Linghu Jiu really liked Ning Zhuo's free-spirited vigor and felt even more excited. He took out a stone bowl and gave one to each person.
Sitting down hastily, he exclaimed, "It's here, it's here!"
Seeing Linghu Jiu's excitement, Ning Zhuo couldn't help but feel secretly moved. Last time Ning Zhuo offered tea, Linghu Jiu was happy, but not nearly as thrilled as he was now.
Ning Zhuo used the Opening Jar Finger Technique taught in the letter from Zhu Xuanji and successfully broke the clay seal.
In an instant, the aroma of the wine wafted out, filling the entire cave.
Upon smelling it, Linghu Jiu blurted out, "Oh? Could it be from our National Cellar?"
His eyes gleamed, and he swallowed hard with excitement, "My goodness, this is a century-old batch of National Cellar Love Wine, not something you see every day."
"Noble brother, where did you get this? I've asked others to purchase it multiple times. There's plenty of National Cellar Spirit Wine on the market, but centuries-old batches like this are incredibly hard to come by."
"Thanks to your great fortune, noble brother, I truly get to enjoy a treat this time, hahaha."
Ning Zhuo smiled and poured a full bowl for both himself and Linghu Jiu.
They clinked their bowls together and began to drink.
The wine in the stone bowls was the color of crimson pearls, clear and luminous, reflecting the faces full of anticipation.
With just a gentle sniff, the fragrance of the wine mixed with the subtle scent of red beans, tender yet far-reaching.
Upon the first sip, the wine was soft and smooth, warm like the first exposure of spring sun. The light sweetness of red beans melted on the tip of the tongue, carrying threads of emotion, and then the rich aftertaste brought a hint of bitterness, resembling the long-accumulated and undissipated thoughts of yearning, weighing heavily on the heart.
The two savored quietly, lost in taste and without a word for a while.
After a long pause, Linghu Jiu broke the silence, "A century-old National Cellar, indeed lives up to its reputation! The taste is gentle on entry, carrying the sweet flavor of red beans, mixed with a century of mellow fragrance. The essence of yearning is elusive, but upon careful tasting, it feels even more profound."
"A hundred years have passed, yet the longing remains…" Ning Zhuo too sighed with emotion, "As the years grow longer, the yearning deepens. Good wine, truly good wine!"
Recently, Ning Zhuo had tasted three different wines: Ice Jade Wine, Netherworld Brew, and Love Wine.
Of the former two, White Jade Wine could bring qi along with spirit, rapidly enhancing one's Qi Sea Cultivation Level. Linghu Jiu benefited greatly from this. The Netherworld Brew could, regardless of being genuine or fake, bridge the link between yin and yang, offering guidance from ancestral wisdom.
Both of these wines had powerful effects.
But Love Wine was unlike the former two; it seemed more of a luxury, simply offering a taste of yearning.
This kind of wine is hard to preserve.
Because the sentiment of yearning is difficult to maintain for long.
How long can ordinary people yearn for someone? A year, two years? Ten years, or perhaps twenty?
Human hearts change easily, emotions are forgotten quickly, and the flow of time can wash away everything, grinding down all feelings.
An emotion is hard to sustain for years, let alone decades. And a century? Even rarer.
Because an ordinary person's life spans only a hasty century. What kind of affection can stay in someone's heart for a lifetime?
Once, the Emperor of Southern Bean Country had tried to express just such a feeling.
It was said that she personally designed and brewed the Love Wine that still exists to this day.
She wanted to offer it to someone, but this exquisite wine never made it out of the cellar!
The crafting of Love Wine is difficult; it requires a Spirit Chef to possess a strong sense of yearning to make it possible.
The preservation of Love Wine is equally challenging. It requires the sentiment of yearning contained within to be enduring.
Thus, it's rare to find a century-old batch of Love Wine in the market. Once past a few decades, Love Wine spoils and can no longer be enjoyed.
But today, Ning Zhuo and Linghu Jiu had the rare chance to drink this wine.
For a moment, both were deeply affected by the sentiments of yearning, unable to extricate themselves.
Ning Zhuo's thoughts wandered to his mother. Now a mechanism, she was by his side, seemingly close yet still so far away.
The second goal, Fetal Breathing Spirit Boat, felt far too distant and immense; Ning Zhuo still hadn't found a viable way to destroy this boat.
Linghu Jiu, on the other hand, thought of his little junior sister, Lin Shanshan.
The taste of Love Wine unfolded in his mouth, as if countless threads gently wrapped around his heart.
He was adopted by Lin Bufan when he was very young and watched Lin Shanshan grow up bit by bit.
Those sweet yet fleeting moments he spent with Lin Shanshan seemed to be stretched by the sediment of the years, now appearing profound and enduring.
The Love Wine turned each of Linghu Jiu's yearnings into droplets within the wine, gradually filling his heart.
"Life is like wine, yearning is like a song," Linghu Jiu mused wistfully, "Some yearnings fade with the passing of time, while others deepen with brewing!"
This time, their drinking session was quite different from the last. The previous one was passionate; this one was deep with emotion.
After three rounds of wine, Ning Zhuo spoke frankly about his situation, "Brother Linghu, I recently drank Netherworld Brew again, but did not receive guidance from the ancestors."
Linghu Jiu nodded at Ning Zhuo and assured, "That is perfectly normal."
"Understand this: drinking such wine only provides us an opportunity, a chance to communicate with the sages of the Netherworld."
"At a certain time, if a sage in the Netherworld wishes to, and if they are free and take kindly to you or me, they might deign to impart a piece of their wisdom."
"Most of the time when I drink Netherworld Brew, nothing happens. And when something does occur, it's often an elusive murmur, hard to make sense of. I rely on my own Innate talent to glean insight from these whispers, to benefit."
"Your last experience of Qi Fortune bursting forth was not the norm."
With a slight smile, Ning Zhuo acknowledged, "I see."
He looked deeply at Linghu Jiu, silent for a moment.
Linghu Jiu noticed his strange expression, staring intently at him, and with a nonchalant smile said, "If you have something to say, noble brother, please speak freely!"
Without using Life Hanging Thread, Ning Zhuo couldn't utilize the Buddha Heart Demon Seal to sense the depths of Linghu Jiu's heart.
But based on his own decade-plus of life experience and his understanding of human nature, he was certain of Linghu Jiu's sincerity.
With a flash in his eyes, Ning Zhuo boldly spoke his mind.
He first mentioned that he had asked the Golden Core Ancestor of the Ning Family to obtain the wine recipe, but Lin Bufan had refused him categorically without room for negotiation.
He then gave the wine to the Spirit Chef to taste, asking him to try to identify the recipe, but the result was a surprisingly unexpected evaluation.
Linghu Jiu, hearing this, was greatly intrigued, "You're saying, the Netherworld brew is fake wine? It actually lacks the ability to commune with the sages of the Netherworld?"
"Impossible!"
Linghu Jiu shook his head and flatly said, "This is the wine my master personally handed to me, and he strictly ordered me... to keep this secret."
At this point, Linghu Jiu seemed a bit uncomfortable.
His temperament was carefree and casual, not to put it too bluntly, but when swayed by emotions or desires, he often put aside some of the instructions he was given.
The Netherworld brew was the perfect example.
Even though his master had required him to keep it a strict secret, to Linghu Jiu, the wine seemed to have limited value as it mostly had no effect on him, despite his innate talent.
Thus, the last time he had taken a liking to Ning Zhuo, he had brought it out for Ning Zhuo to drink to his heart's content.
Seeing Linghu Jiu's deep trust in Lin Bufan, Ning Zhuo said, "Last time, I heard elder brother mention that Mr. Lin Bufan, for your sake, personally made the effort to find a great chef to create this wine recipe."
"With all due respect, I have a bold guess: maybe, Mr. Lin Bufan was also deceived? After all, he is not a Spirit Chef; being involved in Spirit Plants, healing, and alchemy among the Cultivation Hundred Skills, he is already a Study Heaven and Man."
"Professional fields are separated by mountain-like barriers, and specialization in arts exists, so the possibility of being deceived is not nonexistent, right?"
Linghu Jiu nodded, "Indeed so."
He immediately bowed his hands, "Thank you, dear brother, for informing me of this matter. I shall choose an appropriate day to report this to my master."
However, Ning Zhuo raised his hand, "Brother Linghu, I have some interesting information to share with you. It's related to that Five Elements Divine Master..."
After listening, Linghu Jiu immediately fell into deep thought.
He lifted his head and fixed his gaze on Ning Zhuo, "I understand what you mean, brother. You're suggesting that there's a problem here!"
He pointed at the mountain cave.
"That's right." Ning Zhuo clapped and laughed, "The ancient Ten Thousand Demons Mountain, and today's Myriad Demons Cave—the Five Elements Divine Master once perished here, but did he leave something behind? To the extent that he can still influence the outside world."
"Last time, after I returned, the effects of the wine had worn off, yet once again, under the Spirit Hidden Willow Tree, I received his guidance, and my Five Elements Realm underwent a terrifying promotion, as if heaven and earth had changed."
"Whether it's from the longevity of the spirit, or the Netherworld brew, it's not normal."
Linghu Jiu burst into hearty laughter, standing up, "Interesting, interesting!"
"I've been punished by my master and confined, and this is the place where I often stay. I thought it was nothing out of the ordinary, but now that you've pointed it out, dear brother, I sense a hint of mystery."
"Why not, while we're in high spirits, arm in arm explore the Myriad Demons Cave together. After all, now that I'm punished here, I have the duty of keeping watch as well."
Ning Zhuo was overjoyed, "That is exactly what I wished for but dared not ask, please, elder brother!"
Side by side, the two ventured deeper into the Myriad Demons Cave.
The cave was pitch-dark, the stone steps beneath their feet damp and slippery, while the sound of dripping water echoed against the rock walls, as if the cave had its own life, silently speaking of the secrets of the ages.
Ning Zhuo and Linghu Jiu each pinched a Finger Technique, radiating light to illuminate their surroundings and the path ahead.
Going down step by step, the air became increasingly heavier, and the two communicated using a sound-transmitting method; only their footsteps echoed in the silent cave.
After a short walk, human-made traces like the stone stairs had already vanished.
The darkness deepened, and even the bright light they maintained by consuming mana noticeably shrank in range.
The path in the cave began to grow steeper, and at some points, the two could only proceed one after the other, barely squeezing through with their bodies sideways.
Ning Zhuo could clearly feel himself descending deeper underground along the incline.
He began to faintly hear the sound of water.
Not the dripping from the rock walls along the way, but the sound of a flowing river.
Linghu Jiu was quite familiar with the path and would inform Ning Zhuo whenever a fork appeared, indicating which paths were dead ends.
"Sometimes when I'm grounded, utterly bored, I would also explore deep underground on my own,"
"No offense to brother, but I often hoped that some Demon Beasts would appear for me to slay. Either to relieve my boredom or to earn merits, hoping my master would lift my confinement."
"Each time, however, I would return empty-handed."
"Demon Beasts, and even beast tides, have appeared in the Myriad Demons Cave before. But for the past hundred years, all has been peaceful."
"The biggest disturbance happened when your Ning Family came rushing into our Ten Thousand Medicine Valley following the underground river," Linghu Jiu transmitted his voice.
Ning Zhuo wore a smile as he responded in kind.
The two continued to exchange words as they moved on.
After turning a corner, Ning Zhuo's view suddenly opened up—they had entered an immense subterranean cavern.
The roof of the cavern soared high like the heavens, dotted with countless fluorescent stones twinkling like stars, casting a dream-like illusion over the entire cavern. Vining crystal formations hung from the walls, resembling dripping icicles and shimmering with a faint glow in the stillness and motion.
Ning Zhuo couldn't help but pause in his footsteps to admire this beautiful sight.
Linghu Jiu, however, was too accustomed to the view to find it interesting, but recognizing the moment, he paused to allow Ning Zhuo time to take it in.
"Beyond this point, there will increasingly be signs of life."
"Walk for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and we'll reach the side of the underground river. Can you imagine, deep underground, a great river surging incessantly?"
"Haha, that's a sight to see!"
Linghu Jiu wasn't too concerned with proving Ning Zhuo's speculation. What he had in mind was that being able to show Ning Zhuo around would not be entirely fruitless.
But the next moment, Ning Zhuo's expression changed drastically.
It was because Ning Zhuo thought he heard a voice.
A voice he was all too familiar with, the voice of the Five Elements Divine Master—"Kid, did you rush down here just to see me? Haha, look at that stalactite, study it carefully! That is the gateway."