Chapter 440

Misty Wave Pavilion, lakeside.

"Zixin, among the three pavilions of your Purple Xiao Pavilion—the Rain-Listening Pavilion, the Pavilion of Eaves and Flowers, and the Pavilion of Wondrous Sounds—it seems the Rain-Listening Pavilion has the poorest business?"

The speaker was a young man dressed in the moon-white Confucian robes of a scholar, with a refined and gentle temperament, looking at the buildings amidst this Misty Wave Lake.

There were several others behind the man.

If Xie Guan were here, he would recognize this group as the very people who had shared a boat on the lake in the Grand View Garden.

Xue Huaian, and the two courtesans of the Purple Xiao Pavilion, Liu Zixin and Su Zhirou.

Aside from these three.

There was also the woman following behind, clutching a sword to her chest, Luo Su Su, the current manager of the Golden Embroidery Pavilion.

And a middle-aged man in green robes with a Bagua diagram on the hem, Mei Qingsu, the Chief Helmsman of the Giant Whale Gang.

The group of five had encountered trouble at the Xie family last time, and the old patriarch of the Xue family had been furious and held the Xie family accountable.

After the Daoist Wanderer met his end, the Bone Observation Sect, having lost its backing, was uprooted and nearly exterminated under the joint suppression of the Xue family, the Golden Embroidery Pavilion, and the Giant Whale Gang.

After Xue Huaian encountered that disaster last time, the old patriarch of the Xue family truly could not rest easy, fearing that this grandson, who had finally returned home, might meet with another accident in Above Bianjing.

After much deliberation, he requested Mei Qingsu and Luo Su Su to provide protection for a few days.

The two naturally did not refuse—the Xue family had shown them great kindness, and furthermore, the old patriarch had personally made the request.

Thus, for this past month, whenever Xue Huaian went out, the two were sure to follow him without leaving his side.

Liu Zixin let out a cold snort through her delicate nose, "It seems our Young Master Xue is still quite well-informed about the Purple Xiao Pavilion; you certainly haven't been stingy with your patronage in the past."

Xue Huaian wore a look of helplessness.

Su Zhirou, however, knitted her delicate brows: "It is strange to say, though the Rain-Listening Pavilion is not as bustling as the Pavilion of Eaves and Flowers, nor does it have the constant sounds of strings and bamboo like our Pavilion of Wondrous Sounds, it shouldn't be this silent."

The two of them were the courtesans of the Pavilion of Wondrous Sounds, one of the three pavilions of Purple Xiao.

The two women looked toward the lake surface in unison.

The painted boats and pleasure craft that usually shuttled back and forth like a weave were now reduced to a mere few, floating lonely in the lake or docked by the shore.

Liu Zixin tilted her head in confusion: "Could it be that because of that sudden rain just now, they all went to take shelter?"

Xue Huaian shook his head and said: "I fear not. When we came from the Pavilion of Wondrous Sounds just now, we saw many people going into the buildings to avoid the rain; business was actually even more bustling than usual."

Su Zhirou was thoughtful: "Could it be that a distinguished guest arrived at the pavilion today, and they cleared out the ordinary customers?"

"That doesn't seem right either,"

Liu Zixin immediately retorted, "The sisters in the pavilion haven't received any guests today. If a distinguished guest were truly visiting, the Purple Xiao Pavilion would certainly arrange for a courtesan to accompany them; they would never let a guest be alone."

She paused and added: "Besides, we are part of the Purple Xiao Pavilion ourselves; if such a thing had happened, how could we have no news of it?"

Mei Qingsu suddenly furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice: "This shouldn't be!"

"The situation here is wrong."

As soon as these words were spoken!

Luo Su Su, who had been holding her eight-sided Han sword and lost in thought, unable to calm her mind, slowly returned to her senses.

Since the Grand View Garden incident at the Xie family, her state of mind had been difficult to calm—the sword strike Xie Guan had unleashed by the lake had nearly shattered the sword heart she had forged through over twenty years of bitter cultivation.

"Like the moon's light, to view the vast sea..."

For this past month, she had chewed on the artistic conception of that sword strike every day, and even the swordsmanship she had diligently practiced since childhood had been neglected. Every time she held her sword, she felt it was insipid. She had practiced bitterly for twenty years without regard for heat or cold, yet it could not compare to a casual strike from another.

Since hard work results in a sword strike, and not working hard also results in a sword strike, what was the meaning of these decades of bitter cultivation?

The youth's face also lingered in her mind, unable to be driven away.

Hearing Mei Qingsu speak at this moment, she was startled.

Since that battle in the Grand View Garden, everyone had long been like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.

Liu Zixin and the other woman did not speak further, but followed the others' gazes to examine the Misty Wave Lake.

Today was indeed strange!

Luo Su Su narrowed her eyes, sweeping them like a sword's edge, and suddenly said in a low voice: "There is an ambush in the lake! They are experts!"

At the same time!

Xue Huaian also seemed to sense something, his primordial spirit stirred slightly, and his gaze, containing shimmering ripples, looked toward the surroundings.

Passersby occasionally walked along the lake shore, but they all moved in a hurry, and the traffic was abnormally sparse.

In the distance, figures could be vaguely seen blocking the intersections, intercepting many pedestrians.

Even more pedestrians seemed to have a sudden flash of insight, bypassing this stretch of the lake shore from afar, just as mortals instinctively avoid desolate graves, wild mounds, and places of evil spirits.

Mei Qingsu and Luo Su Su exchanged a glance, both of their expressions sinking.

Mei Qingsu's gaze was like a torch, staring at the lake surface as he said in a low voice: "A giant creature is hiding under the water, shaped like a dragon, with back armor like dark iron and teeth like serrated steel knives. Looking at this aura... it seems to be a pig-dragon raised by the Prince Yan's mansion."

Luo Su Su nodded slightly: "It is rumored that Lady Ruan of the Prince Yan's mansion is proficient in this art. It is said that this woman was born to a water-regulating fisherman and a clam spirit, and is most skilled at raising exotic water creatures. This pig-dragon is said to have been raised on her own essence and blood."

Among the fishermen who make a living by fishing under the water-regulating authorities, it is passed down by word of mouth that this pig-dragon "swallows and spits out moonlight at midnight; fishermen who see it immediately fall ill. In the water, it can fight and kill dragons."

Ancient records state it is one of the dragon species.

Dragons are lustful; a dragon mating with a snake produces a dragon, and a dragon mating with a dragon produces a pig-dragon.

Luo Su Su looked at an old fisherman by the lake, "This should be the Fishing Old Man from the Thirteenth Prince's mansion, Li Kongming, who uses a dark iron fishing rod paired with a sky-silk line, and with one hand of the 'three changes off the hook,' he has the lives of those in the upper three realms of the martial path on his hands."

Mei Qingsu's gaze turned toward a sturdy man wearing a straw hat on the shore.

That man was dressed in short clothes, his left ear was missing, and his face was hidden in the shadows.

"A lay disciple of the East Victory Sect, because he was lecherous by nature, he once abducted female pilgrims in a sacred Buddhist place and was expelled from the sect. Later, he stole the study of Buddhist internal arts and was punished by the abbot, who cut off his left ear as a warning."

He said in a deep voice, "This person is proficient in the Buddhist Lion's Roar and the Flame Blade. After fleeing to Above Bianjing, he won thirty-six battles in the black market and was taken into the Prince Yan's service."

The more the two looked, the more shocked they became, their expressions growing increasingly solemn.

Xue Huaian said softly: "It's not just this. That white-browed old man in the lake, and that woman holding a child, are likely both cultivators in the Divine Fire Ignition realm."

Luo Su Su suddenly noticed a woman in a fur hat, with a long whip coiled like a snake around her waist: "That woman is not from our Great Qi... That's right, I remember now, this is that lady from the Crown Prince's mansion of the Northern Border's Eternal Heaven."

Luo Su Su's gaze suddenly tightened, staring fixedly at a painted boat floating with purple smoke in the center of the lake.

A middle-aged Daoist nun sat cross-legged at the bow, with blue smoke curling from the incense burner in front of her.

"The Daoist nun from the Great Sui Crown Prince's mansion..." Her voice trembled slightly, "It is rumored that this Daoist is a high-ranking practitioner who has received the true register of the Three Truths Sect. She rarely makes a move in Above Bianjing and is the personal protector of the Great Sui Crown Prince."

On another painted boat not far away, a fat monk held a wine pot in one hand and grabbed oily, shiny fat meat in the other, his heavy body causing the boat to sink by a full half-foot.

"The wine-and-meat monk of the Southern Buddhist Kingdom's Crown Prince." Mei Qingsu said in a deep voice, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter, "There are already six or seven that can be recognized right now, and there are many unfamiliar faces whose auras are no weaker than these people."

He looked around and said in a low voice: "Looking at the situation, they are all people from the three countries' Crown Prince mansions, the Prince Yan's mansion, and the Thirteenth Prince's mansion."

"With more than a dozen people here, no wonder the aura here is so strange; ordinary people dare not approach."

Xue Huaian keenly sensed several gazes sweeping over, but they quickly moved away: "Someone has discovered us, but they don't seem to care... It seems this setup today is not aimed at us."

Luo Su Su looked at the four-story building in the center of the lake, now deathly still, like a giant beast lurking in the lake, opening its bloody mouth.

A cold light flashed in her eyes: "With such a formation, what exactly is the intention? The three countries' Crown Princes are so unscrupulous in Above Bianjing, setting up such a formation; what they are plotting must be no small matter."

Mei Qingsu said in a deep voice: "Second Young Master, this place is not suitable for a long stay. Since it has nothing to do with us, it is better to leave quickly."

Xue Huaian, however, looked toward the center of the lake with great interest: "The three countries' Crown Princes, plus that Prince Yan who has hopes of seizing the throne, are making such a big fuss; what exactly are they plotting?"

"Second Young Master!" Mei Qingsu increased the weight of his tone, "The most urgent matter is to first ensure the safety of Miss Liu and Miss Su."

Liu Zixin and Su Zhirou listened to the names that made one's heart tremble; although they didn't understand much, they had vaguely heard of the notoriety of these people.

Recalling their previous encounter at the Xie mansion, the two turned pale, their slender jade fingers unconsciously gripping their sleeves tightly.

Seeing this, Xue Huaian hurriedly restrained his mind and said in a deep voice: "First, escort Zixin and the others away from this place."

Just as the group turned to leave!

Luo Su Su suddenly changed her expression. Her gaze swept across the street corner, only to see several figures having quietly blocked the way.

"Not good!"

Mei Qingsu noticed that the roads on all four sides seemed to have been sealed at this moment.

The aura in the Misty Wave Lake began to become subtle.

Mei Qingsu felt uneasy, "It seems... the main character has arrived."

Xue Huaian felt helpless, not knowing why he seemed to have been dragged into a huge storm once again.

【"Master Dongshan's kind intentions, Xie Guan accepts with his heart, and is deeply grateful."】

【The white-haired Master Dongshan, upon hearing this, could not help but shake his head and sigh lightly, his brows full of regret.】

【You suddenly raised your eyes, the light of the sky in your pupils, looking at the old man, "May I ask, Master, if one sees someone fall into a well, should one save them or not?"】

【After the old man heard this, there was a trace of confusion on his face.】

【You continued, "Confucianism says, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, but if one sees someone fall into a well, knowing that attempting to save them will surely lead to death, should the person in the well be saved or not?"】

【"This... to save someone is to face death..." The old man's brows furrowed tightly, seemingly thinking of your current predicament.】

【Your voice became increasingly clear, "Confucianism also says, a gentleman does not save, but a sage acts without hesitation. Why is that?"】

【"A gentleman?... A sage." The old man muttered, for a moment, not knowing how to answer.】

【You had already walked past the carriage, "Xie Guan is neither a gentleman nor a sage."】

【You paused your steps, turned your head and said: "It is just that Xie Guan cannot bear to see someone fall into a well and not save them, yet he is also unwilling to die in the well."】

【On the blue stone path, your figure gradually moved further and further away. The old man's worried face behind you suddenly relaxed, and he actually revealed a trace of a smile.】

【"Like, truly like..." He looked in the direction you were leaving, and whispered to himself, "The same temperament as the second brother back then, just not as sharp-tongued as you."】

【"Since you are willing to be like this, to be a hawk that fights the clouds, then this old man will help you escape the Xie family's cage and soar into the sky."】

【The old man leisurely boarded the carriage, "Let's go, let's go to the academy."】

(End of chapter)