In the East, aside from those great clans with histories stretching back thousands of years and the high personages bearing princely titles, no one could afford flowers whose price had soared tenfold, even dozens of times over. On the Eastern Subcontinent, black tulips were no longer merely flowers—they were purely symbols of status.
As one of the Guardian God Palace's three great guardian saintesses, Auspicious Heaven naturally knew how precious black tulips were. Thus, when she saw this densely packed field of tens of thousands of black tulips, even Auspicious Heaven stood stunned for a long while.
"Tea, or wine?" Lin Qi asked Qi Aran and Auspicious Heaven with a smile.
"Tea, of course tea!" Qi Aran smiled at Auspicious Heaven. "Ever since I encountered Auspicious Heaven while traveling through the East, I fell in love with tea. One must admit that tea contains a kind of philosophical principle lacking in us Westerners!"
Perhaps because Lin Qi had just suppressed him through force, Qi Aran now felt an urge to speak eloquently and use his broad knowledge to overpower Lin Qi. He dearly wanted to display a sense of superiority before Lin Qi—he had traveled through the East, he had earned the Guardian God Palace's favor, he had been implanted with a divine seed, and he even had Auspicious Heaven's protection!
These things were basically not to be spoken of, things outsiders could not be allowed to know. Yet Qi Aran wanted to recover some of the face he had lost just now through other means, from other angles. For instance, through the tea ceremony, through certain Eastern customs!
Upon hearing Qi Aran's words, Lin Qi revealed an odd smile. He sent out a ripple of soul energy, then clapped his hands.
Two young eunuchs in black robes embroidered with