Cultivating Chai

35:

“Good morning, Alchemist Jun,” Xiao Feng greeted with a warm smile before he set down his pill furnace on the floor.

“Hello, Xiao Feng,” Alchemist Jun tore her gaze away from the tome she was reading, her tone one of pleasant surprise. “Did something pleasant happen?” She asked.

“Pleasant?” Xiao Feng muttered. “Oh. No, it’s a saying from my village. I meant to wish you a good rest of the day,” He explained.

“Ah,” Alchemist Jun nodded in understanding. “Well, a good morning to you as well, Xiao Feng. How may I help you?” She asked.

“I would like to book an Alchemist Vault. Variable time, I’m willing to pay for as long as I end up staying in there,” He replied.

“Will you be…,” Alchemist Jun realized the faux pas she was making just a few seconds too late, a light blush coloring her cheeks as she saw no way to conceal the lapse in professionalism she had just run head-first into.

“I will be brewing a different blend of chai today,” Xiao Feng enthusiastically explained, the eagerness in his tone making no note of Alchemist Jun’s yearning. “There’s always a bit of a risk associated with trying out new blends. It might be a bit brazen of me, considering I took up your time on my last trip as well, but Alchemist Jun you are more than welcome to try some pudina chai and do me a great favor by letting me know if you like it.”

“Pudina….Chai?” Alchemist Jun tested the unfamiliar combination of words, her tone oh so curious.

“Indeed. This blend isn’t going to be as strong as the last one, but it is going to go heavy on the minty side of things, “Xiao Feng explained.

Well, I’ve done my part. Lianhua told me that Alchemist Jun is as straight-laced as they come, so inviting her to goof off while she’s on duty probably won’t sit well with her. Though a recruit asking an alchemist for a favor? Hopefully, that would be a whole separate conversation.

“May I ask you a question?” Alchemist Jun queried.

“Yes, of course.”

“When we first met, you told me that you wished to recreate a mortal concoction from your home village. I thought your reason was nostalgia, a yearning for a life you cannot go back to. But now, you seem to want to improve upon that recipe. I am curious about the why,” Alchemist Jun admitted, her tone soft and gentle instead of accusatory.

Damn, she’s perceptive, Xiao Feng thought. Not for the first time, Xiao Feng was reminded of exactly who he was dealing with. Alchemist designates were not to be underestimated.

“Well,” Xiao Feng ran his right hand through his hair. “It is true that I wanted to recreate chai because I missed it’s unique flavor, one that I have only encountered in my home village. But, that is not the extent of my ambition, Alchemist Jun. I wish to open a tea shop,” Xiao Feng boldly stated his ambitions, knowing full well how ridiculous they sounded.

“A tea shop?” Alchemist Jun asked, her confusion evident on her visage.

“I told you, remember?” Xiao Feng’s lips curled up into a smile before he continued, “The final ingredient of any good chai is people. Without people to share a warm cup of chai with, it is no different from a mortal drink in my eyes. That is why I must find a way to bring it to both cultivators and alchemists at a cost they can afford,” He explained.

“Um, that is quite… interesting?” Alchemist Jun offered, clearly a little lost as she tried to follow his train of thought.

“Well, that is a ways ahead of us,” Xiao Feng cheerfully shrugged. “For now, Alchemist Jun, would you help me taste test some pudina chai?” He asked.

“Sure,” She replied with a tempered calm, clearly having held back most of her enthusiasm in reserve.

Not long after, Xiao Feng found himself seated before his pill furnace, which was placed on top of a sturdy gas burner.

It’s a pity that the Alchemist’s Haven doesn’t have more spices. They require only a fraction of a spiritual plant or herb, so I don’t need to feel guilty about using them. Well, they’re expensive and only alchemists that can refine the big money pills would use something so extravagant to season their food but… as long as it is research and development for my future chai blends, I don’t mind the cost, Xiao Feng thought, clearly having no qualms about using the inheritance he had received from his predecessor.

“Now this is quite the conundrum,” Xiao Feng muttered as he watched the Moonlit Dew leaves infuse the boiling water, dyeing it a gentle shade of azure.

Even with pudina chai, the mint itself is no more than a spice. You’d still need to add tea leaves after the mint, along with the other spices have infused into the water. But the whole point of this exercise is to avoid using the expensive Mystic Palm and replace it with the Moonlit Dew, Xiao Feng mused, before deciding to go hands-on as he dipped a spoon into the mint-infused water before tasting it.

Xiao Feng winced as a sharp, herbaceous taste flooded his mouth, the menthol-like flavor causing an overpowering cooling effect that was more like a burn.

“No, no, that’s way too strong,” He shook his head. I need to balance the flavor.

Xiao Feng reached for the jar of Pureflow Gel and scooped one then two spoonfuls into the infusion.

That should dilute it a bit, He thought, but he was far from being done. Diced humus root was generously sprinkled into the infusion, as Xiao Feng figured that it’s earthy undertone would balance it out some more.

His gaze shifted to the firedust diamonds.

Ah, I need to limit myself to half a diamond. Putting it whole will just get me a weird masala chai, He regretfully shook his head, knowing how easy it would be to balance the mint if he used a full helping of his masala.

Need to keep the sugar low as well. It’ll take away from pudina chai’s unique, minty flavor if I barrage it with sweetness, He considered, limiting himself to half a Emberfruit Gem.

After the ingredients had infused into the chai, Xiao Feng dimmed the intensity of the burner and tasted the melange.

“Ahhh…,” He trailed off, his tone laden with disappointment. A touch of Qi was used to clear away the minty aftertaste that remained in his mouth. “There goes my attempt at keeping costs down. Maybe I can hop over to the Alchemist’s Haven and get some Dark Root Shavings, but they will introduce a strong bitterness that isn’t really a part of the pudina chai experience. Mmm, I guess I have no choice,” Xiao Feng conceded his defeat, as he reached for the remaining Mystic Palms he had on hand from his original shopping spree.

He tore away one leaflet from the five-fingered palm and let it fall into the infusion.

He watched the color of the pudina chai simmered from a light azure to a shimmering gemstone green. He had no idea how or why the pigments in the ingredients he had used interacted, but Xiao Feng could appreciate beauty when he was confronted by it.

He pulled out another spoon from a fiber bag, and sipped at the melange.

“Oh,” Xiao Feng muttered aloud. “Oh, yes,” He cheered, his lips curling up into a smile. While it was still an expensive cup of chai, he had managed to bring down the cost by around a fourth of the original by using less of the Mystic Palm, Emberfruit Gem and Firedust Diamonds.

Half a cup of bi-horn milk was added to the infusion, Xiao Feng choosing to go light on the creaminess as was ideal for pudina chai. The mintiness had to be the driver of the flavor profile.

Finally, his second chai blend was complete.