— The Emperor's Imperial Record, Entry No. 45 —
As soon as we walked out of the mansion's gates, Azul started pestering me. "10 gold, Khan? Are you mad? What if she thought you were being arrogant? What sort of–"
"I have to go to the brewery. You've gotten your hunter now, so let's not talk about these things."
I'd only done this because of my own self-interest. Azul and I weren't friends. The only reason he had stopped being so disrespectful was because he had seen the spirit beast I had killed. Also, I was starting to hate being out in the open; it constantly felt like there was something staring at me from afar.
Maybe it was just my nerves. Over the past few weeks, I'd been hanging around some very powerful people. I kept my hand close to my dagger anyway.
The money from the captain at Camp Yi was still with me, and I didn't know how long that man would wait for his brew before deciding I had stolen from him.
And after that, I would have to prepare for the hunt. I didn't have the time to be talking to Azul.
###
I opened the door to the brewery, and immediately the scent of wine and grapes flooded my nose.
The place looked like a rundown shack from the outside. I wouldn't have known it was a brewery if not for asking directions.
There was only one man in the whole place. He had thin eyes, like slits, and long white hair that he kept tied into a bun.
He was hunched over a large pot of clear alcohol with a wooden ladle in his hand.
"Have you come to buy some wine, child? You should know," he stroked his long goatee with his left hand, "they are the best in the whole city."
"Yes, senior, I came to buy some Cold plum wine." I took the money from my pouch and gave it to him. The place was so dark, I could barely see his face. "The Camp Yi captain told me to come get it on his behalf."
He looked up from his pot of wine and turned to me, "Oh ho, boy, it is not good for one so young to be involved with warmongers."
I held my tongue. He and the camp leader seemed to know each other. The old man chuckled, "Cold plum wine, eh?" He pointed at the small clay jar that stood on the table, "That's it right there."
When I took it, I thanked him, preparing to leave, "Before you go, child, have you tasted any of my wine before?"
I shook my head. I didn't want to stay here any longer than I had to. Not only was the old man was making me feel uncomfortable, but the wine still in my hand acted as a reminder that the captain of Camp Yi was waiting for me. I had already taken up a few days, if I took too long, then he might think I was trying to rob him.
I didn't want to find out what he did to thieves.
He noticed me still standing at the door and beckoned for me to come nearer. "Come sit down with me, let me know how my wine tastes, too long tasting your creations can make you numb, eh?"
I didn't budge. "Come now, I don't bite."
Angering a general was one thing, but, for such an old man to be recommended as one of the best winemakers by Captain Tie Bei, he might be a lot more dangerous than he looked. Gently, I put the jar on the ground next to me and sat next to him.
"Very good. Here, this is a fifteen-year-old plain finish wine." I took a sip from the ladle, "How is it? Hmm?"
The wine burned as it made its way towards my lungs. I coughed violently.
He laughed, "Hahaha, good reaction, good reaction. A man must know how to take his fill of wine, you know?"
My feet were angled towards the door, and I put my hands out to help me get up. "Here, try this. It's made from dried hundred-day figs."
That was when I stopped. It looked different. Like having seen two twins and just knowing something wasn't the same.
'Is that a spirit herb?' I hesitated, unsure whether to take it or not, "Senior, is this… can it be a…"
The man laughed, squinting so hard, I couldn't see his eyes. "Haha, no, boy, you think it's a spirit herb? If they were, do you think I'd be able to get them?"
He took the jar in his hand and had a small sip before offering it to me.
"This is called leftovers. When the gatherers are harvesting the herbs, the ones that have spoiled or have too little qi can be sold, or used as manure for other plants."
"Then doesn't that mean this contains qi as well?"
"Hmm?" The brewer removed some peanuts from a small sack hidden in his shoes. "Oh, yes, of course, but it's like saying a rock in the desert also has water."
The jar was right in front of me, and Camp Yi was at the back of my mind. I should have left, but the sect had rejected me. The last feeling of qi I'd had was from the healing elixir–dreg qi. If I were ever in a desert, shouldn't I try the rock for water? What would I lose? Was I so wrong for trying this?
I slipped the jar from his outstretched hand, 'This is foolish,' and took a swig. I knew it was stupid of me, but I wanted to know what qi felt like.
"I don't notice any difference."
"Hahahah," *hiccup*. "Of course you don't. There's barely any in there. Would you satisfy your hunger with a bread crumb?" The brewer took the jar out of my hand.
"The only reason they sell this stuff is that it can't make you stronger. If it were leaves from one of those qi herbs that gave you the strength of ten men, they wouldn't even let you breathe the air it produced."
I hiccuped and coughed. The alcohol was starting to affect me, 'Wait, there are herbs that—' Immediately, I stopped thinking and asked him the question. "Senior, are there herbs that allow you to grow stronger? Like cultivation?"
He looked at me as if I were asking him whether the sky was blue. "Of course, why do you think so many of them risk their lives and die whenever they hear mention of a spirit herb. What? You mean you didn't know?"
"No, senior." 'If there are herbs that can make me grow stronger, then maybe...'
The reason I was asking was that I had gotten access to Lady Vesparas' library. If I were going to learn as much as I could, I might as well learn about spirit herbs, maybe I'd be able to find one when I was hunting the spirit beast.
"Thank you, senior, but I must leave. I've spent too much time here."
"Hmm?" Then he looked at the cold plum wine. "Oh, yes, yes, you must get the wine to that rascal, Tie." My eyes widened at the way he addressed the general. To speak casually about someone of such a high rank was a good way to get killed.
He shooed me away, "Carry on, it's just that old dogs love to tell tales."
At first, I had only two things to do: prepare for the hunt and give the wine to the captain of Camp Yi. But now, I'd also have to prepare as much as I could for the library. Maybe there'd be something I could learn in there to help me with cultivation.
I rushed towards Camp Yi. This time, I even hired a carriage. I wasn't willing to spend days on the road when I had so little time to use Lady Vesparas' library. If I lost out on this chance, then I might never get one again.
I'd heard before from Healer Yao, knowledge was the difference between life and death. The reason one man farms and the other starves.
How often did nobles allow peasants to read their book collections?
Overseer Liang sat in front of the head of the cloudshow gang. Today, he had brought the money.
"My lord," the overseer passed the bag filled with silver over to him, "here's the silver. As promised." Liang was jittery, almost jumping out of his seat due to all the excitement he felt.
He had been looking for a way to make Khan pay for weeks. Now he finally had his chance. The leader of the gang took the pouch and emptied all the coins onto a balance scale. When it was done and he was satisfied that the money was enough, he shook the overseer's hand.
"Alright, since you've brought the money, we'll get it done. You may leave." But Overseer Liang didn't listen, instead dragging his girth to the edge of the seat and gripping the edge of his seat, "How long will you take, my lord?"
The man recoiled, visibly disgusted by the stench that wafted from the field overseer's mouth, but the overseer didn't notice, "I'll send my men to do some more investigating on the boy. If you want this done right, it will take a while." He shoved the overseer, "Sit back."
"But, you said you would kill him when you get the money."
"Do you want us to just kill him anywhere? We have to find the places he frequents most, where he'll be most vulnerable. The boy took down a spirit beast once." Overseer Liang clenched his fist, and the gang leader pretended not to notice. "It will take a few weeks, till then, just wait for our updates. We will let you know of any new developments."
Overseer Liang nodded his head, "Alright," he looked at his money longingly before getting up, "I just hope that it will be done soon."
"Are you doubting our capabilities? We are the cloudshow gang. If we set our sights on a person, we always get them."
At the door, the overseer gripped the handle tightly. "That boy humiliated me." Then in a scalding whisper, "He stole from me. As long as you can do this, I don't mind the costs. Kill him."
The room went silent.