Breath Sea Rhythms

Since they were discussing the tea business, Court Master Zhu swept her hand out again and set out a tea set. But there was no water in the room, so she rose with a slight bow. "I'll go fetch some water..."

But Liu Xiaolou stopped her. "I can watch your tea art, but there's no need to brew tea."

Court Master Zhu fell silent, then gently shook her head. "I don't understand what Sect Master Liu means."

Liu Xiaolou asked again, "What price are you selling this tea for?"

Court Master Zhu said, "Butterfly Small Leaf Red: one basket contains one jin, fifty tea cakes. Two Spirit Stones and fifty taels of silver."

"What if I buy a lot?"

"If you buy ten baskets, fifteen Spirit Stones and four hundred taels of silver will do."

"What price did you sell it to Xiaowei Mountain for?"

"They bought a great deal—one hundred baskets this time—for one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones and three thousand taels of silver."

After naming the prices, Court Master Zhu looked at Liu Xiaolou with flickering eyes and said nothing.

Liu Xiaolou's question broke the silence in the room. "Where are you planning to go next?"

"What?"

"Other than Xiaowei Mountain, where else are you going to sell tea?"

"Selling tea... though it's the truth, it sounds very unpleasant..."

"Fine, then let me put it another way. Other than Xiaowei Mountain, where else will you display your tea art? All right, all right... the Way of Tea!"

"Forget it. Selling tea it is; I came to sell tea in the first place. I previously went to the Bai Clan of Dami Mountain and Madam Lin of Ganshan Mountain, and then came here to Xiaowei Mountain. Butterfly Small Leaf Red is a new variety from our Langhuan Mountain,