Chapter 71: Brewing Wine

"What? He... he's the one who easily defeated the Wang family's peers in the arena, Xiao Chen? My goodness, he's actually Xiao Chen? The calmness and composure he displayed are nothing like those of a young boy!" Upon hearing Gu Yan's words, Yaoyao was so shocked that her mouth dropped open.

"There's been a lot of buzz around Fengyue City, saying that the boy in the black robe with a long sword on his back is Xiao Chen from the Xiao family. It's been three years, and he's changed so much that I couldn't recognize him. The steadiness he shows is rare among his peers, and being able to easily take out two top-grade crystal stones is even more remarkable. The scariest part is that even I can't see the depth of his cultivation." Gu Yan said gravely.

"The Wang family has lost face this time, and they definitely won't let it go. But from Xiao Chen's face, I can't see any sign of worry at all, which is really strange." Yaoyao said, feeling increasingly puzzled.

Gu Yan nodded and said, "Indeed, it's very strange. Why does Xiao Chen need so many Profound Spirit Grasses? Could he be an alchemist?"

Yaoyao immediately denied it, "That's impossible. Not everyone can become an alchemist. Without cultivating true fire and soul power, one can never become an alchemist. In Fengyue City, there are only three alchemists, the highest being a third-grade alchemist. Looking across the entire province, you can't find more than ten alchemists."

"That's true, becoming an alchemist is too difficult." Gu Yan nodded in agreement. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Such a mysterious Xiao Chen, it seems he won't let the Xiao family fall into decline. Just the fact that he dared to injure the Wang family's peers and is not afraid of Wang He shows a lot. Hehe, it looks like there will be an interesting show in Fengyue City soon."

Yaoyao frowned slightly and nodded, "If the Xiao family really wants to fight back, it will probably depend on Xiao Chen. And there's also the Yang family. When the Yang family annulled the engagement back then, everyone in Fengyue City knew about it, causing the Xiao family to lose face. I wonder how Xiao Chen will deal with the Yang family, it's really something to look forward to."

"Yaoyao, you must remember, it's okay to look forward to it, but we at the auction house must not get involved in any matters of the three big families. That's the president's order. Alright, go get busy." Gu Yan smiled, his gaze involuntarily lingering on the direction Xiao Chen left.

"Hehe, Xiao Chen, things are different now. What changes has he gone through in these three years? He's really a curious fellow." Gu Yan thought to himself, shaking his head before getting back to his own business.

...

"The Yang family has a third-grade alchemist, the Wang family has a second-grade alchemist, but the Xiao family has none. It seems I must quickly improve my alchemy level. I'm already a first-grade alchemist; with my current soul power, refining second-grade pills shouldn't be a problem." Xiao Chen thought to himself, already somewhat familiar with the matters concerning the Yang and Wang families.

"Xiao Chen, are you planning to brew Profound Spirit Wine, no, Heavenly Spirit Wine to sell?" the Ancient White Tiger transmitted its voice.

Xiao Chen nodded and smiled, "Yes, the Yang and Wang families mainly rely on selling pills. Since the Xiao family has no alchemists, and I'm only a first-grade alchemist, selling pills would lead nowhere for the Xiao family, so we can only rely on Heavenly Spirit Wine."

"Xiao Chen, the Xiao family is too weak. I think you should first help the Xiao family disciples improve their cultivation. If you directly sell Heavenly Spirit Wine, it's bound to attract retaliation from the Wang family. Although you're not afraid, the Xiao family disciples are too weak. If a war breaks out between the two families, the Xiao family will suffer heavy losses." The Ancient White Tiger advised.

Hearing this, Xiao Chen nodded in agreement and smiled, "Little White Tiger, I didn't expect you to be so smart. That's exactly what I'm thinking. But we'll wait until the Heavenly Spirit Wine is brewed before making detailed plans."

"What do you mean, Xiao Chen? Are you saying I wasn't smart before?" The Ancient White Tiger was displeased and immediately retorted.

"Uh... Little White Tiger, don't be angry. I didn't mean that. I meant you're thinking along the same lines as me, hehe." Xiao Chen hurriedly explained.

"Hmph! That's more like it!" The Ancient White Tiger said proudly.

Half an hour after leaving the Xiao family, Xiao Chen returned. The disciples guarding the Xiao family mansion's gate saw Xiao Chen coming back and respectfully greeted him, "Young master!"

Xiao Chen nodded and went in. There was no such treatment before. In the past, they wouldn't even look at Xiao Chen and would even throw in a few mocking remarks.

"Young master is back!" As soon as Xiao Chen entered the courtyard, a sharp-eyed disciple saw him and immediately reported it.

Entering the main courtyard, the Xiao family disciples all respectfully greeted him as "Young master" and nervously watched his face, hoping to glean something from his expression. However, to their disappointment, Xiao Chen remained calm and unperturbed by their respect.

In the hall, Uncle Zhong had been waiting for some time. Sitting in the main seat, Xiao Changfeng quickly got up and came over, asking joyfully, "Chen'er, what did you buy at the auction house? What does it have to do with calling Uncle Zhong over?"

Xiao Chen smiled lightly, "Father, I bought some herbs."

"Herbs? Xiao Chen, why did you buy herbs? Our Xiao family doesn't have an alchemist." Xiao Yuntian asked in confusion, and everyone else looked at Xiao Chen, puzzled.

"To brew wine." Xiao Chen smiled faintly.

"Brew wine?" Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was shocked and immediately displeased. They had waited for half an hour, thinking Xiao Chen had some plan to solve the Xiao family's current predicament, but no one expected it to be just for brewing wine.

The two elders' expressions also turned sour, feeling tricked. However, due to Xiao Chen's strong power, far above theirs, they didn't dare to show their anger.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Xiao Changfeng quickly asked, "Chen'er, why are you brewing wine? Everyone is waiting for you to find a way to solve the Xiao family's current predicament."

Xiao Chen understood Xiao Changfeng's meaning and smiled slightly, "Father, rest assured, I have a plan."

Then, he looked at everyone and said calmly, "I know you're dissatisfied with me, but shouldn't we improve our own strength before dealing with enemies? Even if the Xiao family's business recovers now, the Wang family will come to cause trouble. When that happens, who can say for sure whether the Wang family will attack us? If they do, it's the Xiao family that will suffer. If you think recovering the business is more important, go ahead. But if trouble arises and the Wang family attacks, I won't be able to protect you."

"This... this..." Hearing Xiao Chen's words, the two elders' faces turned awkward, and the disciples in the hall looked at each other in dismay.

"Chen'er makes sense. The arena incident has disgraced the Wang family, and they won't let it go. If we recover our business, they will surely cause trouble. If a conflict arises, the two families can't avoid a war. But the Xiao family is too weak to fight the Wang family, so we'll end up suffering. Not only will the business be ruined, but the Xiao family will also be destroyed. Did you hear that? The young master is thinking for your sake, yet you're making baseless speculations. How improper!" Xiao Changfeng said, his tone becoming increasingly stern.

"Chen'er has really grown up, become more composed, even more so than these two old fellows, hehe." Xiao Changfeng thought happily, feeling more and more pleased as he looked at Xiao Chen.

"Master, young master, we're just worried about the Xiao family." Xiao Yuntian said with a bitter smile.

"I understand, but First Elder, you can't rush things. The more you rush, the worse it gets. We should wait and see for now." Xiao Chen said with a smile, not showing any emotional change despite everyone's dissatisfaction.

"Wait and see? Our Xiao family's expenses are huge, and the only shop we have is not doing well. We can't sustain for long." Xiao Yunfeng said anxiously, as they had no other solution.

Xiao Chen looked at Xiao Changfeng and asked, "Father, how many crystal stones does the Xiao family have left?"

Xiao Changfeng smiled bitterly, "Less than 1000 mid-grade crystal stones."

Xiao Chen nodded, then took out a storage ring, handed it to Xiao Changfeng, and said with a smile, "Father, this storage ring contains 500 top-grade crystal stones for the Xiao family's expenses."

"What? 500... 500?" Hearing this amount, Xiao Changfeng was so shocked that he trembled all over, and everyone in the hall was equally stunned, looking at Xiao Chen in disbelief.

"Xiao Chen, Fengyue City really can't compare to Tiandu. You won the martial arts tournament and got rewarded with 10,000 top-grade crystal stones. In Fengyue City, top-grade crystal stones are like treasures." The Ancient White Tiger transmitted its voice.

Ignoring everyone's shock, Xiao Chen looked at Uncle Zhong and said with a smile, "Uncle Zhong, you've been brewing wine for decades and must have rich experience."

"Hehe, in terms of cultivation, I'm probably the worst in the Xiao family, but when it comes to brewing wine, there's probably no one better than me in Fengyue City." Uncle Zhong said with a confident smile, clearly very confident in his brewing skills.

"Very good!" Xiao Chen nodded and smiled, then took out a recipe and a storage bag from the storage ring and handed them to Uncle Zhong. He said with a smile, "Uncle Zhong, I have no knowledge of brewing wine, so I'll have to trouble you. Just follow the recipe, I've prepared all the herbs. Let me know if you need anything else."

Uncle Zhong took the recipe, glanced at it, and then asked in confusion, "Young master, why is this wine recipe..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Chen interrupted, "Uncle Zhong, just follow the recipe. Also, make sure not to leak the recipe."

"Yes, young master, I'll start brewing right away." Realizing something from Xiao Chen's interruption, Uncle Zhong quickly left.

After recovering from his shock, Xiao Changfeng asked in confusion, "Chen'er, what kind of wine are you brewing that's so secretive?"

Xiao Chen smiled coldly, "Hehe, this wine is no ordinary one. It's enough to bring down the Wang family and ensure they never rise again."