As Yi You was about to leave the residence with her Grandfather Three, it was already around the Zi. The auction would start during Chou time. During this interval, the young girl was free because, in the learning hall, a five-year-old like her would mostly just sit and practice writing characters.

    Even Liu Yi Ya, who was seven, had to spend over half the time practicing writing before she could enter the Huali room to begin adjusting her vital energies. Yi You, who already could read and write and could not cultivate like others, had no desire to go to such a boring place.

    The small figure took out the mysterious gourd to inspect. She dared not use it to plant anything else, fearing that if something went wrong, she wouldn't be allowed to leave the residence today. The girl just slowly opened the gourd and poured the liquor into a tea cup on the table. She just watched, sniffed, and stared without daring to taste it.

    In her last life, she had never drunk intoxicants. In this life, her body was still young, and the events of yesterday had scared her. She dared not try anything rash.

    Seeing the girl pouring liquor into the tea cup, the greedy worm didn't hesitate. It quickly crawled up the table.

    "Come on, just a sip," it said happily as it lunged for the tea cup.

    But the small figure quickly moved the cup away, causing the greedy worm to faceplant into the wooden table with a thud!

    "Stinky face, where are you taking the liquor?" Originally ugly, its face now crumpled even more.

    "Tell me everything. What can this liquor do?" She narrowed her eyes at the worm, clearly displeased.

    "Oh! You stinky kid, how would I know? I just saw Liu Fuzhen regularly use it to water the plants, that's all," it rolled its eyes and pouted again.

    "Did my father use it to water plants? Why didn't you say so from the start? And... can it do anything else?"

    "Drink it. Liquor is meant to be drunk. If not for drinking, then what's it good for?" The worm spoke, looking down on her.

    Why would you ask such a silly question?

    Is she stupid or stupid? Liquor, if not for drinking, then what is it for?

    If she knew what the worm was thinking, she might also ask what kind of liquor is used for watering plants. If the greedy worm knew her thoughts, it would probably roll its eyes at the ceiling and reply, "Well, it's the Liu clan's liquor, so..."

    "You little worm, why do you drink?" Yi You continued to squint at it unceasingly.

    "Watch it! You stinky kid, I am Master Khainui, not a worm," it replied irritably.

    Upon hearing that, the girl's mouth twitched, she pursed her lips, barely holding back laughter, and took a deep breath, finally managing to swallow her laughter.

    "How about this, Sir Khainui, tell me what my father did with this liquor, and how."

    "Liu Fuzhen used this liquor to mix into brewed spirits and then sell them. When he forged the medicine, he added a little of this liquor. He mixed this liquor with water to water the herbal garden. That's about it, I think. I don’t really remember," it said, striking a pose as if folding its arms, its eyes fixed on the tea cup in Yi You's hand.

    Hearing it call itself Master Khainui made her uncomfortable. If it kept calling itself Master Khainui, she would surely die of suppressed laughter.

    She put the liquor cup down on the table. The greedy worm didn't wait; it climbed onto the tea cup. Soon, the liquor disappeared along with the worm that fell with a thud from the tea cup, staggering left and right.

    What kind of worm enjoys drinking liquor…

    In the end, she still didn't get an answer as to why a worm would enjoy drinking liquor, as the cheeky worm had collapsed onto the table and fallen asleep again.

    Yi You pouted and kept ignoring it.

    She poured more liquor into a new tea cup, observing and sniffing it closely. The aroma from the gourd was fragrant, unlike the pungent smell typical of ordinary liquor. She wanted to try it but dared not, fearing any mishaps might confine her within the manor, so she curbed her curiosity and sat down to read some books to pass the time.

    The subtle fragrance of the liquor somewhat distracted her. The girl fetched a porcelain bottle and poured the liquor into it. She washed the remaining liquor at the bottom of the cup with tea water and flung it out the window before returning to her reading.

    However, around the Si hour, Elder Three came to find her.

    "Little Seventeen," he cheerfully approached, but as soon as he got near, he began sniffing something intently. "Seventeen, I smell alcohol," he furrowed his brow at the girl and said, "Don't tell me you've been secretly drinking."

    Yi You wanted to roll her eyes but didn't dare; instead, she just smiled innocently.

    "Grandpa Three, what is alcohol? If it smells nice, it must be from this," she said, walking over to pick up the porcelain bottle with a small amount of liquor left in it.

    Elder Three raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What is this…?"

    "I don’t know, it was left by my father. I accidentally spilled some, though," she lied with a face full of earnest honesty.

    Elder Three took a sniff and his eyes widened. "This is excellent liquor… better than the finest master liquor I've ever tasted. Where did you get this from?"

    "From a wooden box that Great Grandfather gave me," she lied sincerely.

    "Do you have more?" Elder Three expressed his excitement.

    "There's only this much left, Grandpa Three. My hands are so small it’s hard for me to hold it so I spilled it a bit, only this much is left," she responded.

    "Little Seventeen, may I have this bottle, please?" he asked shyly, his face breaking into a pleased grin.

    Asking a child for something seemed somewhat embarrassing for the elder.

    "It’s yours, Grandfather Three," she nodded enthusiastically.

    Elder Three examined the porcelain bottle and murmured thoughtfully,

    "Strange, when the other brothers looted your father’s things, I didn’t see this bottle. But it's fortunate they didn’t either, or it wouldn’t have ended up in my hands," said Elder Three plainly

    However, the listener was the one frozen. She could only tell herself,

    I don’t know anything, I haven’t seen anything, Nada.

    She then continued to smile as usual.

    "Elder Three, weren’t you supposed to go to the auction at the Zi hour? It’s still the Si hour," she remarked.

    "Yes, yes," he stored the liquor in his spatial bag and smiled at the girl,

    "I will head out early. Let’s bring some extra goods to auction."

    "The Flame Pomegranate fruits?" the girl asked, tilting her head as he patted her small head.

    "Very clever, girl. Let's go. If we can sell the Flame Pomegranate fruits, we can finally overhaul the family holding system to the institution system you mentioned," Elder Three said with a beaming smile.

    Elder Three walked leisurely with the girl to broaden her horizons, but the five-year-old without any Qi power soon became tired, and ultimately, Elder Three had to carry her as they toured the city.

    When they reached the auction house, they met the auction manager. There was a rule that no new items would be accepted shortly before an auction began.

    But upon seeing the fully matured Flame Pomegranate fruits, how could they refuse? The auction house manager quickly agreed to accept them.

    Elder Three nodded in satisfaction and walked with the girl to their seating area. Since they were just a minor clan, they normally wouldn't have rights to special seating or private rooms, but because of the valuable Flame Pomegranate fruits they brought for the auction, they were given a special room on this occasion.

    During this time, the girl saw her uncle and cousin Second sitting in the ordinary seating area for the general public, but she didn’t think to greet them. She preferred not to be near such dangerous individuals anyway.

    The auction began, and a variety of items were brought up for bidding.

    The first item to be auctioned was a coffin, about which she knew nothing.

    Elder Three briefly explained that it was used by those studying Corpse Control.

    "Next up, a Pulse-Piercing Elixir," no description was given, just the name was enough to cause a stir among the attendees.

    The bidding was fierce, ultimately closing at three million stones. Yi You was astounded at the auction price.

    Elder Three explained that this was an elixir for enhancing one’s meridians. Talents among people vary, with the lowest being human meridians, followed by earth meridians, and the rare dragon meridians. The rarest of all were celestial meridians.

    At age seven, everyone must undergo a meridian inspection. As long as one has at least earth meridians in them, they will be well-supported, and this Pulse-Piercing Elixir could enhance a meridian up to one level below celestial meridians.

    A person can only use it once, and Flame Pomegranate fruits are a crucial ingredient in crafting this elixir.

    Seeing the smile on Elder Three's face, the girl was no longer surprised why they had frantically collected the Flame Pomegranate fruits. If they could use the elixir to enhance the meridians of their clan members, their clan would surely grow rapidly in a few decades.

    "Next, a lifelike painting by an anonymous artist," announced the auction manager, snapping Yi You back to attention.

    That was her painting…

    1 ‘Si hours’ (Chinese hours from 09.00 – 10.59 a.m.)

    2 ‘Zi hours’ (Chinese hours from 11.00 - 1.00 a.m.)