Chapter 44

Hearing Mr. Du's response, Zhang Tianyuan clapped his hands and laughed, "If we talk about the origin of monkey wine, what you said isn't entirely wrong!"

"What do you mean?"

"The original meaning of monkey wine, of course, refers to the wine accidentally brewed by monkeys. Monkeys gather fruits from the mountains, pile them up, and the fruits at the bottom, under the pressure of the upper layers, break and produce fruit juice. At the same time, the upper layers of fruit block the air, causing the fruit juice to react with the wild yeast on the surface of the fruits, thus fermenting into wine," Zhang Tianyuan replied.

"That's it, it just confirms the three Taoists' guilt of deceiving consumers," Mr. Du seemed more confident.

However, Zhang Tianyuan ignored him and continued, "In the Ming Dynasty, scholar Li Rihua wrote in 'Penglong Night Talk': 'Mount Huang has many apes. In spring and summer, they gather various flowers and fruits in stone depressions, fermenting them into wine. The fragrance spreads, and can be smelled from hundreds of steps away. Wild woodcutters who venture deep into the mountains might steal a drink, but they shouldn't drink too much. If they do, the apes will notice the reduction in the wine and will surely play with and kill them.' This also proves the fact that monkeys can accidentally brew wine."

"Brother Zhang, who are you helping?" A young Taoist, hearing Zhang Tianyuan's words, became anxious.

Zhang Tianyuan gestured for him to be quiet and continued, "Regardless of what monkey wine originally referred to, it's just a historical origin. For example, when you eat Mapo Tofu, do you insist that Chen Mapo must come from the past to make the tofu for you to avoid being deceived? Or take Zhang Fei Beef, do you really think the beef was made by Zhang Fei? If you think so, you're just being unreasonable. Even if you take it to court, you won't have any advantage."

Mr. Du's face changed. He had been bullying the three Taoists because they didn't know better, but now that someone who understood the situation and could speak well had arrived, he couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Then why don't you explain what the monkey wine in your Taoist temple is all about?" Mr. Du questioned the old Taoist.

The old Taoist calmly replied, "This is the monkey wine passed down from our ancestors, also known as Hundred Fruit Wine. Various fruits are placed in large jars, left to rot and ferment, with a small amount of yeast added. Then it is filtered, distilled, and buried for storage. It is used for special occasions because of its high cost and the effort involved. It is not for sale. Today, we took it out to treat Mr. Du, but we didn't expect to offend him. We can return the money, but we must clarify the facts."

Zhang Tianyuan chuckled, "What do you think, Mr. Du? They treated you as a distinguished guest and brought out such fine wine for you, but you not only didn't appreciate it, you even accused them of deceiving you. How can there be such logic in the world!"

Mr. Du's face turned dark. Although he knew he was in the wrong, he had come to cause trouble and wasn't about to back down. He grumbled, "Your wine isn't clean; drinking it is bad for your health."

"Ha ha ha ha, what a ridiculous claim! I'm not afraid to tell you, I've tasted this monkey wine, and it is fragrant, rich, and pure, with an incomparable sweetness. After drinking it, one feels refreshed and relaxed, even if drunk, one only feels drowsy, like a spring drowsiness, with no heart palpitations or brain heat, and one can sleep soundly and comfortably. Upon waking, one feels refreshed and mentally clear! Such a fine wine, and you say it's bad for your health. What kind of body do you have?"

"Do I have to believe what you say?" Mr. Du was quite不服 (unconvinced).

"You don't have to believe me, but I once had this monkey wine tested in the capital. There is scientific evidence that it is beneficial to health. The test report should still be in the temple. Why don't you, Daoist Wu Mu, fetch it for Mr. Du to see?" Zhang Tianyuan didn't drink much in the past, but the first time he tasted this monkey wine, he almost became addicted. He had thought about making money from it, but after testing, he found it couldn't be mass-produced, so he gave up. However, the test results were indeed flawless, and the wine was definitely a top-quality brew!

Hearing Zhang Tianyuan's words, Daoist Wu Mu went to fetch the test report. Zhang Tianyuan's task was to keep these people calm until Professor Wang and his team arrived to resolve the issue. Fetching the test report would also buy some time.

After seeing the test report, Mr. Du's face turned red with anger. He took advantage of Zhang Tianyuan and Daoist Wu Mu's distraction to tear up the report.

Zhang Tianyuan laughed, "What's the point of tearing it? That's just a copy. I have the electronic version and the original. Do you want to see them too?"

Mr. Du was so angry that he was fuming. He ignored the staff member's advice not to act rashly and signaled the two bodyguards in sunglasses to attack Zhang Tianyuan.

Zhang Tianyuan had no choice but to stand his ground. Whether he could fight or not, he had to try; he couldn't just let himself be beaten.

But before he could act, Daoist Wu Mu had already stepped in front of him. With a flick of his arm, he sent the two bodyguards flying, landing in a backward somersault.

"Wow, what a master! I never knew Daoist Wu Mu had such skills!" Zhang Tianyuan was stunned. In his memory, Daoist Wu Mu was just a kind old man who made good food and brewed monkey wine. Today, his image had completely changed.

Mr. Du's face changed, realizing he had met his match. He couldn't argue or fight, so what could he do? Run!

But just as he turned to flee, he found an old man with white hair leading several government officials, police officers, and security personnel from Fengluan Mountain blocking his way.

"Professor Wang, you're here. This is the ancient Taoist temple with a thousand-year history. Daoist Wu Mu and his two disciples have always lived here. I hope you can help us," Zhang Tianyuan hurriedly greeted Professor Wang.

The rest was simple. Zhang Tianyuan didn't interfere, leaving everything to Professor Wang and his team. In the end, he saw Mr. Du's face turn from red to gray and finally to a ghastly white, which made him feel very satisfied. He knew Professor Wang had thoroughly resolved the issue.

The staff member who had colluded with Mr. Du was also fired, and even the higher-ups at Fengluan Mountain couldn't protect him. With the current strict crackdown, no one dared to take the risk.

After everything was settled, Professor Wang and his team left. Before leaving, to express his gratitude, Daoist Wu Mu gave Professor Wang a gourd of the monkey wine he had brewed.

At first, Professor Wang didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just homemade wine. But after taking a sip, he almost floated away. He asked if there was more, and Daoist Wu Mu told him there was, but not much, only enough for three or four more gourds, as they needed to entertain other guests.

Although he was reluctant, Professor Wang had to give up. He held the gourd as if it were his dearest woman and happily went down the mountain.

When the temple finally quieted down, Zhang Tianyuan asked Daoist Wu Mu if he could take a look around the temple.

He hadn't forgotten his purpose for coming here. Whether the thing on the map was a treasure or not didn't matter; he needed an answer.

But after several rounds, Zhang Tianyuan found the location indicated on the map but couldn't find the item marked.

Frustrated, he sought Daoist Wu Mu's help again, "Daoist, has this temple been renovated?"

"Renovated? No, but a long time ago, there was an earthquake that caused a part of the courtyard to collapse. We later replaced it with new bricks. What are you looking for?" Daoist Wu Mu asked.

Zhang Tianyuan thought for a moment. He trusted Daoist Wu Mu's character. The old man had exposed his martial arts skills to help him, which showed his integrity. Moreover, it wouldn't be right to tear up the bricks without telling Daoist Wu Mu.