"There is no need to be too careful. Today may be the day I die, but Mr. Nian would surely wait until I"m finished with my words before initiating this ma.s.sacre. There are certain things that must"ve bothered him for quite some time — surely he would be desperate to know the answers to them as well," Yun Yang rea.s.sured.
Ji Lingxi nodded, but it was hard to shake off that anxious feeling in her heart.
Knowing that danger lurks ahead, how can I truly relax? What kind of person would be able to do that?
With every step they took up the mountain, Ji Lingxi found herself overwhelmed with a new, foreign feeling — a feeling as if she was held down by some external force, or some form of pressure which made up the atmosphere in this area. It made her strangely uncomfortable, and the discomfort was reflected on her face.
"This must be the spiritual restraining formation."
Yun Yang strolled as he explained, fascinated. "This technique is the Four Season Tower"s go-to strategy. Back then, they used this exact spiritual retaining formation to seal the manifestation abilities of my brothers, rendering us to fight with only brute physical strength. It was this that caused the tragedy that befell on us."
Yun Yang"s voice was unusually steady. He narrated in a factual, matter-of-factly style — there was not the slightest bit of emotion or expression at all.
"Then can you still…" Ji Lingxi implored, worriedly.
Yun Yang flashed a slight smile. "It doesn"t matter if I can or not — I am no longer the old me. They won"t be able to do anything to me now!"
Peals of laughter were heard coming from two sides. Clearly, they were snorting in contempt at Yun Yang"s words.
Yun Yang was not bothered by the sn.i.g.g.e.ring at all. He pressed on steadily, slowly making his way up the mountain.
Yet, the murderous aura and malicious intent attacked them in tides and torrents. The experts of the Four Seasons Tower were clearly finding a way to torment Yun Yang, attempting to break his spirit before meeting Mr Nian and admit defeat before before they exchanged fists.
Yet, Yun Yang pressed on — calm and composed without a care, turning a blind eye to his surroundings as if he did not see any of it.
He made this entire journey seemed like it was nothing more than just a sightseeing hike, strolling at a leisurely pace as he made his way up the mountain, poised and unfettered.
…
At the Temple of the Nine Supremes, the sculptures of the Nine Supremes — which were destroyed during the battle back then — had been fully restored, looking as good as new, to Yun Yang"s surprise.
The sculptures of each of the Nine Supremes stood tall and solemn in the Temple of the Nine Supremes.
They were the impressions of nine black-cloaked men with concealed faces.
Ji Lingxi raised her head and focused her attention on the last two sculptures. The back of these two sculptures — their faces concealed — seemed to portray a ma.s.s of fast-moving clouds.
Those were the sculptures of Wind and Cloud.
Their masters, naturally, were Supreme Wind and Supreme Cloud respectively.
Within this large temple, a tea table had already been set up.
There was only a man garbed in green seated peacefully at one end of the table, brewing tea attentively. The earthy aroma of the tea rose in puffs; his tea-brewing technique seemed unbelievably smooth, every stroke and gesture perfectly natural, making those who watched him feel incredibly at ease — as if watching him brew tea was the highest form of enjoyment one could attain.
Yun Yang smiled. "This wouldn"t be the fake Mr. Nian this time, would it? The leader has finally shown himself?"
The man in green raised his head and returned the smile. "Lord Supreme Cloud had agreed to meet personally, so why is there a need for this reputed one to hide himself, and let himself be the b.u.t.t of the joke?"
The man was meagre, his hair peppered with strands of grey and white. His eyes were murky, like they were shrouded by layers and puffs of smoke. He exuded the vibe of an extraordinary being, an aura that stood out from the commons; merely looking at him would prompt one to have a good feeling and likable impression on him.
His looks were also incredibly familiar.
Yet, Yun Yang still nodded his head in acknowledgement. "As expected — Feng Xiange."
Mr. Nian grinned. "Lord Supreme Cloud is bright as ever. As expected, you will not make an erroneous guess — your reputation as Supreme Wit is not tarnished at all. Correct, Feng Xiange — the G.o.d of Wine — is the ident.i.ty frequented by me during my active years in the martial world."
He smiled, warmly this time. "That good wine — my prized possession — did you find it to your liking, Lord Supreme Cloud?"
Yun Yang laughed. "It"s not bad, actually. It certainly lived up to being second to none in this world. A shame that the amount was too little for comfort — that"s not too generous of you in that aspect."
Mr. Nian burst out in laughter. "I gave you the most prized possession I"ve ever owned in my entire life. I"ve not even kept some for myself, yet here you are, claiming that it"s too little. How more generous can I be? I can"t do anything about it — it"s beyond my reach."
Yun Yang seated himself down slowly. After inviting Ji Lingxi to be seated as well, he then looked around, excited, and wondered, "A wine made by the G.o.d of Wine himself will indeed be second to none in this world — but how about the tea?"
"If Heaven"s Inquisition is here, he would know best."
"There"s no need to beat around the bush. Heaven"s Inquisition had gone to the Bound of Universe — he is no longer in Tianxuan," Yun Yang responded with a fleeting smile.
Mr. Nian sighed. "We are acquainted, yet far apart. I don"t know if I"ll have the chance to meet him again when it is my time to go to the Bound of Universe, "
He raised the kettle and poured tea for Yun Yang and Ji Lingxi. "Before you, there was only one person in this world that could make me brew tea personally for them — Gu Chaliang."
"Then, there"s you here today. Oh— and this young lady here."
"Of course, having this chance to serve tea to the Lord Supreme Cloud — a being regarded as a G.o.d by the entire world — is this humble one"s utmost honor."
Yun Yang held the cup and took a gentle sip. His eyes widened as he exclaimed, suddenly, "This is good tea!"
Mr. Nian burst into laughter. "Of course this is good tea. This tea was made from that year I went to the Nine-Peak Mountains, and crossed the Nine-Level Fortress, followed by the Nine Heaven Rivers and on top of the Nine Snow Peaks. It was made by gathering all nine colors of the snow lotus before they could bloom, using the only petal at the bud that remained unopened. This gem of a tea was made from petals that were soaked for nine days and nights in the waters of the Abyss, dried in the shade within nine breaths of nine flowering maidens, who had mustered up the energy of nine heavens using pure, underworldly mystical Qi."
He grinned. "In this world, I daresay this tea can only be found with me — and it only costs nine silvers and nine bronze!"
"Pray tell, what is the name of this tea?" Yun Yang asked in a cautious manner.
Mr Nian laughed. "This tea… is named… Tea of the Nine Supremes."
Yun Yang clapped his hands as he burst out in a hearty laugh. "What a great name. Good tea — with a great-sounding name!"
Mr. Nian squinted his eyes in response. "This is a good name indeed. I take extreme caution every time I enjoy this tea, careful to not make the slightest mistakes, for throughout the entire process of drinking it, I felt like I was savoring the process of having the Nine Supremes in my cup, then gulping them down whole. I really enjoy this feeling."
"Really? Shame — my way of understanding is completely different."
"Oh? Please enlighten me, Lord Supreme Cloud."
"My understanding is very simple… this so-called Four Seasons Tower and so-called Mr. Nian have invested so much effort in creating such an exquisite tea, yet it is named after the Nine Supremes; I can"t help but to feel that you, Mr. Nian, are merely a tea farmer for the Nine Supremes, and you would do anything in your capabilities to please your masters — you truly live up to that role."
Mr. Nian stared fixedly at Yun Yang, and only slowly broke into a smile moments later. "I am very careful with the amount of tea leaves I used whenever I make this tea, for I fear that I"ll never have the chance to savor such a taste again if I finish it. Hence, since a year ago, I"ve stopped drinking this tea, for there is only enough to make it one last time."
"I wanted to keep this one last brew to enjoy it with the Nine Supremes — that way, I wouldn"t be insulting the existence of such a tea."
"When this tea is finished, the Nine Supremes shall never be heard of again in this world."