Chapter 968: Golden Cave

Zu'an paused. Pei You voiced his confusion: "What's fun in the wilderness? The city is much livelier." Clearly, he was still thinking about the tall, long-legged women from the northern lands.

Gao Ying explained, "Those in the city are just ordinary. The truly exceptional ones are actually out here. Don't worry, your brother wouldn't lie to you." Pei You knew Gao Ying was always a steady and reliable person, so he wouldn't speak without thinking. Only then did he suppress the urge to turn back.

Zu'an, however, frowned and said, "I need to go to the black market, so I won't be accompanying you to that kind of place." He didn't have much interest in brothels. After all, weren't all the women close to him exceptionally beautiful? How could brothel women compare? This world also lacked certain well-known sports protection brands, and with various bodily fluid exchanges, what if one contracted a disease? Wait, with the purifying ability of the Primordial Chaos Scripture, perhaps he didn't need to fear those diseases. Bah, bah, bah, what was he thinking? Today's goal was to visit the black market and see if there were any cultivation breakthrough materials.

Gao Ying laughed, "If Brother Zu is going to the black market, then he should definitely come with us. That place not only has beautiful women but also a casino and the largest black market for a thousand miles around. It's a famous den of iniquity."

Zu'an immediately understood. This was a super entertainment complex combining all sorts of diversions. He hadn't expected people in another world to be so adept at such things. Since the largest black market was there, Zu'an naturally wouldn't refuse.

Soon, the group arrived at a small town on the outskirts. The town was sparsely populated, and the fallen leaves on the ground rose and fell with the cold wind, making it appear exceptionally desolate, much like the remote, quiet towns Zu'an had seen in his previous life.

"This place has the kind of pleasure den you mentioned?" Seeing the scene, Pei You looked suspicious.

Gao Ying didn't explain. He walked straight to a dilapidated tea stall, which had almost no customers, just a few scattered tables. The owner was lying on a chair, his feet casually propped on a table. On other tables were a few bowls of leftover tea from previous customers. The tea bowls were the roughest earthen pottery, many with chips from knocks. The remaining tea in them was yellowish and murky, clearly from the lowest quality leaves. Crucially, one of the bowls even had a fly swimming in it.

"This is outrageous!" Pei You tugged at Gao Ying's sleeve. "You're not planning to drink tea here, are you?" He came from a noble family and had grown up in luxury. He wouldn't even look twice at ordinary good tea, let alone this kind.

Gao Ying smiled but didn't answer. He simply found a table and sat down, then called out to the resting shop owner, "Boss, we have customers."

Pei You's eyes widened. He quickly turned to Zu'an and said, "Brother Zu, why aren't you trying to persuade him? You don't want to drink tea in a place like this, do you? What about the beautiful, long-legged northern girls they were promised?!"

Zu'an smiled. "Calm down. Brother Gao has always been reliable in his dealings. I'm sure he won't lead us astray." As he spoke, he sat down too. Pei You pulled out a stool, noting the unknown stains and greasy sheen that had developed a patina on it. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to sit.

Gao Ying looked at him and smiled, saying, "Look how steady Brother Zu is. You need to change your temperament."

Pei You looked displeased. Seeing the shop owner still not moving, he instantly flared up. "Shopkeeper, we've been calling you for ages, and you haven't moved. How do you run a business?"

At that moment, the shop owner on the stool finally removed the cloth that had been covering his eyes to block the light. "What's all the noise about? Are you in a hurry to be reborn?"

Zu'an noticed his face was that of a typical commoner, and there were no cultivation fluctuations from him. He wondered if he had guessed wrong. But how would an ordinary commoner run a business like this?

Pei You's expression turned cold. "What did you say?!" When had he ever been treated with such disrespect? He was about to get up and teach the man a lesson but was stopped by Gao Ying.

"Shopkeeper, we're not in a hurry to be reborn; we're in a hurry to drink tea here," Gao Ying said.

Hearing him say this, the shop owner's expression softened slightly. "Then you've come to the right place. Our tea is famous here; many people come especially for it."

Pei You secretly sneered, about to mock what was so great about this terrible tea. Suddenly, a thought struck him: Gao Ying was always calm and didn't joke around, so there must be a reason for his behavior. Furthermore, they were richly dressed cultivators, exuding a certain aura just by standing there. Yet, this farmer-like man showed no fear upon seeing them, which was indeed unusual. Realizing this, he calmed down and observed the situation from the side. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Zu'an's relaxed demeanor, and he secretly felt ashamed. Brother Zu was indeed an exceptional person; he couldn't match his composure.

At this point, Gao Ying asked, "May I ask, Boss, what kind of teas do you have here?"

The shop owner puffed out his chest and said proudly, "We have everything you could want here, it just depends on what the customer wishes to buy."

Gao Ying replied with a smile, "I'd like 'Sparrow's Tongue' tea from after the snow."

The shop owner replied, "Customer, you're not an expert. 'Sparrow's Tongue' tea is best before the rain, second best after the rain. There's no 'after the snow' variety; how could there be tea after a snowfall?"

Gao Ying wasn't annoyed. He continued, "Then I'd like 'Big Red Robe' from Mount Yan, specifically from the mother tree by the Stone Basin Stream on Mount Yan."

The shop owner shook his head. "Customer, you must be joking. The finest 'Big Red Robe' comes from the mother tree on the cliff face of Tianxin Cliff. As for Mount Yan, I've never heard of it."

Gao Ying then said, "Then I want 'Frighteningly Fragrant' tea, the kind with one hundred and eight thousand twists."

'Sparrow's Tongue', 'Big Red Robe', and 'Frighteningly Fragrant' were the most famous teas in this world. Among them, 'Frighteningly Fragrant' had the most intricate processing method. While pan-frying, the tea leaves needed to be kneaded with a special technique, rolling all the leaves into several small balls, occasionally shaking them apart, repeating this many times until they were curled into strips with fine hairs visible. The number of ten thousands of tender tea buds required per jin (unit of weight) indicated its grade in "twists"; the higher the twists, the higher the quality.

Upon hearing this, the shop owner's face darkened. "The highest-grade 'Frighteningly Fragrant' tea in this era is only sixty-four thousand twists. Where would you find one hundred and eight thousand twists? Are you trying to make fun of me?"

Seeing the shop owner getting angry, Pei You secretly tensed his body, ready to help at any moment. Zu'an, however, remained at ease, silently noting the content of their conversation. He thought it was truly an eye-opener. Although he had previously crammed knowledge about this world, he had mainly focused on cultivation, history, and geography, not on aspects of luxury and enjoyment, which these noble young masters knew far more about.

Gao Ying's tone changed slightly at this point. "You just said you had everything. How is it that I've named a few things, and you don't have any of them?"

The shop owner sneered, "You're clearly someone who merely pretends to be cultured. Our shop doesn't welcome your kind. That Zi Ming Xuan over there is more suitable for people like you. Go on, get out!" With that, he practically pushed and chased the three out of the tea stall.

Pei You looked surprised. "Brother Gao, after all that, this is it?"

Zu'an, however, said, "I imagine Brother Gao has already matched the code word."

Gao Ying smiled. "Brother Zu is indeed insightful. You're right, that tea stall was just a cover for a rendezvous point. Although he seemed angry on the surface, he actually knew we had hit upon the special code and was directing us to the next location."

Pei You sighed, "No wonder that tea stall looked like it didn't want any business. It was clearly to drive away unsuspecting customers and avoid trouble."

As they spoke, the three arrived at the Zi Ming Xuan, the place the shop owner had pointed them to. This establishment was much more elaborately decorated, and the shopkeeper inside was dressed like a small-time rich man. Seeing their arrival, he immediately greeted them warmly, "What can I get for you, esteemed guests?"

Pei You secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. This man's enthusiasm was a world apart from the previous one.

Gao Ying replied, "I'd like 'Sparrow's Tongue' tea."

The shopkeeper immediately said with a smile, "We have 'Sparrow's Tongue' tea from all seasons, even the one from after the snow."

Gao Ying continued, "I also want 'Big Red Robe'."

"Excellent, we'll prepare the one from the mother tree by the Stone Basin Stream on Mount Yan for you, esteemed guest," the shopkeeper replied.

Gao Ying continued, "And 'Frighteningly Fragrant' tea."

"No problem, we even have the one hundred and eight thousand twist variety," the shopkeeper said, his eyes practically narrowed to slits.

"So, where are the goods?" Gao Ying asked, spreading his hand.

The shopkeeper chuckled apologetically, "Please forgive us, esteemed guest. These items are too precious. We'll have to trouble you to pick them up at our warehouse." As he spoke, he took out a few slips of paper. "Gentlemen, go to the carriage shop at the street corner. Someone there will guide you to our warehouse to collect your goods with these slips."

Gao Ying nodded, and taking the slips of paper, walked straight towards the end of the street.

Zu'an was somewhat surprised. "Do they need to be this careful? It feels like a secret agent rendezvous."

Gao Ying explained, "After all, these kinds of places are not openly permitted by the imperial court, so they naturally have to be cautious."

Zu'an nodded, becoming even more curious about the place. Perhaps this time he could really find what he urgently needed there.