Chapter 563 - 573: The Three Flavors of Tea

The Jade Maiden Sect’s current generation truly lacked any outstanding disciples. On the Cyan Cloud List, their highest-ranked member was Youu Junlian at thirty-third. After her, no other disciple from the sect made it into the top one hundred.

Fang Huatong smiled faintly, her eyes on the teacup beside her. Seemingly intrigued by the conversation, she picked it up, her thumb and forefinger gripping the rim while her middle finger supported the base. She didn’t drink right away. First, she raised the cup to her nose to inhale the aroma, then took three slow, deliberate sips. The entire sequence was as smooth as flowing water, utterly effortless.

Jiechen pressed his palms together and smiled. "Three sips to know the flavor, three encounters to stir the heart. So the Sect Leader is also a connoisseur of the Way of Tea. This humble monk failed to recognize it. I am truly ashamed."

Only then did it dawn on the crowd that the Sect Leader of the Jade Maiden Sect was also a master of the Way of Tea, one who had studied it in depth.

"I merely enjoy a few cups in my leisure time, nothing more. I’m hardly a master," Fang Huatong said, her eyes shifting to Duan Chi and Wen Qingye. She smiled. "I wonder, what do you two think of my Nine Dragon Tea?"

At Fang Huatong’s words, all eyes turned to Wen Qingye and Duan Chi.

Duan Chi shook his head with a smile. "I know very little about tea. I am a lone wanderer who has always preferred wine. Since everyone here is a connoisseur of the Way of Tea, it is best I don’t presume to comment on the Sect Leader’s Nine Dragon Tea."

Just as Fang Huatong was about to speak, the Great Elder of the Jade Maiden Sect beside her turned to Wen Qingye and said with a smile, "I have heard that Wen Qingye of the Celestial Profound Sect has an extraordinary bearing and refined talents. You must surely be a man who understands tea. I wonder, what are your profound insights on this Nine Dragon Tea?"

As the Great Elder of the Jade Maiden Sect spoke, her eyes held an intimidating aura that bore down on Wen Qingye.

Fang Huatong’s intention in serving tea was easy enough to grasp: to calm everyone’s minds before the coming test. The Great Elder of the Jade Maiden Sect, however, was clearly using this as an opportunity to pressure Wen Qingye.

Though inwardly displeased by the Great Elder’s words, Fang Huatong was also curious to see how Wen Qingye would respond. She, too, turned her gaze toward him.

’Refined talents and extraordinary bearing?’ How could anyone present fail to see that the Great Elder was deliberately making things difficult for Wen Qingye, setting him up for a fall with excessive praise?

For a moment, all eyes were on Wen Qingye, each person wearing a different expression.

The teacup in his hand was as white as jade and thin as paper. One would think the slightest pressure might shatter it.

Wen Qingye, clad in white, sat cross-legged by his low table. ’Since you insist on asking,’ he thought, ’I might as well give you an answer.’

Wen Qingye swept his gaze over the crowd and smiled. "The room is fragrant with the scent of herbs, the brazier’s warmth envelops the smoke of roasting tea. To truly appreciate tea, one must consider four beauties: the beauty of the environment, the water, the ware, and the art."

"This Celestial Jade Hall is unbearably noisy, a clamorous and sullied place. It can hardly be said to possess the beauty of the environment."

UPROAR!

The moment Wen Qingye’s words landed, the entire hall erupted with shocked murmurs.

Jiechen couldn’t help but look at Wen Qingye, a flicker of astonishment in his eyes.

The Great Elder of the Jade Maiden Sect fixed Wen Qingye with a cold glare and said, "Continue."

"The water used by the Sect Leader is from the Nine Dragon Spring. It is indeed clear and sweet, and the resulting tea is rich and mellow, with a lingering aftertaste reminiscent of fine wine. However, its very sweetness prevents the tea’s own subtle fragrance from emerging. Therefore, it cannot be said to possess the beauty of the water."

Hearing this, the expressions of those around them darkened. Youu Junlian, in particular, was so embarrassed she didn’t know where to look.

"And then there is the ware." Wen Qingye pointed a finger at the teapot beside Fang Huatong. "The pot’s shape is antique and dignified, revealing a simple yet refined elegance. It is rustic and translucent. However, I suspect it is rarely used. As such, it cannot retain the tea’s aroma or develop a rich, seasoned fragrance of its own. It, too, fails to achieve the beauty of the ware."

"As for the Sect Leader’s brewing technique—the handling, the ratio of tea to water, the temperature control—it is merely commendable. Strictly speaking, the beauty of the art is also..." Here, Wen Qingye trailed off, a light chuckle escaping him as he shook his head, leaving the rest unsaid.

The expressions of the Jade Maiden Sect Elders turned foul. Their eyes blazed with a mixture of anger and disdain. They couldn’t believe Wen Qingye would so brazenly ridicule their Sect Leader’s specially prepared Nine Dragon Tea. To be served Nine Dragon Tea was to be treated as an honored guest of the Jade Maiden Sect.

In their eyes, Wen Qingye was simply an ungrateful fool.

Wen Qingye paused, his tone shifting. "Tea has three flavors. The first is bitter, like life. The second is sweet, like life. The third is subtle, like life. The true essence of tea is not found in such scrutiny. It is found in simply brewing a pot of fragrant tea born from the spiritual essence of the timeless Three Mountains and Five Peaks. It is in lighting a stick of Zen incense, one that carries the tranquility of Buddha Nature to calm the spirit and soul. It is having a few good friends to sit with and discuss the Dao. That is enough for a lifetime. There is no need to seek too deeply, nor to overthink it."

Just then, Bu Yanting led a procession of Jade Maiden Sect disciples into the hall. A dense, dark mass of several thousand people flooded in, instantly filling the Celestial Jade Hall to capacity.

As soon as the Jade Maiden Sect disciples entered, their gazes were drawn to Ling Tianyu of the Taiyi Pavilion, and they immediately began to whisper amongst themselves.

"Is that Ling Tianyu from Taiyi Pavilion?"

"Yes! He’s so handsome! I’ve never seen a man that good-looking."

.......

They also happened to overhear Wen Qingye’s commentary on the Nine Dragon Tea, and they were all secretly astounded. This was the first time anyone had so fastidiously critiqued the Nine Dragon Tea brewed by their Sect Leader’s own hands. As they looked at the nonchalant Wen Qingye sitting there, their eyes filled with curiosity.

It wasn’t just the disciples. Fang Huatong, the Elders of the Jade Maiden Sect, and Jiechen were all staring intently at Wen Qingye, their gazes now completely different.

Beside them, Youu Junlian could feel the intensity of their gazes, and it made her skin crawl.

"Well said! I have been drinking tea with my master for nineteen years, yet I doubt I could have perceived such subtleties or come to such an understanding. Master Wen, your words are like pearls of Buddhist wisdom, every sentence brimming with Zen principles. Incredible, truly incredible..."

Jiechen’s words shattered the hall’s silence. Though he was praising Wen Qingye, he kept shaking his head as if lamenting his own inferiority in comparison.

"’...brewing a pot of fragrant tea born from the spiritual essence of the timeless Three Mountains and Five Peaks... lighting a stick of Zen incense... that carries the tranquility of Buddha Nature to calm the spirit and soul.’ Even the Great Elder of the Jade Maiden Sect could not help but rise to her feet and praise him."

Although she favored the Taiyi Pavilion, and Wen Qingye’s initial words had been utterly arrogant, his final sentences had spoken to the profound essence of the Way of Tea, shaking her to the core.

Upon hearing Wen Qingye’s speech, the expressions of Meng Fei, Chen Dan’Er, and Yanm Fang all changed, and a sense of unease began to stir in their hearts.

’It’s fine. No matter what tricks Wen Qingye tries to pull, he’s just a good-for-nothing. It’s fine. He’s just trash,’ Yanm Fang thought, trying to reassure herself.