The teahouse wasn't large, merely three single-story buildings connected together, but even before Han Li entered, a rich, heady aroma of tea greeted him head-on.
Han Li was somewhat surprised. Though he didn't know much about tea culture, he could sense a faint spiritual energy within that fragrance.
His interest piqued, he stepped inside without further hesitation.
The three rooms stood in a row—one large, two small—and all were now filled with customers clustered in small groups of three or five. Because there were no vacant seats left inside, seven or eight people dressed in various attires were standing quietly to one side, waiting.
Despite the numerous patrons, no one was speaking loudly.
Most had their eyes gently closed, savoring the tea before them with evident enjoyment. Only a handful were murmuring softly amongst themselves.
On the central wall of the large room, a sheet of yellow paper the size of a zhang was pasted prominently. On it, in bold, flourishing calligraphy, were written the words: "One pot per person per day," the message unmistakable.
Upon seeing these characters, Han Li felt a flicker of amusement. It was his first time hearing of a place doing food and drink business that actually limited how much one could consume.
However, he merely smiled to himself and didn't dwell on it. After scanning the room, he immediately walked towards a man who looked like the manager, sitting in a corner.
This presumed teahouse manager appeared to be in his forties, with a neat little mustache and an exceptionally shrewd air about him.
At that moment, he was behind a section of the counter, head bowed as he worked an abacus, occasionally glancing at an account book at his side.
Han Li walked up a few steps and stood before the counter, saying nothing, his expression placid. This caused the manager to look up in surprise.
The moment he saw Han Li clearly, the man's expression changed drastically. He hastily set aside the abacus and account book, and hurriedly came around from behind the counter.
He asked with a mixture of reverence and apprehension: "Senior, is there any matter this junior can assist you with? I will certainly do my utmost!"
It turned out this manager was also a cultivator, though his cultivation was pitifully low, seemingly only at the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Stage.
Now facing Han Li, this unfathomably deep "Senior," he naturally felt extremely uneasy.
Without a word, Han Li gently brushed his sleeve over the counter, and a translucent, azure jade pendant appeared on the surface.
Upon seeing the jade pendant, the manager was first stunned, but then a look of joyful surprise spread across his face. He said: "So it is Senior Han who has arrived! This junior was rude! Young Master Qi left explicit instructions long ago, saying that Senior would likely be coming soon. This junior has been awaiting your arrival for quite some time!"
Hearing this, Han Li retracted the jade pendant using the same method and said calmly: "I wish to see your young master now. Lead the way."
"As you command, Senior!" The manager agreed obediently.
He then called over a waiter, gave him a few quiet instructions, and led Han Li out through the back door, exiting the small town and heading west.
West of "Golden Horse City" lay a vast expanse of yellowish-green hills, numerous and of varying sizes. But the manager, clearly experienced and familiar with the terrain, guided Han Li through the mounds, turning several corners and changing direction multiple times, until they arrived at a depressed, flat basin covering over a hundred mu.
In the middle of this basin stood seven or eight white stone houses. Around them, here and there, grew a few verdant green bamboo stalks, sparse and unremarkable.
When the manager brought Han Li near this location, he bowed and said: "Senior, my young master is in the house. However, there are some formations deployed outside. Normally, I should report to the young master first before leading an outsider inside. But since the young master gave specific instructions regarding Senior Han's affairs, you may simply follow me closely. Otherwise, if you trigger the restrictions, it will be quite troublesome!"
Han Li looked thoughtfully around the basin's perimeter and at the seemingly haphazardly planted bamboo, then said indifferently: "Understood. Just lead the way."
Hearing this, the manager took a breath, and carefully began leading Han Li towards the house.
Their path was very peculiar—sometimes taking three steps, then retreating two; sometimes stepping five paces east, only to turn and walk back six. His entire movement was erratic and chaotic, seemingly without any discernible pattern.
Thus, the two of them slowly approached the house in the center of the basin.