Chapter 0686: None To Depend On Wine
As soon as Ning Cheng entered Moyi City, he felt a completely different atmosphere from before. Many of the cultivators had a worried expression over their faces while even more cultivators continuously poured out of the city.
Ning Cheng roughly guessed that it might have had something to do with the battle within the Shui Clan’s territory. Although neither side intentionally focussed their fights towards the public, it had almost levelled Shui Clan’s land to the ground. Moreover, several Eternal-level powerhouses had also fallen, which was a much larger event.
The roar of a demonic beast echoed followed by a black-coloured Three-winged Flying Bear rushing over. Ning Cheng quickly flashed to the side and saw a dark shadow rush past him, accompanied by a gust of wind.
The cultivators on the street also quickly moved away. Fortunately, there were no weak cultivators; therefore, although the Three-winged Flying Bead was fast, it did not hit anyone.
Ning Cheng could clearly see a young man riding on the back of the Three-winged Flying Bear who seemed to have just entered the Celestial Gatherer Realm. This person dared to run rampant in Moyi City with such low cultivation, it obviously meant that he had a great background. This scene immediately reminded Ning Cheng of his encounter in Cang Le City after he had just arrived at the Cang Qin Province. Sometime after that, Luofei killed Xian Yuankui in revenge.
Thinking of Luofei, Ning Cheng felt even more anxious to go back to the Everlasting Sacred Shrine and take her and Qionghua away. Now that he had already reached the Heaven Seated Realm, and had almost entirely refined the True Spirit World, he could now take away Luofei and Qionghua without worrying too much.
“A Celestial Gatherer ant yet still daring to be so rampant. Senior Apprentice Brother Rong, do you know his background?” Ning Cheng heard a light voice from somewhere behind him.
Ning Cheng immediately swept out with his Spiritual Consciousness. He saw a young female cultivator, in the Heaven’s Mandate Realm, talking about it. The female cultivator had a medium-built man with silver hair accompanying her, also with a Heaven’s Mandate Cultivation.
The man quickly shot a warning gaze at the female cultivator and cautiously spoke up, “Junior Apprentice Sister Yu, you mustn’t speak carelessly. The one who passed by was someone from Tie Clan. We cannot afford to offend them.”
The female cultivator seemed to have understood the implications and quickly replied, “I understand….”
The female cultivator seemed to have said something more after that, but Ning Cheng could not hear it. Ning Cheng knew that the two of them should have switched to soundless communication. Therefore, he decided to peer into their conversation using a Spiritual Consciousness Blade. He did not want to hear the secret of the two people; rather, he wanted to know about the male cultivator from Tie Clan. The Tie and Shui Clans were two of the strongest forces within Moyi City. Since he was still in Moyi City, then gaining more information about them would not be a bad thing.
“…. go to the Mysterious Yellow Temple, remember not to talk about anything else.” Ning Cheng only heard the man finish the sentence and the conversation between the two people ended.
However, the words ‘Mysterious Yellow Temple’ immediately attracted Ning Cheng’s attention. As the owner of the Mysterious Yellow Bead, he paid great attention to anything related to the words ‘Mysterious Yellow’. Initially, on hearing about the Mysterious Yellow Starland, Ning Cheng felt somewhat concerned about entering it. But even after entering the Mysterious Yellow Starland, the Mysterious Yellow Bead showed no activity at all. Therefore, he concluded that it must have been a coincidence.
But after hearing the words ‘Mysterious Yellow Temple’, Ning Cheng immediately wanted to ask them about it.
By this point, the male and female cultivator couple turned onto a fork in the street. Ning Cheng quickly decided to tail them, and after half an incense stick of time, found the two entering a small rest stop.
Ning Cheng saw them taking a seat at one of the corners of the rest stop. Seeing that, he also decided to sit down near to them.
“Waiter, a pot of None To Depend On Wine.” Ning Cheng, who now knew that Moyi City was best known for its None To Depend On Wine, wanted to try it, even after he heard Duan Gantai say that he can’t buy the real None To Depend On Wine.
Hearing Ning Cheng calling out for None To Depend On Wine, people around him immediately swept their gazes towards him. The waiter quickly rushed to Ning Cheng and said, “Respected guest, in Moyi Coty, only the Mutual Dependence Winery serves None To Depend On. We don’t sell it at our rest stop.”
“I know, I meant a pot of its imitation, preferably a green one.” Ning Cheng pretended to be an expert on it. He and Jing Wuming had once drunk together, so he knew that the green pot of the None To Depend On Wine was supposedly the best. Of course, he only understood it later that the green pot of None To Depend On was only the ‘best’ imitation.
The expressions of the waiter immediately changed, and he quickly replied to Ning Cheng, “Friend, please speak with caution. Our rest stop does not sell None To Depend On Wine, let alone an imitation of it. If this friend needs to drink None To Depend On, then please go to the Mutual Dependence Winery.”
Ning Cheng quickly understood that in Moyi City, other establishments did not dare to sell fake None To Depend On.
Thinking of this, Ning Cheng simply pointed to the cultivator couple he was following and said, “If that’s the case, then bring me a jar of whatever they are having.”
“Many thanks, friend.” The waiter quickly took out a jar of wine and placed it in front of Ning Cheng.
The male cultivator on seeing that Ning Cheng had ordered the same wine as them, smiled at Ning Cheng. Ning Cheng nodded and said, “I apologise for the disturbance, I’m called Cheng Nianqiong.”
The male cultivator quickly stood up and cupped his fists before speaking, “This one is Rong Wang, and this is my Junior Apprentice Sister Xun Yu.”
Ning Cheng simply got up, picked up the pot, and walked up to sit down at their table, “I just came to Moyi City. Are you two also new here?”
Rong Wang spoke with caution, “Yes, Junior Apprentice Sister and I just happen to pass by Moyi City.”
Ning Cheng laughed and said, “Within the starry skies, all are friends. Come, let’s have a round of drinks, it’s on me.”
After that, Ning Cheng picked up the wine pot. Rong Wang and Xun Yi held some doubts about Ning Cheng’s act, but still picked up the cups in front of them and took a sip with Ning Cheng.
“By the way, I don’t know if the two of you are free today? To be honest, I came to Moyi City to find some friends to team up with for a place. But because I’m completely new to Moyi City, I feel no familiarity with it. So, I hope you can forgive me for asking such a presumptuous question.” Ning Cheng did not hide anything.
Rong Wang also spoke up with an apologetic voice, “I’m really sorry. But my Junior Apprentice Sister and I are going to the Mysterious Yellow Temple, and wanted to take some rest first.”
Ning Cheng initially thought that the Mysterious Yellow Temple would be a very secretive place, so he didn’t expect Rong Wang to speak about it. Therefore, he quickly asked, “The Mysterious Yellow Temple?”
Seeing Ning Cheng didn’t know about the Mysterious Yellow Temple, Rong Wang and Xun Yu looked surprised. Rong Wang quickly responded, “According to legend, the Mysterious Yellow Temple used to be a very precious relic of the Mysterious Yellow Starland, but now it’s only a forgotten temple. Traditionally, if any cultivator wants to venture out to gain experience, they would first come to the Mysterious Yellow Temple to offer worship, if they were not too far from the Mysterious Yellow Temple.”
“Why?” Ning Cheng asked in confusion.
Rong Wang quickly explained, “It’s supposedly for spiritual sustenance. Tradition states that any cultivator who came to the Mysterious Yellow Temple for worship would experience an enhancement in their vital energies. If Brother Cheng plans to head out, you can visit the Mysterious Yellow Temple with us or by yourself. I can give you a jade strip….”
While Speaking, Rong Want took out a jade strip and engraved something onto it before handing it to Ning Cheng.
Ning Cheng took the jade strip and swept it with his Spiritual Consciousness. It turned out that the jade strip contained a crude map of the Mysterious Yellow Starland along with a few words that marked the location of the Mysterious Yellow Temple.
“Thank you, Brother Rong.” Ning Cheng thanked Rong Wang, chatted for a few more minutes as they finished drinking the wine, and paid for both him and Rong Wang duo before leaving the rest stop.
……
Ning Cheng came out from the rest stop and had not gone far when he noticed someone following him. He quickened his pace and left Moyi City.
What Ning Cheng didn’t expect was that even after he left Moyi City, that person kept following him.
Ning Cheng stopped, and a moment later, the cultivator tracking him reached Ning Cheng. This was a seemingly young-looking cultivator, with cultivation in the Celestial Bridge Realm. He had a well-defined face with a handsome appearance.
He didn’t seem to mind that Ning Cheng had already found out about his tracking, but instead, he respectfully spoke to Ning Cheng with cupped fists, “Senior, I overheard you speak about the None To Depend On Wine in the rest stop, is it true?”
Ning Cheng’s face sank, “What if it’s true? Don’t tell me you can get me the None To Depend On Wine. As far as I know, the Interdependence Chamber of Commerce strictly controls the distribution of None To Depend On and would not sell it outside. If you want to fool me with fake wine, hehe….”
While speaking, Ning Cheng unleashed a small portion of his imposing aura. The cultivator in front of him was only a Celestial Bridge Cultivator and facing Ning Cheng’s aura, he quickly turned pale.
Ning Cheng, on seeing that the other side couldn’t handle the pressure, immediately recalled some of his aura.
The cultivator felt relieved and took in a few deep breaths before speaking to Ning Cheng, “This junior can indeed get you some of the None To Depend On Wine. But only if senior believes in this junior, and vows to not hurt this junior.”
Ning Cheng spoke up in a calm tone, “Just some None To Depend On Wine isn’t worth me swearing such an oath. But don’t worry I won’t hurt a little Celestial Bridge Cultivator like you. If you have anything to say, then just say it, I don’t have time to waste around with you.”
The cultivator in the Celestial Bridge Realm on seeing Ning Cheng no concern about the None To Depend On Wine as expected, grit his teeth and spoke up, “Senior, this junior is called Mo Wang. This junior’s ancestors used to brew the None To Depend On Wine. But later, Zhu Clan captured and destroyed my Mo Clan before establishing the Interdepended Chamber of Commerce. In fact, Mutual Dependence Wine is the actual name of None To Depend On Wine, with an added ‘Mo’ character, because only my Mo Clan could brew it.[1]”
Ning Cheng could not find any indication that this Celestial Bridge Cultivator was lying, but he still spoke with a calm tone, “I don’t care about what happened between your Mo Clan and Interdependence Chamber of Commerce. But since you dare say this to me, are you not afraid that I would send you directly to Interdependence Chamber of Commerce?”
Mo Wang turned even more respectful, “This junior has lived in Moyi City for decades, but has been unable to enter my Mo Clan’s cellars hidden in the city. After contemplating for a long time, this junior had decided on leaving Moyi City. But this junior also does not want to abandon everything. This junior is already risking his life just to meet with senior to talk about the None To Depend On Wine. If senior could help this junior obtain my Mo Clan’s inheritance, this junior would not ask for any of the other things inside.”
Seeing Ning Cheng remain silent, Mo Want quickly spoke up, “My Mo Clan’s wine cellar is within Moyi City, which also where my Mo Clan’s ancestors kept the recipe for brewing the None To Depend On Wine. However, according to the records, the wine is a by-product of a spirit technique left behind by my Mo Clan’s progenitor. Junior is willing to give this spirit technique to senior as long as senior can inscribe a copy of it to this junior.”
“Okay, I agree, but we’ll do this tonight, and you will lead the way. I don’t care what you say or think, but once the deal is complete, I will only take you out of Moyi City. As for the rest, you will have to figure it out by yourself.” Ning Cheng finally made up his mind. One, because he really looked forward to tasting the None To Depend On Wine, and the other was to see what exactly was the spirit technique that could produce such a wine.
“Many thanks, senior. This junior only needs to leave Moyi City.” Mo Wang felt delighted and immediately thanked him with a gratitude-filled voice.
[1] the 莫 (Mo) in 莫相依 means ‘there is none’ and is the same as the family name of Mo Wang and Moyi City, while 相依 means ‘Mutual Dependence’.