The shadows by the window shifted slightly as Gongsun Jiuniang gracefully held her cup.

She slowly drank the wine within, her expression changing three times in an instant.

First, a subtle raise of the eyebrow, for though she already knew it was spirit wine, with her status as a Xuanming Envoy, spirit wine was precious but not rare.

Then, Gongsun Jiuniang's expression was startled.

Moments later, her stunned look melted away like a mountain stream, turning into an indescribable wonder and admiration.

The words "Good wine" slipped out, and Gongsun Jiuniang exclaimed, "Drinking this wine gives an inexplicable feeling of being refined by moonlight.

The taste is excellent, and though its spiritual energy content is only of the You Grade, the wine's essence can almost compare with Miao Grade spirit wine."

As her words fell, [Like +500]...

[+300]

[+200]

Chen Xu immediately sensed something, realizing that Gongsun Jiuniang's strength might be on par with County Magistrate Feng.

But compared to Ghost King Xie Huaizheng in his prime, Gongsun Jiuniang might still fall short.

However, Chen Xu had never met Xie Huaizheng at his peak, so it was ultimately just speculation, with no way to make a precise comparison.

At the moment, Chen Xu's attention was almost entirely focused on the "You Grade" and "Miao Grade" mentioned by Gongsun Jiuniang.

Is this the classification for spirit wine? Chen Xu had never heard of it before.

The Food Cauldron Celestial Book simply referred to Drunken Spirit Wine as ordinary basic spirit wine, and Jade Liquid Heart-Clarifying Wine as Jade Liquid Spirit Wine, also basic, just without the "ordinary" prefix.

Thinking now, the spiritual realm of the Great Li Dynasty must also have their own terms and classifications for spirit wine.

Chen Xu was very curious about this, but he restrained his urge to ask Gongsun Jiuniang further questions.

Since he had already pulled a "senior" into the conversation as a protective pretense, he could not reveal too much of his "ignorance" in front of Gongsun Jiuniang.

Chen Xu simply continued drinking, smiling silently.

When Gongsun Jiuniang finished her cup, he refilled it for her.

This time, Gongsun Jiuniang savored it for a long while, and after drinking, she suddenly showed a shy expression and said to Chen Xu, "Mr. Chen... I wonder if there is any more of this wine available?

I have a senior at home who loves wine. Being appointed as a Xuanming Envoy, I naturally collect excellent wines whenever I encounter them.

If Mr. Chen could spare a pot of spirit wine, I'd be willing to exchange it with thirty jin of spirit rice."

Thirty jin of spirit rice!

To be honest, since his cultivation began, Chen Xu had never received so much spirit rice.

Previously, Feng Yuanbai asked him to rescue Feng Xi at the Cangyuan Ghost Market, offering spirit rice as a token of thanks.

But the most Feng Yuanbai gave was one jin. Later, Cui Yunqi had also gifted Chen Xu some spirit rice, similarly in small quantities, not exceeding one jin.

Thus, Chen Xu had a certain understanding of the rarity of spirit rice, and he hadn't expected Gongsun Jiuniang to offer thirty jin right off the bat, indicating her high regard for Intoxicated Spirit Wine.

Of course, it also showed that Gongsun Jiuniang was economically well-off and extraordinary.

What hesitation could there be? Chen Xu immediately agreed to Gongsun Jiuniang's exchange request.

He didn't bother with formalities like saying no need for exchange and offering it directly, as their friendship wasn't at that level, and such back-and-forths were truly bothersome.

Chen Xu placed his palm in a void press on the small table, and a small two-tael wine jar instantly appeared on the table.

He pushed the jar towards Gongsun Jiuniang, and Gongsun Jiuniang took it, untying a pair of seemingly bronze bells from her waist.

With a jingle, as the bells rang,

three white rice bags fell on the table in succession, and Gongsun Jiuniang pushed the three ten-jin rice bags towards Chen Xu, holding the wine jar with a joyful expression.

This was truly an instance of both host and guest enjoying themselves to the fullest. After this exchange, Gongsun Jiuniang took her leave from Chen Xu, and he didn't urge her to stay.

After Gongsun Jiuniang left, Chen Xu opened the rice bags to inspect the spirit rice within.

Previously, the spirit rice Feng Yuanbai gave was called Pill Jade Spirit Rice, orange-red in color, resembling clouds, and rich in spiritual energy.

According to the entry, regular consumption could supplement Qi blood, with three taels of spirit rice increasing Qi blood by +1, though the effect diminished after consuming one jin, until negligible.

The spirit rice given by Cui Yunqi was called Red Jade Spirit Rice, similar in appearance to Pill Jade Spirit Rice but with a deeper red hue, as if blood were flowing.

The entry stated regular consumption could supplement Qi blood, with two taels of spirit rice increasing Qi blood by +1...

The later part of the entry was similar to that of Pill Jade Spirit Rice and thus would not be repeated.

As for the spirit rice given by Gongsun Jiuniang, Chen Xu grabbed a handful for a closer look and saw it was snow white in color.

No, it was actually a lustrous white like snow jade, faintly tinged with a bluish-green hue, resembling fine Hetian jade at first glance.

Moreover, the grains of this spirit rice were quite large, with one grain being as large as three grains of common rice.

The entry read:

[Jade Dew Spirit Rice, with a mellow taste, excels at supplementing Primordial Qi, regular consumption can enhance physique, nourish vitality, and assist in Qi cultivation with certain progress, providing a strong sense of fullness.

Consuming ten jin will slightly increase True Qi, consuming one hundred jin may result in a minor improvement in cultivation levels.

After a thousand jin, the effect diminishes and it can be used to refine Grain Avoidance Pills.]

Hmm...

Chen Xu found the entry fascinating.

Though Jade Dew Spirit Rice belonged to the same category of spirit rice as Pill Jade and Red Jade Spirit Rice, it clearly headed in a different direction.

In appearance, Jade Dew Spirit Rice seemed more like traditional food.

No wonder Gongsun Jiuniang offered thirty jin outright; any less would be unpresentable.

However, Chen Xu didn't consider it a loss. After all, the effects of Intoxicated Spirit Wine were fuzzy, generally just for body and spirit enhancement, with spiritual Qi increase as a side...

Most importantly, its taste was superb, capable of intoxicating the drinker.

After all, if offered to mortals, calling it a celestial nectar wouldn't be an exaggeration, with its ability to strengthen health and cure illnesses easily.

But if given to cultivators, it would just be for tasting pleasure, providing a touch of spiritual refinement.

If one hoped to cultivate long-term with it, however, it would be somewhat insufficient.

Thus, the value of Intoxicated Spirit Wine mainly lied in the spiritual and enchanting experience it provided to the drinker.

Jade Dew Spirit Rice, on the other hand, was more substantial.

Yet how much was the so-called "slight increase" in True Qi?

Chen Xu immediately became curious, storing all the spirit rice in the Fire and Smoke Kitchen, planning to go back and cook a pot to try.

But just as Chen Xu was about to act, County Magistrate Feng arrived at the villa.

Though Feng Yuanbai's footsteps weren't far, his cheerful voice had already reached ahead.

He laughed aloud and said, "Xu, oh Xu, you've kept this brother in the dark. That ghost lair at Pufeng Mountain was destroyed by you.

Well done, ranking thirty-first on the Xuan List! You know, in the entire Yunjiang Prefecture, you're the only one on the Xuan List!"

That's right, Chen Xu felt that thirty-first on the Xuan List still lacked some flair, but actually, as long as one made it onto the Xuan List, even in the eyes of someone like Feng Yuanbai, it was an honor-worthy achievement.

Chen Xu stood in place, suddenly feeling a peculiar and different sensation.

It seemed as though the prosperity of this world was presenting itself before him from another angle.

A realization late, yet with lasting impact.

Feng Yuanbai came in, a trace of excitement still in his expression, saying, "These past two days, I've been busy with official duties, and only received the news a bit late. Xu, you really know how to surprise people."

Chen Xu was pleasantly surprised too. With Feng Yuanbai here, he could inquire about the You Grade and Miao Grade classification of spirit wine from this brother Feng!

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