One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo quickly changed clothes and made simple disguises in a secluded room in the backyard of the tea plantation. Chen Duo put on a hat and glasses to cover her overly conspicuous emerald green eyes, and changed into well-fitting overalls. She looked like an ordinary young girl from mainland China. However, her overly fair skin and overly quiet temperament were still slightly out of place with the surrounding environment, but it was much better than before.

Nie Lingfeng also slightly altered his eyebrows and skin tone to make himself look more "ordinary." He re-wrapped the "Suppressing the Mountain" scepter and the "Heart of the Earth Vein" crystal in a specially made cloth bag, hiding them close to his body to ensure that they would not reveal any flaws during the operation.

Ah Long brought over a simple breakfast—a few still-warm tea eggs and two cups of soy milk. Chen Duo was starving and ate quickly in small bites, but quietly. Nie Lingfeng also finished quickly to replenish his energy.

Everything was ready by 10 a.m.

"Let's go. I'll take you out the back door. Follow the path; it'll avoid the cameras and crowds on the main road." Yan Wen personally led them from the tea shop's back door into a narrower, quieter old alley. "Remember, Mengle Great Buddha Temple, 'Zen Tea Garden' on the back mountain, 2 PM. Stay alert and act according to the situation."

"Take care, Boss Yan Wen." Nie Lingfeng said goodbye for the last time, then pulled Chen Duo, who was already disguised, and blended into the sparse crowd in the old street.

Yan Wen stood at the back door, watching them disappear around the alleyway. The warm, peaceful smile on his face had vanished, replaced by deep worry. He looked up at the seemingly clear sky above Jinghong, which appeared to be clouded yet held a hint of impending doom, and murmured to himself:

"A storm is brewing... Lord Mountain God, can the person you have chosen withstand this tempest?"

"And that little girl... those eyes... they're so like the legendary ones... Sigh, I hope it's a blessing in disguise."

He shook his head, turned and walked back to the tea shop, gently closing the back door, temporarily shutting his heavy worries inside as well.

In the alley, Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo walked side by side, seemingly leisurely, but in reality, they were highly focused. Everything around them—the expressions of pedestrians, the movements of shops, the sound of cars coming from afar, even the slightest unusual energy fluctuation in the air—was carefully filtered and analyzed by Nie Lingfeng's perception.

Chen Duo followed closely behind him, her small face, framed by glasses, slightly lowered as if watching the road ahead. But her emerald eyes, peering through the lenses, warily scanned her surroundings. She could sense that among the seemingly ordinary crowd, there were indeed some… malicious gazes lurking. This feeling made her very uncomfortable, and it also caused the Phoenix True Fire within her to stir slightly, as if warning its master that danger was approaching.

Nie Lingfeng gently squeezed her hand, signaling her to calm down.

The road ahead is fraught with danger.

The afternoon tea party could be a source of hope, or it could be a deeper trap.

But they had no choice but to move forward.

After passing through several old streets, the flow of people gradually increased, and in the distance, the magnificent golden spire of Mengle Grand Buddha Temple could be faintly seen.

And those eyes lurking in the shadows, belonging to "Viper" or some other force, may have already locked onto their figures...

Mengle Grand Buddha Temple is not the most popular temple in Jinghong, but it is renowned among a niche group of tea drinkers and tourists seeking tranquility for its long history, exquisite architecture, and especially its secluded and serene gardens and Zen-inspired teahouses on the back hill. In the afternoon, sunlight filters through the leaves of tall Bodhi trees and palm trees, casting dappled shadows on the winding stone paths. The air is filled with the faint scents of sandalwood and herbs, along with the subtle aromas of tea wafting from the various teahouses. The distant chirping of insects and birds, and the faint sound of chanting from wooden fish drums, create a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city, as if an invisible door separates two worlds.

Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo mingled among the tourists and tea drinkers, some alone, some in pairs, as they slowly ascended the clean stone steps towards the "Zen Tea Garden" halfway up the mountain. Chen Duo, wearing a hat, glasses, and overalls, looked like an introverted little girl brought out by her parents to broaden her horizons, only overly quiet. Her bright green eyes, behind her lenses, warily scanned her surroundings, her small hand tightly holding Nie Lingfeng's. Nie Lingfeng, dressed as an ordinary tourist, appeared relaxed, his gaze peaceful. He seemed to be appreciating the green trees, red walls, and upturned eaves along the way, but in reality, he had heightened his senses to the extreme, like the most sophisticated radar, scanning every breath and every discordant fluctuation within a hundred meters.

"Zen Tea Garden" is a semi-open bamboo and wood structure teahouse built against the mountain, surrounded by clumps of green bamboo and several tall ancient tea trees, creating a truly serene environment. The teahouse is small, with bamboo curtains and screens dividing the interior into seven or eight relatively independent, yet not completely enclosed, tea seats. It was afternoon tea time, and about five or six tables were occupied. There were business people talking quietly, scholars enjoying tea and reading alone, and a few tables of young people who looked like tourists, fiddling with their phones and cameras. Everything seemed so normal, filled with the tranquil atmosphere of Zen tea ceremony.

Nie Lingfeng's gaze quickly swept over each table of guests in the teahouse, and finally landed on the most secluded tea table by the window, which was partially separated by a screen painted with ink bamboo.

Two people were already seated at the tea table.

The person at the head of the table was an elderly man dressed in a dark gray linen meditation robe, with gray hair, a lean face, and a calm demeanor. He was leisurely arranging an antique purple clay tea set in front of him. His movements were fluid and graceful, carrying a composure and focus honed by the passage of time, as if everything around him was irrelevant. Nie Lingfeng could sense that the old man's aura was restrained and deep, his temples slightly bulging, clearly indicating considerable cultivation. Moreover, his energy and spirit were abundant, far from that of an ordinary tea master. This must be the trusted, senior contact person for the "company" in the area that Yan Wen had mentioned.

Opposite the old man, in the guest seat, sat a young man who looked to be no more than twenty years old, wearing a simple white T-shirt and khaki cargo pants, with slightly messy hair, languid eyebrows and eyes, resting his chin on his hand, nodding his head little by little, as if he was about to fall asleep in the aroma of tea at any moment.

Upon seeing this young man, Nie Lingfeng's tense nerves relaxed almost imperceptibly. Chen Duo, who had been standing close to him, seemed to sense something as well. Looking in that direction through her glasses, a hint of doubt flashed in her emerald eyes, followed by realization, and then a subtle sense of relief that only comes with seeing a familiar and reliable person.

He is the king.

This guy, who seems capable of falling asleep anytime, anywhere, and whose lazy demeanor makes him stand out from his surroundings, actually appeared here. And judging from his posture, he clearly didn't just happen to be passing by.

Nie Lingfeng pulled Chen Duo into the teahouse, pretending to look for seats, and very "naturally" walked towards the quiet tea seat by the window.

"Sir, is anyone here?" Nie Lingfeng stopped outside the screen and asked in a normal voice.

The old man fiddling with the tea set looked up, saw Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo, and smiled kindly, waving his hand: "No one's here, please sit. Are you two here to enjoy tea too? The 'Zen Tea' in the back mountain has a unique flavor."

"Yes, I heard the tea here is good and the environment is quiet, so I brought my sister here to sit for a while." Nie Lingfeng said, pulling Chen Duo to sit down in an empty seat next to the tea table. Chen Duo sat obediently next to Nie Lingfeng, took off her hat and glasses, and carefully placed them aside. Her emerald green eyes looked at Wang Ye across from her, who seemed to have entered a light sleep. Her little face didn't have any special expression, but the subtle sense of relief in her eyes was more obvious.

The old man smiled, asked no further questions, and began skillfully warming the cup, placing the tea leaves, and brewing. The aroma of the tea, unique to fine ripe Pu'er tea, filled the air with the rising steam.

"Please." The old man pushed two cups of clear, bright red tea toward Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo.

"Thank you." Nie Lingfeng picked up his teacup, but didn't drink it immediately. Instead, he looked at Wang Ye, who was sleeping soundly across from him, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips. His tone was calm, but carried a hint of teasing that only close friends would understand: "Young Master Wang, are you... enjoying tea in your dreams? Or is the aroma of this tea more effective than sleeping pills?"

Upon hearing the title "Young Master Wang," Wang Ye, who had been "resting" with his eyes closed, twitched his eyelashes. Then, extremely slowly, as if he had used a great deal of effort to pull himself out of his "sleep," he opened his seemingly sleepy but actually excessively clear eyes, which seemed to reflect people's hearts.

He blinked blankly for a moment, his gaze unfocused as it floated in the air, before he seemed to "find" the source of the sound. He slowly turned to Nie Lingfeng, glanced at Chen Duo beside him, and finally looked at the cup of tea in front of him that had long since gone cold.