As he walked his hair pins swayed and bounced in sync with his movements and added to his grace. You Du sheltered him with the umbrella and smiled wryly. His existence was being ignored by Xu XiuLan and he was treated like air. It wasn't because he hated him, it was just that he didn't even bother to place You Du in his eyes.
For every step he took, a dozens of new sets of eyes befall onto him. He was like a walking charm where they couldn't take their eyes off of him. Their heads all turn subconsciously and stare at him as if he was a walking goddess.
Xu XiuLan could feel their piercing gaze and frowned. Why did he have to attract so much attention like this? It couldn't be helped, the original Xu XiuLan was the top worker at the establishment and his reputation had spread far and wide. Many would come outside in hopes of even seeing a glimpse of his slender and pale hands, while many who could afford would pay top dollar to be with him for an hour.
You Du frowned. He had wanted to bring more guards in case anyone wanted to stir up trouble, but he knew that Xu XiuLan would quickly refused it. He did not want to stand out more than he already am. You Du didn't have to ask where they were heading and help lead Xu XiuLan, they walked to a popular tea shop in the city.
This was where Xu XiuLan would go when he had information to send. It just happens that the original was a tea lover and the store had his favorite type of tea. He knew all about the processes for each type of tea and could accurately describe their taste.
He had trained himself diligently for the sake of one person. The reason why the original would know about such processes or even be interested was because of Tu HeJian. He had only done so, so that he could win the other's heart. It was sad to say that the original held himself back and all of his knowledge had gone to waste.
The tea shop was known for its unique tea flavors that could only be found in there. They were best known for their hybrid tea mix that was also their personal trademark. The journey of first starts with the plant itself. Based on elevation, humidity, and temperature, it will affect the taste of the tea leaves. So, they farmed and harvest their own tea leaves in a unknown and special location. Once the leaves have matured they hand pick the best leaves and leave them to dry out in a well sterile area that is monitored hourly for twelve to eighteen hours. After, they are hand rolled by the workers to removing the leaves juices.
Next comes the crucial part, oxidation. The leaves are left to a damp and cool environment. During this process it is carefully monitored and when the leaves have darkened to the right colour, they will be taken back to the final sorting. Only the best leaves are taken to the shop to be served to the customers.
Though all of this was common knowledge for the master tea makers, no one could match the taste of this hybrid tea from this shop. That was the reason why the shop was still able to be at the top of the market even with so many competitors around.
The moment they entered inside of the shop, they were warmly greeted by the store owner and led upstairs to a private room. You Du was used to this routine and waited outside the room for Xu XiuLan.
Xu XiuLan strolled in and sat down in a nonchalant manner. He remained still like a statue by the window as he waited. The confidant would be here soon.
The same pot of tea that the original liked drinking was brought up for him. He carefully grabbed onto the handle of the teapot and held his sleeve as he poured the freshly brewed hybrid tea into the cup. The hot steam and the subtle sweet and woody fragrance from the cup rose into the air. In the moment the tea was poured, a man wearing black garbs with a dark grey serpent marked on it appeared in the seat across Xu XiuLan.
His movements did not falter and shake whatsoever from the arrival of the visitor, he continued to pour the tea in a smooth motion. After setting the pot down, he took out the slip of paper and pushed it with his lithesome like fingers. Xu XiuLan then picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. The man in the black robe opened the note and his lips flattened. The man burned the slip of paper and he left as quickly as he came. Before he had disappeared, he left behind an order, "Master wants to meet you."
Xu XiuLan didn't expect for Tu HeJian to call for him, after all he did not do so in the storyline. He calmly finished the pot of tea and stood up. What Tu HeJian was up to, he would have to consult with Bao Bao once he had returned.
Outside the door, You Du was patiently waiting, and as soon as he saw Xu XiuLan his eyes brightened. Coming back to the establishment, they had only spent half a sichen¹ outside. He did not have to worry about accepting customers until shen hour² as it was only chen hour³, he had plenty of time. As for meeting up with Tu HeJian, he would have to await for a messenger to come and pick him up.
Xu XieLan struggled to get into his room as he felt drowsiness overcome his senses. He slowly took off his makeup and hair pin and flopped onto the bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he had already fallen asleep.
Bao Bao didn't come back until later that day. He was vexed to the extreme at his discovery. Many things weren't going as the plot had informed them of and had him scrambling all over the place. He had double and triple checked the information but couldn't find a bug in his system, he also couldn't contact the administrators unless they were outside of the world. He had his cheeks puffed out in indignation at the stupid plot that had deviated.
Who said that Wu QingJue was in love with Zuo NaLi? Who said that they went on adventures together? Who said that the man treated the other with care? Who said that Zuo NaLi had it all? The stupid plot had said it. Bao Bao would have to talk to his host about this 'plot' that they had read, as it could only at best now serve as a timeline for them. They couldn't trust the information that was within it anymore.
---
Within the palace a certain someone was smiling to themselves non-stop, it gave the other in the room an irritated feeling. He wanted to rip off that smirk off of that face. He raised his eyebrows, "We wants to know why that smile hadn't disappeared yet."
The person coughed and looked at the emperor. What did he do wrong? Did he missed something as he was thinking about what he saw? They cupped their hands, "My emperor, it is nothing but a miniscule event."
The emperor, "If it is not of importance, how could it have made you smile for the whole entire day? We can see that it has affected you deeply."
They sighed, "I found budding flower as I passed by the Zuo residence today."
The emperor glanced at them, "Their son?"
They shook their head and smiled mirthfully, "No, that is some common weed amongst the field of flowers that lies outside of my doors. There is only a single yellow lily that has caught my attention."
---
¹Sichen: A measurement of a period of time, 2 hours. You will see this in a lot of ancient and cultivation stories.
²Shen hour: 3-4 pm or 15:00-16:00.
³Chen hour: 7-8 am.
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Chasing You (Arcs 1-7)
Fantasy"Do you want to live?" "If so, sign a contact with me." The young man gazes up with a faint smile on his face, "Yes." The young man didn't care who it was that he'd struck a deal with. Even if it was the devil or a God, he would have agreed. Whatev...
