"Counterfeit wine?" Upon hearing Hua Guzi's judgement, Ning Zhuo's eyebrows rose, "Are you sure?"
Hua Guzi patted her chest forcefully, trembling as she guaranteed, "Young Master, I am a Spirit Chef. Although I am not skilled in making wine, Spiritual Wine is also within this category."
"This recipe is indeed contradictory; it can't be wrong."
After a pause, Hua Guzi continued, "I just tasted it and detected that the main ingredients of this wine are two. One is Netherworld Water, the other is Night Wander Grass."
"Netherworld Water can condense the soul and stabilize the spirit, often used in Alchemy and talismans, but as a material for brewing wine, it is too cold and yin, directly damaging the drinker's Yang Energy."
"Night Wander Grass grows in dark and damp places, it can be used to enhance spirit and Soul Power, but its nature is gloomy. Thus, it is not suitable for Cultivators of the Mortal World, more so for Ghost Cultivators of the Netherworld. Hence, it often serves as a resting place for the Night Patrol Deity."
"Night Wander Grass and Netherworld Water are both of a cold and yin nature, their powers extremely similar, unable to produce a complementary effect. Instead, they're likely to lead to a one-dimensional wine property, bringing a cold disease to Cultivators."
Having finished discussing the main ingredients, Hua Guzi then talked about the additives.
She took another little sip of Netherworld Brew, continuously moving her fingers with Finger Techniques.
After a while, she looked at Ning Zhuo and asked, "Young Master Ning Zhuo, I believe the additives should include Moon Dew, Netherworld Jade, and Merfolk Tear Bead, correct?"
Ning Zhuo shook his head slightly, also not concealing the truth, "As far as I know, the first two are correct, but the latter is not Merfolk Tear Bead, it's Nine-Tailed Fox Tears."
Hua Guzi hummed in agreement, her expression solemn, "Moon Dew, although it moisturizes the mind and spirit and is naturally cool, is often used to neutralize the hotter components in Spirit Food and Elixir Pills. But in the Netherworld Brew, it purely enhances the chillness, not only lacking in harmonizing effect, but also aggravating the overall wine body's chillness, making the wine nature extreme."
"Netherworld Jade is a specialty of the Netherworld, often used in the making of Magic Artifacts, with properties that are heavy and maintain Yin, adept at protecting the soul and stabilizing it. But as an additive, it is too heavy and impedes, causing the circulation of the wine body's Spiritual Energy to face obstruction, unable to maintain a light taste. Netherworld Jade has a strong absorption capability, easily adsorbing other spiritual natures in the wine, leading to a dull and uninspiring wine body, lacking in vibrance and complexity."
"The final item is Nine-Tailed Fox Tears. Such tears are rare and precious, possessing the ability to clear away scattered thoughts and purify the soul, but they act on emotions, often fluctuating greatly, difficult to control. Compared to the aforementioned cold materials, Nine-Tailed Fox Tears, despite having a warmth of emotion, fail to harmonize these excessively chill main and secondary materials."
"Because the amount used is too little. I didn't taste it at all just now! In such cases, the Nine-Tailed Fox Tears are excessively tainted by the chillness in the wine, preventing their own effectiveness from being realized, swallowed by the wine body."
After Hua Guzi finished explaining, she finally said, "So, to sum up. The main ingredients in this recipe are too similar in nature, reducing the wine body's variation and depth, resulting in a rigid wine nature."
"The additives such as Moon Dew and Netherworld Jade not only fail to harmonize the main ingredients, but also exacerbate the wine body's chillness and dullness."
"The only hopeful Nine-Tailed Fox Tears, used in too small an amount, unable to harmonize the Yin. And due to its emotional fluctuations and resonance, incompatible with the chilling wine body, easily provoking a huge disparity in emotions. If the drinker is not mentally stable, they might fall into a soul-shaking state, indirectly leading to extreme emotional changes, even to the extent of losing control."
Hua Guzi pondered, "If it were up to me, I would eliminate some main materials and additives, using warm and Yang materials to harmonize."
"Like Sun Fruit, Flame Ganoderma, Purple Sun Lotus Seed, and more boldly, even Phoenix Golden Feather."
Hua Guzi's attitude towards Ning Zhuo was different from ordinary people.
This explanation was utterly sincere, free of any falsehood.
Ning Zhuo pondered for a moment, then asked her, "Could this drink enable one's thoughts to extend, reaching the Netherworld, to comprehend ancestral wisdom, and receive guidance from the beyond?"
Hua Guzi's eyes widened and she chuckled, "How could that be possible? Young Master, have you been deceived?"
Ning Zhuo fell back into deep thought.
He tasted the wine again, its taste unchanged from before.
Had Linghu Jiu deceived him?
Given his understanding of Linghu Jiu's temperament, it made no sense.
Was the drink that Linghu Jiu provided counterfeit? If he did not wish to give, there was no need to allocate the last jar of wine, simply saying it was all gone would have been sufficient.
Why bother going through such trouble!
Seeing Ning Zhuo did not finish speaking, furrowing his brows in thought, Hua Guzi also wanted to share Ning Zhuo's burden. She proactively suggested, "If Young Master wants to communicate with the Netherworld and obtain guidance from the ancients, there are many methods."
"The most orthodox and safest method is a grand ancestral ceremony."
"Due to blood relations and kinship, Ghosts of the Netherworld would not easily harm us. They would benefit more during the grand ceremony, maintaining rationality, regaining humanity."
"Actually... the separation between Yin and Yang is a natural configuration of heaven and earth; there is a reason to it."
"The cold and heavy nature of things from the Netherworld can even distort personalities, filled with hatred and malice, consequently harboring jealousy, longing, and destructive desires against beings and life-sustaining things of the Yang Realm."
"For us Cultivators of the Yang Realm, we should not contact too much."
"Otherwise, it can easily lead to many adverse consequences."
Hua Guzi expressed genuine concern for Ning Zhuo.
However, Ning Zhuo did not seriously listen, instead pondering the matter.
With his investigations and Hua Guzi's evaluation of the Netherworld Brew, the whole matter became even more complicated.
"What exactly is the truth?"
"Where do I feel the oddity?"
"Is Hua Guzi really wrong? She and Linghu Jiu are completely opposite..."
"No, or are both of them right?"
Ning Zhuo considered this, slightly lost in thought.
Hua Guzi closely observed Young Master Ning Zhuo's face, thinking to himself in excitement, "Indeed! The way Young Master Ning Zhuo furrows his brow in thought, it's so charismatic!"
"I really want to pull his head into my arms and give it a good rub."
Hua Guzi's feelings were so intense that Ning Zhuo quickly sensed them through the Life Hanging Thread.
Ning Zhuo: …
He hurriedly asked Hua Guzi to leave.
"I was driven away, I was driven away by Young Master Ning Zhuo!" After walking out of Ning Zhuo's cave mansion, Hua Guzi was so agitated that his eyes became blurred, and his face flushed with redness.
Ning Zhuo returned to the cave mansion and ceased pondering.
"At this moment, amidst heavy fog, it is better to wait for the results of the elder's further negotiations before making a judgment."
The Spiritual Plant Cabin in the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon had been emptied.
Spirit Hidden Willow had been taken away by Ning Jiufan.
This also made Ning Zhuo feel hollow inside, rather distressed.
Soon after, Ning Jiufan found him again to inform him about the progress of further negotiations.
The news was mixed.
The good news was that after Lin Bufan personally inspected it, he had taken over the Spirit Hidden Willow, indicating that it could be treated properly but would require considerable effort—
It needed a great amount of time and plenty of wealth to heal slowly.
Much of this wealth involved resources of the Nascent Soul Level, so much so that Ning Jiufan immediately used his Earth Fiend Fire as a deposit, which he paid to Lin Bufan.
The bad news was that regarding the Netherworld Thought Wine recipe, Lin Bufan directly stated that it was a non-negotiable item not for sale.
After exchanging information with Ning Zhuo, Ning Jiufan found out that the Netherworld Thought Wine was no longer effective for Ning Zhuo and suggested, "Given the severe situation in the negotiations, it might be wise to put aside the Netherworld Thought Wine and focus on the Spirit Hidden Willow first."
"Sect Leader Lin Bufan also seems interested in getting a piece of Spirit Hidden Willow. He wants to secure a few usage slots for the cultivation seeds within his sect. Of course, all of these depend on the full recovery of the Spirit Hidden Willow."
"I think that is entirely possible! Of course, it is up to you, as the Spirit Hidden Willow was a gift from the Mountain God of Mist Hidden Mountain."
Ning Jiufan suggested this.
His meaning was quite simple, mainly consisting of two points.
First, agreeing to such cooperation could significantly reduce the financial pressure on the Ning Clan.
Second, allocating a few usage slots to the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect could prolong and deepen the cooperation between the two parties, making their relationship stronger, sturdier, and more enduring.
Ning Zhuo nodded, showing approval for Ning Jiufan's suggestions, and immediately adopted them.
He also shared Hua Guzi's remarks with Ning Jiufan.
This left Ning Jiufan feeling puzzled and strange.
The Ning family members speculated with each other afterward but made no progress.
"Netherworld Thought Wine has become a minor detail, excessive thinking is of no benefit, let's focus on the priority. What do you think?" Ning Jiufan finally said.
Ning Zhuo sighed, nodding helplessly.
He outwardly agreed, yet his heart couldn't let it go.
This peculiar feeling grew stronger over time, eventually intensifying his intuition—Netherworld Thought Wine was a flaw unexpectedly unearthed by him. The truth hidden within it might be incredibly shocking!
That night, Ning Zhuo tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
By dawn, he solemnly instructed Sun Lingtong, "Brother, there is a very important letter that needs your personal delivery!"
He had Sun Lingtong stealthily navigate the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, moving away from the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect to deliberately break away from their sphere of influence, and then send the letter through the post station of the Southern Bean Kingdom to the capital.
Yes, this letter was still for Zhu Xuanji.
One could imagine, Zhu Xuanji receiving this letter, would be quite surprised. He wouldn't have thought that Ning Zhuo would send him a second letter so soon.
In fact, even Ning Zhuo himself had not expected to write to Zhu Xuanji again so quickly.
Once Sun Lingtong secretly navigated the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon back, and Ning Zhuo confirmed it, he took the National Cellar Love Wine and revisited the Myriad Demons Cave.
"Brother Linghu, I have returned!" Ning Zhuo, carrying the wine jar, was in high spirits.
Linghu Jiu also laughed heartily, "Please, come in."
"Good young brother, what fine wine have you brought this time?"
Linghu Jiu's nostrils flared, but he couldn't smell the wine. This was because the jar of wine brought out from the Royal Treasury by Zhu Xuanji was made with exquisite craftsmanship, so well-made that not a hint of fragrance escaped, trapped tightly within the jar.
Ning Zhuo, unreservedly, walked into the cave and sat down, placing the wine jar on the stone table.
He gently patted the jar, "Brother Linghu, let me keep you in suspense. What this wine is, we'll know once we open the jar, won't we?"
"Where's the wine bowl?"