Chapter 25: Showdown (Thanks to reader Chen Xiaoshu for the reward)
Coulson ignored Ling Xiao's rambling, looking straight at him and saying directly, "Since you know who I am, then you must also know why I am here."
Ling Xiao sighed slightly. To be honest, in the entire Marvel World, the only person he admired was Phil Coulson. After S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed, this man, with the strength of an ordinary person, single-handedly supported and rebuilt the new S.H.I.E.L.D..
This was also the second time in over twenty years since he came to this world that he had seen a named character in person, and he couldn't help but be a little lost in thought upon seeing him.
Ling Xiao waved his hand at Gan Jing, signaling him not to worry, then extended a hand and said to Coulson, "Agent Coulson, this way please!"
After speaking, Ling Xiao led the way to the tea table in the corner by the window and said to Coulson, "Please sit, Agent Coulson."
Seeing that Ling Xiao finally stopped pretending, Coulson smiled faintly, stepped to the tea table, and sat down opposite Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao reached out and lit the small stove, then picked up a damp towel and gently wiped his hands. After purifying his hands, he took an Yixing Zisha teapot, which he had acquired from an old household, placed both the teapot and teacups into clean water, then put them on the stove to boil and sterilize, simultaneously preheating the tea set.
After pouring out all the water, Ling Xiao heated another pot of water. He placed the preheated Zisha teapot in front of him and took out a small packet of tea leaves from a jar nearby.
This was Huangshan Maofeng tea that Ling Xiao had someone ship from China. He put the tea leaves into the teapot, poured in boiling water, allowed the water and tea leaves to make appropriate contact, and then quickly poured it out. The purpose of this was to remove impurities from the surface of the tea leaves and to filter out any poorly processed leaves.
He poured boiling water into the pot again, making the spout 'nod' three times during the pouring process, rather than filling the pot all at once. This is what is known as the 'Phoenix three nods' in tea, done to show respect to the guest.
After doing all this, Ling Xiao looked up at Coulson, nodded slightly, and then lowered his head again to continue his work.
Generally, the water poured into the teapot should be higher than the rim, and then the lid is used to brush away tea dregs, removing the floating tea leaves so that only the tea water is drunk and no floating leaves reach the mouth. The lid is then placed back on to preserve the aroma of the tea steeped in the teapot.
Using tea tongs, he picked up two cups and placed them on a tray, gently pouring the tea from the pot into the cups, filling them seven-tenths full. After completing all this, Ling Xiao used both hands to place a teacup in front of Coulson and said softly, "Please!"
This was the first word Ling Xiao had spoken in half a day. Coulson had some previous exposure to the Dao of Tea, and he showed great patience. He picked up the teacup, gently sniffed the lingering aroma, and said with some emotion, "Excellent tea leaves!"
"Thank you for the compliment!" Ling Xiao smiled faintly. The purpose of all his actions was merely to calm his mind. To be honest, facing Coulson, he truly didn't know what to say. This short period of time was just enough for him to sort out his thoughts a little.
Taking a small sip, Ling Xiao put down his teacup and looked at Coulson, saying, "Agent Coulson, in that case, the person who accompanied Mr. Bruce Banner here that day must have been you, right?"
"You did notice my surveillance." Coulson smiled faintly and readily admitted, "That's right, it was indeed me and one of my colleagues monitoring from outside that day."
Ling Xiao nodded slightly, inhaling the gentle tea aroma, and said in a deep voice, "To be honest, Agent Coulson, I'm not quite clear about the purpose of your visit this time. Whether you came just to see me or for some other reason doesn't hold much significance for me. The reason I know your name is because an elder once mentioned you to me. She said you were the only upright and trustworthy person in the entire S.H.I.E.L.D.."
Ling Xiao did not mention the name of that person; this was intentional on his part. However, even if he didn't say it, he believed Coulson could guess who it was.
Indeed, upon hearing Ling Xiao say this, Coulson raised an eyebrow. He said with a slight hint of embarrassment, "That lady is too kind."
Shaking his head gently, Coulson looked at Ling Xiao and said, "I originally came here just to see you and make a brief contact. However, hearing what you just said, I'd like to ask if you're interested in joining S.H.I.E.L.D.."
Sure enough, Coulson's trait of wanting to recruit people into S.H.I.E.L.D. was always present. Ling Xiao smiled faintly, refilled both his and Coulson's teacups, and then said indifferently, "Agent Coulson, I think you didn't quite hear what I just said. That elder said you were one of the few trustworthy people in the entire S.H.I.E.L.D.. I believe you understood the meaning of 'few'."
"Hmm?" Hearing Ling Xiao say this, Coulson couldn't help but frown. The expression on his face slowly became colder, and he looked at Ling Xiao, saying somewhat impolitely, "What do you mean by that?"
Clearly, Coulson was now somewhat doubting whether that statement had truly come from that lady.
"Nothing at all!" Ling Xiao smiled faintly, enjoying seeing Coulson like this for once. He rubbed the rim of the teacup in his hand and said in a low voice, "It's just the literal meaning. I imagine, at your level, Agent Coulson, you should have the authority to check how much the rate of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents having 'accidents' has changed in recent years compared to before."
"Hmm?" Coulson looked at Ling Xiao, not expecting the other party to say such a thing. Just as he was about to press for more answers, the Pharmacy door suddenly opened again, and a young Japanese man in a golden-white suit walked in from outside.
Don't ask how Ling Xiao knew the other party was Japanese; Japanese people naturally walk differently from others, and Ling Xiao recognized this person. It was Yashida Jiro, with whom Ling Xiao had fought a few days ago. Seeing Yashida's appearance, Ling Xiao was somewhat surprised. The other party had found him so quickly, and had come directly to his door. What did he want to do?
Because Ling Xiao and Coulson were sitting in the corner, Yashida Jiro might not have noticed them. After entering the Pharmacy, he walked directly to the counter.
Looking at the uniquely charming beauty in front of him, a green light flashed in Yashida Jiro's eyes. He smoothed the hem of his suit and said softly, "Hello, I'd like a dose of traditional Chinese medicine for a cold. Could you please prepare one for me?"
Yashida Jiro's gaze made Gan Jing feel a little uncomfortable, but she still forced a smile and said, "Could you please describe the patient's condition in more detail, to avoid misdiagnosing the symptoms and giving the wrong medicine?"
Hearing Gan Jing say this, Yashida Jiro couldn't help but be slightly stunned. He had only come over with a casual excuse to take a look, not expecting her to be so serious.
"A cold, you know, stuffy nose, runny nose, headache, head pressure, general fatigue, just feeling unwell." Yashida Jiro rattled off a few cold symptoms he recalled. Of course, he didn't know the difference between seasonal colds and summer-damp colds, cold-wrapped-fire colds, wind-heat type colds, and wind-cold type colds.
Different types of colds require different traditional Chinese patent medicines. Gan Jing was about to ask more questions when a hand reached out from the side, grasped Gan Jing's left hand, and stopped her from speaking. Gan Jing saw that it was Ling Xiao who had come over, and she moved slightly inward, yielding her position.
Yashida Jiro looked at Ling Xiao, who had suddenly appeared, then turned to glance at Coulson, who was sitting at the tea table looking as if he was enjoying a show, and frowned slightly.
His purpose in coming this time was to confirm whether Ling Xiao was the person he had fought that night. At least Yashida Jiro could confirm that Ling Xiao's build was roughly the same size as that person's. But who was that guy over there, who looked very much like a federal agent?
Ling Xiao looked at Yashida Jiro, who stood silently in front of him, and said with a gentle smile, "I'm sorry, we don't sell our medicinal ingredients to any Japanese people here, nor do we provide any services to you."
Because I still have work, I can't update much every day. Two chapters a day is already my limit, so I'm truly sorry that I can't add more chapters for donations. I can only note them down for now and will definitely make them up when I have time later.