Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 53 True Fire Roasts Spirit Tea, Moonlight Infuses Tea's Charm

Tianquan Peak Bamboo Forest Valley

Rows of bamboo trays line the gentle slope, covered with plump tea buds that are silvery-white with hints of green, their sweet and delicate aroma wafting in the breeze.

At this moment, Lin Jingchu, wearing a brand-new light blue wide-sleeved outer garment with cloud patterns, strolled leisurely among them.

He picked up a bud needle and examined it closely. After a moment, he nodded in satisfaction and put all the dried bud needles into his storage bag.

The timing of Lin Jingchu's return to his clan was quite coincidental. Just as he had paid off his loan from the Jin Yu Hui and spent several days recuperating to fully recover from the damage to his internal organs, the first harvest of tea leaves was about to hit the market.

Having no shortage of spirit stones, he spent fifty of them to purchase a considerable amount of tender buds from top-grade spirit tea. After being sun-dried and wind-blown, they had completed their withering process, and now it was time to proceed to the next step.

After tidying up the area, Lin Jingchu arrived at a stone chamber in the cave. Five roasting baskets were neatly arranged along the wall, all of which were specially made low-level magical artifacts he had crafted from spirit bamboo.

Pour the buds out and spread them evenly inside the baking basket.

Lin Jingchu then sat cross-legged in front and gently exhaled a wisp of true fire towards the bottom of the cage.

Controlling a real fire to roast tea is extremely difficult. If the fire temperature is too high, it will scorch the tea buds; if the fire temperature is too low, it will not be able to lock in the aroma of the tea or evaporate excess moisture.

The most difficult part is that it requires precise control of the heat without a moment's slackening, which takes about ten hours.

This step could have been done with spirit charcoal, but Lin Jingchu intended to use it to hone his control over true fire, in preparation for refining weapons later.

Moreover, a portion of this batch of spirit tea is intended as a gift for Song Yu, so we must strive to ensure its superior quality.

In pursuit of perfection, he even calculated the time and completed the roasting process at night. Afterward, he spread the still-warm spiritual tea around himself.

While waiting for it to cool naturally, he circulated the "Moon Gazing Technique" to cultivate. The cool moonlight cascaded down like a waterfall, enveloping the spiritual tea.

He continued this work day and night for ten full days. Only when the rich aroma of tea filled the entire cave did Lin Jingchu complete all the tea-making processes.

Although most of the tea buds were destroyed due to improper control of the fire, the final fifteen cans of spiritual tea were no less effective than top-grade elixirs.

Lin Jingchu took five cans of spiritual tea with him, left the cave, and headed straight for White Phoenix Peak.

During his previous recovery period, with the mindset that "even a grasshopper's leg is meat," he personally delivered the Purple Frost Fruit and received a bottle of pills as a reward from the quest system.

Fortunately, this pill was meant to improve one's cultivation level, but unfortunately, it was only effective if the person was a virgin, leaving Lin Jingchu speechless for a while.

When Song Yu delivered the fruit that time, he also brought his junior sister Shen with him.

Therefore, Lin Jingchu stood in the bamboo pavilion and immediately recognized the little girl who was swaying on the green leaf magic weapon.

"Why is it you? Where is your Senior Sister Song? Also, I remember you were only allowed to act alone after reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining?"

Junior Sister Shen scratched her twin buns on her head, looking troubled: "Why do you ask more questions than I do?"

In an instant, she put her hands behind her back and said, "But since you asked, I will definitely answer. I certainly won't be like some people."

"Senior Sister Song asked me to come down and pick you up. As for why she didn't come, she's probably just lazy! Although my cultivation is still a step away from reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining, I've already persuaded Master to allow me to travel freely within the territory of White Phoenix Peak. Senior Sister's 'ban' is naturally null and void!"

Lin Jingchu couldn't help but chuckle at her precocious demeanor: "Alright then. I'll trouble Junior Sister Shen to lead the way. But don't ride your little leaf anymore, I'll take you on a flying boat."

He summoned the Azure Wing Boat, carrying Junior Sister Shen, and stepped into the territory of White Phoenix Peak for the first time.

The female disciples of Baifeng Peak passing by all looked surprised upon seeing this. It wasn't unusual for male disciples to come on business, but to be escorted by this Junior Sister Shen?

Everyone couldn't help but wonder whether it was the peak master who had summoned them, or their Uncle-Master Song Yu who had invited them.

Surrounded by many curious gazes, Lin Jingchu, who was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator and had even dealt with Du Dong, the young master of the Demonic Sect, was full of confidence and stood tall at the bow of the boat.

Guided by Junior Sister Shen, the Azure Wing Boat landed at the location of Song Yu's cave.

"Senior sister! I've brought the person up to you!" Before the flying boat had even come to a complete stop, Junior Sister Shen jumped off and happily ran into the cave.

After Lin Jingchu put away the flying boat, Junior Sister Shen rushed out again in a flurry, with the Snow Cloud Fox looking utterly hopeless on her head.

"I'm taking Xiaoyun to catch fish!" she explained.

Lin Jingchu smiled and stepped aside to let him pass, then strode into Song Yu's cave.

Previously, the outside was shrouded in mist and clouds. Now, stepping through the courtyard gate, one realizes that this place is a hidden paradise.

Song Yu's cave dwelling occupies a secluded little mountain valley. The front yard, with its scattered flowers and trees, already occupies more space than his cave dwelling.

In the center of the courtyard, there is an elegant tea room with light white gauze hanging on all four sides.

Song Yu sat quietly among them, holding a teacup in one hand and flipping through ancient books with the other, his mind completely absorbed in the books, forgetting himself entirely.

Her dark hair swayed freely in the morning mountain breeze, creating an indescribable sense of tranquility and serenity.

"What are you looking at so intently, Senior Sister?" Lin Jingchu sat down opposite her.

Upon hearing this, Song Yu snapped out of his reverie and said, "I was just thinking of finding some suitable secret techniques for killing."

The gentle and quiet woman uttered the word "killing" so casually, a stark contrast that surprised Lin Jingchu.

"What's wrong?" Song Yu noticed his expression.

"I'm just a little curious, why did you suddenly want to seek out this kind of magic, Senior Sister?"

"This trip made me realize what I lack: relying solely on external things like magical artifacts and talismans." In reality, after witnessing Lin Jingchu's serious injury, she did not want to see such a scene again.

Lin Jingchu asked doubtfully, "Senior Sister's main cultivation technique should be quite extraordinary, so doesn't she have any suitable offensive divine abilities?"

Song Yu shook his head with a slight troubled expression: "The supernatural powers I cultivate are all primarily auxiliary."

Lin Jingchu was also helpless in this matter, so he took out the five cans of spiritual tea and placed them on the table.

"I promised to make spiritual tea for my senior sister on the way, and I named it Moonlight Silver Needle. I've been in seclusion these past few days and roasted some with true fire, so I'm giving these few jars to my senior sister."

Song Yu hadn't expected him to go to such lengths. Touched, she said, "You've really gone to a lot of trouble, Junior Brother."

"It's part of my cultivation anyway, and besides, my senior sister even made this new outfit for me." Lin Jingchu smiled as she opened one of the jars. "This tea was refined by me with moonlight when it cooled. Even without aging, it has no astringent taste at all."

Curious, Song Yu took the opened jar of spiritual tea and brought it close to his nose to inhale its aroma. A delicate and refreshing fragrance wafted over him.

Her eyes brightened slightly as she quickly cleaned the tea set in front of her and brewed a fresh cup.

As the tea entered my throat, an indescribable sense of clarity and tranquility permeated my mind and spirit, as if my body and mind had fallen into a state of subtle yet profound peace. A question I had while reading the ancient texts earlier had suddenly gained new insight.

"Born with real fire and nurtured by moonlight. I will accept your kind gesture, Junior Brother."

[Task Completed: Expressing Affection Through Silver Needles]

[Task Reward: Alchemy Experience from Song Yu (Affection Level: Obsession)]

The personally crafted spiritual tea was well-received by the recipient, earning Lin Jingchu a system reward. This double joy further delighted him. It was a pity that Song Yu wasn't a spirit; otherwise, once the favorability rating was high enough, he could try loading a spirit.

Suppressing his distracting thoughts, Lin Jingchu sat calmly in the tea room, chatting with Song Yu about the principles of formations and the profound meaning of tea ceremony.

A gentle mountain breeze carries the fragrance of flowers and trees, and leisurely moments quietly slip by in this tranquil atmosphere.