Lord of the Earth

"The shape of this wine bottle looks familiar, doesn't it? And considering what he said before, it couldn't be some 'National Liquor Academician', right?"

Xia Tian's brows raised.

Wow, I run into two “acquaintances” in the first shop I enter in this Holy City?

Of course, to say that this "National Liquor Academician" is an "acquaintance" is probably a bit of a self-flattering move.

Because, before summer, I had only heard about it in the news. After all, applying to become an academician by studying the "national liquor" is a rather controversial topic!

However, at least from the current perspective, this person should still have some skills.

You know, this "City of Saints" requires one to possess the "qualifications to become a saint" in order to enter if one is not willing to become a vassal of the saint!
Now a modern person actually appears here, which proves that he has some real talent.

"Mr. Mao! The master has already said...he is not used to drinking your wine."

"However, you can still put the wine here... for everyone to taste. Perhaps there are some people who like the taste of your wine. The store is willing to help you connect..."

Hu Ji's beautiful eyes flow like smoke and waves.

The long eyelashes fluttering against the eyelids make her look even more exotic and beautiful!
"This... Miss Wu! I have come here for the third time... and I have not seen Mr. Qinglian every time! Even if Emperor Liu had come to see Mr. Zhuge, his three visits to his thatched cottage would have been enough to show his sincerity. This time, please inform Mr. Taibai and meet me in person... I believe that no matter what his taste is, I will definitely prepare a good wine that he likes."

"If you don't believe me, just smell it. The wine this time is definitely of very high quality!"

The middle-aged man in a suit named "Mr. Mao" frowned.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Qinglian is still sleeping! My master is addicted to alcohol! Unless he has high-quality wine, he won't be able to wake up all day. I'm sorry, it's difficult for me to recommend anyone!"

There was a smile on Hu Ji's face, but her words were unquestionable.

"It's really Li Bai!"

And Xia Tian's guess was completely confirmed at this time.

I refused to board the ship when the emperor called me, claiming that I was a wine immortal!
When the wine enters his heroic stomach, seven parts of it turn into moonlight, and the remaining three parts turn into sword energy. When he speaks out of his mouth, he represents half of the prosperous Tang Dynasty!
Needless to say, Li Bai loved drinking.

In fact, according to legend, his life ended because he drank too much and tried to catch the moon while drunk, and then drowned in the lake... Therefore, if the major forces want to make him move, they probably need to satisfy his "drinking" requirement first!

Facing the "ruthless" Hu Ji.

The "National Liquor Academician" was speechless, but at this moment, he seemed to suddenly think of something, and was in the process of reaching out to take the bottle that Hu Ji had picked up from the counter and returned to him.

It seemed that his hand was not holding the wine jug steadily!

"Click..."

The next moment, the red and white wine jug fell to the ground and broke into pieces.

hum!
All of a sudden, a strong aroma of wine emanated from it, and the attention of everyone in the hotel was immediately drawn to it!
"What kind of wine is this?"

“It tastes so special.”

"Good wine, good wine. Just smelling it makes me want to drink it... It's definitely a top-notch, extraordinary wine! What a pity that it fell to the ground."

Suddenly, many people looked at the wine on the ground with shining eyes, and there was curiosity on their faces.

"This is the national wine... It is the number one wine in the entire China, and even the entire world. Not only is it sweet, but it is also as valuable as gold. A pot of wine costs an ordinary person a month's salary, or even a year's salary!"

Seeing that the people around him were attracted at once, the middle-aged man's face suddenly showed some joy.

Then, he started speaking.

"National wine? Oh, I'm so curious."

"Is this the national wine? It seems to have some qualifications!"

There was a lot of discussion in the hotel, and many wine lovers became interested in this wine.

"It seems that you all are also looking for the host. I wonder if the force where the distinguished guests belong also has fine wines?

However, Hu Ji's eyes were no longer looking at the wine on the ground, but at Xia Tian and the others.

"Sorry, our shopkeeper said that if we want him to go, he must meet three conditions..."

“Oh, those three conditions?

"The first thing the master likes is wine, the second is swords, and the third is poetry! Only a human territory that possesses all three of these can truly attract him."

Hu Ji said solemnly.

"These three things? They are quite difficult..."

There is no problem with the sword. The "Sword Pavilion" in the Qianxia Dynasty is undoubtedly a top-notch building for those who practice swordsmanship.

But it’s much more difficult to talk about wine.

However, the Qianxia Dynasty now has sufficient resources, so naturally there is also wine...

"Nanling's fine wine is like tulips, and the amber light is poured into a jade bowl! If the host can make the guests drunk, they will not know that they are away from home."

"I don't know if this bottle of wine can make Master Qinglian open his eyes..."

There was a flash of light on Xia Tian’s hand.

Suddenly, a wine bowl appeared, containing a bowl of amber-colored wine.

Exactly, amber wine.

But it was not the fruit amber wine brewed by the original mandrill, but the one brewed by the later "mountain ghost"!
Bucun has forgotten that the original origin of the amber wine was actually "Xiao", and this creature itself belonged to the "Mountain Ghost" clan, which was formed after the clan degenerated after entering the lower plane!

Therefore, the mountain ghost tribe is of course also very good at brewing wine.

Moreover, because the Mountain Ghost Clan brews "fruit wine", the materials they use are more high-end, including even the fruits of "holy" exotic spiritual plants, so the wine they brew is naturally extraordinary!
As soon as this wine came out, the whole room was filled with fragrance.

Everyone felt as if they were in a forest of fruits, and even strange visions evolved in the air.

"What's happening here?"

"It's wine!"

"Such a strange phenomenon, could it be the holy wine?"

Even outside the wine shop, many people smelled the aroma of wine and looked towards this place.

"What a fragrant wine! There are so many holy medicines in the wine, it's really rare..."

From the street, the person walking towards the wine shop was an old man.

He looked to be about fifty years old, dressed simply, and holding an inconspicuous "wine jar" made of clay in his hand. He looked at the amber wine in the jade bowl in Xia Tian's hand with an expression of interest!

"Mr. Du is here? Come and sit down."

Unlike other people, when she saw this old man, Hu Ji showed a friendly smile on her face and personally invited him to sit down.

"Well, Master Qinglian hasn't woken up yet?"

The latter also seemed to be familiar with the process and placed the clay wine jar in his hand on the counter!

"Not yet. I drank Tianxianzui before and slept for three days and three nights. However, if I knew that you, Mr. Du, had arrived, I would definitely get up immediately, because Mr. Du must have brought some new good wine..."

Hu Ji had a sweet smile on her face, and it was obvious that the old man was definitely very familiar with and good friends with the owner of this wine shop, the poet Li Bai!
"The surname is Du? And he is so familiar with Li Bai, could it be..."

At this time, the National Liquor Academician's mind changed, and he seemed to have guessed the other party's identity.

"Mr. Du, you've come just in time. Could you please comment on how these two wines are brewed?"

Then, he turned to the other person and spoke.

"Wine tasting? This may be a bit difficult for me! After all, these two are both good wines... But I will try one or two."

The latter smiled.

Then, he asked Hu Ji to get a cup, took a small cup of the two kinds of wine and had them take a sip each.

"Well, in my humble opinion... maybe this 'fruit wine' is better than the 'national wine'..."

After he put it down, he began to comment.

"Mr. Du Fu, are you mistaken? This is the 'national wine'. How can it be inferior to the fruit wine brewed by some foreign races?"

Upon hearing what he said.

The face of the National Liquor Academician instantly sank, and he said with dissatisfaction.

"What's more, the brewing materials used in this wine are indeed top-notch, and even the aroma of the wine is impeccable. Unfortunately, the hands of the creature who brewed the wine are stained with a lot of human blood. This is the executioner of the human race who brewed the wine... This is not a good wine, it is even a very bad wine."

It has to be said that this "National Liquor Academician" is worthy of being able to enter this "City of Saints". As a person with the qualifications of a saint, he was able to hit the nail on the head and perceive something behind "Shan Gui Liquor".

"Your Excellency has a deep understanding of the art of winemaking... Just by smelling the wine, you can identify the products in it."

"Yes, I'm afraid you may have made a mistake. I'm not Du Gongbu!"

Unexpectedly, the old man surnamed Du actually shook his head.

"Not Du Fu?"

The National Liquor Academician was stunned.

If this person is not Du Fu, then who is he?
"Mr. Yangming, you are very knowledgeable. I wonder if you can tell me the origin of the first wine?"

At this time, Xia Tian looked at Wang Yangming and said with a smile.

"Oh, I have never heard of this. I hope Master Xia can enlighten me!"

Wang Yangming nodded cooperatively.

He called him "Master Xia" but the two of them agreed not to reveal their true identities for the time being.

"It is said that one night, the wine saint Du Kang dreamed of an old man with a white beard, who told him that he would give him a spring of water. He had to find three drops of different human blood on the opposite mountain within nine days and drop them into the spring, and he would get the most delicious drink in the world."

"The next day, the man woke up and found a spring in front of his door. The water was clear and transparent. He then went out into the mountains to look for the three drops of blood."

On the third day, he met a scholar, and after reciting poems and writing couplets to build a closer relationship, he asked the scholar to cut his finger and drip a drop of blood. On the sixth day, he met a warrior, and after explaining his purpose, the warrior cut his finger without saying a word and dripped a drop of blood. On the ninth day, he saw a stupid person sleeping under a tree, with vomit all over his mouth, which was extremely dirty. But the deadline had expired, so Du Kang spent one tael of silver to buy a drop of his blood.

"After returning, he dropped three drops of blood into the spring, and the spring water immediately tumbled, the heat increased, and the fragrance was fragrant. It tasted like heaven and crazy. Because it took nine days and three drops of blood, he named this drink 'wine'."

Xia Tian pointed at the wine jar and talked.

"Because of the three drops of blood of the scholar, the warrior, and the fool, people usually follow these three procedures when drinking."

"In the first stage, they toasted each other, congratulated each other, and gave advice, just like scholars reciting poems and composing couplets. In the second stage, after three rounds of drinking, they were so excited that they drank the whole thing in one gulp, just like warriors. In the third stage, they became drunk and crazy, either lying on the ground and vomiting, or retching violently with a basin in their arms, or lying anywhere, just like stupid people who were unconscious and shameless."

"I don't know, is this true? Saint Du Kang!"

Then, he looked at the man and said with a smile on his face.

"What, this old man is Du Kang?"

Hearing Xia Tian’s words, the eyes of the “National Liquor Academician” suddenly froze.

"What, Du Kang?"

"Du Kang, the wine saint, no wonder he could drink with Master Taibai!"

As a person who studies fine wine, he naturally knew who Du Kang was.

He even knew a little about the story behind the origin of the "wine" that Xia Tian mentioned, but he just sneered at it!
Because, in the field of science, the so-called water becomes "wine" after adding "blood" is simply nonsense, and it even causes pollution.

Can wine become so-called "fine wine" with just some protein and water?

"Real wine should be made by strictly analyzing its ingredients and then blending them according to the proportions, so that it can have a taste that meets the needs of everyone. You must know that no matter how good something is, it has flaws. Real good wine is made by blending it!"

The "National Liquor Academician" spoke with enthusiasm and confidence, showing no fear even in front of the "Wine Saint".

"That's a bad word."

"As you said before, the legend is nothing but an illusion, but the real good wine is not made by human power. The original wine was indeed not 'spring water mixed with blood'. In fact, the original original wine came from the natural brewing of heaven and earth. The fruits dropped by plants and trees fell into the tree holes and fermented, thus obtaining wine!"

"Just like the wine you brought out, it is usually made by fermenting wild fruits and rainwater. It takes the right time and place to get a jar."

Du Kang pointed at Xia Tian and took out the "amber wine" and said.

"Man follows the earth, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature."

"A pot of wine is the universe, it is the rhythm of nature, there is a true meaning in it, I have forgotten the words to explain it!"

Du Kang was originally from the Xia Dynasty.

However, many of the words he spoke were from later times, and it was obvious that he had absorbed a lot of knowledge in this "city of saints".

"I don't agree with this, Senior Du Kang."

"Although you pioneered the brewing of fine wine and are revered as the 'ancestor of wine', people today are no less capable than the ancients."

"Technology is always improving, especially the concept of winemaking. We are now able to control every step with machines, achieve extreme precision in the ingredients, and add various substances to remove impurities in the wine, ensuring that every bottle of wine tastes the same."

“Compared to these artificially brewed wines, it is much more stable.”

The tone of the National Liquor Academician was full of confidence.

Who says that the ancients are superior to the moderns and that modern people are inferior to the ancients? (End of this chapter)