Chapter 64: The Fragrance of Wine Invites Trouble

When Lin Feng heard what Mo Tian was saying now, he realized he had fallen for his trick. He immediately looked at Mo Tian for help and said, “Mo Tian, if I stop now, at worst I'll just waste these materials, right? There won’t be any other problems, will there?”

“You think it’s that simple? Too late. If you withdraw your energy now, you’ll suffer from internal backlash, and the losses will far outweigh the gains. My advice is to just grit your teeth and hang on,” Mo Tian replied, still grinning mischievously at Lin Feng.

“Mo Tian, damn you!” Lin Feng cursed at Mo Tian, who was clearly enjoying his misfortune. He realized he’d boarded a pirate ship with Mo Tian at the helm. There was nothing for it but to endure. As the minutes crawled by, approaching the ninth, the pain coursing through his meridians nearly made Lin Feng faint. Yet, to avoid suffering the backlash, he clenched his teeth and forced himself to persist. Soon, he reached his absolute limit, veins bulging on his face, on the brink of passing out from the agony, when Mo Tian’s voice, like a choir of angels, finally reached him.

“All right, ten minutes! You can stop now,” Mo Tian announced, glancing at the clock.

Hearing these words was like salvation. Lin Feng immediately withdrew his hands and retracted his inner energy. As it returned to his dantian, he collapsed onto the floor, utterly spent. Just as he was about to give Mo Tian a piece of his mind, a rich, intoxicating aroma drifted from the wine jar. Lin Feng caught a whiff, and immediately sensed a surge of energy filling the emptiness in his dantian, while the aches lingering in his meridians eased considerably. His eyes lit up—there was no doubt, this wine was something extraordinary.

Mo Tian, seeing Lin Feng’s satisfied expression, couldn’t resist teasing him. “Well? Now you know it’s something special! Doesn’t all that suffering seem trivial now?”

Lin Feng, though Mo Tian had seen right through him, stubbornly insisted, “It’s so-so, nothing special.”

Watching Lin Feng’s prideful act, Mo Tian simply shook his head, unable to bear the charade any longer, and vanished back into the jade pendant. His work here was done, and he had no further part to play. After inhaling the wine’s aroma a few more times, Lin Feng felt his strength slowly returning. He rose and examined the wine jar before him. Outwardly, it looked the same as before, but the rich fragrance continued to waft from its mouth. If the jar hadn’t been sealed, Lin Feng was certain the aroma would have been dozens of times stronger.

As Lin Feng considered how to handle the wine jar, the fragrance began to seep out of his room, spreading throughout the entire Lin estate.

The first to notice was Lin Yu, who had been watching TV in the main hall. Drawn by the powerful aroma, and recalling the materials he had helped Lin Feng gather earlier, he quickly guessed the source must be Lin Feng’s room. He followed the scent to Lin Feng’s door, but before he could knock, he saw the old master of the Lin family also making his way over, led by his nose.

“Boy, have you smelled that wine? I followed the scent all the way here. This must be Lin Feng’s room—he’s definitely up to something in there. Just by breathing in this aroma, I feel invigorated and some of my old ailments seem lighter. This must be something extraordinary! I wonder where that brat got it,” the old master said jealously, gazing at the room.

What none of them realized was that the aroma had already spread beyond the Lin family compound, drifting swiftly into the neighboring estates. Anyone who caught the scent, especially the elderly, felt notable changes in their bodies. They all came to the same conclusion: “This is definitely something special!”

The Murong family also resided in this neighborhood, and today, the old master Murong and Murong Wenjun happened to be discussing matters in their study when the heady aroma of wine wafted in. Both took a deep breath and immediately noticed changes in their bodies.

“Father, do you feel anything different?” Murong Wenjun asked, puzzled.

“You felt it too? What kind of wine could this be, to have such miraculous effects? I only took a few breaths and even my old illnesses have eased. If we could actually drink some, could it cure us?” the old master replied in astonishment.

“Really? Father, you truly feel that much better?” Murong Wenjun asked, shocked by the impact the scent alone seemed to have.

“Yes, I’m certain of my body’s reaction. Enough talk—go find out where this aroma is coming from!” the old master ordered, excitement in his voice.

Murong Wenjun, acting on his father’s instructions, left the study at once to investigate the source of the fragrance. He was back almost as quickly as he had left.

Seeing him return so soon, the old master asked in surprise, “Back already? Couldn’t find the source? That can’t be—such a strong aroma must be close by.”

“It’s not that I couldn’t find it. As soon as I stepped outside, I knew exactly where it was,” Murong Wenjun replied helplessly.

“That look on your face! Don’t tell me it’s coming from the Lin family again?” the old master guessed.

“That’s right. It’s coming from their house, and there’s already a crowd gathering outside. I even saw old Master Long there,” Murong Wenjun confirmed.

“The Long family, eh? As expected, a bunch of opportunists. Do you think this is Lin Feng’s doing again?” the old master asked, curious.

“Father, I think so too. Only Lin Feng seems capable of producing something like this. He’s too mysterious for me to comprehend,” Murong Wenjun answered after a moment’s thought.

“Hmph, and it’s not just you. Who in all of Yanjing can claim to truly understand him? The Lin family’s luck is unbelievable, to have someone like Lin Feng emerge from their ranks,” the old master said, his words tinged with envy and frustration.

“Exactly. No one could have predicted it. His rise was so sudden, and with Lin Feng, the balance in Yanjing that stood for so long has been broken. I doubt there’ll be much peace in the days ahead,” Murong Wenjun agreed.

“Yes. I’ve heard the boy brought back a girlfriend too—an orphan, no less. Who would have thought Lin Chuanqi, that old fox, would actually approve of Lin Feng’s marriage? My hopes of marrying Murong Xue into the Lin family are dashed!” the old master said, disgruntled.

“I doubt it was really Lin Chuanqi’s approval. Lin Feng’s strength now puts him on equal footing with the old master. Even if Lin Chuanqi disapproved, what could he do? As long as Lin Feng agrees, no one can gainsay him,” Murong Wenjun replied thoughtfully.

The old master gave a helpless sigh.

“Sir, aren’t you going to do something about this wine? If it’s truly so effective that just inhaling the aroma improves your health, actually drinking some could work wonders. I think you should go to the Lin family now,” Murong Wenjun suggested.

“Hmph, you think I don’t want to? I’d wager every old man in this compound wants a sip. The question is, who will make the first move? If the first person succeeds, the others will follow; but if he’s refused, then no one else will try. It’s just a matter of who loses patience first,” the old master murmured as he gazed toward the Lin estate.

Compared to the lively crowd outside the Lin family gates, the inside of the house was no less bustling. Fortunately, the three Lin men were out, or things would have been even more chaotic.

“Lin Feng, where did you stash that wine?” the old master demanded as he barged into Lin Feng’s room.

“Grandfather, what wine? I just had my cousin buy me some materials, including ten catties of strong liquor. If you want some, just ask him to get you some—ten, a hundred, no problem at all,” Lin Feng replied, feigning innocence.

“Don’t play dumb with me! You know very well what wine I mean. Hand it over, now!” the old master barked.

“There really isn’t any,” Lin Feng insisted, still playing dumb.

“You…” The old master was so infuriated by Lin Feng’s refusal he could barely speak.

“That’s enough! Grandfather, please leave. I want to go back to sleep,” Lin Feng said, afraid the old man would keep pestering him. As he spoke, he began pushing the old master toward the door.

“What are you doing, pushing me? I’m going to search. I don’t believe I can’t find it. Don’t push me—this is still my house!” the old master protested as Lin Feng herded him out.

With a loud bang, the door closed behind him before he could finish his sentence. This really set the old master off. He stood outside, fuming, and hurled a string of curses at Lin Feng through the door.

Lin Yu, witnessing Lin Feng’s audacity, was stunned. He hadn’t expected Lin Feng to dare throw the old master out of his own room—what nerve! In the Lin family, the old master was the absolute authority; no one else would have dared treat him this way. Seeing the old man raging outside, Lin Yu quickly slipped away, not wanting to get caught up in the crossfire.

Inside, Lin Feng wiped the cold sweat from his brow. He had clearly underestimated the lure this wine held for the old man, who raged outside his door for over half an hour before finally leaving. Not knowing if the old master might return, Lin Feng dared not leave his room for a moment, fearing the wine might be pilfered while he was gone.

He decided to spend the entire day in his room, training to replenish his depleted inner energy after the ordeal.