Chapter 472: The Strange Tales of Tea Mountain

The treasure-seekers arranged by the Jinzhou Merchants' Guild were the Yu father and son.

The elder was named Yu Shangen; his son was named Yu Bao.

Like the previous Zhao Lizi, they belonged to the same lineage of treasure-seekers who roamed the wild mountains of Shu, searching for hidden treasures.

And like him, they were men who strictly followed the rules.

The only difference was that this Yu lineage had also learned some Mei Mountain Daoist practices, so they always dressed as hunters.

Sha Lifi and Zhao Lizi were acquainted, and he understood these men's taboos, so within a short time, he won the father and son's favor.

They had come here for one purpose: to seek treasure.

Upon hearing Sha Lifi's question, the elder Yu Shangen furrowed his brows and shook his head: "Treasure-seeking is stealing heaven's fortune—how could there be any count? I'm only guessing."

"This matter is too bizarre; if not for the Daoist of Qingniu Temple's report, I wouldn't dare believe it…"

Qingniu Temple had provided several leads on celestial and terrestrial treasures.

One of them was located in Bayue Mountain.

Not long after the Great Xuan dynasty's founding, a Qingniu Temple Daoist passed through Bayue Mountain and was invited by a mountain temple to lecture on the Dao.

The temple was not far from the tea garden.

This Daoist had the ear-sense ability; at midnight, he heard strange movements and rose to investigate, discovering dark winds swirling around the tea garden.

Curious, he secretly followed—and suddenly encountered a ghostly maze. In a daze, he saw an old man with green hair bathing in moonlight, while a spring at his feet emitted the scent of tea, and men, women, and children dressed in red and green all drank from the spring.

The Daoist realized he had encountered a treasure and immediately revealed himself.

But a violent wind arose, and everything vanished.

The Daoist deeply regretted it, but after waiting for days without recurrence, and returning several times without success, he finally recorded it.

To be honest, among all the leads from Qingniu Temple, this one was the most mysterious and the least likely to be found.

Even now, no one knew what it was.

Yet Sha Lifi inexplicably felt this treasure might be the most valuable, so he brought his men straight up the mountain to investigate.

Lu San, beside him, also asked quietly: "Old Master Yu, what do you think it might be?"

Yu Shangen pulled out his tobacco pipe, lit it, sat on a tree stump, and smoked a few puffs before speaking: "Perhaps it's the Tea Immortal."

"Tea customs in Shenzhou originated in Ba-Shu; after the Qin took Shu, the practice spread outward. Shu produced many famous teas, all growing in lush forests shrouded in mist."

"Legends of the Tea Immortal occasionally circulate among the people. The Tea Sage Lu Yu, in his Classic of Tea, ranked the finest teas, mentioning 'Mengding first, Guzhu second'—and in the Meng Mountain region, tales of the Tea Immortal abound."

"Immortal?"

Sha Lifi stared blankly. "A land-immortal? We can't handle that."

"Not an immortal."

Yu Shangen tapped out his ash and said gravely: "Perhaps it's a spirit."

"Tea possesses spirit. In the Records of the Search for Spirits, Hou Kai died of illness, yet his soul clung to the desire for tea and begged his family for a cup…"

"In the Collection of Strange Tales, Chen Wu's wife in Shanyin County loved tea; before each drink, she offered it to the ghosts in an ancient tomb…"

"Even today, many places serve tea at funerals. Spirits gathering in the mountains, drinking tea, seem less like drinking and more like offering sacrifices."

"That old man must be an ancient tea tree that became a celestial treasure and then transformed into a spirit, able to summon the mountain's other spirits."

Sha Lifi listened, stunned, and couldn't help but raise his thumb. "You, sir, have extraordinary knowledge."

"What knowledge?"

Yu Shangen shook his head. "Treasure-seekers are local snakes—we rely entirely on the Four Methods: observe, listen, inquire, and divinate. All this is intelligence passed down through generations."

"To be honest, the Tea Immortal is only speculation—I've never seen one myself. According to the record, it appears only on the fifteenth night when the moon's radiance is strongest, so tonight offers the best chance."

Sha Lifi, now coated in black ointment, scratched his itchy scalp. "Never seen it before—how do we proceed? Do you know how to retrieve the treasure?"

Yu Shangen pondered. "If it truly is the Tea Immortal, we cannot take it—we must exchange. Otherwise, we'll alarm the spirit-treasure, and its tea's spiritual essence will scatter, leaving only bitterness."

He glanced at the white fox, grinning with yellow teeth. "If it were just me, I'd be helpless—but with Brother Lu San here, things have changed."

"Tonight, we go up the mountain to buy tea!"

…………

Night fell, and a bright moon hung high in the sky.

It poured down soft, clear silver light.

On the mountain slope, the tea garden spread in terraces, distinct layers bathed in the cold moonlight, wreathed in faint night mist.

The mountain was utterly silent.

Only the occasional chirp of insects and the murmur of mountain streams broke the quiet.

As an imperial tribute tea garden, it was not only guarded by the Wang Fu's men but also surrounded by walls, with patrols of guards accompanied by fierce dogs.

In the dense forest beyond, Sha Lifi and the others peered out.

Their appearance was peculiar.

They had rolled yellow talismans into balls and stuffed them in their nostrils, while a wutong leaf sat atop their heads, threaded with red string like a hat.

This was no trick—it was a concealment technique.

Concealment arts were vast and profound; each sect had its own secrets.

The Baopu lineage had the Way of Hidden Sinking; the Shangqing sect had the Eight Hidden Earth Techniques; other schools had the Five Element Duns and the Five False Methods.

What they used was called the Thirteen Forms of Concealment: besides the five elemental duns, it included human, insect, bird, beast, fish duns, and mist, cloud, wind duns.

This method was the "Human Dun," a secret passed down among treasure-seekers.

It looked ridiculous, yet it was highly sophisticated.

A dun technique need not render one fully invisible—only invisible to what you're trying to avoid. That's the mark of a powerful dun.

Their "Human Dun" could mask human qi.

If they truly encountered the Tea Immortal, they wouldn't risk scaring it off with human scent.

"Hrrrmm…"

The patrol dog, sensing something, lowered its head and growled at the wall.

Lu San frowned, suddenly formed a hand seal, and let out a cry like an owl circling in the night.

The patrol dog immediately turned and ran off.

After the guards passed, Sha Lifi shook his head and whispered: "A mere tea garden, guarded this tightly? Could there be ghosts?"

"This isn't an ordinary tea garden."

Old Yu lowered his voice. "'Shuinan Tea' isn't just tribute tea—it's extremely valuable. I heard that years ago, when the seas opened, it was shipped overseas and sold for gold."

"Some thieves from Kongkong Gate stole a lot of tea; the Prince of Shu flew into a rage and increased patrols."

"Ignore them. Just follow whatever's inside."

Sha Lifi asked: "What's inside?"

Lu San, beside him, formed a hand seal, listened intently, then touched a nearby branch and whispered: "It's the roots of an ancient tree beneath the ground, soaked in the resentment of the dead, transformed into a spirit, using the tea garden to cultivate."

He had studied the Lan Zhi Scripture, fully completing the Mountain Ghost lineage—every plant and creature in the mountains became his eyes.

Though the Yu father and son had seen this before, their eyes still held awe and curiosity.

Inquiring about another's lineage was taboo; Old Yu didn't press further. He said: "If it's a spirit, this method will conceal us."

"It should appear at Zi Hour. When it does, we follow—and we'll find where the Tea Immortal hides."

"Remember: no use of arts."

"Besides drinking tea, do nothing else."

"No matter what happens, don't speak. If you speak, you'll be exposed. Only exchange objects…" The old man repeated his warnings meticulously.

After all, treasure-seeking—even with perfect preparation—could fail from the slightest mistake.

Sha Lifi and the others had sought treasure before; they knew the stakes and carefully memorized every detail.

After a while, Sha Lifi pulled out his pocket watch, glanced at it by moonlight, and whispered: "The hour has come."

No sooner had he spoken than a dark wind suddenly rose within the tea garden.

All four held their breath, eyes wide.

As the night wind passed, a faint scent of tea filled the air—and from the shadowed edge of the garden wall, a white flame flickered into view.

The Yu father and son both formed hand seals; their eyes, like those of night cats, glowed faintly green in the dark.

They were lucky—both had awakened the Eye-Sense, and through treasure-seeker secrets, they had cultivated the "Night Cat Eyes."

Don't underestimate this: cats and dogs often see what humans cannot—they saw the same.

!.

In their eyes, the white flame blurred into the shape of an elderly woman, dressed as a tea picker.

Spirits born from resentment usually took the form of their victims.

No one knew what the tea picker had endured.

The spirit bore only her form, not her grudges.

Old Yu, of course, didn't care—he gave a slight nod to the others, signaling them to follow.

The white flame flickered, moving toward the side slope.

With the Yu father and son leading, they wouldn't lose it. The four quickened their pace, following closely.

The spirit ahead moved swiftly, but thanks to their dun technique, they weren't feared to be detected, so they ran hard without falling behind.

Only Sha Lifi suffered.

The old man had just been stung by venomous bees; though the ointment had eased the pain, running hard now brought back itching and ache.

But he knew the danger—he gritted his teeth and stayed silent.

Finally, the group reached the back mountain.

By now, the place was utterly deserted, the slope steep and overgrown with shrubs, with only animal trails left by wild beasts.

Unbeknownst to them, mist began to rise around them.

The forest and the slope grew hazy and indistinct.

Everyone knew they had encountered a ghost wall.

It was not the work of evil spirits, but rather that heavenly treasures and earthly wonders often occupied vital geomantic nodes, naturally forming arrays to conceal themselves.

They merely chased the spirit ahead, unaware that deep within the mist, their own figures suddenly vanished into the fog…

………

Sha Li Fei felt his vision blur, and the scene changed drastically.

Bamboo groves lined both sides; the night wind blew, scattering yellowed bamboo leaves to reveal an ancient path beneath, of unknown age.

Above, the moon was enormous, bathing the hills and fields in its glow.

Though the thick fog had lifted, everyone felt their eyes grow dry and gritty, everything appearing slightly blurred.

Sha Li Fei had just heard Old Yu say this was yin energy clouding the eyes—the common term being "ghost veil."

Though the state was unnatural, it allowed one to see things ordinary people could not; forcibly dispelling it might cause one to miss a rare opportunity.

And he finally saw the woman ahead.

She was a tea picker, dressed in plain white linen, her head covered as she hurried along, moving swiftly as if on level ground.

He turned to the side and was startled.

There, hanging from Lu San's waist, was a tiny old man, yellow-skinned, arms wrapped around himself, legs crossed in meditation, a small topknot on his head bound by a red cord to his belt.

As Lu San walked, the little old man swayed left and right, squinting and yawning.

Behind Lu San, a white-clad little girl bounced along, a leather pouch tied at her waist, inside which sat two fat men, their jiggling cheek fat swinging with each hop…

Spirit Gourd, Chu Qi, Rat One and Rat Two!

Sha Li Fei instantly recognized them—aside from the falcon sent to deliver the message, Lu San's spirit familiars were all here.

He hadn't expected to see them in human form under this state.

Moreover, more shadowy figures appeared around them.

A young man in golden robes and a blue face, arms raised, twisting and bouncing as he walked…

An old man dressed in funeral shroud, face like a corpse…

A burly man in a tiger-skin brocade robe, face full of menace…

Good heavens!

This was a gathering of mountain spirits…

Sha Li Fei stayed alert inwardly, yet couldn't help gazing.

After all, such a sight was truly rare.

Regardless of their true forms, all remained silent, ignoring one another, pressing forward in silence.

Finally, they arrived before a grove.

Beneath the moonlight, a pool emitted a faint mist; atop it sat an old man with green hair, cross-legged.

He looked extremely aged, his beard like tangled branches, densely covered with leaves.

The moment the four arrived, a wave of tea fragrance surged toward them, like a cool breeze cleansing the mind, invigorating their spirits.

Unconsciously, more shadowy figures gathered by the pond—colorful, draped in red and green—all silent, waiting quietly.

Wu~

The evening breeze passed through, as if playing a flute in accompaniment.

Whether illusion or not, the moonlight above grew brighter, the old man seeming bathed in it, the tea scent in the pond growing stronger.

Finally, a white-clad woman bent down and drank from the pool; other figures followed suit, drinking by the pond's edge.

As for the corpse-faced man in funeral shroud, he squatted by the pond, eyes half-closed, inhaling deeply, face filled with rapture…

No one jostled; no one spoke; everything proceeded in orderly silence.

After drinking, figures departed one by one—some crawled into the forest on all fours, others fluttered away into the air with flowing robes.

Such a scene was utterly bizarre.

Sha Li Fei's eyes grew drier; he wanted to rub them, yet feared the vision would vanish and alarm the Tea Immortal.

Suddenly, the white fox Chu Qi tugged at Lu San's robe, eyes sparkling with delight, gesturing for them to drink from the pond.

Lu San stepped forward without hesitation, knelt, and drank two mouthfuls; his eyes brightened, and he gave them a slight nod.

The Yu family father and son, along with Sha Li Fei, followed suit.

Indeed, this was a rare opportunity.

As the cold pond water entered his belly, Sha Li Fei immediately felt a soothing warmth spread through him, his mind clear, even his bodily pains seeming to ease.

The effect rivaled the Divine Tea of the Bai family's Wushan.

As more figures departed, the pond's edge grew sparse, leaving only a few figures radiating formidable aura.

The burly man in tiger-skin brocade crossed the pond, spat out a lingzhi mushroom, and carefully placed it on the stone platform.

The "Tea Immortal" said nothing, did not even open his eyes—only a few leaves from his beard fell, which the man retrieved.

Everyone knew the exchange of treasures was about to begin…

(End of Chapter)