Chapter 1752: Flattering Gone Wrong

"Brother Lu Ye, you’re familiar with Thousand Flower Stone Spirits, right?"

Pouring the last drop of clear wine from the jade wine jug, Yun Xiao looked up and softly spoke to the still-dazed Lu Ye, then handed the jade bowl back to him along with it.

"Brother Yun Xiao, this... this won’t do!"

Gripping the jade bowl forcibly stuffed into his hand by Yun Xiao, Lu Ye finally snapped back to reality, shaking his head like a rattle drum, refusing to accept it no matter what.

Lu Ye wasn’t a small-minded person like Yu Xu. Despite his short stature and smart appearance, he was straightforward and honest in his actions. Although he picked up the stone, other than the act of picking it up, it seemed to have nothing to do with him.

Be it recognizing the stone as Thousand Flower Stone Spirits or using the clear wine to reveal the beauty of the wine, Lu Ye was in complete darkness about these matters. To accept that he found these Thousand Flower Stone Spirits would feel utterly undeserving.

"Does Brother Lu Ye believe I can’t find another kind of fine wine?"

Yun Xiao had made up his mind and naturally wouldn’t reach out to take the jade bowl Lu Ye handed back. His words brimming with confidence made many ponder.

Previously, due to Yun Xiao’s age, no one thought this youth could be a strong competitor. They assumed he was a fledgling who entered Drunken Immortal Restaurant by accident and could only recognize a few types of wine.

But now, after Yun Xiao showcased this skill, finding the Thousand Flower Stone Spirits, almost everyone abandoned that notion. Some even showed hostility, regarding this coarse-clothed youth as a major adversary in the Drunken Immortal Conference.

"Of course, if Brother Lu Ye can’t explain the ingredients and origins of these Thousand Flower Stone Spirits, then I’m at a loss!"

Seeing Lu Ye wanting to continue speaking, Yun Xiao felt impatient. His words contained a hint of provocation, causing Lu Ye’s face to flush, showing clear discontent.

"Thousand Flower Stone Spirits is made by brewers who collect a thousand kinds of fresh spring flowers, refine them into juice, and store them in sealed chambers for three months until they condense into stone. They are then refined with special methods, resulting in wine!"

Perhaps to showcase his expertise in the art of wine, Lu Ye didn’t refuse this time. Hearing him eloquently speak, even Yun Xiao couldn’t help but nod slowly.

What Lu Ye described was indeed the brewing method of Thousand Flower Stone Spirits. This method differs slightly from ordinary wine brewing and, to some regular drinkers, even with the stone in front of them, they might not notice anything special.

In fact, it’s not just those regular drinkers; even these renowned wine masters of Drunken Immortal City hadn’t noticed the uniqueness of the stone.

Clearly, Thousand Flower Stone Spirits is a rare find, suitable for a competition like those held at Drunken Immortal Restaurant.

It seems Lu Ye simply couldn’t identify the stone form of Thousand Flower Stone Spirits initially. Once prompted, his mind poured forth detailed brewing methods, leaving no mistake.

Of course, Manager Zhou didn’t insist on Lu Ye naming all one thousand spring flowers at this moment. That would be too demanding, especially since some flowers could be altered at will.

"Thousand Flower Stone Spirits, absolutely correct!"

Even knowing that Yun Xiao discovered and activated the Thousand Flower Stone Spirits, Manager Zhou didn’t dwell on it at this moment. Perhaps he had some other intentions, bypassing all this and announcing Lu Ye’s successful identification and passing of the first round of competition.

"Lu Ye, that guy is quite lucky!"

Compared to the other onlookers who were merely surprised, Lu Ye’s long-time rival Yu Xu was far from pleased, hearing his whispered complaint filled with deep jealousy.

"This kid is quite interesting!"

On the other hand, Ma Nanfeng, who initially didn’t view Yun Xiao favorably, now showed a smile on his face, unclear about his intentions and seemingly having dissipated some of his hidden anger.

Nonetheless, this was still only the first round of the Drunken Immortal Conference. Despite Yun Xiao’s astounding performance earlier, it wasn’t of much consequence to others. Failing to find a fine wine could result in elimination.

"Aha, it’s here!"

While everyone was searching for fine wine, a sudden cheer echoed, drawing everyone’s gaze over to see that it was Yu Xu, who held grievances against Lu Ye.

In Yu Xu’s hands was a large river clam, seemingly freshly scooped from the water, still dripping water droplets, casting a mysterious glow on Yu Xu’s excited face.

Seeing everyone’s gaze fixed on him, Yu Xu, feeling quite proud, exerted force with both hands, snapping the clam open from the middle, revealing some pink clam meat inside.

At the very moment Yu Xu opened the clam, with another hand, he had already retrieved a jade bowl, allowing the dripping clam juice to accurately fall into the bowl.

Drip! Drip! Drip!

In just a moment, the jade bowl was half-filled with amber-colored nectar. Waves of fragrance wafted from the bowl, making even the most experienced among them realize what kind of rare liquor it was.

"Bivalve Embryo, brewed using ten-year-old clams as the base, supplemented by..."

Yu Xu spoke eloquently, and this explanation confirmed the suspicions of the crowd, indeed acknowledging it as a rare liquor. Although it couldn’t compare to the Thousand Flower Stone, the fact that Yu Xu discovered it was a testament to his ability.

"Absolutely correct, approved!"

Manager Zhou listened attentively and, seeing that Yu Xu’s words were accurate, naturally approved in an orderly fashion. However, just as he opened his mouth to speak, Yu Xu waved at him.

"Actually, being able to discover this Bivalve Embryo was thanks to the guidance of Lord Supervisor. So, the credit for this approval should go to Lord Supervisor!"

One must say, Yu Xu was indeed a master of flattery. After these words, many people showed strange expressions, inwardly noting that this guy’s skin was indeed unusually thick.

Earlier in the outer area, Yu Xu had already flattered Ma Nanfeng. Were it not for Yun Xiao entering the Inner Garden first, the Lord Supervisor would have been in an exceedingly good mood.

It seemed Yu Xu wished to capitalize on the opportunity and align himself with the Emperor Palace, so no one in Drunken Immortal City would dare provoke him. This well-laid plan indeed sounded appealing.

"Yu Xu, what nonsense are you spouting? Do you think Lord Supervisor is like that useless Lu Ye, needing others’ help to find fine wine in this garden?"

Little did Yu Xu know, just as he thought he had flattered successfully and was about to receive acknowledgment from Lord Supervisor, a sudden voice came, causing his face to change dramatically.

The one speaking at this moment was the Great Elder of the Emperor Palace. He had accompanied Ma Nanfeng here for another important task, but being a wine lover, he took the Drunken Immortal Conference very seriously.

In the Drunken Immortal City Emperor Palace, below Ma Nanfeng, everyone is a wine lover to the extent of fanaticism; the Great Elder is no exception, and he greatly disdained Yu Xu’s shameless flattery.

Yu Xu, not even a cultivator affiliated with the Emperor Palace, was flattering Lord Supervisor like this. Was he perhaps eyeing a future position in the Emperor Palace to replace the Great Elder?

The Drunken Immortal City Emperor Palace’s Great Elder was overthinking, but his words held truth, making Ma Nanfeng, who hadn’t considered all this, grow visibly somber.

Ma Nanfeng had witnessed the earlier scene where the young rough-clad Yun Xiao helped Lu Ye. He was somewhat disdainful of relying on others to pass.

Yu Xu’s actions seemed to imply that the esteemed Lord Supervisor of the Emperor Palace needed someone else’s assistance to pass a test, which was a significant blow to his authority.

"I... I wasn’t..."

Shouted at by the Great Elder, Yu Xu almost collapsed, knowing he got himself into hot water with his flattery but didn’t know how to defend himself. How could he admit it was deliberate flattery?

"Get lost!"

Moments ago, Ma Nanfeng had quite a favorable impression of Yu Xu, but now he found his face intolerably detestable. Upon uttering these words, Yu Xu shrank his neck and dared not utter another word.

As though to prove his expertise in the way of wine, Ma Nanfeng, after shouting, no longer bothered with Yu Xu’s grim expression and instead walked directly toward a large tree.

This was a park with pavilions and kiosks, naturally dotted with lush trees. The tree Ma Nanfeng chose didn’t seem different from the others upon appearance.

Given his identity as Emperor Palace’s Chief, many eyes were on Ma Nanfeng at this moment, Yun Xiao’s included, although Yun Xiao’s eyes sparkled more intensely than the others’.

"Heh, this Lord Supervisor indeed has quite the discerning eye!"

A soft laugh escaped from Yun Xiao’s lips, and then everyone saw Ma Nanfeng swiftly retrieve a razor-sharp long knife from his Waist Storage and slice through the trunk of the tree.

Thud!

The sound came crisply, and with a weapon of such Heavenly Rank Advanced sharpness combined with Ma Nanfeng’s Heavenly Realm Late Stage cultivation, the blade severed the large, two-man tree entirely.

Crash!

The fallen tree made an impressive noise, causing the cultivators in that direction to hurriedly retreat, though out of fear of Ma Nanfeng’s identity and strength, they were merely indignant but dared not voice it.

More importantly, people’s attention focused on the tree’s severed end. There, the remaining stump’s cut was smooth and even, with a hollow filled with a substance akin to cream.

The fragrance swirled, gradually permeating the air.