Chapter 178: Lanxiang Yuan

Ximen Kankan picked up a mung bean cake and took a bite, when suddenly a black shadow darted out from beside his feet. Ximen Kankan's eyes lit up instantly, and he cried out strangely, "This little hedgehog, how did it get so fat?"

Over a month ago, at Liu Lu, Ximen Kankan had already played with this little hedgehog, but after not seeing it for just over a month, the little hedgehog was clearly a whole circle fatter...

Ximen Kankan picked up the little hedgehog. The little hedgehog was startled and curled into a ball, but because it was too fat, as soon as its four limbs retracted, the fat squeezed right out.

Ximen Kankan used his finger to poke at the squeezed-out fat. The little hedgehog struggled a bit, the fat retracted into the ball of spikes, and one hind leg was exposed again...

Ximen Kankan seized the chance to grab that leg of the little hedgehog, holding the curled-up ball upside down by it...

The little hedgehog was grabbed by its little leg and dangled, immediately flailing about in a panic, squeaking urgently...

Ximen Kankan was so amused that his eyes squeezed into slits...

Duan Rong's expression shifted; it was his first time hearing a hedgehog make a sound. The hedgehog's urgent squeaking was actually like the crying of an infant...

Jiang Qingyu snatched the leg Ximen Kankan was holding and placed the little hedgehog on the ground. The little hedgehog was startled and immediately burrowed into the weeds behind the willow tree, refusing to come out.

Jiang Qingyu said angrily, "You fellow, why are you bullying the little hedgehog for no reason?"

"I was just playing with it." Ximen Kankan rolled his eyes at Jiang Qingyu and said, "Look at that sissy look on your face!"

"You..."

"Alright, alright, stop bickering over such trifles." Duan Rong pulled the two of them to sit down and began to chat and laugh, telling them some interesting things he had seen during his recent escort mission.

Before Duan Rong went on the mission, he had often fed the little hedgehog. Because this trip would take over a month, he had prepared a small basin of beef jerky for the little hedgehog in the pavilion.

Perhaps he had prepared a bit too much; by the time he returned, the little hedgehog had finished the entire small basin of beef jerky and had grown fat as a ball.

The three chatted for a while, and Jiang Qingyu said, "Brother Duan, ever since you defeated that scoundrel Luo Zhoucheng at Weiyang Workshop over a month ago, he has indeed kept his promise and has not gone to harass Miss Lan Ying again."

"When Miss Lan Ying saw that the scoundrel no longer came to harass her, she was overjoyed to have finally shaken off that little plague god, and she chatted with me about it. I told Miss Lan Ying the whole story from beginning to end."

"Miss Lan Ying is very grateful to Brother Duan and asked me to be sure to invite you to Huaying Pavilion for a visit to express her slight appreciation. It's just that during the previous period, it happened to be when Brother Duan was out on a mission, and I came several times, but Brother Duan was not there."

Ximen Kankan also smiled and chimed in, "Tonight was originally the day Jiang Qingyu was to meet Lan Ying. He insisted on dragging me here to see if you had returned. Who would have thought you, Brother Duan, would actually be back? Isn't this just perfect?"

As the two spoke, they both looked at Duan Rong with bright eyes.

Duan Rong smiled slightly; these two fellows were clearly trying to drag him to Huaying Pavilion to drink and flirt.

Given his temperament of crazy cultivation, he naturally did not want to go, but looking at the expectant gazes of his two good friends and thinking about how he had been neglecting them lately, Duan Rong really could not bear to refuse again, so he said, "It's a fine evening with a gentle breeze, shall we take a trip to Huaying Pavilion?"

"That is exactly the plan!" Hearing this, both of them stood up with smiles.

Ximen Kankan looked at Jiang Qingyu and said triumphantly, "See? I told you. Brother Duan would go. One hundred taels in silver notes, hurry up!"

"You win, you win!" Jiang Qingyu took out a silver note and slapped it into Ximen Kankan's hand. Although he lost the bet, he was still very happy that Duan Rong could accept the invitation.

Duan Rong looked at the laughing Ximen Kankan and Jiang Qingyu and rubbed his nose, speechless.

These two fellows were actually betting on him?

Too much!

Once night fell, Huaying Pavilion became the most bustling and magnificent place on the streets of Xiangu County.

The two-story wooden structure stood tall and imposing. The sounds of strings and wind instruments mingled with faint laughter, drifting out and scattering into the quiet courtyard with the night breeze, plucking at the heartstrings of lovesick men and women...

On the second floor of Huaying Pavilion, inside Lanxiang Yuan.

Lanxiang Yuan was Lan Ying's residence within Huaying Pavilion. The bedroom connected to a spacious front hall, with embroidered screens and fluttering curtains.

At this moment, the table in the front hall was filled with various dishes and fruits. Duan Rong, Ximen Kankan, and Jiang Qingyu sat around the table, while two maids held silver pots and added wine to the side.

Not far from the table, on a zither platform with the curtains rolled up, Lan Ying played the zither and sang. Her slender fingers plucked the strings, and her voice was mournful and winding. Amidst the sweetness, a few clear and beautiful notes would occasionally flash out. Coupled with Lan Ying's peerless beauty and her tightly furrowed brows, it was truly mesmerizing!

Duan Rong glanced at Jiang Qingyu, who was nearly petrified to the side, and couldn't help but smile. He finally understood why this kid was so obsessed with Lan Ying.

If it weren't for the fact that he had experienced several brushes with death and his Dao Heart had been tempered to be quite firm, he might not have been able to withstand that natural touch of sorrow between Lan Ying's brows either...

Lan Ying's personal maid, Hong Xue, held a round fan and stood behind Lan Ying, gently fanning a fragrant breeze for her.

Now, the weather was getting hotter day by day, and Lan Ying had a weak constitution and could not endure the cold or the heat. During this season of sudden cold and sudden heat, she was most prone to illness. And whenever Lan Ying fell ill, Hu Huanhuan would definitely call Hong Xue over to interrogate her, so she did not dare to be anything but careful in her service, fearing that Lan Ying would fall ill. If Lan Ying coughed a few times, she would be even more nervous than Lan Ying.

Hong Xue waved the round fan, her eyes occasionally sweeping across the faces of the three people sitting at the table.

By now, Duan Rong had suppressed the agitation in his heart and began to taste the delicacies on the table.

The cooks at Huaying Pavilion were no worse than those at the big restaurants. Of course, the price was naturally outrageously expensive; after all, eating here was not just about the ingredients and the taste...

After Lan Ying finished playing a song, she felt a bit tired. Moreover, she was burdened with melancholy, so she sighed softly, stepped down from the zither platform, and sat at the table...

As Lan Ying walked over, a wisp of faint, lingering fragrance drifted past their faces. At this moment, Duan Rong had his mouth covered in grease, busy gnawing on a chicken leg.

Lan Ying glanced at Duan Rong and said in a cool, detached, and mournful tone, "Sir has a good appetite!"

Lan Ying did not usually play the zither often, and playing and singing like this was even rarer. Jiang Qingyu had also rarely heard it. She had originally played and sung a song on the zither to thank Duan Rong for his help, but she had not expected Duan Rong to only know how to eat, completely oblivious to the romantic atmosphere.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "The young lady's voice is elegant, but this tune is a bit too decadent and dispirited, and also overly sorrowful. Singing such a song, the young lady's melancholy will only deepen; wouldn't that be harmful to your health?"

Upon hearing this, Lan Ying sneered and retorted sarcastically, "In a brothel, if the songs aren't decadent and dispirited, should they be elegant and upright instead? Since Sir has such high integrity, why bother coming to this brothel to drink and flirt?"

Duan Rong was slightly taken aback by Lan Ying's words and said, "When the young lady is burdened with melancholy, the body becomes weary and heavy. When the body is heavy, one finds no joy in doing anything. In such a cycle, when will the body ever be at ease?"

Hearing Duan Rong's words, Lan Ying was startled and looked at Duan Rong with a dazed expression.

Hong Xue, who was standing behind Lan Ying holding the round fan, suddenly laughed and said, "What Sir said is actually quite similar to what Doctor Gu said..."

Hearing this, Lan Ying seemed to blame Hong Xue for being talkative and turned her head to glare at her. Seeing Lan Ying glare at her, Hong Xue immediately flickered her eyes and stuck out her tongue.

(End of chapter)