Given the strange atmosphere in Baziyun City, the Huang family decided to open its tea ceremony to the main families of the city. Usually, this ceremony was reserved to the members of the Huang family. But as it coincided with Matriarch Huang Yufeng's 2,000th birthday and her recent breakthrough, it was decided on very short notice to invite the heads of several other families. It would also allow them to further talk about the incoming problem with the demonic beasts. Right now, no one was absolutely certain that a stampede was actually going to happen. But they still needed to prepare a few plans to consider all possibilities. And this would also showcase the new strength of Matriarch Huang Yufeng to everyone.
As it had been decided so fast, only the heads of nine big families were invited. Fortunately, they had already gifts prepared for Huang Yufeng in case she ever got out of seclusion. As such, this wasn't a problem. Moreover, with the recent news of the appearance of a 9-core demonic beast and the looming threat of a stampede, all families had followed the example of the Huang family. They all gathered and confined themselves in their residence. So all the heads of these families were available.
For a few hours, they gathered in the Dawning Sun pavilion. Arguably, this was the most beautiful pavilion in the Huang residence and as the sun was rising, the view was spectacular. The tea ceremony would last all day long as there were many rites to adhere to while brewing and tasting tea. According to the School of Ren Dao, those rites were essential to the well-being of society.
Family Head Huang Yi was there to welcome the heads of the nine families. Among them were obviously Governor Leng and Hall Master Fang Shaolong. The latter was a bit embarrassed to be here because he knew that Huang Cixi would be an important character in the ceremony. As of now, he had strictly adhered to all her orders. And to be honest, he found that her ideas were all brilliant. They weren't too sophisticated or convoluted, but very subtle and efficient. He should have been happy and yet he was embarrassed. Indeed, he had already failed in one of the missions she had tasked him with. In order to compensate, he had been very zealous in other tasks, but he had to announce his failure to the one person who could destroy his entire life, and he had to do so in her own residence...
As the three men were talking among themselves, the other guests did not dare disturb them at all. They were literally the three superpowers of the entire Wu Province. Governor Leng was probably the most competent governor of the Hongchen Kingdom regarding politics. Maybe some of the governors of provinces bordering demon territories were better than him, but their main competence was oriented toward the military sciences of course. Hall Master Fang Shaolong was also a great name of the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall. Historically, he was the man who had climbed the fastest through the ranks of the organization.
Finally, the family head of the Huang family was obviously a terrifying existence. Even though the Huang family's main power was in the Wu Province, they had side branches in many other provinces, albeit weaker than the main branch. The ancestral matriarch of the Huang family went all the way back to Emperor Nuwa, and they had the blood of a legendary beast coursing through their veins. The seven other guests were powerful in their own right, but not quite to this extent.
So that they wouldn't feel too estranged, other elders came to welcome them while Family Head Huang Yi kept entertaining the two main actors of Baziyun City. The man who had been chosen to lead the elders today was Elder Huang Jian, Huang Lü's father.
Very soon, the Dawning Sun pavilion got crowded by many people. There were several tables organized around the main one. The latter was made up of three tables actually. The first one was dominating all the others as it was the table reserved for Matriarch Huang Yufeng, Family Head Huang Yi and Elder Huang Jian. Then, two other tables were set up on both sides to receive the heads of the nine families, the first seat of each one reserved to Governor Leng and Hall Master Fang respectively.
A little bit farther was also another table which would accommodate the most prominent members of the Huang family's younger generation. After the elders and the heads of the nine families took place, the younger generation arrived as well. Among them, Huang Cixi, Huang Si and Huang Lü were all guided toward that very table, directly faced with Matriarch Huang Yufeng's table.
For the very first time, Huang Cixi saw the face of her rival. Obviously, she had seen paintings, but she had never met her in person. Despite their rivalry, they stayed very cordial.
"Sister Huang Cixi, I heard a lot about your achievements. This is an honor to finally meet with you. Let's uphold the glory of our name in front of all those outsiders."
"Sister Huang Si, you praise me too much. My meager achievements are nothing compared with your natural talents. I am sure that you alone will be enough to steal everyone's admiration. I'll just try not to embarrass myself too much."
As they were discussing in such roundabout ways, Huang Lü got frustrated. And she barged into their conversation.
"Sisters, stop being so hypocritical. I don't have much interest in tea, but don't tell me you don't plan on having a tea competition." She specifically turned toward Huang Si. "And don't think that I forgot about your little spy in my chambers. I hope she gave you all the juicy details of my life..."
Faced with such an aggressive glare from Huang Lü, her former rival just laughed it off. Cai Ying had warned her but still, she didn't expect for her personality to have changed that much. To be more precise, her personality was the same, but unrestrained. She had always been aggressive and direct, but now she had let go of most of the decorum she had been trying to create around her.
"Sister, please do not be so harsh on me. Didn't you do some tricky things as well? We have no more reason to be angry with each other, right? I swear I'll make it up to you one day."
"You can make it up to me right now by announcing that you renounce your ambitions and let Sister Huang Cixi become the next matriarch."
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"Ha ha ha! Sister, it is really not a good omen to talk about such a sensitive matter during Matriarch Huang Yufeng's birthday. We all hope that she stays our matriarch for hundreds if not thousands of years."
"Humph! I won't win with words with you! Just wait a few years and I'll win with my fists. Let's see how you get out of this!"
Shaking her clenched fist, Huang Lü walked ahead and quickly took her seat at the table. Since she had neglecting her Qi cultivation and martial art training to embrace worldly pursuits of aesthetic and nobility, she was no match for her former rival, yet. But she intended to go back to her training now that she didn't care about becoming matriarch anymore. In less than a year, she was convinced that she would be as strong as her sister. Just like her, Huang Si had not devoted a lot of her time to the pursuit of actual strength. Indeed, she was too busy with trying to secure her future ambitions.
Huang Lü and Huang Cixi looked at each other with a smile that was hiding a lot of things.
"Sister, let's put aside our rivalry for now. This is a great occasion for our family. We shouldn't spoil the quality of the tea with our ambitions."
"Of course. I am sure that we will enjoy the finest tea of the entire kingdom."
Obviously, Huang Cixi was not naive enough to believe her. However, decorum was always important for a ruler.
The two of them joined Huang Lü and sat down on either side of the young woman.
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A few minutes after everyone had arrived, a servant finally announced the entrance of Matriarch Huang Yufeng. All the guests, without any exception, stood up and bowed toward her seat. The old woman appeared from thin air and descended from the sky onto her seat. Her mere presence inspired awe to all cultivators. Even without trying to impress them, her aura was tyrannical.
"Dear guests, this is a great honor to meet you again. Please, sit, sit." Once again, the heads of the nine families bowed to show their respect, and sat down. Then, Matriarch Huang Yufeng turned her eyes toward her family members.
"Juniors, I have longed to see you all again. My seclusion lasted a long time and seeing that you took such good care of my residence is dear to my heart. I know that the times can be trying, but our Huang family stood tall against all threats. And mere demonic beasts will not scare us. In all of you, the blood of our ancestor is strong and plentiful. When the times require it, you will all be up to the challenge. But for now, let us old bones protect you. Today we will celebrate my 2,000th birthday. We will celebrate my breakthrough into the 9th-grade of the Spirit Warrior realm. We will also celebrate our entire Huang family who saved and protected humanity by Emperor Nuwa's side. For a day, forget about the troubling times ahead of us all and enjoy a bit of peace and tranquility. You may sit."
"This junior thanks Matriarch Huang!" As one man, all the members of the Huang family, even the elders, bowed several times while acclaiming their matriarch.
Then, many servants brought out several cups and served everyone according to their rank. The tea was a bit red and reminded people of the colors from the rising sun. In the Dawning Sun pavilion, the colors of the dawn were still vivid both in the sky, in the ponds and even in the colors of the flowers and the plants. The first one to taste the tea was obviously Matriarch Huang Yufeng. When she drank the first sip of the beverage, the audience waited for her words.
"This is Dew Opening Heart, a dried root that can only be found in demon territory. Its flavor is quite exotic indeed. Although bitter at first, it quickly spreads through your palate and brings a great serenity as though all your emotions and worries were washed away with the morning dew. A true gem."
After those words, the heads from the nine families finally tasted the tea as well. And when they were done giving out their own appreciation of it, all the guests could at last savor this rare tea. Just like the matriarch had said, the effects were quite extraordinary. The taste itself was very foreign to what they all knew before. Such a Dew Opening Heart was almost impossible to get for most cultivators. Only some provinces who had skirmishes with the demons could obtain some of it, and in extremely rare occasions. Hence, everyone took their time to really appreciate this taste and its effect on their mind.
The tea ceremony kept going as everyone talked over some various teas that were quite unusual. Moreover, some decided to showcase their mastery of arts. Some young boys decided to play various instruments, such as a guqin and a pipa, while a young lady sang a poem about Matriarch Huang Yufeng. The atmosphere was extremely relaxed. An elder painted the table of Matriarch Huang Yufeng and the heads of the nine families to immortalize this scene. Slowly many conversations began between the younger generation, and then, the nine family heads also started to talk about various things. Most of their topics revolved around tea and art. But some added discussions around cultivation, religion and philosophy.
When the sun was at the highest point in the sky, an elder decided to speak out loud.
"Everyone, please, may I have your attention?" He didn't speak very loud but he used both his Qi and his spiritual senses to make sure that everyone heard him as though he was talking directly to each one of them. "Matriarch, forgive my rudeness. It just seems like this would be a great opportunity to show our esteemed guests the hospitality and competence of our Huang family. Savoring a tea after witnessing a tea master brewing it is probably the best way to enjoy it. And I am sure that many young people among our juniors would be delighted to show Governor Leng and his peers what they are capable of."
Huang Cixi had noted that this elder had been waiting his moment for quite some time. She remembered him as Huang Lei, an elder supporting Huang Si. Instead of asking for a direct confrontation with Huang Cixi, she had been more subtle. Having an elder bring up this matter would not open her up to criticisms. And she could now show her tea brewing to all without any problem.
"You are indeed correct, Elder Huang Lei. Is there anyone among my juniors who feel like they are up to the task?"
Matriarch Huang Yufeng was not surprised or angry at all. She knew quite well that at least someone would use this opportunity to shine. And as long as they did shine, it wasn't a problem. To the contrary, it was a good thing to show their competence to the guests. However, no one dared to take up the challenge. They all knew that this elder was supporting Huang Si and that this was a way for her to display her talent. Furthermore, this was also an indirect challenge to Huang Cixi. If she didn't try to compete, many elders who were still indecisive after Huang Lü's announce would change sides.
The first one to stand up was Huang Si.
"Matriarch. Since no one feels confident, I will have to trouble you. Please allow me to show my meager talent in front of everyone. I sincerely hope that I won't bring any shame to our good name..."
Just after her claim, Huang Cixi also stood up. She had no choice but to accept this indirect challenge. But, of course, she had been prepared since the first day.
"Matriarch. Since Sister Huang Si is ready to accept this burden, I will not leave her alone. Please let me display my humble knowledge in the art of tea."