Chapter 762

Hu Xiaotian said loudly: "This Night Pearl is something I obtained from the deep sea; I dare say none of you have seen a larger one. Is this Night Pearl not far more precious than that white jade Guanyin?" Although the white jade Guanyin is a treasure, as long as you pay a high price, such a large piece of mutton-fat jade can still be bought; as for the carving, there are plenty of skilled artisans nowadays, and achieving the same or even better carving is possible, but a Night Pearl this large is rare in the present age, something one can encounter but not seek.

Zan Buliu stared wide-eyed, gazing at that Night Pearl; he couldn't help but sigh, what background does this person have? To spend so lavishly? His courage is also big enough; how could such a treasure be openly displayed in such a setting? Doesn't he know the principle that possessing a jade brings guilt to the innocent? A treasure worth a city's value—who knows how many people it will arouse greed in; it might even invite disaster.

Princess Xue Lingjun also sighed in admiration, but her nature has always been strong; even though she deep down thought this Night Pearl's value surpasses that of the white jade Guanyin, she refused to yield verbally, saying calmly: "No matter how large the Night Pearl is, it remains a mundane object; how can it be compared to a Buddhist sacred relic?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Princess, please forgive my rudeness; if you were allowed to choose freely between these two treasures, would you pick the mundane object or the sacred one?"

Princess Xue Lingjun was startled by his question; she certainly wanted that Night Pearl more in her heart, but she would never admit it in front of everyone. She silently cursed this Hai Dasheng for being rude and uncouth, repeatedly offending her dignity.

Hu Xiaotian said loudly: "Please, everyone, tend the lamps!"

After the servants of the prince's mansion relit the lamps, Hu Xiaotian closed the wooden box. Although the Night Pearl was placed back inside the box, everyone's gaze fixed on the wooden box in his hand.

Hu Xiaotian secretly laughed; Xi Yan this girl indeed had some tricks— a single Night Pearl had already drawn everyone's attention. By now Xi Yan had already disappeared from the hall, yet everyone's gaze remained fixed on the Night Pearl in Hu Xiaotian's hand; no one noticed her departure.

Hu Xiaotian, following the original plan, said: "Your Highness, you didn't say there was still another surprise, did you?"

Prince Yan Xue Shengjing thought to himself, that Night Pearl of yours is my greatest surprise; he wished he could snatch it from Hu Xiaotian's hand right now to examine it thoroughly, but given his status, he couldn't appear too eager, lest the crowd laugh. He laughed: "Mr. Hai, you didn't mention it. I almost forgot! However, Mr. Hai's Night Pearl is truly a rare treasure in the world; could you bring it out again for everyone to appreciate?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "It's not that I'm unwilling to part with it, but this Night Pearl still has a wonderful quality."

"What wonderful quality?" Prince Yan Xue Shengjing's curiosity had been fully aroused.

Hu Xiaotian said: "This Night Pearl has spirituality; the more beautiful women it sees, the stronger its light becomes."

Princess Xue Lingjun found his words even more displeasing; what does it mean that the light grows stronger the more beautiful women it sees? Am I not a beauty?

Prince Yan Xue Shengjing craved this Night Pearl so much that he failed to notice his imperial sister's feelings; he clapped his hands and laughed: "What's the difficulty? I will invite Miss Huo Xiaoru's Music Dance Troupe to perform a piece for everyone's enjoyment!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Just use this Night Pearl for illumination!"

Prince Yan Xue Shengjing laughed: "Quite right. Quite right!"

Hu Xiaotian held the wooden box, approached Prince Yan Xue Shengjing's table, placed the box on the table and opened it, allowing the Prince to examine the Night Pearl up close. The Prince had the lights extinguished; truly, the more he looked, the more he loved it. He secretly resolved that, no matter the cost, he would keep this Night Pearl today; however, he was unclear about Hai Dasheng's purpose—whether Hai Dasheng offered the treasure to seek something or merely to show off.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Please have someone place this at a high position; best to hang it from the beam above."

Xue Shengjing nodded, ordering his subordinate, who excelled in lightness martial arts, Chuyun Yan Zhuo Chenghuan, to take a net bag, put the Night Pearl inside, and then hang it from the main beam in the center of the hall. Zhuo Chenghuan also wished to show off his martial arts; coming to the hall's center, he tapped his toes lightly on the ground, his body soared like riding clouds and mist, leaping up to a height of three zhang on the beam amidst the audience's gasps, and tied the Night Pearl to the beam.

Prince Yan Xue Shengjing had his subordinates extinguish the lights again; the Night Pearl hung high on the crossbeam, emitting a pure light like a bright moon, illuminating every corner of the Treasure Gathering Palace. Everyone looked up at the Night Pearl, dazzled and enamored; most present enjoyed collecting, and many, like Prince Yan, were almost obsessed—seeing such a treasure, each thought, "How wonderful it would be if this Night Pearl were mine!" But most merely indulged in wishful thinking; everyone understood that a treasure worth a city would not be easily given up by Hai Dasheng.

At that moment, the sound of strings and bamboo came from behind the curtain on the right side of the hall, drawing everyone's attention away from the Night Pearl. The melody was gentle and soft; ten girls in white long robes entered one after another from behind the screen, their figures and appearances all pick-of-the-litter, and even more rare, their heights and builds were quite similar; this group of girls stepped lightly into the center of the hall, dancing gracefully to the music.

Hu Xiaotian stared intently, but failed to find Huo Xiaoru's graceful figure among those girls; it turned out that although Huo Xiaoru had agreed to let her Music Dance Troupe perform at the prince's mansion, she had no intention of performing herself. The guests had all hoped to catch a glimpse of her beauty; discovering that the performance was merely by her troupe and not her person, disappointment showed on their faces.

The Crown Prince Xue Daohong secretly laughed; Imperial Uncle really knows how to boast, saying Huo Xiaoru would perform for everyone, when in fact he had merely been playing with everyone's feelings all along; however, Xue Daohong also felt somewhat balanced, seeing that the Imperial Uncle wasn't much stronger than himself, and Huo Xiaoru still hadn't given him face.

The music suddenly became urgent; the ten white-clad girls shook out Lan-colored silk ribbons from their sleeves, the ribbons fluttering around them with their movements; from afar they looked like a woven expanse of blue ocean, and the girls resembled white gulls soaring above the sea, light and lively.

Although Huo Xiaoru did not appear herself, her Music Dance Troupe's performance was already enough to delight the audience. Princess Xue Lingjun was the first to applaud; she had studied music and dance deeply, being far more knowledgeable than most present.

The Night Pearl's light shone through the Lan-colored silk ribbons, the light in the venue shifting unpredictably; although it lacked the miraculous quality Hu Xiaotian had just mentioned—where the light grows stronger upon seeing beautiful women—under such lighting, the ten girls' dance gained an added mysterious, ethereal beauty.

The girls in the dance gathered like buds, then blossomed like flowers; using their graceful figures and the Lan-colored silk ribbons, they formed a beautiful bloom on the spot, this flower bathed in the Night Pearl's gentle, warm glow, becoming all the more charming and moving.

Applause thundered on site; the ten girls spun apart, like petals scattered in the wind drifting away; their white skirts swirled higher and higher, the crowd's gazes fiery, all wishing to feast their eyes on the spring within the group, yet these girls wore long trousers under their long skirts, so one could still see the outline of their slender, elegant legs.

Prince Yan Xue Shengjing quietly glanced at his nephew Xue Daohong, only to see his gaze become especially fervent, the corner of his mouth involuntarily revealing a knowing smile. Everyone has weaknesses; Xue Daohong is no exception—young and vigorous, his blood strong, he lacks strong resistance to beautiful women.

The crowd suddenly erupted in applause, for the ten girls, at the climax of their dance, all stood on tiptoe, supporting their entire weight solely on the tips of their toes as they danced.

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but smile knowingly upon seeing this; in this era, to have the crowd gasp at a toe dance, the originator was none other than himself—thinking of it, he felt a bit proud. He glanced toward the screen, only to see a graceful figure appear beside it at some point; the black-clad girl stood silently in a corner where the Night Pearl's light did not reach, her gaze fixed on the girls in the field, her clear eyes thoughtful; though her face was veiled with a light gauze, her peerless beauty could not be concealed—who else could it be but Huo Xiaoru?

Everyone present focused their gaze on the center of the dance floor, following the ten toe-dancing girls; some stared at the Night Pearl hanging on the beam, yet no one noticed Huo Xiaoru's appearance.

Huo Xiaoru seemed to sense something; she turned her pretty face toward Hu Xiaotian's direction, just to see a lecherous big fat man staring lustfully at her; Huo Xiaoru frowned slightly in disgust, then turned and walked back behind the screen—of course she would not recognize that lecherous fat man before her as Hu Xiaotian.

Although it was merely a fleeting glance, the scenes of his past interactions with Huo Xiaoru instantly flooded his mind—the Ink-and-Water Pavilion literary gathering, seeing her off at the Fifteen-Li Pavilion; he remembered that at their parting, Huo Xiaoru had given him a painting, but he had lost it along the way and never even got to see what was depicted. He and Huo Xiaoru had also arranged to meet at Azure Clouds, but not long after their separation, his fate underwent a drastic change, and their former promise vanished in an instant. Huo Xiaoru should have been the first girl to move his heart after he came to this world, so his memory of her is especially deep; he had thought he had long forgotten her appearance, yet upon seeing her again, that former feeling of being stirred returned instantly.

Fortunately, Xi Yan was not by his side at this moment; otherwise that girl would surely have been jealous again to an extreme degree.

The ten girls danced ever faster, and the applause on site grew wave after wave more enthusiastic. Princess Xue Lingjun gazed at the Night Pearl; this Night Pearl is truly a rare treasure, having hung so long without its light dimming in the slightest, yet it did not become extraordinarily bright upon encountering beautiful women as Hai Dasheng claimed—one could only think this dead fathead was boasting nonsense. As Princess Xue Lingjun pondered, a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed outside, its light rivaling the sun and moon, let alone the brilliance of a single Night Pearl.

After the lightning passed, the Treasure Gathering Palace suddenly plunged into darkness, whereupon a thunderous spring roar came from outside. (To be continued~^~)