Agent secret Wind Boy

Chapitre 38

"What's in that bottle?" After walking for a while, I finally couldn't resist my curiosity and asked her.

“This is water from ‘Tranquil Heart Spring’,” Banhe replied with a smile.

"Water?" I hadn't expected her to come all this way just to fetch water, and how much could such a small bottle hold? She must make countless trips a day! "Why don't you talk to the manor lord and ask him to dig a well in the yard? Running around every day is exhausting!"

Banhe pursed her lips and giggled, saying, "Of course there's a well in the courtyard. This is specially for the Master to brew tea." —Wow, what a grand display! It's just brewing tea, why all the fuss? Can't we drink water from anywhere?

"Oh," I replied listlessly, kicking a pebble at my feet.

Suddenly, a melodious and gentle piano tune drifted from afar, its soft sound entering the quiet path and creating a particularly pleasant atmosphere.

"Huh, this isn't the announcement from the Master. Could it be that a guest has arrived?" Before I could even ask, Banhe looked surprised and suspicious. "Wait here for me for a moment, and don't wander off. I'll go check and come right back." She instructed me, and without waiting for my reply, she hurriedly disappeared into the winding corridors.

"Hey! Hey!" I waved my hand in vain, then muttered to myself, resigned to my fate, "It's fine if you leave, but at least tell me where the kitchen is, right?"

Waiting here? Do you think I'm stupid? Who knows how long she'll be gone? Now I can only follow the sound to find her—if the girl ignores me, of course I have to find her mistress. I want to see if she'll chase me away!

The winding corridors and pavilions here are cleverly designed. No matter which way I walked, it seemed I was always the same distance from the sound of the zither. After searching for a long time, I didn't see a single person, and the music abruptly stopped.

"Is anyone there? I am Ye Qingyang, and I request an audience with the master of Caiyun Pavilion." I had no choice but to call out.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you not to wander off? How dare you...!" A moment later, Banhe appeared hastily, her cheeks flushed, her pretty face showing a hint of reproach. "Hurry up and leave!"

"I haven't eaten anything yet!" I felt wronged too. It would have been fine if they hadn't let me in in the first place, but now that half a day has already been wasted, who would want to walk back?

"Banhe, please invite Young Master Ye in." Just as the stalemate was at its end, a soft, charming female voice entered my ears. I smiled triumphantly, made a face at her, and then gestured for her to lead the way. Banhe stomped her foot in annoyance, but had no choice but to lead the way.

Following Banhe, we turned left and right, and soon emerged from the waterside pavilion. A sudden burst of light greeted me—the courtyard was surrounded by chrysanthemums, their reds, yellows, whites, and purples blooming in vibrant colors. A fragrant osmanthus tree exuded a delicate aroma, interspersed with several begonias. A few branches of old plum trees stretched over the wall, adding a touch of elegance. In the center stood a stone pavilion, inscribed with the two characters 'Hidden Abode' in cursive script. Inside, two women and a man sat or stood. Seeing Banhe and me approach, they all turned to look at me.

Wait, isn't that handsome man with a face like jade, dressed in white like snow, Liu Wufeng, the Second Master Liu?! Ha, I've run into an acquaintance. Now I'm even less afraid she'll kick me out.

"Hey! No wind." I greeted him with obvious delight, while glancing at the other two. "You're so unfair! You came to such a nice place and didn't even invite me?!"

The woman seated before the zither stand appeared to be around twenty years old, dressed in a light green gown. Her figure was slender and graceful, her cheeks as white as snow, her eyes like rippling water—truly a delicate and captivating beauty! The music she had just played must have come from her exquisite hands!

The remaining one was elegant and graceful, with a charming demeanor. She appeared to be around thirty years old. She must be the owner of Caiyun Pavilion—after hearing Banhe's words, I originally thought the owner of the pavilion would be a dignified old woman, but who knew she would turn out to be a stunningly beautiful woman with exceptional temperament.

Wow! I couldn't help but click my tongue in amazement. Good heavens! This secluded mountain villa is truly a blessed land, nurturing so many handsome men and beautiful women.

"Brother Ye, let me introduce you. This is Yun Mengyan, the Jade Goddess Needle, Senior Yun." Liu Wufeng greeted me with a faint smile. "This is Miss Rulan, the third young lady of the Lu family." He paused, then pointed to me and said, "This is Ye Qingyang, a good friend of my elder brother and me, Young Master Ye."

"Jade Needle Yun Mengyan? Miss Lu Rulan?" I was taken aback; these were truly two unexpected surprises! The name of the Divine Needle was already legendary. Back then, Liu Wufeng kept calling her Senior Yun, leading me to believe she was a woman in her fifties. I never imagined she was so young. As for Lu Rulan, I'd only heard of her name at Lu Family Manor, never seen her in person. It was said she was born frail and, fearing she wouldn't survive, had been fostered in a nunnery since childhood. I never imagined I'd meet her today in Jiangning, a thousand miles away. Even more unexpected was that someone rumored to be on the verge of death had blossomed into such a beautiful woman?

"May I ask what brings Young Master Ye here?" Yun Mengyan asked, her words polite but her voice cold—clearly displeased with my uninvited arrival.

"No, I don't have any business here. I was just strolling around the garden and got tired, so I stopped by to find something to eat." I didn't bother with any pretense of politeness and stated my purpose directly, my eyes already automatically drawn to the plates of fresh fruits on the stone table in the pavilion.

Seeing this, Lu Rulan covered her mouth and chuckled, "Auntie, this person is quite interesting, without any of the pedantry of those pedantic scholars."

"Who says scholars have to be sour?" I said bluntly, picking up a bunch of grapes with my right hand and popping them into my mouth, while peeling an orange with my left. "Besides, I'm not a scholar."

On the table sat an exquisite red clay charcoal stove, upon which rested a white-painted clay teapot. The charcoal fire burned brightly in the stove, and on a small table beside it was a set of white jade official kiln blue-and-white porcelain tea set—it turned out they were imitating the ancients by playing the zither to enhance the tea experience! —No, that's not right, they were originally ancient people, I had forgotten.

"Don't worry about me, you guys continue." I had an orange in my mouth, and my words were a bit unclear, but I figured they should be able to understand me. "But I'm really hungry, could you get me something to eat to fill my stomach?"

Yun Mengyan smiled and said, "Banhe, go and fetch some pastries to accompany Young Master Ye's tea."

As they spoke, the water in the stove had already boiled. Lu Rulan swayed her slender waist and moved her lotus-like steps lightly, took the stove, and skillfully scalded the pot, poured water, placed tea leaves, added water, poured tea... her movements were smooth and flowing, graceful and beautiful, all done in one go.

"Beautiful!" I couldn't help but exclaim—I was so engrossed in glancing at her that I'd forgotten I was eating a jujube, and as soon as I spoke, the jujube 'glug'ed down my throat. Seriously? I choked?!

This book was first published on Xiaoxiang Novel Original Website. Please retain this information when reprinting!

[Volume 2: Farewell Chapter 19: Tea Serves as Wine for Guests (Part 2)]

I choked so hard my face turned red, and I kept pounding my chest, unable to speak for a moment. Seeing this, Liu Wufeng placed his hand on my back and patted me lightly. With a "plop," the culprit date flew straight out of my mouth and disappeared into the grass—I was completely stunned! I've never been so embarrassed in my life! In my heart, I cried out: Ye Qing, Ye Qing, are you really that reckless? Has anyone ever heard of someone choking to death on a date?!

Just as she was feeling awkward, Banhe arrived gracefully with a bamboo basket. She opened the food box and placed several dishes of snacks on the stone table—they were: crystal autumn leaf dumplings, chicken broth braised dried bean curd strips, crab roe soup dumplings, and lotus root with osmanthus honey.

These snacks looked and smelled delicious, making my hungry stomach itch. I glanced at Yun Mengyan—having just made a fool of herself, she was a little embarrassed to take them without asking.

"Brother Ye, have you not had lunch yet?" Liu Wufeng was quick to seize the opportunity and immediately handed me a pair of white jade chopsticks. "No need to be polite, please enjoy your meal."

"It's not just lunch! Now that I think about it, I don't think I even had breakfast!!" I gratefully took the chopsticks and immediately attacked the plate of autumn-leaf crystal dumplings. After eating five or six, I suddenly felt embarrassed. I picked up a crystal dumpling and offered it to Liu Wufeng's mouth in a conciliatory manner, puffing out my cheeks as I said, "This is quite delicious, you should try some!"

Liu Wufeng's handsome face flushed red, and he hesitated for a moment, presumably intending to refuse. But I resolutely stuffed the dumpling into his mouth. He had no choice but to open his mouth and swallow it without chewing—his expression didn't look like he'd eaten a delicacy, but rather like he'd swallowed poison?

"Is it really that bad?" I tried another one, full of doubt. No way! The skin was thin, the filling fresh and juicy, chewy and flavorful, leaving a lingering fragrance in my mouth. —What the heck? Why is everyone staring at me like that? Haven't they ever seen someone eat before? Seriously! Whatever, fine, I won't eat it. I can eat it all by myself!

I devoured a plate of crystal dumplings, a dish of crab roe soup dumplings, and a dish of shredded tofu cooked in chicken broth, leaving only a few lotus roots glazed with osmanthus honey on the table. Only then did I have a moment to glance at what they were holding—tea? Was that tea? It looked more like rice wine than tea.

I went over for a closer look. The tea soup was evenly colored, pure white, with a layer of snow-white foam floating on the surface, which lingered for a long time when I held the cup tightly. Accompanied by wisps of steam, a delicate aroma was refreshing and invigorating. Looking at the tea leaves, I saw that they had been carefully ground into powder. The remaining leaves were wrapped in layers and placed in an exquisitely crafted little box with gold trim and carvings—I couldn't tell what variety it was. Curious, I tried taking a small sip. It tasted slightly bitter at first, followed by a sweet aftertaste, leaving my mouth full of fragrance.

"Rulan's skills are rudimentary; I hope Young Master Ye will forgive her." Miss Lu smiled humbly.

"Snowy foam and milky blossoms float in the midday cup, tender water pepper and artemisia shoots grace the new plate." I recited softly, praising it spontaneously. Not afraid of her ridicule, I humbly asked her for her knowledge. "This tea is wonderful, but forgive my ignorance, I don't know its name?"

"This is the finest Dragon Ball tea from the Beiyuan Imperial Garden, exclusively for the royal family. It's worth two taels of gold," Liu Wufeng said with a nonchalant smile.

"Cough, cough." I exclaimed in surprise, pointing to the small box of tea leaves that looked to be less than an ounce. "Just this little bit, and it's worth two ounces of gold? Why doesn't he just rob a bank?!"

"Young Master Ye is such a vulgar man! Is money all you see?" Yun Mengyan's beautiful eyes showed disdain. "You should know that this tea is not easy to make. It must be picked before sunrise and dew, when the tea buds are plump and moist. Half a stem is picked and cut with a nail, and then the black stem and white part are removed. It is then soaked in Longquan spring water, gathered together, ground and roasted, and only then can it become Longtuan Shengxue."

She spoke eloquently, while I listened, utterly dumbfounded—this single incident concerning tea alone revealed a glimpse of the extravagant and decadent lifestyle of the Song Dynasty's imperial family and nobility. Alas! With such corruption in the court and suffering among the people, how could one not hate them and yearn for their downfall?!

I remained silent, unable to swallow the fragrant Shengxuelong tea—the Jin dynasty was eyeing us covetously, sharpening its swords. The Song people, however, continued to enjoy themselves, oblivious to the danger. This battle, before it even began, was already half lost!