Ouyang Rui finally managed to carry the large piece of wood to the Phantom Sound Pavilion, nearly losing half his life to exhaustion in the process.
This wood was supposed to be carried by that guy named Wu Li.
Just now in the shop, seeing the three of them about to leave, he hastily spoke up, inviting Xiaomi to bring her friends to the Ouyang mansion as guests tomorrow night.
Who knew that Xiaomi, with teary eyes, would sob and nod, saying "No problem," and then immediately look at him, her voice still heavy with a nasal tone: "Then... could I trouble you to help with this wood?"
A fairy shedding tears.
How could he refuse?
And so, he, a young master accustomed to a life of luxury, the number one most eligible bachelor that the young ladies of Thousand Mists Town wanted to marry, ended up doing manual labor in front of everyone's watchful eyes.
In order not to appear weak in front of his sweetheart, he glared back at the secretly following and observing servants who were trembling with fear and wanting to lend a hand along the way.
What was this called? Suffering for the sake of saving face.
This was exactly the case right now.
After handing the wood over to the servants of the Phantom Sound Pavilion to carry away, Ouyang Rui slumped onto the stone steps in front of the door, panting like a bull, his bangs sticking wetly to his temples.
Around seven or eight servants who had been waiting on the side immediately swarmed up.
Some massaged his shoulders, some pounded his legs, and one nimble servant held a freshly brewed cup of Little Dragon Tribute tea, carefully blowing on it a few times to cool it before gently bringing it to the young master's lips.
A servant in green leaned in and whispered, "Young Master, I have already investigated. There are four companions with that young lady: two men, one woman, and a completely snow-white cat."
"You brainless fool, I asked you to investigate the people, why are you investigating a cat?"
Ouyang Rui pushed the teacup away, his brows slightly furrowed. "The tea is too hot, keep blowing."
The servant smiled awkwardly, took the teacup and blew on it carefully. Glancing at his young master's expression, he hesitated and said, "Also, that young lady seems to be betrothed already. In the Phantom Sound Pavilion, she shares a room with that young man with heterochromia."
"Another thing, when they entered the city, the city guards questioned them, and I heard that the young man with heterochromia is from Miaojiang. Young Master, it is best if you avoid provoking him. Although Miaojiang is divided into Raw Miao and Cooked Miao, and Raw Miao mostly live in seclusion, what if he happens to be a Raw Miao, and from the most unpredictable and treacherous Gu witchcraft tribe..."
"Then it's best for us to stay as far away as possible."
"He is from the Gu witchcraft tribe. I saw with my own eyes a Crimson Blood Silkworm being extracted from his body. I estimate that rare item is already in my father's hands by now," Ouyang Rui said calmly.
As for these martial arts world rumors, he always considered them to be mere bluffs.
Having lived this long, he hadn't even seen a proper great demon. Aside from his nightly nightmares, there was nothing that could make him afraid.
"Gu... Gu witchcraft tribe?!" The servant was completely dumbfounded. He had only been casually reminding him, never expecting his words to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"What are you afraid of?" Ouyang Rui pondered for a moment. "Doesn't my father's treasury hold quite a few magical artifacts and divine weapons? There must be something that can ward off Gu and prevent poison. I'll go rummage through it later."
"But Young Master... the young lady is already taken. There are plenty of fish in the sea, why fixate on a single flower?"
Ouyang Rui looked up towards the Phantom Sound Pavilion, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. "She's not some flower, she is a fairy."
It is over, it is over.
The young master is most likely possessed; that girl might just be a Gu witch!
The servant thought with a racing heart, he had to tell the master as soon as they returned to the manor.
Xiaomi climbed the stairs with heavy steps, the wooden boards creaking loudly under her feet.
The night was deep, but the Phantom Sound Pavilion was just welcoming its bustling hours.
In the center of the building's openwork waterside pavilion landscaping, there was a dance stage. A courtesan dressed in a sheer twilight-purple dance skirt, with water sleeves draped over her slender arms, danced gracefully with her bare feet touching the floor.
The water sleeves unfurled and rolled up in her hands; as she spun, she looked like a light butterfly breaking from its cocoon, drawing bursts of applause from the audience below.
However, Xiaomi could tell that they weren't cheering for her dance moves, but rather for her faintly swaying figure, especially her smooth ankles that occasionally showed when she spun, as well as her toes painted with bright nail polish.
That layer of purple gauze was as thin as mist. The close-fitting dudou and inner skirt were faintly visible beneath the gauze, inviting imagination, and the inadvertently exposed skin sent the crowd into a frenzy.
The floral applique on the courtesan's forehead was placed perfectly, and her charm seemed to seep out from her very bones.
Xiaomi walked to the overpass corridor on the highest floor and could not help but stop to watch.
Although looking down from her height felt like having bought tickets in the nosebleed section, the angle allowed her to take in the entire dance stage and the viewing stands.
Just then, she noticed the area behind the beaded curtains at the corner of the dance stage.
A girl playing the guzheng sat there, performing the dance music for the courtesan on stage.
She had round cheeks with a bit of baby fat, still carrying a touch of childishness, making her look very cute.
She was surrounded by three sides of folding screens and beaded curtains, as if isolating all the surrounding noise, immersing herself solely in her own melody. Her fingertips leaped lightly, and the smooth zither music flowed from the strings, washing over the bustling voices filling the pavilion.
Looking two years younger than her, she had already fallen into this place of entertainment.
Xiaomi felt an inexplicable pang in her heart.
While she was lost in thought, there was a sudden muffled thud next to her.
Someone had bumped into the corridor pillar.
Xiaomi turned her head and saw that it was the young man who had been bullied by the barbarians yesterday. At this moment, he was bowing panickily to that pillar, apologizing profusely: "It is my fault for not having eyes, I am truly sorry, so sorry..."
"..." Xiaomi's mouth twitched. To save him from embarrassment, she answered on behalf of the pillar: "It is alright."
The Phantom Sound Pavilion was decorated enchantingly, with sheer curtains swaying even on every corridor pillar. Last time, she heard Madam Liu say that he was half-blind, so no wonder he mistook this pillar for a person.
As she spoke, she could not help but glance behind her.
On the way back just now, the two of them had a disagreement and tacitly went their separate ways, walking their own paths and ignoring each other.
Wu Li walked behind her at a moderate distance; he neither passed her nor closed the gap.
At this moment, the tall and slender figure behind her stood still in his original spot, pretending to lean against a pillar to rest.
They had walked too fast while arguing, leaving Song Yueyao far behind.
Heaven knows if he was resting or waiting for someone.
Hearing the response, the young man in front of her seemed slightly startled.
The voice was clear and crisp, unlike the ones he usually heard that were either critical, disdainful, or worse, directly calling him "blind man" and even kicking him away.
This voice lacked the soft and charming tone of the courtesans in the pavilion; instead, it sounded somewhat similar to Xiangyun.
Therefore, he bowed respectfully towards the source of the voice and gently reminded her: "Miss, you must be a guest staying at the Phantom Sound Pavilion, right? At this hour, it is better to return to your room early. There are many high officials and nobles coming and going in the pavilion, and among them are those consumed by lust who use their power to bully others, acting like wolves and tigers... Miss, please be very careful."
Hearing his kind advice, Xiaomi could not help but observe him closely.
She realized that there was a very strong sense of incongruity about this young man.
Looking solely at his appearance, half of his face was covered in hideous scars that looked like burn marks. His eyes were wide and vacant, yet his gaze was clear and completely untainted.
The dark gray short jacket and trousers he wore had long been washed until they were faded. The cuffs and knees were adorned with several patches of different colors, but the stitching was incredibly fine, dense, and even, showing at a glance that the person who sewed them was quite deft and ingenious.
At this moment, he was carrying a chamber pot in his hand, looking as though he was on his way to wash it.
Madam Liu said he was a servant in the pavilion, but from his bows, greetings, and overall demeanor, Chai Xiaomi could clearly perceive a gentle, upright, and refined upbringing.
In fact, his manners were even more proper than when Ouyang Rui had bowed to her earlier.
This was exactly what gave Chai Xiaomi such a strong sense of incongruity.
The young man's upright and modest bearing was completely at odds with his environment and status.
Chai Xiaomi said sincerely, "Thank you for the reminder."
