Xue Junhan began to mock her, clearly annoyed. In his eyes, was his little disciple so easily bribed by spirit crystals? Impossible. In fact, Ye Xiruo was indeed easily knocked unconscious by spirit crystals.

Her greatest hobby in life was collecting spirit crystals. Unfortunately, with the system being such a spendthrift, the little bit of spirit crystals she painstakingly collected was quickly squandered.

Damn it, I'm so angry.

"Old man Xue, how can you talk like that? What, are you trying to kick us while we're down? Don't you even remember who discovered Master Ye and who notified you? You're already trying to kick us while we're down. Your disciple should really see your true colors."

"You should enjoy your meal slowly. Who knows if you'll have this opportunity again?"

"Old man Xue, what are you trying to do?"

"Now that she has become my apprentice, she should naturally devote herself to alchemy. How can she be busy in the kitchen every day?"

"Old man Xue, what do you mean by that? How can cooking not be a preoccupation with alchemy? Explain yourself clearly!" Old Wang glared angrily at Xue Junhan while gnawing on a chicken leg. What kind of nonsense was this old man spouting? He wanted to hide Xiao Ye away? Dream on.

"You're looking down on spirit chefs. Be careful, or they'll beat you to death."

"Who said I look down on spirit chefs? You two, don't twist my words."

"Since Master Ye is so devoted to alchemy, does that mean he can no longer brew wine?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Junhan immediately wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.

"How can this be?" He knew all too well how excellent his apprentice's spirit wine was. How could he be deprived of such a noble hobby as brewing wine? This was simply unacceptable.

"Very good, you two have reminded me. I should remind my apprentice to brew less in the future. You unimportant people can just drink plain water."

"Old man Xue, you're shameless!" Old Wang's white beard trembled with anger.

"My apprentices all have to go to the Haoqi Pavilion, how can they have time to brew wine?" Xue Junhan snorted coldly.

"Hmph, is Haoqi Pavilion so great? It's not necessarily better than our Youran Residence. How could Haoqi Pavilion possibly give a little girl such seed-level treatment? If you ask me, the little girl would be better off staying at our Youran Residence. The boss would definitely not mistreat her."

"It's broad daylight, you two, stop dreaming, okay? My little apprentice has already promised to go to the Haoqi Pavilion, and Yingxun and Zishu are coming along too."

"Old man Xue, you despicable, shameless, and vile old man, do you know what you're doing? You're poaching our talent! Aren't you afraid the boss will tear you apart?"

"I'm scared, so I only told the two of you this news. You two must keep it a secret."

Old Wang: Hehe~~~~~~

Old Ge: Haha~~~~~~

Is Old Man Xue dreaming? You Ran Ju finally managed to get three geniuses, and now Old Man Xue has poached them all. No wonder the eldest brother is so angry he'll vomit blood.

"Xiao Ye has the bloodline of a Divine Master, so passing the Haoqi Pavilion's assessment shouldn't be a problem. Even if Ying Xun and Zi Shu pass the assessment, they'll at most become ordinary inner disciples, easily fading into obscurity among so many geniuses." So, you should know when to stop poaching them; don't go too far.

"You're wrong about that. Only by competing with other geniuses can you ignite their competitive spirit, motivate them to forge ahead, and reach the top."

Are you sure you've reached the summit, and not fallen into an abyss, never to recover?

"Old Wang, how can you talk like that? Are you questioning the boss's judgment?" The boss gave three people seed-level treatment; is that something that can be given casually?

"Isn't the boss trying to win over your apprentice? Your apprentice is the main target. Aren't the other two just freebies?"

That sounds very reasonable, but unfortunately, it's not true.

"You think the boss is that kind of person? Hehe~~~~" This meaningful smile made Old Wang and Old Ge feel a chill run down their necks.

Could it be that they misunderstood? Zishu and Yingxun are also treasures.

"The boss gave them both seed-level treatment because they have that value, not as a bonus as you're saying. The boss isn't a philanthropist, some kind of benevolent saint, hahaha~~~"

"You have a point. You'd better give the boss a reasonable explanation for what you've done, otherwise, hehe~~~"

"You don't need to worry about that. From now on, I'll be living the high life with my apprentice, while you guys can just enjoy the wind and eat dirt."

The two, who were eating dirt and blowing in the wind, were immediately bewildered: "Old man Xue, do you want to fight?"

The atmosphere in the room was tense, and it looked like a fight was about to break out when Ye Xiruo suddenly came in, bringing a large pot of pickled fish. You could smell the sour and spicy aroma from afar.

Xue Junhan, Elder Wang, and Elder Ge immediately changed their clothes and expressions, smiling like Amitabha Buddha, with kind and benevolent faces.

"Xiaoye, what brings you here?"

"Let me see if the three alchemists need anything else. I'll have someone arrange it immediately."

Ye Xiruo glanced at the empty plates on the table and asked someone to clear them away.

"Thank you for your hard work today, Xiaoye. These dishes are all delicious."

"I'm glad you like it, Xue Gongshang."

"I like it, but Xiaoye, you still can't forget your roots. Never neglect your cultivation."

"Don't worry, Xue Gongfeng, I know what's important. My cooking skills have been passed down, and even without me, Zui Xian Ju will continue to thrive."

"That's good, that's good. By the way, did you brew this spirit wine yourself?"

"Not bad, but because the time is still relatively short and there are some limitations on raw materials, I am not very satisfied with this batch of wine."

Goodness, if this top-quality spirit wine isn't enough, one can only imagine how delicious the truly exquisite spirit wine must be.

Old Wang and Old Ge could only dream about it, but Xue Junhan was still savoring the small bottle of top-grade spiritual wine that Ye Xiruo had given him earlier.

That might no longer be called wine, but rather a fermented beverage, with a long and mellow flavor that leaves a lasting impression.

"Didn't you find any other spirit wine masters?"

"Not yet. Even if there were, I wouldn't feel comfortable teaching it all I've learned in my life." She herself wasn't at ease; the liquor was the key to Zuixianju, and this problem needed to be resolved as soon as possible.

“What’s so difficult about that? You can go to the slave market and pick out a few spirit wine apprentices; they will never betray you.”

"Thank you for your guidance, Xue. I have learned a lot."

That way, there won't be any hidden dangers. Tomorrow, I'll have Brother Xiu Qi, Senior Brother, and Bai Qi accompany her to select slaves who can brew wine. Hopefully, they can find someone who satisfies her.