The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 95 Tea has five flavors, the smart black boy's surname is Bao
The spirit deer drove out of Fuyun County, and Xuanming released his spiritual sense, looking at the scenery along the way as he walked, not only with his eyes but also with his heart.

I saw trees lining the official road, watched ants moving in the soil, heard birds singing, and saw wild geese flying south.

Some common people walk in groups, their straw sandals are worn out, and they develop extraordinary leg strength; some nobles pass by in carriages, living a life of luxury, and their skin becomes delicate and tender.

I keep every detail of Xuanming in my heart, and I don't force myself to go through it. It's best if I gain something, but it doesn't matter if I don't gain any insights. I have been here, I have been here, and a piece of scenery is reflected in my heart, which makes me satisfied.

Rest when you are tired of running, and walk when you don’t want to run anymore. Xuanming let the spirit deer do what it wants and didn’t urge him to hurry, as long as he didn’t miss the agreed time.

Half an hour later, a large city came into view, with towering six-meter-high city walls, majestic towers, and mottled bricks and stones full of traces of time. The entire city was ancient and weathered, with hidden runes hidden in it. With the city as the center, the four urban districts were connected to form a large formation.

From afar, one can see numerous magnificent buildings towering above the city walls, lined up one after another with protruding eaves, offering a glimpse of the prosperity of the city.

The spirit deer carrying the white-haired Taoist priest slowly appeared on the official road smoothly and gracefully. The traces along the way became evidence. It did not arouse any suspicion from passers-by. Just to avoid causing trouble, in the eyes of outsiders, the spirit deer turned into a donkey, and the black bird also descended from the sky, folded its wings, and stood on the donkey.

Getting off the donkey and looking up at the huge formation, Xuanming took out his certificate of ordination. The soldier guarding the city took it, checked it with a look of surprise, handed it back with both hands and saluted with a fist. Xuanming also took it with both hands and returned the salute politely.

After passing the city, the sight is bustling, with all kinds of shops and vendors rushing in. Those with wide doors and tall buildings are gorgeously decorated, while those with narrow doors and low buildings are simple and warm. There are shouts, hawking, reminiscing, outings, conversations between fathers and daughters, quarrels between couples, bargaining, the smell of noodles, chicken, boiling sugar, flowers, and wine...

Walking in it, you can hear laughter, scolding, and see all kinds of life in the market. Leading the donkey (deer), Xuanming paces slowly, from outside the mountain to the world of mortals. The last trace of otherworldly air on his body is washed away by the smoke and fireworks, and he becomes simple and unpretentious, becoming a member of the vast majority of living beings and a scene in the world of mortals.

Occasionally when he comes across a snack that he likes, he will buy one portion and share it with one person, one deer and one bird. Since one must temper his mind in the worldly life, one cannot be pretentious. Food, clothing, housing and transportation are the most important things in the world. Eat when you should eat and drink when you should drink. The mundane life of grains and cereals is the most exhausting, but it also contains the best flavors of the world.

Birds of a feather flock together. The east is rich and the west is noble. This is the pattern of most cities in the Great Xuan Divine Dynasty. However, as a high-ranking official in the Guangfa Division, Hai Fengming lives in the South City, living next to the common people and some minor officials and clerks. It is rare to see wealthy families, but there is the hustle and bustle of the city alleys, and the smell of family gossip, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea is stronger.

Walking there, Xuanming was like Granny Liu who entered the Grand View Garden for the first time. He was dazzled by the sight, as if every house and courtyard, every brick and tile, every blade of grass and every tree contained interesting things.

Houses of the same area appear spacious in homes with fewer people and crowded in homes with more people. Some families have three generations living together, while others live together with other families. But no matter which type, most families who know how to live will divide and utilize the space as properly as possible. This is the true meaning of building a temple in a snail shell.

---

After passing through several alleys, a slightly elegant house came into view. Three servants and one master stood in front of the door. The leader was Hai Fengming, who was dressed simply and had a smile on his face.

"I'm sorry for not welcoming you, my distinguished guest from afar. Please come in!"

"You are too polite, please!"

After quickly handing the gift to the old servant, Xuanming walked into Hai's house and looked around. The courtyard was no different from other people's homes, except that it was a little larger and well-maintained. The jujube trees, vegetable garden, and grape trellises were all clearly separated. A small flower bed in the middle and a few well-tended tea trees in the corner showed the owner's elegant taste.

"My humble abode is simple, I am sorry to have embarrassed you, fellow Taoist."

"This is a humble room, but my virtue is good, and my fellow Taoist has good character. This is very good for now, and I feel very comfortable."

Xuanming said sincerely, without giving too much praise, but gave the highest evaluation.

Hai Fengming smiled when he heard this.

Hai Yannian hesitated several times, fearing that he would miss the point of courtesy, but he really wanted to ask. Seeing this from the corner of his eye, Hai Fengming scolded angrily, "Look at how useless you are!"

Seeing Xuanming's curiosity, he explained, "To be honest, I have been eyeing your spiritual deer for a long time. I had planned to invite you to come as a guest last year to taste the spiritual dates in the courtyard. I didn't expect that you were in seclusion last year and the tree broke through the realm, so the dates matured a year later. It seems that this crop of spiritual dates is destined to be with you.

Since the beginning of autumn, this guy has been urging me to send invitations to fellow Taoists as soon as possible, and now he has got what he wanted. "

Hai Yannian immediately bowed and smiled awkwardly: "I am sorry for being so rude, Master."

After saying this, he looked at his master with resentment. Is there anyone who would expose someone's shortcomings right away?
This made Hai Fengming laugh. Xuanming also stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It's okay. It's very rare to see a true character."

He tapped the donkey's head with his finger, and the light changed, revealing the true appearance of the spirit deer. Hai Yannian's eyes lit up and he was overjoyed. Changshou raised his head slightly, with a proud look on his face.

Ignoring the man, the deer and the bird, Xuanming and Hai Fengming went inside to have a detailed discussion.

---

The interior decoration was simple, comfortable, elegant and generous. The two of them sat opposite each other. Hai Yannian was smart and immediately served them freshly brewed jujube tea and a few plates of cakes that they rarely had on weekdays. Then he retreated respectfully and went to play with the spirit deer.

"I don't have many good things at home, but this spiritual date is worth the first-class quality. Please, Taoist friend!"

Hai Fengming spoke, and Xuanming looked at the three cups of tea in front of him, picked up one of them at will, opened the lid, and a rich aroma of dates and tea mixed with the aroma blew in his face. The hot steam was dense, condensed and did not dissipate, turning into a small red cloud and soaking into the tea.

Looking down carefully, the tea soup is bright red and full in color. The jujube paste and tea leaves are crushed just right. There is a red date floating on it, which is exquisite and cute. It is matched with wolfberry and autumn chrysanthemum, and the appearance and color are good. Take a sip, the tea soup goes down your throat, with both sweet and bitter tastes, and the lips and teeth are full of jujube fragrance. If you taste it carefully, there are some salty, spicy and sour tastes, but it is not astringent, but rather has a taste of the world.

“It turns out that some ginger juice was added.”

After understanding it, Xuanming said sincerely: "Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty, a tea contains all five flavors of the world, but it does not dominate the main flavor. The blend is just right. Very good! Very wonderful!"

"As long as fellow Taoist likes it."

Hai Fengming smiled and picked up a cup of five-flavor tea.

Afterwards, Xuanming tasted two other jujube teas: one was prepared at midnight last night, with a silvery color, as if the jujube fragrance was filled with moonlight, refreshing and refreshing, and could relieve internal heat and reduce noise; the other was called Seven Jujube Tea, which was made using an ancient method, with some jujubes fried, giving a subtle feeling of life and death intertwined. Xuanming gave reasonable comments on both, but his favorite was the Five Flavors Tea. Different people have different tastes, and different preferences and tastes lead to different choices, just like some people like humanities and geography, while others are interested in landscapes, and there is no other reason.

No matter which one the guests liked, Hai Fengming was happy. They drank tea and chatted. The two of them talked about everything under the sun, and the more they talked, the more they got along. Later, they even played chess, using black and white chess pieces to interpret the formations of the two families.

At first, Hai Fengming had the upper hand, but after a few rounds, Xuanming gained some insight and gradually made up for the disadvantage. Although he still defended more than attacked, he had to spend more effort to win.

After ten games, seeing that Xuanming was getting more and more courageous, Hai Fengming slowed down his moves. At this time, he heard the familiar sound of children playing outside the door and a knock on the door. He looked delighted, put down the chess pieces, and got up to open the door himself.

Looking at the chessboard that was "inadvertently" disrupted, Xuanming speechlessly glanced at Hai Fengming who seemed to be about to flee in panic. I never thought that you are such a person in private, Lord Hai!
---

He shook his head and stood up, with Xuanming following behind him.

When he walked out of the hall, he saw several children standing at the door. Hai Fengming took out a few spiritual dates, one for each child. Although the spiritual dates had mild energy, for children who were just ordinary people, one was enough and they should not eat more, otherwise it would do more harm than good.

The children took the dates and thanked him in a familiar manner, and it was obvious that they often interacted with Hai Fengming.

"Oh! Sir, you have guests at home today. How rare!"

One of them, who seemed a bit clever and was obviously the leader of the kids, had a dark face. When he saw Xuanming, he exclaimed in surprise, and then took the lead in saluting Xuanming, and it was actually the Legalist salute. Although it was a bit out of place, like a little kid pretending to be an adult, it made people laugh, but their expressions were serious.

Xuanming also returned the Taoist salute seriously. The kids immediately felt embarrassed and left with shy laughter.

After closing the door, Hai Fengming turned around and explained, "They are all children from the neighborhood. They are simple and honest. Don't be surprised, fellow Taoist."

Waving his hands, Xuanming said with a smile: "The child's heart is pure and clean. I am only happy. It seems that fellow Taoist gets along well with his neighbors."

No one asked why the precious spiritual dates were given to mortals. Some things have no reason, and you just do them when you want to. Is there really a fundamental difference between mortals and cultivators?

Everyone has his or her own opinion, and there is no absolute right or wrong. In Xuanming's eyes, although their appearances are different, their hearts are similar. They are all creations of heaven and earth, and they all have the same true spirit. What Lord Hai did is very much to his liking.

Hai Fengming also breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Master Xuanming would completely separate cultivators from mortals. In the past, a friend came to visit him and was dissatisfied with this. After many fruitless arguments, he gradually drifted away.

Now it seems that this Taoist priest is not bad.

The two had a very good impression of each other. Although it was the second time they met, they were like old friends who had known each other for a long time. They both tried hard to show their truest sides. If it worked, they would continue to interact, and if not, they would fade away.

"Daoyou, do you and I want to play another round?"

Catching the mischievous look in Xuanming's eyes, Hai Fengming smiled bitterly and said, "Daoyou has a good command of formations, and his comprehension is amazing. I am not good at formations, and I am afraid I will lose if I continue. I will not play again."

Xuanming said: "Then bring another cup of five-flavor tea so that I can drink to my heart's content."

Hai Fengming spoke frankly about his fear of losing, and Xuanming spoke sincerely about wanting tea. The two looked at each other and smiled knowingly, with a tacit understanding between them.

Bang bang bang!
There was another knock on the door. When the door was opened, it was the same child king. He was holding a bamboo basket with some fruits in it. He skillfully placed the basket on the table in the yard and said in childish words:
"My mother said that the master has taken good care of us orphans and widows. It would be fine if she didn't know that the master was entertaining guests today, but now that she knows, she can't pretend to be deaf and dumb. There is nothing good at home. These are vegetables and fruits grown by ourselves. If the master and the guests don't mind, just accept them. I will come to get the basket tomorrow."

Hai Fengming and Xuanming expressed their opinions, saying that they liked it very much. The children were happy and bowed and left.

"Sir, if it's not enough, just shout Bao Renyi in the alley and I will definitely bring it to you."

Thinking about it later, he felt that this move was not very suitable for the master. After looking around and not finding the familiar figure in the front yard, he reminded like a little adult: "It would be fine to ask Brother Yannian to come to the house."

After the kid left, Xuanming stroked his beard and said, "What a smart and clever kid."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "It's just a little darker."

Hai Fengming burst out laughing.

The two returned to the house to continue chatting. Hai Yannian, who was trying to please Linglu in the backyard, said proudly, "How is it? I said that the master could talk to the Taoist priest."

The deer snorted in dissatisfaction and urged Hai Yannian to feed it a spiritual date. Seeing that the deer was eating it with relish, he couldn't help but pick up one and started chewing it.

After swallowing half of it, Hai Yannian suddenly froze: "Did you sneeze just now?"

The deer raised its head with a proud smile. Although it didn't say it explicitly, its face clearly said: If you think it's dirty, then it's all mine! Mine! Mine!

Hai Yannian, who understood the meaning, remained silent. He looked at the spiritual dates, then looked at the spiritual deer. Seeing the latter's incredulous expression, he picked up one and continued to taste it.

"It's not clean, but you won't get sick if you eat it. Don't worry, I don't dislike you!"

The spirit deer stamps its hooves in a hurry. Is the key point the first half of the sentence? It’s the latter part! The latter part is the key point!

The black bird, which was concentrating on pecking dates, raised its eyes to glance at the man and the deer, with a speechless expression: childish!
Then I continued to taste the spiritual dates, thinking that I must show off to my friends in the mountains after returning.

In the evening, after dinner, Xuanming and Hai Fengming chatted about the flower-painting case that affected half of Fengyang County, and mentioned the identity of the Lord of the Underworld.

(End of this chapter)