3 Spiritual Tea (1/2)

The fire from the burning charcoal was heating the bottom surface of the small red teapot constantly, boiling the tea inside the teapot. Water bubbles started forming, with hot steam rising into the surroundings.

In front of Fang Yuan placed a tea set. He prepared the tea meticulously, firstly by letting the tea to be boiled. The first set of tea was not to be consumed as it was used to clean the tea set. After which, the teapot was sealed immediately with the next set of tea boiling, ready to be poured evenly to the teacups and served. Every motion in this process was so natural that one can even sense the peace and tranquility.

Though Fang Yuan's house was simple, he had tea leaves.

Having that tea leaves was not the only thing that was special in his house as the tea leaves was one of the premium goods cultivated by him personally. Besides, he showed superior standards in the preparation of tea ceremonies, which was well commended by Master Wenxin.

Of course, the previous visitor was wicked and so did not experience such great treatment.

The surrounding of the teacups was filled with the fragrance of the tea. Fang Yuan gently lifted up his teacup in a calm motion and began tasting the tea slowly.

To him, the tea ceremony was not just for self-cultivation, but also to remember Master Wenxin's works.

Although Master Wenxin did not teach Fang Yuan martial arts, he did teach Fang Yuan the techniques of the meditative tea ceremony.

Making tea helped to cleanse the soul, which helped the state of the soul to have a greater sense of well-being.

But why a great sense of well-being?

A grandmaster once said, ” Not thinking of one's body, not fiddling one's intelligence, being separated from the body, free from the shackles of wisdom and becoming as one with mother earth. This is the state which has the greatest sense of well-being.”

The main idea behind Master Wenxin's tea ceremony was to have a unity of man and nature, so as to achieve the great sense of well-being.

For Fang Yuan, he loved making tea. He even went to look for a tea set that was of high quality just to make tea.

However, things were different now.

From the tea aroma, Fang Yuan only felt warmth to his stomach, and then a thin layer of coldness, thus bringing a cooling effect, making him forget how cold or hot the surroundings had become.

Living in the valley and not disturbed by the chaos from the world elsewhere, Fang Yuan drank and cultivated tea every day with a strong will and determination.

To achieve his goals, he had to be determined and have the will to concentrate.

After tea, it was the best time to reorganise his thoughts as his mind would be clearer.

”Recently, I have gathered all the crops in the valley and re-cultivated with [Botany (Level 3)], and indeed the result is very different. The result shows that I have improved further as compared to his previous best results. The mutation probability is also extremely low since there is not even one case appearing in the whole valley. Of course, it is hard to say for now as the Vermillion Jade Rice is not harvested yet…”

Shaking his head, Fang Yuan got up to get the hoe, bamboo baskets and other equipment before starting on his daily cultivation of crops on the farm.

Watering the crops, adding fertiliser, loosening of soil and then treated in accordance to the needs of the different crops. The whole process was a smooth one.

At high noon, Fang Yuan sat on the rocks and quickly drank a gourd of spring water. Looking at his farm, he felt as though a farmer had just harvested his crops, heart filled with joy.

Fang Yuan then started consuming the rice balls that he had prepared in the morning and a flash appeared in his eyes again;

”Name: Fang Yuan

Essence: 1

Spirit: 1

Magic: 1

Age: 18

Cultivation: None

Techniques: None

Skills: [Medicine (Level 1)], [Botany (level 3)]”

...

”Essence, spirit and magic refer to my physical fitness…..”

Thanks to the care by Master Wenxin and his botany skills, Fang Yuan didn't really suffer in his early days. He was well fed and taken care of, allowing his foundations to be strong at the age of 18 and similar when compared to other adults.

”[Botany (Level 3)], with a very low chance of evolving into special traits….”

Fang Yuan sighed and then continued eating his rice balls.

The rice balls were made from the Pearl Jade Crystal Rice cultivated in the farm. Each rice grain was as small as a baby's thumb size. The rice grain was as if an art piece as it was clear and bright. The fragrance of the cooked rice was excellent. One could feel the crisp of the cooked rice which was incomparable to glutinous rice. The rice even tasted great without any side dishes. The rice was best served with sour beans and sour plums.

Jade Crystal Rice had a very high nutritional value. Jade Crystal Rice soup could be fed to babies in replacement of milk. Fang Yuan only ate one rice ball and he was recharged with energy. He then began to continue his work.

”The Fragrance ball and Rutaceae are ready to be harvested. Old Tian from the Medicine Hall should be here soon to collect them in exchange for salt and oil….”

Sometimes, Fang Yuan went around his farm to pluck a few fruits to eat and to ponder about future plans.

A few moments later, a touch of green met his eyes, making Fang Yuan slow down his footsteps and whispered ”Hey”.

Here laid a tea forest and the tea trees were specifically chosen to grow tea leaves which were straight flat. The tea leaves also had a fresh orchid fragrance to it, which make the tea leaves Fang Yuan's favourite.

However, at that moment, something was different.

Among all the tea trees, there was one that had a jasper-like tea leaves growing out, giving a crystal colour. The tea leaves from that particular tree were so special that without going through the process of frying of tea leaves, these leaves were able to give out a very strong fragrance on its own. This fragrance helped to keep the mind awake, leaving a strong aftertaste.

”Premium tea leaves! The premium of the premium!”

Fang Yuan gathered near that tea tree. ”So this is the mutated result of the level 3 Botany tea leaves? Has this Houkui [1] become a spiritual plant?”

Unfortunately, he had only seen the grains of the Vermillion Jade Rice, making it impossible for him to compare.

However, such leaves were definitely special!

”It's afternoon, time is just right!”

Seeing this tea tree, Fang Yuan put aside all his worries at that moment and began plucking the special tea leaves to make tea happily.

”No… this is so tempting. I cannot endure anymore!”