The next day, inside a secluded tavern.
“Miss, would you like some wine?” The server called out immediately when Shen Xia entered.
“I’m here to find someone.” Shen Xia waved her hand and quickly walked toward a seat by the window.
An old man with white hair and ragged clothes sat there with one leg crossed over the other.
He held a wine flask in his hand, wearing a deeply dissatisfied expression as he struggled with whether he should drink it or not.
If he drank it, he felt the wine was brewed so poorly that it insulted his taste.
If he did not drink it, he had already gone half a month without alcohol and was craving it badly.
“Nanli Island is such a large place. How is it possible that there isn’t a single decent bottle of wine here?”
“Senior, why not try this instead?”
Shen Xia sat down across from him and handed over a wine flask.
“Hm?”
Hu Jiuchi eyed her suspiciously.
Suddenly, a uniquely fragrant aroma drifted into his nose, causing his eyes to light up.
“Th… this… this…”
“Why don’t you have a taste, Senior? Perhaps this wine will satisfy you.” Shen Xia opened the flask herself and poured him a cup.
According to the novel, one of the top five martial arts masters in the world was an old man renowned not only for his exceptional martial skills but also for his mastery of all kinds of unusual arts and formations.
He came and went as he pleased, living a carefree life, making him nearly impossible for ordinary people to find.
The book also recorded that he dressed like a wandering beggar monk and was obsessed with alcohol, rarely letting his wine flask leave his side. Everywhere he went, he searched for good wine, which was how he earned the name Hu Jiuchi.
Judging by the timeline, the novel stated that these were precisely the days he would arrive on Nanli Island.
Later, because he failed to find any satisfactory wine on the island, he left in frustration and eventually traveled to the capital, where the Male Lead discovered him and recruited him as a strategist.
Such a valuable opportunity was not something Shen Xia intended to let someone else snatch away.
One of her family’s businesses in her previous life had been involved in the liquor industry. She was confident in her ability to recreate wines that did not exist in this world.
The aroma was simply too tempting.
Unable to resist any longer, Hu Jiuchi picked up the cup and took a sip.
The wrinkles between his brows instantly smoothed out.
“Excellent wine! Excellent wine!”
After decades of drinking, he had never tasted anything like this.
He drained the remainder of the cup in one gulp and looked at Shen Xia eagerly.
“Little girl, how about filling my cup again?”
However, Shen Xia pressed a hand over the mouth of the wine flask.
“I have even more fine wine at home. As long as you’re willing to come with me, you can drink as much as you like.”
The moment she said that, Hu Jiuchi’s brows knotted together, and his face turned red.
“You little girl, how can you casually invite a man home? This old man comes from a respectable family too!”
Shen Xia could not help laughing.
“Senior Hu, you’ve misunderstood. I admire your abilities and simply wish to have you as my master.”
Senior Hu?
The moment he heard that title, Hu Jiuchi’s expression turned serious.
His gaze sharpened as he stared at Shen Xia.
“You know who I am? Who exactly are you, and what is your purpose?”
“Why not have another drink first?”
Avoiding the question entirely, Shen Xia calmly poured him another cup.
Hu Jiuchi originally intended to stand firm and refuse to touch anything she offered.
After all, she knew his identity. She was undoubtedly plotting something, and that was rather frightening.
But the wine’s fragrance was simply irresistible…
Half an incense stick later, Hu Jiuchi’s face was flushed red from drinking.
He chuckled foolishly.
“Little girl, does your house really have endless supplies of good wine?”
Seeing Shen Xia stand up to leave, he hurriedly lunged forward, grabbed her sleeve, and cried out loudly:
“Little girl! This old man can endure any hardship. Even if you need me to kill or set fires, I don’t mind, as long as you provide good wine. Please take me with you!”
Only then did Shen Xia finally relax.
“Very well, Senior. This way, please.”
…
“Seventh Miss, you left the estate without permission and even brought an outsider into the residence. If Old Madam Shen and Master hear of this, you’ll certainly face severe punishment.”
As soon as Qianzhu saw Li Xiao helping the drunken Hu Jiuchi into another room, she immediately issued a warning.
Most of the people of Nanli Island were descended from pirates and cared little about rigid customs. To them, restrictions between men and women were not especially important.
The Shen Family, however, was different.
They were determined to move to the capital and become true aristocrats, so they awkwardly imitated the etiquette practiced beyond the island and placed great importance on such matters.
Shen Xia sat down, poured herself a cup of tea, and drank it leisurely.
“Qianzhu, there aren’t any outsiders here, so let’s speak honestly. You’re a first class maid serving at Old Madam Shen’s side. It wouldn’t be difficult for someone like you to become a concubine one day. Why would you willingly come to my courtyard? This is the poorest place among all the masters of the Shen Family.”
“Or perhaps you’re here to monitor me on Old Madam Shen’s behalf. But what exactly did she promise you in return?”
Resting her chin on one hand, Shen Xia stared directly at Qianzhu.
Qianzhu froze briefly, clearly not expecting Shen Xia to be so straightforward.
Since things had already reached this point, there was no need to continue pretending.
“We all thought you were a fool. It seems we underestimated you. As for what Old Madam Shen promised me, you’re not qualified to know.”
“You should obediently wait for Inspector Qin to arrive on the island and become his concubine.”
“If you dare ruin Old Madam Shen’s and Master’s plans, I’ll personally send you to join your short lived mother.”
By the end of her speech, Qianzhu’s eyes were filled with viciousness.
Just as expected.
Every one of them was ruthless.
Shen Xia raised an eyebrow.
The system had deliberately only revealed the novel’s broad outline to control her. Naturally, insignificant figures like Qianzhu had not been given detailed descriptions.
Since last night, she had been wondering what exactly Qianzhu desired.
Now…
She believed she knew the answer.
Standing up, Shen Xia strode toward her.
After drinking the medicine she had prepared herself last night, her breathing had improved considerably, and she no longer became breathless from simply walking.
Sensing danger, Qianzhu instinctively tried to retreat.
But Shen Xia was faster.
She grabbed Qianzhu by the throat and forced a pill into her mouth.
Cough, cough, cough!
Qianzhu desperately tried to spit it out, but the pill had already slid into her stomach.
Frantically clawing at her throat, all traces of composure vanished from her face.
“What did you make me eat?”
“Poison, of course. If I want you to obey me, how can I not use a little poison?” Shen Xia shrugged.
Poison?
Qianzhu panicked momentarily, but quickly forced herself to calm down.
Taking several steps backward, she sneered.
“Seventh Miss, even your monthly allowance is pitifully small. Where would you get money to buy poison? Do you really think stuffing some random pill into my mouth will make me obey you? You’re far too naive.”
But very soon, she could no longer laugh.
A violent pain twisted through her abdomen.
Sweat poured from her forehead, and she could barely remain standing.
Looking down at Qianzhu writhing on the floor in agony, Shen Xia yawned and said innocently:
“You’ve wronged me. If I’m going to feed someone poison, why would I use fake poison? If I poison someone, naturally I’d use the real thing, and the most potent poison available.”
The pain became so unbearable that Qianzhu nearly wanted to smash her head against the floor.
With tremendous difficulty, she stretched out a trembling hand and grabbed the hem of Shen Xia’s dress.
“Se… Seventh Miss… I… I was wrong. Please… please give me the antidote.”
“So, do you know whose person you are from now on?”
Shen Xia crouched down and lightly patted Qianzhu’s face, which had become twisted with pain.
“Yours, I’m yours. Please, Seventh Miss, give me the antidote.”
Qianzhu’s voice was filled with desperate pleading.