Chapter 1658: Chapter 1658

Chapter 1658: 019, Water Curtain Cave Dong Tian

“… In the Dongsheng Shen Province, there is a country called Aolai, situated near the sea. In the sea is a mountain named Flower-Fruit Mountain. On the mountain, there is a huge Immortal Stone, three zhang and six chi tall, two zhang and four chi wide, containing an immortal fetus… The Immortal Stone underwent lengthy cultivation and one day cracked open to produce a stone egg, which turned into a Stone Monkey the moment it felt the wind…”

The storyteller was a young girl, not yet twenty, dressed in playful clothes, with a mischievous glint in her eyes and brows.

However, what truly caught He Lienuo’s attention wasn’t the girl’s appearance or demeanor, but rather the story she was telling.

A monkey could actually spring from a stone?

This was truly a tale! Just making things up!

He Lienuo’s smile had a trace of disdain, yet inexplicably, his footsteps changed direction, and he found an empty table near the edge of the first-floor hall to sit down.

The short companion who was closely following him paused slightly, though curious, the ingrained sense of obedience kept him silent, and he stood beside He Lienuo.

He was already quite short, and being by the edge, hardly anyone noticed him.

As soon as they sat down, an agile and articulate young girl approached to ask what tea he wanted.

He Lienuo’s thoughts were entirely on the storyteller’s tale, and he casually asked the girl to bring a pot of tea, no longer paying her any attention.

In just that short delay, the storyteller’s tale had taken another turn.

From the Stone Monkey’s radiant eyes alarming the Emperor Yuhuang who sent someone to investigate, to telling of the Stone Monkey frolicking with other monkeys among mountains and waterside, indulging in play.

At this point, the storyteller, disregarding her own image, started mimicking the monkeys’ movements and gestures. Sometimes she scratched her head, sometimes she mimed picking peaches and inviting others to join, vividly portraying a scene of playful monkeys, earning applause from the audience.

He Lienuo couldn’t help but nod, acknowledging and admiring the storyteller’s openness.

However, the audience’s focus soon shifted to the next event.

Because the monkeys discovered a waterfall and were eager to explore it!

Some timid women immediately cried out, “Waterfalls are so dangerous, with ravines and cliffs, these monkeys shouldn’t take such risks!”

But soon, companions laughed to reassure her, “Don’t worry, they’re just a group of monkeys. Can they really go through the waterfall and encounter something extraordinary?”

Although they didn’t have high hopes for the monkeys, the audience was highly anticipating the story to come.

Da Ye smiled slightly, shifted the topic, raised his voice a bit, adding a touch of mystery and the Stone Monkey’s mischievousness: “As the monkeys were pushing and pulling, suddenly a Stone Monkey darted out from among them, loudly exclaiming, ‘I’ll go in, I’ll go in!’ With eyes closed, crouching, it leapt into the waterfall…”

The audience’s exclamations drowned out Da Ye’s storytelling voice, yet no one realized they had cried out, as everyone was already engrossed in Da Ye’s tale of Journey to the West, not distinguishing whether they were bystanders or that Stone Monkey.

“Interesting, interesting!”

The ink jade bone fan in He Lienuo’s hand had long since closed, tapping his palm with genuine interest, tapping as he nodded and chuckled, remarking a few times on the interest.

Casually, he picked up the tea that had been brought over and took a sip, his eyes immediately brightening.

Lightly fragrant and slightly bitter, yet with a hint of sweet aftertaste.

A good tale paired with good tea, this Idle Tea House is truly extraordinary!

He Lienuo shuddered inwardly, shaking his head secretly, though he had tasted many fine teas, he had never tasted anything like today’s tea from Idle Tea House, not knowing what special technique was used in its roasting.

Many others shared He Lienuo’s thoughts, but the most common speculation was that the tea contained mixed tea leaves. Though not much, not enough to overwhelm the main tea’s flavor, yet subtly distinctive.

Lin Yuan also heard the audience’s discussions, but just smiled without comment.

Actually, there were no other tea leaves mixed in the tea; tea drinking values purity and authenticity, and naturally she wouldn’t mix different tea leaves together.

It was just that after the tea leaves were picked, some petal water was sprinkled on them.

Da Ye’s story continued, and no one went on discussing the tea’s mystery, as everyone was captivated by the Stone Monkey proclaiming itself king.