Chapter 968: Money-Squandering Establishment
Zu An was completely stunned. Pei You asked exactly what he had been wondering. “What’s fun to do in the outskirts? The city is more lively, right?” The northern girls’ beautiful legs were clearly still on his mind.
Gao Ying explained, “There’s nothing special in the city. The truly good stuff is actually outside. Don’t worry, your big bro here wouldn’t lie to you.”
Pei You knew that Gao Ying had always been a rather prudent guy, and that he never spoke carelessly. That was why he didn’t think too much about it.
Zu An frowned and said, “I want to make a trip around the black market first, so I won’t be going with you guys to that kind of place.”
He didn’t have much interest in brothels. After all, the ladies at his side were all the most stunning women in this world. How could brothel girls compare to them? This world didn’t even use condoms or other forms of protection. What if he ended up getting infected by something?
Wait, with the Primordial Origin Sutra’s purification abilities, I don’t think I have to be worried about any sickness though.
Pah pah pah, what the hell am I thinking about? My goal today is to see if I can find any materials for Daji’s breakthrough!
Gao Ying said with a smile, “If brother Zu wishes to go to the black market, that’s even more reason for you to follow us. Not only does that place have gorgeous girls, they also have a casino there, as well as the largest black market within a thousand miles. It’s a well known money-squandering establishment.”
Zu An immediately understood. This was a super entertainment complex! He hadn’t expected the people of this world to be so good at having fun too. Since it was where the biggest black market was, there was obviously no reason for him to refuse anymore.
…
The group arrived at a small town by the city outskirts. The town didn’t have many people, and as the cold breeze swept through the scattered leaves on the ground, it made the place seem rather bleak. It was just like the small remote towns Zu An had seen before in his previous world.
“That huge establishment you were talking about is in this kind of place?” Pei You had a doubtful expression when he saw the scene.
Gao Ying didn’t bother explaining anything as he walked over to a worn out tea hut. There were practically no guests inside, and there were only a few tables. The boss was lying in a chair with his legs casually propped up on the table.
There were a few cups of tea left behind by previous guests on the table. The teacups were the crudest of clay bowls, with many bumps and nicks on them. The leftover tea inside was somewhat yellow and turbid, clearly the lowest grade of tea. Furthermore, there was even a fly swimming inside one of the cups!
“Absolutely ridiculous!” Pei You tugged on Gao Ying’s sleeves. “There’s no way you’re planning to drink tea here, right?” He came from a distinguished clan and had enjoyed a life of extravagance ever since he was little. Ordinary tea wouldn’t even catch his eye, let alone this kind of tea.
Gao Ying chuckled and didn’t reply. He chose a table to sit down at, then called out to the resting shop owner, “Boss, you have some guests.”
Pei You’s eyes widened. He quickly whispered to Zu An, “Brother Zu, why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me you want to drink tea in this kind of place too?” Didn’t we agree on checking out the northern babes?!
Zu An chuckled and said, “Calm down. Brother Gao has always been reliable, so I believe he isn’t trying to fool us.” Then, he sat down as well.
Pei You gave the mysterious stains on the chairs a look. They were so shiny they almost looked like some kind of sauce… In the end, he didn’t sit down.
Gao Ying smiled toward him and said, “Look at how calm brother Zu is. You should change that temperament of yours.”
Pei You scowled. When he saw that the boss of the shop still hadn’t budged an inch, he erupted into anger. “Shop owner, we already called out to you several times, so why aren’t you moving? Who does business like this?”
The shop boss finally removed the cloth that was covering his eyes and blocking the sunlight. He replied, “What are you being so noisy for? Are you in that much of a rush to reincarnate?”
Zu An noticed that he looked just like an ordinary commoner, and he couldn't sense any cultivation fluctuations from the man. Don’t tell me I was wrong? But why would an ordinary civilian do this kind of business?
Pei You’s expression turned cold. “What did you say?!” When had he ever been angered so badly before? He was just about to teach the other party a lesson when Gao Ying stopped him.
“Boss, we aren’t in a rush to reincarnate, but rather in a rush to drink some of your tea,” Gao Ying said.
That shop owner’s expression eased a bit when he heard that. He asked, “Then where did you all come from? We’re pretty well known for our tea, and people visit from all sorts of different places.”
Pei You sneered. He was just about to mock the tea for being shoddy when he suddenly realized something. Gao Ying was usually steadfast and didn’t like making too many jokes. That meant he was only saying those words because he had to.
Furthermore, they were all dressed in fine clothing, and they were cultivators as well. They naturally gave off a certain level of pressure, and yet the peasant-like man wasn’t scared of them at all. The situation was definitely not normal. He calmed down when he realized that. He decided to watch the situation from one side.
He noticed Zu An’s leisurely expression out of the corner of his eye. He immediately felt ashamed. Brother Zu is a giant among men after all; I really can’t compare to him in this aspect.
Gao Ying then replied, “May I dare ask the boss what kinds of tea you have here?”
The boss stuck out his chest and said proudly, “We have every kind you would want. It just depends on what our guests would like to purchase.”
Gao Ying replied with a smile, “I would like some After Snow Sparrowtongue Tea.”
The shop owner replied, “Customer, I’m afraid that I must tell you that you’re an amateur. Before Rain Sparrowtongue Tea is top quality stuff, and After Rain comes second. There’s no such thing as After Snow. Where would you find tea after snow?”
Gao Ying didn’t get upset and continued, “Then I want some Volcanic Blue Gown Tea, and it must be from the mother tree next to the volcanic lava stream.”
The shop boss shook his head and replied, “This customer must be joking. The best Blue Gown Tea comes from the mother tree on Heaven’s Core Cliff. As for volcanoes and lava, I’ve never heard of it before.”
Gao Ying then said, “Then I want some Biluochun Green Tea, and it must be one that has gone through a hundred and eight thousand turns.”
Sparrowtongue, Blue Gown, and Biluochun were all the most well-known teas of this world. Among them, Biluochun Green Tea was the one that required the most work to create. While being stirred in a pot, it needed to be kneaded while it was being roasted. All of the leaves would be kneaded into a small lump, then scattered again. After the process was repeated many times, it would be rolled into long hair-like strands.
A single jin of those tea leaves needed ten thousand tender shoots, so the grade of the tea depended on the number of turns. The higher the number, the higher the grade.
That shop owner’s expression darkened when he heard that. “The best Biluochun Green Tea of this world has only experienced sixty-four thousand turns; where would you find one that has undergone a hundred and eight thousand turns? Did you come here to make fun of me?”
Pei You became nervous when he saw the shop owner become angry, ready to offer his help at any time. Meanwhile, Zu An was still calm. He silently memorized the conversation. This really was an entirely new experience! Even though he had crammed to learn quite a bit of this world’s knowledge, it had mainly been focused on matters of cultivation, history, and geography. In such normal lifestyle matters, he couldn’t compare to these young masters at all.
Gao Ying’s tone also changed. He replied, “You said you would have anything we wanted. I stated a few kinds, and yet you didn’t have a single one of them?”
The shop owner sneered. “You’re clearly just a pretentious snob. My store doesn’t welcome you. That Purple Tea Pavilion over there is more suited to people like you. Get out of here, go, go.” He chased the three of them out of his tea shop.
Pei You was shocked. “Brother Gao, this is the result after all of that?”
Zu An said, “I believe brother Gao has already told them all of the keywords.”
Gao Ying said with a smile, “Brother Zu has incredible foresight after all! Indeed, that tea shop is nothing more than a cover. Even though he appeared angry, he knew that we had already said what we needed to say and pointed us to the next place.”
Pei You sighed in amazement. “No wonder that tea house didn’t seem like it had any business. So it was just there to chase away unwanted customers to avoid trouble.”
The three of them arrived at the Purple Tea Pavilion the other party had spoken of while chatting. The place looked much nicer, and its owner was dressed like a local moneybags. He immediately greeted them enthusiastically when he saw their arrival. “What do these guests wish to order?”
Pei You clicked his tongue. This person’s enthusiasm was like night and day compared to the last person.
Gao Ying replied, “I want Sparrowtongue.”
The shopkeeper said with a smile, “We have all kinds of seasons of Sparrowtongue. We even have After Snow Sparrowtongue.”
Gao Ying continued, “I also want Blue Gown.”
“No problem. I’ll prepare some from the volcanic mother tree,” the shopkeeper replied.
Gao Ying continued, “Biluochun as well.”
“Absolutely. We even have some hundred and eight thousand turns Biluochun.” The shopkeeper’s eyes were about to become slits from how widely he was smiling.
“The goods?” Gao Ying reached out his hand.
The shopkeeper revealed an apologetic smile and said, “I apologize, my esteemed guests, but the goods are too precious. I must trouble sirs to come with us to the warehouse.” He took out some vouchers while talking. “Please visit the corner of the street and present this voucher. There will be people who will bring you to the warehouse to pick up the goods.”
Gao Ying nodded. He took the vouchers and walked toward the end of the street. Zu An was surprised and asked, “Is there a need to be that careful? It almost feels like some secret service base.”
Gao Ying explained, “This kind of place isn’t allowed by the court, so they have no choice but to be more careful.”
Zu An nodded. He became more and more curious about the place. Perhaps he might really be able to get something he needed here.