The boorish man's name was Liu Xiufeng. His Liu Family was one of the top noble families of the Silver Wing Empire. Their Supreme Elder, Liu Tangxin, had long since reached the peak of the 7th-rank Emperor several years ago. As for how strong the old supreme elder now, no one knows. Their patriarch was also at the initial stage of the 7th-rank Emperor. Just from these things alone, the strength of their Liu Family was clear to see.
The Liu Family could be considered as one of the top clans within the empire, so no one dared to carelessly provoke them. Even the imperial family avoids directly confronting their people.
As for him, Liu Xiufeng was merely one of the many 4th-rank Knight Crusader fighters of the Liu's. So instead of working as a direct descendants' subordinate, he chose to live as a mercenary where he can roam freely without constraints.
And with his background, and strength which can be considered above average within the empire, his mercenary application was approved in no time.
But as a lawless middle-aged man, he sometimes used his power and background to extort money from smaller stores and establishments. But he never thought that he would one day encounter a nameless store with a deep and unfathomable owner. He felt like he had smashed a rock on his own foot.
"This is your Mystic Jade, enjoy." Jiu Shen spoke in a placid tone of voice as he gently placed the jar of wine in Liu Xiufeng's table.
The wine's aroma invaded Liu Xiufeng's nostrils. He felt like he was in a bed of fragrant herbs and fruits. He closed his eyes as he greedily inhaled the wine's sweet scent. He felt his vitality was stirred after taking in the aromatic smell of the wine.
He gently poured the wine on the silver-colored and small cup provided by Jiu Shen. A crystal clear liquid that shimmered in the lights produced by the store's luminescent stones filled the entire cup to the brim. A wave of fruity fragrance assailed his sense of smell, making him close his eyes in euphoria.
He gently placed the cup of wine in his lips and took a light sip. He gasped in surprise after tasting the wine. A combination of several fruits added together formed a pleasing harmony that invaded his tongue.
"Delicious! This is the best wine that I have ever tasted in my life!"
Liu Xiufeng's taste buds were continuously experiencing the combined attacks of the juicy fruit extracts and he also felt his vitality solidifying under the effects of the Purple Blood Ginseng's juice.
The moment the wine entered his esophagus and stomach, Liu Xiufeng felt the pores of his body opening naturally. His pores then greedily sucked in the true essence in his surroundings. He felt the true essence inside his body had grown slowly as he downed the entire cup!
"What the hell?! It's capable of stimulating the true essence inside my body?! This is... This a treasure!" He then impatiently poured his cup with the Mystic Jade and gulped it in one go.
Jiu Shen smirked after seeing Liu Xiufeng's reaction. He then ignored him completely and focused his gaze on the chubby white cat, Ice, who was still busy licking its milk. It wiggled its fat ass while enjoying the milk produced by the system.
Gulping sounds echoed inside the store for several minutes before it stopped. Liu Xiufeng's face was already beet red and he appeared to be drunk, but he continued to pour wine in his cup.
"Burp!" Liu Xiufeng burped in satisfaction and lifted the entire jar of wine towards his mouth to check if there was still a drop left.
A small glob of crystal clear liquid dropped on his tongue. He savored the sweet taste with his eyes closed and then rubbed his belly in contentment.
"Ahhh, satisfying..."
Jiu Shen expressionlessly glanced at him and spoke aloofly.
"Don't forget to pay before you leave. No one is allowed to put their orders on the tab. Or they will not be allowed to go inside the store again."
Liu Xiufeng's joyful smile crooked after hearing his words but he still pulled out a True Crystal from his pocket and handed it to Jiu Shen.
It's a worthy price for such wonderful wine! It could even be said that the wine was equivalent to a 3rd-grade pill made by those old fogies from the Alchemy Hall. And each of their pills was expensive. A 1st-grade pill was sold for 1 Gold Coin, a 2nd-grade pill for 100 Gold Coins, a 3rd-grade pill for 10 True Crystal, and so on.
"Winemaster, my name is Liu Xiufeng, I'm from the Liu Family. I do apologize for the earlier scene, and I hope you can forgive me. From now on I will visit your store from time to time to enjoy your wine. I will also tell the mercenaries from the Mercenary Guild to try your wine." Liu Xiufeng revealed a look of embarrassment as he spoke.
Jiu Shen waved his hand and told him that it was fine. Liu Xiufeng was getting used to this young man's personality, but he was curious about his identity.
"Would you do me the favor of telling me your name, winemaster?"
Jiu Shen glanced at him blandly and replied.
"My surname is Jiu, my name is Shen."
"Oh, so it's Winemaster Jiu Shen. It's a pleasure to meet you. Now that I have found your store, I can finally enjoy delicious wines that are almost on par with the emperor's wine." Liu Xiufeng laughed heartily.
Jiu Shen smiled faintly at the compliment.
"But ah... Do you not have plans on adding meals or desserts on your store, winemaster Jiu Shen? It would be a nice addition together with your fine wines." Liu Xiufeng earnestly said.
- Ding!
- Host, there will naturally be meals and desserts served in the store. Work hard!
"There will be meals and desserts in the future, but the main thing that this store sells would still be wine." Jiu Shen said after hearing the system's mechanical voice.
"That's good enough. It's time for me to go, Winemaster Jiu Shen. I will come back." The boorish mercenary left with a satisfied expression on his face.
He came inside to extort money from the owner, but he left the store and ended up paying 1 True Crystal. But he did not regret paying for it because he felt that the true essence inside his body had significantly increased.