Translator: Myuu Editor: Myuu
Yan Liqiang didn’t find anything particularly unacceptable about making a pot of tea for an old eunuch, nor did he find it humiliating. In fact, he had a great mindset toward this.
When he was still a greenhorn in his career back in his previous life, for the sake of forming good relationships with clients to secure a deal, he not only made tea for clients, but also did things like cleaning his client’s toilet bowl at their house, fixing the water pipes, and carrying an elderly up the stairs on his back. Not to mention, he also had the experience of visiting places with his things and a smile, but ended up getting thrown out. In comparison to those experiences, making a pot of tea was a mere trifle.
If Eunuch Liu were a client of his, he would definitely be a very important, major client. In reality, Eunuch Liu was not only a major client, but also his superior. This made it even less of an issue for Yan Liqiang.
Yan Liqiang secretly sympathized with the eunuch, but there was no discrimination.
The water on the small stove had started boiling. Yan Liqiang focused on fanning the fire. When the firewood in the stove was almost burned up, Yan Liqiang tossed in a few more from the wooden box next to the stove. That firewood was not ordinary firewood either, they seemed to be branches from osmanthus trees.
Yan Liqiang estimated the time. When the water on the small stove was completely boiled, and he let it boil for almost another five minutes before he lifted the kettle up. Using his tea drinking experience in his previous life, he carefully washed his hands with water at the side, then picked up the tea set. He first rinsed all the vessels with hot water, rinsed the tea leaves, filled the teapot up again, and covered it before he finally poured it into the drinking cups. He then served the cup of tea he had prepared to the old eunuch with both hands.
Yan Liqiang had no idea what kind of tea he had just brewed, but it was probably very expensive tea. When the tea leaves were soaked in the boiling water, they rolled in the water like delicate bamboo leaves. The aroma of the verdant tea leaves wafted from the cup, carrying the fragrance of the spring breeze.
“Eunuch Liu, the tea is ready…”
When Yan Liqiang was making the tea just now, Eunuch Liu was still lying on the recliner and basking in the sun. He seemed to be relaxing, but he cracked his eye open to observe Yan Liqiang’s every move, not missing even the slightest change in his expression and his hand movement.
Eunuch Liu only changed his posture when Yan Liqiang brought the tea he had prepared before him. Eunuch Liu got up into a sitting position and stretched his body before he reached out for the teacup.
“Be careful, Eunuch Liu. The tea is still quite hot…” Yan Liqiang instinctively reminded him.
“Well, I like my tea hot…” The old eunuch squinched his eyes at Yan Liqiang and picked up the teacup without a care.
Yan Liqiang’s eyes immediately widened because the moment that old eunuch picked up the teacup, it was as though the steam rising from the tea inside the cup was frozen at once. By the time the old eunuch’s lips touched the rim of the teacup, a thin layer of frost seemed to have formed on the surface of that exquisite teacup. The old eunuch then promptly downed the scalding hot tea of nearly a hundred degrees Celsius along with the tea leaves. He even smacked his lips as though he wasn’t satisfied yet…
So it seemed like this old eunuch was also an expert.
Yan Liqiang was quite surprised.
The old eunuch set the cup down, cast a glance at Yan Liqiang, and finally nodded. The tone of his voice greatly softened too. “Not bad. You are someone who knows your etiquette well. Good. Where did you learn this set of tea-making etiquette?”
“I wasn’t taught, I merely learned this from past observation!”
“Where are you from?”
“Pingxi Prefecture in Gan Province!”
“What do your parents do for a living? It is certainly not easy to be chosen by Lord Sun. I am guessing you are from an influential bureaucratic clan?”
“My hometown is in the countryside. My father is a blacksmith who makes a living by smithing weapons in the village. We are not that wealthy. It has always been just me and my father since I was young. I haven’t gotten much experience in the ways of the world. Therefore, I would like to ask for Eunuch Liu to forgive any errors and negligence on my part. I am indeed fortunate to be chosen by Lord Sun!”
“Not bad, not bad. No wonder you know your manners well. I see that you are actually a child from an underprivileged family too…” The old eunuch’s gaze on Yan Liqiang softened slightly.
The fact that Eunuch Liu said ‘too’ allowed Yan Liqiang to instantly gain some understanding about his family history and sympathy for him. After all, not many people who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth would choose to become a eunuch. Despite the fact that these eunuchs seemed to hold high positions, authority, and were fawned upon by others, they actually had it rough.
“Eunuch Xue from the palace sent someone here to deliver his regards yesterday. He mentioned that you always followed Lord Sun faithfully by his side, and that he regarded you very highly for your diligence and contributions. Lord Sun serves the Emperor. Serving him means that you also serve the Emperor. Therefore, your contributions and loyalty toward Lord Sun are also for His Majesty. I am fond of competent individuals who are loyal to His Majesty!”
“I have only done what is expected of me!”
“Ah, yes, Eunuch An also complimented your outstanding talent for attaining the Third Heavenly Layer in your cultivation in the art of archery at such an age. He also mentioned that you could draw a powerful five-picul bow and stand against a hundred enemies alone with just a bow in your hands. When you were escorting Lord Sun on his return journey, you killed over a hundred Blackwind Bandits alone and scared them out of their wits. Is that true?” Eunuch Liu suddenly looked at Yan Liqiang with great interest.
“This outcome was only made possible through the united effort of all the guards!”
“Did you bring that powerful five-picul bow here?”
“I did. I left it with the rhinodrake steed I rode here!”
“Little Li, you are a fast runner. Go fetch his bow and a quiver of arrows…!”
At Eunuch Liu’s order, the little eunuch who was rocking his recliner responded and immediately ran outside. In just a short while, he returned with Yan Liqiang’s Horned Python Bow and a quiver of arrows.
Eunuch Liu finally stood up from the recliner. He accepted the bow bag and took out the Horned Python Bow. After giving it a try, he nodded. “Not bad. This is indeed a powerful five-picul bow…” He handed the Horned Python Bow to Yan Liqiang after he finished speaking. “How far can you shoot with this bow?”
“Within the range of a thousand meters.” Yan Liqiang replied nonchalantly. At this moment, he knew that the old eunuch wanted to assess his capabilities, so there was nothing for him to hide.
“Oh? I would really love to see it!” Eunuch Liu raised his eyebrows and scanned around the courtyard. In the end, his eyes lit up as he suddenly pointed into the distant sky. “Do you see that kite? Do you think you can hit it?”
The kite that Eunuch Liu pointed to was at least six to seven hundred meters away from the courtyard Yan Liqiang was in. Not only that, it was flying at an altitude of more than two hundred meters in the sky. The swallow-shaped kite about the size of a bamboo dustpan was gliding in the spring breeze.
Ordinary people could probably only barely make out that there was a kite flying in the sky across this distance with their vision.
From the looks of it, that kite was being flown in Deer Villa. Yan Liqiang wasn’t sure who had the time to be flying a kite here either…
“I will try…” Yan Liqiang looked at the kite with his squinted eyes, then retrieved an arrow. He weighed the arrow on his hand for a moment before he gently nocked it onto the bowstring of the Horned Python Bow. He slowly lifted his bow and aimed into the distant sky. Just when he was about to pull the bowstring back, he suddenly stopped to ask a question. “Oh right, Eunuch Liu. A crowd might be standing in the area beneath that kite. If I shoot like this, the arrow might fall into the crowd and injure the innocent bystanders or even kill them!”
“Hahaha, I did not expect you to consider things so thoroughly in spite of your young age!” The old eunuch laughed. “Rest assured, I wouldn’t approve of such disgraceful acts like taking lives lightly either. The areas beneath and behind the kite consist of Deer Villa’s forest. There’s no one around so you need not worry…”
“Great!” Yan Liqiang nodded and promptly drew the Horned Python Bow open like a full moon.
Yan Liqiang’s eyes narrowed as he immersed himself into the concept of archery. After seven or eight seconds of silence, his bowstring vibrated and the arrow flew out from his grasp like a thunderbolt with a whoosh…
Under the watchful gaze of Eunuch Liu and his two little eunuchs in the courtyard,
the kite in the sky fluttered almost as soon as Yan Liqiang’s arrow was released. It was then carried away by the wind and vanished without a trace.
Yan Liqiang didn’t aim for the kite. He instead cut off the string that was attached to it.
Compared to the size of the kite, its string was so fine that it was barely visible. Over this distance, just being able to spot the kite in the sky was not an easy feat for ordinary people. Most people wouldn’t even be able to see the string, let alone shoot it. More importantly, since the kite was swaying, the string attached to it was also moving. One can only imagine the challenge of hitting such a target…
This required not only the Third Heavenly Layer in archery, but also great strength, good control, and ability to judge the surrounding environment — including wind speed, temperature, humidity, and other factors that might influence the arrow’s trajectory and its precision — alongside that frightening eyesight. Not a single one of these conditions could be dispensed with.
The Third Heavenly Layer in archery made it possible to hit the kite. Yet the comprehensive strength exhibited in being able to hit the string below the kite far exceeded the standard of the Third Heavenly Layer in archery…
The moment Yan Liqiang released the arrow, the courtyard instantly fell silent.
