Chapter 67

As both sides finished their tea-making procedures, the incense on the table had just extinguished. At this moment, Yue Lin, Yang Wanli, and the ten judges led by Mr. Wu all entered the pavilion.

Following Yue Lin's indication, the ten judges began to comment on the tea made by both sides.

"Wait! I have something to say!" Just as the ten judges led by Mr. Wu were about to start tasting, Lu Fan suddenly stopped them.

Mr. Wu and the others were puzzled, not understanding what this young man intended to do.

At this moment, Ye Mingzhi, who had been standing aside, seized the opportunity and mocked, "Tea ceremony isn't something you can talk your way through! The situation is already settled. Are you afraid?"

Ye Mingzhi's sarcastic remarks caused the onlookers to burst into laughter.

However, Yue Lin, who was presiding over the tea competition, showed no surprise, as if he had anticipated this. He asked, "What do you have to say?"

"Sir, I want a fair judgment!" Lu Fan bowed deeply to Yue Lin and stated his suggestion.

"Rubbish! Do you think we ten judges are biased?" Mr. Wu, hearing this, immediately flew into a rage, unable to wait for Yue Lin to speak. He had just regarded this young man differently, but now he was furious at the young man's suspicion of his fairness.

"You insolent brat, too arrogant!"

"Arrogant to the extreme! We have been judges of the tea competition for many years. How can you make such baseless accusations?"

"..."

Following Mr. Wu's angry outburst, the others also chimed in, expressing their dissatisfaction with Lu Fan to Yue Lin.

Yue Lin waved his hand to silence the crowd. After the commotion subsided, he frowned and looked around, his gaze falling on Mr. Wu: "Lu Fan is appealing to me, and he hasn't even explained his reasons yet. How can you all be so noisy? Do you still respect me?"

Although his voice was not loud, the authority of his position made everyone shudder, especially Mr. Wu, who was the first to lead the charge. He bowed in fear and said, "Sir, please forgive my overstepping!"

As soon as Mr. Wu finished speaking, the others also apologized to the magistrate. However, Yue Lin seemed unimpressed and continued to glare at them coldly without a word.

At this moment, Yang Wanli played a good mediating role. Seeing the stalemate, he said solemnly, "Would Magistrate Yue stoop to your level? Although Master Lu's words were inappropriate, there must be a reason! Are you all so old and numerous that you can't listen to others' suggestions?"

"Magistrate Yang is right! We know our fault!"

Yue Lin snorted coldly, ignoring Mr. Wu and Ye Mingxin, and asked Lu Fan, "Explain your reasons! If they are reasonable, I will give you a fair judgment. If you are just talking nonsense, I will punish you for making false statements in public!"

"I will not talk nonsense. I stood out among many tea friends because the judges were fair and not influenced by external interests. But in this final round, the judges may be influenced!"

At this point, Lu Fan paused, then continued seriously, "For example, you all habitually think that the Ye family's tea is the best, and all others are inferior. Also, you are all owners of tea shops in this state, and the Ye family is the largest tea merchant. How can you truly be impartial, given the personal connections and favors? Perhaps I am judging you by my own low standards..."

Sigh!

Lu Fan's words left everyone stunned. Although the ten judges led by Mr. Wu wanted to defend their position, they could not deny that Lu Fan's words made sense. They looked at each other, unsure how to respond.

Ye Mengxin, hearing this, said coldly, "Our family has always won the tea championship with real skills. How can it be as you say? Lu Fan, don't slander our family's reputation!"

"That's not impossible. Perhaps Master Lu's words are the reason why the Ye family has won the championship for eight consecutive sessions!" Yue Sanlang, who had been watching the competition, now spoke up in support of Lu Fan.

"You!..."

"Enough, no more arguments! Lu Fan, your words are not without reason. How do you think we can achieve fairness?" Yue Lin calmed the crowd and then turned the topic back to Lu Fan.

"In my opinion, we should select ten tea friends from today's participants to witness the judgment together with the ten judges. Tea ceremony is not just one person's tea ceremony. What do you think, sir?"

"Then, Master Lu, what is tea ceremony?" Yue Sanlang asked with interest, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.

Yue Sanlang's question made Lu Fan pause, and the others were also taken aback. They thought this was not a simple question. Now that Lu Fan was talking about tea ceremony, they were curious to hear his views.

At this moment, Lu Fan seemed to recall something, then shook his head and sighed, "If asked in the past, I would have said, 'Taoist tea ceremony is for health, Buddhist tea ceremony is for enlightenment, and Confucian tea ceremony is for self-cultivation...'"

"However, when discussing these theories and profound realms with my benefactor, he ridiculed and despised them! He said that the way of tea is nothing more than the insights of later generations that have given it life! It's just a leaf, what profound meaning does it have? It's just the bitterness, sweetness, and astringency of life poured into this leaf! The so-called tea ceremony is actually very simple: those who understand tea can gain insights into life; those who understand a little can understand life; those who don't understand can quench their thirst... That's all. Why should there be any distinction of high and low, noble and humble?"

After Lu Fan finished speaking, the scene suddenly became unusually quiet. This analysis of tea ceremony was like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of these tea experts who had been immersed in tea for many years.

Although many still disagreed, Mr. Wu, the most authoritative judge, widened his eyes, and his cloudy eyes sparkled with rare vitality. He looked at Lu Fan and asked solemnly, "Well said, 'Why should there be any distinction of high and low, noble and humble?' I have always been asking myself what tea ceremony is, but I never expected it to be such a simple truth! May I ask, who is your benefactor, young man?"

"Mr. Wu, you know him. He is Ye Gong's son, Ye Yu. I heard that Ye Gong once discussed tea with you, so you should have some impression!"

Seeing the right moment, Yue Lin spoke on behalf of Lu Fan. He had already received a letter from Ye Yu, saying that he would send someone to participate in this tea competition, and that person was Lu Fan.

"It's him!?"

When Yue Lin mentioned Ye Yu's name, the four people present were stunned. Ye Mengxin and his son's faces immediately turned dark upon hearing Ye Yu's name. Yue Sanlang, standing behind Yue Lin, was also stunned, then her cheeks flushed and her eyes blazed, as she recalled the scene from the Lantern Festival.

"Truly, the student has surpassed the teacher! His skills far exceed those of Menggeng in the past!" Mr. Wu, after his surprise, sighed with relief. "Sir, I have no objection to Master Lu's proposal!"

With Mr. Wu leading the way, the others had no choice but to agree. Thus, Yue Lin selected ten people from the participants to join the judges in evaluating the tea-making skills of both sides.

In a regular tea competition, the quality of the tea is judged by its color and appearance. The best tea is pure white and does not disperse when poured into the cup. However, both Ye Mengxin and Lu Fan were experts in tea competition, so these rules were not a problem. The only way to judge was by the true flavor of the tea.

When everyone sat down to taste the tea, the fire in Ye Mengxin's teapot had already gone out, while the fire in Lu Fan's teapot was still smoldering.

Although Ye Mengxin knew that the best time for tasting had passed, he, as the previous champion, could not back down, or he would be laughed at. Therefore, he instructed his son, Ye Mingzhi, to prepare the teacups and pour twenty cups of tea for the judges. However, he did not expect that ten more people would be added to the judging, so the amount of tea he prepared was insufficient.

On the other hand, Lu Fan had no such concern because the capacity of the purple-black teapot was just right for twenty people.

To prevent any accidents, Lu Fan personally poured the tea for everyone. After everything was ready, both sides waited for the results.

"The Longtuan Shengxue tea has a delicate and elegant fragrance, truly a supreme tea!"

"Yes, it's fresh and refreshing, leaving a lingering aroma. Excellent! Excellent!"

"..."

Everyone first tasted Ye Mengxin's tea and praised its flavor. When it was Mr. Wu's turn to taste, he nodded and said, "The taste is sweet, clear, and fragrant, and the aroma is long-lasting. The best way to prepare it is with water that has been boiled five times, but it is slightly cool, which is not the best time for tasting. The tea's strength has not fully developed, making it slightly astringent, which is a minor flaw. However, it is still a top-quality tea!"

After tasting Ye Mengxin's tea, it was Lu Fan's turn.

When everyone tasted Lu Fan's tea, they were all stunned. No one could identify what kind of tea it was, not even the respected old tea expert, Mr. Wu, who could not determine the name of the tea after tasting it for a long time.

Everyone whispered and discussed, but no one could figure out what the tea was. They all looked at Mr. Wu for an answer.

Facing the questioning gazes of the crowd, Mr. Wu nodded and said, "This tea has a misty top, a clear greenish-yellow broth, and a vibrant yellow-green leaf bottom. The taste is smooth and sweet, the aroma is like orchids, and the flavor is deep and long-lasting.

The ancients said that the smaller the teapot, the better it can retain the true flavor of the tea. However, this teapot is slightly larger, yet it can still make the aroma last longer, which is truly remarkable. If we judge by its flavor, it can be considered a supreme tea..."

The praise from Mr. Wu and the others left everyone in awe of the quality of the tea. Especially the ten tea friends who were part of the judging panel, all felt that Lu Fan's tea had surpassed Ye Mengxin's.

Mr. Wu looked up at Lu Fan and asked, "I have been tasting tea for decades, and whether it's new or old tea, I can usually identify its origin or guess it with high accuracy. But I cannot identify this tea. What is its name?"

Wow!

If even Mr. Wu couldn't identify the tea, what kind of tea was it? Could it be a new famous tea? But if it were a famous tea, they would have heard of it. For a moment, everyone was in an uproar.

"To be honest, this tea was found by my benefactor, and I processed it. As for its name, it has not been decided yet."

Lu Fan pointed to the purple-black teapot on the table and said solemnly, "I dare not take credit for this teapot. It was recently made by my benefactor, who specifically instructed me to use it in the tea competition. This teapot is best suited for making tea, as it does not overpower the true aroma of the tea and does not give it a cooked flavor. It can maintain the color, aroma, and taste of the tea for a long time..."