Chapter 360 - A Private Room and a Personal Teacup

Chapter 360: Chapter 360 - A Private Room and a Personal Teacup

Ning Shuang led Su Bai into a tea house overlooking a narrow courtyard.

The attendant recognized her at the entrance and greeted her politely. She asked for an upstairs room, then waited while the woman checked which ones were available.

Su Bai glanced around as they followed her. The establishment was quiet enough that he could hear water being poured behind a wooden screen.

Several customers sat downstairs, but their conversations faded as soon as he stepped onto the staircase.

The private rooms had formations of their own.

Ning Shuang examined the inscription beside their door before entering. Once the attendant activated it, the sounds from the corridor softened.

A small jade token rested on the table for the occupants to control the room’s restrictions.

"The Jadeleaf Spring Mist Tea, please," Ning Shuang said. "A pot will be enough."

The attendant nodded, but Su Bai spoke before she left.

"Could you bring the dry leaves and hot water separately? We would like to brew it ourselves."

The woman paused briefly, then agreed.

Ning Shuang gave no objection and settled beside the table while Su Bai examined the room.

The formation obscured sound and discouraged casual spiritual-sense probes. It would not stop someone powerful from forcing an intrusion, but they would know if anyone attempted it.

When the attendant returned, she carried a small container of leaves, a pot of hot water, and a clean tea set.

She explained that the Spring Mist Tea was one of the city’s specialties. Its fragrance was mild, and drinking it could replenish a little Qi while easing the strain of prolonged circulation.

Ning Shuang thanked her and waited until the door closed.

Su Bai removed the Glacier-Lung Bone Mask. He placed it beside him, then took the Soul-Steeping Teacup from his System Inventory. Its plain appearance suited the room well enough that Ning Shuang’s attention initially passed over it.

Then she looked at the untouched tea set.

A small smile appeared on her face.

"I should have thought of that."

Su Bai glanced up.

"Thought of what?"

"Bringing a cup of my own. I check what I drink, but I usually use whatever vessel is provided."

Her gaze moved toward the closed door.

"And asking for the leaves separately makes it easier to examine them of poison before they are brewed. As expected of Brother Su."

Su Bai paused with his hand above the container.

He had been thinking about how long to steep the tea.

Ning Shuang had apparently turned the same arrangement into a lesson on avoiding poison.

If she knew how eagerly he would ordinarily accept a poisoned drink, her admiration might become considerably more complicated.

"Do not overthink it," he said. "I am just a little particular about my tea."

Ning Shuang nodded as though that explanation confirmed something.

Su Bai decided to leave it there.

He placed a small quantity of dry leaves into his cup and added hot water. The leaves drifted toward the bottom before slowly beginning to unfold. A fresh fragrance rose with the steam, pleasant enough that he leaned closer despite himself.

Across the table, Ning Shuang examined an ordinary cup. She passed her spiritual sense over its surface, checked the interior, then inspected the rim once more before setting it down.

Su Bai watched the third examination.

She noticed his gaze and smiled.

"One can always be more careful."

He could hardly argue after the praise she had just given him. Su Bai returned his attention to the leaves while she checked the water and prepared her own serving.

For a little while, neither spoke. The quiet room and the smell of tea helped ease the unpleasantness he had carried from the forest.

Su Bai watched the color deepen inside his cup and wondered how much of that change belonged to the leaves.

"Brother Su," Ning Shuang said, "has something happened to your voice?"

He looked up at once.

"My voice?"

"I noticed it earlier, but I thought I was imagining it."

She considered how to explain before continuing.

"It is easier to relax when you speak. I can still hear you clearly, even when your voice is low."

Su Bai touched his throat.

To his own ears, he sounded much as he always had.

"Was it different before?"

"A little." Ning Shuang lowered her gaze to her tea. "I remembered how you sounded when we last spoke. There is something more comfortable about it now."

She paused, then added, "The attendant noticed something too. She stopped for a moment when you asked her."

Su Bai recalled the brief hesitation at the doorway.

He had assumed the woman was surprised by his request. Ning Shuang had evidently paid closer attention.

Her judgment alone could not tell him exactly what had changed, but he had a reasonable suspicion.

He directed a little attention inward, but the Root Sprout in his throat Gateway Dantian remained quiet. Its small leaf gave him no explanation.

The Grievance Bell had made the leaf respond throughout the journey.

Perhaps that nourishment had begun affecting more than the sprout itself.

He brushed his fingers lightly against his throat.

If an incomplete root could influence his voice already, what would happen once it developed fully?

The idea that he might eventually put someone to sleep by speaking was interesting enough to deserve examination.

Preferably when no important conversation was waiting.

"Perhaps I ate something useful," he said.

Ning Shuang accepted the answer and lifted her cup. She seemed content to have mentioned what she noticed, and Su Bai appreciated that she left the matter there.

He turned back to his own tea.

Enough time had passed for the leaves to open. Their pale green edges moved gently beneath the water, and the fragrance had become fuller.

Su Bai took a small sip and waited before swallowing another.

The first response was faint.

A little of his Qi diminished as the tea’s natural nourishment turned harmful under Reversal. Then the infused soul-eroding power took effect, bringing a comfort that outweighed the tea’s ordinary harm.

Su Bai’s attention sharpened.

The familiar burning in his throat never came. Even plain water had made drinking uncomfortable before, yet this tea had gone down smoothly.

Its beneficial properties still worked against him, but the cup’s influence was strong enough to make the drink enjoyable.

Su Bai closed his eyes briefly.

The effect was modest, as it should have been after a short steep and a small mouthful.

Nevertheless, it was distinct from the tea’s ordinary properties. The cup had begun infusing it with the soul-eroding influence described by the system.

He opened his eyes and looked at the remaining tea with renewed appreciation.

The leaves were better than he had expected. He would have to compare longer steeping times later, but this was already a useful beginning.

A continuing supply of suitable tea could give him something to work with when he finally examined the Void-Tempering Soul Scripture properly.

His soul had gained enormously inside Fallen-Star Sanctuary. Dedicated practice of the scripture had repeatedly been pushed aside while he dealt with more immediate matters.

Now that his Nascent Soul participated directly in his circulation, he would also need to understand how the inherited method worked alongside his present foundation.

Su Bai took another small sip.

He found himself missing the Sanctuary’s abundant nourishment for a moment, although the memory of everything living inside it quickly moderated that feeling.

Jadeleaf City offered considerably better seating.

Across from him, Ning Shuang had relaxed over her own cup. She looked more at ease than she had since their reunion, and he allowed her another quiet moment before setting his tea down.

Her gaze rose immediately.

She checked the Gu within her chest, then rested her hands beside the cup.

"It is still asleep," she said. "Brother Su, we can speak freely."

Su Bai nodded.

"When we last met, you could only tell me that your assignments had become more frequent. What were you being sent out to do?"

Ning Shuang’s expression grew thoughtful.

"The orders varied, but lately we have spent much of our time examining places around mortal settlements."

"What are you looking for?"

She glanced toward the room’s restriction token before answering.

"Locations where formations can be placed."