Chapter 178 Listening to Music
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong and Shan Wu headed into the city. Before long, they saw a large wooden house with pink flowers on top and the emblem of the Danxue Mountain Fox Clan hanging in the center. The house was inscribed with the words: Paradise Pavilion.
Ji Rongtong said to Shan Wudao, "Uncle, let's go with this place."
As she and Shan Wucai stepped through the gates of the Paradise Pavilion, a white fox of the Mortal Demon Realm immediately came up and greeted them with a smile, "Honored guests, are you here to listen to music or to stay the night?"
Shan Wu listened with growing impatience. Ji Rong straightened the Xuanhuan wooden plaque on her chest, pulled Shan Wu aside, and said, "Listen to the music. We've been cultivating in the mountains for a long time. Today we've come here to broaden our horizons."
He then took out a handful of spirit crystals and gave them to the little white fox, saying, "Tell us, what food and games do you have here?"
The fox caught the spirit crystal with its paws and said happily, "Distinguished guests, we offer music and entertainment here, as well as one-on-one service. The specific details of the service are up to you."
Finally, she pointed to the passageway behind her and continued, "Honored guest, we have many beautiful cultivators from all races here. If you would like to see them, please go to the back courtyard."
"Oh?" Ji Rong asked curiously, "Are there any refined cultivators from the Central Plains?"
The white fox nodded meaningfully and said, "It has everything, the ultimate bliss in the world. Even if you want to refine pills while playing games, it has it."
Ji Rong blushed at the opportune moment and said, "Let's listen to the music today."
Ji Rong paid for the music, and the little white fox led them to a separate table, where it served them spirit tea and spirit fruit, saying, "Distinguished guests, it's still early today, please have some."
Two quarters of an hour later, there was singing and dancing. Today's singer was Venerable Xizhi of the Oriole Clan. Then he withdrew.
Ji Rong ordered some more spiritual food for Shan Wu, and then used her wing claws to grab a spiritual fruit, nibbling on it intermittently. As the number of guests increased, she began to listen attentively to the discussions among the surrounding cultivators.
The leader's words were not embellished; the cultivators outside were indeed discussing the issue of Liangzhou's ownership.
Before the singing and dancing on stage even began, the cultivators below had already taken their seats and started discussing the topic enthusiastically.
Liangzhou is in chaos, and the situation in Dadan City is about to change. Under the intervention of powerful clans led by the Jin family, both the Western Expeditionary Army and the Northern Expeditionary Army have been almost completely wiped out.
As one cultivator poured wine into his mouth, he sighed, "These powerful clans, relying on their ancestors' wealth, don't value the lives of their soldiers. They are truly despicable!"
The cultivator next to her sighed, "Say less. We're on their territory now too."
As they were talking animatedly, a golden oriole spread its wings and flew onto the stage, transforming into a celestial being with yellow feathers. It began to sing in a clear voice, and the cultivators below immediately stopped paying attention to the important affairs of Liangzhou and fell silent to listen to the music.
After the oriole finished its song, another group of white cat cultivators, adorned with makeup and transformed into half-beast forms, stepped onto the stage with joyful steps and began to dance, their lithe waists swaying.
Ji Rong had never seen such a song and dance before, so he craned his neck to watch. Shan Wu, however, found it boring. He swayed his head to the rhythm of the music, his eyes half-open, and soon he was dozing off on the table.
After the white cat finished its dance, the oriole Xiu Xizhi went up to the front of the stage and began to sing. A fiery red fox brought a zither to accompany her, and this time she sang the old lyrics: Linpan Water.
The song describes Liangzhou as a prosperous and beautiful place, with its many ethnic groups flourishing. Ji Rong could hear it and felt that the Pan River described in the lyrics had nothing to do with the desolate river she was seeing now, which was also named Pan River.
She was also a bird, and her voice was no less beautiful than that of the oriole. Feeling bored, Ji Rong looked around and was surprised to find that the fiery red fox sitting behind the stage, playing the zither and waving its seven tails, was none other than Hong Xiangwan!
Although many years had passed, Ji Rong could still tell at a glance that the fox playing the zither on stage was Hong Xiangwan.
Because there probably won't be another red fox in the world like her, with two original fox tails, one white and one yellow, hanging around her neck.
Ji Rong woke Shan Wuyao and said, "Uncle, I have something important on that red fox on the stage. If I can get her into the private room later, you have to help me. Do whatever I ask you to do!"
When Shan Wu looked up at the platform, he saw a fox with only seven tails. He immediately felt a surge of energy and nodded, saying, "Nephew, whatever you ask me to do later, I will do it."
Ji Rong wanted to hear those words. She immediately summoned a white fox servant, gave him about ten spirit crystals, and asked, "Who is that fox cultivator on the stage? Her zither playing is so good that it even put my uncle to sleep. If I pay her, could she come into a private room and play for us alone for a whole day?"
The white fox servant was a little confused, unsure whether the distinguished guest was praising or insulting him.
But who would turn down treasure? He immediately picked the one he knew and quickly replied, "No distinguished guest has ever requested Hong Gu before. I'll go and ask her right now."
Before long, the little white fox returned, accompanied by a flamboyant old fox at the Venerable Realm. The old fox immediately apologized, saying, "Honorable guest, please forgive me. Hong Gu has lost her mind. Normally, I don't allow her to perform solos."
Ji Rong pointed at Shan Wudao: "It's alright, we just want to hear her play music so my uncle can get a good night's sleep, we won't do anything else. Even if she goes crazy, we're not afraid of her."
"Distinguished guest," the old fox continued, "our Paradise Pavilion also has many cultivators who are skilled at playing the zither. I'll call them all over for you to choose from."
“But because of her high cultivation level, are you afraid I can’t afford to pay? Double the amount!” Ji Rong said, “Send that Hong Gu here, and I’ll pay double the treasure.”
A struggle immediately flashed in the old fox's eyes, but before long, she succumbed to Ji Rong's temptation of money, saying, "Honored guest, Hong Gu cultivates the Path of Ruthlessness, yet her zither music carries an air of femininity."
"You two seniors are alone in a room with Hong Gu. You must not lay a hand on her, otherwise, if anything happens, I will have no way to explain myself."
Ji Rong took out a storage ring, poured out the spirit crystals inside, and laughed, "We understand. We will never touch her. Let her play music for us. Alright, quickly arrange a private room for me."
The old fox collected the spirit crystals and immediately led Ji Rong and Shan Wu to a private room upstairs. As soon as Ji Rong and Shan Wu sat down, they heard a knock on the door. Ji Rong said, "Come in."
Then Hong Xiangwan transformed into a half-beast, carrying a zither, with seven tails spread out, and moved in with small, delicate steps.
She went into the inner room, closed the door, and asked softly, "Thank you for waiting, esteemed guest. What kind of music would you like to hear today?"
Ji Rong gave Shan Wu a wink, and Shan Wu immediately flashed behind Hong Xiangwan, forming a hand seal with his claws to create an isolation barrier.
Ji Rong said, "Don't panic. I saw that your voice and appearance are very similar to an old friend of mine, so I came to ask you how you are doing here. That flamboyant old fox said you've lost your mind, is that true?"
Hong Xiangwan narrowed her eyes slightly, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shan Wu standing upright with his claws hanging down at his sides. She lowered her head, held her zither, and slowly and deeply bowed to Ji Rong, saying, "Honored guest, this is an old problem of mine. It's fine as long as we don't come into contact with him."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com