What do you mean I'm a ghost story?

Chapter 68 Desiring to Drink the Fine Wine
"Your [Drunken Fist] sensed the presence of the nightmare and suddenly awoke."

On the way back, Xia Qing looked at the new notification she had just received, lost in thought.

This was obtained when the valiant and wise general Na Ying appeared.

In other words, he acquired two personalized martial arts skills on this trip.

Based on past experience, only one type of ghost story can awaken.

Therefore, the valiant general and the Ironclad Pagoda are not separate entities, and may even be categorized in different ways.

In fact, this is very easy to distinguish from their identities. One is a Jin army Iron Pagoda, and the other is a Han general. To some extent, the two are in opposition to each other.

However, since they all appeared here, it can't be a coincidence; there must be some necessary connection between them.

“Even if it’s a ghost story born of fear, it must still follow the most basic logic of cause and effect. Since the Iron Pagoda is a Jin army unit, then its general must be a Song army officer…”

Xia Qing analyzed it in her mind.

But there's one thing I still can't figure out.

Even though he appeared as a ghost story and was clearly out of control, the general still volunteered to die for fear of harming the people.

How could such a person be associated with 'fear'?
Or is it that official research is incomplete? Or is it not just fear?

Lacking information, these things obviously couldn't be figured out by just racking one's brains, so Xia Qing quickly put them aside for the time being and continued to look at the notification messages.

"Your Tai Chi Chuan technique, because you incorporated the principles of boxing into your halberd techniques, has earned praise from even the strongest opponents. Seeing the astonished look on the eyes of the young girl from the yamen beside you, you feel pleased and as if you have gained some insight."

This is the third gain from this trip.

However, there were no hints of sudden enlightenment or supernatural powers, so it seems that the progress is not increasing much.

Xia Qing opened the attribute panel of Tai Chi Chuan and, as expected, it had only increased by 20%, with the upgrade progress reaching 80%.

There was no other way; after all, Ling Shuang was the only one here, and she was even defeated by that valiant and scholarly general. It was really not in line with the Tai Chi Chuan style's desire to manifest divine power.

Even a little progress is a pleasant surprise.

"Iron Head Kung Fu? Drunken Fist?"

After reviewing the attributes of Tai Chi Chuan, Xia Qing, who already had some experience with it, immediately activated two new martial arts techniques in his mind.

"Your 'Iron Head Kung Fu' is all in a daze, not knowing where to go or what to seek."

[Iron Head Skill] immediately gave Xia Qing some bad news, and then fell silent without responding.

Fortunately, Drunken Fist brought good news.

Compared to Iron Head Kung Fu, he was clearly more concerned about Drunken Fist, having just suffered a loss.

"When you woke up from your drunken slumber, you instinctively reached for the wine gourd at your waist, only to find it light in your hand. You opened it and turned it over, only to find it empty. You immediately sighed at how easily the fine wine was gone."

"Want some wine?"

Xia Qing immediately understood the preferences of Drunken Fist upon seeing it.

That makes sense. After all, it's Drunken Fist, and its techniques and name are inextricably linked to alcohol, so it's only natural that it would be fond of it.

That's easy to solve.

With modern winemaking technology and logistics speed, the only question is the price of any famous wine from around the world.

"Stop at the tobacco and liquor store up ahead."

Xia Qing looked around by the roadside, then turned her head and said something to Ling Shuang.

"Ah."

Ling Shuang seemed lost in thought the whole way, and after hearing Xia Qing's words, she didn't ask any further questions and simply stopped in front of the tobacco and liquor store.

Xia Qing doesn't drink much, so once inside, she immediately targeted the most well-known brand and only bought it after the owner repeatedly assured her that it was genuine.

Of course, he wasn't afraid of fakes, it was just a bit of a hassle.

"Why do you suddenly want to drink?" Ling Shuang asked as she saw Xia Qing return, her gaze falling on the wine in his hand.

"I just lost a fight, so I have to find a way to get revenge. I recently learned Drunken Fist, and I'll see if I can have an epiphany while drinking."

Xia Qing didn't hide anything. She sat in the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and poured herself a sip from the bottle cap, drinking alone.

Ling Shuang was driving, so she obviously couldn't drink, and he didn't stand on ceremony.

As soon as I took a sip of baijiu, before I could even savor it, a new notification popped up.

"Hiss! Your [Drunken Fist] looks at that clear, water-like liquid. I exclaimed that I've never seen such a fine wine before. Taking a small sip, I was even more amazed, marveling that there could be such a strong liquor in the world. It's like a fiery snake entering my stomach, burning my entire body and striking straight into my brain. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!"

Seeing the pop-up text prompt, Xia Qing exhaled a satisfied breath of alcohol.

But after waiting for a while, they found that the drunken boxing technique, after its "wonderful" moment, ended without any further development.

"Isn't that enough?"

Xia Qing glanced at the TV in her hand.

Could I have bought counterfeit alcohol? Or maybe they mixed it with industrial alcohol?
"When you savor the wine of your Drunken Fist, you are amazed by its clarity and strength. However, there is a slight regret. Although the wine is strong and the flavor is acceptable, it seems to lack the mellowing of time and has the suspicion of being a blend of old and new wines, which makes it lack some taste and flavor."

Sure enough, after waiting a while, Drunken Fist's notification came again.

Xia Qing's first reaction after reading it was that she had bought fake alcohol, but she quickly realized what had happened.

Modern commercial wines are mostly blended from old and new, or even from good and bad.

Otherwise, how could those decades-old aged wines withstand the test of sales?

Judging from this, Drunken Fist is quite picky about the liquor. It's not enough for it to just be clear and strong distilled spirits; it also has to be aged mash with good flavor.
Do you know if there are any wineries around here?

Xia Qing screwed the bottle cap on and looked at Ling Shuang.

If you want truly undiluted aged wine, it's unlikely you can buy it on the market; you have to go directly to the winery.

"I don't know, I don't drink, and I haven't paid attention to it."

Ling Shuang shook her head.

"What use are you?"

Xia Qing was immediately filled with disappointment and frustration.

"I'm a prospective investigator, not Doraemon. Who has time to care about whether there's a winery here? At most, I'll ask you when we get back."

Ling Shuang glanced at her irritably.

"Okay, I'll ask someone else first."

Xia Qing nodded, took out her phone, and planned to ask Grandpa Li.

This old man has a serious drinking problem. Although he claims to have quit drinking, he still drinks a few sips every day, only managing to avoid getting drunk.

As fellow connoisseurs of wine, Mr. Li should surely have the ability to collect or know where to find fine, aged wines.

Despite his advanced age, the old man lives a rather modern life, still using WeChat as his contact information.

Xia Qing sent a message, and while waiting, she looked at Ling Shuang again: "You reported what happened just now, right? What are you planning to do? Have you sent anyone over?"

"Have."

Ling Shuang nodded slightly.

"Whom did they send? Are they capable?"

Although Xia Qing knew that the Tales Walkers only used Nightmare Artifacts, he was still quite interested in the combat capabilities of the official personnel.

"I."

Ling Shuang drove with one hand while pointing to herself with the other.

(End of this chapter)