Chapter 646: Using Tea as a Metaphor for People

Meng Qi suppressed a smile and asked, “Is all this food for me?”

“Mm,” Ruan Yushu nodded slightly, lowering her gaze to the stone table laden with dishes and desserts. She then added softly, “The Yao Xie Geng is most delicious when served at just the right temperature—neither too hot nor too cold. Before trying the Dragon Claw Probing the Clouds, you should sample some desserts first, as the sweetness will heighten the flavor… These are all exceptional dishes, and you must savor them with great care.”

Her tone was complex, as if a child were giving away a beloved toy to a good friend—joyful with gratitude and sharing, yet subtly reluctant, fearing that the other might not appreciate the food properly and thus waste her treasured offerings. She gave him a few earnest instructions.

Listening to Ruan Yushu’s clear, pleasant voice, Meng Qi’s lips curled upward. He sat down casually and picked up his chopsticks.

A faint, suspicious gulping sound emerged, and Ruan Yushu immediately turned her head away.

Meng Qi pretended not to notice and dramatically picked up a piece of Yun Ni Haizao Cake. Taking a small bite, he found it truly fragrant, sweet, and delicious—as if the flavor could permeate every part of his body. Following Ruan Yushu’s suggestion, he then picked up a piece of “Dragon Claw.” The bones were crispy, the skin smooth and chewy, with the slightly sour taste becoming more pronounced against the sweetness. An extraordinary aroma emerged, making it so delectable that he nearly wanted to devour it whole, bones and all.

After finishing these two dishes, Meng Qi lavished praise and turned his gaze to Ruan Yushu. Seeing her smile slightly, with a hint of pride, he noticed her eyes still hadn’t returned to the stone table.

“Eat with me,” Meng Qi suddenly said, smiling broadly.

Ruan Yushu turned her head sharply, her eyes fixed on the last piece of Yun Ni Haizao cake. She gently shook her head. “No, this is for you.”

She didn’t add any words of gratitude or appreciation.

Meng Qi chuckled. “You know me. Food tastes better when shared. Eating alone makes it bland and tasteless.”

“Okay.” Ruan Yushu didn’t refuse further, quickly sitting down and picking up her chopsticks.

Langhuan Pavilion became quiet, filled only with the peaceful and warm atmosphere of savoring delicacies. For food lovers, speaking during such an important moment was almost sacrilege.

After a while, the wind swept away the remnants, leaving the table completely empty. Meng Qi felt extremely content after his meal.

Ruan Yushu put down her chopsticks and exhaled slowly, as if still savoring the flavors. Suddenly, she looked at Meng Qi and asked, “Where are you planning to go?”

It was a vague question, but Meng Qi understood immediately—Jiuxiang World!

Previously, he had told his companions that after crossing the first tier of the Celestial Ladder and stabilizing his cultivation, he planned to return to Jiuxiang to use the Xuan Shui Dao Mo Flag to eliminate the evil thoughts of Zhenwu. Jiang Zhiwei and others had expressed their intention to strive for favorable evaluations in their missions to obtain Reincarnation Talismans to help Meng Qi. Now, seeing that Meng Qi had crossed the Celestial Ladder four months earlier and become a supreme expert, Ruan Yushu asked this question.

“The path ahead is perilous. Whenever there’s a chance to improve, one must try,” Meng Qi replied telepathically, though his words remained vague. After all, they were still within the Ruan residence, inside a grand formation—caution was always necessary.

Ruan Yushu understood his meaning. The journey to the West was dangerous and required thorough preparation. The Zhenwu chain of tasks was nearing its final stages and might yield significant rewards.

Their first journey to the West had been a deadly mission. Zhang Yuanshan, Fu Zhenzhen, Ge Hua’en, and Luo Shengyi had died tragically, leaving an undeniable psychological shadow on Meng Qi, Ruan Yushu, and others. Therefore, when preparing for their next journey to the West, they all aimed to proceed with utmost caution.

“Unfortunately, I can’t go for now,” Ruan Yushu said with a hint of wistfulness, referring to not yet obtaining a Reincarnation Talisman. “Otherwise, many of my qin melodies could assist you.”

After reaching the Exoteric stage, even though there was still a major cultivation gap between her and Meng Qi, Ruan Yushu’s auxiliary abilities had become genuinely useful—directly enhancing Meng Qi’s strength, aiding his recovery, and more.

Meng Qi valued these auxiliary abilities highly. However, considering Ruan Yushu had just broken through, still needed to cultivate her qin melodies, and currently couldn’t exchange for time, it was unlikely she would master all of them before the journey to the West. He finally suppressed his thoughts and laughed, saying, “No worries. With divine weapons in hand, who can stop me?”

As he spoke, many thoughts passed through his mind. His companions relied solely on the Six Dao for Reincarnation Talismans—such items were truly rare and hard to come by. Coordinated missions made it difficult to concentrate efforts, while similar items in the Immortal Traces could be obtained through trade. Although not always available, they were still better than the Six Dao merchants.

Should he introduce his companions to “Immortal Traces”?

Meng Qi lightly furrowed his brows. Since joining “Immortal Traces” and experiencing various events, his perception of it had undergone a complete transformation. He no longer felt the initial aversion and now considered it a decent organization that could be personally beneficial. Even though many of its peripheral members were from the Left Paths, it was merely a matter of mutual use, not conflicting with his own temperament.

The only problem was that individuals like Ruan Yushu, Jiang Zhiwei, and Qi Zhengyan were either scions of noble families or direct disciples of sects, naturally hesitant to join mysterious organizations. He would need to test the waters first. If it didn’t pan out, he could always serve as an intermediary and arrange purchases for them!

“Hmm, I should ask the Heavenly Venerable for advice when I get the chance,” Meng Qi thought to himself, refocusing on Ruan Yushu’s words.

Ruan Yushu had already regained her composure and spoke in her clear, cold voice, “I plan to first fully master the ‘Biluo Immortal Melody,’ which can accelerate recovery from injuries…”

“Then the ‘Flowing Water Score,’ which can help restore strength when exhausted…”

“And the ‘Battle Array Music,’ which can stimulate potential and temporarily enhance strength…”

“…Once I’ve mastered these scores, I should be able to be of help…”

Her voice was pleasant to the ear, not overly emotional, nor deliberately showing off, but calmly narrated, naturally calming one’s mood.

Meng Qi felt the same, listening with a smile, his eyes gentle.

At this moment, the sound of water was like a qin, the moon bright and stars sparse, with a gentle breeze brushing their faces.

…

The next day, Meng Qi climbed West Mountain again to visit Wang Siyuan.

After the competition for the Duren Qin, Wang Siyuan had sent him a message, inviting him to meet at the Buddhist temple on West Mountain. Meng Qi had no idea what it could be about.

“That mysterious fellow,” Meng Qi muttered, stepping into the temple.

Under the Bodhi tree, Wang Siyuan sat before a Go board, holding a black piece between his fingers, gazing intently at the puzzle on the board, hesitating for a long time before making a move.

Hmph, even a difficult puzzle for Wang the Soothsayer? Meng Qi sat down casually opposite him, glancing at the board. He noticed that the black pieces were already out of breath, the great dragon about to be slaughtered, with no chance of recovery elsewhere.

A pure dead end… Meng Qi didn’t spend much effort. He lightly coughed, waiting for Wang Siyuan to speak and clarify his intentions.

Wang Siyuan raised his head, withdrew his right hand, and rubbed his thumb against the Go piece. His face remained pale.

“The Three Moves of the Mad Blade severed two arms, sending the Sixfold True Demon fleeing in panic. This feat has now spread far and wide across Langya, with many hailing you as a potential contender for the Earth Ranks. If not for the shattered divine weapon—usable only once or twice before its power is exhausted—you could already be among the Earth Ranks. Setting aside divine weapons, your raw strength is no less than that of the Sixfold True Demon, a Left Path Black Ranks expert, and may even surpass him. To reach such heights at the Fourth Heaven stage—the title of a four-calamity bearer is truly well-earned.”

Meng Qi naturally enjoyed hearing such praise, but the current situation didn’t seem appropriate. He smiled slightly and said, “This doesn’t seem like something you, Master Wang, would usually concern yourself with.”

No more riddles—get to the point!

Wang Siyuan coughed twice. “In ancient times, the Overlord was also like this. He often swept through opponents at the same level, repeatedly defeating stronger foes, eventually becoming the unrivaled supreme. Yet in the end, he perished in his prime, his body destroyed and his Dao extinguished.”

Isn’t that all because of your Wang family’s meddling… Meng Qi silently grumbled. Given the Wang family’s understanding of the Overlord, they probably recognized my “Demon-Slaying First Strike”!

Is he warning me with the Overlord’s fate? Meng Qi narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Our Wang family, prior to the era of the Numerous Sages, though we had not yet established the family motto ‘The hexagrams cannot foretell all, and affairs should not be driven to extremes,’ our conduct was never overbearing. We endured humiliation and bided our time, which is how we survived disasters like the Great Earth Demon Uprising and preserved our lineage until the age of the Overlord.” Wang Siyuan shifted the topic, leaving Meng Qi increasingly perplexed—what was the purpose of all this?

Did you know that your family’s Numerous Sages was killed by A-nan?

After coughing twice, Wang Siyuan suddenly stopped discussing the topic and instead said, “With the autumn air crisp and clear, how about a cup of tea?”

A maid behind him knelt, holding a tray with both hands, and placed it in front of him. On it were dozens of small jars, dazzling to the eye, with tea utensils taking up the remaining space.

“Qianlong Tea,” Wang Siyuan introduced as he took out a few leaves and placed them into the teapot.

“Tiehua Tea… Longhufeng… Xueya… Zhu Jun…” Wang Siyuan calmly and methodically took tea leaves from different jars and placed them into the teapot—each one was a renowned tea.

Meng Qi was puzzled. Mixing so many teas together might cause conflicts. Could Wang the Soothsayer harmonize them?

The water boiled, the tea brewed, and a fragrant aroma filled the air. Wang Siyuan poured a cup for Meng Qi, its color a pale yellow.

Meng Qi took a sip and almost spat it out. What terrible tea! It tasted like overnight rice water.

Wang Siyuan smiled faintly. “All are famous teas, but when mixed together, they don’t taste good.”

Meng Qi suddenly realized—he was referring to how parts of Meng Qi’s obtained inheritances were mixed and chaotic, and eventually, like this cup of tea, would become problematic?

I cultivate the Eight-Nine Arts, which can accommodate changes, supplemented by the Primordial Golden Scripture. The others are merely “applications,” not the “essence.” This analogy doesn’t quite fit.

Wang Siyuan seemed to have seen through Meng Qi’s thoughts. He shook his head, coughed a few times, and said, “It’s not about techniques, but about entanglements. Perhaps you’ve already sensed something yourself and are trying to balance it. But if you don’t clearly distinguish them, you’ll only sink deeper. Today you can sweep through peers, but in the future, you might die an unnatural death, just like this cup of tea.”

Struck at the heart, Meng Qi’s voice involuntarily turned heavy. “Then how do I distinguish them clearly?”

Combined with what he had said earlier, was the Overlord’s death not as simple as the records suggested?

“The gap is too great; it’s truly difficult to distinguish clearly. But you bear four calamities, so you must have a path different from those before you. Keep exploring along this path, and you will eventually discover some clues. Moreover, you will inevitably encounter many secrets in the future.” Wang Siyuan’s forehead showed sweat, as if speaking these words had been quite strenuous, carefully choosing what he could and could not say.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his lips turning red. “If you ever get the chance to comprehend the Overlord’s Final Blade, everything else is trivial. You must master ‘All Past Events, Dissipate Like Smoke.'”

“This technique can only be obtained from the Overlord’s Final Blade. Any version obtained from elsewhere, no matter the source, is certainly false!”

Certainly false? Meng Qi suddenly thought of the “Six Dao.”

Was what he obtained from there true or false?

Inhaling deeply, Wang Siyuan eased his discomfort, his expression showing a hint of madness. “It’s not that I’m stronger than you or all-knowing. It’s just that our Wang family has gone through many generations and has always been able to discover certain things. And I just happen to be the one who can ‘see’ them.”

“Alright, today’s words end here.”

Meng Qi’s expression was slightly complex as he slowly stood up. “Why are you giving me these pointers?”

Was Master Wang doing a good deed? Or was he playing a game of chess?

The Go piece in Wang Siyuan’s hand suddenly fell, hitting the board and scattering other pieces flying.

His face was hidden in the shadow of the Bodhi tree, his voice somewhat ethereal:

“Helping you break through this puzzle is also helping myself break through.”

Meng Qi’s gaze swept over the board and suddenly froze. He noticed that the scattered pieces had formed a new pattern—black and white fragments lay broken, yet contained signs of vitality!