C6 What Happened after Drinking too Much?

"Father, how could you agree to help him buy that Spiritual Awakening Elixir? We can't afford that; a small bottle costs 30 silver taels, and our entire year's goods don't even fetch 10 silver taels." As soon as Bao Guo vanished from the village entrance, Anna, fraught with concern, tugged at her father's sleeve in protest.

Krod offered a wry smile. "Haven't you noticed? He's desperate to communicate with us, and we're illiterate. What do you suggest we do? And the items he brought—forget the ironware for a moment, since none of us have ever held a real weapon. Consider the salt—it's leagues better than the dirt-laden stuff we get from town. It's pure, without a grain of sand. This man, he's a good person."

A good person? That's laughable. The coarse salt Bao Guo brought is only used by the common folk in C Country for pickling vegetables. It's not even sanctioned for sale by the authorities.

Meanwhile, Bao Guo hurried back with two bottles of white wine, each costing over ten silver taels, and beckoned Krod to join him by the bonfire. Pointing at the wine bottle, he repeated insistently, "Wine, wine, wine."

Krod echoed the word, entranced by the wine's aroma. In their world, wine existed, but it was a luxury beyond the reach of mountain folk like them—they had only ever heard tales of it. Now, this tantalizing beverage was right before his eyes, making him gulp in anticipation.

With no cups to share, Bao Guo and Krod each grasped a bottle. After a gentle clink, Bao Guo sipped lightly, while Krod guzzled down half a bottle in one go, letting out a satisfied exclamation. Suddenly, he dashed home, seemingly in search of something.

"Alas, not speaking the same language is a real hindrance; we can't even guess what they intend to do. At least the people here are genuine and kind-hearted. Oh, it's been over 30 hours already. Is the sun finally setting? The sunset is truly magnificent."

This quaint village nestled at the fringe of an immense forest, with a grand river meandering through the mountains nearby. From the village to the riverbank was a four or five-kilometer stretch, crossing a flat expanse of grass and pebbles, dotted with wild grass of varying heights. Here and there, small creatures and aquatic life stirred on the banks.

After sipping a bit of wine, Bao Guo sliced off a thin sliver of some unknown meat with a small knife, laying it onto a stainless steel plate. He seasoned it with a mix of salt and cumin powder before savoring a mouthful. "Hmm, life like this isn't too bad," he mused.

The thud of something heavy hitting the ground made Bao Guo jump. Turning around, he saw Krod setting down an old-fashioned wooden box, about the size of a 15-inch LCD monitor, onto the ground. Opening it revealed a collection of colorful gems. Gems?

"This looks like the stones I found inside that little creature I ate, but these are much larger. What are these?" Unable to bridge the language gap, Krod pointed at the box, muttered something, then gestured towards the wine, seemingly proposing a trade—a box of gems for his bottle of wine.

Bao Guo gave a wry smile and a shake of his head, only taking enough gems to equal the weight of two bottles of wine, which he pocketed. He then resumed his intermittent drinking with Krod, undisturbed by the villagers, until he was so drunk he passed out and had to be carried away. The potent aftereffects of the 50-proof liquor were more than he could handle.

In the newly built two-story wooden house, the scent of pine lingered in the air. Stripped down to his underwear and sprawled out on a thick animal skin, Bao Guo lay there, completely out cold.

If he could have seen the round foundation being dug next to the small wooden house, growing wider and reaching about five meters deep, he would surely have asked, "Are you planning to build a tower?"

After vomiting, Bao Guo had been stripped by several villagers and left in the wooden house. Anna wiped down his body and sighed to herself, "I have no idea which noble family you belong to. I've never heard of a young lord traveling without servants or attendants. And you didn't grope me the moment you saw me, which shows you're not like those other men. I don't dislike you, so I'll let this slide."

Anna bit her lower lip and gently shed the last two pieces of her leather attire, lying down beside Bao Guo. However, the uncapped bottle of white wine by his head was giving off an odd aroma. She couldn't help but wonder why her father had gained such strength after drinking it, taking a steel knife and heading into the mountains, only to return shortly with a massive python in tow.

Curiosity got the better of her, and Anna decided to try just a tiny sip. It shouldn't be an issue, right? With her cheeks flushed, she shielded her chest with her left hand and cautiously took a sip from the bottle of white wine.

The liquid was spicy as it hit her throat, but upon a second taste, it revealed a hint of sweetness. A burning sensation spread from her throat to her entire body.

"No, this isn't right. What is happening to my body? This sensation... it's so soothing. Hmm, maybe just a bit more, only a little bit more."

And so, Anna gradually finished off the remaining wine. With her face still glowing red, she wrapped her arms around Bao Guo, murmured something to him, and then fell asleep. Well, it seems they were now baring their souls to each other in the most literal sense.

...

"Ugh, ouch, this blasted wine really packs a punch. My head is throbbing. Once I make some money, I'm going to treat myself to some better booze. My mouth is parched—I need water, no, an ice-cold Coke." Bao Guo muttered disjointedly upon waking. When he finally took in his surroundings, he was completely dumbfounded.

"What the—what in the world happened? Did I, in my drunken stupor, do something reckless?"

Anna's physique and looks were nothing short of stunning, triggering another nosebleed from Bao Guo. He was so drained he couldn't muster the strength to get up; the heavy gravity here left him perpetually exhausted. He desperately wanted to sleep, but the current awkwardness was unbearable. What was he to do?

Overcome with shame, Bao Guo grabbed his phone and fled back to Earth. He had no other option; he feared being caught in the act by her family and facing a severe beating, especially since he was no match for them.

...

"Seriously, Guibao, are you dead or what? I've been calling you dozens of times, and you have the nerve to only call me back at eleven at night? Spill it, where have you been gallivanting off to?"

Bao Guo shivered as the brisk autumn breeze greeted him upon his return to Earth. Crawling into bed, he discovered a slew of text messages on his phone, all missed calls.

The bulk of them were from his best friend Guibao, probably about some news regarding the bean pod he had sent. But as soon as he called back, he got an earful from his buddy.

"Ahem, I was over at the old Secretary's place for a visit. Drank too much baijiu and blacked out. Just came to. So, any progress on that miraculous liquid?"

"It's quite extraordinary. It appears to be an extract from a plant, containing several compounds I've never encountered before. I've scoured international databases and still came up empty. But here's what I can tell you: this stuff is purely beneficial, no downsides. Its main function is to apply a protective coating over the tooth enamel, keeping teeth remarkably clean and safeguarding against acid and alkaline erosion. The effect is somewhat brief, lasting just six or seven hours, but it's impressive nonetheless. Imagine if you could mass-produce this—partnering with major toothpaste brands could be lucrative. They'd pay top dollar for it. Anyway, I've got to run some experiments. Catch you later."

Bao Guo clutched the disconnected phone for a while before it sank in. This was a gem—no side effects, and a potential goldmine if he partnered with toothpaste companies. But he wasn't about to do that. As someone without any real connections, walking into negotiations with such a wonder would be like a toddler flaunting a gold bar on the streets—just asking for trouble.

"Still, I could set up shop. Offer teeth cleaning services from 8 to 10 AM, charge a hundred bucks a pop. If it doesn't whiten, it's free. Yeah, that'll do. The cash will start rolling in."

He ordered a bunch of petri dishes on Taobao to hold the liquid—sleek and professional-looking, though really just for show. Then he bought a heap of disposable toothbrushes, all for under three hundred yuan. He was confident that his venture would quickly pay for itself. Little did he know, the moment this magical Teeth Cleaning Water hit the market, it would unleash consequences far beyond his wildest dreams.