"Hiss—ha!"
"Good wine, truly good wine!"
As the fine liquor went down, Qin Xuan felt a refreshing stream pass through his throat.
Delicate and smooth, it lacked any of the throat-scorching sensation of strong spirits.
Once this Immortal's Draught reached his stomach, a comfortable warmth slowly spread, carrying with it a dense spiritual energy that permeated his entire body.
With just this single cup, Qin Xuan felt as though his spiritual power limit had been raised.
Although he still couldn't break through the bottleneck, his strength had undeniably increased a notch.
Yu Qian, who drank this regularly, no longer felt this sensation.
However, the refreshing and stimulating feeling of the Immortal's Draught still made him unable to resist.
But after enjoying the stimulation of the wine, he quickly turned his head to look at the young fellow he had just met.
He was afraid that what the young man had said earlier was just empty boasting.
"Brother Qin, how does it feel?"
Seeing that Qin Xuan's expression hadn't changed, Yu Qian couldn't help but feel excited.
But when Qin Xuan said he only felt refreshed and didn't feel any intoxication, his expression turned peculiar again.
Immortal's Draught, as the name suggested, could intoxicate even immortals.
It didn't rely on alcohol to make people drunk like ordinary wines. Instead, it used a spiritual medicine called Drunken Lingzhi, which had a taste and effect similar to alcohol.
This Lingzhi not only tasted good but also contained potent medicinal properties. Taken alone, it had the effect of tonifying qi and blood, and strengthening vital energy.
When brewed with over a hundred other medicinal herbs and dozens of spiritual medicines according to the Yu family's secret recipe, it could maximally stimulate the characteristics of the Drunken Lingzhi.
Thus, it achieved the effect of intoxicating even immortals.
Yu Qian himself was in the Golden Core stage and practically held the Immortal's Draught in his hands every day. He could only drink three to five bottles at most in a day.
But Qin Xuan was different.
Setting aside his youth, he couldn't possibly be a Golden Core stage cultivator.
Even if he were in the Golden Core stage, or even at the peak of the Golden Core stage, he absolutely wouldn't be able to withstand twenty cups when facing the Immortal's Draught for the first time.
Drinking a cup with no reaction meant Qin Xuan was either bragging or had extraordinary talent.
"Come, let's continue drinking, brother!"
To test Qin Xuan's limits, Yu Qian refilled both of their wine cups.
Qin Xuan accepted without hesitation, took the wine cup, and downed three cups in quick succession.
At this point, Yu Qian was completely convinced of Qin Xuan's abilities.
He had downed three cups of Immortal's Draught consecutively without even a gasp for breath.
Even he, in his current state, found it difficult to achieve that.
"Good brother, you are indeed no ordinary person!"
"Tell me, what is your purpose in coming here today?"
"Considering you're drinking with me, anything is acceptable as long as it's not too much to ask."
Finally having someone who could share Immortal's Draught with him, Yu Qian was overjoyed.
After several more bottles of fine wine, he narrowed his eyes and inquired about Qin Xuan's true intentions for the day.
From their previous interaction, Qin Xuan knew that Old Master Yu was straightforward and easy to get along with.
Therefore, when faced with the inquiry, he didn't beat around the bush.
He directly stated that the Dragon Country's authorities wanted to recruit rogue cultivators who lived in seclusion.
Yu Qian nodded upon hearing this and remained silent.
He drank another cup of wine by himself, then lit a cigarette with a "pat."
"I predicted this matter after you explained the external situation."
"But you should know that hidden forces are not easily recruited. They are a mixed bag, especially the Lu and Lie families in the southwest. I even suspect they have Golden Core stage cultivators."
After a moment of silence, Yu Qian spoke again.
Qin Xuan nodded in agreement, simultaneously confirming Yu Qian's suspicion.
"The Lu and Lie families are indeed very strong."
"I'm not sure about the Lu family, but the Lie family does have a Golden Core stage cultivator."
"But so what if they are in the Golden Core stage? They are not invincible. The Lie family has already sworn allegiance to me, and the Lu family has been incorporated into the system."
"Are you saying that you've already handled the situation in the south?"
Qin Xuan nodded lightly.
Yu Qian's eyes widened, and he took a shocked puff of his cigarette.
After another period of silence, he finally recovered, flicking away the cigarette butt that had burned down to his fingertips.
"Brother Qin, is it true that apart from wartime, the Dragon Country's authorities will provide 100% freedom of action?"
The simple question from Yu Qian's mouth made Qin Xuan realize that the recruitment of the Yu family was a done deal.
He knew that freedom was the issue Yu Qian cared about the most.
When Yu Qian asked this question, his heart had already leaned towards being recruited by the authorities.
Therefore, with Qin Xuan mediating and the freedom and resources promised by the Dragon Country, Qin Xuan quickly reached a consensus with Yu Qian.
"Heh heh, good, the important matter is settled, let's continue drinking."
"I want to see just how much of this Immortal's Draught you foolish kid can handle!"
After signing the agreement, Yu Qian waved his hand and took out several more bottles of Immortal's Draught from his storage ring, placing them on the table.
The agreement they had just signed was casually tossed aside, as if it were a piece of casual calligraphy.
In fact, Yu Qian didn't have much resistance to being recruited by the authorities.
Unlike other hidden families, members of the Yu family frequently entered and exited the secular world.
They yearned for the current prosperity of the outside world and the rapid development of the Dragon Country.
This included him, the head of the Yu family. Otherwise, why would he smoke and have hobbies similar to people from the outside world?
Therefore, as long as his freedom wasn't restricted, it didn't matter to him whether he belonged to the official system or not.
As for the so-called alien invasion, and the Yu family's obligation to fight back, he had no objections.
Since the aliens chose to invade, they would inevitably not allow powerful individuals on Blue Star to continue living.
When the war began, cultivators like them would be the first to bear the brunt.
Even if they could hide for a while due to the barrier, could they hide for a moment but not for a lifetime?
Therefore, in Yu Qian's opinion, the alien invasion and the Yu family's participation in the fight were inevitable, regardless of the official orders.
Now that he could also obtain valuable resources from the authorities for free, why wouldn't he?
On the other hand, Qin Xuan, he found more and more pleasing to his eye.
He also wanted to know how many bottles of Immortal's Draught this young man, who looked no older than twenty, could consume!
"Come, drink! If these aren't enough, I have more in my storeroom."
"Oh, eat fewer dishes, save your stomach for the wine!"
"Unbelievable, unbelievable! Old brother here is in the middle stage of Golden Core, and I can't handle more than ten to twenty bottles. You, kid, have drunk eighteen bottles by yourself! Continue, you must continue!"
"Qin, Qin Xuan, let me tell you..."
"Hic!"
"Brother here, it's just that I don't have a daughter. If I did..."
"Hic!"
"I would definitely, definitely dress her up beautifully and marry her to you... Heh heh heh..."
"Hoo—hoo—"
Looking at Yu Qian, who had a cigarette butt between his fingers and had fallen asleep with drool on his face, Qin Xuan couldn't help but chuckle.
This old man, though over a hundred years old, had a childlike nature, being frank and sincere.
However, the cultivation level he inadvertently revealed made him feel a jolt of shock.
He hadn't expected that when he encountered Golden Core stage cultivators, he would encounter two of them.
The middle stage of Golden Core was even more formidable than Lie Xinyuan's early stage of Golden Core.
He wondered who would be stronger if he and Yu Qian were to truly fight.