Brewing tea, Xiangzhuqing!

Jinling City East District, Jinxiu Weiyang.

Jinxiu Weiyang was the most luxurious villa enclave in the East District, boasting its most expensive individual properties and its largest concentration of famous businessmen and wealthy tycoons.

Jinxiu Weiyang occupied 100 hectares of natural landscape, encompassing eleven peninsular clusters and a total of 100 detached villas, with 800,000 square meters of greenery, 45,000 square meters of water, and an astonishingly low floor area ratio of 0.32.

Lush trees and shaded bamboo groves flourished here, surrounded by scenic ecological attractions and ten magnificent golf courses. Residents could tee off right outside their doors, while a royal clubhouse, palatial spa, and 2,700-square-meter shopping street offered every conceivable amenity. It was luxury at its finest.

At that moment, a limited-edition Ferrari SA Aperta sped up and stopped outside a villa in Jinxiu Weiyang named Purple Jade Into Mist.

The Ferrari SA Aperta's doors opened, and two figures emerged, one after the other.

Looking at the villa before him, Jun Wangchen felt almost blinded by its splendor. This distinguished private residence combined romance with grandeur: a lofty entrance hall and imposing doors, rounded arched windows and stonework corners. Its private garden, lawns, swimming pool, and other grounds complemented the climbing vines, creating a look both classic and fashionable, utterly elegant and sumptuous.

"Mr. Jun, Master Zi is waiting for you in the villa's main hall!" Brother Eight pointed toward the hall, bowed, and gestured for him to enter.

Jun Wangchen nodded, fought down his astonishment, and followed Brother Eight slowly into Purple Jade Into Mist.

As he walked, Jun Wangchen felt as though he had entered an imperial palace. The villa's porch and entrance hall extended north and south, while its living room, bedrooms, and other rooms featured low windows and hexagonal bay windows overlooking the scenery. The dining room opened to both north and south, blending indoor and outdoor views with refined elegance and comfort.

Upon entering the main hall, Jun Wangchen was dazzled again. Black marble floors, magnificent crystal chandeliers dripping with pendants, a gleaming, jet-black fragrant-wood table, imported designer upholstered chairs—every expensive furnishing pushed the luxury to its limits.

Just one glance left Jun Wangchen overwhelmed with emotion.

When would wealth and privilege be mine? Wine in hand, I asked the heavens. In this lifetime, how many years would I have to wait?

At that moment, a middle-aged man holding a newspaper sat on the hall's leather sofa. He had an average build, a square face, thick, neatly shaped black eyebrows, and piercing eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything.

"Master Zi, Mr. Jun is here."

The middle-aged man on the leather sofa paused, lowered his newspaper, and turned to look at Jun Wangchen beside Brother Eight.

Judging by appearances, the young man before him seemed relaxed, almost lazy, and entirely casual. At first glance, he would have been unremarkable anywhere.

Yet when their eyes met, the young man remained exceptionally calm—so calm it was almost unnerving.

With his commanding presence, ordinary people felt inexplicably inferior after just one look at him. Yet he saw none of that in Jun Wangchen's eyes.

Jun Wangchen struck him as a boundless ocean. One could never know how vast he truly was, or how deep.

This young man was rather extraordinary!

After a moment, the middle-aged man stood and approached Jun Wangchen. Extending his hand with a kindly smile, he said, "Hello, young friend Jun. I'm Zi Hanyan's father, Zifeng Town!"

"Hello, Master Zi!" Flattered by the reception, Jun Wangchen reached out and shook Zifeng Town's hand.

Zifeng Town certainly lived up to his reputation as an underworld boss in Jinling City East District. His air of authority alone was enough to inspire awe.

As he invited Jun Wangchen to sit, Zifeng Town said gratefully, "Young friend Jun, I invited you here today mainly to thank you in person for saving my daughter's life. If you hadn't happened by and rescued Hanyan last night, her entire life might have been ruined."

"You're too kind, Master Zi. Miss Zi and I are both students at Jinling University. When I saw someone in trouble, of course I had to help." Jun Wangchen waved a hand and smiled faintly. "Even if we weren't fellow students, with Miss Zi's heavenly beauty, I would still have done everything in my power."

"Hahaha, you flatter her, young friend Jun. My daughter may be pretty, but stepping forward in such a dangerous situation took tremendous courage." Zifeng Town laughed heartily and clapped his hands, asking the butler to bring them richly fragrant tea.

"Young friend Jun, this is some premium tea I acquired last year. I usually can't bear to drink it, but since you're here today, I brought it out especially for you to try."

Startled, Jun Wangchen cupped his hands respectfully. "I'm only a university student. I hardly deserve such kindness, Master Zi."

"Haha, there's no need to be so modest. Come, have some tea first." Zifeng Town seemed particularly pleased with Jun Wangchen's humility. Smiling, he pointed to the blue-and-white porcelain teacup on the tea table, worth a million yuan.

Jun Wangchen accepted without further ceremony. He lifted the cup with a touch of scholarly elegance and took a small sip. His brows first furrowed, then gradually relaxed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Its fragrance travels miles, its richness fills a single cup. This tea has a delightful aroma, with a dry fragrance beneath its bitterness and a crisp clarity beneath its fullness. It must be an exceptional tea. Could this be... Xiangzhuqing?"

Xiangzhuqing, the most expensive tea in the history of pu'er, cost 350,000 yuan for a mere 100 grams—two liang. Its color, fragrance, and flavor were among the finest of all teas. Just a tiny amount could swallow decades of an ordinary person's savings.

Thus the saying went: a thousand-year-old cypress and a ten-thousand-year-old purple-gold fir were worth less than a single leaf of Xiangzhuqing!

"That's right. This is Xiangzhuqing. To think you could identify it with just one sip! You must know quite a bit about tea!" Zifeng Town gave Jun Wangchen a surprised look. He clearly had not expected him to be so knowledgeable.

According to his investigation, Jun Wangchen did not come from a prominent family. His mother was a cleaner, and his father was unknown. Someone from such a family should not have been able to afford Xiangzhuqing.

Jun Wangchen smiled modestly. "You flatter me, Master Zi. Actually, I've never drunk Xiangzhuqing before. Everything I know about tea came from my mother."

"Could your mother be an expert in the art of tea?" Hearing this, Zifeng Town was even more surprised.

"I wouldn't quite call her an expert. She simply has a deep understanding of tea, especially Xiangzhuqing. She even used it as a model when teaching me how to brew tea."

"Oh?" A spark lit up Zifeng Town's eyes, and his interest immediately stirred. "Would you be willing to brew some for us now?"

"Well... all right. Since you're interested, Master Zi, I'll venture to try!" Meeting Zifeng Town's meaningful gaze, Jun Wangchen hesitated briefly but did not refuse. He immediately picked up the rosewood spoon beside him, scooped a small pinch of tea into a lidded bowl, and gently poured boiling water from the kettle over it.

At once, steam rose in delicate wisps, carrying a tea fragrance that soothed the heart.

Then Jun Wangchen drew a deep breath. Amid the fragrant steam, his heart gradually settled. A long-missed sense of familiarity washed his emotions clean, leaving his mind empty and tranquil.

Jun Wangchen opened his eyes, repeatedly infused the tea with boiling water, then poured it into a blue-and-white porcelain bowl. Arranging his thumb, index finger, and middle finger in the "three dragons guarding the cauldron" grip, he lifted the bowl with gentle, even pressure, leaving the tea's soul undisturbed.

Then Jun Wangchen cradled the blue-and-white porcelain bowl in his palm. Several tea leaves unfurled in the clear green liquid, spiraling and slowly sinking, then rising and sinking again. Three times they rose and fell, the shadows of the buds and the glimmer of the water reflecting one another.

"The leaves sink to the bottom and stand upright like brush tips... What extraordinary mastery of tea!" Watching this, Zifeng Town drew in a sharp breath, his eyes filled with astonishment.

The same tea leaves could produce vastly different flavors in different hands. The most fundamental reason was the difference in temperament.

An expert in the art of tea could immerse their heart in the tea and blend their emotions into it, even reaching a state where brewer and tea became one.

Judging by Jun Wangchen's actions just now, he was already an expert in the art of tea.

This boy really is astonishing. Only twenty, yet his mastery of tea is so profound. His mother must be no ordinary person either. Inwardly amazed, Zifeng Town never took his eyes off Jun Wangchen.

By then, Jun Wangchen had entered a state of selflessness. His mother had once told him that a tea brewer must temporarily forget the world's dazzling distractions, feel the clarity within their heart, experience the stillness of all things, and empty themselves of worldly dust.

Among all teas, Xiangzhuqing ranked in the top three by price, and its brewing demanded particular care, emphasizing harmony and quiet contemplation. Ordinary tea released its flavor after three infusions, but Xiangzhuqing required seven to reveal its full taste.

Jun Wangchen used tea tongs to remove the spent leaves from the teapot, rinsed it clean with warm water, and laid the teacups on their sides in the tea boat, turning them. After warming them with hot water, he took them out and set them on the tea tray.

Afterward, he transferred fresh leaves into the pot. Xiangzhuqing's shape resembled a woman dressed in an exquisite qipao: its buds and leaves tightly wrapped, slender yet full, refreshing to the eye and beautifully graceful. As water seeped among them, fine hairs drifted through it, bright and translucent, like a woman's dark brows and limpid eyes.

Seven steepings, seven infusions, each layer of fragrance distinct.

With the first infusion, a warm fragrance rose from the cup and greeted the nose.

With the second infusion came mellow sweetness.

With the third infusion, the richness remained undiminished.

With the fourth infusion came a faint floral scent.

With the fifth infusion, a fresh fragrance gradually spread.

With the sixth infusion, the lingering flavor grew light and elegant, while the quiet fragrance deepened into subtlety.

With the seventh infusion, water passed soundlessly, leaving a pure resonance—where, beneath the moonlit night, could one seek the sound of strings?

The pot rested between Jun Wangchen's fingers as lightly as a sheet of thin paper. His left middle finger held down the lid's knob as the water flowed leisurely out. His wrist guided his fingers as though he were rendering an exquisite fine-line painting, dot by dot, stroke by stroke, its colors blooming from the depths of his heart.

One by one, the buds and leaves slowly sank to the bottom of the cup, then gradually floated up again, swaying along with the current. Three times they sank and rose, the leaves curling slightly like tiny pinched folds.

Once everything was done, Jun Wangchen gestured toward the freshly brewed Xiangzhuqing and gave Zifeng Town a calm smile.

"Master Zi, please have a taste!"