rivals. Is the Fire Emperor here to wreck the place?

‘Impossible. Wang Meng is a nobody, just a tiny ant. There’s no way the Fire Emperor would need to act personally.’

Ji Jin’Er had secretly told Old Fire about this, but she hadn’t actually expected him to show up.

With the Fire Emperor’s arrival, Master Wang obviously couldn’t continue putting on airs inside. He came out himself, carrying the jar.

“Senior, your grand arrival truly brightens my humble establishment. How about an Eight Discount for you?” Wang Meng said with a smile.

Everyone was dumbfounded. Wang Meng had some serious balls, actually charging the Fire Emperor. Countless people would kill for a chance to curry favor with the Fire Emperor, and here he was taking the man’s money.

But to everyone’s utter astonishment, not only was the Fire Emperor not angry, but he actually paid and took the jar of wine from Wang Meng’s hand.

The Fire Emperor’s caliber was naturally far beyond that of Yanl Luoqi or Pang Hong. The moment he took the jar, his eyes narrowed slightly. “No wonder you refused to be my disciple, you brat.”

The aroma of the Law of Time… that was something that couldn’t be hidden from someone of the Fire Emperor’s level. The Fire Emperor sighed in admiration, while Wang Meng merely smiled. Only the two of them understood: the Fire Emperor believed the wine had been brewed by Wang Meng’s mysterious master.

But the Fire Emperor’s single sentence sent a shockwave through the entire crowd, as stunning as the apocalypse.

Zhan Yingluo was stunned. She knew Wang Meng was far from ordinary, but she had never imagined he was at a level where he could refuse the Fire Emperor.

Ji Ruyan felt as if her world were collapsing. She couldn’t tell if she was dreaming or if this was real. She had seen Wang Meng’s talent for Alchemy Skill before, but she had subconsciously chosen to forget, to ignore it, unwilling to acknowledge how powerful he was.

A gleam of intense interest flashed in Yanl Luoqi’s eyes. ‘To think such an interesting person actually exists in this world.’

Without a doubt, by tomorrow, Wang Meng would become the most sought-after person in all of Haojing.

And clearly, an existence like the Fire Emperor wasn’t one to make baseless claims.

All eyes were fixed on the wine jar in the Fire Emperor’s hands. If the Fire Emperor himself had taken a fancy to it, the wine had to be extraordinary. The only question was, would he open it?

The entire venue fell silent, all gazes fixed on the Fire Emperor. But he showed no intention of opening the jar.

“The last time, I had your fish. Tomorrow, same place, I’ll treat you to a drink,” the Fire Emperor said with a smile.

Wang Meng smiled as well. “Then I’ll gladly accept.”

The Fire Emperor laughed heartily and floated away, wine jar in hand. He clutched the jar tightly as he left, a clear sign that he genuinely treasured the wine.

Yanl Luoqi had already stored his wine away. “Brother Wang, is there any more of this wine? I want a hundred jars.”

The crowd remained petrified. It was one shocking statement after another, each more audacious than the last. ‘How much money would that even be?’

Wang Meng chuckled. “Brother Yanl, I appreciate your patronage, but there’s no way I have that much. This wine is only sold once every three days, and the quantity and quality depend on the Wine Master’s mood.”

“True. That was unprofessional of me,” Yanl Luoqi said.

“However, since Brother Yanl is one of my first customers, I can have a rather special jar custom-made for you,” Wang Meng said with a smile.

“Oh? Now I’m even more interested. Do tell?”

“You’ll find out when the time comes.”

The buyer was eager, while the seller was in no hurry at all.

Without a doubt, Drunkard Wine became famous overnight.

Wang Shifeng was beaming. His lucky day had finally come.

Drunkard Wine truly became an overnight sensation. The most incredible part was that the seller was in no rush to sell more. In an instant, every person of note in Haojing was asking about Wang Meng, discussing Drunkard Wine, and, of course, the Fire Emperor.

Who could have imagined it? The Five Elements Wasted Body the Fire Emperor had been searching for… was actually Wang Meng. And it was entirely possible. Wang Meng *was* a Five Elements Wasted Body, and on his way to Wang City after being exiled from Haojing, he had passed through the Taiyuan Bone Land.

Had everyone completely misjudged him?

If it had just been one incident, it could have been dismissed. But when all these events were linked together, Wang Meng began to seem like a figure of legend.

Pang Hong, currently the rising star of the Divine Artifact Pavilion, had to address Wang Meng as “Martial Uncle” and even perform a full kowtow. He must have received truly substantial guidance to behave that way. And now, Pang Hong was even living at Wang Meng’s residence.

The fact that Drunkard Wine could impress the worldly Golden Saint Yanl Luoqi—a man said to be an expert in all things—showed it was something special. And for the Fire Emperor to praise it and then invite Wang Meng for a drink… that was an astronomical honor.

Across the entire continent, how many people were worthy of such an honor?

At least in all of Great Zhou, it seemed Wang Meng was currently the only one.

This wasn’t just a minor upgrade; this was a complete, earth-shattering transformation.

Everyone felt a sense of unreality, as if the entire world had changed in the blink of an eye.

The Wang Family, in particular, was in an uproar. Who could have imagined that the one deemed to have the least potential was, in fact, the one with the most? And he had already reached such heights.

Wang Zongzheng felt frustrated as well. ‘He had never expected Wang Meng to cause such a stir; he had truly underestimated the boy. To think he could form a connection with the Fire Emperor—and a deep one, it seemed. No wonder he was completely unfazed by my pressure.’

And now that the Drunkard Wine shop had made a name for itself, there were no worries about sales.

Wang Shifeng never thought he would see the day he was summoned for a solemn, private audience with the Patriarch.

“Shifeng, where does Wang Meng get this wine?” Wang Zongzheng asked. Though he didn’t like the current Wang Meng, he had disliked the old Wang Rencai even more.

“Well… I don’t know. I asked, but he won’t tell me. Patriarch, you know I’m just a gofer. But I have tried the wine, and I truly believe it has a promising future. In any case, this is expanding the influence of our Wang Family.”

Wang Shifeng spoke with confidence. At this stage, he truly wasn’t afraid of what the Patriarch might do to him.

Wang Meng had already briefed him on the follow-up plan. While this supreme-grade Drunkard Wine was of course rare, the supply could still be guaranteed. In the future, there would be a more common version of Drunkard Wine. It wouldn’t be aged as long, but the quality would still be excellent. The Bai Family would be responsible for this, with two production bases to be established in Haojing and Wang City.

‘The Bai Family’s side would be managed by Fatty Bai, while he, of course, would be in charge of things in Haojing.’ Wang Shifeng felt he was finally on a proper path in life.

Wang Zongzheng didn’t press further. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Wang Shifeng. It was obvious Wang Shifeng couldn’t influence Wang Meng. ‘Let’s just see what this kid can accomplish with all his antics. Haojing is already in a bit of a mess. Stirring things up even more can only benefit the Wang Family.’

Wang Meng understood the ways of business very well. The true secret to success lay in building Drunkard Wine’s reputation through limited production. Of course, the recipe for the more common vintage was developed by Master Wang himself. While this new wine wasn’t aged, its quality was no worse than any other on the market, and it even came at a more favorable price.

This was the long-term plan. Combined with the occasional sale of the premium Drunkard Wine, it would be more than enough for Master Wang to make a living.

Pang Hong’s arrival was a great boon for Wang Meng. Pang Hong’s progress, however, was beyond even Wang Meng’s expectations. It just went to show that when someone’s potential is unleashed, they can truly create their own miracles.

Pang Hong was given his own exclusive Artifact Refining Room. For him, there was no better place to cultivate than by Wang Meng’s side.

People can change. Once Pang Hong dedicated himself to Artifact Refining, his entire disposition was elevated. After his sudden enlightenment, and with his deepening understanding of the craft, Pang Hong could be considered to have truly entered the Dao.

Wang Shifeng handled external matters, while the sisters Zuojing and Youjing managed internal affairs. The shop’s opening day had truly boosted the sisters’ confidence, allowing them to freely exercise their own talents and abilities.

Having suffered their family’s misfortune and experienced such dramatic turns in life, the two sisters possessed a maturity beyond that of ordinary girls their age. They began to handle matters with ever-increasing poise.

The first step is always the hardest. Now that they had made their opening move, the rest of the game would be much easier to play.

Wang Meng would, of course, accept the Fire Emperor’s invitation. In fact, given his mental fortitude, he found it easier to converse with someone on the Fire Emperor’s level. But naturally, Ji Jin’Er’s presence was indispensable.

The Fire Emperor also found Wang Meng’s company very comfortable. Unlike other young people, who were either trembling with fear or constantly trying to gain some advantage from him, Wang Meng was different. Though young, the boy handled himself perfectly—neither servile nor overbearing, confident but not arrogant.

With everything on track, Wang Meng began to focus on his own matters. And, of course, he once again rejected Wang Zongzheng’s proposal regarding the marriage contract.

This matter caused quite a stir. The Fire Emperor’s public approval of Wang Meng gave Emperor Ji Xuanyuan even less reason to hesitate in arranging the marriage.

Although Ji Ruyan was against it, such matters were not for a princess to decide. The shocking part was that Wang Meng was the one who refused.

This incident could be viewed as either a major or a minor affair. While imperial authority wasn’t absolute on the Cultivation Continent, the Royal Family’s power was, after all, still supreme.

Ji Ruyan had looks, status, and talent; she was practically flawless. And yet… Wang Meng had actually found fault with her.

Somehow, word of this got out, making an already complicated matter even more sensational and complex.

Ji Ruyan was absolutely furious. While she was satisfied with the outcome—Wang Meng’s refusal saved her the trouble of doing it herself—she couldn’t find any joy in the way it had happened.

‘On what grounds? How could someone like Wang Meng dare to look down on me!’

Watching her rampaging Seventh Sister, the Little Princess felt helpless. She had asked Wang Meng about it, but he had simply stated that he had no interest and that this was for the best for everyone involved. He had proactively refused, giving the excuse that he was unworthy of the princess.

‘In truth, Jin’Er thought the two of them were actually a good match; the misunderstandings between them were just too deep.’

The Royal Family, above all, had to maintain its dignity. With Wang Meng’s public statement, and especially with the news spreading so widely, Ji Xuanyuan could no longer press the matter.

However, while the matter was halted, it couldn’t simply be dropped. Something else was needed to cover up the scandal. The more the chaotic rumors spread, the more they would damage not only the Royal Family’s prestige but also the Seventh Princess’s reputation.

(On the 17th, this Friday at 2 PM, there will be a mobile interview with Skeleton. It looks like you can already leave comments. Come and join the fun! ^_^) (To be continued.