Tea Competition
Qiao Si Liu brews a single cup of willow spiral tea and gives it only to Fang Yuan, under his Wu Yi Hai identity, marking him out. Fang Yuan’s expression slightly changes, showing flattered joy, but his mind stays tranquil. He answers with a veiled remark on mortality. Luo Mu Zi and Lun Fei, denied a taste, stiffen visibly. Qiao Si Liu then serves everyone bewitching tea, Qiao clan’s own signature brew and several grades above willow spiral tea. The two men would still trade it for the tea they were refused. ch. 1317
When Fairy Tian Lu offers her own aurora tea, Qiao Si Liu turns her down. She asks instead after Gu Immortal Sheng Liu’s drunken flowers tea. Sheng Liu, revealed as Fairy Tian Lu’s lover, begs off, calling it too crude for the occasion. Qiao Si Liu sighs that no one has ever brewed a tea for her. ch. 1317
Under the moonlight, Luo Mu Zi and Lun Fei each step forward with a tea of their own making, nine recollecting fragrances and yin-yang tea. Qiao Si Liu praises both, singling out Lun Fei for reaching the second of yin-yang tea’s three brewing levels, a feat she says probably fewer than ten people in Southern Border can match. She calls him worthy of a food path Gu Immortal. The chapter states five teas discussed tonight, willow spiral, bewitching, drunken flowers, nine recollecting fragrances and yin-yang, are all incomplete food path Gu recipes. Food path is left with very few surviving inheritances despite being extremely significant. ch. 1317
Fang Yuan is slightly surprised to learn Lun Fei’s true cultivation is food path. He weighs killing him and soul-searching the inheritance. Even meaning no one harm, he reasons, still invites harm from others. His own strength already ranks among the best below rank eight. With his reverse flow protection seal active, he can stand toe to toe with Feng Jiu Ge despite weaker offense. He resolves to first probe Lun Fei’s background and the inheritance’s value. If he moves, he will act with absolute care against a soul self-detonation, and keep Wu Yi Hai’s identity clear of it. ch. 1317
Lun Fei, unaware of the danger, challenges Fang Yuan to produce his own tea. Luo Mu Zi presses further, praising Eastern Sea’s resources. The two tacitly corner him: as a guest he cannot outshine host Qiao Si Liu without embarrassing her, and the righteous path values reputation highly. Fang Yuan sets out five cups. Lun Fei drinks first and spits his out as awful, Luo Mu Zi calls it worse than mortal tea, and Fairy Tian Lu says it tastes like seawater. ch. 1317
Fang Yuan confirms it is seawater. He explains he dislikes tea, and that as an orphan cultivating alone in Eastern Sea he drank a bowl of salty seawater each morning to remind himself to persevere. Qiao Si Liu tastes it and calls it the most special tea she has ever had, thanking him and saying she is truly moved. Luo Mu Zi and Lun Fei fall silent. ch. 1317
