Chapter 6: Drink This Bowl of Wine, and We Are All Friends

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Drink This Bowl of Wine, and We Are All Friends

Hearing the voice, Fang Xu frowned and looked toward the door. He wondered if it was him.

Standing outside was a young man in a blue silk shirt with a somewhat gaunt face. This was Zhang Mingliang, the second young master of the Zhang family in Fenglin Town. He was a notorious playboy in town. Relying on his family’s power, he had done his fair share of bullying men and preying on women over the years.

"Haha... Young Master Zhang is here." The old man who had been attending to Fang Xu immediately cast him aside upon seeing Zhang Mingliang, greeting the newcomer with a fawning smile.

Zhang Mingliang glanced at the old man and said flatly, "Where is Ms. Wu? Bring out all the Qi Blood Pills in Qinxiang House. I am going to push through to the Martial Disciple realm today!"

The old man bowed with an obsequious smile. "Please wait a moment, Young Master Zhang. I will go and fetch the boss right away."

"No need." As soon as he finished speaking, a beautiful woman in a purple dress walked out from the inner hall of Qinxiang Garden. The woman was about forty years old but exceptionally well-maintained. Compared to Wang Ergou’s wife, Mrs. Wang, she exuded far more mature charm.

"Ms. Wu." Seeing the woman, Zhang Mingliang restrained his arrogance slightly and cupped his hands in a respectful greeting.

This woman was Wu Ningxue, the daughter of the Wu family’s old Patriarch. She was a Martial Artist at the Seventh Realm of the Martial Disciple stage. Usually presiding over Qinxiang House, she held considerable prestige in Fenglin Town.

Zhang Mingliang dared to be arrogant in front of others, but never in front of her.

"Zhang boy, have you succeeded in Refining Viscera?" Wu Ningxue asked flatly, sizing him up.

Zhang Mingliang chuckled and said with considerable pride, "Ms. Wu, hurry up and bring out all the Qi Blood Pills. I want them all."

The Zhang family controlled the entire Blood Food business in Fenglin Town. With their deep pockets, a Qi Blood Pill that cost ten taels of silver was essentially candy to him.

Wu Ningxue ignored his demand, turning instead to look at the silent Fang Xu.

"Elder Li, is the Fang boy also here to buy Qi Blood Pills?"

The old man quickly cupped his hands. "Yes, Young Master Fang wants five Qi Blood Pills."

Wu Ningxue nodded and looked back at Zhang Mingliang. "Zhang boy, doing business means honoring first-come, first-served. Qinxiang House currently has fifty Qi Blood Pills. Aside from the five the Fang boy wants, I will give you all the rest. How about that?"

Hearing this, Zhang Mingliang frowned and voiced his dissatisfaction, "How can that work?

"I am going to break through to the Martial Disciple realm today. If I fail because I lack these five Qi Blood Pills, wouldn’t I have wasted this opportunity?"

Wu Ningxue smiled faintly at his words.

Breaking through to the Martial Disciple realm depended on regular accumulation; Qi Blood Pills merely served as an auxiliary aid. Zhang Mingliang’s everyday cultivation was entirely built upon massive amounts of Blood Food and Elixirs. His foundation was unstable. If he was destined to fail his breakthrough, having a few extra Qi Blood Pills wouldn’t help anyway.

"Qinxiang House is open for business, and rules cannot be broken.

"If Young Master Zhang truly wants to take all fifty Qi Blood Pills, you will have to negotiate with the Fang boy yourself," Wu Ningxue said.

Wu Ningxue passing the buck to him made Fang Xu secretly frown. He wondered, "Your Wu family doesn’t want to offend the Zhang family, so you dump this troublesome matter onto me?"

Since Wu Ningxue had spoken, Zhang Mingliang had no choice but to strut over to Fang Xu and ask arrogantly, "I remember you. You’re Old Fang’s grandson, Fang Xu, right?"

Fenglin Town wasn’t too large, and Fang Xu’s grandfather was the best carpenter in town, making him somewhat of a local celebrity. Because of this, most people in town knew Fang Xu.

"Young Master Zhang," Fang Xu replied, neither haughty nor humble as he gave a slight bow.

Seeing this, Zhang Mingliang smiled, stepped closer, and grabbed Fang Xu’s arm. "Fang Xu, I am in urgent need of Qi Blood Pills right now. Just let me have those five."

With Wu Ningxue present, Zhang Mingliang didn’t dare to be too brazen.

Fang Xu looked troubled.

He had already mastered the Refining Viscera Technique and was also in urgent need of Qi Blood Pills to assist his cultivation. The Wu family’s old Patriarch didn’t possess high Alchemy skills, so the production of Qi Blood Pills was limited. If he missed this chance, he would probably have to wait at least ten days to buy a new batch.

"Fang Xu, consider it a favor you’re doing for me. How about we become friends?" Zhang Mingliang spoke up again upon seeing his hesitation.

Huh? Become friends?

Zhang Mingliang’s words made a sharp light flash in Fang Xu’s eyes. Friends were great! What he lacked most right now were friends. Only by having friends would he have the chance to inherit their legacies, and only with those legacies could he grow stronger. As the second young master of the Zhang family, Zhang Mingliang was far superior to a filthy scoundrel like Wang Ergou. Becoming friends with him seemed like a pretty good idea.

The problem, however, was that Fang Xu still hadn’t figured out exactly how the system defined a friend. Did a verbal agreement count, or did it require a specific ritual or fulfilling other conditions?

Regardless, he would try it first!

Having made his decision, Fang Xu immediately smiled and said, "Since Young Master Zhang has put it that way, it would be unappreciative of me to refuse.

"I am definitely claiming Young Master Zhang as a friend."

After saying this, he quickly waited for the system’s reaction. A moment passed, but the system remained completely silent, which made him feel rather puzzled.

He wondered, "Does a verbal agreement not count as a friendship? Then... what exactly counts?"

As his mind raced, Fang Xu suddenly noticed the two jars of home-brewed wine in his hands. He had originally planned to give them to Lu Zhiyuan but hadn’t handed them over yet.

"Young Master Zhang," Fang Xu quickly called out, stopping Zhang Mingliang just as he was about to leave with the Elixir.

Zhang Mingliang turned around and looked at him with a hint of confusion.

Fang Xu raised the wine jars in his hands and smiled. "Young Master Zhang, I brewed some fine wine myself, and I would like to invite you to have a taste."

He reasoned, "Since a verbal agreement isn’t recognized by the system, maybe I should try adding a bit of a ritual?"

"Drinking?" Zhang Mingliang paused for a moment. He seemed to drum up a sliver of interest in Fang Xu’s home-brewed wine, immediately laughing. "In that case, I will gladly accept."

Saying so, he signaled to his attendants nearby to take the wine jars from Fang Xu’s hands.

However, Fang Xu waved his hand dismissively. "I heard that Young Master Zhang loves and understands wine. I’d like to invite you to taste it right now. It would be even better if you could offer some feedback so I can go back and improve it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Ningxue beside them also seemed intrigued. She said, "Fang boy, I also want to taste exactly how good your home-brewed wine is.

"Elder Li, go to the back and fetch some bowls."

Hearing this, the old man bowed and went to the back, returning a moment later carrying a stack of porcelain bowls.

Fang Xu felt secretly delighted. He had only planned to befriend Zhang Mingliang, but if this succeeded, even Wu Ningxue and the others could become his friends.

He was hitting the jackpot.

The old man arranged the porcelain bowls, and Fang Xu swiftly unsealed one of the wine jars, filling them one by one.

A rich aroma of wine instantly filled the entirety of Qinxiang House.

This was the most fulfilling creation he had developed using his past life’s experience. It was far more fragrant than Fenglin Town’s so-called fine vintage, the Maple Leaf Wine.

Sniffing the aroma, everyone in the shop wore expressions of pure intoxication.

Having poured the wine, Fang Xu was the first to pick up a bowl. He looked at the group and said, "A toast to you all. Once we drink this bowl of wine, we are all friends!"

Wu Ningxue, the old man, and Zhang Mingliang were already itching to taste the fine wine. Tossing all other concerns aside, they each picked up a bowl and raised it. "We are all friends, let’s taste it!"

As the four of them downed their drinks in one gulp, a screen of light suddenly appeared in front of Fang Xu.

Friend List (3/10)

Friend 1: Zhang Mingliang, Fenglin Town, Qinghe County, Huangzhou Prefecture (15%)

Friend 2: Wu Ningxue, Fenglin Town, Qinghe County, Huangzhou Prefecture (71%)

Friend 3: Chu Li, Fenglin Town, Qinghe County, Huangzhou Prefecture (68%)

Looking at the list on the light screen in front of him, Fang Xu smiled.

GLUG—

Just as everyone was still savoring the aftertaste of the fine wine, the sound of someone swallowing saliva rang out inappropriately.

Zhang Mingliang shot a glare at the attendant beside him and kicked him in annoyance. "You absolute embarrassment!"

The attendant took the kick and hung his head, not daring to speak.

Seeing this, Fang Xu’s mind stirred. He immediately took out two more porcelain bowls, filled them with wine, and handed them to the two men. "Everyone gets a share. Once you drink this bowl of wine, we are all friends."

The two men didn’t dare to take it, both looking toward Zhang Mingliang.

Zhang Mingliang rebuked them crossly, "Young Master Fang already said so. Drink it.

"What a waste of good stuff..."

Hearing this, the two gratefully accepted the wine, tilted their heads back, and downed it in one gulp.