Such Pure Tea, the Divine Drum's Mysteries

Now that we've compared the two sides' perspectives...

Chu Tianshu killed Fire Tree Dhuta with a single palm strike, then led Su Xian and Li Chenxiang to the Imperial Garden.

Cheng Xin then sent people to settle the rest of the caravan first.

Not far from West Brightness Pool, there are artificial hills, bamboo groves, and pavilions.

He asked the two to sit in the pavilion for a while, then turned around and went to his place where he had been staying for the past few days to fetch a pot of tea.

"Judging from your complexions, you're both badly injured. This tea is medicinal; please have some."

Chu Tianshu poured each of them a cup of tea; the tea was brownish but clear and transparent.

Tang People loved to drink tea. Before the Tang Dynasty, tea was brewed in the same way as porridge. But after Lu Yu wrote "The Classic of Tea" in the Great Tang, fine tea quickly became popular in the north and south, and even in foreign lands.

Su Xian was a tea lover, but after taking a small sip, a look of doubt appeared on his face. He took another sip, and then another.

He could tell from the first sip that the tea had a medicinal taste, and he could even vaguely identify several qi-tonifying herbs.

The problem is, this tea's texture... is too delicate.

Those who cultivate the Heart and Blood Martial Dao have keen senses. When they taste tea, no matter how it is filtered, they can always taste many tiny particles in the tea soup.

This is considered a flavor that only martial artists can enjoy, so they don't find it offensive.

However, Su Xian only realized this after tasting such a pure cup of tea for the first time today.

The presence of flocculent impurities can certainly be considered a flavor characteristic.

But if we could get rid of these impurities while still preserving the flavor of the tea, that would be even more delightful.

"So innocent, so innocent."

Su Xian closed his eyes to savor the experience, feeling as if he were floating on air, and murmured, "How exactly is this tea brewed?"

Li Chenxiang placed the wooden box containing the Divine Drum on the corner of the table and silently sipped his tea. Suddenly, he exclaimed in surprise, "Elder Su, you're bleeding from your nose!"

Su Xian woke up with a start, and touched the spot with her finger, finding blood.

Chu Tianshu took a sip of tea, smiled, and shook his head slightly.

"You're too weak to absorb nourishment."

He brews this tea by directly extracting the vital energy of the medicine, infusing it into the water, and then, through the process of refining medicine, harmonizing the various ingredients, neutralizing toxins, and enhancing the medicinal effects.

Although it contains medicinal properties and has a certain flavor, it doesn't actually use medicinal herbs soaked in water, so of course it's free of any impurities.

These are all high-quality medicines that replenish qi and blood.

Given Li Chenxiang and Su Xian's strength, even if they were seriously injured, they could easily absorb the medicine by channeling their energy.

Unexpectedly, Su Xian loved tea and became so engrossed in its flavor that he momentarily forgot to cultivate his inner energy.

In addition, when operating the machine gun in combat, Old Su lost the most blood and even developed symptoms of being unable to tolerate the nourishment.

Su Xian quickly pressed lightly with his right hand, flicking his fingers from his collarbone all the way down to his navel, and then rubbing with his palm.

In a short while, his blood and energy flowed smoothly, and he absorbed the medicine more quickly.

Li Chenxiang handed him a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his nose.

Su Xian folded the handkerchief, still sighing to herself, "To be able to drink such fine tea, I'd gladly accept two more rounds of fighting with the Fire Tree Dhuta."

"The efficacy of this tea lies not only in the tea leaves and herbs themselves, but also in the exceptional skill of the person who brewed it, making them the unparalleled master of the art of tea in this world."

Because of his chubby face, his eyes, which were not large to begin with, now gleamed with a sharp, yearning light as he looked at Chu Tianshu.

"Senior Chu, are you willing to take on apprentices in the art of tea?"

"I am known for my filial piety, and I am willing to serve my elders by leading their horses and holding their stirrups, upholding the duties of a teacher and disciple..."

Chu Tianshu quickly waved his hand.

"No, I only boil medicine; I'm not good at brewing tea. You can't possibly learn all my medicine-boiling skills anyway."

Chu Tianshu pondered for a moment, "However, if you really want to learn how to extract medicinal properties and blend tea, I have a set of medicinal recipes passed down by the Northern Celestial Masters' Way."

"If you can learn this set of medicine recipes, even if you can't match my skills, you'll be at least 70% proficient."

Su Xian was overjoyed, stood up from the table, and was about to kneel down on the spot.

"Don't become an apprentice!"

Chu Tianshu raised his hand to stop him and laughed, "How about exchanging skills?"

"Having traveled extensively overseas, I am very interested in the Weapon Soul Art of the Great Tang."

Su Xian was a little surprised.

This delay triggered his business instincts, and he instantly realized that he had gotten the better deal.

Even disregarding the taste, the medicinal effects of that cup of tea were quite remarkable.

Not only had he lost a lot of blood in the previous battle, but he also had old wounds accumulating along the way while escorting the Divine Drum.

The medicine was warm in nature, and the herbs used did not seem to be particularly rare, but it immediately permeated the entire body.

This is precisely the wonder of the prescription's proportions.

"Senior."

Su Xian hesitated for a moment, still not daring to take advantage of this senior, and told the truth.

"The Weapon Soul Art is indeed precious, but with your strength, as long as you're willing to make a trip to Chang'an and express your intentions, I'm afraid someone will come knocking on your door to give it to you for free."

"Senior, you saved our lives, so the Weapon Soul Technique is naturally ours to offer, but this medicine recipe..."

Thud!!

Chu Tianshu tapped the table lightly with her finger, interrupting him.

Outside the pavilion, the shadows of the trees sway gently, and a fragrant breeze carries their scent.

Not far away, on the West Brightness Pool, the water rippled and carp leaped lightly.

"This imperial garden was originally designed by Zheng Tianchang. He did something wrong and deserved to be punished. He will never have the chance to appreciate such a beautiful view again."

Chu Tianshu admired the scenery outside the pavilion and spoke in a gentle voice.

"Conversely, if someone does a good deed and I happen to witness it, they should also be rewarded."

"If you feel you've gotten a good deal by obtaining this medicine recipe, consider it your reward."

"Everyone in your team can learn this medicine recipe. In the future, it will be another way to make a living besides living on the edge."

Li Chenxiang's eyes lit up.

The entire group included him, and besides, nearly half of the caravan members were from Kingdom of Chenla, all of whom were his confidants.

Having said that, Su Xian had no further hesitation.

On behalf of everyone in the caravan, I thank you, senior.

Su Xian got up and sat down at the table. Seeing that there was no paper or pen, he didn't wait for anyone to fetch them.

He took a brocade pouch directly from his waist, opened it, placed the gold and silver inside on the table, and then wrote on the inside of the flattened pouch.

As he raised his hand and exerted force, blood was forced from his fingertips, making his nails resemble the tip of a pen.

The characters written in this way are delicate, clear, and dry quickly; a single drop of blood can write hundreds of characters.

Using one's own blood as ink can better express the artistic conception of the technique.

Chu Tianshu poured himself another cup of tea, sipping it while reading what Chu Tianshu was writing.

"Indeed, there have been many improvements since the very basic steps..."

Chu Tianshu had long intended to combine the Great Void Heavenly Eye with the Sanqi Divine Sword.

He didn't intend to create another Weapon Soul. The best option would be for the two treasures to be combined and both controlled by the Sanqi Weapon Soul.

After all, Sanqi has been with him for a long time, and he is the embodiment of his own fighting spirit. After undergoing so much training and development, they are now working together seamlessly.

With a single Weapon Soul Unification Treasure, you don't need to be too distracted during battle.

However, the radiant energy has a deep restraining effect on the Sanqi Weapon Soul.

In the past, the Nanhua Origin Canon were used to refine the vital energy of famous swords and blades, enhancing the body of the Three-Seven Sword. The essence of Borderland Species was used to nourish the Weapon Soul.

They should all be considered decent resources.

However, from today's perspective, the methods used in the past for feeding were still a bit crude and wasted a lot.

Chu Tianshu recently thought that he could gradually increase the amount of radiant internal energy and integrate it into his own blood, thus indirectly feeding it to Sanqi and allowing it to adapt better.

Now they have obtained the improved version of the Weapon Soul Art from the Great Tang world.

Even without relying on the token for deduction, with his current abilities, he could quickly discern many subtle details.

This allowed me to refine and improve my original ideas.

Su Xian was confident and meticulous in his writing, carefully considering the size and arrangement of the characters.

The entire Weapon Soul Art was ultimately written down by him on a piece of brocade cloth.

After he finished writing the last stroke, Chu Tianshu had already mentally reviewed each step.

Which steps are not needed for Sanqi, and which steps can be replaced or shortened using our own methods?

Li Chenxiang kept his eyes straight ahead, not looking at the Weapon Soul Art. Moreover, he was at peace and did not need to forcibly suppress his greed. He was simply digesting the medicinal tea and was quite content.

Chu Tianshu glanced at him, gaining a better understanding of the prince's character.

"The medicine catalog is right here."

Chu Tianshu took out a scroll from his pocket. He had written it in his spare time each evening over the past few days, and it was originally intended to be given to Cheng Xin.

It wouldn't hurt to give a copy to Su Xian and the others first, and then make another copy for Cheng Xin.

Su Xian happily accepted the book.

Chu Tianshu also took the brocade pouch, but instead of looking at it again, he turned his gaze to the wooden box beside him.

Inside the box was the Mountain King Divine Drum.

He lifted the lid and saw the jet-black drumhead with a snake-scale pattern.

The drum is about the same size as a copper basin used for washing one's face.

The black of the drumhead contrasts beautifully with the gray-white of the drum rope.

The drum body is the color of a type of sandalwood.

However, Chu Tianshu tapped it lightly with his fingernail and heard a metallic sound, indicating that the material was extraordinary.

"That's interesting."

In Chu Tianshu's vision, wisps of Weapon Soul energy, sometimes black and sometimes white, were clearly rising from the Divine Drum.

The change between black and white seems to represent the Weapon Soul within the drum undergoing a process of absorption and cultivation.

However, when he looked closer, it seemed that the drum did not contain a complete Weapon Soul.

After a moment's thought, he gently lifted his finger and tapped the center of the drumhead.

(End of this chapter)