Seeing Yu Lou and Yu An entering from the rear courtyard, the boy who was feeling fish on the counter hurriedly stood up.
"Master Yu Lou? You still need to go out this late?"
"Yu Lou shook his head and said."
"Make some food in the kitchen, Yu An is hungry after his cultivation practice."
Yu An: Actually, you didn't need to mention the second part, right?
"Yes!"
After sitting down in the hall, Yu An took a pot of wine out of his pocket.
"Big brother, it's my fault today. This is an eighth-grade monkey wine; let me treat you to a drink!"
Yu Lou looked at the pot and froze.
In Yu An's curious gaze, Yu Lou also patted the wine in his pocket.
Yes, it's still there.
Old Ghost (Gritted Teeth Version): Thank you, it's all sponsored by me!
Then, Yu Lou smiled softly and said.
"Let's just skip the drinking. It's too late, and I didn't put much thought into it anyway."
He didn't dare to drink it casually. The upper limit of his cultivation practice for today has already been reached. If he drinks it again, it would be a waste.
Moreover, it was clearly the father of Yu An who gave him this wine. What would he do if he took it?
He's not a person who enjoys eating alone; how could he take all the benefits for himself?
Yu An waved his hand, looking embarrassed but pretending to be generous, pushing the wine towards Yu Lou.
"Brother, let's skip drinking tonight. I'll give you this wine as a gift, and you can drink it anytime you want in the future."
At this moment, Bai Lu hurriedly brought the food from the kitchen and set it on the table.
This girl looked like she had been called out of bed at the last minute. She hadn't even opened her eyes, and a careless flying fairy hairpin was pinned on her head, with a few stubborn strands of hair sticking to her ears.
She put down the wooden tray, served the dishes, and politely explained.
"Master Yu Lou, Master Yu An, there's only this much left for the evening. I hope you can understand."
"Pushing the wine back to Yu An's front, Yu Lou looked at Bai Lu and asked."
"Why are you still not resting this late?"
It's almost midnight now, not everyone can be as out of tune as Yu An. In the dead of night, torturing his elder brother and insisting on drinking.
Bai Lu had set up the food dishes and chopsticks, looking down with a worried expression and answered.
"I've told the boys working in the kitchen to inform me as soon as possible if either of you have any needs. Ordinary people don't understand the things about cultivating spirits, and I'm afraid they may not do a good job."
Yu Lou nodded and pointed to the chair beside him, saying.
"Sit down and eat together. You are also a member of the Wang family, so you don't need to call us master. Just call me Yu Lou."
"This......"
Bai Lu wanted to speak but stopped herself. She subconsciously wanted to refuse, yet didn't want to refuse.
"What do you think, Yu An?"
Yu Lou was thinking that in the future, he and Yu An would study for a long time in Qingxi Pavilion, and they would have many opportunities to deal with Bai Lu.
Over a long period of time, becoming closer to each other would be very necessary.
Cultivating one's practice, it's not just about improving one's cultivation and attainment. Practicing human relationships and being considerate are also part of cultivating one's practice.
"Sister Bai Lu, sit here next to me and join us for a drink."
Yu An thought that Yu Lou, like himself, had fallen for the female cultivator named Bai Lu. He decided without hesitation to start creating opportunities for Yu Lou.
Brother, having a brother like me is your fortune!
Yu Lou didn't have time to stop, and Yu An poured half a cup of the monkey wine for him, as well as half a cup for Bai Lu.
When it was his turn, he hesitated for a moment before pouring a quarter of the wine - he had also reached the upper limit of absorbing spiritual energy today.
"This is Yu An's monkey wine, an eighth-grade spirit wine, which can be equivalent to at least two hours of cultivation for your five-level spiritual power refinement."
Holding the wine cup, her hand trembled as if she had been shocked, startled by Yu Lou's introduction.
"Too precious, I......"
"Let's drink together!"
Yu An waved his large hand, indicating that he could afford this wine, rather enjoying the feeling of making a show of his wealth.
Bai Lu carefully lifted her wine cup and took a small sip.
The taste of the monkey wine was not stimulating. It had a subtle fruity aroma when it was drunk.
With the eighth-grade spirit wine, brimming with spiritual energy, she unconsciously began to refine it.
"There have been many itinerant cultivators coming to Qingxi Pavilion lately. Has the security changed?"
Yu Lou asked Bai Lu, interrupting her rhythm of absorbing spiritual energy. She hastily replied.
"Highly respected Senior Gaojie always leads the security patrol team of Qingxi Pavilion to patrol. No itinerant cultivators dare to defy him at this time."
Moreover, the itinerant cultivators are all from the subsidiary branch of the Red Lantern's Merit Hall. They naturally wouldn't cause trouble."
"We Wang family can afford the expenses of the Merit Hall, but itinerant cultivators have nothing to exchange with. What can they exchange?" Yu An asked.
He and Yu Lou had been discussing this issue during the day, but neither of them could figure it out.
Bai Lu answered with a strange expression on her face.
"Red Lanterns require practitioners of qi refinement and practitioners of qi cultivation to try out cultivation techniques and pills. These trial tasks will be rewarded with Merit Points, and many itinerant cultivators come here for this purpose."
Additionally, it is said that in the subsidiary branch of the Merit Hall, exquisite qi cultivation spells and techniques are available for exchange.
Unlike the Red Lantern disciples, itinerant cultivators can teach others the cultivation techniques and spells they exchange for.
"Most itinerant cultivators think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and they have saved a pen of spirit stones or are preparing to take tasks, hoping to exchange for a desired doorway."
Yu Lou nodded repeatedly, understanding it now.
There is no need for any capital to be an experimental subject to earn Merit Points. Once the Merit Points are enough, the complete property of the doorway can be obtained.
If the Red Lanterns are seen as a large company or monopolistic enterprise in the realm of cultivation, then this special activity of the Merit Hall branching out to subsidiary pavilions, can be seen as an equivalent of Double Eleven in a fantasy novel.
But...
Cultivators' might is concentrated on individuals. Each grassroots itinerant cultivator can be seen as a potential participant in production, while monopolistic techniques are a form of special production resources.
As long as they exchange for the right techniques and find a way to monetize them, those itinerant cultivators will have a foundation for standing on their own two feet.
What appears to be a shock for small families, such as the Wu family, cultivators of the Qi level, but this impact will be passed down layer by layer.
The Wang family cannot stay uninvolved, and neither can branches of the Zongmen such as Di Shui Dong and Miaofeng Mountain.
Itinerant cultivators have to go all in as well, they are forced to follow suit.
Even if the unique policy of liberalizing the inheritance rights of monopolistic techniques in the fantasy world is relaxed, it will ultimately backfire on the Red Lanterns.
Logically, the Red Lanterns are lowering their secretive school techniques to the bottom of the production chain this time, which will greatly exhaust the stability of its monopoly status in the future.
Taking into account that the new head of the Red Lanterns comes from a merchant family in Wunan, this move may have deeper implications for their strategic interests and influence in the cultivation world.
Indeed, the waters are very deep.
-----------------
Huafeng Residence, Zhong Ningyao's eyes lit up immediately as Yu Lou walked in.
"You two finally came, why are you so late today?"
"Ahh? I'm sorry, Sister." Yu An subconsciously thought he was in the wrong.
Women, indeed, are his karmic trials.
Zhong Ningyao didn't explain either, and she was hurriedly making arrangements.
"Yu Lou, you take care of the shop in front. Yu An, you come with me to help at the back."
The smart ones stay in front as the face of the store, while the less capable are taken to the back to do menial labor. Zhong Ningyao was very meticulous in her calculations.
"What's going on?" Yu Lou asked.
Zhong Ningyao had a face full of disgust, complaining.
"Jiang Bao changed that brute and collected tens of thousands of spirit stones as a peace offering, found a fellow cultivator of foundation-building level to help him settle the debt, and designed a firework device to deceive people."
"But the alchemist chosen by Gaojie was too slow, so this morning he found my father and said he wanted Huafeng Residence to help craft some before the next day when Master Dazhi brings the Merit Hall, settling the debt."
Yu Lou was stupefied.
Agreed, Jiang Bao's changes really are a mystery to Yu Lou, and he knows how to settle accounts well.
Find a fellow of foundation-building level to design the technique. The design fee will be split.
The firework device is discarded after use, making it a bustling spectacle with no evidence to prove anything.
He is really professional!
But this is too similar——a fantasy version of Double 11 also requires settling the debt!
