At her voice, the two black-robed men promptly halted their attack and looked back at her. “Young Lady?”
Fairy Nongyun raised a hand slightly. The two lowered their heads and respectfully stepped aside to await her instructions.
Her white veil fluttered gently in the breeze, swirling like mist that obscured her facial features and expression.
For some reason, as the fairy stood at the bow of the boat, the overwhelming aura she exuded rivaled even that of the Golden Core Realm experts Shi Yu had seen before. Under her cool, indifferent glance, one couldn't help but feel terrified and restless.
Su Luoyao was even more shocked. She had never expected a mere “musician” famous for her zither music to possess such formidable cultivation, let alone who knew what kind of background she had. Clinging to the edge of the boat while bobbing in the water, her expression was filled with panic; her heart was practically green with regret.
Along the river, passing vessels noticed the commotion. Seeing the rarely seen Fairy Nongyun make an appearance, passengers aboard the nearby boats rushed excitedly to the bows to watch.
“What happened over there?”
“A few outsiders who don't know their place dared to speak insolently to Fairy Nongyun.”
“Heh, young people boasting recklessly—they won't learn their lesson without suffering a setback.”
“They probably heard a few rumors and mistook the fairy for an entertainer meant for play... Hmph, ignorance is bliss.”
Aboard the small boat, the youths felt like lambs awaiting judgment, growing increasingly anxious. From the chatter constantly drifting into their ears from all around, they could easily guess that Fairy Nongyun was by no means an ordinary musician—she likely had a formidable background.
Coming from influential clans, they had been sheltered since childhood and rarely traveled outside for experience, making them arrogant and ignorant of the vast world. This time, traveling far to Tianyuan Prefecture to attend Shiyan Academy's enrollment exam, their clan elders had repeatedly warned them to be cautious in word and deed outside. Only now did those instructions come back to them, filling them with genuine dread.
Ying Land was a bustling center of commerce, home to countless skilled individuals and eccentric experts. Judging by how highly the locals revered Fairy Nongyun, she was certainly not someone they could afford to offend. After all, apart from He Chiqiong and He Lingling whose He Clan enjoyed some fame, the rest of them were completely insignificant once outside their families' spheres of influence.
Having lost all composure, the young men didn't dare look up at the pleasure boat. They could only glance at He Chiqiong, then at Su Luoyao in the water, filled with deep regret.
He Chiqiong was still maintaining his protective artifact. Seeing the two black-robed men halt their attack, he was confused. Hesitantly looking up, he noticed her gaze seemed to be fixed on—following her line of sight, he realized Fairy Nongyun was looking down at Shi Yu, leaving him stunned.
The next moment, her voice echoed down, ethereal as an immortal's, as if drifting from an immense distance: “Little friend, would you care to join me aboard?”
Shi Yu blinked. Searching her memory, she was certain she had never met this fairy before. Seeing no hostility in her demeanor, Shi Yu thought for a brief second before nodding.
Then, atop the pleasure boat, the fairy raised a finger. A strip of white silk as light as nothingness—resembling woven celestial mist—shot out from her sleeve, floating straight toward Shi Yu. It wrapped loosely around her waist, and with a gentle tug, Shi Yu floated uncontrollably toward the pleasure boat.
The others watched in shock and uncertainty, unsure why she was taking Shi Yu, while privately feeling relieved. Thanks to Shi Yu, they seemed to have escaped a disaster.
He Lingling, who was still holding Shi Yu's hand, stepped forward two paces as Shi Yu began to lift off, her mouth puckering pitifully. “Sister Ah Yu...”
“Don't worry, I'll be right back.” Shi Yu turned and offered a word of reassurance, releasing He Lingling's hand.
Once Shi Yu landed on the bow, Fairy Nongyun turned, her dress fluttering in a graceful arc. “Follow me inside to talk.”
The two black-robed men swept a cold glance over the youths on the small boat, let out a cold snort, and turned to follow close behind the fairy.
...
Aboard the small boat, once their figures disappeared from sight, the young men scrambled to pull Su Luoyao up.
With a loud splash, Su Luoyao hauled herself out of the water and onto the boat. She was drenched, her wet, messy hair clinging tightly to her cheeks and shoulders.
He Chiqiong tapped two fingers together, casting a simple spell to dispel the moisture from her body. “Are you all right?”
Soaking in the water for so long wasn't a major issue for a cultivator's constitution, but under everyone's gaze, Su Luoyao felt deeply humiliated. Combined with the fact that the incident had been caused by her reckless words, she was overcome with shame and anger, her tears flowing uncontrollably.
He Chiqiong had intended to admonish her, but seeing her like this, he couldn't bring himself to say any reproving words. Letting out a sigh, he spoke after a long moment: “Although Fairy Nongyun is famous for her zither music, she does not play lightly. Her background is extraordinary. While I don't know the exact details, I vaguely heard that she traveled here all the way from the Central Continent.”
Central Continent!
The youths all showed expressions of shock.
“When I was at home, I heard patrons in the market teahouses gossiping about Zhiyu City and Fairy Nongyun. They only said she had peerless beauty and sublime zither skills, so I thought she was merely...” One young man sighed, mumbling vaguely without daring to utter those two words again. “In the future, we must mind our words and actions, and not be so brazen.”
The others chimed in agreement.
He Chiqiong nodded. “Taking a lesson from this is better than bringing calamity on ourselves through reckless speech later.”
Su Luoyao wiped her tears in silence, not responding.
Someone else remarked, “Still, to think how distant the Central Continent is. To come from the Central Continent to our East Continent requires crossing the Boundless Sea... The hardships involved are truly unimaginable. Fairy Nongyun is remarkable indeed!”
Standing nearby, He Lingling tiptoed to gaze at the moored pleasure boat in the distance, asking anxiously, “Then why did she call Sister Ah Yu away alone? Sister Ah Yu won't be in danger, right?”
Su Luoyao couldn't help but look up, her voice thick with a nasal twang. “She's just a rogue cultivator. Why do you keep calling her 'Sister', Lingling?”
She liked He Chiqiong and had always tried to curry favor with He Lingling, but the girl never bought it, treating her with cold indifference. Now, He Lingling puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away. “If Sister Ah Yu hadn't pulled me just now, I would have fallen into the water just like you!”
Seeing her bring up the falling into the water incident again, Su Luoyao's face turned unsightly.
He Lingling gave her a sidelong glance and added, “Besides, I think the fairy sister favors Sister Ah Yu! If she hadn't taken a liking to Sister Ah Yu just now, those two scary uncles would have slashed us already. You should be thanking Sister Ah Yu for saving you!”
Su Luoyao's complexion turned pale and green from her words. Unable to refute them, she could only tightly clutch the hem of her skirt in silence.
He Chiqiong was also lost in thought as he recalled the scene from earlier. “Indeed... Fairy Nongyun seems to treat Miss Shi differently. I wonder if there is some history between them.”
...
Stepping over the high threshold into the pleasure boat, a jade-white folding screen appeared before Shi Yu's eyes, adorned with the character “Wu” written in elegant, flowing strokes.
Bypassing the screen revealed an exquisitely elegant suite. Calligraphy works hung seemingly at random on the walls, yet together they displayed a perfectly balanced arrangement.
Fairy Nongyun's long, pure-white skirt trailed across the floor. Her figure was slender and graceful; as she walked unhurriedly, her sleeves fluttered with the breeze in an exceptionally gorgeous manner.
At last, she stopped before a small stove in the room and gracefully sat down. Dropping some tea leaves into the stove, she poured in a pot of spring water, and while fanning the flames with a feather fan, she raised her eyes to Shi Yu. “Sit. Do not be restrained.”
The breeze carried wafts of tea fragrance as Shi Yu sat down opposite her, gently placing the Hidden Hatred Flute at her side.
Fairy Nongyun slowly fanned the fire with her feather fan for quite a while before pouring two bowls of clear, bright tea.
Pushing one bowl toward Shi Yu, Shi Yu expressed her thanks and raised the tea to take a sip. Immediately after, she heard Fairy Nongyun ask in a soft, deliberate voice: “Where did you obtain this scimitar?”
Looking up, Shi Yu saw Fairy Nongyun unsheathing the scimitar—the very weapon she treasured so deeply—from its flute sheath.
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