Started out getting scumbags, but then invested in the invincible Empress.

"Holy crap, this wine is brewed from spirit herbs? How come it's so expensive?"

Li Wudao was speechless.

That's equivalent to 500 taels of gold for one jin of wine.

He himself had never drunk such expensive wine before.

“Young master is right. This Drunken Jade Wine is brewed from several kinds of spiritual herbs and contains many benefits, such as strengthening muscles and bones, nourishing internal organs, and repairing hidden injuries.”

The waiter explained patiently.

Li Wudao then realized that such a fine wine was indeed worth the price.

"Alright, then please fill this gourd with wine."

Li Wudao handed over the wine gourd.

The old man's wine gourd wasn't very big; it could hold at most five jin of wine.

That's only 2,500 taels of gold, not a big problem.

"Okay, sir, wait a moment."

The waiter took the wine gourd and quickly walked towards the back room.

Li Wudao sat there bored, looking around.

A quarter of an hour passed, and the waiter still hadn't appeared.

Li Wudao was puzzled and walked towards the back hall.

"Waiter, is the wine ready yet?"

He secretly grumbled to himself, "The service at Zuiyulou is terrible; they're so slow at getting drinks."

Lift the curtain,

As soon as Li Wudao entered, he saw the waiter scooping wine from the wine vat.

"Sir, what's wrong with your gourd? Why can't it be filled?"

The waiter looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"What?"

Li Wudao was full of questions. This tiny wine gourd hadn't even been filled in a quarter of an hour?

"Give me the gourd first."

Li Wudao took back the wine gourd and began to examine it curiously.

The next moment, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

This is no ordinary wine gourd, it's clearly a magical artifact!

It looks unremarkable on the surface, but it has its own small space inside, which can easily hold fifty catties of wine.

"It's estimated to be worth over five thousand taels of gold now. Sir, would you like to continue ordering wine?"

The waiter hesitated, a little worried about whether the young man could afford it.

"Let's fill it up."

Li Wudao sighed.

If this were filled to capacity, it would probably require 25,000 taels of gold.

Xia Gucheng must have seen the five hundred spirit stones that the sect leader rewarded him with; that old man definitely did it on purpose.

Good heavens, I just received my salary and half of it is about to be taken away. That's really shady.

Because the amount involved was too large, the waiter couldn't make the decision himself and had to ask the manager to come.

The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man, dressed in a brown brocade robe, with shrewd eyes and a plump figure.

This perfectly matches Li Wudao's imagination of a businessman.

Upon seeing the wine gourd, the shopkeeper's expression changed slightly, and he then began to chat with Li Wudao.

Upon learning that he was Xia Gucheng's newly accepted disciple, they immediately showed him more respect and led him into a private room, treating him with great courtesy.

Li Wudao was completely bewildered, passively engaging in idle chatter. The shopkeeper was far too enthusiastic, making him very uncomfortable.

After another incense stick's time, the waiter finally filled the wine gourd.

"Hello, sir. The total is 26,000 taels of gold. Your master is a regular customer of our shop, so let's round it down to 20,000 taels of gold."

The shopkeeper spoke in a gentle tone.

"Is this appropriate?"

Li Wudao was stunned. Was this really going to be rounded down?

"It's perfect, absolutely perfect!"

The shopkeeper clapped his hands and nodded, his expression thoughtful; anyone who didn't know better would think he had gotten a good deal.

"Well... okay then."

Unable to refuse the other party's earnest invitation, Li Wudao had no choice but to nod.

He was quite surprised; he hadn't expected that the title of "cheap master" would be so effective, saving him six thousand taels of gold.

After delivering the wine, Li Wudao picked up the wine gourd and left Zuiyulou.

After the boy's figure disappeared.

The shopkeeper instantly straightened up, walked to the window, stood with his hands behind his back, and his demeanor changed drastically, becoming cold and authoritative.

"Rahu."

As soon as he finished speaking, a man dressed entirely in black robes and wearing a ghost mask knelt down on one knee.

"The master has accepted a disciple. Immediately notify all departments to be on high alert and not to provoke the young master, or else... death!"

The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed slightly, and when he spoke the last word, it was filled with murderous intent.

The before and after postures are completely different, making it hard to believe that it is the same person.

"Yes."

The man in black responded, then transformed into a black shadow and vanished in an instant.

"Given His Majesty's discerning eye, even a king-level talent would be hard to catch his eye, yet he would accept that young man as his disciple at this time..."

The shopkeeper gazed out the window, his fingers tapping lightly on the window frame, lost in thought.

He couldn't fathom Li Wudao's true nature, but Xia Gucheng's decision to accept him as a disciple must have something special about it.

The reason for sending the boy here is probably to inform him.

........

Li Wudao spurred his horse and galloped wildly, not daring to stop for a moment.

Finally, before nightfall, we returned to Misty Peak.

The winding road nearly made him dizzy.

Since he can't fly, he has no choice but to hike up the mountain.

This made Li Wudao secretly decide that he must cultivate to the Martial Grandmaster realm as soon as possible, so that he wouldn't have to go through so much trouble.

Inside Misty Valley.

As soon as Li Wudao entered, he smelled the aroma of meat.

His stomach immediately started rumbling.

After a long day of work without eating anything, how could I not be hungry?

Looking up, I saw Xia Gucheng sitting by the lake, grilling two fish.

"Old man, why didn't you tell me before that this Drunken Jade Wine is too expensive? How can you rip off your apprentice like this?"

Li Wudao strode over angrily and threw the wine gourd at his feet.

"You just received five hundred low-grade spirit stones, which is more than enough to pay for your drinks."

Xia Gucheng seemed oblivious to the boy's sullen expression and calmly flipped the fish over.

"My monthly salary is so little, how can you be so shameless?"

Li Wudao gritted his teeth.

"Look at you, so pathetic. Here's a fish to make up for it."

Xia Gucheng grinned and handed a string of fish to Li Wudao.

"Pshaw, how much is a fish worth?"

Li Wudao scoffed at this.

But the aroma made his body betray him. "Fine, I'll forgive you this time, but don't let it happen again."

The boy swallowed hard. The fish was golden and he didn't know what kind it was, but it smelled incredibly delicious.

Li Wudao took the fish, took a small bite, and found it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

"Ok?"

To his surprise, he discovered that the fish meat he had swallowed contained pure spiritual energy.

Just one bite of fish made him feel that his cultivation had improved.

If he were to show off the entire fish, it might even raise his cultivation level by a small amount.

"Master, what kind of fish is this? The spiritual energy is so rich. I wonder if it's expensive. I'd like to buy a few to satisfy my craving."

Li Wudao was curious.

This fish was delicious and could accelerate cultivation, which made him very interested.

"This is called 'Earth Spirit Fish'. It lives in caves thousands of meters deep year-round, feeding on stalactites and stalagmites. Its flesh is rich in pure spiritual energy and has almost no impurities, so there's no need to worry about side effects."

Xia Gucheng grilled another fish and said casually, "The price is 100 low-grade spirit stones per pound."

"......"

Li Wudao was taken aback. It's so expensive!

The fish in his hand weighed at least three pounds, equivalent to more than 300 low-grade spirit stones.

His monthly salary is only enough to buy one of those, he can't afford it, he simply can't afford it!

"It seems I misunderstood the old man..."

Li Wudao felt ashamed; this cheap master still had some teacherly ethics.

After quickly showing off a fish, he licked his lips, seemingly still wanting more.

Just then, he suddenly felt something and found a place to sit cross-legged.

After eating the Earth Spirit Fish, Li Wudao sensed an opportunity for a breakthrough.

He began to circulate the Great Shouyang True Scripture, refining the spiritual energy within his body.

Driven by the Emperor's Scripture, the rich spiritual energy rapidly transformed and settled in the dantian.

"This is... the fluctuation of the Emperor's Scripture... This kid is indeed interesting."

Xia Gucheng placed the grilled spirit fish on the table, his eyes slightly narrowed.

After a moment, he looked away.

He walked to the rocking chair, lay down, closed his eyes slightly, and leisurely sipped his wine.

After a stick of incense.

Li Wudao fully absorbed the spiritual energy of the Earth Spirit Fish and thus entered the mid-stage of the Blood Transfer Realm.

His aura was not only stable, but he also faintly touched the late stage of the Blood Refining Realm.

This fish benefited him greatly!

"Cool--"

The boy put his hands on his hips, ready to loosen up his muscles.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, your investment has been successful. Investment project: 50 jin of Drunken Jade Wine.]

[Random reward feedback in progress.......]

[Congratulations, host, on acquiring a special physique: Pure Yang Sacred Body]

[Pure Yang Sacred Body: Blood and Qi are extremely pure and Yang, the body is like a furnace, endlessly regenerating, born with divine strength, initially possessing the strength of a thousand jin of physical strength, which can be increased with cultivation level, the nemesis of evil spirits]

"I almost forgot about the rebate... Holy crap, the Holy Body?!"

Li Wudao lightly patted his forehead, looking at the system introduction with slight surprise.

This time, the system actually rewarded me with a special physique, and it's even a Holy Physique!