Appreciating New Tea with an Inkstone - Chapter 4

Gu Xiyan continued to carefully clean the tea tree, her fingers gently moving up along the trunk. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain as a thorn on the tree pricked her index finger. It was just a small cut, so she paused for a moment but didn’t pay much attention to it.

However, being blind, she didn’t notice that when she withdrew her finger, a thin line of blood had wound around the tea tree. The scene looked eerily strange, but Gu Xiyan remained completely unaware. When she pressed her finger on the wound, the blood line broke and then disappeared entirely into the tree. Unaware of what had happened, she took out a handkerchief and wiped her finger. 

In the distance, Ah Qi had already brought people with buckets of water. Gu Xiyan lifted her skirt and rolled up her sleeves, then took a wooden ladle and a small shovel to dig small holes around the tea tree, carefully watering its roots.

After finishing, she thought for a moment and said, “Make sure to keep an eye on this tea tree. Don’t use too much fertilizer when feeding it.”

“Yes, my lady,” Ah Qi replied, knowing how much her mistress valued this particular tea tree.

***

In the following days, Gu Xiyan spent most of her time in the tea garden, focusing her attention on that one tea tree. Strangely enough, in just a few days, the tree had transformed. Its yellowing leaves not only stopped falling but also turned green again, making the entire tree look lush and vibrant.

Amazed by the change, Ah Qi couldn’t help but say, “My lady, the tea tree is growing so well now. The leaves are so green.”

Gu Xiyan smiled softly. “That’s good.”

Ah Qi then frowned slightly. “But there’s something strange. Ah Da and the others followed your instructions to fertilize it, but the next day, the fertilizer was all dug up and scattered everywhere. It was a mess.”

Gu Xiyan was puzzled. “Could wild dogs or something have gotten in?”

“I had Ah Da check, but there were no signs of wild dogs. And it’s only this tea tree that’s like this. It’s as if it doesn’t want anyone to fertilize it. Could it be that the tree has a spirit and doesn’t like the smelly fertilizer?” Ah Qi said, half-jokingly, before laughing at her own words.

Gu Xiyan also smiled faintly and said softly, “Perhaps. If it doesn’t like it, then we won’t fertilize it.”

Ah Qi chuckled, amused by her mistress’s serious tone. Gu Xiyan tilted her head slightly, as if she had heard the rustling of the tea tree’s leaves.

She then shook her head and walked leisurely to the nearby tea pavilion. 

The weather in March was mild and pleasant, with a fresh scent in the air.

Seeing Gu Xiyan sitting gracefully in the pavilion, Ah Qi immediately instructed the servants to bring the necessary items. However, Gu Xiyan spoke up, “Today, let’s keep it simple. Brew a pot of tea and bring my qin.”

In the past, she would often enjoy brewing tea in the pavilion after tending to the tea garden, especially on nice days. Today, hearing her request for the qin, Ah Qi felt a hint of joy.

Although Gu Xiyan had lost her sight at the age of seven, she excelled in playing the qin, chess, and calligraphy—skills that even those with perfect vision couldn’t match. To those around her, she was like a celestial being, not only talented but also kind-hearted and beautiful.

Ah Er quickly brought Gu Xiyan’s qin. Sitting on a cushion, Gu Xiyan straightened her back and gently removed the silk cloth covering the qin. Her fingers lightly touched the strings, producing a clear and melodious sound. It was a fine instrument.

She played the qin with a relaxed posture, not overly concerned with appearing graceful, yet her entire being exuded a serene calmness. Her slender, pale fingers danced over the strings, drawing out a beautiful and soothing melody.

Ah Qi listened quietly, her face showing a hint of admiration. Although she had no particular talent for the qin, having grown up with Gu Xiyan, she had developed a refined taste for music. She could tell that today, her mistress’ playing carried a subtle joy, unlike the usual calm and gentle tones.

“My lady, you seem to be in a good mood today. The music sounds a bit more cheerful.”

Gu Xiyan rarely showed much emotion, always maintaining a gentle and composed demeanor. Her blindness added an air of detachment to her character. She treated everyone and everything with the same gentle and polite attitude, often with a soft smile. However, this consistent kindness, without variation or distinction, created a deeper sense of distance.

Yet, no one ever felt uncomfortable around her because Gu Xiyan’s words and actions always conveyed goodwill. If anything, she seemed like an immortal who had accidentally fallen into the mortal world, giving the impression that she might ascend at any moment.

So, the slight hint of lightness and joy in her qin playing today, though subtle, surprised Ah Qi.

Gu Xiyan’s fingers paused for a moment before she continued playing. She smiled softly to herself. Was she happy? Perhaps. She felt a special connection to that tea tree, as if it were a treasure she had discovered. She couldn’t explain why, but she felt a deep bond with it.

***

Since Gu Xiyan couldn’t see, Ah Qi had become her eyes. Despite her cheerful and lively appearance, she was devoted to her mistress. She had studied alongside Gu Xiyan since childhood, learning to read and write so she could read books to her. Over time, Ah Qi had become the most well-read person in the Gu household, second only to Gu Xiyan herself. She was also sensible and responsible. Over the years, she had always prepared everything meticulously for Gu Xiyan.

One day, Gu Ye obtained an ancient book filled with obscure and difficult-to-understand tales of gods and demons. Gu Xiyan was captivated, but Ah Qi, feeling the drowsiness of spring, struggled to stay awake. After reading about the creation of the world by Pangu and the separation of the pure and turbid energies, leading to the formation of the heavens and the conflicts among the gods, she couldn’t help but yawn.

(T/N: In Chinese mythology, Pangu is a giant who created the world by separating the yin and yang from a cosmic egg. He used a giant axe to shape the land and create the sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers)

Gu Xiyan, always considerate of those around her, said gently, “Ah Qi, if you’re tired, go take a nap. I can ponder over what you just read.”

Ah Qi felt a bit embarrassed but, after being urged a few times, she read one more passage before going to rest. Gu Xiyan sat alone in the tea pavilion, reflecting on the mythical stories she had just heard. The book’s language was archaic and different from modern writing, which explained Ah Qi’s drowsiness. However, Gu Xiyan had no trouble understanding it, as if it felt familiar to her.

Lost in thought, she felt her eyelids grow heavy. The warm spring breeze was indeed soporific, and before she knew it, she had dozed off, her head resting on her hand.

A moment later, a gentle breeze swept through the tea garden, rustling the dry leaves on the ground. But as it reached the pavilion, it suddenly stilled.

Rustle, rustle.

The leaves of the tea tree Gu Xiyan cherished swayed slightly, making a faint sound. Then the rustling stopped, replaced by the soft crunch of footsteps on dry twigs and soil. A figure clad in red emerged from the tea trees and stood before Gu Xiyan.

However, the red was not from clothing but rather a swirling aura of crimson energy that enveloped the figure. Even her delicate and pure features were overshadowed by an air of malevolence and dark charm.

Perhaps due to the overwhelming and terrifying aura, Gu Xiyan frowned slightly in her sleep, her lips tightening.

The woman let out a faint, cold snort through her nose, her eyes flickering with a hint of killing intent. But then she furrowed her brow and took a few steps back. Seeing Gu Xiyan’s expression relax as she slept peacefully, the red light in the woman’s eyes flickered.

Ye Qinming felt a sense of confusion as she looked at the white-clad Gu Xiyan. She didn’t know this woman, who had technically saved her life. Yet, the moment she regained consciousness and saw her, an overwhelming sense of resentment and pain had surged within her, almost driving her to kill Gu Xiyan on the spot.

Looking around, she realized she was now in the Mortal Realm. Humans, the most pitiful and insignificant beings in the Three Realms, lived more comfortably than the immortals and demons. Unfortunately, the spiritual energy here was too thin, which was why, after breaking through the barrier, her injuries had failed to heal. She had no choice but to seek refuge in a tea garden, where the energy was closest to her own essence, only to be disturbed by the foolish humans fertilizing the trees.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but glance at Gu Xiyan again. It was this mortal who had instructed her servants to fertilize the tree. If it weren’t for the fact that she had good intentions and had recently decided to stop fertilizing, Ye Qinming would have turned her into fertilizer.

Suppressing her violent thoughts, she approached Gu Xiyan and muttered to herself, “This woman is quite beautiful. To think such grace and beauty exist in the Mortal Realm. What a pity she’s blind.” After muttering, she frowned, annoyed at herself for complimenting a mortal. She turned and walked out of the pavilion, glancing back at Gu Xiyan. “What a waste. Such a pure spiritual body, yet born in the human world.”

When she had narrowly escaped the pursuit of the Heavenly Realm and broken through the Immortal Realm into the Mortal Realm, her already damaged spirit, weakened from a thousand years of imprisonment, had collapsed in this tea garden, reverting to her original form. She had thought it would take years to recover in this place with such sparse spiritual energy, but unexpectedly, this woman’s blood had awakened her, allowing her to take human form once more.

As her spiritual power recovered, her senses sharpened, and she began to detect that this blind woman was born with a pure spiritual body—likely a celestial being undergoing a mortal trial. However, her spiritual energy seemed to be forcibly suppressed, and only recently had it begun to loosen, allowing Ye Qinming to sense it.

The Heavenly Realm must have already learned of her escape, and Taiyi would surely not let her go. If she couldn’t recover her strength, she would be left defenseless. If just a drop of this woman’s blood had such a powerful effect, imagine what consuming her essence and flesh could do.

Ye Qinming licked her lips. Being chosen by the Demon Emperor to be refined into a spiritual elixir was a great fortune for this insignificant mortal. It was just her bad luck to be connected to the Heavenly Realm. Even if she had unintentionally saved her, Ye Qinming wouldn’t let her go.

“You celestial beings from the Heavenly Realm always claim to be benevolent and compassionate, don’t you? Although you’re not one yet, I’m sure you’d be more than willing to save someone to the very end,” Ye Qinming said with a cold smile, her eyes glowing red with killing intent. Even as she smiled, her aura was terrifying.

The curtains hanging in the pavilion fluttered without any wind, twisting and turning endlessly. Outside the pavilion, the red-clad demoness stared at the peacefully sleeping woman in white, creating an eerie and unsettling scene. Yet, the servants working below seemed completely unaware of what was happening. It wasn’t until Gu Xiyan stirred slightly that everything suddenly vanished.

When Gu Xiyan woke up, she felt a sense of unease. In her dream, she had felt uncomfortable—not from sleeping too long, but from a deep sense of anxiety and suffocation. She frowned, tilted her head to listen, and then reached out to feel the air. There was no wind. If there was no wind, why had the curtains been billowing so high just moments ago, only to slowly settle back down?

She stood up and remained at the steps of the pavilion for a long time. The wind today wasn’t strong, and at this moment, there was none at all.

After a while, when nothing unusual happened, she shook her head. Being blind made her prone to overthinking. Perhaps it had just been a gust of wind.