Establishing a Clan in the Eastern Wilderness: A Daily Divination, Cultivating Longevity in a Grotto

Hu Xiaoyue's courtyard is located at the eastern foot of Qinglan Mountain. It is not large, but it is quiet and elegant. Several bamboo stalks are planted in the courtyard, their shadows swaying in the wind.

Jiang Xiaowan sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, her hands supporting her chin, watching her childhood friend Hu Xiaoyue busy in the yard. Hu Xiaoyue was organizing the materials for making talismans—talisman paper, talisman ink, and talisman brushes. She arranged them one by one, checked them one last time, and then straightened up.

"Xiaoyue, you're really amazing now." Jiang Xiaowan's eyes were full of envy. "You're a mid-grade first-tier talisman maker now."

Hu Xiaoyue wiped her hands, walked over and sat opposite her, smiling somewhat embarrassedly: "It's also thanks to the clan leader's guidance. When I first came, I didn't know anything."

She paused, a look of guilt on her face: "Xiao Wan, I went to the mission hall yesterday to get a mission to make a mid-grade first-tier talisman. The deadline is tight, so I have to go into seclusion to make the talisman. I won't be able to spend the next few days with you."

Jiang Xiaowan quickly waved her hand: "Go ahead and do your work, don't worry about me. I'll just wander around and get familiar with the surroundings."

Hu Xiaoyue nodded, got up to pack her things, took a few steps and then turned back. She saw the fleeting sadness in Jiang Xiaowan's eyes, felt sorry for her, and walked back to sit down.

"Xiaowan, is something on your mind?"

Jiang Xiaowan hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Xiaoyue, I went with you to look at the task list yesterday. It had tasks for making talismans, refining pills, setting up formations, planting, and fighting... but there weren't any tasks for brewing wine. I... I don't know anything except brewing wine."

She lowered her head, her voice growing softer and softer: "The clan chief has been kind to my family and me. We came to the Li family to seek refuge, not to freeload. I'm afraid... afraid of causing trouble for the clan chief."

Hu Xiaoyue held her hand and said earnestly, "Xiaowan, don't overthink it. The Mission Hall has only just been established, and all sorts of missions will definitely be issued in the future. Brewing wine is a skill that the Li family doesn't have. Once the clan leader knows about your abilities, he will definitely make arrangements for you."

Jiang Xiaowan looked up and saw the sincerity in her childhood friend's eyes, and the gloom in her heart dissipated a little. She smiled and nodded: "Yes, you're right. You should go and make the talisman, don't delay the project."

Hu Xiaoyue responded and hurriedly left the courtyard.

……

Jiang Xiaowan sat alone in the courtyard for a while, and was about to get up to help her grandfather tidy up the house when footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate. A member of the Li family walked in, cupped his hands and said, "Miss Jiang, the clan leader invites you to the patriarch's residence."

Jiang Xiaowan's heart jumped.

She instinctively looked at her grandfather. Old Man Jiang was sitting in the courtyard gate basking in the sun. Hearing this, his cloudy old eyes lit up, and he quickly stood up, leaning on his cane. He took his granddaughter's hand and said in a low voice, "Little Wan, it's a good thing that the clan chief summoned us! It means the clan chief hasn't forgotten us. When you go, whatever the clan chief tells you to do, just do it. Follow the clan chief's arrangements."

Since entering the Li family, Old Man Jiang's complexion has improved considerably, whether it's because he has a place to stay or because his granddaughter's future is secure. His previously hunched back seems to have straightened a bit, and he speaks with more confidence.

Jiang Xiaowan nodded, took a deep breath, and followed the clansman outside.

Old Man Jiang stood at the gate of the courtyard, leaning on his cane, watching his granddaughter's figure disappear around the bend in the mountain path. He turned around, facing the direction of the Tianlong Temple, and knelt down shakily, clasping his hands together and muttering incantations.

"By the Heavenly Dragon God, this old man has never asked for anything in his life, only that his granddaughter have a bright future. If this wish is granted, this old man will surely offer sacrifices day and night, with incense burning continuously..."

……

The head of the house, the quiet room.

Jiang Xiaowan stood outside the door, her palms sweaty. She straightened her clothes, tidied her hair, took several deep breaths, and then raised her hand to knock on the door.

"Come in."

She pushed the door open and entered.

Li Changsheng sat cross-legged on a futon, with a low table in front of him, on which sat a teapot and teacups. He looked up and saw Jiang Xiaowan's nervous and flustered appearance. He smiled slightly and pointed to the futon opposite him.

"sit."

Jiang Xiaowan sat down carefully, her back straight, her hands on her knees, not daring to move.

Li Changsheng poured her a cup of tea and pushed it towards her: "Are you settling in well with the clan?"

Jiang Xiaowan picked up the teacup with both hands, nodded, and said in a slightly strained voice, "I'm getting used to it. The clan leader and the clansmen are all very kind."

"How is your grandfather's health?"

"Much better. Grandfather said that he felt at ease after arriving at the Li family's place, he ate and slept well, and his complexion was better than before."

Li Changsheng nodded, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then changed the subject: "Xiao Wan, do you know how to brew wine?"

Jiang Xiaowan was stunned for a moment.

She had thought the clan chief had summoned her to assign her some menial tasks, but instead, he asked about brewing wine. She felt a sense of relief, her nervousness lessened, and her speech became more fluent.

"Chief Hui, when I was six years old, my grandfather sent me to the 'Drunken Immortal Brew' workshop in Anyang County to be an apprentice. I studied there for eight years."

Her gaze drifted slightly into the distance, as if she were lost in memories.

"The rules at the brewery are very strict. Apprentices are not allowed to touch the raw materials, the yeast, or even enter the brewing room. My daily work consists of washing jars, chopping wood, starting fires, and cleaning the cellar. In winter, the water is freezing cold, and my hands crack from the cold, but I still have to wash them; in summer, the cellar is stuffy and hot, and I get soaked in sweat after just a short time inside."

She paused, her voice lowering slightly: "My master is a female cultivator in her forties, a mid-level first-tier winemaker. She's afraid I'll become too skilled and take her job, so she never teaches me anything real. When I ask her about the methods of winemaking, she scolds me, saying that I, as an apprentice, am not worthy to ask such questions. Sometimes, when she's in a bad mood, she even makes me kneel as punishment."

Li Changsheng listened without interrupting.

"I spent eight years in the brewery, washing jars and chopping firewood for eight years." Jiang Xiaowan raised her head, her eyes showing no resentment, only a calm that came from enduring hardship. "But my time there wasn't wasted. When my master was brewing the wine, she wouldn't let me watch, so I would peek through the window. When she didn't add the ingredients, I would secretly note the order, amount, and timing of what she added. She didn't tell me the heat, so I figured it out myself, using the same ingredients and the same steps, trying again and again."

Her voice gradually gained confidence: "I don't have a complete brewing recipe, but I'm confident—if I had a recipe, I would definitely be able to brew wine."

Li Changsheng looked at the thin girl and nodded slightly in his heart.

He took out a yellowed animal hide from his storage bag, placed it on the low table, and pushed it in front of Jiang Xiaowan.

"Take a look at this."

Jiang Xiaowan took the animal hide, unfolded it, and her pupils suddenly contracted.

Hundred Flowers Brew. A mid-grade first-tier spiritual wine. Made with red marrow rice as a base, supplemented with forty-nine kinds of spiritual flowers and fruits, and brewed using a special method. The wine is clear and has a rich floral aroma. Long-term consumption can nourish the meridians and strengthen the foundation.

A complete brewing recipe.

Jiang Xiaowan's hands were trembling. She had spent eight years in the brewery, never even touching a single, basic recipe; her master wouldn't let her participate in the crucial stages of brewing. Now, the clan chief had actually given her the recipe directly.

"Chieftain, this..." She looked up, her eyes reddening, "This is too precious. I..."

Li Changsheng waved his hand, interrupting her: "Take a look first."

Jiang Xiaowan took a deep breath and carefully examined the recipe, becoming increasingly engrossed. She murmured to herself, "The red marrow rice must be steamed first, not boiled, otherwise it will become mushy and the wine will be cloudy… The spirit flowers must be added later, otherwise the aroma will dissipate… The fermentation temperature cannot be too high or too low, it must be maintained between twenty and twenty-five degrees…"

She suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with excitement: "Chieftain, this recipe is amazing! Every step is just right, a little more would be too much, a little less would be insufficient. The person who wrote this recipe must be a master brewer!"

Li Changsheng didn't speak, he just looked at the top of her head.

There, a line of text that only he could see was slowly emerging.

Loyalty: 92/100

With a thought, the talent assessment function of the Heavenly Book quietly activated.

【Ginger Small Bowl】

[Talent: Brewing (Rank 4)]

Li Changsheng was shocked.

A fourth-grade talent in brewing. One grade higher than her grandmother's fifth-grade talent in weaving. This little girl is a true brewing genius.

He suppressed his inner joy and remained expressionless.

"Little Bowl, are you confident you can successfully brew this Hundred Flowers Wine?"

Jiang Xiaowan bit her lip, not giving a definitive answer, but the longing in her eyes was already impossible to hide: "Clan leader, I can't guarantee success. But I'm willing to try! I can use my own spirit stones to buy the necessary materials for brewing and conduct experiments first."

"That works too." Li Changsheng nodded. "Our clan just upgraded its spiritual veins and ran out of spirit stones. If we want to maximize the benefits of this formula, your four thousand spirit stones can be of great use."

He paused, then said, "The clan will provide the brewing recipe and equipment; you will provide the technology and labor. After the spirit wine is brewed, we will split the profits according to the proportion of our input costs, how about that?"

Jiang Xiaowan was dumbfounded.

Divide the profits? She never imagined that she, a newcomer and outsider, would be able to share the profits with the clan leader.

"We will follow the clan leader's arrangements."

Li Changsheng patted his storage bag, and a gourd the size of his palm appeared in his hand. The gourd was entirely greenish-blue, with a faint spiritual light flowing across its surface, and it emitted a faint aroma of wine.

"This is the Drunken Immortal Gourd, a second-tier spiritual artifact." He handed the gourd to Jiang Xiaowan. "The gourd contains its own little world, capable of holding a thousand catties of spiritual wine, and it can even warm and nourish the wine, making it more fragrant the longer it's stored. Use this gourd to brew small batches first to accumulate experience. Once you've mastered the techniques, you can start mass production."

Jiang Xiaowan received the gourd with both hands, cradling it in her arms as if it were the most precious treasure in the world. Her hands trembled, her eyes reddened, and her voice choked with emotion: "Clan leader, Xiaowan... will never let you down..."

"Don't rush to make any promises," Li Changsheng said with a smile. "The real skill will come when the spirit wine is brewed. At that time, the clan will consider opening a brewery, and you will be the brewery owner."

Boss.

Jiang Xiaowan felt a buzzing in her head, and her whole body felt like she was walking on cotton, light and unreal. She pinched her thigh; it hurt.

Not a dream.

She knelt down and kowtowed three times.

"Rest assured, Chieftain, I will definitely brew the Hundred Flowers Wine! I will certainly not let you down!"

Loyalty: 92/100 → 100/100

Li Changsheng helped her up and patted her shoulder: "Go on. If you need anything, just ask."

Jiang Xiaowan, clutching her wine gourd, walked briskly out of the quiet room. Sunlight bathed her, warm and comforting. She glanced back at the direction of the patriarch's mansion, a sense of belonging she had never felt before welling up within her.