This wouldn't matter now; following Jun Mo Xie's pointed finger, the eyes of the seven brothers locked onto where he directed, and once fixed, they simply could not look away!

They internally cursed, "And you call that not much? Eight whole jars, each this enormous! One..."

Even with some missing, each one must hold at least fifty catties, right? All together, that's easily several hundred catties! Pitifully, we can only smell it... haven't even managed to taste a single drop. A single drop is worth a king's ransom—why didn't you just go rob someone?! ...But based on this aroma alone, it's worth a fortune!""Brothers, shall we leave now? Heh heh, weren't you supposed to introduce me to the esteemed Elder Dugu?" Jun Mo Xie walked a few steps ahead, then turned back. He saw the seven men still holding their original posture, their backs to him, gazing at the colossal jars, their feet seemingly rooted to the ground, unmoving.

Were their feet glued to the floor?!

There was certainly no glue on the ground, but the sheer magic of fine wine was infinitely stronger! "Oh, so that's how it is. Seven elder brothers, your silent reminder is noted. I thank you." Jun Mo Xie swayed back, returning to them, and commanded sternly, "Servants!" Immediately, several middle-aged housekeepers appeared at his side. "Young Master, what are your orders?"

"Young Master is careless! How could you all be so careless? You should have sealed these jars immediately! If the elder Dugu brothers hadn't reminded me, the aroma would have completely dissipated! Then, please move these..." Jun Mo Xie paused.

The housekeepers were momentarily stunned. Had their young master lost his mind? Didn't he just instruct them not to seal them up? What was he trying to pull now?!

The seven Dugu experts, hearing this, simultaneously flushed with joy. Naturally, they assumed Jun Mo Xie was moving the wine to present it as a gift to their patriarch. Thinking of the feast they would soon enjoy, they couldn't help but betray their excitement, fidgeting and scratching their heads. "...Move them, move them to my private cellar. I'm hosting a family banquet tonight with the Old Master and Third Master!" Jun Mo Xie said gravely, "And I plan to invite a few more guests; this wine probably won't be enough... Hmm, prepare some other wines as well, just in case. Do not slight our esteemed guests." The housekeepers bowed in unison to acknowledge the command. Then, one by one, they approached the jars, fitted the lids on, and reached for the clay seals. "Stop!" Dugu Ying moved with incredible speed, darting forward like an arrow, spreading his arms in a posture suggesting he could embrace the entire world. He directly blocked the housekeepers, shielding the wine jars protectively behind him.

His stance was that of an unmovable mountain, a towering presence. If one didn't know better, one might think this man was some kind of supreme master!

The other six Dugu brothers snapped out of their daze almost simultaneously. They moved as one to stand alongside him. Suddenly, seven iron pillars stood guard before the jars, fully alert and prepared!

So, this wine was for the Jun family's banquet tonight, and they might even run out... Did this mean that after tonight, there would be no more wine of this caliber? It never occurred to them that Jun Mo Xie's words were riddled with holes—one moment he implied he wanted to keep it for himself, and the next he was planning a massive feast to consume it all. His statements were utterly contradictory.

But hearing that the wine was nearly gone sent them into a panic. "Seven elder brothers, what is the meaning of this?" Jun Mo Xie asked, frowning in genuine confusion.

"Our grandfather is expecting it tonight. We should hurry back."

This single sentence instantly extinguished any thought the seven men might have had of outright seizing the wine: it turned out Marshal Jun knew about the wine. "Ha ha, huff, hah, hehe, roar." Dugu Ying was beyond mere laughter; he emitted a bizarre sound, then shot a meaningful glance.

The other six immediately understood. Like six fierce tigers descending from the mountains, they instantly subdued Jun Mo Xie, then pointed east while striking west, and pointed south while hitting north, quickly knocking the four housekeepers to the ground. Dugu Ying kept shouting intermittently, "Take it easy! Don't injure anyone!"

Dugu charged into the room like a gust of wind, emerging moments later empty-handed. Dugu Xiong cursed resentfully:

"Idiot! The bowls are in the kitchen!" Dugu Chong and Dugu Shang flashed out swiftly. In a short while, they returned, each holding several large bowls, laughing heartily.

"Be careful not to spill any of the wine," Dugu Ying solemnly instructed. "Don't pour from just one jar—it’s the old rule: take a little from each. And don't drink too much. Quickly, have a few bowls to satisfy your craving, and that will be enough. Then we'll take Jun Mo Xie and go. We absolutely cannot get drunk. Sixth brother, I'm talking to you—you're the biggest glutton. Remember to drink less." It seemed these men had experience sneaking drinks at home, as they were clearly veterans of such illicit consumption.

"Naturally," the others agreed, already impatient. They rushed to the jars to ladle out the wine, then carefully carried their filled bowls back, squatting around the stone table in a circle, resembling a group of construction workers gathered after a long day.

Dugu Ying raised his bowl, lingering to inhale the aroma deeply, before taking a massive gulp. He felt an icy thread slide down his throat, immediately followed by a scorching flame erupting from his stomach, making him feel lightheaded and floating, as if he were about to ascend to immortality. He roared in praise, "Truly fine wine! Absolutely top-grade! Everything we've drunk before—imperial tribute wine and all—was absolute garbage! Later, I must find out where Jun Ting sells this stuff!"

The other six took a simultaneous sip, then all let out a collective, drawn-out exhale, tilting their heads back toward the sky, clutching their stomachs, shaking their heads, and unanimously moaning in comfort: "Oh~~ Oh~~~"

The sounds these seven utterly rugged, manly figures produced at that moment were strangely like the synchronized sighs of dozens of seasoned courtesans receiving favor from a client; then, simultaneously starting their next action, their voices became exquisitely soft and melodious, weaving into a torrent of pure, intoxicating pleasure. On the ground, Jun Mo Xie shivered violently; every hair on his body stood on end. He felt like a man walking through a haunted graveyard at midnight—utterly chilled to the bone.

Immediately after, they scrambled back and forth, snatching more wine, punctuated by rising arguments:

"Boss, you've had two bowls and I've only had one!" ... "Seventh brother, get out of my way, stop fighting me for it!" ... "So good... Hey, what are you doing, pushing me?!" ... "Damn it! Third brother is shamelessly gulping down three bowls without saying a word!" ... "Brothers, just one more round... we'll leave after this!" These seven brothers hadn't considered how long they had been rampaging—they had kicked open the gate and barged in, and quite some time had passed since their arrival. Not a single guard or warrior from Marshal Jun’s formidable household had emerged to investigate! This was profoundly abnormal! And yet, they drank so wantonly, daring to drink themselves into oblivion, completely unconcerned that the host might have already summoned help! This level of brazenness left Jun Mo Xie dumbfounded... It was as if a gang of bandits had loudly invaded a home, settled in comfortably to drink themselves unconscious, ignoring the fact that the owner had already called the police. Jun Wu Yi, who had silently appeared, smiled at Jun Mo Xie, winked, and then vanished soundlessly. At the gate, hundreds of Jun family guards quietly dispersed... This was pure, undiluted spirit, the 'head' of the liquor, without any tempering! Even by the standards of his previous life's alcohol measurement, this must be seventy or eighty proof, perhaps even higher—calling it pure alcohol wouldn't be an exaggeration!

A large bowl held at least half a catty! Jun Mo Xie thought with genuine pity.

Jun Mo Xie, seemingly restrained and having his inner energy sealed, was tossed onto the ground, completely ignored by the Dugu brothers, who were terrified of drinking less than the others. Of course, this restraint was virtually meaningless to Jun Mo Xie. At first, he was worried these rowdy youths would sober up and discover him. Later, he simply sat up, watching the seven brothers squabble over the wine. Finally, he stood up, stretched his limbs, and leaned against a pillar to watch—no one paid him any mind.

It only took a moment, just a fleeting moment... "CRASH!" Dugu Qian, the youngest and with the weakest tolerance, was the first to buckle. He pitched forward, crashing onto the ground, and immediately fell into a deep sleep, snoring loudly.

Dugu Hao tripped over him, deeply annoyed, and kicked Dugu Qian far away before hurrying back to ladle more wine.

"CRASH!" Dugu Chong stumbled on his way to fetch more wine.

"CRASH!"

"CRASH!"

"CRASH!"

"CRASH!"

"CRASH!"

The ground was quickly littered with bodies sprawled every which way!

There was simply no helping it; the potency of this wine was too immense! It was likely faster-acting than any sleeping powder!

Although they all had varying capacities, it depended on the liquor. These seven Dugu brothers were used to strong drinks, but they had never encountered alcohol with such terrifying kick. It was like a worker accustomed to only beer suddenly downing a cup of Erguotou [a potent Chinese liquor]. At first sip, it seemed manageable; they could even guzzle several bowls quickly. But once the alcohol hit—this drunken dream state would likely last several days before they fully sobered up. Moreover, these seven Dugu brothers—even the one who drank the least—had consumed at least three or four massive bowls!

In an instant, Jun Mo Xie's small courtyard was filled with roaring snores! Although he had successfully resolved this immediate confrontation, Jun Mo Xie was deeply annoyed—entirely because of these seven brothers.

Sleeping is one thing, but they were snoring! Snoring was tolerable; he could endure it. But several of them weren't just snoring; they were grinding their teeth, whistling, and passing gas—a complete symphony of every conceivable noise, perfectly modulated and clearly audible! "Screeech—" While Jun Mo Xie was in agony, Dugu Ying on the ground started up again.

Kicking him hard in the backside, Jun Mo Xie cursed hatefully, "What are you yelling about!" The whistling instantly ceased. Dugu Ying was kicked over, landing flat on his back, muttering vaguely toward the ceiling, "Good wine..." Over the high wall of the adjacent courtyard, Guan Qinghan, concealed partially by a flowering tree, stood clad in crisp, snow-white martial attire. Her eyes, as cold and icy as frost, registered extreme disbelief!

She had received a warning from Ke'er not to come!

But she had come anyway!

From the moment the seven Dugu brothers smashed through the gate, Guan Qinghan had stood here, sword in hand. If the Dugu brothers had shown any sign of harming Jun Mo Xie or attempting to drag him away, Guan Qinghan would have immediately intervened—even knowing she was outmatched, she would have fought with all her strength!

Although she usually found that boy Jun Mo Xie irritating, he was, after all, the sole heir of the Jun family's third generation, and technically her junior brother-in-law. She simply could not stand by and watch him get hurt, especially since the boy had seemed more like a decent person lately...

But the scenes that unfolded next caused Guan Qinghan's eyes to widen gradually, even showing a hint of admiration. From the very start, Jun Mo Xie's composed demeanor upon their entry had shocked her. The Jun Mo Xie of her memory would likely have been reduced to a puddle of fear by now, perhaps even wetting his trousers—but today he was completely different. Then, step by step, using a strategy of letting them chase after him, he guided the seven Dugu brothers into his trap, leading them to willingly jump into it as if they were gaining a massive advantage, only to end up utterly drunk from their own eager consumption... Even though these seven men were the roughest sort imaginable, witnessing this outcome still left Guan Qinghan astonished. Was this really the same timid, incompetent junior brother-in-law, Jun Mo Xie?

She let out a quiet, deep sigh, and Guan Qinghan vanished without a sound.

(Thank you to the book's first Alliance Leader. Thank you to the brother, "Brother, you don't understand!" Your generous support truly makes Feng Ling feel undeserving! Thank you for your patronage!!)

Heh heh, allow me a brief word here. Regarding tips for urging updates and similar things, brothers and sisters, please be sensible! Take care of your own lives first; don't put yourselves in a difficult position. As long as everyone is happy and healthy, that is the greatest blessing!

Subscribing to this book is already massive support! As for tipping, it is entirely a token of goodwill from my brothers and sisters, and Feng Ling is deeply grateful!

Feng Ling admits he is a common man and, of course, appreciates money; he would never pretend to be aloof enough to refuse it! I won't deny that. But in my heart, the affection and health of my brothers and sisters are far more important than that! I acknowledge your good intentions, and I accept your gifts, but you must promise me you will look after yourselves before anything else!! Never exceed your means!! Otherwise, I will feel deeply unsettled!!!

Having all of you is the greatest reward this book has earned! Thank you all!!

My emotions are high, and I've rambled on too long, wasting my readers' data allowance again. My apologies! Please understand—these things are unavoidable during a new book's launch. Once things stabilize, I promise to improve, alright? Hehe, wishing everyone happiness!