Chapter 81: Willing to Hit and Be Hit

Shopkeeper Zhuo opened a hidden wooden compartment beneath the counter and carefully lifted out the only jar of twenty-year-old Qiansun Spring wine stored within.

Qiansun Spring wine had only been famous for less than thirty years, so a twenty-year-old vintage was considered top-tier. It was almost from the same era when the wine received its imperial name. There were very few jars of this vintage left in the large cellar of the Garden Shop, and only this small jar was available in the retail section.

Wang Zizhong had only tasted it on two occasions. The first time was when the Prefect's daughter of Chunhui Prefecture married into the imperial palace and was conferred the title of Zhaorong, and the Garden Shop, for the first time ever, brought out twenty jars from its cellar for the banquet. The second time, Wang Zizhong shamelessly pleaded with the shopkeeper for a jar when he went to Zhouzhuang and bought it for fifty taels of silver.

Rarity commands value. While Qiansun Spring wine was brewed annually, each older vintage opened meant one less in existence.

Seeing Shopkeeper Zhuo actually sell such a premium wine to an outsider, Wang Zizhong immediately couldn't sit still. He put down his cup and walked to the counter, ready to argue with the shopkeeper.

"Shopkeeper Zhuo," he began, "I've asked you for this wine countless times. If you're going to sell it, shouldn't you sell it to me first?"

In Ji Yuan's eyes, Wang Zizhong was quite sturdy, though not quite as imposing as Li Daniu, the man from the boat earlier. From Wang Zizhong's words, Ji Yuan could tell the wine must be very valuable. If it were any other item, Ji Yuan might have ignored it, but this was twenty-year-old Qiansun Spring. Ji Yuan was quite tempted and couldn't possibly let the opportunity pass, so he quickly entered the shop.

"This is the wine, then, shopkeeper. How much is it per *jin*? Is it still two taels?"

Shopkeeper Zhuo glanced at Wang Zizhong beside him, hesitated, then spoke with a forced smile. "Indeed, it's still two taels of silver per *jin*. If you don't have enough money, esteemed guest, you can pay on credit!"

Wang Zizhong, a renowned martial artist in his forties, stared wide-eyed and intently at Shopkeeper Zhuo. The shopkeeper felt his face tingle under the intense gaze but stubbornly kept pushing the wine towards him. At this point, Wang Zizhong started to understand the situation. His initial outburst was due to momentary anger. Now, thinking about it, for Shopkeeper Zhuo to disregard his reputation in front of him, the buyer's identity must be significant. Therefore, he didn't actually interrupt the transaction.

Ji Yuan wanted to taste the twenty-year-old Qiansun Spring, but he wasn't a gluttonous drunkard addicted to wine. Naturally, he took out the ceramic wine bottle from his satchel. "If I bring my own flask, how much for a *jin*?"

Shopkeeper Zhuo paused for a moment, then quickly recovered and replied: "Since you've brought your own flask, esteemed guest, the price will naturally be a bit lower. It will be eight hundred *wen* per *jin*. Would you like to buy one *jin*?"

"Hmph..."

Wang Zizhong let out a subtle, peculiar gasp from his throat and deliberately turned his face away from the wine jar. Although the shopkeeper couldn't hear it, Ji Yuan heard it clearly. Ji Yuan smiled, observing the shopkeeper's feigned composure and the others' rather amusing reactions. The last time he found something this amusing was when he overheard Daoist Qingsong and his apprentice Qi Wen talking at the Huike Inn.

"Alright, then, shopkeeper, please pour one *jin*."

Ji Yuan placed his flask on the counter, then took out a small round silver piece and a few silver fragments from his pocket, setting them on the counter. The shopkeeper didn't weigh the silver first; instead, he immediately took out a dipper and began pouring the wine. This type of dipper was known as a "four-liang scoop," as its name implied, one full scoop held approximately four *liang* of wine, meaning four scoops equaled one *jin*. This time, however, after four scoops, the shopkeeper added another half-scoop, filling the flask almost to the brim before stopping. Only then did he take the silver to weigh it and then rapidly calculated on an abacus.

"The silver weighed one *liang* and twenty-one *zhu*, equivalent to eight hundred and seventy-five *wen*. Esteemed guest, here is your change: fifteen *dangwu tongbao* coins."

Ji Yuan took the change and lifted the flask, testing its weight. "Thank you, Shopkeeper Zhuo. I'll be taking my leave now."

Ji Yuan, who had bowed in thanks, saw the shopkeeper hastily return the gesture from behind the counter and smiled again. "What a fascinating person," he thought. Without another word, he picked up his flask and stepped out of the Garden Shop, heading towards the bustling market. Although it was a matter of one willing to give and the other to receive, Ji Yuan certainly remembered the shopkeeper.

"Alright, esteemed guest, please take care, come again soon!"

Shopkeeper Zhuo continued to call out at the top of his voice until Ji Yuan's back was no longer visible. Then, unable to hold back his smile, his face beamed with delight, and he repeatedly bowed in apology to Wang Zizhong, who stood to one side. "My dear Third Master," he said, "please forgive me, that was an urgent matter. Look, there are still four *jin* of this aged Qiansun Spring left; I'll sell it to you!"

Although Wang Zizhong was still curious about Ji Yuan's identity, he was overjoyed to hear Shopkeeper Zhuo's words. "And how much will it be per *jin* for me?"

"Still two taels, still two taels!" Shopkeeper Zhuo was in such a good mood that he would have given it away for free if Wang Zizhong had genuinely asked.

"Hahahaha, that's more like it! But, Shopkeeper Zhuo, would you be willing to reveal who that person was just now?"

"Hehehe, it's best not to say, best not to say. It's not that I, Zhuo, don't want to tell you, but rather that it's inconvenient. After selling that *jin* of wine, I feel incredibly refreshed and clear-minded. If, in the future, Third Master should encounter that… esteemed guest, it would always be wise to treat them with utmost courtesy."

Some matters, once the person involved suddenly realizes something is amiss, lead them to feel increasingly wrong the more they think about it. Other situations are the opposite, like for Shopkeeper Zhuo now; the more he thought about it, the more worthwhile he felt it was.

***

It was past noon. Ji Yuan, munching on a one-wen vegetable bun, exited the East Gate and headed south.

The Chunmu River meandered far and wide, and naturally, there couldn't be just one River God Temple. But if one were to speak of the largest and most legitimate, it would undoubtedly be the River God Temple outside Chunhui Prefecture City. Since he had come all the way to Chunhui Prefecture, Ji Yuan felt he should experience the grandeur of the Chunmu River's primary temple. As he approached the River God Temple, the crowd around him gradually grew denser.

From a distance, he could smell the faint scent of sandalwood, accompanied by the bustling sounds from the temple. Even before reaching the temple, vendors along the riverbank and roadside were constantly shouting their wares. They sold sandalwood incense, candles, sugar-coated hawthorns, preserved fruits, and even round fans and cosmetics, which greatly broadened Ji Yuan's understanding of such places.

"Come, come, all good men and women! Amulets consecrated by the temple!"

"Incense and candles, cheap incense and candles! Don't forget to burn incense when you enter the temple to worship the gods!"

"Pouches, beautiful pouches!"

"Hey, esteemed guest, you look like a scholarly and educated person! Would you like to buy some incense? The River God will surely bless you with success in the imperial examinations!"

Upon reaching the temple entrance, vendors selling prayer-related items became even more numerous, and another vendor called out to Ji Yuan. Ji Yuan stopped and, with a hint of surprise, asked the vendor: "Does the River God also grant success in examinations?"

"Haha, look at you, esteemed guest! You can pray for success in examinations, wealth, peace, or marriage. Whatever you wish for, the River God will bless you! Would you like to buy two sticks of incense?"

Even marriage? Ji Yuan chuckled. It seemed similar to his previous life, where many temples offered prayers for everything.

"I'll take one stick of incense."

"Alright! Two *wen* per stick. Here's your incense!"

Ji Yuan paid, took the incense, and entered the temple complex. It felt like entering a unique park, with inner and outer gardens, covered walkways adorned with murals, walls inscribed with calligraphy by scholars and poets, riverbanks for releasing animals, pavilions and corridors for resting, and various sizes of incense burners and merit boxes, all amidst a stream of people burning incense.

The actual River God Hall was a large building with exaggerated eaves. Inside and outside the temple, there were no clay statues of subordinate officials. The nearly two-hundred-square-meter space contained only incense burners, prayer mats, offering tables, tribute items, wooden railings, and a single, fifteen-foot-tall statue of the River God. The deity's face was solemn, its beard and eyebrows carved by artisans to resemble turbulent waves. A long hairpin was inserted into its topknot, and its flowing robes seemed to wrap around it like water. Overall, the statue was sculpted with remarkable lifelikeness.

Ji Yuan joined the flow of worshippers, borrowed fire from the lamp at the temple attendant's desk to light his incense, and then, imitating others, approached the River God's statue. In his ears, he could hear the various prayers of the worshippers—some normal, some absurd, some amusing, and some quite heavy to listen to. However, praying for smooth river travel was certainly appropriate here, and praying for favorable weather along the river was also fitting. But for wishes like a house full of gold and jade, long life, wealth, success in examinations, or marriage, one would be better off worshipping the City God.

Gods of mountains and rivers differed from City Gods and some Earth Gods. Except for very rare instances of imperial decree, most were practitioners who either achieved their divine status through arduous, long-term cultivation by connecting with mountain ranges or waterways over many years, or they obtained the legitimate position of a mountain or river god through legendary imperial edicts. The incense offerings from common people were merely supplementary to them. Being able to manage river affairs was already considered diligent. Conversely, those who occupied certain mountains, rivers, or small water features, and presumptuously sought to become legitimate gods through the power of incense offerings, were more likely to respond to certain prayers.

As for the River God of Chunmu River, it was an ancient white *jiao* (a mythical hornless dragon) without scales. An external record specifically mentioned that it had attempted to transform into a dragon twice but failed, losing all its scales. Nevertheless, this white *jiao* was an exceedingly rare and legitimate River God, truly capable of governing the Chunmu River.

Ji Yuan asked for nothing. With respectful cupped-hand bows, he inserted the incense into the large incense burner. As the incense was placed, Ji Yuan could faintly see a wisp of profound yellow aura rise and dissipate, a far more spectacular sight than the occasional trace of aura from the entire temple. At that moment, Ji Yuan himself felt a sense of dizziness rising within him.