At this moment, inside the private room of the Hengwu Restaurant, Li Yuan was feeling a bit troubled.

He had brought Zhou Jia to meet the servants, but Zhou Jia stubbornly refused to sit down. No matter what Li Yuan said, Zhou Jia stood respectfully at the door, not even stepping inside.

"Old Zhou, isn't this a bit much?

I've already said, follow me. I'm asking you to come in and have a bite to eat, what's the problem?"

"Come, come, let me get you some paper and a pen, you say..."

"What do you mean, a servant cannot sit with the master? We don't have that rule here. Sit down and eat.

In this snowy weather, the yellow wine (cooked with old ginger and red dates) is really something, you know. This yellow wine was brought by an external trade caravan, once it's gone, it's gone."

"Well... if you don't like drinking wine, have some tea, eat something."

"What's wrong, why won't you move?"

Li Yuan spoke until his mouth felt dry, while Zhou Jia just lowered his head, with his hand on the slender knife handle, standing quietly in the shadow by the door. His eyes appeared vacant and seemed to be staring off into space, as if immersed in his own world or some memory, unable to extricate himself.

While speaking, the sound of footsteps "da-da-da" came from the stairs.

In an instant, the lanterns on both sides of the room illuminated the person arriving.

It was a delicate-featured, charming lady with a melon-shaped face and fox eyes. Her wide-sleeved crimson fur robe hugged her graceful figure, with fur adorning her snow-white neck, and her lips curved in a dignified, composed, and pleasing arc. Her every gesture exuded alluring grace, giving men with less presence a feeling of being out of reach.

"Husband." The proprietress smiled, her countenance seemingly glowing, then quickly walked to Li Yuan's side and looked towards Zhou Jia hiding in the darkness, politely saying, "Is this Mr. Zhou?

I just came over from the teahouse and heard your name as soon as I arrived.

You needn't be reserved, treat this place as your home."

Zhou Jia didn't speak.

The proprietress smiled gracefully and said, "My husband hardly drinks alcohol usually. It's rare for him to have brought yellow wine and old ginger and brewed a pot.

Mr. Zhou, don't spoil my husband's mood, come inside, have a drink to warm up."

Li Yuan beckoned, "Old Zhou, at home, even I have to listen to my wife... come, come, sit down quickly."

But Zhou Jia still didn't move.

The air suddenly turned heavy for several breaths.

In the next moment, Zhou Jia bent, bowed, then took a step back into the distance, standing like a straight spear in the darkness, silently.

Li Yuan sighed, then glanced at the proprietress.

The proprietress politely said, "Mr. Zhou, let me have Steward Wu show you around the restaurant and take you to your room to settle in, after all, you'll be living here now, right?"

Zhou Jia finally nodded.

The proprietress then called for Steward Wu and instructed him to address Zhou Jia as "Mr.", and that Zhou Jia would be responsible for feeding the horses at the stables and would be paid as a steward, among other things.

Steward Wu marveled inwardly as he glanced at the knife on Zhou Jia's waist, wondering if it was an intimidating prop or a real weapon. After all, would someone wielding such a knife come to work in a restaurant?

Li Yuan shouted, "Old Wu, Mr. Zhou is at the Eighth Rank.

And he's someone from my sect, remember to show respect."

Steward Wu staggered, his Adam's apple bobbing, then immediately became reverent and respectful.

After they left, the proprietress linked arms with Li Yuan, entered the private room, and asked, "Husband, is this Eighth Rank person from Master Li's side?"

Li Yuan nodded, "Sister Xue, he is indeed someone from my sect. He... has a painful past and just wants to follow me now. Bringing him to the restaurant is also a way to have him keep an eye on things."

The proprietress said, "The stables are connected to the brewery; he can oversee both."

Li Yuan said, "Don't assign the patrol work to him. Have two waiters assist him, but don't force him if he doesn't want them.

By the way, are all the brewing equipment and vats in the brewery prepared?"

"Hmm... everything is ready."

"And the distillation equipment I mentioned, is that done too?"

"All completed... and tested, it really can brew stronger liquor!"

"Well, remember, the person making the wine needs to be patient, and you must use reliable people. No outsiders are allowed into the brewery." Li Yuan didn't know the details, but he was aware of the basic knowledge that "distilled liquor" could be purified into stronger alcohol, and he'd heard about controlling the "heat" when he drank at banquets before his transmigration.

He told the proprietress about "distilled liquor", and after secretly experimenting successfully, he patiently waited for the right time.

Now, having broken through to the Seventh Grade, and with Zhou Jia's assistance, the time had come.

"Hmm... rest assured, husband, everything is arranged."

"In that case, tomorrow, I will secure this shop's brewing rights and register them."

"Having two tigers in one mountain, Yichan Pavilion on the other hand... might cause trouble, right?"

"No worries... the Black-faced Elder is also an honorable person; surely he won't take action himself, would he?" Li Yuan smiled, "As for other Eighth and Ninth Ranks, if they can stir up trouble in this Silver Creek, then I'll concede defeat."

He was filled with confidence.

Grandmaster-level tracking, Tracking Technique, and the comprehensive strength of the strongest "370"... surely he wasn't afraid to claim the "brewing rights", was he?

Blood Saber Sect's Inner Sect Eighth Grade prodigy, plus the background of the sect's inner circle, couldn't he earn this liquor money?

He knew in Yanyue Sect, there were only Master Li and Zhou Jia from the previous generation, did others know?

Hengwu Restaurant should transform from just a foot shop into a full tavern serving alcohol.

A proper tavern can earn more money, and with money... he can do more things.

...

...

At dusk, the carriage rolled over the icy and snowy ground, leaving two ruts on the pale road.

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