Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 527 - House of Tea Art

In less than three minutes, the waitress returned with a delicate teapot, its faint fragrance already filling the air. Liu Wuxie noticed the intricate details—the teapot, made from a unique clay, had earthworm-like patterns etched on its surface. While not spiritual runes, the patterns gave the teapot a special charm. The top had three tiny openings, allowing the fragrant aroma to escape, and the spout was so fine it seemed almost fragile.

"Sir, this is the Jade Bamboo Dew you requested," the waitress said softly as she arranged the cups. She began pouring, and as the tea hit the cups, each droplet shimmered like a pearl, making a melodic clinking sound.

"This tea," she continued, "was personally nurtured by our young lady and harvested every five years. The water comes from the melted ice of Spirit Mountain, which is then heated by the heavenly flame for three days and nights. Every drop is precious and can strengthen the body. The entire pot can even prolong one's lifespan."

After filling the three cups, the teapot was nearly emptied. Liu Wuxie didn't expect a pot of tea to have so many intricate steps in brewing, not to mention the water sourced from ice on Spirit Mountain. That was extremely far away, and transporting it back required an astonishing amount of manpower and resources. This pot of tea must be incredibly valuable.

"Please have a taste!" The waitress made an inviting gesture, prompting Liu Wuxie to take a sip.

Liu Wuxie gently picked up the cup and brought it to his lips. A rich aroma exploded in his mouth when he took a small sip, making his entire body feel relaxed, as though his soul had been cleansed. The warmth carried a faint chill that flowed down his throat to his stomach.

The tea contained strong spirituality, and Liu Wuxie could notice a slight increase in his true essence.

He now knew why the waitress said that taking a sip could strengthen the body and that finishing an entire pot could prolong one's lifespan. The spirituality flowed through his meridians throughout his body before entering the desolate world.

Suddenly, the mysterious tree began to shake to alert him. This baffled him because it was warning him of danger.

For the past two years, the mysterious tree’s warnings had never been wrong, though he briefly wondered if this time was different. Without betraying any emotion, he calmly set the cup down. Over time, he had mastered the art of remaining composed in any situation, his expression unwavering no matter the circumstances.

"Good tea!" Liu Wuxie praised, feeling a deep sense of relaxation after drinking it. He now understood why the waitress recommended it, especially when he was in a good mood.

"Take your time to enjoy the tea. Let me know if you need anything," the waitress said and retreated, leaving the three on the table.

Chen Ruoyan was eager after the waitress left and picked up her cup to drink.

"Don't drink!" Liu Wuxie's expression changed after the waitress left.

Chen Ruoyan quickly placed the cup of tea down, looking wary.

"Junior Brother Liu, is the tea laced with poison?" Jian Xing'er asked.

"I'm unsure if it's poisoned, but don't drink it. There's something in the tea that I'm not aware of, and drinking too much will make you addicted to it." In just a few breaths, Liu Wuxie already found something strange in the tea.

The tea wasn't laced with poison, and drinking wouldn't cause death. But it would cause a severe addiction, making one feel uncomfortable if they couldn't drink it daily.

The zither music continued, penetrating the buildings and entering Liu Wuxie's ears.

"As expected, something's off!" Liu Wuxie felt excited under the music, his mouth dry, and he wanted to drink the tea. But his rationale told him not to.

The music was beautiful, and Liu Wuxie could also be considered an expert in zither. Even he was shocked when he listened to the music.

"This is mournful and delicate music, but why does it make me feel elated?" Chen Ruoyan couldn't comprehend the music. Although sad, it brought joy, which made no sense.

Liu Wuxie glanced at the teapot and reached out to pick it up. Although the teapot looked ordinary, he saw a tea leaf inside when he lifted the lid, and the tea was almost gone.

When he turned the teapot around, he saw a strange cross-shaped mark at the bottom.

"What's this? Could this be some symbol?" Liu Wuxie frowned and showed Jian Xing'er and Chen Ruoyan the bottom of the teapot.

Chen Ruoyan shook her head. She had never seen this symbol before. Jian Xing'er thought deeply to search through her memories, but after pondering for a long time, she couldn't find anything.

Suddenly, the screen blocking their table was kicked apart, pulling Liu Wuxie's attention from the teapot.

Liu Wuxie frowned as four men stood before him, radiating hostility. He didn't remember offending anyone when entering the teahouse. So why did these people come and even kick their screens away?

"What business do you four have?" Liu Wuxie asked calmly. He was under the impression that they had mistaken him for someone else. After all, he had just arrived in the city and didn't know anyone, let alone offending anyone.

"Brat, did you refuse the promotion from the Dragon Gate Shop and injure the staff?" The man in the middle questioned. He first scanned Liu Wuxie before turning to Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing'er. There were many beauties in Serene Sea City, but beauties like Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing'er were rare.

"The Dragon Gate Shop?" Liu Wuxie muttered to himself. He vaguely remembered encountering it earlier, and soon recalled that the shop had tried to force a sale on him when they first entered the city. He’d refused and sent the shopkeeper flying with his aura. Now, it seemed that the trouble had followed him over something as trivial as rejecting their aggressive pitch.

"You remember now?" The youth sneered. His other three companions eyed Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing'er brazenly, their intentions clear.

"What do you all want then?" Liu Wuxie could tell from these people's eyes that this matter wouldn't rest peacefully. If refusing to buy a forceful promotion could lead to death, Serene Sea City was more dangerous than he'd thought. This meant he could lose his life here if he weren't careful.

"You have two options. One, hand over one million spirit stones, and we'll let this matter rest. Two, leave the two women with us for one night." Their terms were clear: either to pay up or offer the two women as compensation.

When the man said that, murderous intent gushed from Liu Wuxie's eyes. He might not have had intimate relationships with the two women, but they were still close to him.

After all, he had seen their bodies before when saving them in the Underground Abyssal World and Azure Mountain City. He had already considered them his women from a certain angle, just that they hadn't broken that final barrier yet.

"You have three breaths to get out of my sight!" Liu Wuxie was enraged, and his murderous intent alarmed the other guests in the teahouse, who stood up to watch the commotion. After all, fighting was rare in this teahouse.

"Cheng Chen, it seems your words didn't work!" The three youths wore sinister smiles because they didn't take Liu Wuxie seriously. The man who spoke was named Cheng Chen, but Liu Wuxie didn't know much about his identity as he had just arrived in Serene Sea City.

"You dare speak to me in this manner? You're courting death!" Cheng Chen, who wore a bloodthirsty smirk, reached for Liu Wuxie's neck. He was not ordinary, and his movements suggested he might be a disciple of one of the three major sects.

His technique was ruthless and aimed directly at Liu Wuxie's throat to deliver a lethal strike. He would have been successful if he had faced a regular opponent, but it was a pity his opponent was Liu Wuxie.

"Get lost!" Liu Wuxie counterattacked by grabbing Cheng Chen's wrist and exerting force, sending the latter flying and crashing into several screens.

The sudden commotion startled everyone in the teahouse, and even the music stopped as people began to appear in the corridor.

"Who dares to cause trouble here?!" A powerful aura in the second-level Astral River Realm swept out, forcing those in the Heavenly Phase Realm to step aside.

However, that pressure vanished when it reached Liu Wuxie. He didn't even need the help of the Heavenly Dao Book because he could rely on his physical body to resist the pressure.

Cheng Chen fell to the side, his face bruised and swollen. This was only because Liu Wuxie didn't counterattack with the thought of taking his life.

Although Liu Wuxie didn't take Cheng Chen's life, he taught him a lesson, with blood still dripping from his lips.

"Senior Brother Yin, you have to seek justice for me! This brat dared to humiliate our Azure Crimson Gate!" Cheng Chen returned to his feet and cried to the man who unleashed his aura.

Liu Wuxie was stunned. He hadn’t humiliated the Azure Crimson Gate. Then again, he couldn't be bothered to explain since the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was at odds with the Azure Crimson Gate.

Prince Yongxian was taken away by someone from the Azure Crimson Gate, who would become a threat sooner or later. Liu Wuxie could use this opportunity to find Prince Yongxian's whereabouts from them.

"Trash!" Yin Jingwu walked down from the second floor with two attendants behind him.

Cheng Chen didn't dare to retort after being scolded by Yin Jingwu. Compared to the latter, he was no different from trash because he was far inferior regarding alchemy or martial talents.

"You, cripple one arm for injuring a disciple of my Azure Crimson Gate!" Yin Jingwu walked over to Liu Wuxie and demanded in an overbearing manner. He couldn't even be bothered to take action himself.

"What if I refuse?" Liu Wuxie smirked, his lips rising into a cold smile.

Yin Jingwu was only at the fourth level of the Astral River Realm, and Liu Wuxie didn't even take him seriously. The Heavenly Dragon Seal had been recharged after ten days of nourishing, and he could leave Serene Sea City after killing him in the worst-case scenario.

"You have no qualifications to refuse in front of me!" Yin Jingwu had a strong stance and wanted to act as soon as he was done.

Ten-odd people came down from the second floor, all in the Astral River Realm. As for those on the third floor, they didn't show themselves, and they should be in the high levels of the Astral River Realm. There was a vast difference between the high and low levels of the Astral River Realm.