He had once concocted all kinds of extreme potions in simulations, and the terrifying effects of those potions were still fresh in his memory. Their biggest victim had been a seventh-level Integration Realm Beast Tamer; the Island Master of Spirit Beast Island was tormented to the point of wishing for death.

This implied that the potions were indeed formidably powerful. For a Genetic Alchemist, concocting a simple "Ocean's Heart" was like using a cannon to shoot a mosquito—overkill, and naturally, no challenge at all.

The only downside was that in his quest to create this fine, side-effect-free wine with an excellent taste, Chen Pingchuan had to use himself as a guinea pig. These past few days, his body had been subjected to constant torment, from bouts of diarrhea to general malaise. All sorts of problems frequently arose. To confirm the final efficacy of the liquor, he would even extravagantly use an appraisal spell, which was why he priced his various "wines" so exorbitantly.

Chen Pingchuan strolled to the alley behind the bar, the place where he had first teleported.

CLICK.

The lighter flickered to life, and Chen Pingchuan took a deep drag from his cigarette. At that moment, certain sayings from his past life surfaced in his mind, and they suddenly seemed profound.

Birds of a feather flock together.

He, who had originally abstained from smoking and drinking, had gradually picked up a nicotine addiction in the bar's environment. It was just as the saying went, "It's not a cigarette I'm smoking, but my loneliness."

He savored this loneliness for a full half an hour. Of course, for most of that time, Chen Pingchuan was actually just keeping watch. He was like a patient angler, waiting for a fish to take the bait.

Unfortunately, after waiting for a long time, he came up empty-handed.

The reason his four-dimensional attributes had improved so quickly was naturally thanks to certain "fated individuals." As for the criteria to be considered one of these individuals, it included punks, local thugs, gangsters, and spoiled rich kids.

Always better to kill the wrong person than to let one slip by!

In the few days Chen Pingchuan had been stirring up trouble, the several-kilometer radius centered on the Ability User Bar had been unusually calm.

"Chuanchuan, I knew you'd be here smoking again! How many times have I told you smoking is bad for you? Why don't you ever listen?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Chen Pingchuan slowly raised his head. In truth, he had keenly sensed Wei Xi the moment she stepped into the alley. A faint smile touched his lips as he asked softly, "Why are you here?"

"The lady boss sent me to find you. She said she can't handle those young masters inside. They're making a scene and insisting on drinking that Ocean's Heart of yours."

Chen Pingchuan sighed softly. "You know the deal I made with your boss. I only make one a day."

"I know, I know! But what can we do? Those people are all young masters and princesses from powerful families. We can't afford to offend them," Wei Xi said, rushing to his side. She hooked her arm through his, acting coquettishly. She wasn't sure if he would get angry over this. Although he doted on her in front of others, only Wei Xi knew that this affection perhaps owed more to a sense of guilt.

Chen Pingchuan's gaze was calm as he suddenly asked a strange question. "Will they pay?"

"..."

Wei Xi's instant silence told him everything he needed to know.

"One million per person. How many of them are there?"

"A dozen or so, I think!"

Hearing this, Chen Pingchuan first laughed, a laugh of pure fury laced with a biting chill. The anger in his heart swelled like a tide, growing ever colder.

Over ten million, huh.

"Do you have any idea what it means to be extorted for over ten million back where I'm from?" he asked Wei Xi.

Chen Pingchuan thought back on the dozens of simulations he had run. He had plundered nearly half the wealth of the outer city to barely accumulate a fortune of a few hundred million. And now, a few young punks in the bar thought they could extort ten million from him with just a few words. They were truly courting death.

The more Chen Pingchuan smiled, the more frightened Wei Xi became. Though she had never pried into his past, she knew he was definitely not the nice guy he had pretended to be these past few days. Beneath the gentle and harmless exterior hid a terror that even she, a mere bystander, could feel. It was a chilling aura that not even her sister, Wei Lan, possessed.

"On second thought, let's not go! I'll tell Sister Shuangshuang right now. It'll be fine!" Wei Xi said, timidly changing her tune.

"There's no need. I'll make it for them," Chen Pingchuan said, waving his hand dismissively as his expression returned to calm. "I know how people like this work. If we offend them, they'll just keep coming back to cause trouble endlessly."

"Besides," he added, "it's just mixing a drink. It's not difficult."

After saying this, Chen Pingchuan suppressed his rage, and his entire demeanor became gentle and placid again. Wei Xi was completely taken in by his apparent kindness.

When Chen Pingchuan stepped back into the bar, his eyes immediately fell upon a group of young men and women with brightly colored hair and outlandish styles gathered near the counter. At the center of their boisterous laughter and chatter was the girl who had just tried to extort an "Ocean's Heart."

When she saw Chen Pingchuan appear, Xu Lingyin raised a delicate eyebrow and called out sharply, "Hey! Bartender! Get each of my friends here an Ocean's Heart. I told them I could taste the sea in that drink, but they don't believe me."

As she spoke, Xu Lingyin pouted indignantly. Although her friends hadn't outright called her a liar, the looks of doubt and mockery on their faces made her lose face, leaving her in an awkward position. As for why she couldn't just use her own glass to prove her point, the answer was simple: she had already drunk it all.

A faint smile played on Chen Pingchuan's lips. He showed no sign of anger at Xu Lingyin's somewhat rude attitude. Instead, he smiled warmly and asked gently, "Want to hear a story?"

"Go on!" Xu Lingyin replied dismissively, absentmindedly tracing circles on her empty glass with a finely manicured nail.

She was certain of it. Chen Pingchuan had finally revealed his true colors. He was just another one of those people trying to get close to her. Otherwise, it would be impossible for someone in Hantan City not to know her identity. It seemed this man had just been playing hard to get.

Seeing that Xu Lingyin had agreed, Chen Pingchuan began to tell his story in a slow, deliberate voice.

In the story, there was a magical bartender. He fought through countless hardships and overcame innumerable obstacles, finally pouring all his effort into creating a wine so exquisite it stunned even himself. But who could have known that this would be the beginning of his nightmare? Because others coveted the immense profits the wine could bring, the bartender was captured and forced to mix drinks exclusively for the elite. As the years passed, the bartender eventually died full of hatred, and the very wine he had brewed in his lifetime transformed into a curse.

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