Chapter 40: Compared to my Wine, the Others Are Garbage
Translator: OnGoingWhy Editor: Vermillion
"The Bejewelled Nectar Wine is nothing?!' The moment those words were said, the mood within the store slightly froze.
The three barbarians of Ouyang and Xiao Xiaolong were staring at Bu Fang. They were wine lovers and the Bejewelled Nectar Wine was the best wine they had ever tasted. However, when coming out of Bu Fang's mouth, it was… nothing?
"Haha! Smelly boss, the way you said it was really handsome!" Ouyang Xiaoyi happily exclaimed while clapping her hands. She liked the kind of self-confident feeling that Bu Fang had.
"Tch, he's just a country bumpkin. Has he even tasted the Bejewelled Nectar Wine? He's only speaking nonsense." Zhao Ruge disdainfully snorted and pursed his lips. How could the owner of a little restaurant like Bu Fang know the taste of the number one wine in the Light Wind Empire that was personally picked out by the emperor from tens of thousands of wine?
Bu Fang knitted his eyebrows and looked toward Zhao Ruge. He was very familiar with this fellow, only because Zhao Ruge had tried to bribe him with money over and over again.
"Compared to my wine... the other mundane wines are garbage."
Bu Fang simply said with bursting self-confidence. He was absolutely confident of the Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine.
"Owner Bu, you have wine here?" Xiao Xiaolong's eyes lit up and a slight redness appeared on his fair face from agitation.
Bu Fang just pointed toward the menu behind him and did not say anything.
Everyone understood what he meant and turned their heads to look toward the menu...
"Sss~"
This sound was made by Zhao Ruge. It was his first time stepping into the store and his first time seeing the menu. Even though he had heard much about the astronomical prices of the dishes, he still sucked in a breath of cold air when he personally saw the prices.
Ouyang Xiaoyi and the rest immediately rolled their eyes at him. What a country bumpkin... Was there a need to act so surprised?
"Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine, fifteen crystals per jar," Xiao Xiaolong softly read out.
"As expected, Owner Bu's dishes are expensive as usual," Xiao Yanyu let out a beautiful exclamation. Fifteen crystals per jar of wine was far more expensive than the Bejewelled Nectar Wine, which only cost five hundred gold coins.
With such a comparison between the two solely based on their prices, Bejewelled Nectar Wine was truly… nothing.
"Fifteen crystals per jar? Have you gone crazy? Are you sure your wine is worth this price?" Zhao Ruge could not believe it. Five hundred gold coins per jar for the Bejewelled Nectar Wine was already considered an astronomical price. Fifteen crystals… was practically insane!
"Owner Bu! There's no need to say anything else, I want a jar! Thankfully, my incredible foresight had already predicted that Owner Bu's wine would definitely not be cheap so I brought a lot of crystals," Xiao Xiaolong excitedly said toward Bu Fang.
"Owner Bu, the three of us want a jar as well! If the Lees Fish is already so delicious, then this wine is surely good as well!" Ouyang Zhen carefreely said.
Zhao Ruge raised his eyebrows as he looked toward Xiao Xiaolong and the three barbarians of Ouyang in surprise. They actually bought such an expensive wine… Could it be that the wine was really that good?
Immediately, Zhao Ruge made up his mind. He gritted his teeth and said, "I want a jar as well!"
"Hmph! I'd like to see for what reason a wine from such a place could actually sell for fifteen crystals!" Zhao Ruge thought.
"Excuse me, there's only three jars of Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine for sale per day. If you want to order it, you'll have to come again tomorrow," Bu Fang indifferently glanced toward Zhao Ruge and expressionlessly said.
Zhao Ruge froze for a moment and his eyes were immediately filled with anger as he thought, "You're rejecting me again! Do you have a grudge against me?"
"Didn't you say that there are three jars per day? Since Xiao Xiaolong and the Ouyang brothers are buying two jars, isn't there one more jar left that you can sell to me? Are you looking down on me?"
Zhao Ruge was infuriated.
Facing the somewhat exasperated and furious Zhao Ruge, Bu Fang was slightly baffled and puzzled. However, his face was still indifferent as he replied, "The last jar is already reserved."
"Reserved? An excuse… That's definitely an excuse!" Zhao Ruge thought. Looking at that Bu Fang‘s expressionless face, he was tempted to throw his shoe at him. That face definitely deserved a beating!
"Then tell me, who reserved the third jar of wine? I'll go and throw money at him until he gives it up!" Zhao Ruge said with a gloomy expression.
"Oh, that's up to you. I don't care as long as you're not causing trouble within the store," Bu Fang simply said, then turned around and headed toward the kitchen. However, when he reached the entrance, he suddenly turned back and curiously asked, "Are you not going to order other dishes? Are you only going to drink?"
"I'd like to have Golden Shumai," Xiao Yanyu softly said.
Xiao Xiaolong was grinning as he ordered the improved Egg-Fried Rice. The three barbarians of Ouyang ordered a portion of Lees Fish as usual since that was the only dish they could taste.
"What about you?" Bu Fang's gaze landed on Zhao Ruge.
Zhao Ruge narrowed his eyes and said, "Give me the Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs! If I am going to eat, I'll eat the most expensive dish!"
The others were surprised and that was when they realized that there was actually a new dish on the menu. Their attentions were all attracted by the Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine just now.
"Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs? Hmm, alright." Bu Fang nodded and went into the kitchen.
The Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs, which cost fifty crystals, was the most expensive dish within the store so far.
"Zhao Ruge, did you bring enough crystals?" Ouyang Xiaoyi could not help but ask. Even the princess of the Ouyang family was slightly shocked by the price of fifty crystals for a dish.
"I don't lack money, so what if it costs fifty crystals? You better not forget about our wager. Yanyu, just wait for our moon-viewing boat trip." Zhao Ruge confidently smiled. As the son of the Minister of the Left, he had his personal properties within the imperial city. Fifty crystals was truly nothing to him.
Actually, when cultivators reached the level of fifth grade Battle-King, the crystals they needed for their cultivation were in the thousands. In order to achieve a breakthrough, they would even need to accumulate up to tens of thousands of crystals.
That was the reason why crystals were nothing to higher level cultivators. Even though Zhao Ruge was not a high level cultivator, he had a lot of properties. There was also the fact that the target market for his businesses were cultivators, so he did not lack crystals.
Zhao Ruge was faintly smiling as he sat down on a chair. He took out the sapphire jar, that contained the Bejewelled Nectar Wine, which he brought. He also brought his own wine cups and started to fill them. Then he beckoned toward Xiao Yanyu and the rest, and said, "Come and sit down. Let's taste the Bejewelled Nectar Wine first."
There was a reason why the Bejewelled Nectar Wine was selected by the emperor to be the royal wine and was rated as the number one wine in the Light Wind Empire. As soon as the cups were filled, a rich wine aroma instantly diffused into the air.
Xiao Xiaolong and the three barbarians of Ouyang were already close to losing their restraints on themselves.
However, just when they were about to taste the Bejewelled Nectar Wine, a figure slowly stepped into the store. It was as if the composed footsteps were filled with a strange magic.
Everyone's gaze was attracted by that figure at the entrance.
Dressed in a black robe, he was carrying a longsword wrapped in a rag and wore a black-veiled bamboo hat. His tall and slim figure was exuding a mysterious aura.
The moment that person stepped into the store, it seemed as if the atmosphere had turned slightly colder.
The muscles on the three barbarians of Ouyang suddenly constricted as they alertly looked at the mysterious man wearing a bamboo hat. They could feel an extremely terrifying aura from him.
The aura caused the true energy within their body to automatically circulate… That was the self-defense mechanism that occurs during a crisis.
Xiao Yanyu and Xiao Xiaolong were startled for a moment and they started to closely watch the man as well. They felt the gaze behind the black veil seemed to have landed on them.
"Who are you?!" Zhao Ruge knitted his eyebrows and coldly asked. He felt that the man was slightly strange.
With the current unstable situation within the imperial city, many experts from the sects were hiding within. Perhaps… this man was an expert from the sects as well.
"Me? I am just a diner." A hoarse voice like sandpaper rang out. The mysterious man directly sat down at the table near the entrance and placed the longsword wrapped in a rag onto the table.
The rag was slightly decrepit and had lost its color and become stiff after numerous washing.
"You… What are you ordering?" Ouyang Xiaoyi shyly asked. She was frightened by the man’s aura.
"I reserved a jar of Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine from Owner Bu yesterday. I am specially here today to retrieve the wine," the man continued to speak using a hoarse voice.
"Retrieve the wine?!"
Everyone was surprised for a moment, then weirdly looked toward Zhao Ruge. That fellow seemed to had said that he would throw money to buy the last jar of Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine from the person who reserved it.
Zhao Ruge was startled, then the corner of his mouth curled up. He elegantly sat down opposite to the man and confidently said, "Sell the Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine to me. I'll give you three times the price."
"I am not selling," the man indifferently replied.
Zhao Ruge frowned and continued to say, "Five times the price."
"I said, I am not selling."
"Do you know who I am? Are you trying to offend me?" Zhao Ruge threatened with a cold expression. After his two consecutive offers were rejected, Zhao Ruge was furious as well.
Finally, the man seemed to lift his gaze and look at Zhao Ruge. His hoarse voice, as alarming as the sound of thunder, sounded out.
"Even if the Minister of the Left was here, he wouldn't dare to speak to me that way. Who… do you think you are?"