"It's been twenty years. Your skill at brewing tea is even more unforgettable to me than your 'Abundance' power."
General Yueyu's voice was pleasant. Her gaze boldly met Oliver's raised eyes. "Only when prepared by your hands can this Yaoqing Cloud Mist Tip tea release such a crisp and sweet aftertaste."
A hint of gentle helplessness flashed in Oliver's eyes: "You like drinking it, so practice makes perfect."
"Practice makes perfect?"
General Yueyu chuckled, her fox tail swaying gently behind her. She leaned slightly forward, as if trying to catch the deeper meaning in his words. "This twenty years of fighting side-by-side, sharing life and death—is that also just 'practice makes perfect' in your eyes?"
After twenty years of being together, she felt she understood this man very well.
Especially since he was always there to treat her injuries whenever she was injured.
Once, when she was almost sucked into a black hole, Oliver rushed over, disregarding the danger to his life, and threw her into a safe area.
One must know that even an Aeon of Abundance would have only a slim chance of survival if dragged into a black hole.
Since Oliver was willing to risk his life to save her, after that incident, General Yueyu developed a special affection for him.
Over the years, that feeling had grown stronger—General Yueyu's fingertips casually brushed the rim of the teacup Oliver had just set down, the gesture intimate and natural.
Just then, a gust of wind, carrying a sharp fighting spirit, rushed into the courtyard.
"Bro! I have a gift for you!"
Fei Xiao strode in quickly, her fluffy white fox ears twitching in the sunlight, her face beaming with the joy of victory. In her hands, she held a bouquet of rare, dewy snow lotuses.
She immediately saw General Yueyu's intimate posture, practically pressed against Oliver's side, and the movement of her fingertips touching the teacup.
Fei Xiao's footsteps paused almost imperceptibly, and the light in her emerald eyes sharpened instantly.
She walked directly to the stone table and placed the bouquet of snow lotuses down in front of Oliver with a "thud," the sharp sound shattering the previous intimacy.
"Bro! They say this grows on the most treacherous ice cliff in the north, blooming only once every hundred years! I thought it was rare, so I picked it for you!"
Fei Xiao's voice was crisp and loud, carrying an undeniable presence. She intentionally or unintentionally positioned her body between General Yueyu and Oliver, blocking their line of sight.
Fei Xiao had now fully matured.
After years of tempering, she now possessed the aura of a great General. (As shown in the picture)
But in front of Oliver, she was still the same girl from years ago, with a touch of cuteness.
General Yueyu's narrow eyes narrowed, her languidness fading, replaced by a dangerous glint.
She slowly withdrew her hand and sat up straight, her Foxian Tail tensing slightly: "Heh, Sister Fei Xiao is very thoughtful."
"However, Oliver has always disliked you taking risks for these things."
She picked up her cup of tea and elegantly took a sip, her gaze like a hook, "Just like this cup of tea, the temperature, the brewing time, the state of mind—none can be lacking. You can't rush it."
"Rush?"
Fei Xiao's eyebrows shot up, like a small beast whose Tail had been stepped on. She abruptly turned to look at Oliver, her tone a mix of grievance and stubbornness, "Brother! You tell me! Do you like snow lotus? Isn't it more interesting than that... that bland tea?"
She picked up an empty teacup and deftly poured herself a cup of scalding hot tea, then deliberately pushed it in front of Oliver, as if to say, "I can do it too!"
Her gaze was burning, filled with the undisguised possessiveness unique to youth, "Do you still remember? When we were little on the desolate planet, the first herb you taught me to recognize was the snow lotus! You said it was the most resilient!"
General Yueyu chuckled, with the teasing of an elder, yet subtly sharp: "Oh? It seems that a life-saving grace and twenty years of camaraderie are still no match for childhood memories in a certain sister's heart? Oliver, tell me, does our twenty years of 'seamless cooperation' count as a 'bond'?"
She deliberately emphasized "seamless cooperation" and "bond," her eyes provocatively looking at Fei Xiao.
Her slender fingers lightly tapped on the tabletop, making a rhythmic soft sound—a habit when she was thinking or exerting pressure.
The air instantly solidified.
Both pairs of beautiful eyes were equally sharp as hawks, fixed intently on Oliver, and invisible sparks crackled in the air.
Twenty years of comradeship was now torn open by a more primal, more intimate emotion.
Oliver's gaze calmly swept between the two, finally landing on the scalding hot tea and the cool snow lotus.
His powerful aura was not deliberately released, yet it seemed to lower the temperature in the courtyard by several degrees.
Oliver slowly extended his hand, not touching the scalding hot tea, nor taking the snow lotus.
His fingers gently brushed Fei Xiao's hand, which trembled slightly from excitement, and then lightly tapped General Yueyu's fingertips resting on the table.
"Snow lotus is aloof and pure, a good thing."
His voice was deep and magnetic, carrying an undeniable calming power. He turned his gaze to Fei Xiao, showing a hint of a smile, "I like all your intentions."
Fei Xiao's tensed shoulders relaxed slightly.
Then, he turned to General Yueyu, his eyes profound: "These twenty years of tea, what was brewed was trust, what was savored was friendship, it has long seeped into the bones."
General Yueyu's tensed Foxian Tail subtly relaxed, a satisfied curve gracing her lips.
Finally, he simultaneously picked up General Yueyu's moderately warm tea and Fei Xiao's scalding hot tea. The cups clinked together with a crisp sound.
Strangely, the scalding hot tea instantly became comfortably warm, its heat no longer searing.
"Contend?"
Oliver's lips curved into an extremely faint yet all-knowing smile. The majesty and inclusiveness of an Aeon of Abundance were fully displayed at this moment, "This courtyard can accommodate the coolness of the snow lotus, and also the warmth of the tea's fragrance."
The implication was, "I want both!"
The legendary master of balance could handle it, and handle it steadily.
He pushed the two cups of tea, now identical in temperature, towards the two women respectively.
General Yueyu and Fei Xiao both paused, looking at the perfectly tempered steam rising from their cups, then at Oliver's calm and profound eyes, which seemed to see through everything yet embraced all. A trace of being seen through, and a sudden realization, flashed across both their faces.
General Yueyu was the first to pick up her teacup, regaining her General's composure, though her ear tips were slightly flushed: "You are right, it was us... who were out of line."
She glanced at Fei Xiao, a mix of reproach and a relieved smile in her eyes.
Fei Xiao also picked up her teacup. The flame in her emerald eyes extinguished, replaced by a complex emotion. She lowered her head and mumbled softly: "Who was contending?"
Her fingers tightened slightly around the teacup.
She somewhat regretted bringing back a love rival for a twenty percent profit.
The lingering glow of the setting sun stretched the shadows of the three. The fragrance of tea and the cool scent of snow lotus mingled.
The unspoken conflict between women, in the face of deep friendship, dissolved into a helpless sigh and an unspoken understanding.
The courtyard returned to tranquility, with only the rising tea steam telling a story more complex and profound than rivalry.
Ding ding!!
Suddenly, a communication broke the silence.
General Yueyu received an urgent message from the Xianzhou Alliance.
"The Abundance Folk Coalition Army has reformed. The wandering planet 'jidu mirage' has revived and activated, threatening the Fuhui Xianzhou."