Visiting Xianding Pavilion
“I’ll go with my senior sister,” Jing Xu said immediately.
Ning Wu hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll keep an eye on Shao Zaihuan."
Where is Zhou Nan?
Zhou Nan is his senior sister's apprentice, and Yu Zhu is his elder, so she should take care of him. However, whenever Yu Zhu and Zhou Nan make eye contact, she feels uncomfortable and always tries to reduce her interactions with Zhou Nan.
Before Zhou Nan could speak, Ning Wu interjected, "Zhou Nan, come with me."
After hearing this, Zhou Nan nodded, "I'll go with Fellow Daoist Ning."
Before going to the Immortal Peak Pavilion, Yu Zhu decided to change her outfit. She brought Jing Xu to the Heavenly Garment Pavilion and told him to choose a flashy outfit that would give him a carefree, playful look.
Yu Zhu changed into a crimson dress with large crabapple blossoms embroidered in gold thread, and wore a matching wide-sleeved shirt over it, revealing her clear collarbone, and a jade safety buckle hanging from a silver cord.
Yu Zhu changed her clothes first, walked to the mirror, and looked at herself. She had forgotten what she looked like before. Her fingers touched the safety buckle. Ever since her mother put it on her, she had never taken it off. She had thought it was a treasure, but it hadn't changed over the years and was just an ordinary safety buckle.
When the original owner was ten years old, her mother died at the hands of a demonic cultivator, and the original owner was also imprisoned in a place for a hundred years. Later, the Yingtian Sect broke through the demonic cave and rescued the original owner. The original owner joined the Yingtian Sect and became a disciple of Immortal Venerable Qiongfang.
During her century of imprisonment, Yu Zhu's memories of what the original owner of this body experienced were not very clear, but she guessed that it might be similar to what the missing children of Baicao Village had gone through. Thinking of this, a shadow fell over Yu Zhu's face.
When Jingxu came out, he saw Yuzhu standing in front of the mirror, her half-up black hair hanging down to her waist, her gaze fixed on something unknown. Her usually light lips were now rouged, which made her skin look even whiter and more porcelain-like. Instead of the glamour of bright colors, it added a touch of gloom.
Jingxu paused for a moment, then approached Yuzhu again, "Senior Sister."
Yu Zhu snapped out of her daze and glanced sideways, a look of amazement flashing in her eyes.
Jing Xu changed into a crimson brocade robe, with a silver waist belt outlining his strong waist. He stood tall and elegant, his black hair tied up high and secured with a silver crown.
"You look great in this outfit, it gives you a youthful vibe."
Yu Zhu's gaze lingered on Jing Xu, admiring him repeatedly. Before, Jing Xu was dressed simply, with his hair half-tied up, giving off the feeling of a gentle scholar. Tonight, however, he had changed his attire, and the young man was full of vigor and vitality.
As Yu Zhu pondered, her smile grew even brighter. Seeing such a vibrant young man was truly delightful.
Seeing Jingxu about to take out his spiritual energy bag again, Yuzhu pressed down on the back of his hand, "I'll pay, I'll pay."
Before Jingxu could speak, Yuzhu quickly said, "I'll pay. I know you have money, but I can't keep taking advantage of you. Consider it a return gift from Yun Bingzhu."
Jingxu could only nod and watch with a smile as Yuzhu paid.
The two set off for Xianding Pavilion.
The nightlife of Fangcaozhou is vibrant. The streets are brightly lit, bustling with pedestrians, and filled with the sounds of merchants hawking their wares and passersby chatting and laughing.
Yu Zhu and her companion quickly arrived at the Immortal Peak Pavilion, which appeared to be a four-story building. After pausing for a moment, they saw people entering but not exiting.
"See? I told you I wanted to change my clothes. Everyone else is dressed in flashy jewelry, and if we dress plainly, we'll stand out," Yu Zhu said to Jing Xu, tilting her head.
Suddenly, a blooming light pink crabapple blossom appeared in front of Yuzhu. "Senior sister is right. I see that all the women who enter the Immortal Peak Pavilion wear flowers in their hair. Senior sister, why don't you wear a flower too?"
Yu Zhu had just arrived in town today and wanted to buy flowers, but she had completely forgotten about it until now.
She took a closer look at the women entering the Immortal Pavilion and noticed that they did indeed have flowers in their hair. She took the flowers from Jingxu and tucked them into her hair.
"Okay, let's go in and take a look."
The two entered the Immortal Peak Pavilion one after the other.
Upon entering, the noise outside is shut out, as if a soundproofing array has been used. Lifting the beaded curtain, one can see the carved beams and painted rafters inside the pavilion, with colorful ribbons adorning the doorways. In the center is a square platform, its curtains tightly closed, and the area below is packed with guests.
A woman in pink greeted Yu Zhu and his companion with a smile, saying, "Guests, what would you like to do today? My name is Han'er, and I can show you the way and make the arrangements."
With such attentive service, Yu Zhu glanced at the others and indeed, some people came forward to greet her.
Yu Zhu and Jing Xu exchanged a glance, and Jing Xu said, "We're new here, do you have any recommendations, young lady?"
"So you are a new guest. Our Immortal Pavilion has four floors. Everyone can enter the first floor to listen to operas and enjoy music. Only men and women can enter the second and third floors respectively, but they must inform us of their cultivation level before entering."
Seeing their confusion, Han'er exclaimed, "Don't you know what the Immortal Peak Pavilion is all about before you came here?"
"The Art of Union?" Yu Zhu probed tentatively.
“That’s right. The art of lovemaking emphasizes the balance of yin and yang. The sisters and brothers in our sect have different cultivation levels. If we were to cultivate with someone whose cultivation level is much higher, wouldn’t we be taken advantage of?”
That makes sense, Yu Zhu understands, but a cultivator's cultivation level is a very important personal privacy. Can they really protect that privacy?
Jingxu: "What about the fourth floor?"
Han'er smiled knowingly, "Only married couples are allowed on the fourth floor. The Joyful Union Technique benefits both of you after one session, and many cultivators want to learn it. Are you two perhaps a young couple?"
The last sentence had too many flaws, leaving Yu Zhu speechless, especially the two words "young." Upon arriving in this world, time was stretched to almost a standstill. Even after eighteen years, she felt as if she were still stuck at the moment she first transmigrated. Her mindset could be considered young, but her body was over two hundred years old. Perhaps, in the world of cultivation, that was still young.
Compared to Jing Xu, they are nothing. He is only eighteen years old, a true young man.
Just as Yuzhu was lamenting the age difference between herself and Jingxu, Jingxu asked, "Do we need to disclose our cultivation level on the fourth floor?"
"Of course not. Daoist partners must know each other's cultivation level. If they truly wish to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others, we have no right to interfere. So, are you two going to the fourth floor?"
Just as Yu Zhu was about to wave her hand, Jing Xu said, "We just arrived, let's take a look around on the first floor first."
Han'er led the two to the audience seats in the hall, where a servant stopped her: "Sister Han, the hall is already full."
Yu Zhu and the other two also heard this. Han'er said apologetically, "You two heard it too. There are no seats left in the main hall, but there are private rooms on the first floor. Why don't you go to a private room?"
"this……"
Yu Zhu and Jing Xu hesitated slightly. They had come to investigate Dingxian Pavilion, and their view from the private room was greatly impaired.
Han'er's expression changed. Seeing the hesitation on their faces, the servant whispered something to Han'er.
"If you two don't mind, I can send someone to ask if any guests would like to share a table, how about that?" Han'er said.
Jingxu: "Thank you for your trouble."
The wait felt exceptionally long, and Han'er stopped talking to them, a stark contrast to her previous enthusiastic attitude.
Yu Zhu looked awkwardly at the ground beneath her feet, wondering if Han'er thought they looked glamorous but couldn't actually afford a private room, thus wasting her time.
The servant returned, beaming, and said, "There's a table of guests who'd like to share; it'll be just the right number of two people."
"Alright, then entertain them properly." With that, Han'er turned and left.
The servant was quite pleased and led the way, saying, "You two can call me A-Quan. There's a bell on the table; if you'd like some drinks or snacks, just ring it."
When we arrived at our seats, a man and a woman were already seated.
Yu Zhu ordered a pot of tea and two plates of pastries from A Quan.
Jing Xu thanked the two cultivators, but the male cultivator just laughed heartily, seemingly unconcerned.
Seeing that the female cultivator looked at her safety amulet several times, Yu Zhu took the initiative to say, "This was a gift from my family; it's just an ordinary pendant."
The female cultivator said apologetically, "I see. I am a weapon cultivator, and I couldn't help but observe the items others wear. Nowadays, cultivators rarely wear simple ornaments, so I couldn't help but take a few extra glances. I'm really sorry."
Yu Zhu: "It's nothing." She picked up the play script on the table and opened it.
The female cultivator started talking, asking her if she and Jing Xu were Daoist partners.
Instead of answering, Jing Xu asked, "Are you two Daoist partners?"
Female cultivator: "Yes, we are Daoist partners."
Jingxu: "When we first arrived at Fangcaozhou, we heard that the eldest son of the Jia family loved to visit Xianding Pavilion, so we came here out of admiration. Now we think, although Xianding Pavilion is nice, it shouldn't be so much that someone from such a prominent family as the young master Jia would favor it so much, right?"
The male cultivator scoffed disdainfully, "Jia Wenji likes to come because his cultivation is difficult, and he needs to rely on the Joyful Union Technique to improve his cultivation."
"This...isn't Young Master Jia going to marry Miss Baili? If he wants to improve his cultivation through the Love Affinity Technique, wouldn't it be a waste for Miss Baili to marry into the family?"
As Yu Zhu spoke, she handed the program book to Jing Xu. She was unfamiliar with the entertainment programs in the cultivation world and couldn't understand the program.
The female cultivator also looked worried and hesitated, saying, "This is a marriage proposal from the Jia family to the Baili family. Young Master Jia should treat Miss Baili well, right? I haven't seen Young Master Jia come to the second floor of Xianding Pavilion recently. Maybe he won't come at all."
Yu Zhu pouted, "With the Hehuan Technique as a shortcut to cultivation, would he be willing to give it up? Look, there's a constant stream of people going upstairs."
Yu Zhu stared at the stairs, where a group of people dressed in black took turns passing by.
"Are those guards from the Immortal Peak Pavilion?" Yu Zhu asked.
The male cultivator nodded, "Yes, after all, these are all private matters upstairs, so the Immortal Peak Pavilion must be heavily guarded."
Jingxu put the playbook back. "I see that the playbook is full of plays about seeking immortality and enlightenment. Why are so many people here?"
The male cultivator said, "No, these past few days, the Immortal Peak Pavilion has invited high-level musicians. After the performance, the musicians will play some pieces that help clear the mind, and many people come for this reason."
Jingxu: "That's a real pity. We should have come a few days earlier."
The woman paused for a moment, then slowly said, "It's not a pity, today is only the first day."
Suddenly, the lights dimmed, the curtain rose, and the show was about to begin. The man and woman stopped talking and looked intently at the stage.
Yu Zhu glanced at it; the play was about a cultivator who spent his days in arduous practice and eventually ascended to the divine realm through the divine path.
Yu Zhu wasn't very interested. The shrine had been closed for so many years, and who knew when it would reopen? There were still people dreaming of ascension; it would be better to just act out a melodramatic story.
The communication jade token flashed, and Yu Zhu opened it, revealing that Jing Shu and Bai Wei had arrived at Fangcaozhou.
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