The teahouse was not large, merely three single-story rooms connected together. Yet before Han Li had even stepped inside, the rich aroma of tea had already wafted towards him.
Han Li was somewhat surprised. Although he didn’t know much about the art of tea, he could sense a faint spiritual energy within this tea fragrance.
His interest piqued, he stepped inside without hesitation.
The three rooms were arranged in a row, one large and two small. At the moment, they were all filled with groups of tea drinkers. In fact, because there were no empty seats left in the teahouse, seven or eight people of varying attire were standing quietly to the side, waiting.
Despite the large number of guests inside the teahouse, not a single person was speaking loudly.
Most had their eyes lightly closed, savoring the tea before them with great relish. Only a very few were muttering something under their breath.
On the main wall of the central, larger room, a large yellow paper about ten feet wide was prominently displayed. On it, the words “One Pot Per Person Per Day” were written in bold, flowing calligraphy, extremely eye-catching.
Seeing these words, Han Li found it somewhat amusing. It was the first time he had heard of a food and drink business limiting how much customers could consume.
However, he merely smiled and didn’t dwell on it. Instead, after scanning the room, he immediately walked towards a man who looked like the manager, standing in a corner.
This man, who should be the teahouse manager, appeared to be in his forties, with a small mustache and an exceptionally shrewd demeanor.
At that moment, he was behind a section of the counter, head bowed as he clicked away on an abacus, occasionally glancing at an account book beside him.
Han Li walked over and stood in front of the counter, remaining silent. This caused the manager to look up in surprise.
As soon as the manager saw Han Li clearly, his expression changed dramatically. He hastily pushed the abacus and account book aside and hurried out from behind the counter.
With a respectful and somewhat apprehensive tone, he asked, “Esteemed Senior, is there something this junior can help you with? This one will certainly do his best!”
This manager was actually a cultivator as well, though his cultivation was pitifully low, only at the fourth level of Qi Condensation.
Now facing the unfathomable Han Li, whom he addressed as “Senior,” he naturally felt uneasy!
Without a word, Han Li lightly flicked his sleeve over the counter. A sparkling green jade pendant appeared on the table.
Upon seeing the jade pendant, the manager was first stunned, but then his face lit up with surprise and joy. “So it is Senior Han who has arrived! This junior has been impolite! Young Master Qi had long instructed that Senior would be arriving soon. This junior has been waiting for quite some time!”
Hearing this, Han Li retrieved the jade pendant in the same manner and said calmly, “I need to see your young master now. Lead the way.”
“As you command, Senior!” the manager replied obediently.
He then called over a man dressed like a waiter, gave him a few instructions, and led Han Li out through the back door. They left the small town and headed west.
To the west of “Golden Horse City” lay a vast area of yellow-green hills, countless in number, large and small. But the manager, familiar with the path, led Han Li through the hills. After several turns and twists, they arrived at a concave, flat depression covering over a hundred acres.
In the middle of the depression stood seven or eight white stone houses. Scattered around them, here and there, were a few emerald green bamboo plants, sparse and inconspicuous.
After bringing Han Li near the area, the manager bowed and said, “Senior, my young master is inside. However, there are some arrays set up outside the houses. Normally, I should report to the young master before bringing outsiders in. But Young Master had already given instructions regarding Senior Han. So, Senior, please follow closely behind me. Otherwise, triggering the restrictions would be very troublesome!”
Han Li thoughtfully glanced around the depression and the seemingly randomly placed bamboo, then said indifferently, “Understood. Just lead the way.”
Hearing this, the manager took a deep breath and cautiously led Han Li towards the houses.
His path was very peculiar: sometimes taking three steps forward only to retreat two, sometimes stepping five paces east before turning back six. His movements seemed chaotic and without any discernible pattern.
In this manner, the two slowly approached the houses in the depression.
“Young Master, Senior Han is here. Please come out and meet him!” When they were only about ten zhang away from the houses, the manager finally breathed a sigh of relief and shouted towards the largest house.
“Senior Han is here? Excellent! But please wait a moment; I’ll be right out!” Qi Xiaoyu’s delighted voice came from inside the house. But then a dull “thud” was heard, followed by Qi Xiaoyu’s voice lamenting.
“Cough, failed again!”
The stone door opened, and Qi Xiaoyu walked out with a disappointed expression, a wave of scorching heat emanating from him.
However, when he saw Han Li, his expression immediately brightened, and he hurried forward excitedly. “It really is you, Senior! This is wonderful! Please, come with me. Allow me to play the host properly. We don’t have much else here, but we do have some truly excellent fragrant tea.”
Qi Xiaoyu, extremely enthusiastic, invited Han Li into a neighboring house. His demeanor had matured significantly compared to a few years ago.
“Then I’ll trouble you, Fellow Daoist,” Han Li said politely, knowing he still needed to ask a favor.
He then entered the house and sat down next to a long rectangular table.
“Senior, about that…” As Qi Xiaoyu instructed the manager to brew a pot of tea, he turned back, looking somewhat hesitant as if he wanted to say something.
Han Li smiled without a word, flipped his hand, and the “Cloud Soaring Notes” appeared on the table. The book still shimmered with a silver light, indicating the restrictions were still in place.
Seeing the book, Qi Xiaoyu’s spirits lifted. He was about to reach for it when he suddenly remembered something. “Senior, please wait a moment,” he said quickly. Han Li chuckled lightly, seeming to have guessed his intention.
Not long after, Qi Xiaoyu returned to the room excitedly, holding a foot-long wooden box.
“Senior, this is a set of improved Inverted Five Elements Formation deployment tools. Although the power isn’t as high as originally estimated—it only reaches half of the original formation’s power—it has been enhanced to one-third of the original formation’s power, which is much stronger than before!” Qi Xiaoyu said apologetically, clearly somewhat uneasy that he hadn’t managed to boost the set’s power to the previously agreed level.
“One-third?” Han Li’s expression shifted, and he was utterly astonished!
He had never actually expected the set of formation flags to be improved. The Inverted Five Elements Formation, which could already unleash one-tenth of its power, had already satisfied Han Li immensely! After all, even Core Formation cultivators like Lei Wanhe found it quite troublesome. If its power were truly increased by two or three times, wouldn’t it be able to keep Core Formation cultivators at bay outside the formation?
Thinking this, Han Li couldn’t help but take the wooden box to examine it closely, while Qi Xiaoyu also picked up the silver book to scrutinize it.
Opening the box lid, a set of formation flags and a formation plate, radiating compelling spiritual energy, appeared inside.
Han Li took them out one by one for a detailed examination. This set of magical tools contained significantly more formation flags and plates than the original set. Moreover, the patterns and runes on the flags and plates were noticeably more intricate. It appeared the other party had not been lying—the power of this set should indeed be greater than that of the original.
Pleased, Han Li stored the set of formation flags away and then glanced at the opposite side.
At this moment, Qi Xiaoyu was happily stroking the “Cloud Soaring Notes” with his hand, having apparently verified the seal as well.
“I am very satisfied with this improved set of formation deployment tools! I’ve truly troubled you, Fellow Daoist,” Han Li said with a smile.
“Senior, what are you saying? I should be immensely grateful to you for returning this book intact. It is I who should be thanking you!” Upon hearing Han Li’s words, Qi Xiaoyu shook his head like a rattle-drum, speaking sincerely.
Han Li smiled, exchanged a few modest words, and then began chatting with Qi Xiaoyu.
The manager returned after a while, bringing two cups of vibrant, emerald-green tea.
The aroma of this tea was noticeably more refreshing and fragrant than that of the Clear Spring Teahouse, clearly indicating a superior grade of tea leaves, and the spiritual energy it emitted was also more concentrated.
Under Qi Xiaoyu’s eager invitation, Han Li took a couple of sips. Immediately, he felt a refreshing coolness fill his mouth, and his mind became clear. He couldn’t help but praise, “Excellent tea! To think that tea could be blended to contain spiritual energy is truly marvelous! This must be Fellow Daoist’s own creation. I, Han, am extremely impressed.” Han Li’s words were genuine; enabling ordinary tea leaves to contain spiritual energy was something he had never heard of before. Moreover, the tea was indeed incredibly fragrant, in no way inferior to any of the world’s finest famous teas.
Hearing Han Li’s praise, an awkward expression appeared on Qi Xiaoyu’s face. He hurriedly explained, “Senior, you’ve misunderstood. This tea wasn’t blended by me; it was a gift from a good friend. My friend spent nearly ten years researching before developing this tea!”
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