Tea Stall

Jing Prefecture, Linshui Commandery, Blackwind Mountain.

On the narrow mountain road, two young men walked side by side. They were none other than Zhao Zhi and He Peng.

Zhao Zhi slightly raised his head and looked toward Blackwind Mountain in the distance.

He thought of this D-grade Mission.

Suppress Blackwind Stronghold on Blackwind Mountain and kill its stronghold chief, Xiahou Cheng.

Most D-grade Missions issued by the Profound Nether Platform involved suppressing minor bands of mountain bandits or capturing fugitive criminals at the Foundation Establishment level. They were not particularly difficult.

After all, D-grade Missions existed to allow Trainee Profound Nether Guards to become Formal Profound Nether Guards, not to drive away every martial artist who wished to join the Profound Nether Platform.

"Zhao Zhi." Seeing a tea stall up ahead, He Peng said, "How about we rest at the tea stall?"

"Sure."

Zhao Zhi did not refuse.

The two headed toward the tea stall.

The tea stall was not large, consisting of only two tables and a counter for boiling tea.

The tea stall owner was not the middle-aged man or elderly man one might ordinarily imagine, but a young man around twenty. He looked ordinary, with healthy bronze-colored skin.

"Shopkeeper." He Peng called out. Seeing such a young owner, he could not help but smile. "You really are young."

The young man smiled faintly and asked, "What would the guests like?"

He Peng said, "Just a pot of tea."

"Very well."

The owner turned and left.

He Peng glanced at the owner, then lowered his voice to Zhao Zhi. "Zhao Zhi, he is so young, the items here are scattered about carelessly, and his tea-brewing technique is mediocre. I fear he is not truly the owner of this tea stall. We should be careful."

As he spoke, he lifted his gaze to meet Zhao Zhi's eyes and smiled quietly. "I forgot. You used to be a constable, so you are sharper than I am when it comes to such matters. What do you think we should do?"

Zhao Zhi withdrew his gaze from the owner and said unhurriedly, "This is Blackwind Mountain territory. Since he dares set up a tea stall here, he should be an informant for Blackwind Stronghold. Let us wait and see what he does."

"Alright."

He Peng nodded.

"Pan Hu, there's a tea stall here. Let's rest here for a while."

A lively voice drifted over from not far away.

Zhao Zhi and He Peng heard it and glanced sideways.

There were three people walking along the mountain road, two men and one woman. They wore the fitted outfits commonly seen on those who roamed the martial world. Yet from their bearing and the ornaments hanging at their waists, it was clear that they were no ordinary people.

Rather than people of the martial world, they seemed more like children of prominent families pretending to be such people.

Pan Hu nodded. "Alright, let's rest up ahead."

This mountain road was truly difficult to travel.

He did not mind it himself, but he could not let Jin'er grow tired.

He glanced slightly to his left at Zhou Jin, the young woman with peach-blossom eyes and a high nose bridge.

"At last, we can rest." Chen Nanxing stretched lazily and let out a long breath. "Who knows what Blackwind Stronghold was thinking, building their stronghold along such a difficult road."

Zhou Jin smiled, shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks. "Brother Nanxing, they are mountain bandits. Of course they would build their stronghold in the mountains."

Chen Nanxing looked at Zhou Jin and scratched his head. "Jin'er, that makes perfect sense. They built it in the mountains, so we'll block the mountain paths and make sure they cannot escape even if they grow wings."

Zhou Jin looked worried. "Blackwind Stronghold is rather famous, and its chief, Xiahou Cheng, is even more renowned. Can the three of us really capture Xiahou Cheng?"

"A mere Xiahou Cheng? With me making a move, there will certainly be no problem." Chen Nanxing thrust out his chest, his tone arrogant. "When the time comes, I'll capture Xiahou Cheng in one move and hand him over to you, Jin'er, to deal with."

As they spoke, the three arrived at the tea stall.

Chen Nanxing raised a hand. "Shopkeeper, bring me a pot of the finest Tieguanyin, along with some pastries."

How foolish.

The owner was brewing tea. He raised his head to look at Chen Nanxing and the other two before replying, "Guest, this is merely a small tea stall. I only have coarse tea to quench thirst, not fine Tieguanyin, much less pastries."

"No Tieguanyin, no pastries?" Chen Nanxing frowned. "Then why even run a tea stall?"

The owner lowered his head. "Guest, I am truly sorry."

Pan Hu stopped Chen Nanxing and said softly, "We are roaming the martial world now, not in Jing Prefecture City. People of the martial world drink coarse tea, so we shall drink coarse tea as well."

Zhou Jin looked at the crude tea utensils on the table. They were not the exquisite porcelain from Jing Prefecture City's White Pottery Kiln, yet she showed no disdain. Instead, her eyes sparkled with interest.

This was the martial world.

Just like the martial world in the storytellers' tales.

"Fine, then." Chen Nanxing did not argue. He called out helplessly, "Shopkeeper, bring a pot of coarse tea, and serve whatever food you have."

"Very well, guest."

The owner answered from afar.

Zhao Zhi and He Peng did not pay much attention to the actions of Pan Hu and the other two. Instead, they secretly watched the owner.

A short while later.

The owner brought over two pots of tea and some snacks. "Guests, your tea."

The coarse tea of the wilderness had none of the rich, elegant, or natural fragrance of fine tea leaves. Its ordinary tea scent was mixed with a trace of bitterness.

It did not taste good, but it was enough to quench thirst.

Zhao Zhi and He Peng looked at the tea on the table without rushing to drink it.

The owner brought the remaining pot of tea and snacks to the other table.

"Three guests, this is all my humble shop has. Please forgive me."

Pan Hu, Chen Nanxing, and Zhou Jin looked at the tea, which gave off no fragrance, then at the pastries, which possessed not the slightest beauty. Their brows furrowed slightly.

Chen Nanxing turned to glance at the owner, then lowered his voice as he spoke to Pan Hu and Zhou Jin. "Can these things really be eaten?"

Pan Hu hesitantly picked up a rough, yellowed rice cake. "Things in the martial world should be like this."

Chen Nanxing and Zhou Jin stared at Pan Hu with wide eyes.

Under their gazes, Pan Hu was just about to take a bite of the rice cake.

At that moment, a low voice drew all three of their attention.

"What is this?"

He Peng held a longsword, its sharp blade resting against the owner's shoulder. Cold light flowed along it, as though it could take the owner's life at any moment.

The owner looked terrified.

The sleeve on his right arm had been sliced away by the blade, and an object resembling a small bamboo tube fell onto the packed earth.

"It... it is..."

The owner stammered, then hurriedly dropped to his knees.

"Spare me, young hero, spare me! I was forced to do it! Those people from Blackwind Stronghold forced me to do this!"

"Blackwind Stronghold?"

Pan Hu, Chen Nanxing, and Zhou Jin immediately looked over.

Chen Nanxing fixed his gaze on the owner. "People from Blackwind Stronghold forced you to do this? What exactly do you mean?"

"I am originally from Wang Family Village. Last year, the mountain bandits from Blackwind Stronghold attacked Wang Family Village and killed everyone there except me. They forced me to work for them, saying that otherwise they would kill me. I had no choice. I beg you all to spare my life, spare my life. I'll leave Blackwind Stronghold at once."

The owner wept bitterly, tears and snot streaming down his face as he kowtowed and begged for mercy.