There was one thing that Ji Yuan felt he had done quite well. Although the world in his sleeves was only 99% fantasy to him now, at least the remaining one was very delicate. Just like when he took away all the sundries at this moment, even the ink on the inkstone did not stain his sleeves at all. In the eyes of outsiders, there was really no worldly air about him.
After all, although Ji Yuan's current state of mind is very different from that of his previous life, it is better if the magic is pleasing to the eye if it is harmless and he has a choice.
After taking away the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone from the table, the sound of boiling water happened to be heard from the kitchen. In the quiet Ju'an small courtyard, the sound was particularly loud not only to Ji Yuan's ears, but also to the ears of the old beggar and the young beggar.
"Well, the water is boiling."
Ji Yuan walked towards the kitchen. The water in the pot was boiling. The firewood he had added to the stove earlier was just enough to last until this time.
He picked up the teapot on the small table next to the stove, opened the wooden box next to it, put some tea leaves in it, then opened the lid of the pot and used a wooden ladle to scoop the boiling water into the pot.
Waves of hot air filled the kitchen. After a while, Ji Yuan came out with a tea tray with four teacups and a teapot on it, as well as a small ceramic pot with a slender porcelain spoon on the side.
When it comes to such trivial matters in life, Ji Yuan prefers to do it himself. This way, it is more lively and has a sense of life. It is also like a sense of ritual in life, or to some extent, it can remind himself that he is essentially the same as the people who work from sunrise to sunset.
"Mr. Ji likes to boil water and make tea by himself?"
The old beggar actually admired Ji Yuan's behavior. It couldn't even be considered as playing with the world, but more like an attitude. It was a good opportunity to divert from the embarrassing incident of the young beggar eavesdropping on the Dharma.
Hearing the old beggar change the subject, Ji Yuan was happy and replied with a smile.
"Ji thinks that if the conditions are met, tea made by boiling water over a firewood stove will taste better."
"Grandpa Lu, is that so?"
The young beggar asked the old beggar naively, and the latter replied in a low voice.
"You believe his nonsense!"
Originally, the old beggar wanted to tell people not to believe Ji Yuan’s nonsense, but it’s better to avoid some words.
After putting the tea set on the stone table, Ji Yuan extended his hand again to invite him.
"Please take a seat, both of you."
When the old beggar saw that Ji Yuan was really not angry with Xiao You at all, the playful expression returned to his face and he pulled the little beggar to sit down at the stone table.
"Tsk tsk tsk... Not many people in the world have the blessing of drinking tea brewed by Mr. Ji himself. This old beggar must taste it carefully."
"It's not some magical tea."
Ji Yuan glanced at him and replied, then skillfully turned the teacup over and placed it on the table, picked up the teapot and poured a cup for himself and the two beggars, Lao Xiao. Then, without covering the teacup immediately, he opened the small ceramic pot on the tea tray and gently scooped a spoonful of the contents with a porcelain spoon.
The porcelain spoon pulled out a crystal silk thread, and the hand holding the spoon gently broke the thin thread, which moved to the air above Xiaoyou's teacup with a faint sweet smell. Then the porcelain spoon turned over, and a few drops of crystal clear honey fell into the teacup.
The water temperature was just right at this time. Ji Yuan covered the teacup with the lid and handed it to the little beggar.
"Just shake it gently before drinking, it tastes great."
Then Ji Yuan did the same thing again and added a small spoonful of honey to each of himself and the old beggar.
During this process, the two beggars kept sniffing the scent. Although Mr. Ji said that it was not a magical tea, once honey was added, it immediately turned from ordinary to magical. It felt like a special aroma was brewing in the teacup.
The two beggars couldn't help themselves, so they picked up the teacup and shook it, then opened the lid, blew twice and took a shallow sip.
"So fragrant, so sweet! So delicious!"
“Tsk tsk tsk… Not bad, not bad, Mr. Ji will enjoy it!”
The reactions of the young beggar and the old beggar were not unexpected. The former took another sip and stared at the small ceramic jar on the tea tray with great curiosity. He knew that this thing must have a greater effect than tea.
"Mr. Ji, what's in this jar? It's crystal clear, but it doesn't look like maltose water."
"Silly child, this is called honey, and ordinary people can't afford it. And Mr. Ji's honey..."
The old beggar looked up at the busy bees among the jujube tree flowers.
"Even the emperor may not be able to taste it. No, he definitely can't taste it."
This honey tea is indeed worthy of the old beggar's praise, but Ji Yuan didn't want to listen to the old beggar's rambling. The previous few times he took the initiative to find the old beggar, the other party kept talking and didn't get to the point, but now that he came to his house to find him, he couldn't just keep talking nonsense, unless he was eager to repay the favor.
It's rare to meet a true Taoist master who should be better than Lao Long in terms of Taoist principles. Ji Yuan also wants to have a good chat with him.
"Since Mr. Lu has been to Yuhuai Mountain, he must be aware of what we are preparing for, right?"
"Um!"
The old beggar also calmed down for a rare moment and put down the teacup in his hand.
"Although Monk Yu Huai was somewhat secretive towards the old beggar, he was more or less open with me because of my humble cultivation and my relationship with you, Mr. Ji."
"Mr. Ji, I, an old beggar, would like to ask you, you and the Dragon King of Tongtian River seem to be not optimistic about the situation in Yunzhou, but I know a little about the abilities of those long-bearded old men in Tianji Pavilion. They are definitely not people who have gained fame for nothing. The hexagram a few years ago did not show this."
Ji Yuan stared at the old beggar with his pale eyes.
"Mr. Lu seems to have a close relationship with the Tianji Pavilion. He has not spread rumors and even seems to know the specific hexagrams. Don't tell me, I heard all this from Yu Huaishan."
"No, no, I dare not. I, an old beggar, dare to deceive those who have damaged their brains through cultivation in Yu Huaishan, but I dare not act fancy in front of Mr. Ji."
Fortunately, no one in Yu Huaishan heard this kind of talk, which was similar to "picking on the weak", otherwise even the most charismatic cultivator would be so angry that he would vomit blood.
"The gathering of demons at the Land and Water Dharma Assembly can be said to be caused by rumors. Moreover, Monk Huitong has been gone for more than half a year. Almost every day, there are real people holding jade to divine on Yuhuai Mountain. With the help of the foundation of Yuzhu Peak to sense the Taixu Jade Talisman and Monk Huitong's situation, there is nothing wrong."
If nothing special happens, the method on Yuhuai Mountain is actually more intuitive than Ji Yuan's perception of the half-illusory and half-nonexistent chess piece, so Ji Yuan also agrees with the old beggar's words.
The latter paused before he finished speaking, as if he was considering how to say the next sentence. After thinking for a long time, he still felt that he had no suitable words, so he just said it directly.
"If Mr. Ji and Lord Long are both right, and the Tianji Pavilion is also right, then doesn't that mean that Yunzhou is declining and Dazhen is the only one that is flourishing? This is too inconsistent with the balance of yin and yang..."
Ji Yuan drank tea and listened carefully to the old beggar's words. In fact, he was also using his words to re-analyze and coordinate something in his mind. When the old beggar finished speaking a bunch of words full of curiosity, he felt a special throbbing in his heart.
After putting down the teacup, Ji Yuan frowned at first, then relaxed, and then looked intently at the old beggar.
"It's not necessarily unbalanced. Mr. Lu may have been in the world for a long time, and he may have seen many dynasties rise and fall. Even if he hasn't studied the principles of human and dynastic changes in detail, he must have seen many breakups and reunions."
As soon as Ji Yuan said this, the old man's expression became serious.
"In Mr. Ji's opinion, coming to Dazhen is such a unique fortune?"
"Blessed by heaven? If heaven had feelings, it would also grow old. The righteous path of the world is full of vicissitudes. Mr. Lu thinks highly of me. At most, I just have some expectations."
Even though Ji Yuan said it so tactfully, it was enough to frighten the old beggar.
The little beggar at the side didn't understand a word of the following words. He felt that they were more profound and more troublesome than the some of the spiritual principles that Grandpa Lu had recently taught him.
After talking about these things that gave the little beggar a headache, the old beggar and Ji Yuan talked about a lot of other things. Some of them seemed to be about spiritual practice, while some were completely ordinary and trivial things. However, when the little beggar thought about them carefully, they seemed to be more than just trivial.
Of course, at the end of each topic, the old beggar would touch upon the topic in a roundabout way, and the gist of his words would be "Can you give me the definite answer to the favor I owe you?", but he said it in a vague way.
Anyway, in the end the little beggar had no idea what the two adults talked about, as they talked about this and that. He only knew that Grandpa Lu ultimately failed to get any definite information from Mr. Ji about how to repay the favor.
The time passed from early morning to noon, and the two beggars ate a table of dishes prepared by Ji Yuan himself. Ji Yuan's cooking skills were actually not that good, so most of the dishes were either steamed or boiled, but with his unique seasonings and dipping sauces that he put together well, the two beggars actually wanted to scrape the plates after eating so much.
It was not until the afternoon that the old beggar finally said goodbye to the little beggar. If they stayed any longer, they would have to stay in Ju'an Pavilion. The old beggar would never be vague elsewhere, but he felt uncomfortable staying with Ji Yuan.
Half an hour later, on an official road outside Ning'an County, two ragged beggars were walking on the side of the road. The old beggar had been silent, and the young beggar finally couldn't hold it in after holding it in for so long.
"Grandpa Lu, are we still going to leave Dazhen?"
"Hey... I can't leave. It's not easy to leave!"
The young beggar frowned, but he didn't care. However, seeing the old beggar's awkward look, he said another sentence.
"Grandpa Lu, please stop beating around the bush with Mr. Ji. Just speak directly. Mr. Ji can't understand what you want to say."
Hearing this, the old beggar showed rare excitement.
"He doesn't understand? He's just playing dumb with me! He's better at making conversation than I am. Besides, I'm already very straightforward as an old beggar. If I speak more plainly, wouldn't it be like I'm begging him? I always feel inferior to Ji Yuan. Don't you think it's annoying?"
The little beggar was speechless for a while and muttered to himself.
"It doesn't matter if I'm shorter than you. We beggars don't need to argue about our reputation..."
The old beggar looked at him and said nothing. He then held the young beggar's hand and walked on the official road. After a long time, he muttered something to himself.
"Masters also care about their reputation, but they don't know who they are dealing with..."
In the Tianniufang Ju'an Pavilion in Ning'an County, Ji Yuan placed the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone on the stone table and started writing again, with a faint smile on his face.
'You're going to play tricks on me, I'll kill you! Just stay here and stay...'