Otherworldly Merchant

Chapter 527: The Classic of Tea

I had rested for around half an hour when my strength finally recovered. I decided to return to the hotel. I felt anxious at the beginning of the night, but what happened after was like a stage rehearsal. Those female ghosts didnt show up. I felt somewhat disappointed. 

Right at this moment, I seemed to hear someone walk on the path that led to the village. My senses heightened immediately. I walked behind the house and spotted a stealthy figure move through the village. 

A person that came to such an eerie place at midnight must be scheming something! 

As he came closer, I couldnt wait anymore. I started to follow him. After a while, the man seemed to sense something. He turned around to check. 

I rushed aside to hide. When he started to walk again, I got out and followed him. This trick worked well as it had helped me avoid him many times. He hadnt spotted me yet. 

In the end, he stopped in front of a stilt house and crouched down. The uncomfortable feeling in my heart rose to my throat. I guessed he had found me. Unexpectedly, he didnt turn around to see me but started to dig the soil. 

My vision was hindered, so I didnt know what he was doing over there. I saw him dig something for a while. He disappeared after that. I guessed that place led to a tunnel. 

I wanted to go there to see. However, my heart suddenly shivered, and weakness expanded to my whole body. It was the side effect of the Heavenly Dipper formation. It was beyond my expectation that some ghostly creatures dared to intrude the Heavenly Dipper formation! 

I cursed under my breath. I had to give up on this clue I had been following for the whole night. I needed to go back to save Lu Ming. But before I could move, the weak feeling in my body disappeared. I felt even better than before. 

This proved my assumption. It was the word of the old ghost that had helped Lu Ming escape the female ghosts. 

When I had decided to take the risk and jump into the gorge, the old ghost used his cane to hold my leg. At first, I mistakenly thought that he wanted to harm me. 

When Lu Ming told me what he had encountered in the village, I had a feeling that it was the old ghost who had saved him. He also said that the voice that had guided him sometimes disappeared. It could have been because of my Yin and Yang Umbrella and the medium-level spirit talismans that were striking the teapot at that time. 

When I saw the fine cracks on the teapot spout, I recognized that the old ghost had pulled me to safety! 

My Heavenly Dipper formation had just been activated, but the pressure on my body soon disappeared. It didnt mean that something evil was trying to attack the formation. It meant something inside wanted to get out.

I supposed that only the old ghost was in that house! 

After I untangled the relationship between the events, I suddenly felt grateful to that old ghost. In the back of my mind, he was no longer an opponent. He was a nice and kind elder. 

Right from the beginning, I felt as though he didnt want to kill Lu Ming. I was certain that Lu Ming had done something he shouldnt have, which provoked the old ghost. 

We had just got off a rocky start. Our real enemy wasnt that old ghost, but the man that just went underneath the floor over there. 

I became worried. If the old ghost was on our side, I was certain that he wanted to break the Heavenly Dipper formation to save me. In other words, I was in danger! 

I wanted to retreat, but I also wanted to stay here. After considering it, I decided to stay and observe. If the ghost was fast enough, he would come here on time. I drew the Sirius Whip and entered the tunnel. 

After jumping into the tunnel, I quickly assessed the surroundings. I dropped my jaw in awe. That place was a tea house! 

The chairs and tables were arranged neatly. There were teapots on the tables, too. A desk was positioned against a wall, and thick books were placed on top of it. However, I didnt see the man from earlier. 

I wasnt familiar with this place, so I didnt look for him. I went over to the desk to check. One of the books on the desk was written in ancient words that I couldnt understand. 

However, there were many illustrations of tea leaves in the book, so I guessed it was a book about tea. I felt a little disappointed and kept looking around. Inadvertently, I then saw the ghosts portrait! 

I became suspicious. From the clues I had gathered until now, the person that had enticed me to come down here wanted to harm us while the old ghost wanted to save us. There should be a hostile relationship between them. But why did the culprit keep the portrait of the old ghost? 

Since I couldnt read the words, I switched to another book. This book also recorded many things about tea. It also had a portrait of the old ghost in the back. 

At this moment, I heard low footsteps from the depths of the tunnel. It seemed the other person was returning. I became anxious and picked up the third book. Surprisingly, I could understand this book as it was written in traditional Chinese! 

On the first page, the name of the book was written in large textThe Classic of Tea. The main contents of the book included how to brew tea and how to enjoy it. There were also some short cultural stories about tea. 

When I reached this part of the book, I suddenly recognized something. I directly jumped to the last page of the book. Under the portrait of the old ghost, I read his name. It was Tea Sage Lu Yu! 

My hands were shaking. That old man was the author of The Classic of Tea. The later generations knew him as the Chinese Tea Sage, Lu Yu! 

It was no wonder he could possess Lu Ming in daylight. It also explained why he was strong but his Yin energy was low. 

He wasnt an evil spirit! He was an immortal! 

Lu Yu was a famous figure in the Tang Dynasty. He was well-known for his obsession with tea. He had mastered the tea ceremony and traveled to the North and South just to taste the teas in the mountains and learned how the locals brewed tea. In the end, he wrote the first known monograph on the teas in the world, called The Classic of Tea. The world then referred to him as the Tea Sage. 

It was said that Lu Yus good friend, Monk Ji Gong, was also a tea-lover. Not only could he easily discern the kind of tea, but he could also tell what kind of water was used to make that tea. This tea-tasting ability of his became widespread. Eventually, Emperor Taizong of Tang got wind of him. 

Emperor Taizong didnt believe the rumor. He summoned Monk Ji Gong and asked him to personally taste his tea. 

When Monk Ji Gong came to the palace, the Emperor asked his eunuch to make him a cup of top-quality tea. Monk Ji Gong thanked him and then gently took a sip. But then, he put the cup back and didn't take a second sip. 

Emperor Taizong found it strange. Why dont you drink more? 

Monk Ji Gong just smiled. All of the tea Ive had was made by Lu Yu. After drinking his tea, everyone elses tea tastes like plain water. 

Emperor Taizong asked, Where is Lu Yu now? 

Lu Yu loves nature. Hes traveling the country to visit famous places and tasting the tea there. I dont know where he is now. 

Emperor Taizong then asked his imperial guards to ride the best horses to search for Lu Yu everywhere. After one week, they found him in Zhejiang. They invited him to the Imperial Palace. To Emperor Taizong, although Lu Yu stammered when he spoke, he looked aloof like an immortal with great wisdom. He liked the old man as soon as he saw him. He asked Lu Yu to prepare some tea for him to see if his tea was as good as the rumors. 

Lu Yu happily agreed. He used the tea leaves he had collected before the Qingming Festival and brewed the tea using spring water. When Emperor Taizong received the cup of tea, he gently opened the lid. A refreshing aroma welcomed him. The tea inside was clear with a light green color. After taking the first sip, he knew that it was the best tea in the world. He asked the maid to send another cup of tea to Monk Ji Gong, who was also in the palace. After only one sip, Monk Ji Gong was stunned. Oh, Lu Yu is in the palace, too? 

The Emperor was surprised. How did you know that Lu Yu is here? 

Monk Ji Gong laughed heartily. Only Lu Yu can make such good tea. This is not the tea of the mortal world anymore. This is the tea they enjoy in the world of the immortals. 

Emperor Taizong admired Lu Yus tea brewing technique. He wanted him to stay in the palace to serve him tea. However, Lu Yu wasnt interested in wealth or titles. Soon, he got on his horse, traveled, and set his mind on writing The Classic of Tea.

I thought that Lu Ming could be Lu Yus descendant. Lu Ming had done something wrong, which made Lu Yu return to give him a lesson. 

It explained the reason why Lu Yu kept hitting Lu Mings head in his dream 

And, even if Lu Ming wasnt Lu Yus descendant, as a tea merchant, he had to know something about Lu Yu. He would be able to recognize Lu Yu for sure. However, he had never told me this. He had to be hiding something from me! 

I recalled that before I left the hotel, Lu Ming had called me while looking so hesitant. He looked as if he wanted to tell me something, but he didnt. I guessed he wanted to tell me the truth but was too embarrassed at that time. I left before he could tell me anything. 

If The Classic of Tea was here, I guessed the women who died here had a close relationship with Lu Yu. 

The otherworldly item case I had accepted this time could be related to an event that wasnt recorded in history. I was so excited that I couldnt wait to untie all of these knots!