Chapter 51 - Enlightenment Tea (2)

…

Li Qu left the overly dramatic Xia Qiu in her own imagination and this time– he gave his full attention to the Enlightenment Tea recipe while slightly frowning in thought.

‘This requirement… A little pretentious, if I must say. System, is it really necessary to do that?”

[Host, it is– but a simple requirement, I’m sure someone as powerful as Host can solve it flawlessly.]

‘...It is not a matter of being powerful or not. It is just that I… am not particularly good at these types of things.’

He held onto the recipe and scrutinized the steps carefully– he focused on the last step before completion that made him cringe inwardly.

[Enlightenment Tea Recipe - Mortal Grade]

[Ingredients: Enlightenment Leaves]

[Brewing Method: 6 Step Tutorial -

1st Step: Simmer the Enlightenment Leaves in a 500ml pot of warm Spirit Water filled to the brim for 15 minutes.

2nd Step: While simmering, lightly stir until the Enlightenment Leaves glow in silver.

3rd Step: Once the Enlightenment Leaves glow silver– take it out of the Spirit Water and let it dry to lose the moisture for another 15 minutes.

4th Step: Once dry, cut the Enlightenment Leaves in half from the top down to let the wisdom in the veins flow out.

5th Step: Immediately put the Enlightenment Leaves that were sliced in half back in the same pot of Spirit Water and heat it up to a slight boil while using the Tea Heart to infuse the wisdom, bringing out the full potential and maximizing the effect of comprehension.

6th Step: Once the above steps are completed, the Enlightenment Leaves will glow in silver while gaining a moment of consciousness to unleash a random riddle absorbed from the knowledge of the current world (Earth) in the brewer’s mind. Once the riddle is answered correctly, it will let out a bright silver luster and will be considered successfully brewed.

Important: If not answered correctly in a single minute– the leaves would then wither and lose their effects– turning worthless.]

‘System. That– 6th Step… I have never been a person good at riddles. Is it possible to seek external help?’

[Host, it is possible.]

Li Qu felt quite helpless– he took a walk down memory lane, back to the past when he went to the Gold Heaven Realm to acquire a popular wooden fish from the monks in a certain temple to relieve his boredom but was faced with a ridiculous riddle challenge–

Only after answering the riddle could he then obtain that famed wooden fish, he had thought it to be the easiest challenge of his life, given his wisdom and age– unfortunately, it was not.

“When a man doesn’t eat for five days– sleeps for 1 hour– cultivates for 10 years– what is he?” The venerable monk asked.

“He is enlightened.”

Li Qu stated after a minute of careful consideration.

“Amitabha, Benefactor Li. That's incorrect– please try again.”

“He is stupid.”

“Amitabha, Benefactor Li. That’s incorrect– please try again.”

“He is a dog.”

“Amitabha…”

“...”

The back and forth lasted a whole day and night– Li Qu was on the verge of losing his cool when the monk suggested to him kind-heartedly.

“Amitabha, Benefactor Li– how about you come back in 10 years after pondering about the question? It is not as simple as it may seem.”

“How about you die now, bald donkey?”

Li Qu’s forehead had a thickened vein as he tried to control his frustration.

“B-Benefactor Li, it is ill-considered to resort to violence in the face of wisdom! I implore you to ponder about the deep and wise meanings behind this riddle before making an unwise decision!”

The monk somewhat stammered as he opened his eyes for the first time in slight apprehension of the Karmic Banisher and urged him to reconsider.

“Fine.”

Li Qu flicked his sleeve in anger and left with a terrible mood.

Ten years later– Li Qu returned to find the same monk while the monk welcomed the terrifying monster in front of him with a slight bow.

“Amitabha, Benefactor Li. We meet yet again, it is truly destiny. Have you discovered the deeper meanings and t–”

“Cut the bullsh*t. My answer is Buddha– He is Buddha.”

“...B-Benefactor Li. You’re incorrect, please tr–”

“I have wasted too much of my time, I give up! Just tell me the answer!”

Li Qu roared– he had been pondering about this riddle throughout the past ten years and finally came to a conclusion– it was right in his face the whole time. The answer was Buddha– or so he thought.

Regrettably, it was incorrect. He could not think of any more suitable answers as he gave up and seeked for an answer to satiate his curiosity– a riddle that would stump even the Karmic Banisher would not possibly be so simple.

Thus, the monk smiled and shut his eyes. He then bowed and put his hands together in a prayer stance, giving his answer with deep veneration towards this unsolvable mystery.

“...Amitabha, Benefactor Li. Truthfully, this humble one have not found out the answer to this unfathomable mystery as well, I’m still searching for the truth till this da– Keuuughh!”

Piang!

The monk had joined in the ranks of the Buddhas to attain Nirvana and ascended to the Western Paradise that they had always yearned for– with a simple slap made of pure anger from Li Qu.

Li Qu took a deep breath and readied himself for the upcoming riddle as he followed the steps in the Enlightenment Tea Recipe.

He took the Enlightenment Leaves in the cabinet and prepared a pot of hot Spirit Water as he frowned in absolute concentration.

Xia Qiu admired his serious face and thought to herself that a man looked the coolest when he was serious in his work, she asked softly.

“Need any help?”

“Not yet, but I might need it soon.”

Li Qu replied in a perfunctory tone as his focal point was set on the Enlightenment Leaves– he took the leaves and placed them in the pot while waiting.

“Boss Li, I’ll get going first! See ya, remember about the photoshoot!”

Fifteen minutes later, the leaves slowly emitted a silver hue as Li Qu took them out of the pot to let them dry while a voice could be heard outside of the brewing room as Paul Chan bid his goodbyes and left.

Xia Qiu was bored as she stood by Li Qu, ready to help in case he needed it– she took out her phone and opened the camera app while switching it to front camera mode before smiling and taking a selfie along with his candid appearance included in the shot.

Snap!

She looked at the photo and giggled with delight. She opened her social media apps after that and uploaded it to her WeTalk and FaceJournal feed with the caption–

‘A man looks the coolest when he’s serious at work~!’

A beautiful and rich girl like Xia Qiu on the internet would attract swarms of followers in no time as her likes and a barrage of heart-broken comments on the photo exploded in a couple of minutes, a few notable comments were as such–

‘ISimp4U: My Goddess Xia! Have you abandoned us and found yourself a man?!’

‘Thomas_Edidaughter: Looks like the man has the blessings of heaven to attract our goddess’ favor… (T_T)’

‘BingXue123: The side-view of your boyfriend’s face is too handsome, surely it’s photoshop right? Right?! I need his @ now!'

‘T_MoQT: OMG! What’s his handle? Asking for a friend…’

Xia Qiu laughed at the comments as she tagged and replied the one complimenting Li Qu in a cheeky way with her newly updated username.

‘YandereXia: ‘BingXue123’ Hehe! This photo has no filter and he’s not my boyfriend! He doesn’t have social media~ (Not that I know of~)’

As she was lost in her own antics, the leaves were nearly dried up as Li Qu took it and placed it back in the pot of Spirit Water that was now at a boil– oblivious to her actions.

…