Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

Gu Mingli and Xiao Ye exchanged a quick glance in mid-air.

The Cui family? What a small world!

Xiao Ye sat upright in his seat, smiled gently, and looked up at the proprietress.

"Why not make money with such a huge market like Dayong? Why not do business with the Cui family?"

The proprietress waved her hand and said with a smile, her tone ambiguous:

"Alas! It's just an old grudge from the martial arts world. The messy history behind it is a long story."

"Please have a seat and some tea, gentlemen. I'll go to the kitchen to cut some beef and get you some good wine!"

After saying that, she turned and hurriedly went to the kitchen before the guests could say anything else.

Gu Mingli looked away, pretending to drink his tea nonchalantly, and exchanged a glance with his sister.

Before long, accompanied by a rich aroma of meat, the proprietress returned to the main hall carrying a large wooden tray.

A pot of wine, three unglazed earthenware wine cups, a dish of golden-fried peanuts, and a plate of braised beef shank sliced ​​as thin as cicada wings.

"Please enjoy your meal, esteemed guests!"

The proprietress neatly put down her things and went to attend to other customers.

Gu Mingli picked up the wine pot and poured a cup into each of the three rough earthenware cups.

Accompanied by the soft sound of flowing water, the liquid falling into the bowl was completely clear and free of any impurities, even creating beautiful "wine bubbles".

The wine is clear and bright, just like mountain spring water.

Its appearance and aroma are completely different from the cloudy wine with broken rice sediment or the amber-colored yellow wine with a sour taste sold in ordinary taverns in Dayong.

Gu Mingyue picked up a cup, eagerly brought it to her nose, and took a deep breath of the rich and spicy aroma, her eyes widening slightly.

That's right! This level of purity is simply impossible to achieve with any ancient brewing techniques.

This product is purified through a precision distillation process!

And this taste is exactly the Wuliangye from their original world.

She put down her wine cup and glanced at Gu Mingli without making a sound.

Gu Mingli nodded slightly, feeling more certain in his heart.

Distillation technology was not the mainstream brewing process in this era.

The person behind the production of such high-purity liquor must possess technological knowledge that is ahead of its time.

Xiao Ye picked up his wine cup and, imitating Gu Mingli, leaned closer to smell it.

The pungent smell of alcohol hit his nostrils, and he frowned slightly.

"It's quite strong."

Gu Mingli smiled and said, "Take small sips, don't gulp it down."

Xiao Ye brought the wine in the cup to his lips and took a small sip.

The next second, his entire face suddenly tensed up.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently.

That sip of wine felt like a ball of fire, burning straight down my throat.

He turned his head to the side, put his fist to his lips, and coughed twice in a muffled voice.

Gu Mingli quickly reached out and gently patted his back twice.

"Alright, alright, this is normal for the first time drinking this."

It took Xiao Ye a while to calm down the burning sensation in his throat.

He put down his wine cup, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Have you had this kind of liquor before?"

"This tastes different from what I usually drink! How did they make it?"

Gu Mingli poured him another cup.

I tried it once by chance.

"This is a different brewing process, so it's naturally different from rice wine."

The three sat in the hall eating and drinking, while several Dragon Scale Guards sat scattered around the neighboring tables.

Then, more and more wandering martial artists came in.

When their gaze sweeps over their table, it lingers for a couple of moments longer.

After all, although this group of people were dressed simply, their demeanor was too conspicuous.

Xiao Ye, in particular, even in coarse clothes, exuded a cold and noble air that stood out from the rough men around him.

Gu Mingli noticed the scrutinizing gazes.

But no one approached them to speak, and no one showed any hostility.

They glanced at each other briefly before looking away, each going about their own business.

Just as Gu Mingli was putting a piece of beef into his mouth, a young man covered in sweat ran in through the inn's main gate.

As soon as he entered, he loudly shouted at a group of江湖人 (jianghu people) at the next table.

"Master! We can't leave this afternoon. Outside the bandit route, the Northern Di cavalry have run into the border troops of the Great Yong! They're facing each other, a dark mass!"

The lobby instantly became lively.

Several tables of江湖客 (jianghu ke, people from all walks of life) put down their chopsticks and started discussing among themselves.

"Here we go again? Didn't we have a standoff last month too?"

"What news has the Northern Barbarians gotten this time that's causing them to provoke the Great Yong border army?"

"Hey, who cares about what happens between two countries? They're not coming here anyway."

The chopsticks in Gu Mingli's hand were suspended in mid-air.

She glanced at Xiao Ye, then at Gu Mingyue.

The three remained calm and said nothing.

The proprietress just came out of the kitchen carrying a steaming plate of braised pork knuckle and placed it on their table with a smile.

Gu Mingli put down his chopsticks, looked up and asked her.

"Boss lady, aren't you afraid of the commotion outside?"

The proprietress wiped her hands with her apron, her smile carrying a calm acceptance that comes with having seen it all.

"What are you afraid of? The Northern Barbarians dare not touch Longmen City."

"In the world of martial arts, contracts signed in black and white are not worth breaking for such a small matter."

She bent down to collect the empty plates, her tone light and cheerful.

"Please enjoy your meal and drinks, esteemed guests. This kind of thing happens every now and then, like a gust of wind, it'll be over in no time."

"However, given the current stalemate between the two armies, for safety's sake, guests may stay the night before departing."

As she spoke, she turned to reach for the empty bowl on the next table.

The wide cuffs slid up a bit with the movement.

On the inside of his wrist, a dark red brand was clearly exposed to the sunlight.

The mark was about an inch long, with blurred and whitish edges, like an old wound from many years ago.

However, the pattern branded on the skin is still faintly discernible.

It is the character "罪" (crime).

After the fall of the Great Qi Dynasty, the families and relatives of the former dynasty's disgraced officials were all branded with the mark of shame when they were exiled.

The proprietress seemed oblivious, and after collecting the dishes, she turned to leave.

Geng Zhi frowned slightly, straightened his back, and prepared to fight at any moment.

The Dragon Scale Guards at the nearby table had already placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.

The movements were extremely light, but in this inn full of martial arts experts, they were quite eye-catching.

Suddenly, a waiter rushed into the inn, looking flustered.

"Shopkeeper! The Great Yong cavalry has already patrolled to our city gates!"

"What?"

The proprietress paused for a moment, then turned and exchanged a glance with her husband, who was sitting behind the counter doing the accounts.

The man scratched his head and added:

"But they were just on patrol, saying they chased in a few Northern Di cavalrymen. They're arresting one of them now."

"They didn't enter the city; they just rested temporarily in front of the city gate and sent people into the city to buy some steamed buns and mantou."

The air in the lobby suddenly froze.

All chewing sounds stopped, and conversations ceased.

The one-eyed man at the next table, who had been drinking, slowly put down his bowl.

The hilt of the long sword at his waist silently turned in a different direction.

In the corner, two old men were playing chess, their pieces hovering in mid-air. Their cloudy old eyes suddenly sharpened.

The atmosphere in the inn became somewhat eerie.

Gu Mingli felt a chill run down his spine.

Although he did not know martial arts, he could feel the killing intent gathering from all directions.

Xiao Ye's expression remained unchanged.

Calmly pick up the wine glass, place your fingertips on the rim of the glass, and gently tap it.

The Dragon Scale Guards at the nearby table immediately loosened their grips on their swords.

Xiao Ye tilted his head back and drank the strong liquor in his cup in one gulp.

A slight smile appeared on his lips as he put down the wine cup.

He nodded slightly to the landlady who was standing beside him, looking at him with some wariness.

"This wine is good."

"Excuse me, ma'am, are there any places in town where I can gather information?"

The proprietress lifted her apron and wiped her hands.

"What kind of information would you like to inquire about, sir?"

Xiao Ye took out a gold ingot from his pocket and placed it on the table.

I looked up at her.

"We want to buy some information about the former Qi dynasty."