For some time afterward, Li Jian did not run into anyone from the Qi family.
Li Jian harbored lingering doubts, unsure whether Patriarch Qi had truly comprehended his hints or not.
Had he understood, Patriarch Qi should have short of dispatching an eight-bearer sedan chair—at least sent four or five servants in person to respectfully invite Xuan Lang back to the Qi family residence to be honored as a guest. With an immortal lord descending to the mortal realm personally holding down the fort, surely there would be no fear of failing to bring blessings to all under heaven?
And if he hadn’t understood…
That was impossible. Patriarch Qi appeared quite astute, and Li Jian had practically named Xuan Lang outright, strongly implying he was Immortal Lord Shiyuan. Unless Patriarch Qi understood completely and was deliberately feigning ignorance, there was no other explanation.
Knowing that Li Jian was staying here, Qi Jingyao didn’t dare to come looking for trouble again; after taking such a severe beating, his dignity had been utterly shattered.
Though Qi Jingyao stayed away, the servants he dispatched to keep watch rotated in waves, one after another. Li Jian paid them no mind, continuing his routine of guiding Xuan Lang in sword practice so he could enter an immortal sect as soon as possible and complete his mission.
Zunyang City was bustling and exceptionally lively, with crowds streaming endlessly along the sprawling, interconnected main streets. Li Jian brought Xuan Lang along for a casual stroll, hoping to test their luck and see if they might trigger the mission system.
Without that wretched system, Li Jian felt practically blind. He only knew he had to wait for the immortals from the sacred mountains to descend, but had no inkling of how long that wait would be or precisely when they would arrive. Thus, remaining indefinitely cooped up in Xuan Lang’s residence did not seem like an optimal choice.
As Li Jian feigned casual observation all around, Xuan Lang assumed he was searching for someone and asked, “What kind of person is the Immortal Elder hoping to find?”
Taken aback for a fleeting second, Li Jian failed to catch the intent behind the question immediately. Then, recalling the fabricated excuse he had fed Xuan Lang just to secure a place to stay, he cleared his throat and replied:
“Dressed in fluttering white robes, possessing an immortal demeanor, gifted with exceptional talent, and above all… extremely handsome.”
When he uttered those words, the image flashing through his mind was precisely how Xuan Lang had looked when they first met; every single criteria matched the boy completely.
Hearing this, Xuan Lang fell silent for a moment, knitting his brow as if deep in thought.
“Could the person the Immortal Elder is describing happen to be Young Master Song?”
Li Jian paused. “You mean Song Zhi?”
Xuan Lang stated, “Young Master Song frequently dresses in white. Moreover, he is universally acknowledged in Zunyang City as a genius of unparalleled swordsmanship and exceptional talent, not to mention his appearance he is graceful and refined, as anyone can witness.”
By that description, it certainly sounded quite fitting, Li Jian thought. Yet, shouldn’t someone who fit the description even better be standing right beside him?
Without dwelling on it further, he continued walking toward a more crowded area ahead.
Along the riverside promenade up ahead, a crowd had gathered, each person stretching their neck and craning forward, eagerly anticipating whoever was about to make an appearance. Out of curiosity, Li Jian drifted toward that spot along with the throng of onlookers.
Word had it that the courtesan of the Changle House possessed a beauty comparable to a goddess, and her dancing was peerless throughout Zunyang. Today, she was taking her painted pleasure boat out on the river, specially inviting several distinguished young gentlemen to join her for a pleasure cruise and musical entertainment.
Right now, in the center of the garden lake, the painted pleasure boat surrounded by onlookers was precisely the vessel hosted by the courtesan to accommodate her invited guests.
Upon the lavishly decorated pleasure boat, gossamer silks fluttered in the breeze, framed by carved vermilion railings and surrounded by blooming floral arrangements. Faint, delicate fragrances drifted on the winding lake breeze, refreshing and soothing the mind.
At the bow, two golden-carved phoenixes stood proudly with heads held high, while a seductive figure swayed gracefully in the center. Draped in brocade silks that flowed with her dancing steps, her long sleeves drifted downward, revealing a vast expanse of milky-white, flawless skin across her collarbone.
At the stern, the melodious notes of the zither rang out. Glancing over, four or five zither players sat in formation, providing musical accompaniment for the woman at the bow. As for the invited young gentlemen, they were seated within the partitioned central cabin of the pleasure boat, shielded by hazy layers of gauze that obscured them from view.
The pleasure boat was exceptionally spacious. With Li Jian’s sharp senses, even from half a lake away, he spotted the affluent young gentleman clad in pristine white robes inside the cabin.
Having just spoken of Song Zhiyuan, they happened to cross paths again truly a matter of fate.
Perhaps this person even played the role of a heavily featured supporting character in the plotline.
Dragging Xuan Lang along to watch the spectacle from the side, Li Jian clearly overheard the whispered gossip exchanged by the bystanders nearby.
“The Changle House has changed its top courtesan once more; truly, each one surpasses the last in heavenly beauty.”
“Indeed. This one’s appearance is even more striking than her predecessor’s, and her dancing skills have surpassed the previous ones as well. She is a genuine, delicate beauty.”
The person who had spoken first lowered his voice with a chuckle. “It seems my brother here has already witnessed it firsthand. As the saying goes: In the Jing Terrace marvelous dances are displayed, clouds and rain half conceal the silken robes. Graceful waists seem ready to snap, fluttering sleeves appear poised for flight. With Miss Qiushui’s dancing being so exceptional, her appearance must surely be breathtaking and devastatingly alluring.”
“Alas, my own status is hardly worth mentioning; otherwise, I could have witnessed the courtesan’s pleasure excursion in person today,” the two of them sighed with considerable regret.
“Still, I am rather curious. With a new top courtesan emerging out of nowhere, where on earth did the previous one go?”
“Ah, you wouldn’t know about that.” The speaker cast a mysterious glance at his companion, the outer edge of his eyebrow lifting. “A beauty’s life is fragile, and her allure fades among men. I’ve heard that those former courtesans simply vanish without a trace—either disposed of completely or sold off to official households to serve as concubines.”
Beyond just the Changle House, any woman entering the pleasure quarters whether selling her artistry or her body—was judged first and foremost by her appearance.
If her looks were exceptional, even her confidence when speaking would be three to five times greater than others. Take the courtesan before them, for instance, who was even able to invite young gentlemen of prominent families to join her on a lake cruise that was hardly an ordinary position.
Yet no one could retain their youth and beauty forever; the moment their youthful radiance faded, they lost all value.
For women in the establishments, their most valuable years spanned a mere two or three seasons, with seventeen or eighteen being the peak. Once past twenty, they ceased to hold any competitive edge. At that point, if an official or merchant took a liking to them, the madam would sell them off to net a windfall profit, which supposedly counted as providing the woman with a secure settling place.
Of course, not every girl got to marry out properly. For those fortunate enough to catch the eye of a willing official, they might retain a shred of charm before being resold to some rural township incidents like that were far from unheard of.
Patrons who frequented the pleasure quarters long enough grew well-versed in these unspoken realities, often stepping in early to reserve a favored maiden. With enough money, they could take her home to keep as an unacknowledged concubine, hidden away from public view so that nobody would ever know of her quiet disappearance.
The women emerging from the pleasure houses had only these two paths before them.
Regardless of how glorious and widely adored they appeared at present, once time passed and the new replaced the old, they amounted to nothing at all.
Such occurrences were nothing new; replacing top courtesans happened routinely, though lately the frequency had spiked. Normally, regular patrons hearing the madam announce that a certain maiden had left would understand immediately that some wealthy household had paid her ransom in advance.
“You must remember Liang Xiucai from the East Street, right? He previously had an attachment to the courtesan Hongxiu. Later on, wealth and luxury likely blinded her eyes, and Hongxiu looked down on him, kicking him aside that happened right during the peak of Hongxiu’s popularity. But Liang Xiucai harbored true devotion; how could he let go so easily? Day after day, he went to the Changle House to search for her.”
The man recounted the tale as if sharing a joke, mentioning how he had witnessed it firsthand with Liang Xiucai lingering at the entrance with hopeful longing.
“Just days ago, before this new courtesan rose to prominence, Hongxiu simply vanished into thin air. One day she was seen, and by the next she was gone without a trace. Mother Hua claimed Hongxiu had left Zunyang to get married, but Liang Xiucai refused to believe it. To this day, he still stands guard outside the Changle House, stubbornly refusing to leave until he sets eyes on Hongxiu.”
That Liang Xiucai was a man endowed with both looks and literary talent; having passed the imperial examinations to become a Xiucai, his social status was decidedly uncommon.
Merely in terms of appearance, the two made an absolute match. Before Hongxiu became a top courtesan, she had even vowed to sell only her art and not her body for his sake, a romantic tale widely celebrated by the townsfolk.
Strictly speaking, in terms of social standing, the courtesan had actually married above herself to a Xiucai. For Liang Xiucai not to cast Hongxiu aside and seek out the daughter of an official or wealthy merchant was already an act of profound loyalty and righteousness. Who could have foreseen that in the end, Liang Xiucai would be the one kicked out?
Pity that a beauty could prove a fatal distraction; because of this ordeal, Liang Xiucai abandoned a promising future and lost all drive to advance himself a truly regrettable tragedy.
“In the end, it really must be a case of wealth and luxury blinding the eyes.”
Beside the stone-carved railing, the group murmured in low voices. As they spoke, that opulent pleasure boat drifted right up to the shore.
Immediately afterward, the crowd watched a pristine white figure emerge from the center of the pleasure boat—dark hair bound in a crown, possessing the graceful elegance of jade. Behind him, several distinguished young gentlemen stood up to observe as he stepped off the pleasure boat and walked toward a figure waiting by the shore.
“Immortal Elder, what a coincidence! Are you out enjoying the scenery as well?”
Stepping onto the shore’s bluestone pavement with his dark, white-soled boots remaining entirely unstained by soil, Song Zhiyuan paused inside the stone railing on a slightly lower step, keeping his gaze level with Li Jian.
Raising an eyebrow, Li Jian smiled in response. “I heard this place was lively and planned to enjoy the scenery, but I hadn’t expected to run into Young Master Song here.”
Within the pleasure boat, prominent young gentlemen poked their heads out to investigate. Li Jian even spotted Qi Jingyao hastily retracting half his body from a corner, hiding behind a silk curtain to peek out secretly in their direction.
Someone asked aloud who this could possibly be, able to command Young Master Song to come ashore and welcome him personally.
Turning around, Song Zhiyuan introduced him: “This is the very same immortal elder I mentioned to you all—the one who recovered Immortal Lord Shiyuan’s divine statue in the Qi residence, Immortal Li Jian.”
“So it is the Immortal Elder! No wonder he looked somewhat familiar—we were all present when we viewed the divine statue together earlier, though we paid no attention when it went missing later,” a young nobleman clad in vibrant purple robes remarked, flicking his fan. “Ah, speaking of which, Young Master Qi should be the most familiar with him. Look, there’s even someone from your Qi family standing right beside the Immortal Elder.”
Prompted by the casual remark, every gaze in the vicinity converged upon Qi Jingyao within the pleasure boat. Forced into the open, Qi Jingyao shot a sideways glare at the speaker.
Raising his hands in surrender, the purple-robed nobleman smiled. “Very well, very well. I speak too much; my apologies.”
Song Zhiyuan directed his gaze toward Li Jian. Noting that a crowd had already gathered along the shore railings, he disliked conducting conversations amidst such public exposure and thus politely invited Li Jian to board the vessel for a lake cruise.
“I wonder if the Immortal Elder might have a moment to spare?” he asked.
Glancing sideways at the companion beside him, Li Jian originally intended to consult Xuan Lang’s opinion. However, catching sight of Qi Jingyao’s expression of fierce resistance over on the pleasure boat, he immediately made up his mind.
“Certainly,” Li Jian replied. “Since Young Master Song extends such a warm invitation, I have no reason to decline.”
Clearly visible to all, Song Zhiyuan’s face lit up with a smile. In stark contrast stood Qi Jingyao, resplendent in golden attire, his brow knitted together into a knot of utter displeasure.
Pausing for a moment, Li Jian added, “However, since Xuan Lang accompanied me here, he naturally must come along. I trust that is permissible?”
“This…”
Song Zhiyuan parted his lips, about to respond, when Qi Jingyao abruptly cut him off from across the water, his crisp, resonant voice carrying across the entire lake surface:
“You may come, but he cannot.”
The moment those words dropped, everyone present understood instantly. The young master of the Qi family was deliberately refusing to give Xuan Lang any face; clearly, the bullying taking place behind the scenes was extensive.
Xuan Lang lowered the outer corners of his eyes, his tense jawline tightening slightly, though he maintained his outward composure.
He spoke softly, “Immortal Elder, never mind. I won’t go.”
The youth’s voice carried a low, subdued quality the product of prolonged, repressed submission, devoid of even a fleeting thought of resistance.
Li Jian knew nothing of the hardships the boy had endured in the past, but now that he had arrived, he refused to let him be bullied any further!
Retaining a calm expression devoid of anger or joy, Li Jian simply took Xuan Lang’s wrist in a natural grip, bowed his head slightly, and stated:
“In that case, if Xuan Lang is not going, then this humble person cannot accompany you either.”