Dao Lao saw that Master Gu was reluctant to answer Haoyun's question, so he smacked his lips and said, "From what I've heard, one year, the Thirteenth District of the Nether Spirit Realm was preparing for the year-end meeting and sent a logistics official to Huaguo Star to purchase some food for the event. This official, while shopping, happened to run into an old acquaintance from Water Curtain Town. Since they were both far from home, they naturally decided to catch up during a break from work. So, they found a fruit bar to reminisce. As they ate and drank, the conversation naturally turned to the official's mission. Inevitably, they also talked about the intense competition among the divine peaches in the Spirit Realms."
Dao Lao took another bite of a peach before continuing, "After a few rounds of drinks, they were a bit tipsy. The official's old friend, emboldened by the alcohol, began to complain about the Spirit Realms no longer purchasing peaches from Water Curtain Town. He said that although the Spirit Realms gave some compensation, it wasn't enough to make up for the loss in peach sales.
"Then, the official's friend started enthusiastically promoting a new variety of peach developed by Water Curtain Town to reverse their decline, claiming it was so delicious it could even surpass the royal orchard's divine peaches. He mentioned that their fruit bar had just introduced a drink made from this new peach variety and ordered one for the official to try.
"The official, happy to receive a free drink, gladly accepted. It’s unclear if the new peach was genuinely that good or if the official’s taste was affected by the alcohol, but he found the peach absolutely fantastic. The taste rivaled the royal orchard's divine peaches.
"As a result, the official contacted the event planning committee and enthusiastically persuaded them to buy this new peach variety. He confidently stated that Water Curtain Town, as the origin of peaches, had developed a top-quality new variety. He suggested that this year's meeting should feature this new peach, so the leaders of the Spirit Realms and guests from various districts could witness its excellence and give Judge Yan some prestige." Dao Lao continued.
"So, was the result unsatisfactory?" Haoyun guessed from Dao Lao's tone and Master Gu's dark expression that nothing good happened next.
Master Gu sighed and said, "Ah, don't mention it. Judge Yan had always been resentful about Water Curtain Town losing its peach business to the royal orchard because reduced income for Water Curtain Town meant less income for our district. But since the higher-ups had created the royal orchard's divine peach brand, Judge Yan couldn’t say much besides smiling bitterly.
"Therefore, when he learned that Water Curtain Town had developed a new peach that supposedly tasted as good as the royal orchard's divine peaches, he was thrilled. Judge Yan wanted to use this peach to undermine the royal orchard's dominance and show everyone that Water Curtain Town was still the center of peach cultivation in the Spirit Realms. So, Judge Yan personally approved the change in peach variety for the event and instructed the publicity department to promote this new peach for the year-end meeting. With the promise of tasting the new divine peach, many officials from other districts used their connections to get tickets to our district's annual meeting. Consequently, the event evolved from a simple year-end summary into a new peach launch event."
"And the result?" Haoyun asked.
"The result? It was a disaster! After the grand unboxing ceremony for the new divine peach, every official, including Judge Yan, finally got their hands on one. Everyone took a bite full of anticipation, then they all froze. The new peach not only fell short compared to the royal orchard's divine peaches, but it was also inferior to the most common peaches available.
"To make matters worse, after the failure of the new peach launch, the central delegation of the Spirit Realms, ever eager to stir up trouble, brought out a warehouse full of peaches specially prepared for the event and distributed them to the officials. Naturally, everyone praised the royal orchard's divine peaches, declaring that the myth of Water Curtain Town’s peaches was over and that the era of the royal orchard's divine peaches had arrived! Oh, you have no idea how furious Judge Yan was after his grand plan failed. His face turned greener than mine ever has," Master Gu said, feigning heartache, but Haoyun could sense a bit of schadenfreude in his words.
"That official... must have met a terrible fate, right?" Haoyun asked sympathetically.
"Ah!" Master Gu shook his head repeatedly, pretending to be regretful. "At that event, our Thirteenth District of the Nether Spirit Realm lost all face, and Judge Yan naturally poured all his anger onto that official. However, that official was notorious for his stubbornness and never admitted fault. He insisted that the peaches he tasted were indeed delicious.
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"So, Judge Yan summoned the official's friend and questioned the peach farmer in court. Before Judge Yan, the farmer had to tell the truth. It turned out that the reason the official found the peaches so delicious was due to another ingredient in the peach drink—yogurt. The fruit bar used a new type of milk from Huaguo Star Ranch to make the yogurt.
"Because the local dairy farmers added a special type of licorice to the cows' feed, the milk and its products had a unique flavor. The delicious taste of the peach was entirely due to the yogurt. However, the friend, already a bit drunk, forgot to mention this to the official."
Upon hearing this, Haoyun couldn't help but grimace. As a logistics procurement official in the Nether Spirit Realm, committing such a low-level and serious mistake was indeed inexcusable!
"Since that's the case, shouldn't that peach farmer also be punished? After all, he engaged in false advertising and made a lot of money off you," Haoyun asked while eating a peach.
This was the third peach Haoyun had eaten. Although the taste couldn't compare to the peaches he had eaten in Master Gu's carriage, they were still impressive enough for him. After all, these were divine peaches from the Spirit Realms, far superior to the ordinary peaches grown by humans on Earth.
"Of course, that peach farmer was severely punished as well!" Master Gu said sternly.
But the next second, Master Gu lowered his voice and added, "However, you know how it is. Judge Yan values money highly and sometimes likes to take advantage of situations. So, after the peach farmer offered a full refund without taking back the peaches and voluntarily agreed to provide free fruit to the city for a hundred years as compensation, Judge Yan decided to let him off with a light symbolic reprimand."
"But the official wasn’t so lucky. In a fit of rage, Judge Yan gave him fifty lashes, docked a hundred years of his salary and bonuses, and exiled him to Huaguo Star to milk cows. Only after completing a hundred years of service there would he be reinstated."
"Wow! So, punishments in the Nether Spirit Realm start at a hundred years, huh?" Haoyun quipped, while constantly reminding himself not to offend these officials, or he might face a century-long punishment too.
"Ha ha ha! Well, the life of an official is nearly infinite, so they have plenty of time. Making them waste some of it is just a game!" Master Gu laughed carelessly.
Haoyun thought their idea of fun was unique but not something he could handle. So, he pointed to Master Gu’s small wooden box and asked, "So what now? Master Gu, are you saying you’re giving me all these peaches? Let’s be clear, I only have 2.5 Shen Dun coins; I can’t afford to buy them!"
"Sigh, these peaches are practically freebies from Judge Yan, so how could we charge you?" Master Gu waved his hand. "Judge Yan didn't order the peaches destroyed to avoid waste, but he didn't want Lingzhi City to use them either because they embarrassed him. And no one else, from officials to common spirits, wanted these ‘unlucky’ peaches, so they ended up taking space in my warehouse.
"Considering these peaches are top-tier food in this world, if we use them to create some peach-flavored drinks, your tea shop will become famous overnight. After discussing it with Dao Lao, we decided to give you all these peaches! With these peach drinks, your tea shop will surely take the market by storm." As Master Gu spoke, he made an exaggerated explosion gesture with his hands.
Whether or not Master Gu’s plan would make the peach drinks a hit, the combination of "divine peaches," "free," and "peach-flavored drinks" already excited Haoyun immensely.
Haoyun said excitedly, "Thank you, Master Gu and Dao Lao! I will always remember your great kindness! Master Gu, don’t worry! If this works out, I’ll give you as many Gulina Zha and Dilireba souvenirs as you want! Dao Lao, you can have as many barbecue meals as you like! No, that's too small. If the plan really works, I'll give you each a ten percent share of my tea shop! That way, you’ll have plenty of money to spend!"
"Oh, and you too, Sister Cuihua! I'll give you five percent of the shares. After all, making money together means we can keep making more money!" Haoyun turned to Cuihua, generously offering. From his tone, one might think he had already made a fortune.
"Oh no, Sister Cuihua doesn’t dare accept Lord Hao's shares! He he he! I’m just here to assist you as ordered. If I can help you succeed and make Master Gu happy, I’ve fulfilled my mission! After all, if Master Gu is happy, so am I!" Cuihua bashfully replied, her large frame twisting shyly.
At this moment, a flock of black crows flew overhead, dropping small black droppings. Haoyun wiped his forehead, looking at Master Gu with a mixture of admiration, worry, and curiosity, silently thinking, "Master Gu, you sure play it smart! I didn’t realize your preferences are quite diverse!"
"Ahem, ahem!" Master Gu cleared his throat forcefully, pretending not to understand Haoyun's implication, then said, "Actually, I’m just conveying Judge Yan's intention after discussing your request with him. So, while I appreciate your offer of shares, I must decline. I’m just representing Lingzhi City in this matter and can’t take advantage for personal gain."
"Got it. Then the ten percent shares will go to Lingzhi City," Haoyun quickly understood Master Gu’s hint and made an OK gesture.
"Ha ha ha! That’s great! Since you’re so grateful, I’ll gladly accept on behalf of Judge Yan and Lingzhi City!" Master Gu cheerfully accepted Haoyun's offer.
"But—," Master Gu then hesitated, "ten percent shares—might be a bit low. You see, although these peaches don’t provide any substantial benefit to the spirits here, they are divine peaches from the upper realms, symbolically invaluable! Plus, as a partner, Lingzhi City will ensure a steady supply of peaches in the future, which will be a considerable expense. So, about those shares—"
Haoyun knew Master Gu was negotiating for better terms for Lingzhi City, but he didn’t mind. After all, having Lingzhi City as a shareholder was a rare and valuable opportunity.