Chapter Nineteen: Showdown at the Teahouse
At the foot of a mountain, in front of a roadside teahouse frequented by both ordinary travelers and cultivators, a swordsman arrived. Clad in form-fitting black garments, a long sword strapped to his back, his features were resolute and striking, his presence commanding.
Martial artists gathered at the teahouse entrance turned to look, each inwardly exclaiming, “What a refined and dashing hero!”
The swordsman’s lips curled into a slight smile, his eyes revealing a touch of world-weariness as he slowly swept his gaze over the female warriors taking notice of him. Each time his eyes met theirs, their hearts fluttered, and they blushed, lowering their heads in shy embarrassment.
“What an enchanting gaze!”
“Ding. Congratulations, host ‘Chen Xiang’, you have gained eight reputation points for winning the admiration of women!”
“Ding. Congratulations, host ‘Chen Xiang’, you have gained five reputation points for winning the admiration of women!”
Indeed, the swordsman was Chen Xiang. Listening to the system notifications in his mind, he was inwardly delighted. A few days ago, after rescuing a maiden gathering herbs on the mountain, he had teased her on a whim; to his surprise, the system rewarded him five reputation points. Since then, every time he encountered a woman, he couldn’t help but unleash his charm, honing his skills in the art of flirtation!
The reputation points were modest, but better than nothing.
Confidently, Chen Xiang strode into the teahouse.
The establishment was rather plain, with only a dozen tables and benches, yet business was thriving.
“Waiter, bring me your finest tea!”
“At once, sir. Please, have a seat,” the young attendant greeted him as soon as he entered, hastily wiping down a table for him. After all, his striking entrance had caught everyone’s attention.
Chen Xiang unstrapped his Breeze Sword and placed it on the table, then, imitating a master from the dramas he’d seen, began to savor his tea slowly.
In truth, he had immediately noticed a woman sitting in a corner of the teahouse. Upon a quick assessment, he realized she possessed the cultivation of the seventh level of Core Formation. She wore a bamboo hat that concealed her face, making her features indistinct. Yet, judging by her figure and fair skin, there was no doubt she was beautiful.
A sheer veil draped over her, and she moved with elegance, lifting her teacup and gently raising the veil just enough to reveal a delicate mouth as she took a sip.
Seeing the shape of her lips, Chen Xiang became even more certain of her beauty. His interest piqued, the urge to flirt ignited within him once again. If she was a beauty, then he simply could not resist! He flashed her a slight smile.
The woman noticed him, but after a brief glance, she lowered her eyes, betraying no reaction.
Damn, she actually ignored my charm? Humph, let’s see how I win you over! Chen Xiang thought to himself.
Though the teahouse appeared harmonious, with conversations flowing freely, beneath the surface a murderous tension lingered, all directed subtly at the mysterious woman.
Chen Xiang hadn’t expected that his plan to show off, flirt, and ask for directions would land him in such a situation. Wasn’t this the prelude to a martial world clash?
“Waiter, I have a question,” Chen Xiang said after drinking a cup of tea, beckoning the attendant over.
The moment he spoke, the teahouse fell silent for a second before resuming its previous ambience.
Chen Xiang noticed this, but didn’t react.
The attendant hurried over and bowed, “Sir, how may I help you?”
“I’d like to ask the way to the imperial capital. Which direction is the nearest city?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know much about the imperial capital, sir, as I’ve never traveled far. But I hear it’s to the west, and the nearest city is also westward—the road to the capital passes through it,” the attendant replied honestly.
Chen Xiang nodded, satisfied with the honest answer. “Thank you. Here, this is for you.” He conjured a silver ingot, worth about five taels, and handed it over.
He had cultivated a habit of rewarding anyone who helped him. He had plenty of silver from the storage pouches he’d collected, and to him, silver was even less useful than spirit stones. Last time, after saving that herb-gathering maiden, he’d secretly left a thousand taels at her home.
The attendant was overjoyed to receive the silver. He hadn’t expected such generosity. “Thank you, sir! If you need anything else, just let me know. I’ll do my best to assist you.”
Chen Xiang waved him off with a smile. “That’s all for now. You may go.”
Expressing his thanks again, the attendant tucked away the silver and went to serve other guests.
Most only spared him a glance for this gesture. The tension in the teahouse had reached its peak—any sudden movement would draw immediate attention.
After three more rounds of tea, Chen Xiang was rested and, seeing that the confrontation had yet to erupt, prepared to settle his bill and leave.
At that moment, the woman set down her teacup and spoke, her voice clear as heavenly music.
“So, the Li family sent only you lot to kill me?”
The atmosphere froze, so quiet one could hear a pin drop. The cultivators in the teahouse quietly tightened their grips on their weapons. The few ordinary folk present, sensing trouble, immediately rushed outside.
Soon, only cultivators remained, along with the quivering attendant and the trembling teahouse owner huddled in a corner.
Suddenly, a discordant voice broke through.
“Waiter, come settle my bill. Why are you shivering there? It’s not even cold today!” Chen Xiang called to the attendant.
All eyes in the teahouse snapped toward Chen Xiang, their gazes as sharp as blades.
The attendant, startled by Chen Xiang’s call, silently begged, Please, sir, don’t get me into trouble!
Unable to reply, he nudged the owner beside him with his elbow.
The owner, shivering, managed to stammer, “S-sir, there’s no need to pay for your tea. Please, just go!”
He knew trouble was about to erupt, so he urged Chen Xiang to leave quickly. This wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened; the teahouse was simply furnished for easy repair, and if not for the profitable location, he would have moved long ago.
“Young miss, the family head has ordered us to escort you back. Please don’t resist. He said if you do, we have permission to kill you if necessary,” an elderly cultivator among the group intoned gravely.
His cultivation had reached the peak of the tenth level of Core Formation, only a step away from the Nascent Soul stage. He had seven others with him, all at the Core Formation stage, five of whom were at the seventh level or above. The lowest among them was at the fifth level. This was a formidable lineup.
“How can that be? Am I supposed to dine and dash? Absolutely not. Just tell me how much I owe—will this silver ingot cover it?” Chen Xiang produced a ten-tael silver ingot and tossed it to the owner.
The Core Formation elder shot him an angry glare, but said nothing. The priority now was dealing with the young miss.
She was the Li family’s most gifted talent. Though she was only at the seventh level of Core Formation and they had numbers on their side, he dared not underestimate her.
The owner wanted to curse aloud—he’d never seen anyone like this! Can’t you see what’s happening? I’m telling you to leave without paying, and you still insist on giving me money. Are you out of your mind?
But he dared not say it directly, only urged, “It’s enough, it’s enough. Sir, please be on your way!”
“Wait, owner, you’re telling me this pot of tea is worth ten taels of silver?” Chen Xiang pressed.
“Ah? No, just five coins,” the owner stammered, quickly answering.
“Then why haven’t you given me my change?” Chen Xiang demanded. He didn’t care about the silver itself—he gave it when he wished, not to be taken advantage of.
“Enough, boy, shut your mouth!” the Core Formation elder finally bellowed.
The entire tense atmosphere had been disrupted by this fellow’s nonsense—once, twice, and now he still couldn’t read the room. How were they supposed to start the fight?
To be continued...