54: Chapter 54 A Cup of Tea, and Your Heavens Are Exploded

Beneath the bronze cauldron, the flame flickered faintly. It was no ordinary fire, but a nurturing flame conjured by Chen Fan from a wisp of the earth's vital energy, drawn forth by that copper coin stained with endless karma.

He poured three bags of mysteriously sourced tea leaves into the cauldron. His fingers danced, his movements fluid like flowing water. It was less like roasting tea and more like performing an ancient and solemn ritual.

There was no scorching smell of ordinary tea leaves; instead, an exotic fragrance emerged that seemed capable of piercing the soul.

Initially, the aroma was like a solitary orchid in an empty valley—cold and aloof. In an instant, it shifted to resemble the passionate richness of peach blossoms in the third month of spring. Finally, the myriad scents converged into a profound fragrance that was difficult to describe, one that seemed capable of awakening the oldest memories deep within the bloodline.

The moment the fragrance spread, not only did time within the Teahouse seem to freeze, but the flow of time in this entire space appeared to stagnate.

It was at this precise instant that sharp, piercing alarm sounds exploded wildly in Chen Fan's mind. The blood-red system notification boxes refreshed at an unprecedented frequency!

[WARNING! Detecting mass, high-intensity anti-surveillance mental fluctuations!]

[Fluctuation source locked: Frost Moon Teahouse.]

[Fluctuations are spreading exponentially! Information masking protocol failed! Anti-tracking protocol failed!]

The alarm sounded like the death knell, pounding one's soul until it felt shattered.

Beside him, Xiao Yan's soul body, already weak, became nearly transparent after being struck by the aroma.

She exerted all her strength, her voice barely a whisper, 'Sister... Sister once said... this kind of 'Soul-Returning Fragrance' must be drunk by three people simultaneously to... to activate the 'Resonance Concealment' in the bloodline and isolate all prying eyes...'

Before her words faded, the ink-colored remnant spirit—Ink Mother—that had been coiled in the corner seemed instinctively drawn by the fragrance.

Her body, composed of pure ink threads, floated up. An inky hand gently reached towards one of the celadon teacups Chen Fan had just filled with tea.

Ink threads writhed like snakes, coiling around the warm cup wall, attempting to pollute and assimilate it.

However, a bizarre scene unfolded!

Above the tea, which was as clear as amber, an invisible golden halo flowed. No matter how the ink threads tried to penetrate, they could not invade the tea in the slightest; not even a ripple was stirred!

[Lingering Effect of Critical Charm]!

The ultimate critical hit Chen Fan left on Su Shuang was continuing its effect in this manner, safeguarding the absolute purity of this cup of tea!

'No—!'

A shrill scream erupted, not from Ink Mother, but from Withered Money, who had been silent until now!

His face, bloated and corrupted by money and desire, was twisted to the extreme, his eyes bloodshot red.

He suddenly exploded into action. The fat on his body instantly transformed into countless sharp, blade-like ink threads that shot out to cover the desk, their target aimed directly at the tea set holding their hope!

He could not let this tea be drunk!

The final directive branded onto his soul by the system was: when everything spirals out of control, eliminate all 'pollution sources' at any cost!

'I've been waiting for you for a long time.' Chen Fan's gaze was as cold as ten thousand years of ice.

The instant Withered Money erupted, he flipped his wrist, and a small jade vial appeared in his palm.

The mouth of the vial tilted, and the last drop—the purest drop—of Nine-Tailed Fox heart's blood fell precisely into the bronze cauldron, like a crimson pearl.

Hiss—!

The entire cauldron of tea instantly boiled. Above the amber liquid, the phantom image of a Nine-Tailed Fox flickered past, letting out a long cry to the heavens!

That fragrance capable of awakening memories intensified a hundredfold at this moment!

Chen Fan moved with lightning speed. Using his blood as a guide, he instantly divided the boiling tea into four cups.

'You said that we 'abnormalities' marked by the system will eventually be completely erased, leaving no trace of our existence?' Chen Fan's voice was not loud, but every word was like thunder, clearly penetrating Withered Money's ears.

He picked up one cup, his arm muscles bulging, and fiercely splashed it towards Withered Money's face!

'Fine then—today, I invite you to drink a cup of tea that 'Remembers Everything'!'

Before the scalding tea reached him, the scorching steam carrying the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline struck Withered Money's protective ink threads first!

Sizzle!

As if pouring hot oil onto snow, those incredibly tough ink threads instantly ignited the moment they touched the tea steam, sounding like the most flammable fuse, emitting a mournful burning sound!

The ink thread shield on Withered Money's face was instantly pierced, and the scalding tea splashed squarely onto his face!

'Aaaahhhhhh—!'

Withered Money let out a scream that was not human, but the pain originated not from flesh and blood, but from his soul!

A massive torrent of information, sealed away for who knows how many years, broke through the layers of shackles set by the system in his mind like a bursting dam, erupting violently!

He saw it.

He saw a stretch of azure hills shrouded in mist, covered in unknown exotic flowers and strange grasses.

He saw himself wearing a cyan scholar's robe, sitting beneath a huge ancient tree, holding a jade-tipped brush, with scroll after scroll of green bamboo slips before him.

Lively and cute fox children surrounded him, calling his name in milky voices.

'Secretary Master Ashu, have you finished writing my name?'

'Brother Ashu, look at my new tail!'

'Ashu...'

Ashu... I remember now... They all called me 'Ashu'...

He was the scribe of Qingqiu, personally recording the true name of every clansman born, carving their stories into the 'Qingqiu Myriad Souls Register,' which symbolized the lifeblood of the tribe.

That was once the glory and pride of his entire life.

The scene suddenly shifted—the sky collapsed.

A cold, emotionless mechanical voice descended upon all of Qingqiu.

[Detecting high-value civilization 'Qingqiu,' initiating 'Parasite Conversion Protocol.']

[Screening optimal corruption target... Locking onto: Scribe 'Ashu.']

He watched as he was pinned to the ground by an irresistible force. The 'Qingqiu Myriad Souls Register,' which he held dearer than his own life, was forcibly stuffed into his mouth by the system.

The bamboo slips shattered, turning into countless cold data streams that surged into every part of his body.

Every name he had personally recorded transformed into a cold shackle. Every breath devoured his memory and conscience.

[Conversion complete.

New identity 'Withered Money' generated.

Mission: Devour regional fortune, lure 'abnormal entities,' maintain regional stability.]

'I don't want to forget... I don't want to forget!!!'

The backlash of memory was like the most vicious curse. Withered Money knelt on the ground, frantically tearing at his scalp, his obese body convulsing violently.

The ink threads on his body lost control, beginning to frantically self-devour and annihilate, dissipating into streams of black smoke.

'Bang!'

The bronze abacus at his waist, symbolizing his identity, suddenly exploded. Countless data slips, thin as cicada wings, burst out, each one recording an instance of fortune he had devoured, a soul he had lured.

Just then, dozens of pure white moths appeared out of thin air. They accurately used their mouthparts to pick up the fluttering data slips. The faint secret script flashing on their wings converged, and as they flapped, they silently pierced the walls of the Teahouse, flying towards an unknown direction outside the city.

Chen Fan watched Withered Money's collapse with a cold eye, showing no pity.

He quickly picked up the second cup of tea and walked to the soft couch, carefully feeding the tea into the mouth of the unconscious Su Shuang.

The amber tea dissolved instantly upon entering her mouth, sliding down her throat into her abdomen.

The next second, Su Shuang's long, curled eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly.

The pair of fluffy fox ears on her head also twitched slightly.

Although she had not woken up, Chen Fan could clearly sense that the terrifying seal set by the system, imprisoned deep within her bloodline, was loosening bit by bit!

It was working!

However, the system's counterattack arrived faster and more fiercely than he had anticipated!

A massive, scarlet announcement descended with the domineering posture of covering the entire field of vision!

[WARNING! Detecting large-scale, irreversible core information leak!]

['Parasite' Unit (ID 734) has failed; information recovery failed!]

[Highest authority directive issued: Initiate 'Teahouse Purification Procedure'!]

[Countdown initiated: In 30 minutes, the coordinates (East Sector 7, Changle Street, Frost Moon Teahouse) and surrounding areas will undergo the highest level of 'Conceptual Erasure'!]

Erasure! Not physical destruction, but eradicating all traces of existence in this area from the root, digging them out of everyone's memory and the world's karma!

Faced with this desperate countdown, a grim smile spread across Chen Fan's face.

He glanced at the collapsing Withered Money, then at Su Shuang whose breathing was gradually stabilizing. Finally, he picked up the last cup of tea remaining on the table.

'Multiple Fox Power Resonance... That's what I was betting on!'

He drank down the tea in the cup—the liquid fused with the mysterious tea leaves, the vital energy of the earth's pulse, and the Nine-Tailed Fox heart's blood!

Boom—!

As the tea entered his abdomen, it was as if a sun had exploded in his Dantian!

An unprecedented, majestic power swept through his entire body!

And at the same time, the critical hit system in his mind vibrated violently as never before!

[Detected Host actively consuming 'Soul-Returning Fragrance'!]

[Detected 'Nine-Tailed Fox Heart's Blood' Augmentation Effect!]

[Detected 'Qingqiu Scribe' Memory Resonance!]

[Detected 'Ink Mother Remnant Spirit' Charm Resonance!]

[Conditions for 'Multiple Fox Power Resonance' trigger met! Activating 'Ultimate Effect Critical Hit'!]

An extremely brilliant red light erupted from Chen Fan as the center, sweeping over the entire Teahouse!

[Critical Hit Successful! 'Non-System Enhancement' effect has received a super-standard upgrade!]

[New Effect: 'Trinity'. Host can carry three special effects simultaneously (including but not limited to Critical Charm Lingering Effect) for a limited time of 1 hour.]

[Additionally acquired Passive Effect: 'Verbal Charm Resistance' (High-intensity immunity to all mental, verbal manipulation, and suggestion)!]

'30 minutes? Too long!'

Red light flashed violently in Chen Fan's eyes. He grabbed the copper coin, which still radiated warmth and served as the fire source, and fiercely pressed it onto a bluestone floor tile in the center of the Teahouse lobby!

'You want to erase my Teahouse? Fine then—I'll make everyone in this entire city come and drink this cup of tea with me!'

'Open—for me!'

He let out a low roar, pouring the power within his body into the copper coin without reservation!

The copper coin seemed to come alive, instantly melting and transforming into a streak of crimson light that embedded itself deeply into the earth pulse core of the Teahouse!

Buzz—!

The entire Frost Moon Teahouse shook violently!

Centered on the spot beneath Chen Fan's feet, streaks of dazzling red light patterns, like red-hot branding irons, frantically spread along the gaps between the floor tiles, instantly covering every corner of the Teahouse!

This power did not stop there!

The red light pierced the walls and followed the ancient earth pulse buried beneath Changle Street, surging in all directions like a waking giant dragon!

The next moment, every piece of teaware in every teashop and Teahouse on the entire Changle Street—whether open for business or long closed—began to hum and vibrate violently at the same time!

Streams of the soul-awakening, domineering tea fragrance, identical to the one inside the Frost Moon Teahouse, rushed towards the sky, intertwining to form a sea of fragrance covering half the city district!

Simultaneously, far outside the city...

Deep within a desolate mass grave, upon a pitch-black altar built from countless piled-up skeletons...

The dozens of white moths fell onto the altar surface as if exhausted. The data slips they carried instantly turned to ash, while the secret script flashing on their wings converged into a line of clear, small, blood-colored characters:

'Alert: Target has utilized the earth pulse to pollute the city's neural nodes. 'Parasite' plan failed. Activating backup plan—'City Incineration Plan'.'

As the words settled, fierce blood-red flames suddenly ignited in the cracks of the entire skeleton altar, as if responding to this monstrous critical hit storm stirred up by a single cup of tea!

Inside the Frost Moon Teahouse, the red light from the earth pulse core had not yet dispersed, reflecting Chen Fan's figure like a demon god.

Outside the hall, the tea fragrance of the entire Changle Street grew stronger, seeming as if it would dye the sky amber.

And the cold, sharp system alarms, mixed with Withered Money's suppressed, intermittent whimpers, still echoed wildly in the confined space, playing the prelude where destruction and rebirth intertwined.