The group walked to the middle section and crossed a pavilion over a stream that was quite different from the other arched bridges.
The enormous pavilion suspended in mid-air is connected to a corridor, where water flows gently in all directions, soaking Cheng Shuang's shoes and socks.
The icy water flowed dazzlingly under the lights, like a wondrous sight before a fairy's cave, but for mortals standing on it, it was too cold to bear.
The little girl wiggled her toes, quietly tucked two hand warmers into her trouser legs, straightened her clothes, and continued to follow the group ahead.
Fang Niang was alright, though her face was a little pale. She would occasionally bend down and talk to Feng Jiakang.
Meanwhile, Tasaburo had fallen to the back of the group. He was shivering and struggling to move, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to warm his body with his breath.
Cheng Shuang stared straight ahead at the sedan chair, about to pass it, when her wrist was suddenly grabbed. Turning around, she saw Tian Sanlang's expectant eyes.
His cold, expressionless face wore a pitiful look as he pleaded, "Help...help me!"
The little girl looked at him intently and said, "You can have candy!"
The two stared at each other for a long time. Tian Sanlang pursed his lips, slowly loosened his grip, and watched her turn and leave, his eyes filled with gloom.
He wiped his face, took a small candy from his waist pouch, carefully unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth, savoring its sweetness and warmth, muttering to himself, "What should I do..."
The sedan chair stopped at a waterside pavilion. Cool streams converged from the covered walkways, flowing beneath the pavilions to form artificial pools. The pools circled around the pavilions, cascading down in sparse streams, creating silvery waterfalls that graced the beautiful scenery below.
If it weren't for this moment, Cheng Shuang would have been very interested in appreciating it.
pity……
The young girl stepped forward and, together with Fang Niang, helped Feng Jiakang down from either side. Whether it was the two of them or the guide, the soles of their shoes were wet, leaving fluorescent footprints on the floor. These footprints would remain for a while before slowly fading away.
Feng Jiakang didn't get wet along the way, so he left no trace. However, if he wanted to visit the left and right waterside pavilions, those wet and shiny footprints would be the evidence.
Cheng Shuang's mind started to wander. She looked at the long corridor connecting the waterside pavilion. Some water seeped out from the cracks in the floorboards, and the path under her feet made a squelching sound.
In fact, if the guests wanted to get to know each other, these guides would not refuse, but that would be tantamount to blatantly telling the natives, "This, this and this are my companions, so you must pay close attention!"
Therefore, the best approach is to temporarily ally with neighboring maintainers and exchange information.
She looked at Feng Jiakang, wondering if he had similar thoughts.
The city center is too big, and the chances of running into your companions by chance are extremely small. If you're relying on tickets... there's no way you can count on them.
Because the central city was built from bottom to top and is not a parallel plane, the small red dots on the ticket overlapped, so Cheng Shuang couldn't tell which one was which.
She could only vaguely make out that everyone in the convenience store had been caught in the net and had become fish in this bucket!
The waterside pavilion is divided into two rooms, an inner and an outer one, separated by a screen. The back room is where the guide waits, and Cheng Shuang doesn't know what it looks like there, but the front hall is very comfortable.
The room is furnished with soft couches, rocking chairs, swaying low tables, and large fur carpets. The surrounding palace lanterns are brightly lit, dispelling the chill of the night. Occasionally, one can see the ethereal figures of butterflies fluttering in the corridor, carrying palace lanterns, like flowing light and a dream.
After Cheng Shuang and the other two entered, they had to take off their shoes and socks and put on wooden clogs.
Fang Niang was the most fortunate. If she were still a man, cough cough, even if the pavilion were well-ventilated, that smell wouldn't dissipate. She would definitely have been sent away by the VIPs and missed the opportunity to get close.
Feng Jiakang didn't care. Even if he trampled the fluffy carpet until it was black and tattered, the three of them would promptly replace it with a clean one.
The pavilion has windows on three sides, offering an unobstructed view of the surrounding scenery. Because the suspended pavilion is in the center, the view from here is also very clear.
The maintainer's senses are better than ordinary people's. Cheng Shuang saw four or five groups of people and sedan chairs passing through the pavilions and heading towards the waterside pavilions in different directions. Unfortunately, none of them were familiar faces.
Feng Jiakang slumped on the soft couch like he had no bones. Fang Niang snuggled up to him, resting her upper body on his shoulder and massaging it, while her lower body slumped on the carpet.
Tian Sanlang knelt on one knee and continued to massage his legs like a well-behaved little maid, leaving Cheng Shuang standing alone. Just as the girl was thinking about whether to peel some lychees for Feng Jiakang, someone gently patted her shoulder.
She turned around and saw a dignified face peeking out from behind the screen; it was the guide she had sent to buy some local specialties.
He beckoned her over.
Cheng Shuang turned around and walked over, the wooden clogs under her feet pressing down on the carpet, which then quickly floated back up.
Her shoes were behind the screen. After changing into her soaking wet and cold cloth shoes, she slowly stood in front of the guide.
The area at the back was quite large, with rows of low chairs where the guides rested. At the moment, there was no one there, only a series of fluorescent footprints on the floor, which surprised the little girl.
"They've gone to serve the dishes," the guide explained softly, perhaps trying to curry favor.
Cheng Shuang then noticed that he was carrying a basket. The basket had an exquisite handle, but the inside was simple and unadorned, wrapped in thick cotton cloth.
"To make a long story short, the woman in the right-hand pavilion is a highly competitive VIP. She found her way to the city center on her own without being discovered by anyone, so she is attended to by guides."
"How could I possibly handle someone so shrewd?" Cheng Shuang said angrily, snatching the basket away with a look that said, "Are you kidding me?"
The guide frowned and scolded, "Calm down! Have you become childish just by dressing up as a child? Control your emotions."
The little girl lowered her eyes, sensing that there was some hidden meaning in those words.
I inexplicably remembered that brat Cheng Wudong... If he wasn't inherently that unruly, then it must be due to his physical condition.
However, these things were not important for the time being. After thinking for a moment, she refused, saying, "The risk is too great. I can't afford to offend a guide."
"Ha!" the man sneered. "Wanting to live but afraid of causing trouble? What womanly compassion!"
Cheng Shuang: ...How about ginseng rooster?
"Don't try to fool me with that." She argued firmly, her small face tense and serious. "I'll go check it out. You can go serve the food, but you have to cover for me. Otherwise, I'll fight you to the death, and neither of us will benefit!"
The guide immediately withdrew her contemptuous gaze. The person in front of her exuded an aura that was no longer that of an ignorant child. She slightly raised her chin, her eyes revealing a mocking coldness. Although she was only 1.3 meters tall, her aura was that of someone 1.8 meters tall.
"Don't worry, if you let it slip, I won't benefit either!" The guide seemed relieved, after all, no one wanted to cooperate with a mentally unstable brat.
The two exchanged a glance, then silently moved away. One returned the basket and walked out of the waterside pavilion from the back, while the other changed into wooden clogs and carried the basket to the front hall.
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