Carefree Path Of Dreams Chapter 3

The fire from the burning charcoal heated the bottom surface of the small red teapot, boiling the tea inside the teapot. Water bubbles formed, and hot steam rose into the air.

Fang Yuan laid out a tea set in front of him before preparing the tea meticulously. The first serving of boiled tea was not to be consumed but instead, used to wash the tea set. After which, the teapot was immediately occupied with the next serving of tea, ready to be poured evenly into the teacups once boiled, and served. Every motion in this process was so natural that they invoked peace and tranquility.

Though Fang Yuan's lodgings were simple, he had tea leaves.

These tea leaves were but one of the many premium goods cultivated by him personally. Besides, he also showed his competence in the preparation of tea ceremonies, and had received several commendations from Master Wenxin.

Of course, the previous visitors were unpleasant and were unworthy of being treated to tea.

The fragrance of the tea diffused into the surroundings. Fang Yuan gently lifted up his teacup and sipped the tea slowly.

To him, the tea ceremony was not only for self-cultivation, but also to honour Master Wenxin's memory.

Although Master Wenxin did not teach Fang Yuan martial arts, he did impart to Fang Yuan the techniques of the meditative tea ceremony.

Making tea helped to cleanse the soul, which helped the state of the soul to have a greater sense of well-being.

But why a great sense of well-being?

A grandmaster once said, " Not thinking of oneself's body, not fiddling with oneself's intelligence, will separate one from their body and free them from the shackles of wisdom. They can then become one with the earth. This is the state which has the greatest sense of well-being."

The main idea behind Master Wenxin's tea ceremony was to induce the unity of man and nature, so as to achieve the great sense of well-being.

For Fang Yuan, he loved making tea. He even went to seek out a high quality tea set to make tea.

However, things were different now.

From the tea aroma, Fang Yuan experienced warmth in his abdomen, then a thin layer of coldness. This brought about a cooling effect, making him forget the true temperature of the surroundings.

Living in the valley undisturbed by the chaos of the world outside, Fang Yuan consumed and cultivated tea everyday with a strong will and determination.

To achieve his goals, he had to be determined and will himself to concentrate.

After tea, it was the best time to reorganise his thoughts as his mind would be clearer.

"Recently, I gathered all the crops in the valley and re-cultivated them with [Botany (Level 3)]. What came out of it was indeed very different. The result showed that I have improved further compared to the previous attempts. The mutation probability is also extremely low since there are no cases of it happening in the entire valley. Of course, we cannot come to a solid conclusion for now since the Vermillion Jade Rice has not been harvested yet…"

Shaking his head, Fang Yuan went to fetch the flower hoe, bamboo baskets and other gardening tools. It was the start of a another day cultivating crops in the farm.

Watering the crops, adding fertiliser, loosening the soil. The different crops were treated in accordance with their different needs. The whole process was a rather smooth one.

At high noon, Fang Yuan sat down on a rock and quickly drank a gourd containing spring water. Gazing at his farm, he felt a sense of accomplishment, and his heart was filled with joy.

Fang Yuan then began to to consume the rice b.a.l.l.s that he had prepared in the morning. A flash appeared in his eyes again.

"Name: Fang Yuan

Essence: 1

Spirit: 1

Magic: 1

Age: 18

Cultivation: None

Techniques: None

Skills: [Medicine (Level 1)], [Botany (level 3)]"

"Essence, Spirit and Magic refers to my physical fitness….."

Thanks to Master Wenxin and his skills in botany, Fang Yuan had not known suffering in the earlier days. He was well fed and well taken care of, allowing him to focus on developing his foundations such that at the age of 18, he was as strong as or even stronger than adults older than he.

"[Botany (Level 3)], with a very low chance of evolving plants with special traits…."

Fang Yuan sighed and continued munching on his rice b.a.l.l.s.

The rice b.a.l.l.s were made from the Pearl Jade Crystal Rice cultivated in the farm. Each rice grain was the size of a baby's thumb. The rice grain, clear and bright, looked like an exquisite work of art. The fragrance of the cooked rice was amazing. One could feel the succulence of the cooked rice which was of much better quality than glutinous rice. The rice tasted great even without being complemented by side dishes. It was best served with sour beans and sour plums.

The Jade Crystal Rice had a very high nutritional value. Jade Crystal Rice broth could be fed to infants in place of milk. Fang Yuan felt recharged after his snack. He went back to his work.

"Fragrance ball and rutaceae are ready to be harvested. Old Tian from the Medicine Hall should be here soon to collect them in exchange for salt and oil…."

Fang Yuan went around his farm plucking fruits to eat as he pondered over his future plans.

A few moments later, a touch of green met Fang Yuan's eyes. His footsteps slowed, and he whispered "Hey".

Here lay a tea forest, and the tea trees were specifically chosen to grow tea leaves that were flat. The tea leaves also had a fresh orchid fragrance to it, which made the tea leaves Fang Yuan's favourite.

However, at that moment, something was different.

Among all the tea trees, there was one that grew jasper-like tea leaves that gave off a crystalline color. The tea leaves from that particular tree were so special that without going through the frying process, they were able to give out a very strong fragrance on their own. The smell helped to keep the mind alert and left a strong aftertaste.

"Premium tea leaves! Best of the best!"

Fang Yuan gathered near the tea tree and said, "So this is the mutated result of the third level botany tea leaves? This Houkui [1] has become the spirited plant?"

Unfortunately, he had only seen the grains of the Vermillion Jade Rice, making it impossible for him to compare.

However, such leaves were definitely special!

"It's afternoon. The time is just right!"

Seeing this tea tree, Fang Yuan put aside all his worries at that moment and began to pluck the special tea leaves happily.

"No… this is so tempting. I cannot bear it anymore!"

After plucking those jasper-like tea leaves, Fang Yuan immediately put a leaf into his mouth.

"Ooohh…."

At the start, there was just bitterness but after which, a very strong taste of orchid came.

His tongue felt bitter with numbness, as if it had been electrocuted. A clean stream went straight into his mind, making Fang Yuan's eyes glitter, "Spiritual leaf! Definitely a spiritual leaf!"

"There is meaning in the bitterness. The original taste alone has such great flavour. I wonder what would happen if these tea leaves are made into tea?"

Fang Yuan's eyes shone.

Nighttime.

Fixing, kneading, baking….. Fang Yuan was familiar with the procedures. The effect was still the same even though this time, the tea leaves were different.

Under the fire, he looked at the jasper-like tea leaf. His face became sluggish, saying "Beautiful….so beautiful! This newly made spiritual tea is like an art piece!"

Fang Yuan then took out his tea set and went on with the brewing of tea.

At the end of the brewing process, the fragrance of the spiritual tea filled the surroundings, making the place feel like the Temple of Heaven.

"I can't forget this excellent fragrance and taste. It is definitely a special tea!"

At that moment, Fang Yuan became calm.

The tea ceremony was a process which included the cleaning of tea leaves. The process also removed one's distractions.

Fang Yuan' eyes glittered. His thoughts became innocent, as if it was like a pure child's.

A tea taster first smells the fragrance and then looks at the color of the tea. From the fragrance and the color of the tea, looking at the cup filled with green clear liquid, Fang Yuan was moved when his lip touched the tea cup.

Boom!

It was as if a lightning struck in his head.

As if he became a lone tourist walking among the heavy thorns, his tongue and taste being imprisoned by the bitterness of the tea.

While he was suffering, the thorns disappeared. He began to taste the fragrance of the tea, as if the fragrance was like a flash flood, breaking the walls of bitterness, allowing the fragrance to take over the bitterness.

Fang Yuan stared into blank s.p.a.ce. His eyes glittered.

Normally, after tasting something good, one will be moved with tears flowing down.

Fang Yuan thought this would only happen in his dreams but did not expect a cup of tea could produce such effect as well.

"Good!"

Finis.h.i.+ng a cup, he began making another. The fragrance of the tea gradually fade away, but the taste of the tea became even stronger.

After 4 cups, the taste and the fragrance of the tea still lingered.

"Hoooo….."

After finis.h.i.+ng the whole pot of tea, Fang Yuan exhaled with a long breath. The taste of the tea still lingered in his mouth, leaving a lasting aftertaste.

"This tea…. It is definitely special. It seems to be able to question the heart..."

Fang Yuan wiped away his tears, "Just one such product can make me feel as if my soul has been cleansed….. I wonder is this the effect of the spiritual object? Or is it just a fateful coincidence that a miracle happen with the combination of spiritual tea and meditative tea ceremony?"

He began questioning this miracle and subconsciously, he started calling out his stats, and then he stared into a blank s.p.a.ce.

At that moment, his stats changed:

"Name: Fang Yuan

Essence: 1

Spirit: 1

Magic: 1.2

Age: 18

Cultivation: None

Techniques: None

Skills: [Medicine (Level 1)], [Botany (level 3)]"

"Magic increased by 0.2?"

Fang Yuan looked at his stats and mumbled.

These 3 stats: Essence, Spirit and Magic did not have any changes since they rose to a value of 1 after his 18th birthday.

Now, however, his magic stats actually increased by 0.2!

No wonder Fang Yuan suddenly felt full of energy and was quick-witted, as if he became a lot smarter.

"According to theories, Essence, Spirit and Magic are called the 3 treasures, which are the foundation of man"

"And according to my observations and hypotheses, Essence refers to the body, the physical strength, the bones and other tangible parts of the body. Spirit refers to the non-tangible part of the body, like the power within the blood. Finally the Magic, which refers to the mind, will, perception etc."

"Essence, spirit and magic; these 3 stats complement each other and have their own magical effects!"

Fang Yuan looked at the leftover tea leaves and exclaimed brightly.

"This tea actually helps to cleanse one's soul and increases one's magical abilities as well. Let's name this tea 'Questioning Heart Tea' then."

[1] Houkui is a type of tea leave