Li An, with two pots of tea, diligently read several books until the hour of Hai, when the tea house was about to close. Only then did he stretch lazily and leave, tossing a Spirit Stone on the table as a tip.
Since that day, every few days, he would go to the tea house to sit and read, spending the entire day there.
The reason Li An did this was mainly because, through repeated observation, he found that the Yun Dao Tea House was Song Mingzhang’s favorite place to be!
However, he did not rush to make contact but instead quietly read books and drank tea.
In the blink of an eye, six months had passed.
"Mr. Zuo, what kind of books are these that you’re reading every day, aren’t you tired?"
On this day, Li An arrived at the tea house again, and the waiter led him to his familiar corner and curiously asked.
Li An had long beco acquainted with the waiter in the store, knowing that although Li An was a Foundation Establishnt cultivator, he was easygoing and approachable, so the waiter dared to speak with him.
And in the city, Li An’s alias was "Zuo Wen."
"These, ah, are miscellaneous books,"
Li An smiled slightly, "Astronomy, geography, snakes, insects, birds, beasts, strange stories, legends, travelogues... I read everything."
The waiter was surprised, "I love reading these things, too, especially the strange stories! I didn’t expect you to love them as well..."
Li An said, "Of course, here, here, this book ’Travelogue of the North’ is for you. It writes about many strange events in the Great Li’s Northern Border, hahaha."
He handed a book to the waiter, who quickly said, "Mr. Zuo, I don’t dare to accept this..."
"Just take it, don’t refuse. It’s nothing precious, I bought it for ten Spirit Stones. Consider it a souvenir. If you feel it’s inappropriate, just return it to after reading."
The waiter hurriedly wiped his hands and respectfully accepted it from Li An.
"Thank you, Mr. Zuo, thank you, Mr. Zuo!"
"Mr. Zuo, please wait a mont, I’ll get your tea right away!"
The waiter then left.
Li An continued reading.
Over the past year, he had been balancing his cultivation with continuous reading.
Although reading was part of his effort to enter the Treasure Pavilion, the vast array of books he read indeed brought him much gain.
Even in his past life, he didn’t have the mindset to settle down and read seriously.
...
"Xiaochen, what did the guest give you?"
As Xiaochen walked to the back hall, a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar had already spoken.
This person was the tea house owner—Cai Chao.
The waiter hurriedly took out the book and handed it to Cai Chao.
Cai Chao opened it and saw the thin book was densely filled with notes.
"In the early years of the fifth Emperor of Great Li, a strange snake rose from Qinghe County, breathing fire that burned for dozens of miles, becoming a significant threat..."
This was the book’s content, and the notes alongside were:
"’Qinghe County Chronicles’ records that the county has nurous fire mines, ’Mineral Records’ ntions that fire mines can contain Fire Essence, so the strange snake must have hatched from a fire mine, thus inherently possessing Fire Dao abilities..."
This is just one of many.
Cai Chao couldn’t help but be surprised.
Many liked reading these miscellaneous books, but this guest was so knowledgeable and insightful, able to deduce such a detailed story from a simple record...
This Zuo Wen is indeed extraordinary.
"A Foundation Establishnt Stage cultivator, surprisingly interested in such things..."
Cai Chao was puzzled but imdiately returned the book to the waiter, "Learn more from this gentleman. Those immortal cultivation novels you usually read are useless."
"Serve ’Bihu Chun’ to this gentleman in a while."
"Got it!"
...
As Li An was leaving that day, he said to the waiter, "Brother Xiaochen, thanks to your master for the tea, I have a ssage for you to tell your master."
Xiaochen said, "Please speak, Mr. Zuo."
Li An tapped the table, "This Spirit Pattern Wood table, your master probably bought it mistakenly."
He smiled, "Farewell."
...
The next day.
When Li An arrived again, the owner Cai Chao personally served him tea.
"Fellow Daoist Zuo!"
Cai Chao was very courteous, "I am Cai Chao, the owner here. I wonder what is wrong with this Spirit Pattern Wood table?"
Li An said, "So you’re Fellow Daoist Cai!"
He hesitated a bit, "This table is actually not Spirit Pattern Wood, but Curved Wood."
Cai Chao was shocked. Spirit Pattern Wood is very precious, and just the tables and chairs in this tea house cost him over a thousand Spirit Stones!
He was aiming at a high-end route.
But Curved Wood is very cheap.
Was he fooled?
"The two kinds of wood are almost identical, the only difference is the degree of Spiritual Qi. To pass off Curved Wood as Spirit Pattern Wood, just nurture it in a Spirit Gathering Array for a while, infusing it with Spiritual Qi, then it can mimic the real thing."
"But Curved Wood loses Spiritual Qi rapidly, unlike Spirit Pattern Wood, which stays unchanged for fifty years. If I’m not mistaken, these tables and chairs of yours were purchased three years ago, right?..."
Li An explained with a smile.
Cai Chao suddenly understood: "Everything Fellow Daoist Zuo said was spot on... Thank you for enlightening , Brother Zuo!"
anwhile, a flash of anger crossed his eyes, daring to deceive him.
No wonder his tables and chairs looked a bit worn after just a few years!
"Brother Cai, please let no one know that it was Zuo Wen who told you... I just want to read in peace."
Li An chuckled.
"I understand!"
Cai Chao had top-grade Bihu Chun served to Li An before hurriedly leaving.
...
After that day, Li An didn’t visit the tea house for several days.
On the third day.
In front of Yun Dao Tea House, a luxurious carriage stopped, and an elderly man in a white robe slowly disembarked and entered the tea house.
"Master Song, you’re here, please co in!"
The waiter enthusiastically greeted him.
"Hmm? Why have you suddenly changed your tables and chairs?"
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