Chapter 220: A Talk About Tea
Yunxiao gave him a hopeless look and said, “I’m in a good mood now, so I’ll say a few more words to you. If what you said is true, Ding Ling’er should keep a distance from me. Why is she inviting me now?”
“This…” Yu Rong was taken aback, and he fell into thoughts.
Yunxiao looked at him as if he were an idiot and said, “You should know better than me about the situation of Tianyuan Trading Company. The reason why Ding Ling’er kept aiding me is that she takes me as her lifeline. And, the purpose she invited me for a chat this time, if I’m not mistaken, is that she has decided to put all her bets on me after what happened to the Xingyang family.”
Yu Rong’s pupils constricted and he looked incredulous. He could not guess Ding Ling’er’s thoughts, and what happened recently perplexed him. Now that Yunxiao pointed it out to him, he felt enlightened.
With a faint smile, Yunxiao said, “Even a little girl has such vision and courage, but you, at such an old age, are still stupid as a pig. I ask you for money because I think highly of you. If I turn around and leave now, Ding Ling’er will be in Yanwu the next moment and be at my mercy. Do you believe it or not?”
Believe it or not?
Yu Rong was struck dumb. Believing it or not, he dared not try. If it were true as Yunxiao said, then Ding Ling’er might really be putting all her bets on this mysterious teenager.
Yunxiao was absolutely right. He was where he was today because of his unswerving loyalty, and he was Ding Ling’er’s most trusted man. Moreover, he was a senior who had watched her grow up, and he doted on her like his own daughter.
Ever since Tianyuan Trading Company was in trouble, she had been getting thinner and thinner, which made Yu Rong worried. But, his ability was limited, and he could not help much. Previously, he had offended Yunxiao and caused the company to lose more money. That had made him extremely regretful, and he just wished he could kill Yunxiao.
Yunxiao said lightly, “What I need from your company are just some Primordial Stones and resources, which Myriad Treasures Store can provide me as well. But, what you need from me is something that will determine the survival of your company. All this time, I’m not taking advantage of you, but you are waiting for me to save your life. I hope you can understand this. I don’t want to find you an eyesore in the future, because I may be upset by you and decide not to help your company. What do you think Ding Ling’er will do then?”
Yu Rong completely froze in place, his heart racing as beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. If it were because of him that Ding Ling’er’s plan was ruined, then…Tianyuan Trading Company was already swaying in a storm now, and he could not imagine the consequences.
“Young Master Yun is absolutely right. Sir Yu, the next time you see Young Master Yun, it will be like seeing me!”
Ding Ling’er’s voice came from inside. Soon, a beautiful figure clad in a yellow dress appeared in front of the door, showing a sweet smile, “Young Master Yun is a peerless genius. You won’t be upset by such a trifling matter and then leave me aside to die by myself, will you?”
Yunxiao’s eyes lit up, and he said, “Miss Ling’er’s smile is sp charming that it melted away all my unpleasant feelings. How would I turn down the request of such a beautiful girl?”
They looked at each other and smiled. Then, like a pair of old friends who had not met each other for a long time, they chatted happily and walked inside.
As he stood in place, Yu Rong’s face was ashen. At that moment, he finally realized how stupid and reckless he was. But, what upset him was that Ding Ling’er had to clean up the mess he had made. For a moment, he looked as if he were decades older and somewhat dispirited.
Tea and snacks were quickly brought up. Ding Ling’er sniffed and felt refreshed, and then she said, “This is the best Ice Tea from my father’s collection, which is harvested from the depths of an ice mountain in the East. Under the extremely cold temperature, time seems to be frozen. No one knows how many years those tea trees have grown for, but they had only sprouted two tender shoots. It is definitely the best of the best. I wonder if it suits your taste, Young Master Yun?”
Yunxiao took a small sip. It was indeed smooth and refreshing, and even contained a wisp of Spirit Qi, giving him indescribable comfort and enjoyment. Even his spirit was lifted as his eyes gleamed with surprise, and he said, “It’s indeed a supreme-grade tea. I fear there are not many tea leaves in the world that can compare with it.”
“But…” With a faint smile on his face, he sniffed playfully and sighed with enjoyment as he said, “The tea is fragrant, but the person is even more fragrant!”
Ding Ling’er’s face turned red slightly. Although she had been in the business world for many years and had seen all kinds of people, she was still just a young girl with thin skin, and she could not help but feel shy. For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall became a little ambiguous.
She quickly changed the topic. “Young Master Yun, you said there are not many tea leaves comparable to it in the world, which really makes me curious. As far as I know, this Ice Tea is already the best tea in the world. My father had a passion for tea, but he had never heard of anything comparable to it.”
She was really curious. Although Tianyuan Trading Company began to decline, her father never made do with his pursuit of tea. He would get a share of all the tea he could get in the whole Commerce Alliance, but there was never anything like this rare Ice Tea. Just the box containing the tea leaves was made of ten-thousand-year-old ice, which would never melt. Only in this way could the fragrance and quality of tea be preserved.
Yunxiao chuckled as he put down his teacup and said, “As far as I can remember, there are at least three kinds of tea that can compete with this Ice Tea.” He glanced at Ding Ling’er, who was full of disbelief, and said with a smile, “In the city of Redmoon, there is an extremely mysterious ‘Blood Tea’. It is shaped like a crescent moon and scarlet in color, like a drop of human blood, Moreover, it also smells of blood. When brewed with the underground water taken from beneath Redmoon, the tea looks like human blood and tastes like the sweetest dew. It is really a supreme-grade tea and can rival this Ice Tea.”
There was a trace of fear on Ding Ling’er’s face as she said, “The tea looks like human blood…This…How can one drink it? I dare not drink such a tea, however good it is.”
Yunxiao smiled. There was something even more terrifying that he did not say, which was, the tea must be watered with human blood before it could grow. Moreover, if the blood used to water the tea tree were from warriors with stronger cultivation bases, the quality of the tea would be better. At first, he did not know about that, and he drank the tea for a few days. But when he learned it later on, he vomited and never dared to try again. But, in terms of quality alone, it was by no means under this Ice Tea.
“The second kind of tea can be found in the Minor Spirit Heaven within the Heaven Library Realm. It is a kind of green tea called ‘Evergreen’. The tea trees have lived for hundreds of thousands of years and absorbed the Primordial Qi from the spirit veins in the world. They are a kind of precious plant by themselves. When brewed with divine water, the tea can increase one’s cultivation base and nourish one’s flesh and soul. It is also a supreme-grade tea.”
“The Heaven Library Realm, Evergreen!” Ding Ling’er was taken aback, and she said in horror, “Have Young Master Yun ever been to the Heaven Library Realm? This…how is this possible?”
Yunxiao laughed and said, “I’ve just heard about it.”
Ding Ling’er looked suspiciously at him. His face, full of memories, did not look as if he had just heard it from someone. But, she did not believe he went to the Heaven Library Realm either.
She felt strange; the Blood Tea in the Redmoon City he mentioned just now was definitely not something that common people could get in touch with either. Even her father, who had a passion for tea, had never mentioned it before.
“What about the third kind of tea? Since Young Master Yun leaves it to the last, could its quality be better than the ‘Evergreen’?” she asked while suppressing the doubts in her mind.
Yunxiao’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were hesitating, but he then said, “The last kind of tea does not exist on the Heavenly Martial Continent.”
“It doesn’t exist on the Heavenly Martial Continent?” That gave Ding Ling’er a pause, and then she blurted out, “Could it be in the sea? The Four Seas are many times wider than the whole Heavenly Martial Continent, and they should be able to produce at least one to two kinds of supreme-grade tea leaves.”
Yunxiao laughed and said, “I don’t know if there are any supreme-grade tea leaves in the Four Seas, but the third kind of tea I want to mention doesn’t come from the Four Seas, but from the starry sky. It is right above this sky and born under the power of the sun, the moon, and the stars. No one knows how long it has existed for, and it is surrounded by spatial turbulences, making it extremely difficult to harvest. In the whole Heavenly Martial Continent, I fear only the Divine City of the Holy Realm has this kind of Starry Sky Ancient Tea.”
“Starry Sky Ancient Tea…” Ding Ling’er was dazed, and she could not help but murmur, “Redmoon Blood Tea, Evergreen, Starry Sky Ancient Tea… My father had never mentioned them before. If there are really such extraordinary teas in the world, I wish I can harvest some and give them to my father.”
When she heard the Blood Tea, she was skeptical and thought Yunxiao was making it up. But, as she continued to listen, although the second and third teas were even more bizarre, she began to believe in them, and was even fascinated by them. Her father loved tea, and it would be nice if he could taste these three kinds of peerless tea.
Yunxiao said, “Miss Ling’er’s love toward your father is commendable. I believe you can realize this dream in the future.”
Ding Ling’er glanced at Yunxiao. The more she looked at him, the more mysterious and extraordinary she found him to be. Ignoring others, just his rate of progress was unheard of!
In the beginning, she thought Yunxiao had used some kind of mystic arts or drugs to increase his cultivation base, and that would definitely bring him a lot of trouble in the future. But now, through careful observation, she found that the essence of the Four Quadrants emitted from him was more profound than hers. That immediately dispelled all her doubts and strengthened her plan.
“After listening to what you said, I realized that I was a frog in the bottom of a well. Young Master Yun, I really admire your vast knowledge. The reason I invited you here is that I have something important to discuss with you.”
‘She finally gets to the point.’ Yunxiao sipped his tea in silence and showed a listening look.
Ding Ling’er smiled wryly in her heart. ‘Why does this young man look shrewder than those hundred-year-old sly old foxes?’
“Since Young Master Yun knows about the Heaven Library Realm, I wonder if you have ever heard of another place that is comparable to it in the south of the Heavenly Martial Continent?”
Yunxiao’s expression remained unchanged as he slowly put down his teacup and said, “Miss Ling’er, do you mean Mount Meru?”