Chapter 289: Premium Spirit Tea

"Shen Zongshi, this way, please."

The gatekeeper casually extended a hand and led the way ahead.

Besides asking for the surname, he did not inquire about any other information.

Xu Wanyun stood with her hands behind her back, hiding a smooth stone in her wide sleeve.

"I feel something is off."

"What's off?" Ah Qing followed obediently behind.

"We came as independent cultivators. If the Zheng family intended to recruit us, how could they not even care where we came from and simply let us in?"

Xu Wanyun walked slowly beside Shen Yi.

"Then why did we come in?" Ah Qing looked around.

"Who knows him? He looks taciturn and dull-headed; he's probably just a greenhorn."

Xu Wanyun transmitted a voice using the stone while smiling at Shen Yi.

But she saw the youth merely glance at her indifferently.

"Tsk, so arrogant."

Xu Wanyun pouted and withdrew her gaze, but heard Ah Qing say cautiously, "Actually, Big Brother Shen's temper is already very good."

"What do you mean?" Xu Wanyun's steps paused slightly.

As if remembering something, she suddenly said with a strange expression, "You even gave him the voice-transmission stone?"

"I did..."

Hearing Ah Qing's response, Xu Wanyun immediately felt awkward and tensed up all over: "I didn't mean that."

However, Shen Yi had already followed the gatekeeper into a side hall.

She saw that only three people were seated in the hall.

Upon noticing someone enter, they did not even rise to welcome them.

The eldest among them wore a dark green robe, with faint black spots on his withered, thin neck; his hands were hidden within his wide sleeves, giving him a lifeless appearance.

"This is my family's Second Great-Uncle, the younger brother of the family head."

The gatekeeper respectfully introduced him, then added, "This is Shen Zongshi, from outside."

"Please, sit."

The Second Great-Uncle raised his eyes indifferently, and the other two also looked at the youth together.

Shen Yi nodded slightly, then calmly took his seat.

Observing his demeanor, the three exchanged glances, with something unusual flashing in their eyes.

Soon, Xu Wanyun and Ah Qing also arrived late; just as they stepped into the hall, they unconsciously furrowed their brows.

The dim hall revealed almost no light, carrying a sense of oppression.

Coupled with the three on the main seats all looking like they were on their deathbeds, this oppression was further tinged with eeriness.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Xu Wanyun sat beside Shen Yi with Ah Qing.

She transmitted a voice using the stone: "One Extreme Realm, two Upper Realms."

This was an extremely terrifying foundation.

No wonder they have latched onto the big tree of the Xuan Guang Cave.

"Who is this?"

The Second Great-Uncle asked in a hoarse voice.

"Shen Mou's wife and son." Shen Yi looked on without changing his expression, and Xu Wanyun nodded appropriately at the old man.

Only Ah Qing's smile looked slightly stiff, having inexplicably become Big Brother Shen's son.

"Your son has excellent talent and a handsome appearance; a tiger father has no dog son." The old man beside them complimented politely.

"Not bad."

When speaking of the younger generation, a hint of pride surged in Shen Yi's eyes.

The old men chuckled.

Only at this moment did the youth finally show the scent of someone from the desolate lands; though his cultivation was good, he lacked knowledge, a frog at the bottom of a well.

"Serve the tea."

As the Second Great-Uncle's voice rang out.

Soon, a maid brought tea cups, bowed respectfully, and quickly withdrew.

Jin Baowen sat awkwardly in the corner, not expecting to even get a cup of tea himself.

Xu Wanyun politely lifted the teacup and took a sip, then surprise surged in her eyes: "What fragrant spirit tea; does it have a name?"

It was merely a mouthful of tea, yet it felt like some precious treasure pill, brimming with spiritual energy and making one feel refreshed all over.

The Second Great-Uncle chuckled and shook his head: "They are all wild tea grown in the manor; we haven't given them any names. As long as you all like it."

Having said that, he directly sidestepped the topic.

He began to chat with Shen Yi.

Topics ranged from all corners of the world to various interesting anecdotes.

Shen Yi sat silently, unable to respond to most of it.

"I take back what I said just now; he acts very well."

Xu Wanyun marveled in the stone; the youth had acted the part of a knowledge-less independent cultivator to the extreme.

"Uh."

Ah Qing recalled the scene earlier where Big Brother Shen asked him to organize his storage bag and sighed inwardly; this might not be acting.

It was unknown how much time passed.

Second Grand-Uncle finally cleared his throat: "Daoist Shen has only just arrived; why not stay at our Zheng family estate for now? Though this manor is not luxurious, it possesses its own rustic charm. Do not stand on ceremony."

"Much obliged."

Shen Yi rose to take his leave, then walked out of the room.

A Qing and Xu Wanyun likewise stepped up to follow.

Jin Baowen still wished to seize the chance to further cultivate ties with the Zheng family, but the moment he bent down, two Zheng family disciples dragged him out.

"..."

Once only three people remained inside the room.

Their faces instantly darkened.

It was seen that the tea on several tables had been almost entirely consumed, yet the cup before Shen Yi had not been touched from start to finish.

"Ignorant and cowardly; do you still think we poisoned the tea? Truly a loose cultivator," an old man snorted coldly.

Second Grand-Uncle slowly rose and walked to that table.

He finally lifted his wide robes.

But the hand revealed was strange and grotesque.

It was formed entirely of rough, gnarled tree roots, barely shaping the appearance of five fingers, with one segment missing.

He waved his hand over the teacup.

Light points were seen seeping from the tea, gathering in his palm, transforming into withered wood to fill in the missing fingertip segment.

After doing all this, he finally smiled: "You have misjudged him. Though he appears to be the head of the household, in truth he is merely an empty shell with incomplete internal organs; at most, a Mid-Realm Slain Hunyuan. That delicate wife of his is the true expert; she likely does not fall short of this old man."

"As long as that woman drinks the tea, it is enough."

Such a method as poisoning, unless one specializes in it, is difficult to have any effect on a Hunyuan Sect Shen Zongshi.

After all, common poisons are useless against a Dao Infant.

How could a deadly poison capable of affecting a Dao Infant possibly be hidden in a cup of tea without being detected?

There was not only no poison in this tea.

But it contained a supreme treasure of heaven and earth.

A true treasure capable of leading directly to Soul Transformation.

Second Grand-Uncle's withered, black-spotted skin trembled rapidly; he forcibly suppressed the joy in his heart, while madness rose in his cloudy eyes.

This path to Soul Transformation was not only one he walked, but one the entire Zheng family walked together.

The whole clan ascending!

However, relying solely on them was now insufficient; count this loose cultivator lucky, arriving at just the right moment, thus qualifying to travel the path with us.

"Keep a close watch on them!"

The hoarse voice sounded like a beast's low growl.

Outside the main hall.

Under the guidance of Zheng family disciples, Shen Yi and the other two entered a courtyard.

"If you need anything, please do not hesitate to give orders."

That person politely clasped his hands, then turned and left the courtyard.

"Did you notice? Their attitude toward us has become somewhat more enthusiastic."

Xu Wanyun, sensing the abundant spiritual energy, grew curious about what the tea earlier had been; even with the Xu family's foundations, they had never encountered anything similar.

(End of this chapter)