Chapter 12: A Pot of Good Tea

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: A Pot of Good Tea

Having been in this world for twenty-one years, he really did not know what a "Shaman" actually was.

Wang Erhu picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and placed it in his mouth. He then grabbed the wine flagon, poured a cup for himself and Fang Xu, and said, "Shamans are also a type of Cultivator. This is not much of a secret among Martial Artists.

"The Martial Dao of Great Yu is prosperous. It has been established for a thousand years. Rising from a mere corner of the Central State, it has annexed seventy-two kingdoms over the millennium, which ultimately formed the current territory of the Seven States.

"A century ago, at the beginning of Emperor Yu’s succession, he immediately launched a military campaign against the Dusk Cloud Kingdom in the north. The war lasted for three years, during which he destroyed their ancestral temples and slaughtered their royal family. At that time, the ones in the Dusk Cloud Kingdom who could resist our dynasty’s iron cavalry were precisely those unfathomable and bizarre Shamans.

"After the Dusk Cloud Kingdom was destroyed, those Shamans changed their identities and infiltrated the territory of Great Yu, biding their time to cause destruction and attempting to restore their kingdom."

Fang Xu wondered if the Shamans came from the Dusk Cloud Kingdom.

A look of sudden realization washed over him. He knew of the Dusk Cloud Kingdom. It was said to be located to the north of Great Yu, bordering Qingzhou Prefecture. The two regions were separated by a natural moat—Wangyue Mountain. The Dusk Cloud Kingdom was a nomadic regime that produced abundant high-quality horses and Dusk Cloud Iron. Its national strength had not been weak at all.

The war of annihilation in which Great Yu slaughtered and destroyed the Dusk Cloud Kingdom was considered the largest war in the past century. Street storytellers often used that war as a backdrop to recount the deeds of some legendary heroes of the Yu Dynasty.

"In that case, the Shamans are Cultivators from the Dusk Cloud Kingdom?" Fang Xu asked.

Wang Erhu nodded slightly and raised his cup. "Most of the Cultivators in the Dusk Cloud Kingdom also practice the Martial Dao. Shamans are considered a relatively special existence.

"Two years ago, I once followed the commander to execute an operation to exterminate the Shamans..."

Mentioning this, Wang Erhu’s expression grew unusually solemn as the scalp-numbing scenes from that time could not help but surface in his mind.

"Let’s not talk about it. Drink."

Unwilling to recall the situation from back then, Wang Erhu raised his cup and spoke. Fang Xu did not press the matter further, and the two began to toast each other.

After several rounds of drinks, Fang Xu spoke again. "Erhu, is the Huangzhou Yun Family... very strong?"

"The Yun Family?" Wang Erhu poured himself a drink with his head down and could not help but laugh. "Great Yu rules the world together with the Martial Artists of the Noble Families. Among the Seven States, although the overall strength of Huangzhou Prefecture is at the bottom, the Yun Family is, after all, the uncrowned king of Huangzhou Prefecture. What do you think?"

Fang Xu remained silent.

Huangzhou Prefecture covered a vast territory of thousands of miles. The Yun Family’s ability to dominate Huangzhou Prefecture with the strength of a single family made them comparable to feudal lords. Their power was absolutely beyond what someone like him could imagine.

"Fang the Kid, I see that you have already entered the Refining Viscera Realm. Cultivate well and step into the Martial Disciple Realm as soon as possible. The outside world is much more wonderful than you can imagine," Wang Erhu said with a faint smile.

The outside world... Fang Xu’s eyes burned with fervor. Ever since he transmigrated, he had never even stepped out of Qinghe County. Naturally, he yearned greatly for the outside world.

However, he also understood that while the outside world was undoubtedly colorful, it was also fraught with danger. If he rashly ventured out without sufficient strength, it was highly likely that he would end up as nothing more than a pile of dry bones on the side of the road.

The two continued to drink and chat. They mostly talked about what Wang Erhu had seen and heard over the years, which made Fang Xu’s heart burn with excitement.

By late 7 p.m., the two had eaten and drunk their fill. The woman of the Wang Family walked out of the room, looked at them, and asked, "Do you need another flagon of wine?"

Wang Erhu was a little tipsy. He waved his hand and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Wang, but no."

With that, he staggered out of the courtyard. Seeing this, the woman of the Wang Family hurriedly called out to him, "Erhu, where are you going? Are you not staying at home tonight?"

"Ergou is not here, so it is inappropriate." Wang Erhu did not turn his head as he walked straight toward the Fenglin Town Government Office.

Seeing this, the woman of the Wang Family turned her gaze to Fang Xu.

Fang Xu also quickly cupped his hands. "Mrs. Wang, it is getting late, so I will take my leave as well."

Seeing that both of them had left, the woman of the Wang Family sighed softly and went to clear the food on the stone table by herself.

After returning home from Wang Ergou’s house, Fang Xu simply washed his face, sat cross-legged on the bed, and continued Refining Viscera.

Now that there were important figures from Huangzhou Prefecture in Fenglin Town, he did not dare to continue cultivating with the "Divination God Treasure." He could only make do with this for now.

It was a bit slow, but at least it was safe.

The early spring morning breeze was cool. On the streets of Fenglin Town, a young girl wearing a long purple dress and a thin veil over her face walked slowly. The noble and aloof temperament exuding from her caused the common people passing by to turn their heads frequently.

At the Zhang Family Blood Food Shop, Zhang Mingliang was idly selecting the highest quality and most delicious Blood Food. He planned to save it up for a few days before attempting to break through to the Martial Disciple Realm, when he caught sight of a figure in purple appearing at the entrance of the Blood Food Shop.

"Miss, do you want to buy Blood Food?" When the Shopkeeper in the store saw the girl standing at the door, he hurriedly went up to greet her enthusiastically.

Yun Wan glanced at the Shopkeeper, her voice indifferent as she asked, "Is the Blood Food in your shop all hunted by yourselves?"

The old Shopkeeper was slightly taken aback, but then he said quite proudly, "Of course. The Blood Food in the shop is all hunted in the mountains by the Martial Artists of our family. It’s very fresh!"

Yun Wan nodded slightly. Just as she was about to speak, Zhang Mingliang, who was standing to the side, walked up with a smile, stroking a strand of hair at his temple. "Miss, I am Zhang Mingliang. This Blood Food Shop belongs to my Zhang Family. Whatever kind of Blood Food you need, just say the word."

Yun Wan glanced at him, her beautiful eyes raised slightly as if she had formed a plan in her mind.

"I didn’t come here to buy Blood Food. I just want to ask you about a certain matter."

Zhang Mingliang wondered why she wasn’t buying Blood Food.

He frowned slightly, but seeing that Yun Wan’s beautiful face could hardly be concealed despite the thin veil, he still smiled and asked, "May I ask what you want to inquire about? My Zhang Family has been established in Fenglin Town for a century. Perhaps we can be of some help."

Hearing this, Yun Wan slowly took out a portrait from her robes and handed it to Zhang Mingliang. "This is an elder of mine. He should have been to Tilan Mountain recently. I would like to trouble you to help me see if anyone has seen him and knows of his whereabouts."

Zhang Mingliang glanced at the portrait on the paper, his mind working quickly, and said, "How about this? The Blood Food at the front of the shop has a strong bloody stench. Please follow me to the back hall. I will immediately have someone gather all the Martial Artists who have gone into the mountains recently to identify him. What do you think?"

Yun Wan pondered for a moment before nodding slightly. "Thank you for your trouble."

Seeing this, Zhang Mingliang quickly reached out and led Yun Wan to an elegant private room in the back hall of the Blood Food Shop.

"Qi, hurry up and brew a pot of good tea! Liang San, go and fetch all the Martial Artists who have entered the mountains in the past month for me!"

Hearing his orders, the two attendants hurriedly bowed and backed away.

Xie Xiaoqi had only taken two steps when he turned around and whispered with a sly smile, "Young Master, what kind of tea should I brew?"

Zhang Mingliang kicked him and said fiercely, "My best tea, of course! Hurry up and go!"

Taking the kick, Xie Xiaoqi hurriedly ran out with a knowing look on his face.

After entering the private room, Yun Wan slowly sat down, quietly waiting for the Zhang Family’s Martial Artists who had recently entered the mountains to come and identify the person in the portrait.

Zhang Mingliang stood to the side, occasionally looking at her graceful figure.

A moment later, a knock came from outside the private room. Xie Xiaoqi’s voice drifted in. "Young Master, the tea is ready."

Zhang Mingliang opened the door. After taking the tea, he quickly came to Yun Wan and poured her a cup.

"Miss, it will take some time to gather everyone. Please have a cup of tea while you wait."

Yun Wan nodded slightly. Given her noble status, she had long grown accustomed to such sycophants in all of Huangzhou. Naturally, she didn’t find anything inappropriate about his behavior.

"Thank you." Speaking slowly, Yun Wan picked up the teacup in front of her, lifted her veil, and took a gentle sip.

However, as soon as the tea reached her stomach, she sensed that something was wrong. Her beautiful face instantly turned icy cold!