Legend Management Bureau Chapter 267

[ … words ]

Du Yu hurriedly took a step forward, grabbed Liu Ling, and whispered, “Liu Ling! What are you doing?!”

“Yo! Brother Yu!” Liu Ling swayed unsteadily. “This old man is full of hot air. I have to teach him a lesson.”

“What hot air! I think you are the one spouting drunk nonsense right now. Hurry up and come back with me!” Du Yu said, trying to pull Liu Ling away.

However, at this moment, the old man who had been drunk on the ground slowly stood up. He leaned against the wall of the house, looking as though he might collapse at any second.

“You are the one full of hot air, youngster!” The old man forced his eyes open and declared, “You claim to know Du Kang, yet how come I have never heard Du Kang mention you?”

“And I have never heard Big Brother Du Kang speak of anyone named Yi Di,” Liu Ling sneered. “We both claim to be his close friends, but how can we prove it?”

‘This is bad,’ Du Yu thought to himself. It seemed the alcohol had really gone to Liu Ling’s head.

“Old Mister!” Du Yu hurriedly told the elderly man. “My brother here talks nonsense when he is drunk. Do not take him seriously. As soon as I heard your name was Yi Di, I knew you definitely knew Du Kang. I believe you, alright?”

“Get lost!” Yi Di bellowed. “I do not need your coaxing!”

Yi Di waved his hand dismissively and said to Liu Ling, “Youngster, do not be so arrogant. Since we both claim to know Du Kang, why do we not both share how Du Kang brewed wine? Let the many tribesmen here listen to our accounts and see whose rings truer!”

“Hahahaha!” Liu Ling laughed uproariously. “Big Brother Du Kang has told me countless times. How could I not know?”

Yi Di glared at Liu Ling with obvious defiance and declared, “If that is the case, I will speak first! Let us see if the Du Kang you know matches the one I speak of!”

Du Yu was taken aback by this turn of events. He truly could not comprehend the thought processes of drunkards.

What had been a perfectly normal drinking bout had somehow evolved into a storytelling contest.

Yi Di appeared drunk, but his mind was exceptionally clear. He slightly closed his eyes and slowly recounted the tale of how Du Kang brewed wine.

Du Kang was once the grain officer in charge of managing provisions under the Yellow Emperor. However, with the advancement of agriculture, grain production increased day by day, and how to store it became a major problem.

Du Kang had thought of countless methods, but none could preserve the grain for long periods.

He believed that the spoilage of the grain might be related to many factors, perhaps temperature or moisture. Thus, he tried burying the grain underground or storing it in dark caves, but the grain would ultimately rot, causing him great distress.

One day, while Du Kang was taking a stroll in the woods, he suddenly spotted a massive, dead tree.

The body of the tree was completely dry, and its trunk had rotted away entirely, leaving behind only an empty shell.

At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck Du Kang. He suddenly realized that this large tree was a natural container.

Its temperature was moderate and it was extremely dry; perhaps it would be perfect for storing grain.

With this in mind, Du Kang stuffed the hollow trunk full of grain, hoping to store it for a long time.

However, although the trunk appeared hollow, it was still nourished by the daily dew and rain. As time passed, the grain inside the trunk underwent a transformation.

After a period of time, Du Kang returned to the tree to check if his stored grain had spoiled, only to discover an astonishing scene.

Scattered haphazardly around the tree lay many animals—wild boars, goats, bison, and hares. They lay motionless on the ground as if they had fallen asleep.

Finding this strange, Du Kang approached for a closer look. He saw that the large tree where he had stored the grain had cracked open, and a wonderfully fragrant liquid was seeping from the fissures.

Driven by an inexplicable urge, he took a sip of the miraculous liquid. Instantly, his body felt as light as a feather, and a wave of overwhelming joy washed over him.

Thus, just like those animals, he collapsed in a drunken stupor near the tree.

When he woke up, he felt refreshed and clear-headed. His spiritual energy was abundant, and his entire being radiated vitality.

Therefore, Du Kang collected this liquid and returned to share it with his tribesmen.

Although Du Kang had not found a way to store grain, he was able to turn the surplus grain into wine, and from then on, he was revered by his tribesmen as the God of Wine.

Du Yu silently listened as Yi Di finished his tale, then slowly commented, “Out of ten points, this story is a six at best. It lacks a bit of narrative flair, but the plot is at least complete.”

Yi Di shot Du Yu an irritated look and retorted, “Youngster, I am not telling you a made-up story, but something that truly happened! I once helped Du Kang improve his brewing techniques, so I am quite knowledgeable about this!”

“Hahahaha!” Liu Ling laughed heartily. “That is how Big Brother Du Kang brewed wine? What a joke!”

“You!” Yi Di glared furiously at Liu Ling and demanded, “You insolent youth! When I was brewing wine with Du Kang, you probably were not even born yet!”

Liu Ling’s expression turned cold as he asked, “Old man, according to what you say, your status is no lower than Big Brother Du Kang’s. So why were you kicked out of the Yellow Emperor’s tribe?”

“I…” Yi Di was momentarily left speechless before stammering, “I simply wanted to follow the Yan Emperor and did not wish to serve the Yellow Emperor. What is wrong with that?”

“Is that so?” Liu Ling glanced at the wine bowl in his hand and asked again, “Since you are also an expert in brewing wine, why is the wine we are drinking bought from other tribesmen?”

Liu Ling’s succession of questions left Yi Di completely speechless.

Seeing Yi Di’s expression, Liu Ling scoffed and added, “I am afraid that after you left Big Brother Du Kang, you did not know how to brew wine at all, did you?”

Yi Di’s face flushed with anger, but he surprisingly let out a chuckle. “You are incredibly arrogant, youngster. Then tell me, how did Du Kang brew wine?”

“Fine!” Liu Ling shouted back. “Today, I will let you hear the true legend of Big Brother Du Kang!”

Liu Ling gathered his thoughts and began his own story. Even though it was also about how Du Kang created wine, the content was vastly different from Yi Di’s version.

One day, Du Kang had a strange dream. He dreamed of an old woman pouring grain into water to soak. Feeling amazed, he stepped forward to ask her about it.

“Old woman, why are you soaking the grain in water? Will the grain not rot this way?”

But the old woman said nothing. She merely minded her own business, continuing to toss grain into the water to soak.

After Du Kang woke up, he felt this dream held some profound meaning, but he could not grasp what it was.

In order to find out, he fetched a clay pot and soaked some grain inside it.

The next day, Du Kang dreamed of the woman again. This time, she sealed the pot containing the soaked grain with mud.

Du Kang felt that something unseen was guiding him. Upon waking, he mimicked the old woman and sealed his pot with mud.

On the third day, the old woman finally spoke to Du Kang. “You have learned from my actions, so I shall bestow an opportunity upon you. On the ninth day, take this pot and sit by the roadside at the hour of You. Ask the first three people you meet for a drop of fingertip blood and add them inside. Then, the contents of this pot will gain spirituality and become immortal nectar.”

Only after waking up did Du Kang realize that this old woman was an immortal fairy. Thus, not daring to be negligent, he carefully looked after the clay pot every day, terrified that something might go wrong.

The ninth day finally arrived. Du Kang carried the pot to the roadside bright and early, broke the mud seal, and waited all the way until the hour of You.

The previously bustling street was unexpectedly completely empty at this moment. He began to worry that he would not be able to gather the three people the immortal fairy had mentioned.

Fortunately, it was not long before a polite, scholarly man walked by.

Du Kang hurried forward to explain his intentions, and upon hearing them, the scholarly man gladly agreed.

He immediately pricked his finger and let a single drop of fingertip blood fall into the pot.

A short while later, a fierce general strode down the road. This general possessed a heroic bearing, with a broad back and a robust physique. Du Kang could only brace himself and step forward to request a drop of his fingertip blood.

The general was a forthright man and agreed to Du Kang’s request without a second thought.

Seeing that he had gathered two drops of fingertip blood, he knew he was only one drop away from completion.

However, no one else passed by on the street. Du Kang waited for over an hour, watching as the hour of You was about to pass.

Just as he was falling into despair, an idea suddenly sprang to mind.

The immortal fairy had only specified the first three people he met. Did that mean he could take the initiative to go out and find someone?

With this thought, he ducked into the depths of a nearby alley and found a beggar who sat idly there all year round.

This beggar looked foolish and sluggish, unable to even speak clearly. Steeling his heart, Du Kang drew the dagger he carried with him, pricked the beggar’s finger, and took a drop of his fingertip blood.

As the third drop of blood fell into the pot, a burst of fresh fragrance suddenly erupted from within, drifting directly from the deepest part of the alley to envelop the entire village.

The old saying that the aroma of good wine fears no deep alley originated exactly from this.

Du Kang never expected that he had truly created a pot of immortal nectar. He hurriedly took a sip. The taste was phenomenal, leaving an endless aftertaste.

But now he faced a dilemma. What name should he give to such immortal nectar?

Realizing this immortal nectar was created at the hour of You, using three drops of human blood, he took the symbol for You and added three strokes representing the three drops, creating a brand new word: Jiu—wine.

But since he had just invented this word, how should it be pronounced?

Remembering that this immortal brew had taken nine days to ferment, he decided to pronounce it the exact same way as the word for nine—Jiu.

And just like that, wine was born.

From then on, everyone who drank wine would undergo transformations because of those three drops of human blood.

When they first start drinking, people act like the scholarly man—modest and polite, clinking glasses and offering toasts to one another in a civilized manner.

Halfway through, they become like the fierce general—loosening their clothes, baring their chests, speaking with grand bravado, and exuding an aura that could swallow mountains and rivers.

And by the end of the drinking session, everyone turns into the foolish beggar—slurring their words, staring blankly, and making fools of themselves.

This is the legend of wine.

Du Yu nodded in satisfaction after listening. “This one is pretty good. Judged by the standards of a legend, it has everything it needs. The beginning echoes the end, and the pacing is tight. Here is a piece of advice, though: add more gods and ghosts in the future, it will sound even better. Out of ten, I will give you an eight!”