Qin Haodong was slightly surprised. The middle-aged man seemed to have a problem with him even though, strangely enough, they had never met before. He immediately understood what was going on when he saw the assistant standing behind him. The middle-aged man was President Lang, who had been sitting in that Mercedes-Benz business car.
He found it funny. President Lang had to be narrow-minded if he was holding a grudge because of a small parking space.
Gao Fengwen said, “Chairman Lang is wrong this time. Doctor Qin is a person with real abilities. I can’t compare with him when it comes to Celestial Empire medicine. Even 100 Gao Fengwens can’t compare to a Qin Haodong. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be called Medical Sage.”
Guo Feng also said, “Old Brother Qin is really a rare genius. I will rely on him to help me with antique appraisal.”
Upon seeing Gao Fengwen and Guo Feng praise Qin Haodong so highly, the middle-aged man hummed and said nothing more.
Gao Fengwen also told Qin Haodong, “Dr. Qin, let me introduce you. This is Lang Sanyuan, president of the Music Association. He is the greatest master in Jiangnan City in terms of music.”
Lang Sanyuan snorted again and turned his head without a word.
Qin Haodong smiled slightly but did not pay attention. It seemed that Lang Sanyuan thought too highly of himself. However, in his eyes, he was just a trivial man.
Then, Gao Fengwen introduced the beautiful woman to Qin Haodong. “This is Miss Hua Mingli, president of the Jiangnan Tea Ceremony Association. She is very talented in the tea ceremony. Everyone calls her Tea Fairy.”
Hua Mingrui stood up, looked at Qin Haodong with great interest, and then reached out with her delicate hand and said, “I’ve been hearing about the Medical Sage for a long time. I heard that you cured Old Maldini’s brain tumors without an operation. It’s really amazing. I admire you.”
“Miss Hua, you’re being too kind.”
Qin Haodong gently shook hands with Hua Mingrui. No wonder she was called the Tea Fairy. Her tranquil temperament really made people feel comfortable.
Finally, Gao Fengwen introduced the old man to Qin Haodong. “This is Mr. Tang Qingzhi, president of the Jiangnan Calligraphy and Painting Association, as well as a famous painter in Celestial Empire.”
The old man was full of admiration when he saw Qin Haodong. He immediately said enthusiastically, “I am a good friend of President Guo. He told me about the time you imitated Saint Painter Wu Daozi’s Lotus Flowers on the spot. That was a younger generation surpassing the older one. I would like to see you paint one day!”
Qin Haodong replied in a humble tone, “Mr. Tang, you’re flattering me.”
After this exchange of greetings, everyone got seated.
The Convention Center was a semi-circular venue that could accommodate nearly 1,000 spectators. The delegation from Celestial Empire was sitting on the left side of the rostrum, while the delegation from Nihon was sitting on the right side. Both Hirai Yagyuu and Mieko Chiba were present.
At 9:00 a.m, the cultural exchange officially began. Qin Haodong was shocked when he discovered that the host was the chairman of the Jewelry Association, Qian Duoduo.
Guo Feng explained, “Old Qian does not like being lonely, and he speaks Nihon language well. This cultural exchange has nothing to do with Jewelry or Jade, but he volunteered to be the host.”
Qian Duoduo was eloquent. After making a great opening speech, he said, “Celestial Empire is a country of etiquette. The guests shall go first. I would like to invite Mr. Hirai Yagyuu, head of the Nihon Cultural Delegation, to come and speak on the stage.”
Amid a burst of applause, Hirai Yagyuu, who was wearing a kimono, got on the stage. He bowed before everyone and then said, “Hello, friends from Celestial Empire. I’m Hirai Yagyuu.
As we all know, Celestial Empire once had a brilliant civilization and was one of the four most ancient civilizations in the world. However today’s Celestial Empire people are not very good at preserving ancient culture. Thus, some cultures have even been lost. The Nihon people have always paid attention to learning. I think that, in many aspects of inheriting ancient culture, we have overtaken Celestial Empire.”
Suddenly, there was an uproar. No one had expected that the Nihon people would start blatantly provoking them during the opening speech. In response to his provocation, the audience began to make catcalls.
Hirai Yagyuu smiled coldly but remained unmoved. “I know that many people don’t agree with what I just said. That’s why we are holding this cultural exchange today. This is also a challenge to the ancient Celestial Empire culture. If we lose in the end, I will lead the Nihon delegation and apologize to Celestial Empire openly.”
He took a seemingly polite bow again and then walked off the stage arrogantly.
“What a crazy man. He bit off more than he can chew…. ”
“This is shameless! Wasn’t their knowledge gained from Celestial Empire? How dare they come back and challenge us…”
However, someone sighed and said, “Alas, we are to be blame. We have not been very competitive during the past few years. I heard that the development of traditional Celestial Empire medicine in Nihon is better than it is here now…”
Just as everyone was talking about this, Mr. Gao Fengwen, the representative of the Celestial Empire side, stepped onto the stage.
“My fellow countrymen, my name is Gao Fengwen. I would like to make a few remarks on behalf of the Celestial Empire side. Mr. Hirai Yagyuu just said that Celestial Empire culture has been declining. Indeed, I admit that we have not been very good at inheriting and preserving ancient culture during the past few years.”
Then, his words became sharp and forceful. “However, even if the inheritance of ancient Celestial Empire culture has not been as good as before, no one can challenge it casually!”
Suddenly, the audience burst into applause.
When the applause subsided, Gao Fengwen continued speaking. “Take Celestial Empire medicine as an example. Although foreigners have learned a lot from us recently, the roots are still in Celestial Empire.
Facts speak louder than words. You may have heard that Qin Haodong, a doctor south of the Yangtze River, successfully developed the Blood Revival Oral Liquid, which can cure leukemia thoroughly, a few days ago.
This is not only joyous news for more than 4 million leukemia patients in Celestial Empire, but also a symbol of the re-emergence of Celestial Empire medicine. I believe that, from now on, Celestial Empire medicine will get better and better and reproduce the brilliance of the old days!”
Gao Fengwen’s passionate words ignited the passion of all the Celestial Empire people. Once again, enthusiastic applause and cheers were heard from the audience.
Qian Duoduo came to the stage again and said happily, “The heads of the two delegations just gave their speeches. When it comes to the inheritance of ancient Celestial Empire culture, which part is stronger? The south of the Yangtze River or Nihon? It will soon be revealed. Please wait and see.”
His words were very skillful. He had described Celestial Empire as the south of the Yangtze River. Even if Celestial Empire lost, it wouldn’t be a total disaster. After all, the south of the Yangtze River was only a region, so it could not represent the whole country.
Then, he went on to say, “The event order of this exchange was put forward by the delegation of Nihon. The first event is the tea ceremony exchange.
According to the rules, each party will dispatch a representative who is proficient in the tea ceremony. If the representative fails, he or she can either admit defeat on the spot or send in another representative. Best two out of three. The failure of the third representative of one party will equal the failure of that party.
We have 10 judges who are tea ceremony experts. In order to ensure justice, we prepared 20 cups with different numbers.
Each contestant will pour his or her tea into ten cups by chance. Our staff will register the number on the spot. Then, each judge will taste the tea of the contestants respectively and choose the best one.”
Qin Haodong nodded silently. This was the fairest way to do this. The judges would only know the number of the teacup, so they wouldn’t favor either party.
After reading out the rules, Qian Duoduo invited both players to come on the stage. The representative of Celestial Empire was Hua Mingli, the president of the Tea Ceremony Association. On the side of Nihon, a beautiful woman in a kimono came up. She was Ai Yagyuu from the Yagyuu family.
The two beautiful women immediately aroused the enthusiasm of the audience. It was interesting that both of them had distinctive titles. Hua Mingrui was called the Tea Fairy, while Ai Yagyuu was the Beautiful Tea Saint.
Her hair had been twisted into a bun and her skin was whiter than snow, so Ai Yagyuu looked very elegant in her kimono. Meanwhile, Hua Mingrui was wearing a black silk cheongsam that set off her exquisite, elegant figure. The two women each had their own charm.
However, Ai Yagyuu had a pair of phoenix eyes and a black mole on her left lip. According to Celestial Empire facial science, this woman was superficial and mean.
The staff had already set up two tea tables on the stage. Ai Yagyuu sat down at her table, looked at Hua Mingrui across from her, and said, “You can’t compare with me. I am called the Beautiful Tea Saint in Nihon.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about that small place. I only know that we have a medical saint in Celestial Empire. I have never heard of a Beautiful Tea Saint.”
The two women had a verbal battle before the tea ceremony competition. The audience looked at them with great interest.
Qin Haodong knew what was going on. When it came to martial arts and the tea ceremony, one’s state of mind was the most important factor during a confrontation between masters. One was bound to fail if his or her mind was distracted. Ai Yagyuu was trying to disturb Hua Mingrui, but Hua Mingrui was a tough person who fought back with sharp words.
Ai Yagyuu said again, “I know you. You are the president of the Jiangnan Tea Ceremony Association. I heard that you are called Tea Fairy. However, there are many hidden rules in all walks of life in Celestial Empire. I don’t know if you won your title with your real ability or by sleeping with men.”
These words were more aggressive. Although her first sentence was okay, the second one was a personal attack.
Hua Mingrui replied calmly, “You are wrong, Miss Yagyuu. One has to possess charm to sleep with men. For example, although your face is pretty, your waist is a little thick and your breasts are not big enough. In your country, there must be men who are willing to flirt with you. However, you have absolutely no chance in our country.”
Qin Haodong almost laughed. Hua Mingrui looked like a floating fairy, but she was not weak when it came to bickering with people. It seemed that the Nihon woman’s trick had been useless.
“You…” Ai Yagyuu’s face changed as she said, “Celestial Empire people are only good at talking. Let’s fight by using our real abilities.”
“That would be best!” said Hua Mingrui lightly.
The two women stopped talking and began to make tea by using the tea set in front of them. Their tea sets were the same, and the tea leaves provided by the sponsors were exactly the same. Even the water used for making tea came from the same bucket. Their accomplishments in the tea ceremony would be tested.
The tea ceremony, just like Martial Arts, belonged to one of the ancient cultures of Celestial Empire. It had existed for thousands of years and included many schools and techniques. Tea made by different methods was totally different in aroma, taste and color.
A nice tea-making technique could bring the fragrance of tea into full play, making people feel refreshed and nourished.
When the water was boiled, Ai Yagyuu shot a provocative look at Hua Mingrui and began her own tea ceremony process.
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