NOVEL NEXT Chapter 190: Mount Wudang, Wudang Sect (2)
In reality, it couldn’t really be said that the manager was at fault.
Tea was a luxury item. While ordinary citizens often enjoyed common leaf tea, the higher-quality types of tea were harder to find.
There were numerous tea leaves more expensive than an equal weight of gold.
Therefore, not just anyone could be accepted as a customer.
Even if selling at the same price, it was strategically better in the long run to accept money from high officials rather than from the lowly.
At Tea Fortune Garden in front of Mount Wudang, where high-ranking individuals often visited, it was a policy not to serve famous teas like Huangshan Maofeng to just anyone.
“Hmph.” Cheong Su scoffed.
In that sense, one could say that the manager’s judgement in assessing people was wrong.
Even if he didn’t carry a sword or wear Wudang’s robes, Cheong Su was undoubtedly a disciple of Wudang.
If Yi-gang had not been there, he would have simply stated his purpose quietly and taken the Huangshan Maofeng. The manager would have apologized to the point of his head touching the ground.
“If we had mentioned our purpose, they would have brought out the tea leaves.”
Cheong Hye consoled Cheong Su in such a way.
Seeing the genuine face of the kind junior brother, sincerely comforting him without a trace of mockery, Cheong Su’s face crumpled even more.
It was because a certain thought had occurred to him at that moment.
If it had been Cheong Hye instead of Cheong Su who had stepped forward, would the manager have issued an order to dismiss them then?
It seemed unlikely.
“…”
“Do you have something to say, Senior Brother?”
“N-no.”
Although wearing the same ordinary robes, Cheong Hye’s face carried an air of nobility similar to Yi-gang.
In fact, unlike Cheong Su, who was an orphan, Cheong Hye was a young master from quite a prestigious family. His father was a secular disciple of Wudang who had initiated his child into the sect.
Cheong Su, who had been picked up by a Wudang Taoist priest on the brink of starvation, was worlds apart from him.
Although Cheong Su was now the senior, if fate had followed its original course, he wouldn’t have dared meet Cheong Hye’s gaze.
If his junior brother had stepped forward, perhaps the manager’s attitude might have changed.
“Tch, spit!”
Thinking about it made him feel even more disgusted.
Then, from the staircase landing, the chubby face of the manager appeared again.
“Ah… I was wrong. Please, come in.”
His posture was significantly more humble than before.
It didn’t seem like Yi-gang had mentioned Cheong Su’s identity, but whatever had been discussed, the manager’s attitude was distinctly different from before.
“Ha!”
However, whether it had changed or not didn’t matter.
“Let’s go in!”
Cheong Su lifted his chin defiantly and climbed the stairs with his junior brother.
“This is the Huangshan Maofeng we have obtained.”
In the Central Plains, there were five renowned mountains known as the Five Great Mountains.
Mount Tai, Mount Hua, Mount Song, Mount Heng (Southern Heng), and Mount Heng (Northern Heng), where the Azure Forest was located.
But the mountain that was considered even higher and more prestigious was Huangshan, the Yellow Mountain.
Huangshan Maofeng referred to the tea leaves grown in the region of Huangshan.
In front of Yi-gang, the Huangshan Maofeng was wrapped in fine paper.
The tea leaves, tinged with a dusky hue, were perfectly dry, as soft as the tongue of a sparrow.
“Huangshan Maofeng should be picked before the beginning of summer. That’s when the leaves are tender and the taste is not too bitter,” the manager explained the tea leaves in a gentle tone.
The third floor seemed to be a special space; apart from Yi-gang’s group, there was another guest.
An elderly man, ignoring Yi-gang, was quietly sipping tea by himself.
“It’s an exceptional item among Maofeng, a top-grade picked around the Qingming Festival.”
The tea leaves had a silvery fluff that seemed to shimmer like made of silver.
“That is also why this Huangshan Maofeng is called Maofeng.”
Having heard enough explanations, the manager began to brew the tea to demonstrate the quality of the leaves.
He placed the tea leaves in a tea bowl and poured hot water over them.
The steeping time was not very long.
The aroma of the tea gently spread through the air.
「Um, it’s fragrant.」
Zhang Sanfeng smiled contentedly.
It seemed no lie that he enjoyed drinking tea.
Yi-gang quietly asked, ‘Did the Maofeng tea from Huangshan exist during your lifetime, Sage Zhang?’
Although Huangshan Maofeng had recently become famous, Zhang Sanfeng spoke as if he had drunk it several times before.
「The tea trees have been growing there for a long time. Even before people discovered tea trees on the peaks of Huangshan, there were already tea trees there.」
It seemed like a plausible explanation.
By then, the tea was fully steeped.
The first tea water was too aromatic and was discarded. This process was known as washing the tea.
Yi-gang suddenly asked the manager, “Could you give us another teacup?”
“Sorry?”
“I’m asking for two cups.”
The manager seemed curious about the reason but did not ask a second time.
Yi-gang received one cup of tea and placed another next to it.
He quietly sipped one cup to enjoy its fragrance, but he did not touch the other.
That cup was meant for Zhang Sanfeng.
「Thank you, priest. I am deeply moved.」
Moisture glistened in Zhang Sanfeng’s bandit-like eyes.
He could not drink the tea but savored the aroma from the teacup.
While he did not look like a hermit detached from worldly matters, what did that matter?
Zhang Sanfeng truly seemed happy.
“The young friend drinks tea in an interesting way.”
At that moment, the elderly man who had been quiet all this time interjected.
The person who had been drinking tea without paying any attention to what Yi-gang and his companions were doing suddenly spoke up.
“Who is that other cup for?”
Was he intrigued by the fact that one cup of tea was left untouched?
Yi-gang glanced at the elderly man and replied.
“It’s for someone who loved this tea. It’s meant for him.”
“Haha, are you seeing ghosts? Hohoho.”
The elderly man burst out laughing and turned his head back.
Instead of answering, “Yes, I see them,” Yi-gang silently drank his tea.
Then, Zhang Sanfeng seemed to have noticed something and lifted his head.
「These tea leaves are…」
Perhaps something else had caught his eye after seeing the Huangshan Maofeng.
Behind the manager, near where the Huangshan Maofeng had been, there was another type of tea leaf.
“Could you tell me what this tea is?”
“Ah, are you referring to this?”
Zhang Sanfeng recognized the type of the tea leaf even before the manager could answer.
「It’s Lu’an Melon Seed.」
“Indeed, it is Lu’an Melon Seed.”
Lu’an Melon Seed. Yi-gang was familiar with this famous tea as well. He couldn’t tell its type just by looking at the leaves, though.
「Lu’an Melon Seed, like Huangshan Maofeng, comes from Anhui Province. It has a charm different from that of Huangshan Maofeng.」
Zhang Sanfeng seemed nostalgic.
He began to describe the characteristics and flavor of the Lu’an Melon Seed without being asked.
In conclusion, after drinking Huangshan Maofeng, he enjoyed drinking Lu’an Melon Seed and comparing their tastes and aromas.
Considering how he talked about it everywhere and even kept records, it was clear how much Zhang Sanfeng loved tea.
“I would like to purchase that Lu’an Melon Seed along with the Huangshan Maofeng.”
“Ah, this one…”
Despite what should be a happy increase in sales, the manager’s expression was not very welcoming. In fact, he seemed rather troubled.
“I’m sorry, but this one already has an owner…”
“That much quantity?”
“Yes.”
“I only need a very small amount.”
“Haha…”
It was after the manager had learned of Yi-gang’s identity.
If he still refused so firmly, there really must be an owner for the Lu’an Melon Seed.
Just as Yi-gang was about to nod in resignation.
The elderly man drinking tea behind them interjected, “Just give it to him.”
It was an odd situation for an ordinary customer to suddenly give such commands, but the manager’s response was immediate.
“Yes, Garden Master.”
He had called him Garden Master.
The seemingly ordinary elderly man was in fact the owner of Tea Fortune Garden.
The manager asked cautiously, “However, the person who ordered has already paid a deposit.”
“I will speak to the customer myself. After all, if the caravan that was bringing the goods had met with a disaster and perished, they wouldn’t have received the items anyway.”
Cheong Su’s expression changed to one of surprise.
It seemed that the caravan Yi-gang had saved from a tiger had been transporting tea leaves for Tea Fortune Garden.
Yi-gang expressed his thanks softly.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Unbeknownst to Yi-gang, the owner of Tea Fortune Garden was a legendary figure in the tea trade.
Perhaps it was his vast experience. He seemed to see something the manager had not.
“…Since it’s tea meant for an immortal, the customer might understand if it’s just a little.”
Yi-gang was surprised, but fortunately, he did not show it.
It seemed unlikely that the owner of Tea Fortune Garden had seen through Zhang Sanfeng.
From the continued conversation, it appeared that the term ‘immortal’ did not refer to Zhang Sanfeng.
“It’s been a long time since the Sword Emperor sent someone…”
“Ah!”
The one who gasped for air in surprise was Cheong Su.
The elderly man looked back at Cheong Su and Cheong Hye.
“He asked for the Huangshan Maofeng, didn’t he, Taoist priests?”
It seemed the manager’s claim that one developed an eye for things after long involvement in business wasn’t wrong.
The owner of Tea Fortune Garden had figured out that Cheong Su and Cheong Hye were disciples of the Wudang Sect, and that they had come following the orders of the Sword Emperor. It was almost ghostly.
“How did you know?”
“Hehe. This old servant has been offering tea to the Taiji Sword Emperor for over 30 years.”
“Ah…”
“He often sought Huangshan Maofeng.”
That must have been the case before the Sword Emperor secluded himself, when his mind was still intact.
He liked tea too and had often visited Tea Fortune Garden.
“It’s been a long time since I last brewed tea for him. It’s also been a long time since he sent anyone.”
The owner of Tea Fortune Garden seemed to genuinely respect the Taiji Sword Emperor.
He asked carefully, “Perhaps… is the Sword Emperor’s health not good?”
It was not permissible to discuss the Sword Emperor’s condition openly.
But how could they lie to this old connection? Cheong Su and Cheong Hye merely nodded quietly.
“I see, I won’t ask further.”
He then stood up and carefully packaged both the Huangshan Maofeng and Lu’an Melon Seed.
He stopped Cheong Su who was trying to pay.
“You don’t have to pay. Please tell him it’s a gift from me.”
“…We will gratefully accept it.”
Cheong Su forcibly swallowed the words, “The Sword Emperor might not remember you.”
Before they turned to leave, Yi-gang quietly asked the owner of Tea Fortune Garden, “How did you see through everything?”
“It’s a knack you develop with long experience in business.”
The owner of Tea Fortune Garden probably knew that the explanation was inadequate.
He added more, “There have often been those who seek Huangshan Maofeng, but the Sword Emperor specifically liked to have it with Lu’an Melon Seed.”
Zhang Sanfeng quietly uttered a, “Hoo,” in admiration.
“Even to someone like me, who knows a lot about tea, it’s a unique preference. So, I guessed it was his order.”
“That so. Thank you.”
Strictly speaking, the owner of Tea Fortune Garden’s guess was wrong.
The reason Yi-gang sought Lu’an Melon Seed was not because of the Sword Emperor’s preference, but because of Zhang Sanfeng’s.
However, in the end, the owner was right.
“Thank you for the explanation.”
“Please take good care of the Sword Emperor.”
It was an unusual thing to say to Yi-gang, an outsider.
Yet, Yi-gang quietly nodded at the words of the owner of Tea Fortune Garden.
Having returned to the inn, they soon began climbing Mount Wudang.
Myung Won, the sect leader of Wudang.
At just over 60 years old, he would be considered elderly by the standards of ordinary civilians.
But as a martial artist, and one who had reached the Supreme Peak, it was a time when there was nothing in the world to fear.
As the leader of the Great Wudang Sect, who wouldn’t respect him? Myung Won too felt a sense of pride when he first ascended to the position of sect leader.
But now, the burden weighed heavily on his shoulders.
“Hyun Cheol, how is Senior Uncle doing?”
“Yes, he wants to drink a tea called Huangshan Maofeng, and the kids have gone to get it, so they should be back soon.”
He was rarely in front of his senior uncle’s humble dwelling.
The fact that his senior uncle, of all people, was showing signs of senility was a shock in itself.
‘Why Senior Uncle of all people…’
A sect leader can die suddenly. A new one can simply be appointed. Other elders of the sect would take Myung Won’s place.
However, the top swordsman of Wudang cannot be replaced.
No new person could be brought in just because an Absolute master had gone mad.
“You said his mind momentarily returned.”
“Yes, he was looking for you, Sect Leader.”
However, the reason Wudang went into seclusion was not solely to hide the Taiji Sword Emperor’s dementia.
It was because he, whose mind often returned, had made a significant decision.
The lofty incarnation of the sword who had never taken a disciple…
“Sect Leader. Please, come in.”
From within the dimly-lit humble dwelling, the Sword Emperor called for Myung Won.
Myung Won entered and showed respect for his senior uncle.
As he sat down, he thought to himself that the Sword Emperor was indeed lucid now.
This was because he felt an overwhelming aura that made it difficult to even look up at his face.
“I have made my decision. There isn’t much time left.”
“Is that really true!”
“Yes.”
The voice of Myung Won, who asked again, carried a strange fervor.
As the periods of lucidity grew shorter, the Taiji Sword Emperor eventually made a decision.
“All that I have gained through Founder Zhang Sanfeng, everything that I have achieved…”
Everything he had accomplished.
His cultivation, profound understanding, and even the peerless divine arts.
“I want to pass it on to someone who is worthy.”
Myung Won thought, “Finally, a disciple of the Sword Emperor will be born in Wudang.”
“If someone is worthy, then anyone…”
However, the Sword Emperor’s words carried a strange resonance.
One must listen to a person’s words to the very end.
“Whether high in status, low, young, or old.”
“Excuse me? You’re not just choosing from among the second-generation disciples?”
“Whether an elder or the sect leader himself, it doesn’t matter. Ugly or beautiful. Of noble birth or humble…”
Myung Won had never imagined that the last condition would apply.
“Whether from Wudang or not… it doesn’t matter.”
The sect leader’s mouth fell open.