Mornings in Zhongzhou are always busy. Office workers emerge from their homes with dark circles under their eyes, a mark of staying up late the night before. They rush to a roadside pancake stall to buy a pancake, then to a soy milk stall for a cup of soy milk – that's their breakfast. Life's so hectic, who has time to savor a meal?
In stark contrast to the busy office workers are the elderly men, each carrying a sword, brandishing it around the square before settling down at a roadside breakfast stall, leisurely sipping their morning tea and eating their breakfast, then leisurely heading home.
Amidst this contrast of busyness and tranquility, on a street lined with shops within the Second Ring Road, a young man of about twenty-three or twenty-four stares blankly at the large "Demolition" sign on the wall in front of him.
After rubbing his eyes and confirming he wasn't mistaken, he gives a bitter smile to his expressionless face, picks up his breakfast, and turns to go home.
Pushing open the two weathered wooden doors, the young man walked in, casually placed his breakfast on a table, and sat down, once again lost in thought.
The space was roughly thirty square meters, with a main hall facing the entrance. Six square tables were arranged in two rows, each with four benches beside it. At the far end was a counter, much like a teahouse or tavern from a movie.
In reality, it was a tavern, and a tavern that had been passed down for three generations. A piece of paper hung on the two wooden doors, bearing the words "Qin Family Tavern."
The young man's name was Qin Feng, the current successor of the Qin Family Tavern. His parents had passed away while he was in university, leaving him only this tavern.
The Qin Family Tavern was a typical self-brewing and self-selling tavern, using traditional methods. Logically, business should have been good, but in fact, the tavern's liquor simply didn't sell.
Few people are willing to drink at this kind of tavern anymore. Plus, the location is hard to find, and Qin Feng's parents are honest, simple people who don't understand advertising or hype. Over the years, the tavern has been unable to make ends meet and has been closed for several years.
Qin Feng stared blankly at his family's tavern. He grew up here, following his parents around every day, watching them brew wine, sell wine, and wipe the tables spotless. But now, it's going to be demolished. "
It's fine if it's demolished," Qin Feng thought. Besides the memories, he couldn't think of anything else he could keep. The tavern occupied a large area; behind it was the brewing workshop, containing all the brewing equipment, though it hadn't been used for many years.
With the size of the land, the compensation should be high enough for him to start another business.
He quickly shoveled his breakfast into his mouth and decided to go to the brewing workshop to see if he could take any of the long-abandoned tools with him. Although they were mostly useless, they were still things passed down through decades of the tavern's history.
Passing through the counter and pushing open the back door, Qin Feng had just stepped into the brewing workshop behind the door when suddenly a voice rang in his mind.
"Host's body and mind are normal, no history of mental illness detected. Binding is possible!"
"Ding! The Wine Immortal System has been bound. Now, let's begin testing the host's brewing skills!"
The scan results are transmitted in text form.
Qin Feng, male, 24 years old, heir to a brewing family (barely), brewing skills are almost nonexistent (I don't know what you've been doing for the past twenty-odd years), overall assessment: a brewing novice (a novice, barely better than those greenhorns).
"What's going on? Who's talking next to me?" Qin Feng looked around; there was no one there.
"It's the Wine Immortal System! This system is now bound to your soul. If you have any questions, please ask directly!"
"Um, what is the Wine Immortal System? I feel like an immortal and a system together is so incongruous. Also, what do those parentheses mean?" Qin Feng, after holding back for a long time, finally couldn't help but complain.
"The Wine Immortal System originates from the Wine Sword Immortal of the Immortal Realm and Dr. An of the Anderma Galaxy. This is a collaborative product of their efforts. Please, host, refrain from commenting on the name. The scan results are what's outside the parentheses; the words inside were added by the system!"
Qin Feng inexplicably understood the system's meaning from its earnest words: I'm also very dissatisfied with this name, but there's nothing I can do about it, so you'd better accept it quickly…
"This system is a bit arrogant," Qin Feng mused.
"Host, please do not casually comment on the system's personality. The system has no personality, thank you!"
"You can even know what I'm saying?" Qin Feng was startled.
"Host, the Wine Immortal System is bound to your soul, so the system knows all your thoughts."
"Pervert…" Qin Feng cursed inwardly.
"Tavern detected. Mission system activated. Please check your first mission independently." After the system finished speaking, it went silent.
Independently check? Qin Feng thought to himself about the mission panel in his mind, intending to open it.
*Beep!* Mission in progress!
First task: Change the tavern's signboard name to "Wine Immortal Abode," and then attach the following text below the signboard—it must be large and eye-catching!
Task description: As the host of the Wine Immortal System, how can you let the reputation of the Wine Sword Immortal go unnoticed? So, give it your best!
Wine Immortal Abode? And you need to attach text?
Qin Feng quickly read the following text: "
Creating jade-like liquid flowing like rosy clouds, its sweet and refreshing taste is truly praiseworthy.
Opening the jar, three families are intoxicated next door; passersby stop their carriages and horses.
Dongbin once left behind a precious sword; Li Bai once held an official hat.
Immortals love wine and do not return home, drunk under the moonlit West River."
After reading this poem with twitching lips, Qin Feng's face had completely darkened.
"System, with such an arrogant name and such arrogant poetry, I feel like I'm going to get beaten up!"
"Please strive to complete the first task!"
"System, what's the reward for completing the task?"
"Please strive to complete the first task!"
"What about these characters? I can't possibly get them from the computer!"
"The task items are already in the counter; please go and get them yourself."
Qin Feng walked to the counter and indeed found a large scroll, which hadn't been there yesterday.
He opened it and saw that it indeed contained the already written "Wine Immortal's Abode" and the poems.
Upon closer inspection, Qin Feng realized the skill involved. Although he knew nothing about calligraphy, he could still see the extraordinary nature of these characters.
They flowed like clouds and water, elegant and unrestrained, with a skillful balance of density and spacing—truly the work of an immortal!
"System, whose calligraphy is this? I can't understand it, but it seems very impressive." "
These characters were written by Wang Xizhi, a calligrapher from the Eastern Jin Dynasty."
What? Wang Xizhi? Isn't that the Sage of Calligraphy?
"System, Wang Xizhi and the present are separated by countless years, how could this be?"
"Host needs to believe the system's words. If the host doesn't believe, the system can't help you."
Qin Feng once again understood the system's underlying message: Believe it or not!
Looking at the long scroll in his hand, if this were Wang Xizhi's genuine work, he could live a life of ease after selling it!
"Host, the mission item cannot be sold!"
Qin Feng reluctantly rolled up the genuine work of Wang Xizhi, preparing to go out and find a master carver to carve it onto a plaque.
"Host, you still have mission items to collect."
"Isn't this the only one? What else is there?"
"There's also the plaque on the ground."
Qin Feng glanced over and saw a thick, heavy wooden plaque lying on the ground.