Danwu Refining Spirit

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Everything is in the Wine

Life is full of surprises! Yokoyama switched to a different pair of chopsticks, his eyes filled with anticipation as he looked at Xiao Chong.

His current feelings were just like Xiao Chong's when he obtained the treasure of a gust of wind—not only excited, but also surging.

This is understandable. Although he was sent by his family to Tiannan Town to reap the benefits, with a large amount of spirit stones flowing through his hands every day, it was public property and he could not do anything to it.

The accountant was assigned by the clan, and his status within the clan was no lower than his. Every income was recorded in detail by the accountant.

If he dared to embezzle from it and the clan found out, his life would be ruined. At the very least, he would have his cultivation destroyed and be expelled from the family.

But today's situation is different. This is a private transaction, and no matter how much benefit he gains, no one in the clan will care. They might even praise him for being young and promising, a talent with potential.

Therefore, seeing that Xiao Chong only said half of what he wanted to say before stopping, Yokoyama became somewhat anxious.

"What is it? Are you trying to drive your brother crazy?" Yokoyama asked anxiously.

Xiao Chong slowly took a sip of wine and asked with a smile, "Brother Heng, have you ever heard of this person, Guzhenfeng?"

“I’ve heard of them. They’re notorious bandits in the Southern Wilderness, specializing in robbing various pioneering teams.” Yokoyama paused, then asked bluntly, “But what does that have to do with the gift?”

Xiao Chong laughed and said, "Now that this gust of wind has fallen into my hands, it is the last gift I want to give to Brother Heng."

"You caught a gust of wind?" Yokoyama asked, somewhat surprised.

Xiao Chong nodded slightly: "Not bad!"

"Is this the person you just brought here?" Yokoyama asked again.

Xiao Chong nodded and said, "It is indeed him."

Yokoyama said thoughtfully, "That sum of money you wanted to trade with me earlier..."

"It was obtained from a gust of wind; otherwise, Brother Heng, would I look like someone so wealthy?" Xiao Chong laughed heartily.

"I see. No wonder you didn't seem to mind exchanging the Yuanli Card for 70% of its original price. But why didn't you just kill him and instead hand him over to me? Isn't that redundant?"

Upon hearing that the last gift was just a bandit, Yokoyama sat up straight, looking somewhat uninterested.

Originally, catching a gust of wind would be a good thing, as I could behead him and display his head to enhance my prestige in Tiannan Town, but there was no profit to be gained from it. Besides, my prestige was already sufficient, and I didn't need to deliberately elevate it further.

"It seems Brother Heng still doesn't understand what I mean!" Seeing the disappointment on Hengshan's face, Xiao Chong was not discouraged and lowered his voice to say, "Actually, the reason I kept the gust of wind until now is because I can use Brother Heng's help to make a fortune together."

"I wonder what your plans are, brother?" Upon hearing this, Yokoyama perked up again.

Xiao Chong chuckled and said, "It's very simple. As the mayor of Tiannan Town, Brother Heng should benefit the people and rid them of evil. Now that Brother Heng has spent so much money and manpower to personally capture the great bandit Yizhenfeng, shouldn't each of the pioneering teams show their appreciation?"

As long as Brother Heng spreads the word, chooses an auspicious day to publicly behead a gust of wind, and then invites representatives from all families to come and witness the ceremony, which ignorant person would come empty-handed?

"Since my Xiao family of Feiyue City has only been in the Southern Wilderness for a short time, and cannot offer much, we will simply present one thousand yuan stones on the spot to express our respect to Brother Heng."

"This is truly eye-opening! This actually works? Isn't this just blatant extortion? Can't we be less manipulative and more honest? But... it certainly is a shortcut to making money!"

Hearing this, Yin Feng inwardly scoffed, but couldn't help but admire Captain Xiao's brilliant plan. He felt the trip to the town mayor's office was truly worthwhile; he'd learned a lot.

Yokoyama also felt a little embarrassed by Xiao Chong's suggestion, and hesitated before saying, "Brother, do you think our way of doing this is going too far?"

"We're not robbing anyone, so what's wrong with that? Besides, we have plenty of money, so why should we hold back? No, we need to start another fire!"

Seeing that Yokoyama was clearly moved, yet insisted on putting on an aloof and pure appearance, Xiao Chong couldn't help but feel secretly contemptuous.

After showing his disdain, Xiao Chong deliberately sighed and said, "Since Brother Heng is unwilling to get rich, then I will have to think of other ways. Alas, it's a pity that such a large fortune belongs to one of the hundreds of pioneering teams in Tiannan Town."

"Brother, do you have any other suitable candidates?" Yokoyama asked somewhat reluctantly.

“Others may not be able to do it, but there are always ways,” Xiao Chong said confidently.

"What method?" Yokoyama blurted out.

Xiao Chong laughed again: "But this method cannot be told, otherwise it will not work."

Yokoyama's face showed a conflicted expression again. After thinking for a long time, he said, "Fine, it's better to do what you know well than something new. I'll listen to you, brother. Let's do it."

"I almost lost my life for a gust of wind this time, shouldn't I also get something in return..." Xiao Chong looked at Hengshan and began to bargain.

Yokoyama was quite straightforward this time: "I'll split the profits 50/50 with my brother!"

"Great, that's excellent!" Xiao Chong exclaimed, raising his glass. "To celebrate this pleasant collaboration, shall we have a toast?"

Yokoyama also raised his glass and said, "Let's have a drink!"

"Clang!" The two men, their faces beaming, clinked their glasses together and downed their drinks in one gulp.

"I won't waste any more time on small talk; everything is in the wine," Xiao Chong said, putting down his wine cup.

"Well said, it's all in the wine," Yokoyama exclaimed.

In an instant, the atmosphere at the table became lively and heated, with the two exchanging toasts and their relationship rapidly warming up.

At this moment, the sandworm was also roasted and brought to the table by the cook, instantly filling the room with a rich and enticing aroma.

"Come, Brother Xiao, try the taste of this sandworm."

"Brother Heng is the master, so he should come first."

Unbeknownst to them, the pioneering team was destined to be ripped off, and both of them were extremely excited.

After exchanging insincere pleasantries, they all reached for the sandworms on the table with their chopsticks, as if the sandworms were the pitiful pioneering teams.

Watching the two perform, Yin Feng absentmindedly picked at his food, finding it tasteless and like chewing wax.

The two people in front of me have been engaged in a contest, both overt and covert, since the moment we met.

One approach advances step by step, constantly throwing out bait that makes it irresistible; the other feigns reluctance but still offers all the benefits one is entitled to. In the end, through continuous bargaining, a harmonious and perfect unity is achieved.

From tone and expression to technique and skill, they performed with exquisite skill and impeccable technique, they were simply two peerless masters who had reached the pinnacle of their craft.

The last line, "Everything is in the wine," is particularly insightful and understated, leaving the reader with a profound understanding; it is truly the finishing touch.

That was so vivid! You actors are so good at it; it's a great loss to the theater world if you don't become actors! It seems I'm still too green and young, with skin as thin as paper. How can I be a qualified negotiator like this? The revolution is not yet complete; we must continue to strive. The task is arduous and the road ahead is long.

Having identified his shortcomings, Yin Feng decided to learn from his mistakes and strive to improve. He resolved to thoroughly analyze and deduce this classic case upon returning home, otherwise it would be difficult to enhance his professional skills.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, when Xiao and Heng were both flushed and hot, Hengshan suddenly asked casually, "Brother Xiao, you are so young yet have achieved so much, and your actions are always unexpected. I wonder which master taught you such talent?"

They're trying to find out my secrets! Perfect, I'll give them a scare.

Xiao Chong chuckled inwardly, but put on a mysterious and unfathomable expression and said, "To be honest, Brother Heng, I come from the Xiao family of Feiyue City, but all my skills were passed down to me by a strange person by chance in my early years."

According to that strange man, he had not left the world for a thousand years, hence his obscurity. As for his name, I only know his surname was Lü, but I have no idea what else he was like.”

These words were not untrue; the old man surnamed Lü was naturally referring to the great Lü, and it was only natural that he had not set foot in the world for a thousand years. Therefore, Xiao Chong answered fluently without any psychological burden.

But these words stirred up a storm in Yokoyama's heart.

"As expected, this guy surnamed Xiao really does have an old monster backing him up."

"An existence that has lived for a thousand years, what level of cultivation does it possess? Is it a Martial Saint or a Martial Emperor? Could it possibly be a Martial God?"

"Fortunately, I acted quickly in 'Happy Forest' that day, otherwise, I don't know what kind of disaster I would have caused."

Yokoyama grew increasingly alarmed as he thought about it, and when he looked at Xiao Chong again, his eyes held a hint of awe.

It should be known that cultivators on the Tianyun Continent value the relationship between teachers and students above all else, and they would never make up stories if they did not exist.

Because that is a grave crime of betraying one's master and ancestors, even the most wicked and evil people would never dare to commit it lightly.

Therefore, Yokoyama firmly believed that Xiao Chong, with his upright background, would never do such a foolish thing.

Yin Feng's thoughts were exactly the opposite of Yokoyama's; he was stunned by Xiao Chong's astonishing words.

It's true that you come from the Xiao family of Feiyue City, but what's with that strange person surnamed Lü? There's a limit to how much you can lie, isn't it? Aren't you afraid that your clan will find out if you keep spouting nonsense?

Because he was worried about Xiao Chong, Yin Feng couldn't feel happy at all, even though he had learned a new move.

As the two were lost in their own thoughts, Xiao Chong said again, "That strange man repeatedly warned me not to flaunt this. But Brother Heng is not an outsider, so I told you the truth. Please do not spread this matter."

Yokoyama hurriedly replied, "You don't need to tell me, brother. I know the implications."

“I believe you, Brother Heng,” Xiao Chong said after thinking for a moment. “There is another matter. That one-eyed man known as Tiger Lord is secretly colluding with Gu Zhenfeng.”

"Then let's just wipe him out!" Yokoyama said, his face full of murderous intent.

"Mm." Xiao Chong nodded and began to eat.

At this point in the banquet, both parties had gotten what they needed, so there was no need to continue.

Therefore, Xiao Chong ate a few more bites haphazardly, then took Yin Feng and Hengshan to say goodbye, waiting for the two sides to find a time to exchange gold, silver and Yuanli cards.

On the way back, seeing that Xiao Chong was in a good mood, Yin Feng cautiously asked, "Is it really true, as you just said, that there is an extraordinary person?"

"It's possible to have it, or it's possible to not have it." Xiao Chong's answer was full of Zen wisdom.

"What do you mean?" Yin Feng asked, somewhat confused.

"If it is true, why has no one ever known about it? If it isn't true, then given my mediocre performance before the Body Tempering Test, why did I suddenly become a completely different person overnight?" Xiao Chong's answer became increasingly insightful.

"So... is it there or not?" Yin Feng was completely bewildered.