Chapter 99. Meeting the Swordswoman of the West (2)

I immediately headed for the village market. I wanted to check on the recent developments of the Ami Sect. The market was the best place to gather various rumors.

'The peddlers would be the best to hear rumors from.'

In this era, traveling was akin to risking one's life, so only martial artists and merchants traveled, while ordinary people often lived and died without ever seeing another village.

There were a few peddlers in the market alley, selling their goods. I approached them, pretending to buy something, and asked about news of the Ami Sect.

However, the results were not very promising. They all shook their heads, saying they didn't know much.

"Ami Sect? Well, we don't know much. We haven't come from that direction."

"Is that so?"

I had been asking around the peddlers but found nothing useful, so I was about to look elsewhere when a street dumpling vendor pointed to a shop in the distance and said,

"If you're talking about the Ami Sect, why don't you try the Qingxiang Tea House? I heard they supply tea to the Ami Sect."

I thanked him and headed to the tea house he recommended, which was called Qingxiang Tea House. It was a large shop, hard to find in such a small village.

'It seems to be a proper tea house.'

I cautiously opened the door and entered. The strong smell of tea leaves greeted me from the entrance. The dim atmosphere created a very serene ambiance, making it feel like a completely different world from the bustling outside.

"Is anyone here?"

When I called out for the owner, the tea house owner, who was reading a book at the counter, put it down and quietly approached me, bowing politely.

"Welcome. Welcome to Qingxiang Tea House."

"Ah, yes..."

The owner was an elderly man with a very low, pleasant voice. As I was about to explain my business, he looked at me and said,

"Thank you for coming. It's been a while since we've had a customer. Not a single person has visited recently."

"Ah, really?"

The owner said this with a face full of joy at having a customer.

'Typical customer service talk. I need to ask my questions and leave quickly.'

While listening to his complaints about the poor business, I nodded. Just as I was about to ask my questions, he said,

"Isn't it very hot outside? I happen to have some chilled tea. Would you like a cup?"

"Really?"

I didn't plan to stay long, so I didn't need a cup of tea. However, it was hard to refuse given his cheerful expression.

"Um... Yes, please."

When I said that, he smiled and poured tea from a teapot on the counter, handing it to me. I hesitated but took a sip, and it tasted quite good.

'It's refreshing. Plus, the bitterness is invigorating.'

It wasn't just cooled boiled tea but properly cold-brewed, which made it not overly bitter and left a pleasant aftertaste.

While I was slightly impressed by the taste, he continued,

"Do you like it? I specially sorted the tea leaves and blended them to my personal taste."

"Ah, yes... I do."

As I nodded, he smiled warmly and said,

"I'm glad to hear that. Oh, you mentioned you were looking for tea? We recently received some good ones."

"No, that's not what I'm here for..."

I wasn't there to buy tea. However, he didn't listen to my answer and went to the shelf, taking out a few small tea jars. He opened them one by one and said,

"Would you like to try a piece?"

"Um... Yes..."

It was hard to refuse, so I followed his suggestion and tasted a piece of the tea leaf. It was a high-quality tea leaf, with a deep aroma amidst the bitterness. Having usually only drunk cheap tea, I could clearly feel the difference in quality.

'But that's not the point.'

I needed to get to the point. However, before I could, he opened another tea jar and said,

"This is a fermented tea I specially made. Would you like to smell it?"

I leaned in to smell it, and a peculiar scent hit my nose. It was a slightly sour, mysterious smell. I frowned slightly and said,

"The aroma is quite unique."

"Yes, that's the characteristic. Try it brewed. It's quite strong, so be prepared."

He then went to get the teapot and poured a cup of tea, which he handed to me. I hesitated but took it.

"Thank you, I'll drink it."

"Hehe, no problem."

When I tasted it, the aroma was milder than before, and it wasn't bad. It was a taste that would likely divide opinions. The floral scent wasn't to my liking, but I imagined many people would enjoy it.

'Maybe Jiang Biao would like it.'

I thought about buying some as a gift.

Then I shook my head.

'No, that's not the point.'

This wasn't the time to just drink tea. I needed to get to the main reason I came here. I gathered my courage to speak but closed my mouth again.

'It's not easy...!'

Indeed, it was. His polite and gentlemanly service made it very difficult to say, "I'm not here for tea, I just want to gather some information."

I could feel my mouth drying up.

'I need to ask somehow.'

He then climbed a high shelf, grunting, and took something out. He smiled proudly and said,

"This is a rare tea, but since you're a rare customer, I'd like to treat you with it."

He then started to prepare the tea. Watching him, I felt like I was sinking into a quagmire.

'If this continues, I won't be able to ask anything...!'

The space and atmosphere were making it too difficult for me. It's like when you go into a clothing store, try on some clothes, and have the hem measured, but then saying, "I'll just come back another time to buy it," feels psychologically impossible.

It's a behavior that tramples on the kind heart of the store owner who is genuinely trying to serve you... For me, it was impossible.

Now, it was very difficult to say, "I'm done with the tea, can you tell me something?" But I couldn't just stay and drink tea all day.

'I need to change the atmosphere.'

It was time to make a decision.

After much deliberation, I finally made up my mind. I looked at him as he was brewing the tea and said,

"Excuse me."

"Hmm...? Yes, what is it?"

He looked at me with a warm smile, holding a freshly brewed cup of tea. I looked at him with a determined face and said,

"Could you recommend a few affordable items for gifts?"

I didn't have much money to spare.

***

It wasn't a bad choice.

'Everyone will like it, I'm sure.'

It's a common practice to bring gifts when returning from overseas trips. Once, I went on a trip with friends and accidentally spent all my money, so I came back without any gifts. My mother didn't speak to me for a week.

'That was really tough.'

Not bringing gifts can really hurt people's feelings.

Of course, this wasn't a trip but a business trip, but it's still good to bring back gifts when you return from somewhere. That's part of social life.

'I'm... not wrong...'

I spent most of the money I brought, but I convinced myself and bought several items as gifts for Wei Zhiyan, Jiang Biao, Bai Linghua, Wang Xi, and the mountain club members. I also bought some for Pang Gui and Sima Yu, choosing the cheapest ones.

Only then did I feel at ease and could ask the owner about the reason I came here.

"Actually, I heard that you have some business dealings with the Ami Sect."

The tea house owner nodded and replied,

"Ami Sect... Yes, we do supply tea leaves to them. It's only once or twice a month, though."

"Is that so? Do you know if their gates are currently open?"

When I asked, he smiled somewhat wistfully and replied,

"I heard from a friend who went to deliver the tea that the gates of the Ami Sect have reopened."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's certain."

I thought it was fortunate and was about to leave, but I decided to ask a few more questions in case he knew something useful.

"Do you happen to know anything about the murder at the Ami Sect?"

"Yes, but why are you asking...?"

"Actually, I have some business there, and I thought it would be good to know a bit in advance."

I thought there might be some information that could help me persuade the Swordswoman of the West.

He then made a slightly awkward expression and started to tell me what he knew about the murder at the Ami Sect.

"Hmm, well..."

***

The Ami Sect has historically been a sect where the influence of the elders was strong, while the sect leader was relatively weak compared to other major sects.

One could say it had a structure similar to a constitutional monarchy. The sect leader wasn't a mere puppet, but they didn't have the full authority of the sect like the leaders of other sects.

Therefore, the successive sect leaders have tried to solve this problem, but the results were not very successful. To establish the authority of the sect leader, they needed to achieve something significant, but over the past few hundred years, the Ami Sect leaders haven't left any significant marks in the martial world.

This power structure issue often led to conflicts between the sect leader faction and the elder faction, with the most representative case being the Wulin Alliance's two-representative dispatch incident last year.

Originally, major sects and families would send representatives to the Wulin Alliance every one to two years to deliberate on martial world affairs.

It's a concept similar to a UN ambassador. However, due to opposition from the elder faction, the Ami Sect had difficulty selecting a representative. The angry sect leader then unilaterally selected one and sent them.

'Politics shouldn't be done that way. No matter how frustrated, you need to consult.'

But the elder faction wasn't normal either. When they found out the sect leader had sent a representative, they also decided to send their own, selecting one and sending them.

The two representatives fought over who was the true representative of the Ami Sect at the Wulin Alliance, which became the Wulin Alliance's two-representative dispatch incident.

'No matter how angry you are, you shouldn't show such a face to the outside world.'

The sect leader crossed the line first, but the elder faction also had a problem. While they might fight internally, showing such a face to the outside world changes the situation.

If a jar leaks inside, it will leak outside too, but if it leaks outside, the problem becomes serious.

Due to this incident, the Ami Sect's reputation hit rock bottom. The elder faction eventually recalled the representative they sent, but the aftereffects still lingered within the sect.

The letter the Swordswoman of the West sent to Beigong Lin was around that time.

'Around then, the Swordswoman of the West started to stop inviting Beigong Lin to Ami Mountain.'

The owner said this much.

"However, this time, the body of that Jinzheng Shin was found. The cause of death is not certain, but it seems to be poisoning."

He then took a sip of tea with a bitter expression. I looked at his face and thought deeply.

'Poison...'

Poison is powerful, but it's not a very suitable tool for assassinating a martial artist. The lethal dose is different from that of ordinary people. Sometimes, a dose that would kill an ordinary person three times over doesn't affect a martial artist.

Moreover, it's hard to obtain. Simple poisons like poisonous mushrooms are one thing, but getting a proper poison strong enough to kill a martial artist is not easy.

It's not for nothing that there are no proper poison sects in the martial world besides the Tang Family and the Five Poison Sect. Handling poison is dangerous and difficult.

'Who could have obtained such a poison and carried out the deed?'

Curious, I asked if he knew what kind of poison was used. The tea house owner lowered his voice and said,

"Apparently, the body was somewhat unusual."

"Really?"

"The body was covered in red spots and was swollen. The doctor said he had never seen such a poison before."

It was indeed a strange symptom.

'Is there such a poison in the world?'

I'm not an expert in poisons, and there are countless poisons in the world, so it's possible. I shrugged and asked another question.

"If the sect gates are open, it means the culprit has been caught. Who was the culprit?"

I was worried if the culprit was the Swordswoman of the West. The tea house owner smiled wistfully and said,

"Well, the culprit... It's a bit strange."

I tilted my head, wondering what he meant, and he continued,

"A young servant girl, who was helping with miscellaneous tasks, is currently being accused. A jar containing poison was found in her room."

"A servant girl?"

"Yes. Before Jinzheng Shin died, she had the girl by her side, so no one else could have poisoned her..."

He trailed off.

He probably meant, 'No matter what, a young girl couldn't have committed such a heinous act.'

'A young girl planning an assassination with poison.'

Even in a world as ruthless as the martial world, it's a hard-to-believe story.

"So, everyone accepted it?"

"Well, I'm not sure. But there are still many discussions internally."

It seems many people didn't accept it.

"Thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome. I'm grateful that you bought some items. You won't be disappointed with the quality."

I thanked him and left the tea house.

Outside, it was as hot as summer. Looking at the bright sunlight, I thought about the current case.

'The Swordswoman of the West was definitely neutral.'

Given the current internal political struggles in the Ami Sect, it was highly likely that the Swordswoman of the West would consider moving positively.

Her letters to Beigong Lin also showed her discomfort being caught between the two factions.

The only problem was...

'Pantian Bai.'

The biggest risk was Pantian Bai's confession, as he had mentioned before. He planned to confess this time, and if it didn't work, he would marry someone else and start a family.

'I hope they get along well.'

That was my honest feeling.

I had developed a personal liking for Pantian Bai during our travels. I wanted him to do well.

From Beigong Lin's perspective, it would also be a good arrangement to run the Fengyun Mansion with her master.

'But if Pantian Bai confesses and gets rejected again, hmm...'

The most worrying part was that the Swordswoman of the West might feel burdened and not come to Mayixian.

'Getting involved in someone else's love life is the most troublesome thing.'

Getting involved in someone else's romantic affairs is not a wise thing to do. That's why people are hesitant to set up blind dates. Most of the time, they end up getting blamed.

I never received a blind date setup in modern times, partly because of the burden on the matchmakers.

'I shouldn't have felt so burdened.'

It was truly regrettable.

I pondered this issue as I returned to the inn. Pantian Bai was already awake.

"Where have you been?"

"I was gathering information about the Ami Sect. By the way..."

Just as I was about to speak, I noticed Pantian Bai's dirty, stained clothes and his beard discolored by soup stains. I sighed involuntarily.

'At this rate, there's no hope.'

When I sighed deeply, Pantian Bai frowned and asked,

"Why are you sighing at me like that?"

"It's nothing. But I heard the gates of the Ami Sect have reopened."

Pantian Bai's eyes flickered slightly.

"Hmm, then I need to go deliver the letter again."

"Yes. We plan to leave today. Get ready."

"Y-Yes, let's go."

Seeing Pantian Bai's slightly fearful expression, I was puzzled, but neither of us said anything more.

'Soon, he'll find out.'

We quickly prepared and headed straight for Aishan County.