“Greetings, sir.”

A middle-aged man approached, appearing somewhat handsome and dressed as a scholar. After respectfully bowing to Song You, he sat down on the other side.

The attendant brought over a set of elaborate tea utensils.

In this establishment, the tea wasn't simply brewed and served; instead, a dedicated person came to your table to brew it, showcasing their confidence in their skills and allowing you to experience something unique during the process.

This tea was likely the best in the Anle Pavilion, personally brewed by the shop owner, who had a reputation for being a refined gentleman.

“Is this your first time here, sir?”

“Yes, it is my first time.”

“You're not from Changjing?”

“No, I'm from Yizhou and have only recently arrived in Changjing.”

“Yizhou produces tea as well.”

“Yes, it does; the tea-horse trade market is located there.”

The shop owner moved gracefully, taking his time. He first retrieved some tea from a jar, placed it in a tea bag, and began to crush it gently with a small pestle while chatting quietly with his guest.

“This tea is homemade, but it originally came from Yangzhou. It reminds me of my father's youth. One time, he traveled to Yangzhou, and while passing through a certain place, he randomly chose a restaurant to eat at. The owner gifted him a cup of tea, and although the food was ordinary, the tea surprised my father.

“He asked the owner about it, and the owner merely mentioned it was local mountain tea. After many inquiries, my father finally obtained this tea and later created the

qingzhushang

tea.”

“That’s quite a coincidence.” the Daoist nodded in response.

It was hard to tell whether the story was true or not, but it was a common tactic; people often embellished stories about objects or themselves. Sometimes, it wasn’t necessary to discern truth from fiction.

The shop owner placed the crushed tea leaves into a tea bowl, still moving at a leisurely pace. He repeatedly ground them into a fine powder, then sifted it through a fine mesh, resulting in delicate tea dust.

Lady Calico watched intently, her eyes never leaving the shop owner's movements. At times, she seemed eager to see what this expensive tea was made of, while at other moments, she shifted her gaze to the shop owner, perhaps transferring her scrutiny from the tea to him. The shop owner remained composed, focused on his task, seemingly oblivious to her gaze.

As the finely ground green tea powder settled at the bottom of the bowl, it was a stroke of luck that the water in the small kettle beside them began to boil almost at that moment.

The shop owner moved it aside, waiting for the steam to dissipate before returning it to its place.

He then repeated, “This is spring water collected from Mount Chang, sweet and delicious, perfect for brewing tea.” The shop owner looked up and smiled as he spoke, “However, it must be boiled three times before it’s at its best for brewing.”

“You have a discerning taste.”

“That’s the essence of tea culture.”

“Mount Chang is quite far away.”

“Yes, it is distant, which makes it precious.”

“I’ve heard the former shop owner was very knowledgeable about tea.”

“Such praise from the world is often exaggerated.”

Despite saying this, it was clear that the shop owner was pleased with the compliment.

He first added a bit of water to the bottom of the bowl, turning the delicate tea powder into a paste. Then he poured water from a height, causing the mixture to float. At this point, a rich tea aroma began to fill the air, fragrant and refreshing.

But that wasn't enough; he still needed to paint on the surface of the floating foam. The shop owner carefully drew, and the Daoist didn't dare to interrupt. Even the little girl watched intently, not blinking.

Before long, the surface of the tea in the bowl was adorned with a bamboo grove painting. Though it was merely outlined with simple strokes, it was quite vivid.

The other bowl was prepared in the same manner.

“Please enjoy,” the shop owner said as he rose and bowed, then stepped away with light footsteps.

Just as he was leaving, he turned back to glance at Lady Calico sitting across from Song You. However, unexpectedly, the Daoist also turned to look at him. Startled, he couldn’t help but feel a bit flustered and smiled awkwardly before leaving.

“Lady Calico, please enjoy the tea.”

“Why not use my own bowl?”

“Please bear with it.”

“Oh…”

The little girl carefully picked up the tea bowl, raising it high so that the rim was nearly level with her eyes. She stared intently at the floating drawing on the tea's surface, seemingly lost in thought.

“Lady Calico, don’t spill it.”

“I won’t!”

“Don’t burn yourself.”

“I won’t either!”

“I think so too…”

The Daoist nodded and took a sip of the tea. Indeed, the aroma was delightful, leaving a refreshing taste in his mouth.

This method of making tea, while still differing significantly from the clear brewing techniques of his past life, was much closer. At least this bowl of tea didn’t have a pile of ingredients thrown in like brewed tea, so its flavor was relatively pure.

Unfortunately, the tea-painting method hadn’t yet become popular nationwide; most regions still predominantly practiced boiling tea.

“

Slurp, slurp, slurp

…” A strange sound came from in front of them.

She lifted her eyes and saw the little girl sitting across from her imitating her by taking a sip. However, since her bowl was filled later and her tongue was more sensitive, she didn’t anticipate the temperature of the tea. Instantly, she found it too hot and started to suck in air, causing the tea to swirl around in her mouth many times. Yet, she was reluctant to spit it out.

“

Gulp

!” Finally, she swallowed it down.

The Daoist looked at her and asked, “How is it?”

“It’s hot!”

“What does it taste like?”

“I don’t know.”

“Eat a piece of dried meat.” The Daoist pushed the meat on the table toward her. “Drink when it’s cooler.”

“Oh…” The little girl then picked up a piece of meat.

The Daoist also took a piece of osmanthus cake. The cake was so delicate that he didn’t dare press too hard; it would crumble as soon as it was in his mouth. He had to use one hand to catch the crumbles as he ate.

Initially, it didn’t seem particularly delicious. But with another sip of tea, the fragrance of the tea blended with the cake crumbs, creating a very gentle texture. The aromas of both the cake and the tea filled every crevice of his mouth.

After a while, the tea slowly cooled. Perhaps seeing Song You enjoying his drink, Lady Calico finally lifted her tea bowl and leaned forward to take a sip.

She even imitated the person beside her, smacking her lips and exclaiming, “

Ah

!”

This time, she truly tasted the flavor.

However, what she received in return was a furrowed brow and flickering eyes, as if she were beginning to doubt herself. She placed the tea bowl back on the table and turned to stare blankly at the Daoist beside her. Seeing him still drinking with delight, her doubts grew even stronger, making her feel like the problem lay with her. So, she picked up the tea bowl again.

“

Tsk, ah

!”

“...?”

Looking again at the person next to her, the suspicion on her face deepened, and she couldn’t help but lean in closer. The Daoist acted as if he didn’t notice her actions.

The morning light outside was just right.

Song You occasionally turned his head to glance over. The shop owner had gone to another table, chatting and laughing with a group of familiar scholars while showcasing his tea-making skills.

Lady Calico held the tea bowl with both hands, wanting to drink but hesitating. She followed his gaze and said softly, “That person seems a bit strange.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Song You glanced again before turning his attention away.

In truth, he didn’t possess the ability to casually see through demons and spirits; he often relied on his clear spiritual energy. However, some demons inherently differed from humans and could be perceived without any special skills.

Just like Lady Calico.

She appeared to be a beautiful and adorable little girl, but she was perhaps too exquisitely delicate. Her fair and unblemished skin made her seem suspicious. Even if she were dressed up, and despite having learned to read, write, and do simple arithmetic, she would immediately show something amiss the moment a butterfly fluttered by.

The shop owner had likely been mingling in Changjing for quite some time, and his demeanor was nearly indistinguishable from that of a human. Only subtle differences could be detected, which were far from enough to conclude that he was not human.

In fact, Song You didn’t recognize him as a demon either. On the contrary, the shop owner had noticed the peculiarities of Lady Calico, which naturally revealed his own oddities.

Changjing was indeed a place even demons longed for.

However, as long as they were behaving and not harming anyone, Song You wouldn’t meddle. It was best to remain unaware.

So, he slowly enjoyed his snacks, occasionally tasting a piece of Lady Calico’s dried meat and savoring the fine tea as he leisurely passed the morning. Until the sound of cicadas grew increasingly noisy, the sunlight outside became brighter, and the temperature rose noticeably compared to the morning, which prompted the Daoist to finally stand up and settle the bill.

Lady Calico glanced down at the half bowl of tea, furrowing her brow. In the end, she couldn't bear to waste it, mustering her courage to lift the bowl and gulp it down in one go, her small face showing a hint of determination.

“How much is it?”

“Sir, two bowls of tea cost eight hundred qian. That's a fair amount. Our shop owner said that since you love tea and it's your first visit, you must be fated to meet. He wants to give you these two plates of snacks.”

Upon hearing this, Song You smiled. “Please thank the shop owner for me.”

After paying, he turned around and found Lady Calico standing right behind him, looking at him with a serious expression.

“Let’s go.” Leading her out the door, Song You said, “Now you’ve also tasted the best tea in Changjing.”

“It was bitter and astringent.”

“Was it not good?”

“It was bitter and astringent.”

“Then don’t drink it again.”

“It costs a lot!”

“Money can be earned again,” Song You replied with a smile. “Speaking of which, you’ve already experienced nine of the Ten Wonders of Changjing.”

“Nine, really?”

“Yes.”

“I don't remember.”

“It’s alright. When you grow up a bit, and others mention something about Changjing, you’ll be able to recall it and tell them that you’ve experienced it too.”

“I’ve experienced it too!”

“And then they’ll be wowed, realizing that Lady Calico has been to so many places and seen so many things that others haven’t at such a young age,” the Daoist spoke as they walked.

“...!” The little girl’s expression tightened, and she immediately asked, “What about the last one?”

“There’s still one more…”

“What about the last one?”

“You can figure out that there’s a difference of one between nine and ten right away; you’re truly a prodigy.”

“That’s right!”

“I admire you…”

“What about the last one?”

“…” The Daoist pursed his lips, shielding his eyes from the sun.

The little girl quickened her pace, her small feet moving swiftly as she ran in front of him, walking backward while facing him.

“What about the last one?”

“The last one isn’t interesting.”

“Today’s not interesting either.”

“Kids can’t go to that one.”

“What about kittens?”

“Kittens can’t go either.”

“Oh…”

Only then did the little girl show a look of disappointment.

She slowed her pace and turned around, continuing to walk alongside the Daoist. But soon she looked up and said, “The person just now seemed like a monitor lizard.”

Children always had endless things to say.

The Daoist appeared to have a lot of patience and casually asked, “How did you figure that out?”

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

“I’ve eaten quite a few monitor lizards.”

“…”

“They taste about the same as raw chicken. The bones aren’t as hard as chicken bones and can be easily crushed.”

“…”

“Do you want some?”

“No, thank you.”

However, the number of demons in Changjing was indeed more than Song You had imagined, and their relationship with Changjing was deeper than he had thought; many of them had probably lived there for many years.

They gradually walked back to Willow Street. There was someone waiting at the entrance.

When Song You looked over, he found it quite amusing. He had just returned from the demon-operated inn, only to see another demon waiting for him at the door.

Interestingly, both of these individuals were among Changjing's renowned figures.