Chapter 43: The Dean’s Peculiar Tea Ceremony

Just as Su Liyue and Ye Xingchen breathed a sigh of relief, their mentor, having finally concluded a lengthy discourse and announced the end of class, added:

“Oh, and Ye Xingchen, Su Liyue, and Mu Wanqing, the three of you should head straight to the dean’s office after class.”

Su Liyue and Mu Wanqing exchanged an awkward glance, nearly having forgotten the dean’s instructions from that morning.

Yet, seeing the darkening sky over the training grounds, Su Liyue couldn’t help but inwardly grumble.

‘Does the venerable dean not eat dinner?’ she mused. ‘Though the academy’s food admittedly doesn’t quite suit my palate…’

As the other students gradually dispersed, Su Liyue took Mu Wanqing’s hand:

“Let’s go, Qingqing.”

“Mhm,” Mu Wanqing nodded, “I imagine it’s about Jiuwu and Qizai.”

“Who cares? The sooner we finish talking, the sooner we can eat!” Su Liyue declared, pumping her fist with gusto.

“Eh?” Mu Wanqing blinked in surprise. “Yueyue, didn’t you say at noon that the cafeteria food didn’t suit your taste?”

“Whether it suits my taste is one thing,” Su Liyue said with a serious expression, “but one must never lose their spirit for eating!”

“Spirit for… eating?” Mu Wanqing echoed, looking bewildered.

“Eat, people! Eat with soul! Eating makes you superior!” Su Liyue chanted the slogan with full vigor.

“Yueyue… isn’t your spirit for eating… a little too exaggerated?”

Qizai suddenly poked her head out from the familiar space: “Mistress is right! If you’re not eager to eat, there’s something wrong with your mind!”

Jiuwu, the phoenix, also joined in the fun, drawing a rice bowl pattern in the air with her tail flames, even adding the characters, “Just Eat It!”

Well, it seemed the big foodie had met the small foodies.

Ye Xingchen quietly followed behind them, a smile unconsciously forming at the corners of his lips as he observed the boisterous scene unfolding before him.

‘It’s already this late,’ he mused. ‘Given Duke Xiao’s urgent haste, surely he wouldn’t truly delay their meal, would he? Why hadn’t anyone thought to add a reminder for him to avoid meal times?’

***

Arriving before the dean’s office, Su Liyue raised a hand and gently tapped on the ancient wooden door, intricately carved with elaborate patterns:

“Dean, we’ve arrived…”

“Please, come in,” Dean Yu Qinglan’s gentle voice drifted from within.

With a soft creak, the wooden door slowly swung open on its own, its doorknob elegantly gesturing them inside.

Su Liyue’s eye twitched almost imperceptibly.

‘It was clearly not the first time she had witnessed the dean’s peculiar sense of humor, yet each instance of such affected magical displays still grated on her nerves.’

‘Did enchanting a door really make it stylish? No, it just made it more chuunibyou, if anything!’

Mu Wanqing paused for a brief moment, yet quickly regained her composure.

The trio entered the office dutifully, finding Dean Yu Qinglan seated behind a grand desk, his silver-white hair casually swept up with a zitan wood hairpin.

“Please, take a seat.” The dean lightly tapped his magic staff, and the sofas in the corner automatically glided into suitable positions.

Even more extravagant, the tea set on the coffee table, imbued with a magic array, began to clean itself, boil water, and brew tea, performing an entire tea ceremony with flowing grace.

Ye Xingchen secretly clicked his tongue.

‘As expected of the dean, he truly elevated domestic magic to an art form.’

‘The sheer grandeur, the ostentatious display—it was practically screaming “I am powerful” for all to see.’

“Dean,” Su Liyue began, getting straight to the point, “you called us here about the familiars, didn’t you?” As she spoke, she subtly glanced at the self-pouring teapot, noticing its spout was actually daintily curved like an orchid finger!

Dean Yu Qinglan offered a faint smile:

“The training grounds are bustling with too many eyes and ears; some matters are not convenient to discuss in detail there.”

With a light wave of his magic staff, a gilded pastry box, adorned with embedded jewels, materialized out of thin air.

“It’s almost mealtime, coincidentally, and these are some royal-grade biscuits brought by a distinguished guest. Consider them a pre-dinner snack.”

“Royal-grade?!” Mu Wanqing exclaimed.

Such exquisite pastries, presented in a mithril box and embellished with moonstones, were typically reserved for state banquet-level receptions.

She looked at the dean with suspicion, only to find his gaze resting meaningfully on Ye Xingchen.

“Student Ye, please partake as well,” the dean said, pushing the pastry box slightly towards Ye Xingchen. “There’s… a share of your contribution in this, too.”

Mu Wanqing turned to Ye Xingchen in confusion, only to see the young man staring intently at the familiar griffin crest on the box lid—the emblem of Duke Xiao’s family.

‘It appeared the important figure had already arrived at the academy, but perhaps due to certain considerations, they had sent the dean ahead to gauge the situation.’

The tea silently poured itself, and amidst the rich aroma, a subtle probing quietly unfolded.

Outside the window, the sun had already begun its descent, casting a cold, metallic sheen upon the exquisite pastry box on the tea table.

“Everyone, please enjoy your tea.” As the dean’s words settled, the delicate tea set danced gracefully, as if manipulated by an invisible tea master.

Teacups gently descended before each person, even the dean’s cup slowly floating to his hand.

Its lid automatically lifted, lightly touching the surface of the tea, allowing the fragrant steam to immediately diffuse, as if performing a tea ceremony before hovering nearby, awaiting command.

Su Liyue and Ye Xingchen simultaneously grumbled inwardly.

‘This was even more exaggerated than Earth’s fully automatic tea ceremony machines! If this were used to open a teahouse, it would undoubtedly become a viral sensation and a must-visit spot!’

The two cautiously picked up their teacups, taking an elegant sip. The teacup lids, sensing the moment, tilted just so, allowing the aroma to better diffuse.

The entire sequence of movements flowed like water, as if performing a true tea art demonstration.

‘Dean, you’ve really maxed out your domestic magic points, haven’t you? Wouldn’t it be better to spend that effort researching a few more combat spells?!’

“Is the tea to your liking?” the dean asked, eyes narrowed, his face alight with anticipation for praise.

“Indeed, Dean, your tea artistry is exquisite,” Su Liyue replied, gracefully setting down her cup. Ye Xingchen nodded in agreement.

With a soft ‘click,’ the teacup lid automatically closed, bringing the performance to a perfect conclusion.

Ye Xingchen, in truth, wanted to say:

‘Who could even tell if this tea was good or not? In his previous life, while following his master in the Spirit Realm to discuss the Dao over tea, he had constantly encountered thousand-year-old ancient tree teas, ten-thousand-year-old spirit teas, and even a whole spectrum of teas like white, black, red, green, and Pu-erh.

He had drunk so much that he almost questioned why tea leaves were green instead of being as colorful as a seven-hued flower.’

“It seems both of you are connoisseurs of tea,” Dean Yu Qinglan remarked with satisfaction, then abruptly changed the subject,

“However, Student Ye…” he began, observing the hand still daintily curved like an orchid finger, and deliberately drawing out his words, “…isn’t imitating your beloved’s ladylike tea-drinking posture a little too obvious?”

“Pfft—!” Ye Xingchen nearly choked on the mouthful of tea he had just swallowed.

‘Blast! In a moment of carelessness, he had unconsciously mirrored the elegant tea-drinking posture of his female form! Now, even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t wash away this misunderstanding!’

The teacup lid, witnessing this, immediately snapped shut with a ‘snap,’ then disdainfully shifted slightly to the side, as if fearing being splashed by his saliva.

Qizai vibrated wildly within the familiar space, emitting muffled ‘buzzing’ sounds of suppressed laughter.

Jiuwu, the phoenix, meanwhile, used her tail flames to draw a large ‘♡’ in the air, thoughtfully adding the words ‘Official Announcement.’

Mu Wanqing’s eyes lit up, and she promptly pulled out a small notebook, beginning to jot things down.

The dean, meanwhile, revealed a benevolent, ‘just as I expected’ smile, and casually refilled Ye Xingchen’s teacup…