Chapter 2007

Yan Aohan and his companions were not short of spirit stones; their only concern was the difficulty of finding truly exceptional items. If such an opportunity arose, Yan Aohan was naturally willing to spend the money.

However, opportunity favored the prepared. The tea seller did not operate daily, nor did she choose customers arbitrarily. No one knew whom the shopkeeper would select. Yan Aohan had brought Zhu Yanyi here primarily to taste the Five-Flavor Tea. Whether she could purchase the tea leaves depended entirely on her own fortune.

Zhu Yanyi understood this well. She did not dwell on the matter, instead smiling brightly. "Let’s drink first," she said. "A cup of tea costing a top-grade spirit stone deserves to be savored properly."

As she spoke, Yan Aohan led her to a tea shop. Its name was peculiarly simple: "One Family Tea Shop."

"That’s an interesting name," Zhu Yanyi laughed upon seeing it.

Yan Aohan guided her inside. The shop’s design gave Zhu Yanyi a strange sense of modernity. She seated her and went to a side window to order. She returned with two cups of tea and a plate of green pastries, placing them before her.

"The best companion for Five-Flavor Tea is this Wu Chang Cake," Yan Aohan said with a smile. "Five flavors of life, the impermanence of life."

Zhu Yanyi took a sip. She paused, stunned. She felt herself entering a profound, mystical state. In an instant, she saw glimpses of her past lives.

Every life contained the sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty tastes of existence, along with joy, sorrow, parting, and reunion.

One cup of tea made Zhu Yanyi relive those unforgettable years. Although those were her past lives, experiencing them again brought the piercing pain of heartbreak and the numbness of impermanence. Of course, there was also joy and happiness, but life was never so simple as to contain only pleasure. There was always other suffering.

For Zhu Yanyi, however, this experience only made her life more complete. Without pain, one could not appreciate the sweetness joy brought.

Gradually, she moved from feeling to analyzing, contemplating how one should live.

As the tea’s flavor faded, Zhu Yanyi had no definitive conclusion on how to live, but she loved the sensation.

"It’s a good tea. I should drink a cup every day from now on," she said, taking another sip.

She felt her mindset had become firm. Now, she only needed to slowly experience life’s impermanence.

Thinking of impermanence, she looked at the Wu Chang Cake. She slowly picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.

At first, there was a faint matcha aroma. Then, as the cake went down her throat, she felt a sense of life’s oppression.

Zhu Yanyi was startled. Why did she feel oppressed? She did not feel oppressed in her current life. This feeling must come from her past selves.

In those impermanent lives, joy was scarce and pain abundant. Many lifetimes, she lived in constant suppression.

But now, this oppression only touched her briefly. It did not linger. She realized that without that past suppression, she would not be who she is today. For her, that oppression had become an endless source of motivation.

Zhu Yanyi picked up another piece of Wu Chang Cake. "Aohan, do you think everyone feels oppressed when they first eat this cake?"

"Not necessarily. Is that what you feel?" Yan Aohan did not believe Zhu Yanyi would be crushed by such feelings.

"It’s probably a lingering feeling from past lives, released now. It was uncomfortable at first, but after two pieces, it feels good. This oppression actually increases my motivation," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile.

She looked at the Five-Flavor Tea and the Wu Chang Cake, sighing. "It’s a pity. After today, who knows when I’ll be able to eat this again?"

"One can only eat one portion of Wu Chang Cake. Once eaten, the effect is gone," a beautiful woman said, appearing before them.

"Empress Wushuang, you’re here? Doesn’t your Black Emperor look for you?" Yan Aohan recognized her.

Zhu Yanyi examined the legendary Empress Wushuang. She was truly beautiful, beyond mere description. Her every expression evoked the poetry of "pretty as a peach in spring, pure as a chrysanthemum in autumn."

Wu Xunmei glanced at Yan Aohan. "I heard from Old Xie that she adopted a younger sister, so I came to see. Indeed, she is a good sister."

Zhu Yanyi blinked. She had thought the supreme Black Emperor and Empress Wushuang were aloof, yet both had a habit of adopting younger sisters.

"Since you are Old Xie’s adopted sister, you are my sister too. Call me sister-in-law," Wu Xunmei said generously.

"Hello, sister-in-law," Zhu Yanyi replied smoothly. She saw no harm in it.

"Good sister. Since you are my sister, I have nothing special to give you. Here are three jin of tea leaves. Take them. I hope they help your cultivation," Wu Xunmei said, placing a large bag of tea leaves in Zhu Yanyi’s hands.

"Thank you, sister-in-law," Zhu Yanyi said. Though she could not smell the tea, she knew it must be the Five-Flavor Tea. She thought for a moment, then took out several boxes of fruit.

"I have nothing valuable. These are fruits and vegetables grown in my mortal family’s garden. Please try them," she offered.

Wu Xunmei was delighted. "I like this sister."

She sighed. "Sister, you are so considerate. I’ve been craving mortal food lately, but we cannot easily visit the mortal realm. If we do, the realm might collapse."

Being Empress Wushuang had one drawback: she could not freely wander the mortal planes.

Zhu Yanyi smiled. "I haven’t ascended yet, and I cultivate the heart. It’s easier for me to enter the mortal realm. Sister-in-law, if you want anything in the future, tell me. I’ll have Aohan send it to you."

"Good," Wu Xunmei nodded, looking pleased. "You are a good sister. It’s settled then."

Zhu Yanyi nodded with a smile. She felt she had gained the upper hand. She had received tea leaves that were hard to buy, costing fifty top-grade spirit stones.

Wu Xunmei smiled. "I cannot stay long. I came only to see my sister. You two enjoy your tea. I must go. Sister, I’ll wait for you above."

Wu Xunmei closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her appearance was unchanged, but her expression had shifted. She walked stiffly into the back room.