Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 529 - Explanation

After the farce ended, it was hard for everyone to calm down, with a few ugly women cleaning the mess on the ground.

"I'm sorry for affecting everyone's mood today. I'll host a poetry and song gathering at the Mooncave Lake tomorrow evening, and I hope everyone can honor me with your presence." Lady Murong's voice rang out from the third floor and reached each corner of the teahouse.

It was true that everyone had lost their mood to drink tea and listen to music.

"Lady Murong, is tomorrow simply an ordinary gathering of poetry and song, or will there be a prize?" A youth stood up from his seat and asked in a curious tone, cupping his fists together at the curtain.

The third floor was even more lavishly decorated, with a curtain in the middle serving as a partition. Everyone could only see a vague silhouette with unclear features through the curtain.

Her graceful figure was filled with irresistible charm, and her alluring voice was filled with mystery. However, no one dared to step forward to lift the curtain.

Upon hearing the youth's question, everyone stopped and looked at the curtain. There had long been rumors that Lady Murong was a stunning beauty, a fairy sent by the heavens. However, few people had seen her face.

Even so, anyone could tell Lady Murong was a stunning beauty from her figure and voice. It was rumored that a prodigy from the Sky Rift Valley had the fortune of seeing her, and he had been deeply charmed by her ever since, unable to forget her.

That prodigy wasn't an ordinary person but a true disciple in the Sky Rift Valley. This meant his willpower was stronger than ordinary disciples, and even someone like him couldn't resist Lady Murong's beauty. Thus, one could imagine how beautiful she must be.

"Aside from poetry and song, I will present four challenges: music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Whoever wins first place in all four will have the honor of meeting me to play music together," Lady Murong announced, her voice gracefully filling every corner of the House of Tea Art.

The moment her words echoed, the entire teahouse erupted. The implications were clear: whoever triumphed in all four challenges would not only earn a private meeting with Lady Murong but also spend time in her esteemed company.

That was the dream of countless prodigies. Once the news spread, everyone could imagine the uproar it would cause. The gathering was bound to be lively.

After sending all the guests off, Lady Yan lifted the curtain and walked inside before stopping beside Lady Murong.

"Young Lady, I don't understand why you intervened earlier and even admitted that the House of Tea Art had some faults. That person looked down on us and even rejected your offer." Lady Yan asked, confused.

"He might be the one we're looking for," Lady Murong murmured, her hand lightly brushing the zither strings. Three strands of hair fell softly around her temples as the light in the room dimmed.

She was a vision of beauty—fair-skinned, with delicate, almond-shaped eyes. Her perfectly proportioned figure, accentuated by tight-fitting clothes, seemed more like a masterful sculpture than a human form. Flawless, in a way that defied nature itself.

"What?" Lady Yan's jaw dropped, and even the mysterious old woman in the corner looked at Lady Murong nervously.

"Young Lady, how are you certain he's the person we're looking for?" the old woman asked. Her voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing together.

"I couldn't sense any aura when he drank the tea. That means he was unaffected by the Blissful Insect." Lady Murong stood and opened the window, gazing out as darkness had already settled over the sky.

"No wonder his tea was untouched. Did he discover something?" Lady Yan said, suddenly figuring everything out. She had explicitly glanced at Liu Wuxie's table and noticed that besides Liu Wuxie's tea, the other two cups hadn't been touched, which wasn't normal.

No one could resist the specially brewed tea, and it was impossible not to take a sip. There was only one explanation for that situation—they had discovered the secret in the tea!

"Since he's the one we're looking for, I'll go and capture him now," the old woman said and was about to leave.

"Nanny..." Lady Murong called out to the old woman, stopping her.

"Young Lady, what is there to worry about? He's only in the Heavenly Phase Realm," the old woman said. They had been searching for years, traversing mountains and rivers. They had even been to the Western Barren and Northern City.

Last year, they had come to the Southern Province and established the House of Tea Art. If they failed to find the person they sought in two years, they would have to go elsewhere or change a city.

"There's no need for rush. We've already waited so many years; a day or two won't make a difference. It would be bad if we get on his bad side." Lady Murong closed the window and sat on the couch, curled up like a cat.

The old woman nodded in understanding. If they alarmed Liu Wuxie into leaving Serene Sea City, or if he chose to die rather than help them, all their efforts would be in vain.

"Young Lady, we can't possibly just sit here and wait. Since he's the person we're looking for, what should we do next?" Lady Yan asked anxiously. They had finally found Liu Wuxie after searching so hard for so long; they couldn't possibly sit there and do nothing.

"This is why I'm hosting the gathering tomorrow. Deliver the invitation to him and make sure he attends tomorrow. I want to reconfirm if he's the person we seek." Lady Murong wasn't certain because it had been too noisy this afternoon. She initially wanted to invite Liu Wuxie to verify it, but he refused. This was why she could only change her tactic.

"I'll take care of it!" The old woman wanted to leave immediately and planned to personally deliver the invitation to Liu Wuxie.

"Nanny, it's more appropriate for me to handle this matter. What if you scare him away?" Lady Yan walked over and linked her arms with the old woman.

"You cheeky lass!" The old woman wasn't furious; chuckles could be heard from the room.

......

When Liu Wuxie settled into the inn with the two women, they set up a spiritual array in the surroundings to prevent anyone with ill intentions from intruding.

The convenience of having a private courtyard was that they could set up a spiritual array in the surroundings.

"Your hot water is ready!" The waiter came in, full of passion.

"Waiter, how much do you know about the House of Tea Art?" Liu Wuxie came out and threw a spirit stone at the waiter, inquiring about the establishment’s background.

" Are you planning to visit House of Tea Art? That's a place every man dreams of going," the waiter said with a deep smile.

Liu Wuxie was left speechless because he only wanted to inquire about the House of Tea Art and nothing else. He had checked himself when returning but couldn't find any discomfort. However, he was suspicious because of the warning from the mysterious tree in the desolate world.

"I only wish to know the information of House of Tea Art's owner," Liu Wuxie threw three spirit stones over, and he had made himself clear this time.

The waiter became excited when he looked at the three spirit stones. It was still early, so he began sharing everything he knew with Liu Wuxie.

"The House of Tea Art appeared in Serene Sea City just a year ago. At first, no one paid any attention to it, thinking it was just an ordinary teahouse. Some even tried causing trouble, but they were thrown out every time, no exceptions," the waiter exclaimed, his excitement causing him to speak so energetically that Liu Wuxie had to step back to avoid the spray of his words.

"Three powerful sects control Serene Sea City, and their disciples regularly frequent the House of Tea Art. Are you saying the teahouse doesn't show them any respect?" Liu Wuxie asked, his tone laced with doubt. The three sects had deep foundations, while the teahouse appeared insignificant in comparison.

"You may not know, but don't belittle the House of Tea Art. There's an expert inside that even the three major sects are fearful of," the waiter whispered, fearing that others might overhear him.

Liu Wuxie frowned upon hearing that because he could sense a strong presence hidden in the House of Tea Art when he visited, but his Ghost Eye couldn't detect that expert. He wondered if it was an expert in the True Profound Realm.

"They only run a teahouse in Serene Sea City and nothing else?" Liu Wuxie asked. It was puzzling why there would be such an expert in a small teahouse.

"They're no ordinary teahouse. They only open once a week, and today happens to be the day," the waiter said with a wistful look. "If you miss it, you’ll have to wait until next week. I’ve heard the tea is incredible, and the music is beautiful."

He was at the bottom of society's pyramid and could only know this much. Most of what he knew was from others.

Liu Wuxie didn't continue asking. He knew he wouldn't get helpful information even if he asked more.

However, based on the information he collected from the waiter, he could conclude that House of Tea Art wasn't simple. They had only come to Serene Sea City a year ago.

Even the three major sects couldn't do anything to them, making Liu Wuxie wonder what background they could have.

After returning to his room, Liu Wuxie soaked in a hot bath, easing his tired muscles. Yet, despite the physical relaxation, his mind was troubled. Since reaching the sixth level of the Heavenly Phase Realm, his cultivation progress had slowed significantly, and the speed at which he absorbed spiritual energy had also dropped.

As his cultivation progressed, his demand for spiritual energy increased. Despite consuming large amounts of spirit stones and pills, his progress was still slow.

The desolate world was vast and boundless. If an ordinary person's dantian was like a water jar, which could be filled with time, a prodigy's dantian was akin to a house.

However, Liu Wuxie's dantian was a world. Thus, one could imagine the effort needed to fill the world. If he relied on absorbing spiritual energy from the atmosphere, it might take him three to five years to reach the seventh level.

"This is frustrating!" Liu Wuxie shook his head and cleared all the distractions from his mind to cultivate.

Cultivation was like rowing upstream—if one did not keep advancing, they would inevitably fall behind. No matter how slow his progress seemed, it was still a thousand times better than regressing.

Just as Liu Wuxie was about to rest, he heard a knock on the courtyard's gate.

"Young master, have you gone to rest?" This was a familiar voice as Jian Xing'er and Chen Ruoyan exited their rooms.

"Lady Yan, why are you here?" Liu Wuxie asked with a puzzled expression.