The falling petals resembled a colorful snowfall.
It illuminated the pale sky, painting the world in countless shapes and forms.
Xie Shuci walked to the lakeside, where the king was enjoying the company of several beautiful women surrounding him like stars around the moon.
At this moment, Xie Shuci's cheeks were slightly flushed. The wind on the lake stirred his restless heart, and even though Xie Shuci had a thick skin, he was a little embarrassed.
In his original home, peach blossoms were a romantic and ambiguous thing. He actually took advantage of the little blind man's ignorance and forced peach blossoms into his arms. It was really too shameless of him.
"Aww!"
Upon seeing Xie Shuci, the king squeezed his way out of the crowd, sticking his tongue out at him in a silly manner.
Xie Shuci bent down, picked it up, pinched its face, and sighed, "I'm just a petty person."
"Huh?" The king looked at him in confusion.
Xie An was now beside him, not saying a word, just standing quietly as usual.
Xie Shuci glanced at him sideways, then at the flower pinned to his waist, feeling an uncontrollable surge of pleasure. He lowered his head, a smile playing on his lips.
"Brother Xiaoci!"
Across the lake, Xiao Xianlan waved to Xie Shuci from afar.
Xie Shuci looked up and saw Xiao Xianlan wearing a pink dress and a peony in her hair, smiling at them.
Beside her stood a woman, her hair adorned with pearl flowers, a flower ornament between her brows, and a hazy veil. Her beautiful eyes sparkled, and after meeting Xie Shuci's gaze, she nodded slightly.
Xie Shuci waved generously at them, and the king also called out twice towards the opposite bank.
Their commotion attracted a lot of attention, and people would occasionally glance at the two of them. Most of them would give Xie Shuci a friendly smile when they saw the token at his waist.
"Let's go find them."
"Um."
Xie Shuci led them to the other side of the lake. Xiao Xianlan stood on the deck of the boat and waved to the two of them. She said to the guards on the shore, "These two young masters know my sister. Please let them in."
The guards clasped their hands in a gesture of respect and made way for the two men.
Xie Shuci carried the king onto the deck, the bow of the boat sank down, and ripples spread across the lake.
After he went up, he turned back and pulled Xie An up with him.
The onlookers on the shore were completely dumbfounded:
"Who are those two people?"
"To think I could actually ride on the same boat as Miss Xianyu?"
At this moment, someone said, "You guys are obviously outsiders, aren't you? That young master is wearing a token from the Hehuan Sect on his waist belt, so he must be a friend of Miss Changxuan."
"Miss Changxuan? Could you be Ye Changxuan, the former courtesan of Tianzhu City?"
"It's her, of course."
Eager eyes from the shore turned to them. Xie Shuci wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he lifted the king high and said, "Kid, come on, give the audience a shout."
"Aww!"
The king responded, stuck out his tongue at the people on both sides of the river, and gave a silly smile.
"So cute!"
"It's so soft, I really want to touch it."
To everyone's surprise, Xie Shuci was not satisfied. He felt that this was not majestic enough, so he pinched the king's dog ears and said, "I want you to howl, not to laugh."
"Huh?" The king's small head was filled with big confusion.
"Howl, howl of the wolf, let them see your heroic figure."
The king nodded as if he understood, then with a "whoosh," he broke free from Xie Shuci's grasp and transformed into a red snow wolf half the height of a person. The bow of the boat could not bear its weight, causing it to swallow a lot of water and the boat to rock violently.
Xie Shuci lost his balance and stumbled forward, but Xie An caught his arm in time and pulled him back. Otherwise, he would have been soaked to the bone in front of everyone today.
"Little Fairy Orchid!" Xie Shuci suddenly shouted.
Luo Xianlan was caught off guard by the sudden turn of events. She slipped and fell into the water. Xie An heard the sound and glanced in her direction. After hesitating for a moment, he kicked the Red Snow Wolf, which was swaggering with its neck raised, and kicked it into the water first, just in time to catch Luo Xianlan.
"Awoo...woowoo."
The king had already struck a pose, ready to let everyone experience the majestic howl of a wolf, but after just one howl, it was kicked into the water. It gulped down a couple of mouthfuls of water, raised its head, and found that the water was not deep, only covering its legs.
"Awooooo! Awooooo!"
Who? Who? Who on earth dared to ambush me!
Seeing that Little Fairy Orchid had landed perfectly on the King's back, Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief.
Upon hearing the sound, Luo Xianyu hurriedly came out of the cabin, "Xianlan?"
Luo Xianlan, still shaken, leaned against the king's back. Seeing Xie Shuci and the others looking at her with concern, she waved her hand and said, "I'm fine."
The unexpected events on the ship startled the people on the shore. Seeing that no one was injured in the end, they pointed at the king and burst into laughter.
Xie Shuci pulled Xiaoxianlan off the king's back. The king jumped onto the boat, transformed back into a puppy, shook off the water, and amidst the laughter of the crowd, snuggled into Xie Shuci's arms, burying his head in his arms.
"Aww..."
Waaah... I'm so ashamed to face anyone.
Xie Shuci rubbed its head. "Alright, it's nothing. I let you howl, why did you turn back to your original form? This boat isn't that big."
"Aww! Aww!" the king retorted in dissatisfaction.
It's more impressive to turn into your original form!
"Little Fairy Orchid, are you alright?" Xie Shuci asked.
Luo Xianlan shook her head. "I'm fine."
"Awooo!"
The one who got into trouble was the baby; he lost face and was even kicked into the lake.
Thinking of this, it turned its head and gave a resentful look to the culprit who had kicked it off the deck.
That look in its eyes was like it owed it hundreds of meals.
Xie An met its gaze and looked back, but the little guy was quite timid and immediately buried its head in Xie Shuci's arms again.
After a while, when there was no movement, it quietly stared at Xie An again.
Xie An was stared at by it a few times, and then suddenly reached out his hand.
Upon seeing this, the king hurriedly snuggled into Xie Shuci's arms, sobbing softly as he did so, looking utterly pitiful.
Xie Shuci felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing this, turned to Xie An, and said, "You seem to have frightened it."
To be honest, Xie Shuci was quite frightened by his kick. His reaction was too fast, and it looked like it hurt a lot.
Xie An frowned, pursed his lips, and withdrew his hand.
Xie Shuci lost interest in playing around and went into the cabin with them. During this time, the Great King stayed in its arms, looking like it had suffered a great injustice.
Xie Shuci felt that the little guy's self-esteem was hurt, so he kept stroking the dog's fur to comfort it.
This also gave the king a taste of success.
It felt, a little bit, that it was almost a tiny bit soft-hearted!
So when Xie An reached out again to take it away, the king pitifully clung to Xie Shuci's arm, sobbing softly as if he had suffered a great injustice.
Xie Shuci quickly patted its back and said to Xie An, "Never mind, I'll hold it for now."
The king felt a little smug. No wonder this human always liked to play the victim in front of Diedie. Humph!
Having always been the one to suffer defeat before, it felt it had finally gotten its revenge and wanted to secretly observe the human's expression at that moment.
So when it brushed aside Xie Shuci's arm and quietly looked at the human next to it, it found him with a gloomy face and clenched teeth.
We won!
The king was so excited he almost cried out.
Inside the cabin, Xiao Xianlan wrung out her sleeves, which had accidentally gotten wet, and said to the two of them, "Brother Xiao Ci, didn't you say you weren't coming today?"
Xie Shuci said, "I had some things to do this morning, so I thought I'd come and check on things after lunch."
"You've come at the perfect time; it's going to start in half an hour."
"That's good."
"Fairy Orchid".
Luo Xianyu, who was sitting to the side, suddenly spoke up.
She wore a flowing dress, several light colors blended together to form a gradient, her makeup was exquisite, two layers of thin gauze covered her face, and her long eyelashes, like cicada wings, fluttered.
"Sister?" Xiao Xianlan asked in confusion.
"Go and see where Xiao Lian is."
"I understand, sister." Although she didn't understand what she meant, Xiao Xianlan still got up and left, not forgetting to rub the king's head before leaving.
After the little girl left the cabin, Luo Xianyu looked up at Xie Shuci with her beautiful eyes indifferently, "Young master, thank you for what happened yesterday."
Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment, then realized what she was talking about.
Xie Shuci shook his head. "No need."
After saying that, he couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly are you...?"
"cough……"
During the conversation, Luo Xianyu turned her head and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, coughing softly.
She paused for a moment, then wiped her mouth. "Tuberculosis."
Xie Shuci was taken aback. "Tuberculosis?"
In ancient times, tuberculosis was a very serious infectious disease that could not be cured, and once contracted, death was almost certain.
“I have obtained a medicinal pill that can prevent infection, so you need not worry, young master.” Luo Xianyu picked up a handkerchief, and Xie Shuci could vaguely see that it was stained with some blood.
Xie Shuci remained silent for a long time, during which he glanced at Luo Xianyu. She looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, sitting upright in the dimly lit cabin. A ray of light shone on her profile. Perhaps knowing that she had an incurable disease, Xie Shuci felt that she was terribly pale.
"You're not planning to tell Xiaoxianlan?" Xie Shuci asked.
I don't know how to tell her.
Luo Xianyu knew she had an incurable disease, but her face showed no fear of death, only a calm expression.
However, his eyes looked lost when he mentioned Luo Xianlan.
“Xianlan and I grew up in Tianzhu City. After giving birth to Xianlan, my mother left Tianzhu City and we haven’t heard from her since. It was Changxuan who took us in and let us stay at Wanhua Tower.”
Perhaps she hadn't vented for too long, or perhaps she hadn't heard from Ye Changxuan for too long. Facing these two men who were complete strangers to her, but who carried the token given to her by Ye Changxuan, she felt almost no sense of vigilance.
She slowly bent down, rested her elbows on the table, and supported her chin with her palms, revealing a rare, wooden expression.
“At that time, Xianlan was less than a year old, and I am a year younger than she is now. Changxuan taught me a lot, the names of flowers, the colors of flowers. Actually, I didn’t like them. They were too complicated and too bright, but Xianlan liked them very much. When she was little, she always pestered me to teach her, but no matter how I described them, I couldn’t make her happy, because she couldn’t see the colors I described.”
Xie Shuci didn't know why she was bringing this up, but she didn't interrupt and listened silently.
Just as she disliked the flowers, she probably also disliked the identity of the courtesan.
Luo Xianyu sighed, resting her chin on her hands, her cheeks puffed out, which dispelled some of her aloofness. "Xianlan is introverted and easily embarrassed. In addition, she is blind. She has followed me almost every step of the way these past few years. I... don't know how to bring it up with her."
"But the longer you delay, the more heartbroken and guilty she will feel later."
Luo Xianyu chuckled softly, straightened up, and her expression returned to its usual calm and composed state.
"When the time comes, I will tell her."
At the end of her sentence, Luo Xianyu added, "My body shouldn't be performing the Thousand Flower Dance, but this should be my last chance. Xianlan has been looking forward to today. If anything goes wrong with me, please cover for me one more time. At least today, I can't leave Xianlan with any regrets."
As soon as she finished speaking, footsteps sounded on the deck.
Luo Xianyu stared at Xie Shuci for a moment and said, "Please."
Xie Shuci felt a bit conflicted. He could understand Luo Xianyu's actions and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
"Okay." Xie Shuci nodded.
Before long, Xiao Xianlan and a woman named Xiao Lian walked in.
The woman bent down to enter the cabin. When she saw Xie Shuci and the other person, her gaze paused for a moment before she lowered her eyes.
"What do you want with me?" the woman asked.
Luo Xianyu said, "These two are Changxuan's friends."
"Hello, Sister Xiaolian," Xie Shuci said obediently.
Xiao Lian glanced at him, then slowly walked to the table and sat on the cushion.
Where is Ye Changxuan?
"Sister Ye has returned to Huan Sect."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lian scoffed, propped herself up on her knees, and waved her fan, her expression not entirely sarcastic. "The Joyous Union Sect... is she punishing herself, or punishing others?"
Xie Shuci blinked innocently, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
Luo Xianyu raised her eyes slightly, "Changxuan has a strong personality, she would rather be a broken jade than a whole tile, it's just mutual torment."
"Mutual torment? That person is insane. She's only tormenting herself."
Xie Shuci asked cautiously, "Sister Ye...why did you join the Hehuan Sect?"
Upon hearing this, the two fell silent.
After a long silence, Luo Xianyu finally spoke: "It's just some past events."
Xiao Lian stood up and said, "If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
Luo Xianyu nodded slightly.
Judging from their expressions, it probably wasn't a pleasant matter, so Xie Shuci didn't ask any more questions.
The boat slowly moved towards the lake. In the middle of the lake was a stone platform with four stone pillars standing on it.
The lake was covered with colorful petals, like a sea of flowers. The banks were bustling with people, all eyes fixed on the boats in the lake.
When the boat docked, Luo Xianyu stood up, but her body swayed for a moment, and Xie Shuci helped her up.
"Thank you," Luo Xianyu nodded.
"Sister, are you alright?" Xiao Xianlan quickly stepped forward and supported her arm.
Luo Xianyu shook her head: "It's alright."
Xiao Xianlan frowned, her eyes filled with worry. "Sister, you're still recovering from your cold. Don't push yourself."
Luo Xianyu smiled and said, "Tomorrow is the day the startled birds return to their nests, so this dance must be performed. Besides, who else in the city can dance like this besides me?"
"elder sister……"
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
Luo Xianyu gently pushed Xiao Xianlan aside and walked out of the cabin.
"Miss Xianyu!"
Luo Xianyu stood on the deck, the wind blowing from the lake lifting her skirt, accompanied by petals falling from the air, creating a scene like a painting.
The veil covered the lower half of her face, making her mysterious and ethereal, like a fairy descending to earth, unseen by mortals.
Xie Shuci and the other two took their prayer mats and sat down on the deck.
Xie An seemed to have planned this for a long time. In the moment when Xie An bent down, he casually grabbed the king and pulled him over.
"Aww!"
The king was dozing off when he suddenly felt himself being lifted into the air, and a dangerous aura was approaching.
"Huh?"
Diedie, why aren't you holding the baby anymore?
If you don't hold the baby after a fall, then who will hold the baby now?
The king's dazed eyes snapped open instantly, and he slowly raised his head with a stiff neck, meeting a pair of eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
"..."
A large hand covered its head; with just a little force, it could crush the top of its head.
As the saying goes, those who understand the times are heroes, and those who achieve great things can bend and stretch.
So the little vicious dog stuck out its tongue and obsequiously touched Xie An's hand with its paw.
Xie An withdrew his hand, his disgust evident in his expression.
"Awooo..." The little vicious dog froze, completely shutting down.
He dislikes the baby... Waaah...
"Is he asleep?" Xie Shuci asked curiously when he saw that the king was not moving in his arms.
No!
The king tried to lift its head from Xie An's arms, but Xie An pressed its head down with one hand and replied, "Hmm."
Xie Shuci and the other two sat on the deck, with a clear view of the scene on the stone platform.
Luo Xian, her jade robes fluttering, stood in the center of the stone platform.
Suddenly, a huge drumbeat rang out from both sides of the river. Xie Shuci was startled, feeling as if the drum was striking his heart. He instinctively shrank back towards Xie An.
Xie An was used to this, and with his long arm he reached over Xie Shuci's back and pulled him into his embrace.
Xie Shuci stiffened. He hesitated for a moment, but still leaned in. What's wrong with brothers hugging?
The drumbeats resounded one after another, striking the hearts of the crowd and creating a magnificent atmosphere.
Having mentally prepared himself, Xie Shuci leaned comfortably against Xie An's arm, casually covering the king's ears with his hand to prevent it from being frightened.
At the same time, after four or five drumbeats, the sound of zithers rose from both banks. Unlike the rousing drumbeats, the zither music was soft and lingering, like a light rain nourishing the earth.
Four women dressed in red rose into the air, each holding a red veil, and swept across the lake. The veils, like a curtain of rain, trailed across the lake like a road floating on the water.
"So beautiful!" Xie Shuci exclaimed.
The king rolled over, pushed Xie Shuci's hand away from his ear, and looked around with bright eyes.
A commotion erupted by the lake. Four women darted toward the stone platform, landing on four stone pillars. With a wave of their arms, the thin veils seemed to come alive, fluttering toward Luo Xianyu in the center of the platform.
At the same time, the music from the shore suddenly rose in intensity, and the drums sounded again, like a violent heartbeat, plunging everyone present into a tense atmosphere.
Suddenly, the ship began to rock slightly, and a wisp of red gauze flew out from above Xie Shuci's head.
“It’s Sister Xiaolian,” Xiaoxianlan said.
Xie Shuci looked up and saw Xiao Lian holding one end of a thin veil, standing on the cabin.
The thin gauze wrapped around Luo Xianyu's limbs and waist, and the five of them pulled her up from the ground.
Seeing this, Xie Shuci couldn't help but frown.
Xiao Xianlan hugged her knees, staring blankly at Luo Xianyu in mid-air above the stone platform.
Despite the rousing drumbeats ringing in her ears and her sister's figure right before her eyes, everything seemed so pale and powerless to her.
It was as if she were trapped inside a case, watching everything through the case, always feeling out of place.
She even had the feeling that she was always suspended in mid-air and had never fallen.
Everything felt so unreal.
On the stone platform, Luo Xianyu was like a butterfly caught in a spider web. Her body danced and spun in the air, but she could never leave the area of the stone platform.
Amidst the gasps of amazement from the crowd, Xie Shuci's gaze remained somewhat dazed.
I wonder if Luo Xianyu's body can handle such intense activity.
Using the sheer fabric, she leaped into the air several times, spreading her arms wide, the large sleeves fluttering like butterfly wings.
Long hair flowing, beads clashing.
Amidst the stirring piano music, one could sense a touch of poignant beauty.
"Brother Xiao Ci, is Sister pretty?" Xiao Xianlan asked in a daze.
Xie Shuci was silent for a moment, then said, "It's beautiful."
Xiao Xianlan pursed her lips, and tears suddenly fell down her cheeks.
“I…I can’t see, I don’t know if it looks good or not. My sister’s limbs are tied up, all I can see is her struggling.”
Her eyes were devoid of color, and she was not distracted by vibrant hues. Whether it was the falling petals, her sister's colorful dress, or the red veil binding her body, everything appeared pale to her.
Although her sister's expression was clearly hidden beneath the thin veil, she inexplicably felt that her sister looked extremely sad.
Xie Shuci was speechless for a moment. Perhaps knowing about Luo Xianyu's illness, Xie Shuci felt that the dance was like a butterfly struggling to survive, using all the strength it had left but still unable to break free.
"Sister Xianyu is like a beautiful butterfly. She wears colorful clothes, as if she has worn all colors on her body. The veil wrapped around her is red, like the color of blood and sunset. It is a hot and passionate color. The petals falling around her are colorful and beautiful." Xie Shuci tried his best to describe the scene he saw to Xiao Xianlan, but his language was too poor. He did not know how to describe to her just how beautiful the scene was.
I wish I could convey my feelings to her.
Xie Shuci sighed. Xie An, holding Xie Shuci's waist, suddenly said casually, "Spirit Gathering Pill."
Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment, then looked over in confusion, "What Spirit Gathering Pill?"
Xie An asked, "Do you remember how you and Dan Xiu were connected by spirit in Luofang City that day?"
Xie Shuci sat up straight, his eyes widening in surprise.
That day, he channeled his spiritual energy into Danxiu, sharing all of Danxiu's senses...
"You mean, I can use the Spirit Gathering Pill to share my senses with Little Fairy Orchid?"
Xie An frowned. "It's not you, it's someone else. Just let her share her senses with others."
At the end of his sentence, as if still unsure, he repeated, "It wasn't you."
Xie Shuci, however, felt inspired and didn't pay much attention to what Xie An said next, instead lowering his head to ponder.
If he can use the Spirit Gathering Pill to share his senses with Xiao Xianlan, then if Luo Xianyu and Xiao Xianlan both take the Spirit Gathering Pill, can they also share their senses?
Since Luo Xianyu doesn't know how to tell Xiao Xianlan about her illness, let them share their senses. This way, Xiao Xianlan can not only know about her illness, but also clearly understand why Luo Xianyu is hesitant to tell her. It's perfect for both of them!
Spirit Gathering Pill... Spirit Gathering Pill...
Xie Shuci was stumped because the pills given to him by his fellow disciples did not include the Spirit Gathering Pill, and there seemed to be no pill shops in Tianzhu City. For a moment, Xie Shuci could not think of any solution.
So he'll refine it himself? With a bronze cauldron and the Divine Pill Refining Manual... refining a Spirit Gathering Pill shouldn't be too difficult, right?
But alchemy can easily lead to demonic possession.
Thinking of this, Xie Shuci lost interest in appreciating Luo Xianyu's dance. He took out the alchemy manual from his small pouch and turned to the page containing the Gathering Spirit Pill.
Tomorrow happens to be the day when the Startled Feather Bird returns to its nest. If he can refine the Spirit Gathering Pill before tomorrow, he can also let Little Fairy Orchid see the Startled Feather Flower that blooms only once every ten years!
Seeing Xie Shuci's serious expression, Xie An frowned, somewhat displeased, "Did you hear me?"
"Huh? What?"
Xie Shuci replied briefly, but didn't even look at him, clearly not taking his words to heart.
Seeing this, Xie An frowned even more deeply, grabbed Xie Shuci's chin with one hand, and forcefully lifted his face, making him focus all his attention on him alone.
Xie An's actions carried an air of brooking no argument.
Xie Shuci was forced to look up and meet his gaze, asking in confusion, "What are you doing?"
Xie An pursed his lips and warned, "You are not allowed to communicate with others spiritually, do you understand?"
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