Dual-wielding! 100x proficiency, I'll grind my way to godhood!

After returning to the courtyard, Chen Mo traveled back to Earth.

Arriving at the tobacco and liquor store in town, I spent over two hundred yuan to buy a case of Red Star Erguotou.

He opened a bottle, and the moment he unscrewed the cap, a strong aroma filled his nostrils. He squinted and put the wine into his bronze ring.

This is the taste.

Last time, Zhao Yong treated us to the most expensive wine at Zuixianlou, which had an alcohol content as low as beer and a sour taste.

The brewing techniques of Tianxuan Continent are nowhere near those of Blue Star.

And now, this bottle of Blue Star high-proof liquor is the key to unlocking Director Zhou's door.

Chen Mo seemed to see the Qi and Blood Realm cultivator beckoning to him.

In the evening, he carried a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and walked towards Director Zhou's residence. When he arrived at the address Han Tiesheng had given him, he knocked on the door.

The door opened, and a woman in her thirties stood inside. She had a slender figure, a beautiful face, wore a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, revealing a section of her fair and smooth neck.

A certain hidden attribute within Chen Mo subtly resurfaced!

Ever since he had a relationship with Shen Nian, he has been suffering from Mengde syndrome, and the symptoms are getting worse and worse!

The woman looked up and saw Chen Mo. Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment, her eyes flickered slightly, and then she lowered her eyelashes, her voice soft and gentle.

"Whom is the young master looking for?"

Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat again, and he looked her over carefully.

She looked to be about thirty-five or thirty-six, and her appearance and demeanor were not those of a maid; although her clothes were simple, the fabric was of good quality; and since she lived in Director Zhou's house, she was most likely the director's wife.

"I am Cao Deshuai... no, I am Zhang Mengde... cough cough, slip of the tongue. I am Zhang Deshuai, a disciple of the martial arts school, and I have come to pay my respects to Master Zhou."

He almost let it slip, but he pushed the glass forward with a gentle smile.

"I heard the curator enjoys wine, so I brought a bottle of my own brew and would like to invite him to try it."

The woman covered her mouth and chuckled softly, not taking the bottle, her gaze shifting from the bottle back to Chen Mo's face.

"He went to the Li family's house for dinner and won't be back for a while."

She stepped aside to move out of the doorway, her movements a beat slower than before.

"If you don't mind, please come in and have a seat."

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. It was already evening; why was he still being allowed to go in?

He didn't rush inside, but stood on the threshold.

"I haven't had a chance to ask, who are you...?"

"I am his wife."

The woman glanced at him briefly, then lowered her eyelashes again.

Chen Mo realized that she was indeed the curator's wife.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone as natural as if he had just found out:

"So it's Master's wife. I've been rude."

As I stepped across the threshold and passed by her, I caught a faint scent of fragrance.

The main room was not large, with an eight-immortal table in the center.

The woman brought over a cup of tea and handed it to her with both hands.

Chen Mo reached out to take it, his fingertips touching the back of her hand.

She flinched, a faint blush rising to her ears, but she didn't completely retract her hand, pausing for a moment before letting go.

"Please have some tea, sir."

Chen Mo took it and sipped it.

He put down his teacup and looked up at the osmanthus tree in the courtyard.

The osmanthus tree was well pruned, and its branches were covered with golden blossoms in full bloom.

"The owner has taken excellent care of this osmanthus tree."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked outside.

"It's rare to see such a beautiful osmanthus tree in town. It must be quite old, right?"

The woman walked to his side, keeping a half-step's distance, and also looked at the tree, her expression forlorn.

"This osmanthus tree was planted by your master when I married into this family. It's been almost twenty years."

"Twenty years."

Chen Mo looked at the tree, his tone gentle.

"It's been pruned so well, the owner must really care about this tree, just like he does for his master's wife."

Her fingers landed on the windowsill, and she sighed.

"No, he treats me like he treats this tree. For the first two years, he watered it every day, even more diligently than I did. Then he gradually stopped caring about it. Now, I'm the one who does all the watering, fertilizing, and pruning."

After saying that, she paused for a moment, as if she hadn't intended to say that much.

Chen Mo suddenly had some other ideas. Perhaps he could try to get his hands on the "Qi and Blood Returning to Origin Technique" by approaching his master's wife.

First, build rapport!

"My mother also planted one. Later, my father was busy, so she watered it by herself. Then my father remembered it, but my mother said it wasn't necessary, she was used to watering it herself."

He turned around, leaned against the window, and looked at his teacher's wife's face.

"Master's wife, how long have you been watering this tree by yourself?"

"It's been twelve years."

Her voice was very soft.

Chen Mo didn't ask any more questions, and his understanding of his master's wife deepened a little.

He turned his gaze away and looked at the osmanthus tree in the yard.

The two stood there, half a step apart, neither of them saying a word.

A breeze blew through the courtyard, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms into the main room.

After a while, Chen Mo spoke, his voice low, as if he were talking to himself.

"The osmanthus smells so nice."

The woman turned her head slightly to the side.

"That tree in the yard, when the wind blows, it fills the whole house."

Chen Mo stared into his teacher's wife's eyes.

"My master's wife smells even better."

She quickly turned her head, her fingers clenching on the windowsill, her ears slowly turning red.

"Young master is joking. I don't have anything on me..."

"have."

Chen Mo interrupted her, his tone very soft.

"I have a very keen sense of smell, and the fragrance on my teacher's wife is different from the fragrance of osmanthus."

Chen Mo slowly approached her and gently sniffed her.

"This fragrance is even better than osmanthus."

She didn't speak, her fingers slowly tightened on the windowsill until her knuckles turned white, and her breathing became a little heavier than before.

Chen Mo did not continue the topic.

He turned around and looked at the osmanthus tree.

"It's a blessing for this osmanthus tree to be cared for by my master's wife."

Her fingers loosened from the windowsill, drooped down, touched her cuffs, and slowly twisted.

After a moment of silence, she said softly, "He's rarely home."

She was taken aback when she said it.

Chen Mo was also taken aback!

She twisted her cuffs with her fingers until her knuckles turned white.

With her head down, she couldn't see the tips of her own shoes, only Chen Mo's shoes, slowly approaching her.

Chen Mo raised his hand and gently stroked her cheek.

She didn't dodge, but her breathing became completely disordered, her chest heaved violently, and her voice became weak.

"Young master..."

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Footsteps came from the yard, some steps deep, some shallow, and one foot tripped as if it had kicked a flowerpot.

The woman suddenly woke up with a start, took two steps back, and bumped into the edge of the table.

Her face paled for a moment, then flushed crimson, burning from her neck all the way to her forehead.

She frantically raised her hand to straighten her clothes, her fingers trembling violently.

The door to the main room was pushed open.

Director Zhou stood at the door, swayed for a moment, and had to hold onto the door frame to steady himself.

He reeked of alcohol, squinted as he scanned the room, his gaze settling on Chen Mo. He frowned, as if trying to make out who he was.

"Who...are you?"

Chen Mo cupped his hands in greeting, his smile as natural as if nothing had happened.

"Disciple Zhang Deshuai, having heard that the curator enjoys fine wine, specially brought a bottle of his own brew for the curator to try."

Director Zhou let out a burp and shifted his gaze from Chen Mo to the woman.

The woman had her head down, and a rag had appeared in her hand at some point; she was wiping the edge of the table.

The rag was dry, but she didn't notice.

Director Zhou withdrew his gaze, slammed the wine jar in his hand onto the table, and the bottom of the jar hit the table with a dull thud.

He reached for Chen Mo's wine bottle, hesitated for a moment before picking it up, and then turned it upside down in the candlelight.

The wine was clear. He uncorked the bottle, took a sniff, and opened his drowsy eyes a crack.

"Good wine! Good wine! Good wine! Where did this wine come from?"

"Brought from my hometown."

Chen Mo smiled.

"It's homemade, not as good as the wine in town, but it's for the curator to have a taste."

Director Zhou took another sniff, but didn't say anything.

He put the cork back in, placed it on the table, and glanced at the woman. "Go...get two dishes."

The woman responded and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

As he passed Chen Mo, he paused for a moment, but didn't look up, and quickly walked past.

Director Zhou sat down, leaned back, and the chair back creaked.

He pointed to the stool opposite him, indicating that Chen Mo should sit down as well.

"Zhang Deshuai... that's an interesting name. How long have you been studying at the martial arts school?"