"Hic"
The big man let out a hiccup, licked the last drop of Recovery Spirit Wine clean from the wine gourd, and looked at Zuo Qiuming longingly:
"Friend, do you have any more of this poisonous spirit wine? I’ll drink as much as you have and won’t charge you a single Spirit Stone."
This unexpected scene made everyone pause for a moment.
After they processed what had happened,
seeing the big man who drank the spirit wine from the gourd jump about lively without any signs of poisoning, they couldn’t help but burst into laughter, pointing at Zuo Qiuming and saying:
"I say, friend, although your third brother’s cultivation is low, he’s still a Qi Cultivator. Can’t even tell when he’s bought poisonous spirit wine; is he blind?"
"Exactly, if you want to con someone, at least come up with a more believable story. Move along, don’t block us from shopping."
Zuo Qiuming’s face turned red and then white from mockery, and he glared fiercely at the disheveled drunk, stubbornly saying:
"This drunkard was obviously sent by the Fu Family to destroy evidence. I don’t care; my third brother collapsed because he drank your Fu Family’s poisonous spirit wine. If the Fu Family doesn’t give us an explanation today, my brothers and I aren’t leaving."
Zuo Qiuming went straight into rogue mode.
The shop was in an uproar.
Soon, the marketplace’s enforcement team arrived in response to the commotion.
Fu Changsheng, who had been silent, immediately stepped forward and bowed:
"Captain Chen, you’re just in time. This fellow lying here claims to have been poisoned by drinking my family’s Recovery Spirit Wine. Please, Captain Chen, examine his injuries carefully and clear the Fu Family’s name."
Zuo Qiuming’s third brother, lying on the ground, had blue lips and a pale face, obviously bitten by a Silver-Spotted Poison Snake, something Fu Changsheng was very familiar with as his family raised hundreds of them.
Therefore,
he had remained calm from the beginning.
Upon hearing an examination was required, a look of panic flashed across Zuo Qiuming’s face, and he quickly changed his words:
"Hmph, just my bad luck. Second brother, let’s go!"
The two lifted the stretcher and turned to leave.
Fu Changsheng swiftly blocked their path and said coldly:
"You think you can come and go as you please, treating our Fu Family like a marketplace? If everyone followed your example, how would we conduct business?! Unless this matter is clarified today, the three of you won’t take a single step out of this shop!"
"The Fu Clan Leader is right, Zuo Qiuming, please put your third brother down."
Captain Chen quickly agreed.
What a joke.
Fu Changsheng is the Elder Feng’s favored one right now.
If the elder found out that the Fu Family had been wronged in the marketplace, Captain Chen would be blamed for ineffective enforcement.
Captain Chen reached out and ripped open Zuo Qiuming’s third brother’s robe, revealing a bite mark from a Silver-Spotted Poison Snake under his armpit.
He immediately put on a stern face and said:
"Your third brother was clearly bitten by a Silver-Spotted Poison Snake, yet you dare speak nonsense and tarnish the Fu Family shop’s reputation. Men, expel these three brothers from the marketplace immediately and blacklist them; they are banned from entering the marketplace for the next ten years!"
"Yes, Captain."
The enforcement team rushed forward and escorted the Zuo Qiuming brothers out.
Zuo Qiuming stubbornly tried to say something but was glared at fiercely by Captain Chen. Captain Chen was at Peak Qi Cultivation and a member of the Shangguan Family, so Zuo Qiuming, knowing he couldn’t win, swallowed his words.
After being expelled from the marketplace,
Zuo Qiuming’s face looked extremely unpleasant.
He never expected Fu Changsheng to come to the marketplace today. Normally, the Fu Family Shop was managed by a Low-Tier Qi Cultivation waiter, whom he thought would be easy to manipulate, but instead, he hit a hard wall.
Mission failed!
Zuo Qiuming snorted coldly, the jade talisman on his waist flashed, and he looked around to see a fleeting shadow in the woods ahead. He turned to instruct a few words to his brothers before entering the woods, where a black-robed man with a mask covering his face emerged, hiding his identity.
The two spoke unknown words in the forest.
After Zuo Qiuming emerged, he weighed a box in his hands, a look of joy on his face.
...
Inside the marketplace,
the order in the Fu Family Shop was restored.
The big man who wrestled the spirit wine from Zuo Qiuming remained in the shop, staring intently at the Recovery Spirit Wine on the shelves.
Fu Changsheng stepped forward and bowed:
"I am grateful to you, friend, for resolving the situation today. May I know your name?"
The big man seemed not to hear, engrossed in staring at the jars of wine on the shelves with a look of longing.
The clerk stepped forward and whispered in Fu Changsheng’s ear:
"Patriarch, this big man entered the marketplace three days ago; he tells everyone he’s some Array Grandmaster, but there’s no trace of mana on him, acting crazed with not a single Spirit Stone to his name. He lingers at our shop door every day, saying that if he can’t drink the wine, smelling it is good enough."
Fu Changsheng was momentarily stunned.
Could it be that the rumored Array Grandmaster who lost his cultivation is this very person before him?
He took a bottle of Recovery Spirit Wine from the shelf and handed it to the big man.
The big man’s eyes lit up instantly:
"Is this for me?"
"Yes, it’s to thank you for your help. May I know your name?"
The big man opened the bottle, gulped it down contentedly, then wiped his mouth and gave Fu Changsheng a mysterious smile:
"I’ll tell you, but don’t tell anyone else; I’m the famous Array Grandmaster from Luan City, known by everyone as Grandmaster Yu."
The clerk beside him vigorously signaled to Fu Changsheng, indicating not to believe the ramblings of this madman.
But Fu Changsheng took another bottle of spirit wine from the shelf, smiling as he said:
"Grandmaster Yu, our meeting must be serendipity. Would you be willing to come to the backyard to taste some wine and chat?"
Upon hearing there would be more wine,
Grandmaster Yu nodded eagerly, following Fu Changsheng to the backyard.
In the backyard,
Fu Changsheng patted his storage bag, and a box floated before Grandmaster Yu:
"Grandmaster Yu, my cousin is cultivating and we want to avoid disturbing her; could you help set up a Shielding Array?"
Grandmaster Yu showed little interest.
He simply stared longingly at the wine bottle in Fu Changsheng’s hand.
Upon seeing this, Fu Changsheng laughed and said:
"Set up the array, and this bottle of spirit wine is yours."
"Really?"
"Really!"
Grandmaster Yu licked his lips, and his right hand formed seals. Immediately, the Spirit Stones from the box flew up, and in no time at all, positioned themselves in various profound spots in the house. As his Dharma Seal changed, a buzzing sound followed, and a brilliant light curtain lit up the backyard, covering the spirit tree and Molan, who was sitting cross-legged and cultivating.
It was nearly effortless.
With a wave of his hand, he set up a Tier One Array using only Spirit Stones as formation tools; this person was obviously a seasoned Array Master.
Fu Changsheng’s lips curled slightly.
"Searching high and low," indeed.
He immediately handed the spirit wine to Grandmaster Yu, and after the latter finished drinking, he smiled and said:
"Grandmaster Yu, we have a wine cellar at our Clan Mountain, dedicated to brewing spirit wine. My cousin has developed a new Tier One Middle-Grade Spirit Wine, about to be unveiled. Would you be willing to visit the mountain to help us evaluate it?"