Master Liao Ran was already sleeping when Chang Geng rushed in, the scriptures on the table were scattered by the wind. The master was shocked, staring at Yan Wang wrapped in the cold wind with wide eyes.

Chang Geng, with a little red mark at the bottom of his eyes, sat down and asked, "Tea, do you have any?"

Liao Ran put on his monk robe, brought out from the old wooden cabinet a pack of Kuding tea in a paper bag, then boiled the water.

Although there was a leak in the broken house and a hole in the cup and bowl, the monk prepared the tea with movements that were neither fast nor slow, gentle and quiet, without making any eye contact with him. The dense white steam rose up, reminding one of the roaring fire engines of the steel armors. It quickly condensed into water beads on the low roof, slowly sliding to the tail along the special beams and columns on the roof, falling into the hanging small bowl, making a ticking sound

Chang Geng's eyes followed the process from the steam to water drop, starting from the old ceramic pot, and finally fell on the small bowl in the corner of the monk's house roof. Chang Geng breathed out gently, his restless heart that resembled boiling water slowly settled.

Master Liao Ran made a cup of Kuding tea with boiling water and placed it in front of Chang Geng.

It was bitter from the scent alone.

"Thank you." Chang Geng received it. His fingers that were cold from riding in the night wind had regained some sensation. He took a sip. It was both bitter and hot, numbing the tip of his tongue. He smiled bitterly and said, "I was so busy these days, having a bit of a temper, I was not able to suppress the Bone of Impurity. How embarrassing."

Liao Ran looked at him and signed: "The Westerners are good at taking advantage of the situation, but this time they have chosen a very bad time, which shows that although they seem to be fierce, in fact they are at their last leg. Marshal Gu was more than adequate even when handling all four sides, let alone just one Liangjiang battlefield? Once the train track is completed, a large number of people and things can travel back and forth between the capital and Jiangbei in one day. With the current reserved Ziliujin of our army, if we are lucky, perhaps we can completely recover the lost land in a year or two. Your Highness needn't be worried."

The logic was all correct. Even Chang Geng himself knew it, yet he still had an incomprehensible feeling of discomfort inside.