In the manor's drawing room, Luo Kaiyuan, Wei Dong, and Feng Xiaoqi were invited inside after only a brief wait outside.
When they saw Chen Chuan, they were about to salute, but he waved them off, motioned for them to sit wherever they liked, and poured each of them a cup of a richly fragrant drink.
"Try it. This is Silver Fruit Tea, which Kavatua used to trade to Great Shun. Production was limited, and it was difficult to preserve, so only the imperial household could enjoy it back then."
The three took a sip. At first, they noticed nothing special. The taste was faint, almost like plain boiled water. After a while, however, a fresh, slightly bitter flavor emerged, filling their mouths with a delicate fragrance.
A little later, their Mutated Tissue felt as though it were soaking in a hot spring, languid yet somehow highly active at the same time. Even their thoughts grew considerably clearer.
Feng Xiaoqi could not help exclaiming, "This really is good stuff!" He took another sip as he spoke.
Wei Dong nodded, tilted his head back, and gulped the whole cup down.
Luo Kaiyuan, however, stopped after a single sip.
Chen Chuan smiled faintly and leaned by the window with his tea. "Did the journey go smoothly?"
Luo Kaiyuan replied, "Aside from a few border inspections on the way there and back, there were basically no complications."
"When we passed the continental border, someone followed us," Feng Xiaoqi said. "Luckily, Wei Dong spotted them in time. We didn't get tangled up with them and quickly shook them off. I think they were probably from the Confidential Operations Division."
Chen Chuan gave a hum of acknowledgment. As members of his guard detail, the three would certainly attract some attention when they ventured out on