Chapter 639: The Master Gazing at Water, the Water in Panic!

The Group of Beauties Banquet was drawing to a close; crowds packed the railings along both banks of Zhi River, jostling and straining to gaze toward the banquet's direction.

The seating allotted to the public had never been plentiful, and now it was utterly overflowing.

A woman in a ruqun stood among the throng, her expression faintly disappointed, sighing softly.

She thought to herself: along this entire journey, she had not seen him once—clearly, fate had denied them a meeting.

Beside her stood a simple-minded man, scratching his head as he gazed far off at the square stage atop Zhi River's Gongqiao bridge.

Too bad—the distance was simply too great!

The man could only make out blurred shadows on the stage and hear faint music, yet his mind already conjured the voice, face, and laughter of the Flower Queen, and he grinned foolishly.

This couple were the vendors of wonton and mutton soup at Naiqiao's entrance.

Today, Lady Xu Xiyue of the Sima family bought all their mutton soup, so the couple decided to come and witness the spectacle of the Group of Beauties Banquet.

Who knew!

The crush of people was denser than a major market day—pushed and shoved, they could barely take a single step.

The woman still remembered the middle-aged man who had eaten mutton soup at their stall—the Master of Demons, Xu Jiangxian.

She had hoped that if she saw him again at the Group of Beauties Banquet, it would bring her peace of mind.

Yet after waiting half the day,

she discovered crossing the Gongqiao arch required a thousand taels per person—two thousand for them both—far beyond what they could afford.

Helpless, the couple could only wait here, joining countless Jingcheng commoners in gazing from afar.

Though the woman felt resentment, she had no choice but to sigh inwardly.

It seemed her past-life blessings were insufficient; her regret deepened further.

The simple-minded man smiled to comfort her:

"Wife, even if we can't see the Flower Queen above, the view of Zhi River is still worth it."

The woman snorted, her tone tinged with irritation: "What's so pretty about a river? Better go home and sell mutton soup."

As she spoke, the crowd jostled, and she suddenly felt something odd behind her.

She whirled around, shouting: "Who the hell just grabbed my ass?!"

The noisy crowd fell silent; all eyes turned toward her with curiosity.

A middle-aged woman, still possessing some charm, blushed furiously.

The simple-minded man turned back too, and saw an old man with white hair, his hands raised in protest, face full of panic.

The old man appeared seventy or eighty, dressed in a Confucian robe, his face steeped in poverty, his expression utterly innocent.

"Pfft~"

The crowd, seeing this, dismissed it instantly and turned away.

The woman, though she saw the old man, still refused to let it go—how could anyone else have touched her back so close? Only this "dirty old man" could have done it—and worse, he'd even rubbed her buttocks.

She was about to lash out when the simple-minded man tugged her sleeve, whispering: "Wife, it wasn't this old master."

"He's so old—how could he do such a thing?"

The simple-minded man thought to himself: at his age, even if he had the desire, his body couldn't manage it.

The woman glared at him, resentful but finally turned her face away.

Yet a ripple stirred in her heart—she wished it had been the man who ate mutton soup at their stall.

Not just touching—even if he'd done more, she'd have opened her legs willingly.

Thinking of this, her face flushed unexpectedly; she quickly lowered her head to hide it.

The simple-minded man gave the old man an apologetic look.

The ragged scholar bowed his head, waving it off with a gesture, still wearing an expression of innocence and embarrassment.

At that moment!

Painted boats glided slowly toward the shore along Zhi River and came to a stop.

These boats were meant for those who wished to cross the bridge or stroll the galleries, offering a closer view of the Group of Beauties Banquet.

Yet even so, they still couldn't see everything clearly.

To truly witness the grandeur of the banquet, one had to pass through the arch of the Gongqiao bridge.

But even these painted boats cost a steep seventy or eighty taels.

The woman cursed inwardly—this was outright robbery!

The people along the shore weren't fools; the original price had been five or six taels, now multiplied many times over.

This Group of Beauties Banquet was never meant for Jingcheng's common folk—it was exclusively for the Nine Surnames and high-ranking nobles.

Most of Jingcheng's business was controlled by the Nine Surnames; ordinary people could only scavenge scraps from their fingers.

Seventy or eighty taels was a fortune to them—they couldn't afford to waste it so carelessly.

And the Group of Beauties Banquet was about to end.

Yet the woman hesitated, thinking: if she took the boat, might she still have a chance to see that middle-aged man again? If she did, perhaps the silver… would be worth it.

The simple-minded man crossed his arms, watching coldly as several people boarded the painted boat, thinking: spending so much silver just to watch a show—what a waste!

Just then, the old man behind them called out: "There's still one spot left!"

The simple-minded man frowned inwardly: this ragged scholar, who looked destitute, had silver to board a boat?

"We're going too!"

The woman suddenly made up her mind.

"Huh?"

The simple-minded man blinked, hesitant: "Wife, is this really necessary? The price is outrageous—why waste our money?"

The woman ignored his protest and walked straight toward the boat.

Seeing this, the simple-minded man could only follow reluctantly.

Only the three of them boarded the boat; the boatman, seeing so few passengers, suggested transferring them to a smaller skiff.

The simple-minded man had been scowling, but when he heard the fare would be halved, his face instantly brightened into a grin, nodding eagerly.

The skiff's boatman was a sturdy man in his forties or fifties, his arms thick with muscle—clearly a seasoned waterman.

He expertly raised the pole, and the skiff drifted slowly away from shore, carried downstream by the current.

Only three people were aboard: the couple, and the old man, gripping the gunwale tightly with his body turned sideways.

Seeing this, the simple-minded man couldn't help but chuckle.

"Old master, don't worry—the water's calm here. Along this stretch of Zhi River near Xifeng Tower, the current is gentle, no hidden rocks—perfectly steady."

Yet the old man still clung tightly to the gunwale.

Just then!

A sudden surge of waves erupted from the river.

The current rocked the skiff slightly, splashing water onto all three.

The boatman cried out: "What a huge wave!"

"This wave's strange—we've never seen anything like it before."

The simple-minded man stared at the water, his brow twitching.

He had just glimpsed a massive creature gliding silently beneath the surface—huge, long, thick, vanishing deep into the depths.

A faint unease stirred in him, though he couldn't say why.

"Is that… a dragon in the river?"

He recalled some Jingcheng storytelling tales: dragons traveled beneath the river.

Could it be that the Dragon King himself came to watch the Flower Queen?

The scholar stared down at the water, where the current reflected his aged face.

The river churned violently; a powerful current rushed through Zhi River like something terrified, throwing up waves over a foot high that slammed against the banks.

Spray flew, mist spread, drawing crowds on both shores to stop and stare, murmuring in wonder.

"Something in the river?"

Even many at the Group of Beauties Banquet tilted their heads, gazing toward Zhi River, trying to see what caused the turmoil.

The music on the stage faded; everyone's attention was now fixed on this sudden phenomenon.

The water's reflection showed the old man's aged face.

The old man smiled faintly, shook his head, and whispered:

"What's there to fear?"

PS: There was another passage, but I couldn't finish writing it today!

(End of Chapter)