The Tea Has a Problem

Chapter 8: There's Something Wrong with the Tea

An Bulang's words caused the atmosphere in the great hall to quiet down slightly.

"Hmm? You say there's something wrong with my tea?"

Xun Zilan's expression finally turned grim upon hearing this.

Xu Linghui said urgently, "An Bulang, don't just say things. This spirit tea is produced by the Jade Sword Sect, how could there be a problem?"

Another young general, Liu Peng, questioned, "Moreover, Xun Zilan is a cultivator at the Body Refinement Seventh Level. He didn't find any issues, and you, someone at the Profound Body Third Layer, can find a problem with this tea?"

The others chimed in agreement, and their gazes towards An Bulang shifted considerably.

Clearly, some of them already considered him someone who was seeking attention by leveraging his cultivation.

"This tea is fresh, sweet, and refreshing. We drank it and nothing happened; instead, we feel invigorated. What problem could there be?"

"An Bulang, it's understandable to speak carelessly when you're young and reckless. Apologize to Xun Zilan, and we'll let this matter drop."

An Bulang found this amusing. "I didn't say anything wrong, why should I apologize?"

He didn't understand all these subtleties. He spoke his mind; did he need to consider their expressions?

Besides, when he said there was a problem with the tea, he wasn't referring to minor issues like it tasting bad, but rather genuinely serious problems.

"Hmph, truly ungrateful. If Xun Zilan decides to hold a grudge, we can't protect you," Liu Peng, who had a fiery temper, snorted softly.

As expected, Xun Zilan's gentle smile had vanished, and his tone began to turn unfriendly. "An Bulang, tell me then, what exactly is wrong with my tea?"

Ji Hongxue looked at An Bulang nervously. She knew An Bulang's capabilities and instinctively chose to believe him. However, the tea Xun Zilan brought was a spirit tea from within the Jade Sword Sect. If there were any issues, they would have been discovered long ago; how could they have been hidden until now?

An Bulang said, "Your tea has been eroded by yin energy. There must be a powerful yin creature lurking near your tea trees, and it hasn't been more than ten days."

"There's a yin creature lurking in my Jade Sword Sect?" Xun Zilan was stunned at first, then burst into laughter. "Absurd! My Jade Sword Sect is protected by a grand formation. How could any yin creature penetrate our sect's formation? Moreover, my Jade Sword Sect has many elders with profound cultivation, and even a Sect Master with Spirit Attunement Realm cultivation. None of them have discovered the yin energy in the tea leaves, yet you, a mere Profound Body Third Layer cultivator, dare to boast here!?"

Xun Zilan's words carried a unique aura that put everyone under pressure.

"An Bulang, is it that difficult to lower your head? Don't anger Xun Zilan!" Xu Linghui whispered advice from the side.

Liu Peng stated directly, "It's nothing for young people to be spirited, but someone like you, who doesn't know their limits and speaks nonsense, and then refuses to back down when they're wrong, will never achieve much no matter where they go."

The others also shook their heads in silent disapproval. Their impression of An Bulang had plummeted to freezing point; it was already considered polite that they didn't curse him directly.

"Xun Zilan's master is the Jade Sword Sect's Sect Master, Daoist Master Yuxu, a cultivator in the Spirit Attunement Realm and one of the three great experts of the Azure Kingdom. Even he didn't find any problems. You, a cultivator at the Profound Body Third Layer, truly have remarkable abilities." A young master from a noble family couldn't help but sneer mockingly. Such a person was not worth his courtesy.

"The Spirit Attunement Realm is already among the Azure Kingdom's top three experts?" An Bulang was somewhat surprised.

After the ninth level of the Body Refinement Realm, one opens up a sea of qi in their dantian, allowing them to draw spiritual energy into it, which is the Spirit Attunement Realm.

Seeing An Bulang's expression, everyone was shocked.

An Bulang's words, both explicitly and implicitly, carried a tone of disdain for the Spirit Attunement Realm!

Who gave him the confidence to say such things with his Profound Body Third Layer cultivation?

"But if your Sect Master is truly only in the Spirit Attunement Realm, you should be careful. Judging by the quality of the yin energy remaining in the tea, that yin creature is at least at the Heavenly Origin Realm..." An Bulang said seriously.

Everyone was dismissive; some couldn't help but want to scoff.

"Princess, can you tell your little guard to shut up? If Xun Zilan isn't hitting people right now, it's only because he's well-mannered."

"Haha, there isn't a single Heavenly Origin Realm cultivator in the entire Azure Kingdom. I really don't know where this kid gets his confidence from."

"If this annoying little guard keeps babbling, I'm leaving. I find him irritating just looking at him..." someone else said with disgust.

Ji Hongxue's gaze deepened, and she pointed outside with her slender finger, "Then why aren't you leaving?"

"Uh...!" The person was stunned.

An Bulang was embarrassing the princess like this, yet the princess was still protecting him?

"Alright, alright. Let's all continue drinking tea. It won't taste good if it gets cold," Xun Zilan said, trying to smooth things over. "As for what some people say, we can just ignore it..."

An Bulang wasn't angry upon hearing this. He quietly ate his Spicy Twisted Dough and casually added, "If ordinary people absorb this dense yin energy, it's not something you can resist. It will be life-threatening."

Everyone continued chatting and drinking tea, completely ignoring An Bulang's words, clearly treating him as a babbling fool.

"Sister Hongxue, you should drink too," Xu Linghui invited.

Ji Hongxue shook her head. "No, I choose to believe An Bulang. I'll just wait here for my second brother to arrive."

Everyone found it incomprehensible why a princess of a kingdom would trust that little guard so much, even blindly.

Seeing this, Xun Zilan's eyes also held a hint of gloom.

An Bulang ate his Spicy Twisted Dough, quietly watching everyone court disaster.

He had done all he could. If others didn't believe him and even mocked him, then he didn't need to trouble himself by begging them to believe.

Good advice is wasted on a stubborn soul; it's all fate after all.

He looked at the innocent girl Xu Linghui, who had called him "Brother Lang" earlier. Now, she wouldn't even spare An Bulang a glance, avoiding him as if he were a plague, her eyes solely focused on Xun Zilan.

"An Bulang, I'm truly sorry. I didn't expect them to be like this..." Ji Hongxue looked at An Bulang with her beautiful eyes, afraid the young man would be angry.

An Bulang smiled upon hearing this. "It's fine, I'm not angry. There are so many ignorant people in the world, billions upon billions. If I got angry because of their ignorance, I'd never stop being angry. As long as they don't attack me first, I won't attack them."

Ji Hongxue's face couldn't help but twitch. "If I didn't know how powerful you are, I would definitely scoff at your words."

An Bulang and Ji Hongxue chatted animatedly to one side.

On the other side, Xun Zilan, Liu Peng, Xu Linghui, and others were also drinking tea and idly chatting. They occasionally glanced at the two whose demeanor was so out of place, with particular disdain and dissatisfaction in their eyes when looking at An Bulang.

"I really don't know what kind of bewitching soup that kid poured into Sister Hongxue for her to go along with his nonsense," Xu Linghui said, taking a small sip of tea, her delicate face filled with bewilderment.

"The Third Princess is eager for talent. She couldn't bear to see a cultivator at Profound Body Third Layer being ignored, to prevent that cultivator from feeling too awkward," General Liu Peng said with a smile. His words seemed to offer an explanation, but his eyes held disdain.

Xun Zilan gently shook his head, as if sighing, "Hongxue is just too kind-hearted. That young man's character is really not worth her doing this. My Jade Sword Sect has plenty of geniuses more outstanding than that boy."

The others chimed in their agreement, continuing to praise Xun Zilan.

Xu Linghui sipped her tea, looking at An Bulang with some disappointment. Immediately after, she suddenly felt a chill rise from her lower abdomen, instantly spreading throughout her body: "I, how do I feel... a bit cold?"

Everyone was stunned.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred!

Liu Peng's robust body began to turn cold, and he even exhaled cold air that resembled white mist.

"Me too, this... what in the world is going on?" Another young master from a prominent family, his body stiffened, unable to even speak.

The rest also discovered with great alarm that a cold force, originating from an unknown source, erupted from within their bodies and rapidly spread throughout them.

Xun Zilan's expression changed drastically. He was shocked to find that cold energy had erupted from his Dantian at some point, spreading throughout his body along his meridians.

The sudden disaster plunged everyone into terror.

"Cold, it's really so cold..."

"What's going on?"

"It's over, I can't control the cold energy, what should we do..."

Panic set in among them. At this moment, they all remembered someone's words and, as if by prior agreement, turned their gazes toward the young man in white.