I became the King of Ryukyu

Youzhou, Shunzhou, Jizhou, Zhuozhou, and other prefectures in southern Yan were territories ceded to the Liao Dynasty by Shi Jingtang. The Liao Dynasty had been managing these territories for a long time and remained relatively stable during the chaotic Five Dynasties period. Therefore, their prosperity was not much less than that of Hebei during the Song Dynasty.

In addition, Zhao Kuangyin led the battle-hardened army from the early Song Dynasty on his northern expedition to Youyun, and the army's discipline was still reasonably good. As a result, the people in this area were quite well off, and the restaurants and teahouses were thriving.

Today, Zheng Yi didn't care about passing through the pass. He took off his yellow robe, got on his donkey cart, and rushed towards the nearby town.

Upon arriving in town, Zheng Yi immediately went to the food stalls, grabbed a stick and gave them a good beating, then forced the bruised and battered shopkeepers and chefs to teach him how to make tea snacks.

The Song dynasty inherited the Tang system, while the Liao dynasty went even further.

The various prefectures south of Yan were originally Han territory, and the high-ranking officials and nobles of the Liao Kingdom were particularly fond of drinking tea.

At this time, the tea ceremony had shifted from the boiling method to the whisking method. Zheng Yi continued to enter the secret realm, beating up a tea master who seemed to be the most knowledgeable, and learned most of his whisking skills.

Moreover, the tea master was also skilled in making several kinds of tea-based snacks.

There are "Jade Pastry" made with green tea powder, "Danxin Cake" made with red bean paste mixed with black tea crumbs, and "Snow Bud Cake" smoked with jasmine tea.

Zheng Yi originally planned to die dozens of times to learn the basics of these techniques. However, after he was burned down by Liao soldiers in the teahouse for the tenth time and exited the secret realm, a new game prompt popped up in front of him.

You were burned to a crisp in the fire.

You are dead.

Your fire resistance has been slightly increased, and you have mastered the skill [Northern Song Dynasty Tea Ceremony]

……

September 26th, Saturday, heavy rain.

The more you worry about bad things happening, the more likely bad things are to happen to you—that's Murphy's Law.

Zheng Yi's feeling yesterday was right; today is indeed not a good day for travel.

I still turn off the alarm within three seconds of it ringing.

Zheng Yi was used to waking up early, and this time, not needing to go for a morning run, he felt somewhat lost.

I wonder if that old fisherman will be out working today.

Lost in thought, Zheng Yi had already brushed his teeth and washed his face according to muscle memory, then dressed neatly and went downstairs.

"This, this couldn't have been bought by your good brother at the fruit shop, could it?" Yuki had gotten up early and was now staring suspiciously at the exquisite and beautiful snacks in the bento box.

"Sister, since you've chosen to trust Brother Zheng Yi, you should trust him completely. Your secret unease is incredibly disloyal!"

Tetsuya, the chubby boy, stood with his hands behind his back, lecturing like a little adult, before being chased and beaten all over the house by Yuki.

"Can't I tell that's one of our family's pastry molds?"

"Didn't I know the tea in the cupboard had been completely wiped out?"

"Is it wrong for your sister to want to feel better about this painful experience?"

"Ouch, sis, stop hitting me! Your hand is still injured!"

Downstairs, chickens and dogs were running around in chaos, but Zheng Yi sat on the steps, calmly drinking tea.

He guessed that things were going to get peaceful this week.

During the Kamakura period, Japanese monks brought back techniques such as grinding tea powder and whisking tea from Song Dynasty China, which eventually evolved into the Japanese matcha ceremony we know today.

The tea-making skills that Zheng Yi acquired from the game were the most authentic techniques from the Song Dynasty.

Although the quality of the tea stored in my family's ancient home was not high, it still had a unique flavor after being brewed and blended by Master Zheng Yi.

The only problem is that the "food has a certain probability of causing clothing to be destroyed" setting has also been carried over to the tea ceremony.

Zheng Yi had to test the tea in the toilet first to make sure there was no risk of him causing a scene in public before he could openly bring it out for tasting.

As for the offerings and snacks, after they were made yesterday, Zheng Yi had his trusted and beloved general, Che Ye Xiaopang, break off a small piece of each and taste it.

It's no wonder he was given the name "Pig Wuneng" (meaning "Pig Enlightened One"). This guy, Pigsy, ate the ginseng fruit but didn't taste anything at all; instead, he danced the Whirlwind Dance to his heart's content.

After a brief commotion downstairs, the three of them hurried towards the bus terminal with umbrellas.

There's only one early bus from the Shuri area to Benzan Village in the morning, and I managed to arrive just in time.

There were three tickets; the siblings sat in a row, and Zheng Yi had no tickets.

The chubby boy looked around and said in a gentle voice, "Sister, I'd like to sit with Brother Zheng Yi."

"Are you asking for a beating?!" Yugi punched her younger brother on the head again, adding another bump.

You don't have to be so loyal.

Zheng Yi said in the game's team channel.

[XX is not absolute, but it is absolutely not XX!]

[Then start running 10 kilometers every morning with me after the holiday.]

The message was sent, followed by a long silence.

Looking again, the chubby boy was listening intently to his sister recounting the trivialities of her childhood in the countryside, as if he were listening to some beautiful music, his eyes glued to the screen.

The bus engine was already warming up, and the last few passengers boarded one after another.

The aisle became a bit crowded for a moment.

"Please be careful," a voice said in my ear.

Zheng Yi looked up and saw a woman in front of him wearing a fashionable dress, a sun hat and sunglasses commonly seen in the Ryukyu region, and straight, jet-black hair.

Although there was still plenty of space between the luggage rack and the rack, she kindly offered a reminder, then lifted a suitcase that was half her height with one hand and shoved it into the rack.

"Zheng Yijun?" She suddenly took off her sunglasses, revealing a somewhat familiar, pretty face.

Zheng Yi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized: "You're Officer Tagawa! The one from the Shuri District Household Registration Division!"

"It's Ishikawa, Ishikawa Ayaha."

As she spoke, Ishikawa Ayaka checked the seats again, then gathered her skirt and sat down next to Zheng Yi. "If we follow your line of thought—descendants of the thirty-six surnames of the Min people, with the surname Ishikawa and the surname Feng, Feng Ayaka, please give me your guidance."

"Eh? Ayaha-neechan! It really is you!"

Before Zheng Yi could further discuss the origins of Ryukyu surnames with the pretty policewoman, Yuki, sitting in the front row, excitedly turned around.

"Who are you?" Ishikawa Ayaka looked closely, then exclaimed in surprise, "You're Yuki! You've grown so big and so beautiful!"

Tetsuya, the chubby boy, was finally sent by his sister to Zheng Yi's side. Yuki and Ishikawa Aya sat together and began to talk about endless topics.

Zheng Yi listened for a moment and learned that Ishikawa Aya was also a child from Benzan Village. Yuki's maternal grandfather was also surnamed Ishikawa. In fact, most families in Benzan Village were surnamed Ishikawa. Two hundred years ago, the village was called Fengjia Village.

So in terms of relationship, Ishikawa Aya is Yuki's distant cousin.

During her summer vacation at her maternal grandfather's house in Yuki-kyu, she always followed her older sister, Ayaha, around catching loaches.

Later, Ishikawa Aya entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, which became her goal during her time at Yugi High School.

The two girls chattered away as the engine slowly started, and the scenery quickly changed from the city to the suburbs, and then to hills.