The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

However, before the tea was handed out, the people sitting in front subconsciously took a sip. They couldn’t help but praise, “Great tea! The smell is rich, but it doesn’t feel cloyed. The strong fragrance is very domineering. Once it enters the nose, all smells are overwhelmed. Goodness… As expected of Hiei Premium Tea, it’s as domineering as an emperor!”

They were tea experts. Even if they didn’t drink it, they could tell something just from the smell.

One of the elders slapped his thigh and said in pain, “This is bad! This is bad! This is really bad!”

“Elder Li, what’s wrong with you?” A young man did not understand why the old man said “bad” three times.

Elder Li sighed and said, “This Hiei Premium Tea is too domineering. Just by smelling it, it suppresses all fragrances. I’m afraid once it enters the mouth, it will occupy every taste bud. After drinking Hiei Premium Tea, drinking any other tea—no matter how good the tea is—will probably be tasteless! Brother Song was stunned for a few seconds, and he allowed Hiei Premium Tea to be produced ahead of him. Now, it’s hard to turn this situation around…”

Upon hearing this, the young man’s expression changed.

Even Song Ming had a change in expression. Frost Bamboo tea was indeed delicious. If it were a normal competition, Song Ming believed that Frost Bamboo tea would be better than Hiei Premium Tea. If she had enough time, she would be able to come up with a frying method suitable for Frost Bamboo tea. That would push Frost Bamboo tea into far surpassing Hiei Premium Tea!

But, there was no time!

Now that Hiei Premium Tea was so domineering, she wasn’t sure if the judges would be able to taste any fragrances of the Frost Bamboo tea after entering their mouths.

Seeing Song Ming and the others’ expressions, Ishii laughed and proudly said, “There’s no other tea in the world once Hiei Premium Tea is drunk! No matter what tea you bring, you’ll lose if Hiei Premium Tea is first drunk. Even if Hiei Premium Tea is drunk second, with its dominance, it will be able to wipe out the previous tea completely. This is the taste of Hiei Premium Tea, an emperor-like tea! Madam Song, you’ll definitely lose!”

Song Ming sighed and said, “If you give me a month, your Hiei Premium Tea might not have won…”

“It’s not true that good tea should be domineering.” Tang Ze, who was sitting in the crowd, interrupted Song Ming.

Song Ming looked at Tang Ze in shock, thinking, “Could we still have a chance?”

Ishii also asked, “Why? Does Master Tang think you still have a chance?”

Tang Ze smiled and said, “I will never admit defeat before I see the final results. As I said, tea is not about being more domineering. China’s tea culture is different from your tea culture. You only learned the ardor of China but not China’s harmony. As for Chinese tea, it pays attention to harmony, nature, gentleness, and the nourishment of heart and mind. Thus, our tea is never domineering…”

Ishii smiled and said, “That’s culture. What we’re comparing is the taste of tea. Without the taste of tea, what’s the use of saying more?”

Tang Ze smiled faintly and said, “Then let’s wait for the results.”

With that said, Tang Ze sat there and waited without any sign of worry.

Tang Chen asked in a low voice, “Teacher, Hiei Premium Tea is so overbearing, do we still have a chance?”

Tang Ze said, “When you eat too much sweets, you feel like drinking water. You see people drink water every day, but have you ever seen someone eat sweets all day? The Hiei family has strayed off point…”

Tang Chen was surprised, but he still replied, “But this is a competition. In a competition, sugar is better than water, right?”

Tang Ze said, “Then you’re underestimating these judges from all over the world. Just watch quietly. Also, don’t underestimate the Frost Bamboo tea. It’s the best tea I’ve smelled. There’s nothing else!”

Tang Chen was speechless. Could Frost Bamboo tea still turn the tables under such circumstances? Was it possible?

Ishii did not care about what Tang Ze said. To him, all that mattered was he won the competition!

At this moment, Song Xian also began pouring the tea. As soon as the tea was out, steam rose up.

Many of the people in the front row were trying their best to sniff the tea.

However, Hiei Premium Tea’s smell was too overbearing. It occupied all their olfactory senses. No matter how hard they sniffed, they could only smell the Hiei Premium Tea. They immediately frowned and their hearts turned cold. They thought to themselves, “We’re finished. We’ll probably lose this time!”

Ishii grew increasingly satisfied…

Just as everyone felt their hearts turn cold, someone exclaimed from not far behind them, “What smell is this? It smells so good!”

“Yes, it smells so good. It smells very faint, but when you catch a whiff of it, it puts you in a bamboo forest. It’s quiet, elegant, peaceful… It’s so comfortable!”

“I was feeling a little frustrated just now, but after smelling this scent, I feel much better. Who sprayed that perfume?”

…

The voices sounded one after another. More and more people began to speak. Even the position of the people who spoke were getting further and further away from the stage! In other words, the smell was slowly spreading!

“Hired guns?” asked Ishii subconsciously.

However, as soon as he said that, Ishii was stunned because he had also caught a whiff of a refreshing and tranquil scent. It was different from the domineering air of Hiei Premium Tea. It was a faint smell that he almost ignored at the start. However, when he noticed it, the smell seemed to be magnified suddenly. It was not thick as it remained faint, but he could clearly distinguish its fragrance.

Then, Ishii was shocked to discover that in this ethereal fragrance, the dominance of Hiei Premium Tea receded. It felt as though an emperor had met a god!

It was as if a nouveau riche had met a true aristocrat. He avoided them and did not dare to face them!

It was as though a group of bandits had been surrounded by the army troops and had been driven away, wiped out…

In short, after more than ten breaths, Hiei Premium Tea’s scent completely disappeared. Every breath taken was filled with a faint fragrance, as if one was in a bamboo forest. It was serene and peaceful… It made one feel relaxed, and their mood at ease. They subconsciously relaxed their brows and leaned back with narrowed eyes as they enjoyed the tranquility.

At this moment, Ishii suddenly shook his head and dispersed his emotions. He surveyed his surroundings and realized that everyone around him was enjoying the smell!

The source of this smell was none other than the tea that Song Xian had just poured!

Song Xian smiled at Ishii and said, “Mr. Ishii, a Chinese emperor once said that all imperialists are nothing but paper tigers. It’s not possible to rely on dominance and ferocity. In this day and age, one needs to win the hearts of people to win the world. In recent times, you grew up too quickly and learned the ways of the Europeans. You used cannons for negotiation, but you forgot that only wild beasts use their fangs and claws for negotiation. Tea is like a human. Hiei Premium Tea is indeed domineering, but it’s destined not to last long. It’s exciting due to the intense sensual stimulation, just like how a couple spends their life in a moment of passion. Passion is just momentary. No one can maintain it for the rest of their lives. When love becomes an inseparable family tie, only then is it possible to spend the rest of their lives together.”

With that said, Song Xian slowly got up and said, “The judges can try this tea.”