Court Master Zhu's Tea Art

A jade-like hand swept across the stone table, and two rows of exquisite teacups appeared—six in front, six behind, twelve in all. A warming pot stood in the center, carved from ivory.

Court Master Zhu opened the lid of the warming pot. With a flick of her hand, a tea ball the size of an inch suddenly appeared at the base of her fingers. It was dark red, tinged with emerald green and flecked with golden yellow, as though oil might drip from it at any moment.

As her five fingers rapidly rotated, the tea ball rolled across the base of her fingers, fluttering like a butterfly weaving through flowers. Liang Ren'an praised it again and again, while Liu Xiaolou's eyelids twitched wildly.

Before long, the tea ball spun hotter and hotter at her fingertips, releasing waves of gentle tea fragrance. The scent carried sweetness, along with a touch of bitter clarity, making one unable to resist inhaling deeply and savoring the aftertaste.

After a while, when the tea ball began to turn purple and gleam, she tossed it into the warming pot and tightly sealed the lid, allowing the tea fragrance to steep.

Court Master Zhu circled her slender fingers and summoned over the kettle hanging in midair outside the pavilion. It already held more than half a pot of mist-water stirred up by the waterfall.

She pinched out a flame with her left hand and set the kettle above it to heat. The flame was small, hollow at its core, and burned neither hurriedly nor slowly. As the kettle turned, the flame also burst forth in seven colors, endlessly shifting and revolving, a most beautiful sight.

Slowly, steam emerged from the spout, and the water within began to bubble and boil. Court Master Zhu flicked a finger, sending