Capítulo 454: Chapter 572: Qian Lao’s Wholehearted Conviction
Chapter 572: Qian Lao’s Wholehearted Conviction
Fang Chu’s target had always been Wangyuelou itself—never innocent bystanders.
From the very beginning, he had drawn a clear line in his heart. The large-scale spiritual wines he intended to circulate throughout the Tianyuan Realm would not be lethal. They would not cripple cultivators, nor would they damage foundations or cultivation bases. Instead, they would carry… side effects.
Harmless, yet humiliating.
For example, after drinking them, one might uncontrollably release foul-slling gas, or suffer from endless hiccups that persisted for hours, no matter how much spiritual energy was circulated. Individually, these effects were trivial—hardly worth ntioning. But once they appeared repeatedly, in different regions, among countless custors, all traced back to the sa origin…
Wangyuelou’s reputation would rot from the inside out.
Turning a venerable, trusted brand into the butt of jokes across the realm—that was Fang Chu’s objective.
The difficulty, however, did not lie in adding such effects.
That part was easy.
The true challenge was embedding these side effects into spiritual wine so seamlessly that no one could detect them—not during brewing, not during inspection, and not even during casual tasting by experts.
Fang Chu was currently the Chief Brewer of Wangyuelou, but Wangyuelou was not his personal domain. There were layers of oversight, inspections, and long-established systems. If he acted rashly, he would expose himself before accomplishing anything.
Thus, he needed a plan that was ticulous, patient, and airtight.
After careful consideration, Fang Chu decided on a phased approach.
First, he would improve several of Wangyuelou’s flagship spiritual wines, making subtle adjustnts that were undeniably beneficial—enough to justify mass production and market release. Only once these improved versions were officially approved, circulated, and accepted would he proceed to the next step.
At that point, he would personally brew large quantities of special batches containing the hidden side effects. These batches would then be distributed to Wangyuelou’s branch stores across all major continents, released simultaneously.
By the ti anyone realized sothing was wrong, it would be far too late.
Wangyuelou’s flagship wines had been refined and optimized over countless generations of brewers. Each formula had passed through dozens—if not hundreds—of hands. They were already frighteningly close to perfection.
Improving such wines was exponentially harder than creating a new one from scratch.
Knowing this, Fang Chu made a decisive choice.
He announced a closed-door retreat.
From that day on, he shut himself away completely, devoting every ounce of focus to brewing and refinent. Ti flowed on without disturbance.
One year beca three.
Three years beca five.
Five years beca ten.
Ten full years passed.
Only then did Fang Chu finally erge from seclusion.
In those ten years, he successfully improved three of Wangyuelou’s flagship spiritual wines.
Carrying the finished wines with him, Fang Chu sought out Wangyuelou’s General Steward—Qian Lao.
“Fang, my young friend… it’s been a long ti,” Qian Lao said, visibly startled when she saw him.
When Fang Chu had announced his retreat, she had assud it would last perhaps a year or two at most. She never imagined that he would remain secluded for an entire decade.
Cultivators retreating for ten years was nothing unusual.
But brewers retreating for ten years—cut off from the world, without socializing, without attending banquets, without even showing their face—was extraordinarily rare.
As this realization sank in, Qian Lao could not help but think to herself:
Perhaps this is why he reached such heights in brewing at such a young age.
Fang Chu, however, had no intention of engaging in idle conversation.
“Qian Lao,” he said directly, “over the past ten years, I’ve improved three of Wangyuelou’s flagship spiritual wines. I’d like you to evaluate them and see whether they’re suitable.”
“Three?” Qian Lao exclaid, genuine shock flashing across her face.
Though she had only served as Wangyuelou’s General Steward for two to three hundred years, she had been affiliated with Wangyuelou for far longer. No one understood better than she how difficult it was to improve a flagship wine.
To refine even one was a remarkable achievent.
Three bordered on unbelievable.
Her mind imdiately began turning.
Did he realize the upper managent was dissatisfied with him and is now trying to salvage his standing?
Or is this simply the ‘three fires of a new official,’ an attempt to show off?
Fang Chu said nothing. Instead, he calmly produced six wine gourds.
Three contained the current versions of Wangyuelou’s wines.
The other three held his improved versions—still untainted, without any added ingredients.
“Please taste them side by side,” Fang Chu said.
Qian Lao smiled. “Very well. Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”
She began with the existing wines. Although she was extrely familiar with them, she still tasted carefully, adjusting her perception to ensure fairness.
Then ca Fang Chu’s improved versions.
She tasted slowly.
Thoughtfully.
When she finished, her eyes shone.
She raised her thumb without hesitation.
“As expected of the one who replaced Li Lao as Chief Brewer,” she said sincerely. “To improve wines that have already been refined for generations—and still produce a distinct, superior character—is truly impressive.”
At this mont, Qian Lao felt genuinely convinced.
Yes, Fang Chu’s behavior after taking office—accepting gifts indiscriminately—had disappointed many. But in terms of brewing skill, there was absolutely nothing to criticize.
In fact, she now felt a trace of doubt.
She had previously supported the idea of allowing Li Lao to reclaim the position in the next assessnt.
But now…
She hesitated.
Fang Chu might lack foresight and restraint—but his brewing talent was undeniably extraordinary.
Fang Chu imdiately responded humbly, “You flatter , Qian Lao. That victory was rely a matter of chance. If I were to challenge Li Lao again, I would surely lose.”
“You’re being far too modest,” Qian Lao replied.
Fang Chu then steered the conversation back to business.
“Do you think these three wines can replace the current versions on the market?”
Qian Lao appeared to ponder carefully.
“These are flagship wines with an enormous custor base. Replacing them outright might be… inappropriate.”
“And your suggestion?” Fang Chu asked.
“In my opinion,” Qian Lao said slowly, “both versions should be sold simultaneously. Let the custors decide. The market will tell us which deserves to replace the original.”
Fang Chu nodded firmly. “That’s a far better approach. Qian Lao’s judgnt truly surpasses mine.”
This thod, of course, had already occurred to Fang Chu.
He had simply chosen to let Qian Lao voice it herself.
As long as the improved wines entered large-scale circulation, his objective would be achieved.
“Experience, nothing more,” Qian Lao waved it off.
“I’ll return to brewing, then,” Fang Chu said. “Once enough stock is prepared, I’ll hand it over to you for distribution.”
“Very well. Safe travels,” Qian Lao replied.
After Fang Chu left, Qian Lao stood quietly, gazing into the distance.
He knows how to be humble. He knows how to hold back. He doesn’t act like soone blinded by petty gains…
Is it human complexity? Or is there sothing deeper at play?
Even with her vast experience, she found herself unable to see through Fang Chu completely.
Back at his residence, Fang Chu began mass-producing the improved wines.
These batches were clean—no additives, no tricks.
The sheer volu required made the process extraordinarily ti-consuming. Nearly a full year passed before production was complete.
Once the wines were delivered to Qian Lao and distributed across the Tianyuan Realm, Fang Chu finally turned his attention to another brew.
This one was not for the masses.
It was for Wangyuelou’s upper echelon.
He didn’t need to invent a new formula. He simply took a wine once sold by the Fang family’s Zui Xian Lou, made slight modifications…
And then added poison.
Ordinary toxins were useless against Emperor-level experts.
But Fang Chu was not only a brewer.
He was also an alchemist.
And he was a scholar of obscure texts and ancient poison lore.
Even if the poison didn’t kill them—
He was confident it would leave their origins damaged and their vitality shattered.
The final stage had begun.
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