C5 One Hundred Wen per Tael

If it came down to a one-on-one fight, Ma Tianming would undoubtedly defeat Mei Zhengyao, not to mention Mei Jiangshan.

But based on today's events, it's clear that Mei Jiangshan and Zhengyao wouldn't play fair and stick to the honorable dueling traditions.

Their audacity in dealing with Ma Tianming suggests they have a powerful backer: the Mei family must be harboring a martial artist.

Ma Tianming couldn't possibly know the strength of the martial artist supported by the Mei family. Yet, their reluctance to cause trouble in Ma Jun's presence indicated that their fighter wasn't as formidable as Ma Jun, certainly not surpassing Grade Five.

For now, it's assumed that the adversary is a Grade Five martial artist.

Ma Tianming, merely a practitioner of martial arts, is worlds apart from a Grade Five. What a vast gulf there is between them!

Does this mean that Ma Tianming and Marmin Xin have no choice but to hide?

Even Lee Beidou, the esteemed supervisor at Golden Ocean Academy who values Ma Tianming highly, couldn't handle a Grade Five martial artist. It's uncertain whether Lee Beidou would even consider engaging the Mei family in battle for Ma Tianming's sake.

In the end, he must fend for himself.

Instantly becoming stronger is out of the question, so what other options are there?

As he pondered this, an idea about a special wine recipe surfaced in Ma Tianming's mind: Drunken Wine.

He would need over ten different medicinal ingredients, including bitter ginseng, Datura Flower, and King Pearl Liquid. Additionally, he'd have to utilize Drunk Dream Guiding, a technique from the power of the Wine God, and ferment the wine with the caster's own blood.

Feeding this Drunken Wine to a wild beast would make it utterly submissive to the brewer.

Ma Tianming's heart leapt at the thought: was this his ticket to acquiring a pet?

But who has time to think about pets right now?

Wait a minute! It's about feeding wild beasts.

Wild beasts! He's talking about tigers, leopards, bears, and other formidable creatures of the forest that could devour a man. If he could tame such a beast...

Raising such a beast, say a tiger, would mean he wouldn't have to fear any Grade Five martial artist the Mei family could throw at him.

But the idea of raising a tiger is far-fetched. With leopards and bears as the more likely options, where on earth could he find one?

Ma Tianming racked his brain and suddenly thought of a creature that was easy enough to find but guaranteed to cause a headache: a snake! If he could tame a venomous snake to be completely obedient, it would surely deter any enemy.

But where to find such a snake? And what kind should he look for?

He would have to wait until tomorrow to search for snakes. For now, Ma Tianming faced another dilemma. He had intended to have Bai Chu or Hong Chunxiang help him sell wine, but they had fled, leaving him in need of someone else. If Ma Tianming or Marmin Xin were to sell wine, it would quickly become the talk of the entire Golden Ocean.

"Let's go find Uncle Eleven!"

After much deliberation, the siblings both thought of the same person: their kin from the Ma family, Uncle Ma Binn.

The Ma family resided in Xunzhou, a few days' journey away. Ma Jun, who frequented Golden Ocean, had relocated his family there. One member of the Ma family, in particular, had always received Ma Jun's care—Ma Tianming and Marmin Xin's Uncle Eleven, Ma Binn.

Ma Binn wasn't particularly skilled. While others in the Ma family pursued careers in government, business, or thrived as wealthy farmers, Ma Binn struggled due to his excessive honesty, which left him unable to excel at anything. Consequently, he was looked down upon by the family, who seldom associated with him.

The Ma family didn't intentionally distance themselves from Ma Binn, leaving only Ma Tianming's father, Ma Jun, in his corner. Seeing Ma Binn without prospects, Ma Jun generously purchased a few acres of land for him, enabling Ma Binn to support himself.

Initially, Ma Tianming had placed his hopes in the main branch of the Ma family, but after the incident with Hong Chunxiang and witnessing their treatment of Ma Binn, his confidence in them waned.

Ma Binn, however, was someone Ma Tianming could rely on—a man renowned for his sincerity and for having been on the receiving end of Ma Jun's generosity. Moreover, Ma Binn kept a low profile in Golden Ocean, and aside from those close to Ma Jun, few were aware of his connection to the family.

Ma Tianming's family had fallen on hard times, and while Ma Binn might not have been able to offer substantial help to Ma Jun's family, he was a dependable man. There was no need to worry about betrayal or Mei Jiangshan or Mei Zhengyao making a deliberate trip to Ma Binn's home to search for them. Taking refuge at Ma Binn's for a day or two posed no issue.

Ma Tianming had been 'borrowing spirit', transforming the remaining wine into fresh batches. He waited until nightfall before setting out to seek Ma Binn. Soon, Ma Tianming and his sister Mingxin reached the doorstep of Ma Binn's home.

"Tianming, Mingxin?" Ma Binn's face lit up with surprise. He was aware of the troubles that had befallen Ma Jun and had been concerned about the siblings. "Come in, come in. I went to your place looking for you, but you were nowhere to be found!"

"Uncle Eleven, could we possibly stay here for a day or two?"

"Absolutely! You're welcome to stay as long as needed."

Although Ma Binn was open to them staying indefinitely, Ma Tianming and Marmin Xin didn't feel it was safe to linger too long, considering some people were aware of the connection between Ma Binn and Ma Jun. They might only be able to stay until the following day.

"Young Master, Miss?" Second Sister Li, Ma Binn's wife, was a straightforward and honest farmer's wife. She too was taken aback by the arrival of Ma Tianming and Marmin Xin, yet she showed no displeasure.

Ma Binn was a man of integrity. At one time, he had struggled to find a wife until Ma Jun had arranged a match for him, specifically seeking someone sincere and capable of managing household affairs. Thus, Ma Tianming felt reassured by her presence.

"Aunt Eleven."

Ma Tianming and Marmin Xin greeted Second Sister Li, and Ma Binn's son, Ma Tianyi, exclaimed with joy, "Mr. Tianming, Sister Mingxin."

Deep into the night, Ma Tianming found himself unable to sleep, his mind racing with worries about the future. Considering the circumstances, it seemed necessary to leave Golden Ocean County, but where could he go? Ma Tianming had grown up here, and he was on the cusp of taking the Martial Type exam. Departing now felt like abandoning all prospects for his future.

What could he possibly do to make a living? The last of his money, spent in a moment of anger, had gone towards buying the winery. Now, he had no choice but to make the winery work.

The winery, and the Ma family, were all he could depend on.

Despite having exhausted so much effort in the distillation and storage of the wine, Ma Tianming still summoned Ma Binn, issuing a series of instructions for various tasks.

The following morning at the Wang family's tavern in the eastern part of Golden Ocean County, the nearly fifty-year-old proprietor, Wang Ren—affectionately known as Old Wang by the locals—was both shocked and furious. "What? A hundred wen for one tael of wine? Is this a daylight robbery or sheer madness? Has the Old Bai family lost their minds?"

"Dad!" his son, Wang Dalong, interjected, "It's not the Old Bai family anymore. They still display the Old Bai family's sign, but they've sold the winery. I don't recognize the man selling the wine now; he only mentioned that his surname is Ma."

"Whoever it is, a tael of wine shouldn't cost a hundred wen! What do they think they're selling, Heavenly Fragrance or Snow Tonic?"

"Dad, he claims the wine is superior to the previous batches, which justifies the higher price. He even gave me half a cup to bring back, insisting you try it to believe it."

"Even the finest wine shouldn't fetch a hundred wen!" Old Wang grumbled, yet he couldn't resist his curiosity and took a sniff of the wine.

"Hmm!"

The rich aroma of the wine was intoxicating, and his irritation evaporated instantly.

"What kind of wine is this?" Old Wang smacked his lips, relishing the flavor, and then couldn't help but down the wine in one go.

"He called it Steamed Plum Wine."

"Steamed Plum Wine?" Old Wang pondered, "But it doesn't have even a hint of plum in it!"

Wang Dalong was about to express his own bewilderment when Old Wang commanded, "Hurry! This wine is delicious. Go buy more before others beat us to it."

Old Wang was already stepping out as he spoke, calling out, "Hitch up the carriage."

"Hey! Dad."

Wang Dalong had already sampled the wine and knew full well how exquisite it tasted, but at a hundred wen for a single liang, the price was exorbitant! He had braced himself for his father's anger upon hearing the cost, yet he hadn't anticipated the surge of excitement that followed his father's tasting.

In no time, the Wang father and son were on their way to the Bai Family Winery.

Inside the winery, two individuals appeared to be in the midst of a conversation.

"I'll take all the Steamed Plum Wine you have," Old Wang bellowed as he entered, startling the pair by the door.

"Old Wang?"

"Ma Binn, Liu Shi."

They were familiar faces from the neighborhood. Old Wang recognized the young man with the surname Liu and the introverted Ma Binn.

"Which one of you is the new manager here?"

"That would be me," Ma Binn stepped forward.

"Ma Binn! I want to buy all your Steamed Plum Wine."

"All of it?" Ma Binn was in the middle of haggling with Liu Shi, who was accusing him of being a swindler.

Ma Binn's face was flushed with embarrassment from the accusations. If not for Ma Tianming's strict instructions to not sell the wine for less than a hundred wen per liang, he might have already let it go for a lower price.

Liu Shi thought he was close to sealing the deal when Old Wang, with his straightforward approach, threw a wrench in his plans.

"Has Old Wang lost his mind?" Liu Shi muttered to himself before exclaiming, "Old Wang, there's an order to these things. If you want to buy, you'll have to wait until I've finished my purchase!"

"I'm buying in bulk, so I'm not worried about your individual purchases," Old Wang thought to himself, but aloud he offered, "If you're looking to enjoy some, feel free to visit my tavern. We serve the same quality."

Setting aside the question of how much Old Wang would charge for the wine at his tavern, Liu Shi was visibly upset by the turn of events. "That's not going to work. I don't care where I drink this wine, but fairness dictates that I get to buy first."

Old Wang paid no heed to Liu Shi and turned to Ma Binn, "Brother Ma Binn, the Wang Family Tavern has long been a loyal patron of the old Bai family here. We've always supported their business and will continue to do so. Today, I'll give you a little extra. I'll take all the Steamed Plum Wine you have, and on top of that, I'll add another 666 wen."

"In the future, I'll take all of this wine," I declared.

Old Wang felt a tremor in his heart. A hundred silver taels for just one tael of wine was exorbitant. What if it didn't sell? No, he reassured himself, this was fine wine—it would sell.

Ma Binn's heart quivered as he committed to taking the entire stock. Although he wasn't much of a drinker, only indulging occasionally, he was well aware of the wine's market value. When Ma Tianming quoted a price of one hundred silver taels per tael, Ma Binn was taken aback. This was no ordinary price!

But no sooner had he announced the price than someone reserved the entire batch. With a voice shaking with trepidation, Ma Binn added, "This includes the steamed plum wine and four large jars."

"Four large jars?" Old Wang gasped, realizing he might have overstepped. A single jar from the Bai family's winery could hold nearly twenty kilograms, costing twenty silver taels each.

Eighty silver taels in total!