The Nine Cauldrons

Chapter 1: Teng Qingshan

TLC: Tchu

Editor: MrPotatoes, Superposhposh, Kidyeon, Amaranth

On the second floor of a quiet teahouse, a stream of gentle music gently flowed into the listeners’ hearts. There weren’t many customers on the second floor of the teahouse, only about a dozen or so. Small groups and pairs conversed quietly, deeply engrossed in their own topics. Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and many couldn’t help but take a look.

An innocent, pony-tailed, teenage girl who was wearing jeans and a white polo shirt climbed the stairs, as she walked shoulder to shoulder with a tall, short-haired lady wearing purple casual attire.

Inside the teahouse, everyone’s eyes suddenly brightened!

“Look, two hotties! Especially the one wearing that purple casual attire! Tsk tsk, after returning from studying for four years at Suzhou University, I didn’t expect our An Yi County would suddenly have such a beauty. What a sophisticated woman! Although the girl next to her seems a bit too immature, she is also pretty and so innocent-looking.”

“Monkey, no matter how beautiful those women are, they belong to other men. You’d better stop dreaming!”

“Yo, bro, stop hitting me where it hurts. Oh right, who is that tall, short-haired woman? I’ve lived for over 20 years, but she is absolutely one of the most beautiful women that I have ever seen. Her facial features and aura of elegance… wow… she is just too breathtaking… ”

“Monkey, let me tell you. That beautiful woman is called ‘Lin Qing’ – she’s a very powerful person with a strong background. The Land Rover car that we saw two days ago—the one that costs two million yuan—belongs to her. In An Yi County, she owns one hotel and two teahouses. Yet, those properties in our town are just a small part of all the properties registered under her name.”

“That powerful?” The young guy with the nickname “Monkey” couldn’t help but be awestruck.

An Yi County was just an ordinary county in the Jiang Su province. A two million yuan Land Rover was indeed very dazzling in such a small town.

“Ms. Lin, your room is ready for you. Please follow me.” said the teahouse waitress on the second floor, before walking upstairs. Watched by the prying eyes of many of the teahouse customers, the two women slowly followed the waitress to the VIP room, and closed the door.

***

Inside the room.

They casually ordered a pot of tea and waited for the floor attendant to leave.

“Sister Lin, you’ve come here every day for the past few days, and you only reserved this room. Haha, your true intentions are very obvious.” The pony tailed girl smiled as she looked out the window at an orphanage across the street.

There were only a few staff members playing with the orphans in the front yard of the orphanage.

“You little gossip girl.” Lin Qing couldn’t help but curse with a smile. However, Lin Qing still glanced out of the window towards the orphanage several times as her eyes tried to search for something they couldn’t seem find, a hint of regret showing on her.

“It’s really strange that there is no sign of Teng Qingshan in the orphanage. Could it be that he didn’t come today? Doesn’t he know that our Ms. Lin is eagerly waiting for him here?” complained the young pony-tailed girl.

“Alright Min, please stop joking around,” Lin Qing chuckled.

The young girl with a ponytail, Xiao Min, nodded and wondered aloud, “Sister Lin, I feel that Teng Qingshan is a very mystical person. Remember the time when we climbed up the Great Xing’An mountain? When you were in trouble, that Teng Qingshan carried you on his back for almost twenty miles up and down a winding mountain road. A mountain road! This Teng Qingshan has a scary amount of strength.”

“He’s very mysterious,” Lin Qing agreed.

Lin Qing still clearly remembered the situation in which she had met Teng Qingshan.

At that time, Lin Qing and some of her friends had gone to the northeast to explore the Great Xing’An mountain range. Since they were veteran hikers, Lin Qing’s group didn’t follow the safe and public tourist trail. They hired a local villager as a guide, and hiked to an area which wasn’t open to the public.

Who would’ve thought…

The exotic, untouched mountain was incredibly charming, and a rare bird species had caught Lin Qing’s attention. In order to take some photographs of the bird, she ventured off and got separated from her friends. By the time Lin Qing had realized her predicament, she could no longer see her group.