The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 300 I can't afford it! (5k)

The preciousness of this item is beyond words. Unconsciously, Cui Yuancheng was unaware that the tips of his fingers, gripping the hem of his clothes, had turned completely white.

He knew deep down that he was not qualified to accept such a treasure, and that he should have refrained from even glancing at it.

He tried to convince himself: whether he knew or not, the result was the same, it was simply a matter of "not wanting it".

But why is that?
My heart feels tight, my throat feels bitter, and my breathing feels labored.

After an unknown amount of time, Cui Yuancheng suddenly loosened his grip on the hem of his clothes, and his gaze slowly returned to the wine pot on the table.

This pot of wine was a special gift from Zhang Si. I remember it was a famous wine that many cultivators praised highly. Of course, it couldn't compare to the Xishen Wine in the master of ceremonies' hand at the moment.

Even though it's a far cry from the legendary "Ascension Wine," it's still a heartfelt gift from a close friend.

He was initially very satisfied with this. But ever since he realized what he had missed...

Even though he hadn't tasted the wine of the God of Dawn, he suddenly felt as if he were the wine immortal of yesteryear, finding everything utterly tasteless.

He was filled with both bewilderment and a sense of loss at having missed the opportunity.

He shouldn't be so conflicted, after all, he knows himself that it absolutely shouldn't be his.

But he gradually figured it out on his own.

He loved drinking, and his desire for this item wasn't due to its preciousness, but rather because he desperately wanted to taste the finest wine in the world.

"To gain it is my fortune, to lose it is my fate."

As his thoughts settled, he slowly exhaled a breath he had been holding for a long time. The depression and pent-up feelings in his chest gradually dissipated, and his mind calmed down, like a still pond that had been calmed by the wind.

Yes, he didn't put in any effort for this treasure, nor did he do anything worthy of it, so why should he accept such a generous gift for nothing?

So he lowered his head and smiled:
"I haven't done anything wrong, so naturally I can't accept such a treasure. In fact, this is for the best!"

The voice was very low, but it reached Du Yuan's ears.

This made Du Yuan want to say that she actually had quite a lot of this wine hidden on hand, so there was no need to worry about it so much.

But just as she was about to speak, Du Yuan suddenly stopped when her gaze swept over the person opposite her.

Although he couldn't see clearly, he could vaguely discern that the scholar before him seemed to have gained even more clarity and understanding, which clearly indicated that his state of mind had reached a new level.

After a moment's thought, Du Yuan glanced back at the master of ceremonies not far away, and quietly suppressed the thought of sending another jar.

He was a discerning gentleman, and he figured the wine was far more valuable than he had imagined. He would certainly refuse such a generous gift.

Since that's the case, how can we disturb his rare period of mental well-being with this matter?
But even if you let the other person give up their hopes, you still feel like something is missing.

Du Yuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly relaxed and smiled:

“Wang Chengsi of the Langya Wang Clan is getting engaged soon. A few days ago, I was asked to speak with Cui Shilu’s son, asking him to send another jar over as a congratulatory gift.”

"When the time comes, you can simply go to his residence and ask for a cup or two to try. Just say that you are acquainted with the guest who delivered the wine!"

Du Yuan was unwilling to force the issue, and even more afraid of disturbing his current state of mind. However, this way of taking a step back was neither too far nor too far, and it would also satisfy the other party's wishes. He thought it was appropriate.

And that was indeed the case. Upon hearing this, Cui Yuancheng's mind and eyes lit up instantly, as if a single lamp had illuminated a thousand-year-old dark room, and he hurriedly asked:
"Does Meng really think he can use your name to go to his place and ask for a drink at his wedding?"

Du Yuan chuckled and nodded:
"Of course it's possible."

Cui Yuancheng was overjoyed and quickly stood up, bowing deeply to Du Yuan:

"In that case, thank you for your kind offer!"

Du Yuan raised her hand and waved, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite.

At the same time, Du Yuan looked around with great anticipation. Since the kitten's wine was so good, she thought she could surely exchange it for enough sword-washing stones.

He waited for a long time, but no one bid. He was a little stunned: This wine is obviously a rare and fine product. Could it be that I made a mistake? Otherwise, why is no one bidding?
In fact, not only was Du Yuan full of doubts, but even the emcee, whose words were on the tip of his tongue and whose gestures were suspended in mid-air, was equally puzzled.

In the past, whenever an item was presented, everyone around would eagerly bid for it.
They either wanted to be the first to acquire it, or they wanted to take the opportunity to test the strength of others. The rarer the treasure, the more eager everyone was to grab it.

But now, the grand finale has been brought to the stage, and everyone is unusually silent.
After hesitating for a moment, the master of ceremonies secretly glanced behind him, where the elderly men who had been in charge of appraising the treasures were.

The meaning in his eyes couldn't be clearer: Could it be that we've misjudged the treasure? We don't want to make a fool of ourselves later!
This caused the elderly men to lose their composure instantly. They immediately glared and bristled, almost ready to rush forward and hurl insults.

It's one thing if one of us misjudged, but does that mean we all misjudged? What kind of talk is that! Do you really think we, a group of experts in treasure appraisal, are inferior to those onlookers outside?
However, considering the current situation, the group restrained themselves, stepped forward, bowed to the many guests in the hall, and solemnly said:

"Please rest assured, everyone. We are willing to stake our lives on this, this is no ordinary item, it is the Wine of the Dawn God!"

"So please rest assured!"

"If you still have any doubts, you might want to know that the value of this wine jar alone is comparable to that of a spiritual vein!"

However, the more solemnly they vouched for it, the more deathly silent the atmosphere became.

For a moment, not only Du Yuan, but also the master of ceremonies and several elders couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that they had been silently subjected to some kind of spell? Otherwise, how could things be so strange?

Meanwhile, in those rooms, people from small hills and ordinary forces were praising the jar of fine wine.

At the same time, he looked curiously into the hall outside, wondering to himself: why were those people from the big mountain strongholds not making any noise?
The reason they remained inactive was because they knew their own situation well—this auction tonight, after the halfway point, was basically no longer relevant to them.

Unless you're willing to risk the entire mountain just to get this one treasure back, you have no right to compete for it.

Therefore, they had no intention of competing for this final, grand prize; now that they heard it was the wine of the God of Dawn, they had even less desire to compete and were simply watching the show.

As for going up and trying it out? That would be far too presumptuous.

Besides, this so-called "auction" is ultimately just an opportunity for various mountain strongholds to barter.

If the item you offer in exchange does not satisfy the buyer, the deal will naturally fall through.

There might be some items that fail to sell, but don't even think about finding a bargain.

The emcee exists only to prevent anyone from guessing the buyer's identity and to avoid anyone secretly sabotaging the event.

However, for the person who possesses such a valuable treasure, this layer of protection is actually quite useless. After all, even if they know who the owner is, so what? If they were to meet in private, it's not certain who would steal from whom!
The better the item, the stronger the owner tends to be; this is almost a settled conclusion at present.

There might be many unexpected events before a major calamity, but in today's world, such possibilities are basically nonexistent.

After all, those who came after us and had such great opportunities were not qualified to step into this place!
As the silence grew longer, many members of smaller factions couldn't help but step forward and peer into the other rooms.
Why are you all like dead people, not even reacting at all?
-
And in those houses on those high mountains, even though the houses are filled with many ornaments made of rare spiritual materials, even though the people in the houses are heads of families or sects, or are given the honorific titles of "Immortal" or "True Person".

At this moment, these usually high and mighty figures had all lost their former composure, their faces filled with solemn contemplation as they stared into the void, finally shaking their heads repeatedly and letting out long sighs as they disappeared into the silent room.

The world's finest celestial wines are already priceless treasures on every mountain peak, but the Dawn God Wine, which surpasses them all, is of unfathomable value.

What troubled them even more was that the other party had clearly specified the item to be exchanged—the Sword Cleansing Stone!

If the other party hadn't specified the exchange item, they could have gathered some rare and valuable treasures and tried to negotiate with the buyer; but now, they specifically requested the Sword Cleansing Stone.
How are they going to gather all this stuff?
Their land doesn't produce sword-cleansing stones to begin with. In the early years, when countless sword cultivators followed Li Shiyi south, they took away most of the remaining stones, leaving very few now.

Although they had a small amount of stock, the quantity was vastly different from the value of the Dawn God Wine; it was simply not worth it.
In one of the rooms, two middle-aged men with somewhat similar faces stood by the window, their gazes fixed on the jar of Xishen Wine in the center of the stage, shaking their heads and sighing incessantly.

This sight made a younger person standing behind him unable to contain his doubts, and he asked softly:
"Uncles, are we really not even allowed to give it a try?"

He knew the batch of sword-cleansing stones he brought wasn't enough, but a sliver of hope lingered in his heart: What if? What if the other party was desperately short of sword-cleansing stones and was willing to make do? "What's the point of trying? Are we just going to go up there and embarrass ourselves?"

The older uncle glared at him and retorted:
"Tell me, how many Sword Cleansing Stones do you think are worth exchanging for such a jar of Dawn God Wine?"

The younger man scratched his head, gritted his teeth, and gave an inflated estimate:
"Maybe... it's about the size of the room we're in right now?"

He remembered hearing someone say in his early years that a senior had traded a jar of Heavenly Immortal Wine for a Sword Washing Stone the size of an entire thatched hut at Jietian Tower.

This Dawn God Wine is superior to the Celestial Immortal Wine, so it should be about the same size as the wine in their room, right?
The room they were in at the moment looked like an ordinary guest room from the outside, but it had been enchanted inside, making it five zhang long and two zhang high.

In his view, he had already inflated the valuation too much.

No sooner had he said this than both uncles turned around at the same time, their voices full of disappointment and frustration:
"You brat, are you really that ignorant, or do you look down on Xi Shen Jiu?"

The older one said in a deep voice:
"Let me tell you, even if you offered a sword-washing stone as big as the Listening Wind Cliff where you grew up, it's still uncertain whether you could exchange it for this jar of wine!"

"what?!"

The younger man was stunned, his face filled with disbelief. Although Listening Wind Cliff was not exactly towering, it was by no means a small place. It was just that it seemed inconspicuous when placed among the rolling, rugged mountains.

But if the entire Listening Wind Cliff were replaced with Sword Washing Stones—that amount would be more than enough to buy wine.

They probably wouldn't dare to look at the whole mountain too much! And if there really were that many, they would probably have to move the entire mountain overnight, and hide in a secret place until things calmed down, lest they be suspected of hiding a lot and bring about their own demise.

He composed himself, but couldn't help asking again:
"You...you're not mistaken, are you?"

“Of course not!” the older uncle said firmly. “You think this is just a jar of drinkable celestial wine? There’s a much deeper story behind it than you think.”

He paused, then slowly explained:

"Do you know that the Celestial Immortal, Forget-Worry, and Zhewo are all top-grade immortal wines, and although they are the finest in the world, they have extremely high theoretical value?"

"But their best effect depends on the right time, place and people. If any one of them is missing, it will either be a waste or the effect will be greatly reduced."

"Unless you just want it to taste good. But these are more like top-quality medicinal wines than celestial brews. In terms of taste, they're probably not even as good as some inferior ones!"

"If there's an exception, it might be the Forget-Me-Not Wine. After all, legend has it that it was brewed by the world's first celestial fox when it was troubled by love, with the intention of forgetting its worries through supreme pleasure. But legends are just legends, and they may not be true."

"That is why these celestial wines can often only be exchanged at a discount, and in terms of preserving value, they are not even as good as the inferior Ascension Wine."

The Heavenly Immortal Wine that was exchanged for the sword-washing stone the size of a thatched hut in the early years should not have been worth this much. It was only because neither the buyer nor the seller had a better option at the time that the deal was made.

“But this Xishen Wine is different.” His uncle’s tone changed, and his eyes became unusually serious. “No one can say for sure what its purpose is. Logically speaking, its value should be discounted.”

"But there is one thing about it that no other celestial brew can match: the founders of the three religions all dream of obtaining it!"

"In other words, this jar of wine is far more than just divine brew; it's a stepping stone to curry favor with the three founders of the religions! Tell me, just based on this alone, it's hundreds of times superior to celestial immortals and the likes of Forget-Worry."

The founders of the three religions were truly the leaders of the world.

If we can establish a relationship with them, then we should definitely give it a try.

Thinking of this, the younger man suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said to his two uncles:

“Uncles, since that’s the case, why don’t we join forces with the other families? If one family isn’t enough, then there are so many. Maybe we can get the other side to make do?”

At this point, his two uncles looked at him as if he were a fool and said:

"You used to be exceptionally clever and quick-witted, how come you're so stupid and clumsy now?"

"Huh? Uncle, I... I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

Seeing that he still didn't understand, the two elders could only scold him, one after the other:
"I ask you, would you remember one person who gave you a gift, or a group of people who gave you gifts?"

Upon hearing this, the younger man's eyes twitched uncontrollably.

When giving a gift, especially a heartfelt one, it's best to do it alone. Giving to a group, no matter how great the favor, will diminish or fade. Besides, they're aiming to please the recipient.

Another one even added:
"And another thing, even if we manage to take it down together, how are you going to divide it? How are you going to guard against the others tampering with it behind our backs? Do you really think we can get along peacefully?"

The younger man immediately bowed respectfully, then slunk away to the back.

This same situation occurred in the other rooms as well.

Just as the auction was about to fail, a voice tentatively rang out:
“My friend, would you be willing to exchange this half of the Diamond Sutra with us? In addition, we can also offer an Ignorance Pill as an extra.”

The preciousness of the Diamond Sutra goes without saying, and the Wuming Pill is an even more indispensable pillar among celestial-grade medicines.

This elixir has the power to revive and prolong life for those who have undergone great cultivation; it's almost as if they have an extra life!

Of course, it couldn't be that he was beaten to death on the spot, rendering his internal energy useless. But people on the mountain value shrewdness; who would want to mess with a senior who is so much more powerful than themselves?

Upon hearing this, the emcee and several appraisers breathed a sigh of relief, as they belatedly realized the key point.

The wine of the God of Dawn is far too precious, unlike other treasures, which depend on people, land, and sky, and even, damn it, fate!

This is a very valuable product that anyone can use.

But Du Yuan was utterly helpless.

The Diamond Sutra is a wonderful thing, but would I dare to take it?
If they take it, the imbalance of the Sword Tomb in the past will surely reappear.

And what I need is the Sword Cleansing Stone! What would I need these for?
So Du Yuan simply said:
"I only ask for the Sword Cleansing Stone."

Upon hearing this, everyone sighed deeply.

It's impossible to exchange even a little bit!
Seeing the silence fall again, Du Yuan was naturally very disappointed. It seemed that tonight's trip would be in vain.
-
In the room of the Chen family in Bashui, which was the room of the father and daughter from the beginning.

After exchanging glances, the middle-aged man spoke:

"This man is very likely one of those two gentlemen. Moreover, forget about the Diamond Sutra; I suspect he is the Taoist priest from the Southwest, not the Buddhist priest from Qingzhou!"

The girl was about to nod in agreement, but then she frowned and said:
“Father, something’s not right.”

"Oh? Something's not right?"

The girl looked up in surprise and said:
"Although there are many skilled swordsmen in the Taoist lineage, I have never heard of that Taoist master in Qingzhou using a sword! And it is even more impossible for the Buddhist lineage. Although the sword is a gentleman, its killing power is too great and it is not favored."

The middle-aged man was also taken aback, but still said:
"If it weren't for these two gentlemen, who else could have produced such a treasure?"

The girl was also puzzled. After pondering for a moment, she suddenly trembled, then grabbed her father's arm and wrote on her palm:
"Father, among the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, do you think that since Buddhism and Taoism are still around, Confucianism will eventually disappear?"

The middle-aged man almost flew off the spot halfway through watching it.

But they still managed to suppress it, since it was too conspicuous.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he was about to speak when he heard someone knocking on the door, followed by a divine thought entering inside.

We cordially invite the Chen family of Bashui to discuss important matters!

(End of this chapter)