Stranger Danger

“Qingyou?!”

Ye Qing was too stunned to speak for a moment. Then, joy burst out of his heart like a broken dam.

He kicked off the ground and dashed toward the pavilion immediately.

Gong Wuwei blanched when she saw this and tried to stop him, but Feng Qingyou’s voice rang in her ears before she could move. “It’s okay. Focus on handling the situation in front of you.”

“As you command, miss!”

Gong Wuwei stopped in her tracks and saluted in the direction of the pavilion.

At the same time, Mountain Tunneling King and Mrs. Basket also heard Ye Qing saying, “Stay where you are and don’t do anything unless I give you a signal.”

The two Truemen were confused as a matter of course, but they obeyed their order and merely watched the surrounding warriors warily.

Feng Xiong, Cheng Xiuyi and the others were scared shitless by the sheer power Ye Qing had displayed. Although Ye Qing had suddenly left the place for some unknown reason, they didn’t dare to attack his subordinates. They simply surrounded the duo and waited for a signal or something.

In contrast to the Celestial Cave, the pavilion—the Celestial Pavilion was its name—was quiet and peaceful. Ye Qing was standing in front of the entrance with a look of uncharacteristic hesitation on his face. Several times he lifted his hand to push the door open and step inside, but each time, he would retract his arm as if afraid of something.

He was afraid. He was afraid that the voice he heard earlier was just an illusion. He was afraid that he wouldn’t find anyone when he opened the door and stepped inside.

It was at this moment Feng Qiuyou’s bright, clear voice came from within. “What are you waiting for? This isn’t like you!”

“Phew…”

Ye Qing’s nervousness abruptly disappeared into nothing and was replaced by abject relief. “Oh yeah? What kind of person am I in your impression?”

“The Joyless I know possess both courage and intelligence. He was a man who singlehandedly foiled a Stranger plot and saved a county; thwarted the Way of Taiping’s conspiracy and rescued tens of thousands from certain doom; set himself out as bait to go to war against the warriors who dared to use the common people as hostages; venture alone into the Demon's Tomb and obtain its opportunity; and destroyed the Mara Buddha and his conspiracy via a cunning trap.”

Feng Qingyou’s voice flowed like a soothing gust of wind or a well of clear spring. He could almost hear her smile as she continued, “Besides courage and intelligence, the Joyless I know is also full of audacity. He had challenged the unchallengeable Mister Nine in a feat of rage, and bled Tian Yong terribly for daring to ensnare him in a death trap.”

“Yes, that is how I would describe you: courageous, intelligent, and audacious.”

“I see! So that’s how I am in your heart!” Ye Qing smiled and finally stepped inside the pavilion. “I’ll happily accept the compliment regarding my courage and intelligence, but not the audacity.”

Feng Qingyou was seated on the floor. She was wearing a plain green robe, and her hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall. She looked like a green lotus in a spring: simple, elegant, and magnificent.

Right now, Feng Qingyou was brewing tea. White, formless steam rose where clear water poured into a jade cup, and the scent of tea tickled at his nostrils. It was both picturesque and tranquil.

For a while, Ye Qing couldn’t say anything. He did not want to break the beautiful illusion for as long as possible.

Feng Qingyou brewed five pots of tea and filled five cups in total. By the time she was done, the entire room was filled with the soothing scent of tea.

“Long time no see, Joyless!”

Feng Qingyou looked up and smiled at him when she was finally done with her task.

“Long time no see, Qingyou.”

He had a stomach full of words to say to her, but when it was actually time to speak, five words were all he mustered.

It was enough. She was safe, and he was sound. It was enough.

“Take a seat and try out my Five Flavors, will you?” Feng Qingyou said gently.

“Five Flavors? Is that the name of the tea? Is there any etiquette I need to follow?” Ye Qing sat down without a care. It had been more than half a year since they parted, and yet there was no sense of incongruity or or estrangement between them whatsoever.

“Just taste it!” Feng Qingyou gestured.

Ye Qing picked up the cup of tea she was pointing at and took a sip. An unbelievable amount of sourness immediately spread out from the tip of his tongue all the way down to his stomach, and finally his heart.

“It’s sour! Too sour!”

Ye Qing scrunched up his face with distaste while shooting Feng Qingyou a look of puzzlement.

Feng Qingyou simply handed him another cup. “Now, you should try this one.”

It would be an understatement to say that Ye Qing was wary after the not-so-pleasant-surprise he got, so he sipped the second cup of tea a lot more carefully than the first.

“Oh my heavens! It’s so sweet!”

This time, honey-like sweetness spread throughout his mouth. Just like before, its flavor was extremely rich.

“Qingyou, are you sure this is tea? Not vinegar or liquid sugar?”

“Onto the third cup…”

Feng Qingyou simply wore a mysterious smile on his face and handed him the third cup.

“This isn’t going to be bitter, isn’t it?” Ye Qing asked suspiciously and took a sniff. It smelled surprisingly fragrant and refreshing, and unless his eyes were playing tricks on him, it certainly looked like tea. So, he took a sip just like before.

The tea tasted clear and distinct when it initially entered his mouth. Then, an unbelievable bitterness caught his taste buds in a stranglehold and spread all the way to his heart.

“Cough! Cough!”

Ye Qing hurriedly put down the cup of tea and reached out for the sickly sweet one earlier. He was hoping that it would counteract the bitterness that was positively choking his body and soul right now.

Unfortunately, Feng Qingyou stopped him before he could do so and said gently yet firmly, “Continue.”

“Qingyou, this can’t be how you treat an old friend you haven’t seen for some time…” Ye Qing whined as Feng Qingyou handed him the fourth cup of tea.

The woman did not say anything. She simply looked at him with patient, gentle eyes.

Knowing there was no turning her down, Ye Qing accepted his fate and took a sip from the fourth cup. This time, unbelievable spiciness erupted across his taste buds and made him feel like his mouth was on fire. Not only that, it kept spreading until every one of his internal organs were burning as well.

“Welp, the last cup of tea has to be salty.”

This time, he didn’t wait for Feng Qingyou to rush him. He picked up the fifth cup himself and drank it all without any hesitation.

He couldn’t turn her down anyway. At best, he would have bought himself a couple seconds of helplessness. In that case, he might as well end his torment sooner.

His prediction was absolutely correct. It felt like he was drinking liquid salt instead of tea. He would believe it if Feng Qingyou told him that the entire pot of tea was really just salt with a bit of water in it.

It was at this moment the previous four flavors—sourness, sweetness, bitterness and spiciness—flooded back into his mouth in a rush, and he had to stop talking altogether. There were no words that could describe the indescribable flavor he was experiencing right now; the different sensations that kept mingling and shifting flavors inside his mouth.

Then, Ye Qing felt it. Slowly but surely, the five flavors blended into one harmonious taste that no word he ever knew could properly describe. If he had to say something, he would say that it was unimaginably mellow, pure, and refreshing. He felt like he was drinking the so-called divine ambrosia or floating in the clouds. Before he knew it, he was thoroughly at peace and relaxed in both body and soul.

“Amazing!”

It would take a while before Ye Qing finally recovered his senses. The flavors were fading, but the aftertaste still reminded him of the euphoria it once was. It wasn’t just a miracle of flavor either. Ye Qing felt completely rejuvenated and at peace. He didn’t know when it happened, but the true qi and spiritual power he used up in the fight against Gong Wuwei had been fully restored. The internal damage he inevitably suffered for forcing himself to use “Break Hammer”, an overwhelmingly powerful technique that he just barely grasped a few days ago, had completely vanished as well.

It was incredible.

“What on earth is this tea, Qingyou?”

It was only now Feng Qingyou finally gave him a proper explanation, “The name of this tea is Five Flavors, and it is inspired by the five flavors of life: sourness, sweetness, bitterness, spiciness, and saltiness. It is brewed using sour date, sweet flower, bitter berry, pepper fruit and salty grass and a special brewing method.”

“If drank individually, you will experience the pinnacle of sourness, sweetness, bitterness, spiciness and saltiness. It is also highly toxic. But if they are drank in succession, then the five flavors will combine into a harmonious flavor that is very much like the ever-changing journey of life. The reward for having experienced all flavors of life to its fullest is peace and tranquility, so that is what you experience at the very end.”

“On a more secular note, Five Flavors can also repair one’s mind, restore one’s qi, and heal one’s injuries.”

“Five Flavors, a tea that reflects the five flavors of life, huh? Simply incredible.”

Ye Qing paid the tea a heartfelt compliment before recalling something. “Now that I think about it, you don’t seem surprised by my survival at all. I’m supposed to be dead, you know?”

“Because I believe you. I never once believed that you're the type of person to pass easily.” Feng Qingyou put away her tea set as she explained, “But of course, belief and reality are separate things. They are the ones who really convinced me that you aren’t dead.”

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