The moisture and saturation of water qi in the air had gotten even thicker in recent days, with Willow even beginning to feel the need to forgo his now familiar cloak or risk sweltering all day due to the rising humidity.

  Mu said it was a sign they were soon to reach their destination, and the fields of tea leaves surrounding them were apparently another one.

  The grand lake on the horizon was definitely the clearest one, however. Willow could see the sparkling waters spreading as far as he could see with no hint of the other side visible from his vantage point atop of Rotter. It was frankly mesmerizing as Willow had never seen so much water concentrated in one place before like that in his life.

  He even saw several boats out on the water with a lot of traffic focused on the town that would be their home for a time.

  According to his teacher the harbor town of Yeobaek was known for its tea exports and the tea shop they were to be staying at was one of the most prestigious in the region.

  Willow hoped the tea there was better than Miss Mu’s. That stuff was awful and he didn’t understand why his mentor kept drinking it. Mornings were great and drinking horrible tea to wake up seemed like a silly idea.

  The rows of farmland they were currently travelling through were somewhat soothing to Willow. It reminded him of his family's small farm though it was missing the feel of Bough’s qi covering the area, it was still nice to both see and feel the plants growing and being cared for.

  As they got closer to the town however, the easy feeling of the natural world was replaced with the turbulent sea of emotions that crowds brought to him whenever he went into a populated settlement.

  He’d gotten a bit better at dealing with the overwhelming feelings that large groups brought him, but it still wasn’t comfortable by any means. Hopefully his new teacher would help him figure out a solution to this perpetual thorn in his side. He wanted to be excited when visiting cities! Not dreading the flood to his senses.

  Rotter was left at a stable for large beasts on the outskirts, though this one was much shabbier than the one by Darabaille and wasn’t run by the Wanderers so Miss Mu had to pay out of pocket. The stablehand also felt far more nervous to be dealing with a giant snake, but Willow was sure the young man would do fine. Rotter was a real softie once you got to know him!

  Also this time he got to see some other bound beasts which was a lot of fun even if they couldn’t stay long.

  The walk through Yeobaek was hectic and uncomfortable, but there was a near constant herbal aroma that clung to the streets in a manner that soothed him. Likely the scent of various teas being brewed in the numerous shops lining the main thoroughfare. Until they eventually stopped at their destination, a surprisingly small storefront with elegant embellishments all along the front. A small plaque by the front door declared the place as Madame Park’s Teahouse.

  Willow sent a questioning glance to his mentor, wasn’t this place supposed to be super big and important?

  Mu noticed and let out a cloud of smoke with her laugh. “Don’t be fooled by the small size of the place, boyo. She’s got multiple warehouses and owns a good third of the tea plantations in the area last I heard. Madame Park just likes to keep her front-facing establishment small so that she can have better control of the quality of her clientele.”

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  Willow wasn’t sure he got it, but nodded anyway. The number of people on the street was really making it difficult for him to think, and he’d prefer to meet his new teacher quickly so he’d have at least a little more energy when he did.

  They walked through the door and a small bell tinkled through the room. A formally dressed older gentleman greeted them with a pleasant expression, but concern radiated from his qi.

  “Master Mu, to what does this fine establishment owe the pleasure of your presence?” He said while giving her a light bow.

  “I’m here to collect my favour from the Madame. If you’d lead the way?”

  His expression didn’t shift, but his qi betrayed the anger he felt at the wanderer’s request.

  “My apologies, but the Madame isn’t in right now. If you like I can let her know you stopped by and you can make an appointment in the coming days.”

  Mu puffed on her pipe with amusement.

  “Wilow, is there someone in the back? She should have some concepts related to tea and steam in her qi.”

  Willow blinked up at his mentor in confusion for a moment before shrugging. He guessed the older man was trying to play some kind of trick on them and Miss Mu didn’t want to play.

  He focused his senses as much as he could on those that resided in the building. The older man in front of them he immediately discarded from consideration. Beyond the entryway were two people, likely customers since both felt like they had some fire to their qi. They were also enjoying themselves a great deal.

  Good for them.

  Deeper in he felt someone with water qi that felt closer to boiling water rather than steam or tea itself. Probably not them.

  However in the space above them he finally found who Mu was probably looking for. They felt strong, and conceptual steam clung to them like a shroud, probably one of her spirits. He didn’t really feel any of the tea concept his mentor told him to look out for, but it could just be a far weaker spirit being drowned out by the stronger one.

  Willow pointed above them for the benefit of Miss Mu. “She should be up there. Not really feeling any tea concept from her, but there’s a lot of steam.”

  The older gentleman both looked and felt quite perturbed by the child’s actions.

  “Thank you boyo! Much appreciated.” She then began to muscle past the gentleman before he had a chance to stop them. Willow followed behind as best he could.

  The two customers looked confused when they barged through the small seating area, but quickly went back to enjoying their beverages and quiet discussion.

  Mu walked with purpose, apparently familiar with the establishment as she went into the back and up some stairs with determined strides before barging into the upstairs office. The older gentleman tried to stop her as best he could without making too much of a disturbance himself, but ultimately failed.

  The only reason Willow knew the woman in the simple but elegant work space was annoyed was due to his spiritual sense. The only expression the old woman allowed on her face was a polite smile. Her steel grey hair was done up in an elaborate style and the tasteful yet simple dress she wore was made of the same material as the outer robe Willow had gotten from Li Wanyu a couple years ago.

  And from what Willow had been told later, that kind of cloth was quite expensive.

  “Apologies, Madame. I tried to turn them away, but they were quite insistent.” The older gentleman bowed.

  “It’s quite all right Kim. It’s always better to get dealings with the wanderers done as fast as possible.”

  Her full attention then settled on Mu and Willow.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure?”