Starting as a prodigy wanting milk? A world-destroying deception in the opposite direction.

Shen Zhen made a hand gesture, and everyone held their breath.

He channeled a wisp of his mental energy and carefully sensed that there were more than a dozen faint auras within the winery.

"Something's strange," Shen Zhen whispered.

"There are people inside, but they don't seem like ordinary brewers. Chen Xi, Xue Jian, use your compasses to check."

Chen Xi and Qi Xuejian immediately took out their compasses, and saw the needle trembling slightly, pointing towards the interior of the winery, giving off a sense of familiarity.

"There are indeed faint remnants of abnormal mental energy inside," Chen Xi said.

"It's somewhat similar to the mental power of that woman from Jubao Fang."

"Looks like we didn't come to the wrong place." Shen Zhen's eyes narrowed.

"Zhao Huaijin, Li Qingyan, go around to the back and check if there's a back door or hidden sentries. Zhou Shi, Wu Xian, keep an eye on the front."

We disguised ourselves as passing merchants and went in to investigate.

The group accepted the order and acted swiftly.

Shen Zhen, Chen Xi, and Qi Xuejian quickly changed into casual clothes, pretending to be travel-worn, and walked towards the crooked wooden door of the winery.

Pushing open the creaking wooden door, an even stronger mixed smell wafted out.

The aroma of fermented rice, the bitterness of herbs, and a faint sweetness intertwine to create a strange atmosphere that gives one a slight headache.

The interior of the winery is much cleaner, even spotless, than the exterior.

Several "men" dressed in coarse cloth were busy. Some were moving wine jars, some were wiping utensils, and others were squatting in a corner sorting herbs.

Their movements were unhurried, and their faces were expressionless.

He merely glanced at Shen Zhen and the other two indifferently before continuing his work without even a greeting.

This is definitely not the reaction a normal winery worker should have.

"Shopkeeper? I'd like to buy some wine!" Shen Zhen called out, raising his voice.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a waiter carrying a wine jar suddenly put it down, walked straight up to the three men, and gave them a scrutinizing look.

"Are you from out of town? Do you have a travel permit?"

Recently, the government has been cracking down hard. Outsiders buying large quantities of wine have to register, and non-local merchants are not allowed to trade.

Shen Zhen's heart stirred, realizing that there was indeed an unexpected turn of events.

He remained outwardly calm, took out a pre-prepared blank document from his pocket, and with a slight mental movement of his fingertips, instantly added forged information before handing it over:

"Look at what you're saying, a proper businessman can't do without this."

We come from the western border region, stopping by to restock our supplies. We heard your wines are excellent, so we came to take a look.

The man took the document, flipped through it twice, asked no more questions, and turned back to his work.

At this moment, a thin, cloudy-eyed old man slowly strolled out from the inner room.

His fingers were stained with dark red wine that hadn't been washed off. His throat bobbed as he spoke, carrying a pungent smell of alcohol. He glanced at Shen Zhen and the other two, his voice hoarse:

What kind of alcohol would you like?

"I was passing by and heard that your wine is quite good. I'd like to buy a batch and transport it to the western border," Shen Zhen said, following his prepared explanation.

"The western border?" The old man's cloudy eyes seemed to shift slightly.

"The western frontier is far away. My wine is excellent, but the journey is bumpy, and I'm afraid it won't withstand the strain." He paused, then asked, "How much do you want?"

"Let's check out the goods and taste them first," Shen Zhen said while secretly observing.

The old man's aura was ordinary, not like he possessed any psychic powers, but the entire winery exuded an indescribable eeriness.

"Follow me." The old man turned and walked toward the entrance to a wine cellar in the inner room.

Shen Zhen and the other two exchanged a glance and followed.

The cellar was dimly lit and filled with numerous wine vats, where the sweet aroma was even more pronounced.

The old man opened a small wine jar, scooped out a spoonful, and handed it over:

"Try it, the Forget-Worries Wine, it truly lives up to its name."

The wine is amber in color and exudes an alluring luster and aroma.

Shen Zhen took the wine but didn't drink it; instead, he subtly probed the wine with his mental energy.

In an instant, he sensed a faint, alluring energy within the liquor, capable of stirring up certain desires or emotions within the drinker, allowing them to temporarily forget their troubles.

However, long-term consumption will inevitably damage one's mental health.

"There was definitely a problem."

Shen Zhen sneered inwardly, intending to continue trying to extract information.

Suddenly, from deep within the wine cellar, a faint, almost imperceptible sound came from, like many people whispering at the same time.

It also sounds like... a rhythmic breathing sound.

Just then, a short whistle suddenly came from outside!

It was Zhao Huaijin who sent the signal; something's up!

Almost at the same moment the signal sounded, all the workers in the winery froze in their tracks.

Suddenly, a fanatical light flashed in their eyes, and they abruptly dropped what they were doing and rushed towards Shen Zhen and the others!

Their movements became swift and frantic, a stark contrast to their previous sluggishness!

As two of the men rushed forward, a sweet fragrance wafted from their faint mental energy.

"Let's do it!"

Shen Zhen gave a low shout and hurled the wine ladle along with the wine at the waiter who was at the front.

The wine splashed on the man's face, and he subconsciously stuck out his tongue to lick the wine off his cheek. His eyes went even crazier, and he continued to charge forward as if he didn't realize what was happening.

Chen Xi and Qi Xuejian immediately took action, their fingers flashing with light, trapping these people.

But these people were incredibly strong and seemed to feel no pain, easily breaking free from their initial restraints.

Shen Zhen dodged to the side, then chopped the waiter on the back of the neck with a backhand chop. The man fell to the ground, convulsing and foaming at the mouth, but the madness in his eyes only intensified.

"They're under deep control, be careful!" Shen Zhen warned.

At this moment, Zhao Huaijin and Li Qingyan rushed in from the backyard, while Zhou Shi and Wu Xian blocked the front door.

Zhao Huaijin grabbed one of the waiters' wrists and slammed him against the wine vat; Li Qingyan kicked another guy who was trying to sneak up on him.

At the front door, Wu Xian blocked the retreat with his sword, while Zhou Shi casually pinned two of the stumbling men against the wall, and couldn't help but mutter a complaint:

"Holy crap, is this liquor for humans? Drinking it would probably turn you into a rabid dog!"

The team regrouped and quickly subdued the seven or eight crazed guys.

But the gaunt old man had vanished without a trace.

"There's movement down in the cellar!" Li Qingyan pointed in the direction from which the mumbling had come from.

Shen Zhen kicked open the hidden door of the cellar, and a downward stone staircase appeared before him. An even stronger sweet fragrance and that eerie murmuring sound poured out from below.

"Follow me! Stay alert!" Shen Zhenyi was skilled and daring, and took the lead in rushing down the stone steps.

The team members followed closely behind.

At the end of the stone steps is a space even larger than the wine cellar above.

But the scene before them sent chills down their spines, even for those who had experienced the Jubaofang incident!

In the center of the underground space, there appeared to be a formation, and around it sat more than a dozen people.

There were men and women, dressed in different ways.

They sat around a large vat that was being simmered over a low flame. Inside, a thick, dark red liquid was bubbling and emitting a sweet and alcoholic aroma.

It's bubbling away.

Those babbling sounds came from these people.

They seemed to be chanting some kind of obscure incantation over and over again; the content was incomprehensible, yet it was unsettling.

The gaunt old man who had disappeared was now standing beside the large vat, holding a long-handled wooden ladle and stirring the liquid inside, his eyes filled with fanaticism.

"That's the scent!"

Shen Zhen was certain that this was the sweet fragrance from Jubao Fang.

What's even more chilling is that at the other end of the formation, there were several well-dressed people sitting or lying down, who looked like wealthy merchants or minor officials.

Their eyes were glazed over, and they wore satisfied smiles.

Seemingly completely absorbed in their own world, oblivious to the eerie sights around them, some even gesticulating wildly and muttering to themselves.

"Good wine... joy... godhood..."

"They're using this evil wine to control people!" Qi Xuejian exclaimed.

"Those well-dressed people are probably customers who have already been misled!"

When the gaunt old man saw Shen Zhen and the others burst in, a flicker of panic flashed in his cloudy eyes. He then gritted his teeth, his expression turning fierce. He slammed the wooden ladle in his hand against the large vat, hissing:

"Desecrating the holy site! Seize them!"

Instantly, everyone in the formation raised their heads and stood up, rushing towards Shen Zhen and the others!

Two of them, who were slightly more powerful, even raised their hands and unleashed two psychic light blades, aiming straight at Shen Zhen's face; they were clearly heretics.

Meanwhile, the wealthy merchants and officials who were engrossed in the illusion let out cries of terror or silly laughter, creating chaos.

Zhou Shi stood in front of Shen Zhen and swung his sword to cleave the light blade;

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wu Xian went around to the side and pulled the wealthy merchants and officials who were engrossed in the illusion to a safe area.

Zhao Huaijin and Li Qingyan stood side by side to block the people rushing in from the formation.

The underground space instantly descended into chaos!