355: Chapter 356 Tianwei Escort Agency!

"Introduction to Spirit Wine Brewing" — Every step, from selecting ingredients, cleaning, steaming, and fermenting to aging, sealing the jars, cellar storage, opening the jars, and tasting, is explained in extreme detail.

"Five Years of Spirit Wine, Three Years of Simulation" — The name made Ye Changge's mouth twitch again, but the content was unexpectedly practical, consisting entirely of summaries of various real-world cases and lessons learned from failures.

How to deal with over-fermentation, how to remedy spoilage, how to adjust the timing of Qi infusion...

There were also a few books on advanced theories such as "The Interoperability of Spirit Wine and Alchemy" and "Principles of Spirit Wine Medicinal Compatibility."

Ye Changge swallowed this vast amount of knowledge, taking a full cup of tea's time to digest it all. When he opened his eyes again, there was a bit more clarity in them.

"So that's how it is..."

The classification of Spirit Wine was far richer than he had imagined. Classified by ingredients, there were Spirit Fruit Wine, Spirit Rice Wine, Spirit Grain Wine, Spirit Herb Wine, and Spirit Medicine Wine;

Classified by efficacy, there were Qi-replenishing wine, Foundation-nourishing wine, Blood-activating wine, Mind-calming wine, Body Tempering wine... and so on, too numerous to count.

Moreover, this thing called Spirit Wine could, in a sense, be considered a branch of Medicinal Pills.

Compared to Medicinal Pills, the greatest advantage of Spirit Wine was its mild medicinal properties and smooth taste, unlike the overbearing and fierce medicinal power of pills that impacted the Meridians.

After consuming Medicinal Pills, Cultivators often needed to circulate their energy to refine them, and they were prone to producing pill toxins and resistance, with efficacy decreasing over long-term use.

Spirit Wine was different; its Qi was released slowly, like spring rain nourishing all things—a steady, long-lasting flow that placed almost no burden on the body and was less likely to build up resistance.

Of course, the disadvantage was also obvious — it was slow to take effect.

With a single Medicinal Pill, the medicinal power was immediate; Spirit Wine, however, required long-term consumption, accumulating over time before results could be seen.

"But it has the advantage of good taste, and it can also be used to entertain guests and adjust the atmosphere..." Ye Changge stroked his chin, his eyes gradually brightening. "Placing a few jars at Family banquets is much better than just dryly popping Medicinal Pills."

More importantly, Spirit Wine had very low requirements for Spiritual Roots. Ordinary Mortals could drink it, and low-level Cultivators could nourish their Meridians by drinking it.

Those wives and concubines with inferior Spiritual Roots, although slow in Cultivation, would at least benefit from drinking some Spirit Wine daily to nourish their bodies and prolong their lives.

Ye Changge's heart stirred as he thought of Xiao Caiyue.

Although the Origin of her Dragon Yang Body had been mostly guided and refined by him, the damage to her Foundation could not be repaired in a single day.

Although those Medicinal Pills for consolidating the Foundation and nourishing the Origin were good, he feared her body was too weak to handle their potency. If he brewed a mild Spirit Wine and let her have a small cup daily to nourish her slowly, it might be more suitable for her current condition than Medicinal Pills.

"I can certainly let her try it." Ye Changge had made up his mind.

He immediately walked to the desk in the study, spread out a sheet of rice paper, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write. As his brush danced across the paper, lines of lists appeared —

Spirit Rice: Over one hundred years old, glutinous rice is best.

Spirit Fruit: Crimson Face Fruit, Green Jade Date, Purple Veined Grape... must be of Second Stage or higher.

Spirit Medicine: Polygonatum, Goji Berry, Angelica, Astragalus... must be at least fifty years old.

Wine Yeast: Ordinary Spirit Yeast can be used, but to brew Second Stage Spirit Wine, one needs special yeast fed with Spirit Herb juice.

In addition, there were distillation apparatus, ceramic jars, cellar temperature control Formations, and other miscellaneous items.

Ye Changge wrote quickly, almost without thinking. The Legacy of Spirit Wine was etched in his mind like an engraving; the ingredients and heat control for various recipes were already deeply ingrained in his heart. In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a densely written page was finished.

He blew the ink dry on the list, folded it, and tucked it into his sleeve.

"I'll have the Lin Family handle the purchasing later," he whispered to himself, then shook his head. "However, the current situation is unstable; it's better to go out less."

He wasn't just worrying needlessly. Since the turmoil in the Immortal City that day, the remnants of the Demonic Path Cultivators from the Yu Kingdom had not been completely cleared out.

Although True Monarch Xuanjian of the Qingshui Sword Sect had severely injured two Nascent Soul Demonic Cultivators, several Core Formation Stage Demonic Cultivators who had infiltrated the Zhao State were still at large.

Who knew if they would act out of desperation and attack the Cultivator Families of the Zhao State? Especially a Family like his, which had just risen and lacked deep Foundations; they were the easiest targets for an attack.

"It's best to be cautious during this period," Ye Changge whispered to himself. "At least until I reach the Core Formation Stage, it's best not to invite too much trouble."

He made up his mind to stay peacefully at Longmai Mountain for the next period, focusing on Cultivation, brewing wine, and spending time with his wives, concubines, and descendants. As for outside work, he would leave it all to reliable disciples in the Family.

Days passed uneventfully for half a month.

One afternoon, while Ye Changge was checking the newly sealed jars of Spirit Rice Wine in the newly opened Spirit Wine cellar behind the mountain, a clansman hurried over to report: A letter had arrived from Biluo Lake.

Ye Changge took the jade slip, probed it with his Divine Sense, and his brows twitched slightly.

The letter was from the Ye Family of Biluo Lake. It stated that some clansmen who had left the main Family due to the chaos of the Demonic Path now felt the storm had passed and wanted to return to Longmai Mountain.

Among these people were collateral disciples who had moved with him initially, as well as several descendants Ye Changge had not yet brought back.

Those children had poor Spiritual Roots, and some had none at all, so he had let them stay at the old residence in Biluo Lake to play and live with their Mortal uncles. He had always felt that children without Spiritual Roots should just live a happy life; the killing and fighting of the Cultivation World had nothing to do with them.

The letter also said that the children missed home and were clamoring to come back to see their parents.

Seeing this, Ye Changge's heart softened.

However, the situation was not yet stable. Although the distance from Biluo Lake to Longmai Mountain was only a few hundred miles, the journey inevitably passed through some remote wilderness. If they encountered remnants of the Demonic Path or Loose Cultivators posing as Bandit Cultivators, how could these old, weak, women, and children defend themselves?

Ye Changge pondered for a moment, then immediately made a decision: Hire people to escort them.

He turned and returned to the study, took out a communication jade slip, and contacted the branch of the Tianwei Escort Agency near Longmai Mountain.

The Tianwei Escort Agency was an escort force with branches throughout the southeastern part of the Zhao State, handling escort and transport business all year round. As long as one could pay the Spirit Stones, they could even hire a Pseudo-Core Cultivator. They had an excellent reputation and had never had any major accidents.

Ye Changge stated his price directly: One Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator to lead the team, two Early-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators to assist, plus three Late Stage of Qi Refining experts and five Acquired martial arts experts, to escort them all the way from Biluo Lake to Longmai Mountain.

When the news spread, the large and small families near the White Bird Market were stunned.

"Just to escort a group of old, weak, women, and children?"

"The Ye Family must have struck it rich..."

"Tsk tsk, as expected of the Family that monopolizes the Talisman business; they are wealthy and imposing."

Others saw a deeper meaning: "Ancestor Ye is flexing his muscles. Think about it, who among those who can casually pull out these Spirit Stones to hire the Tianwei Escort Agency is someone to be trifled with?"