Drinking tea

"Brother Fang, your luck with women truly is extraordinary."

Upon entering the room and suddenly hearing this assessment from Chu Liuxiang, Fang Yunhua froze for a few seconds. His conversation with Hua Zhenzhen just now had taken place at least several hundred meters from these quarters. Could the man's hearing really be that exceptional?

Or should he say that this truly was an innate sacred physique for thievery, with not even the rustle of grass within a thousand meters escaping the keen senses of the legendary Chu? If he crouched outside those inns for an entire night, there would probably be no shortage of entertainment.

After making his remark, Chu Liuxiang noticed that Fang Yunhua was looking at him rather strangely. Though he could not guess precisely what was on his mind, he suspected it was nothing particularly polite.

He hurriedly cleared his throat and explained.

"During our spar earlier, I noticed a young woman preparing to intervene. She was watching intently for any opening I might expose. Had I attacked one of your fatal points, I suspect she would have thrown herself at me without a thought for anything else."

Of course, Chu Liuxiang kept a few thoughts to himself. In truth, Fang Yunhua's standing within Mount Hua was far higher than he had expected. That young woman had been far from the only person ready to step in and help at any moment.

Even those disciples who seemed to be watching for entertainment had all looked upon him as an enemy.

The reason he had paid particular attention to Hua Zhenzhen was that she gave him a vague but considerable sense of pressure, one that was not even inferior to Master Withered Plum's.

Yet before this, he had never known Mount Hua possessed such a young expert. Fang Yunhua's performance had also come as a tremendous surprise. He had originally thought Gao Yanan, whom he knew well, was already among the finest of this generation.

He truly had not expected Mount Hua to harbor so many crouching tigers and hidden dragons.

While Chu Liuxiang was lost in thought, Fang Yunhua cupped his hands and said,

"My senior sister was merely worried about me. If she showed any discourtesy, allow me to apologize to you on her behalf, using tea in place of wine."

He then sat down at the wooden table in the room. After taking out an exquisite, compact tea set, he began rinsing and brewing the tea, his movements flowing like drifting clouds and running water.

His tea-making was so pleasing to the eye that Chu Liuxiang swallowed the polite reply already on the tip of his tongue, afraid of disrupting his movements.

An incense stick's worth of time later.

Two teacups the size of wine cups had been filled. Waves of tea fragrance spread through the room, mingling with the scents of flowers and bamboo drifting through the window, truly intoxicating both heart and mind.

"A prized tribute tea, Mengding Stone Flower. Please enjoy."

As Fang Yunhua gestured for him to drink, Chu Liuxiang was both astonished to find this rare treasure here, normally obtainable only as an imperial gift, and impressed by the pairing of fine tea with fine skill. Perhaps only Fang Yunhua's mastery of tea could bring out the very best flavor of this Mengding Stone Flower.

After nodding slightly to Fang Yunhua in thanks, he lifted his cup, closed his eyes, and slowly brought it to his lips.

The tea's fragrance burst across his tongue, leaving him ever more intoxicated, and washed away the inexplicable anxiety those five corpses had caused him lately.

Fang Yunhua also began savoring his own cup of tea.

Although Mengding Stone Flower counted among the superior teas in his collection, it was by no means the finest. After all, he had Jin Lingzhi, that little spitfire who was always thinking of him. Once she learned that Fang Yunhua enjoyed tea, she repeatedly tricked her uncles and aunts into giving her tea leaves, then sent them to him.

As Madam Jin's most beloved young granddaughter, she could indulge her whims to the fullest.

Speaking of Madam Jin, she was an extraordinary woman herself. She had ten sons, nine daughters, eight sons-in-law, thirty-nine grandchildren through her sons, and another twenty-eight through her daughters.

Among her sons and sons-in-law were escort captains, chief constables, gang leaders, and sect leaders. Not one of them was anything less than a top expert of the martial world.

Only one had abandoned martial pursuits for scholarship, entering the gilded halls of court and reaching the highest ministerial rank. Another had risen through the army and was now the General of Majestic Might, whose military achievements were the greatest in the current court.

If Fang Yunhua wanted to contact the An Prince's Mansion and establish a bond of mutual assistance with Mount Hua, the most convenient approach would be to ask Jin Lingzhi to contact that high-ranking official and have him pass along a message. Compared with presenting himself at their door to recommend his own services, this would earn him far greater consideration.

Still, he needed to consider carefully how to eat this soft rice. He could not simply keep taking from her. Swindling a little tea out of her in everyday life was one thing, but when it came to serious business, he would have to offer an appropriate gift of thanks.

While Fang Yunhua was weighing all this, Chu Liuxiang finished his first cup of tea.

Having settled his thoughts, he went straight to the heart of the matter.

"Brother Fang, are you curious why I came to visit disguised as Jin Ban Hua this time?"

Fang Yunhua set down his teacup and answered with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Because you wouldn't dare come openly to Mount Hua."

"Huh?" This answer left Chu Liuxiang bewildered, and Fang Yunhua's next words made him rub his nose in embarrassment.

"You should know that hopeless senior sister of mine. Apparently, she privately pledged herself to a friend of yours many years ago. But from what I heard, once that friend woke up after drinking, he simply refused to acknowledge it. My poor, foolish senior sister chased him for three years.

"Oh, no, more than three years. After those three years, even when she could no longer trace his whereabouts, she never forgot to ask after that friend of yours whenever she went down the mountain on sect business. Add all that scattered time together, and it has already been seven years.

"And throughout that time, she rejected every advance from the sons of distinguished families and the young heroes of other sects.

"For a woman in the bloom of youth, that meant missing out on her finest years.

"And all because of a single promise from that friend of yours."

By now, Chu Liuxiang was rubbing his nose so hard he nearly struck sparks.

Inwardly, he kept cursing Hu Tiehua. That man had committed the sins, yet he was the one left carrying the blame here. And now that the matter had been brought into the open, any authority he had intended to bring to his inquiries had been crushed underfoot.

How could he possibly have the face now to investigate the truth behind that Divine Water Palace disciple's death?

Clearly, Fang Yunhua was pressing him for an explanation. But Chu Liuxiang had no idea where that butterfly had flown off to either. The last time the two of them had met was seven years ago.

After weighing the matter several times, he finally raised his head, prepared to shoulder some responsibility for his good friend and at least offer some compensation.

Yet when he met Fang Yunhua's faintly amused eyes, he realized the man did not seem all that angry. He was merely using the matter to tease him.

Still, teasing aside, Hu had behaved dishonorably. He would have to step forward and soothe Mount Hua's resentment.

"Is there anything I can do for Lady Gao?"

It was rare for Fang Yunhua to see Chu Liuxiang looking so cautious. He smiled and said,

"This concerns my senior sister's feelings. I can't make any decisions for her. As someone from her side of the family, reminding you was enough. If I say too much, I'll be like a dog catching mice, meddling in another's business. But I do have a personal matter I would like your help with."

"Please, go ahead."

By now, Chu Liuxiang's opinion of Fang Yunhua had changed considerably. He even felt an urge to make a friend of him.

"I hope to redeem the White Jade Beauty."