Chapter 101 A Cup of Poisoned Tea: Is This the Bai Family's Way of Hospitality?
The car was driving on the winding mountain road.
This road winds and twists, seemingly without end, as if it will take people above the clouds.
The driver was no longer Lu Zhanting, but a silent middle-aged man.
His name was Uncle Fu, and he claimed to be there to guide them.
Everything changed after Su Wanqing showed that jade pendant.
All the tedious procedures were instantly cleared away, and early the next morning, Uncle Fu drove a plain-looking military jeep and waited at the entrance of the guesthouse.
Throughout the journey, Uncle Fu was extremely concise with his words.
Only at crossroads would he pause briefly, as if trying to discern some special mark imprinted on the rocks and vegetation that outsiders could not perceive.
The scenery outside the car window changed from the bustling city to the desolate countryside, and finally sank into this remote mountain.
The air grew increasingly crisp, carrying the chill of the high altitude.
Lu Zhanting sat down next to Su Wanqing and held her hand.
His gaze, like a searchlight, sliced through the mountains and forests outside the window inch by inch. His brain worked at high speed, modeling and analyzing all the terrain data, and assessing every possible outpost and firing range.
The conclusion is: there is nothing.
Everything here is too "natural".
This extreme naturalness is itself the highest level of defense, signifying absolute confidence.
"Hold on tight."
Uncle Fu's hoarse voice rang out without warning.
Before he could finish speaking, the Jeep suddenly swerved, veering off the only mountain road and crashing into a thick, impenetrable white fog beside the road.
Su Wanqing's vision was instantly swallowed by a thick, milky-white fog, and she couldn't even see the front of the car.
The vehicle jolted violently as it rolled over the rough, unknown road surface.
Lu Zhanting pulled her even tighter, his muscles tensing instantly like a fully drawn bow, his gaze piercing through the thick fog, locking onto an invisible direction.
Ten minutes later, the jolt stopped abruptly.
The thick fog suddenly cleared, and the jeep came to a steady stop.
Su Wanqing looked outside and her breath hitched.
Before me stands a massive blue stone archway, majestic and ancient, covered with moss that bears witness to the passage of time.
At the very center of the archway, a huge seal script character is carved in a vigorous and elegant style—
"white".
Behind the archway, a long road paved with bluestone slabs stretches into the distance, with ancient trees on both sides reaching into the clouds.
As you look out, the endless pavilions and towers appear and disappear in the mist, their flying eaves and brackets seeming otherworldly.
The place here is like two different eras from the 1970s outside.
“Miss Su, Mr. Lu, please get out of the car.” Uncle Fu’s voice pulled Su Wanqing back to reality.
The two got off the car.
Uncle Fu led the way, and two young men in blue robes appeared out of nowhere, silently taking their luggage with movements as light as cats.
Walking on the bluestone path, the rich spiritual energy in the air made the space within Su Wanqing's body leap with joy.
The fragrance, a blend of medicinal herbs, earth, and vegetation, was more than ten times stronger than that of the outside world.
Occasionally, pedestrians would pass by on both sides of the passageway.
They were dressed in plain-colored long gowns or elegant Confucian skirts, walking lightly with calm expressions.
Upon seeing Su Wanqing and Lu Zhanting, these two "outsiders," they merely glanced at them, their eyes scrutinizing but lacking in curiosity.
Everyone seems to live in an ancient painting, calm and orderly.
Lu Zhanting's brows furrowed slightly.
He discovered that these seemingly ordinary pedestrians, regardless of age or gender, all had extremely long and steady breaths, a stable stance, and walked without their feet touching the ground.
This is a terrifying place where everyone is a martial artist.
Uncle Fu led them to an elegant courtyard and stopped.
"This place is called 'Listening to the Wind Abode,' and it is specially used to entertain distinguished guests. Please rest here for a while, and the elders of the clan will arrive shortly."
Uncle Fu bowed slightly and gestured for him to enter.
Inside the courtyard, a huge osmanthus tree stands tall and graceful, with stone tables and benches beneath it.
The room was furnished in an antique style, with rosewood tables and chairs, silk bedding, and calming incense burning in the air.
Lu Zhanting closed the door and asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, "How are you feeling?"
“An independent kingdom.” Su Wanqing walked to the window and looked at the secluded buildings outside. “They have their own rules, their own traditions, and even… their own time.”
“The level of defense is beyond imagination.” Lu Zhanting walked to her side, lowering his voice even further. “From the moment I stepped through the archway, I sensed at least twenty-seven hidden observation posts, interspersed with both overt and covert positions, forming a defensive perimeter. The people here are not easy to deal with.”
Su Wanqing nodded; what she sensed was something on a different level.
Those gazes held scrutiny and inquiry, but no murderous intent.
They are protecting their homeland.
The two had just sat down when a soft knock sounded on the door.
"Please come in."
The door was pushed open, and a young woman dressed in a pale yellow Confucian dress walked in.
She was about twenty years old, with a pretty face, but the lingering arrogance in her eyes ruined her overall beauty.
Two maids followed behind her, one carrying tea and the other holding fruit.
"You two have come from afar, thank you for your hard work."
The woman's voice was clear and crisp, but her tone carried a distant, condescending air.
"My name is Bai Zhi. I have come to entertain you two on the orders of the elder."
"Thank you for your trouble," Su Wanqing replied calmly as she stood up.
She could sense that this woman named Bai Zhi harbored a strange hostility towards her.
Bai Zhi's gaze swept over Su Wanqing, finally settling on her flat stomach, and a cryptic smile curved her lips.
"I heard that Miss Su comes from the outside world and is a doctor?"
"I know a little," Su Wanqing said calmly.
"The medical skills outside are nothing more than superficial methods that only treat the symptoms, like treating a headache when it hurts or a foot pain when it hurts."
Bai Zhi chuckled softly and gestured for the maid to serve tea.
“Using strong medicine occasionally only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Our Bai family's medical skills emphasize strengthening the body's foundation and harmonizing Yin and Yang. Since Miss Su is here, she can learn more about it.”
His words were full of contempt and provocation.
The temperature around Lu Zhanting plummeted, and his eyes became extremely dangerous. He was about to speak when Su Wanqing silenced him with a single glance.
Su Wanqing picked up the teacup offered by the maid.
She didn't drink it; she simply brought the teacup to her nose and took a gentle sniff.
Then, he put the teacup back on the table.
She looked up at Bai Zhi, a faint smile spreading across her lips.
"Miss Baizhi is right; the medical skills outside are indeed rudimentary."
"However, this tea seems to be used in the wrong place."
Bai Zhi's expression changed: "What do you mean?"
"This tea is made with seven leaves and one flower as the base, and snow-top sweet dew as the base, supplemented with refreshing lotus seeds and mimosa flowers. It is indeed an excellent calming tea."
Su Wanqing's voice was calm and unhurried, each word striking a clear chord in everyone's hearts.
"However, there is an extra ingredient in the tea: gentian. Gentian is very cold in nature, so it is a good medicine for people with excessive liver fire."
She paused, looked directly at Bai Zhi, and smiled even more deeply.
“But my husband and I have been traveling a long way and we don’t have any internal heat. Drinking this tea will not only fail to calm us, but will also cause cold to invade our bodies, damage our spleen and stomach, and lead to stagnation of qi and blood.”
Su Wanqing's voice rose slightly at the end, carrying a hint of innocent curiosity.
"This isn't how the Bai family treats its guests, is it?"
One sentence silenced the entire room.
Bai Zhi's face turned from white to green, then from green to red, and finally turned into a deep purple.
She had imagined countless possibilities, but she never thought that this woman from outside could dissect her thoughts and methods so thoroughly with just a sniff!
This cup of tea was her way of giving Su Wanqing a hard time!
She assumed the other person didn't understand pharmacology and would only experience stomach discomfort after drinking it. She then "kindly" pointed out the truth, which would make the other person lose face.
Who would have thought that the other party was actually the true ancestor of this path!
“You…” Bai Zhi pointed at Su Wanqing, but after a long time, she couldn’t say a word.
For the first time, undisguised approval flashed in Uncle Fu's eyes, who had been standing silently at the door.
“It seems,” Su Wanqing said in her calm tone, “that the crude methods of the outside world sometimes have some merit.”
These words, though not heavy, were like an invisible slap across Bai Zhi's face.
As Lu Zhanting watched his wife calmly and effortlessly take control of the situation, a smile crept onto his lips, and the danger in his eyes transformed into a tender, doting affection.
His lover never disappoints.
The situation reached a stalemate.
Just then, an old but gentle voice came from outside the courtyard.
"Zhi'er, don't be rude."
Before the words were finished, an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face, dressed in a gray robe and leaning on a dragon-headed cane, slowly walked in with the help of Uncle Fu.
Although the old man was frighteningly old, his eyes were so clear that they seemed to see right through people's hearts.
The moment he appeared, the atmosphere in the entire courtyard became subdued.
Bai Zhi's haughty expression vanished instantly, and she lowered her head in fear: "Third Elder."
The Third Elder, Bai Qishan, didn't look at her; his gaze swept past everyone and landed directly on Su Wanqing.
He scrutinized her closely, his eyes swirling with complex emotions—nostalgia, scrutiny—which ultimately settled into a barely perceptible surge of excitement.
"Child, I'm sorry you had to suffer."
The Third Elder's voice carried the weight of years.
“I am Bai Qishan, the third elder of the Bai family. I have been waiting for you for a long time.”
Su Wanqing's heartstrings were plucked. She could sense that the old man's gaze was completely different from Bai Zhi's pure hostility.
"Third Elder, you're too kind."
Bai Qishan waved his hand and said to Bai Zhi, "Go down."
"Yes." Bai Zhi glared at Su Wanqing with resentment and reluctantly left.
Once only the four of them remained in the courtyard, Bai Qishan let out a long sigh and slowly began to speak.
"We've confirmed that the token is indeed from the direct line of the Bai family."
His gaze fell on the mark on the jade pendant on Su Wanqing's wrist, and his voice became distant.
"The owner of this jade pendant is my unfortunate junior sister... By seniority, you should call her Aunt. She disappeared for nearly thirty years, and I thought I would never see her again in this life, but unexpectedly..."
Su Wanqing and Lu Zhanting exchanged a glance.
This journey to find relatives was far more complicated than imagined.
“Child, I know you have many questions.” Bai Qishan looked at Su Wanqing, his eyes softening. “The clan leader has emerged from seclusion and wants to see you.”
"Come with me."
The real game is just beginning.
Su Wanqing took a deep breath and gripped Lu Zhanting's warm, dry hand tightly.
Whether it's a dragon's den or a tiger's lair ahead, they'll brave it together.
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