Chapter 19: Small Pearls Falling onto a Jade Plate

If one were to ask which pleasure house in Fenglin City is the most soul-stirring, every gourmand would give you only one answer—the Sanfen Fragrance Pavilion.

It is not merely a place of rouge and powder with "three parts" color, but rather the Sanfen Fragrance Pavilion that holds three parts of all the world's fragrances.

Despite being merely a branch pavilion.

Yet, from the day it was completed, it swept through the mediocre flower-and-willow markets of Fenglin City like an unstoppable force.

Nowadays, if the young masters of Fenglin City wish to enjoy romance, they must thank the Sanfen Fragrance Pavilion for elevating the professional standards of all the ladies in the city.

It was equivalent to the impact the fifth-grade grandmaster Dong A had on the educational standards of the Fenglin City Dao Academy. Of course, such words could only be whispered in private by Zhao Rucheng.

The current leading star of the Sanfen Fragrance Pavilion was a woman named Miaoyu.

Countless men dreamed of her boudoir, wishing they could prostrate themselves and crawl beneath her skirts. But those fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of her grace were, after all, few and far between.

Upon a magnificently decorated swaying bed, a naked middle-aged man wore an expression of fanaticism, yet beneath him, there was clearly nothing but a heap of bedding.

Separated by only a single bead curtain, a soft couch sat directly opposite the swaying bed. Miaoyu leaned lazily against her hand, her silhouette exquisitely curved. Her eyes were misty; one could not tell if the middle-aged man's "self-entertainment" was even within her field of vision.

A man in black knelt before the soft couch, reporting something respectfully.

"In other words, that person named Jiang Wang knows a highly sophisticated sword technique, but has never revealed it before others prior to this?"

Her voice was as languid as a cat that had just woken up, teasing the heart with a sense of presence and absence.

The man in black remained kneeling, never lifting his head: "That is correct. This subordinate is incompetent and truly cannot investigate where he learned it from."

Miaoyu looked thoughtful and raised a finger. "You may leave."

Upon hearing this, the man in black pressed his forehead to the floor. He curled his ring and pinky fingers, while his thumb, index, and middle fingers formed a triangle covering his heart, as he softly chanted: "Bottom of the River of Forgetfulness, Abyss of the Yellow Springs. The Venerable God returns to the world, illuminating the mortal realm with candlelight."

His entire being then seemed to seep into the floor.

"A sword technique that has never appeared in the entire Fenglin City Dao Academy? Was it passed down from which great martial artist who tests their blade against the world? Or perhaps..." Miaoyu's gaze grew misty.

"The Dao Son..."

Her thoughts went deeper, further, and more ethereal.

"Bottom of the River of Forgetfulness, Abyss of the Yellow Springs. The Venerable God returns to the world, illuminating the mortal realm with candlelight."

She made the same gesture and performed the same soft chant.

Meanwhile, the naked man on the swaying bed continued to writhe by himself, seemingly able to sink into his wonderful delusions forever.

...

...

At this moment, in a certain village in the State of Yong, a fierce-looking bald man was clutching something and eating voraciously, blood staining his mouth and hands.

As he was eating happily, a streak of light suddenly streaked down, crashing straight toward him.

Unfortunately, this was not some divine justice or a flying sword sent to eliminate evil.

The bald man reached out with a sudden grab, catching the streak of light in his hand, which transformed into an ancient, simple longsword.

"Damn it! Sooner or later, I'll swallow your heart!" Having had his meal interrupted, the bald man was clearly very indignant.

"Old geezer, what era is this? Still using flying swords to deliver messages!" While cursing, he used his blood-stained hands to open the letter on the flying sword.

Nowadays, the Mohist Thousand-Mile Voice Box had been in widespread use for many years and sold extremely well. However, certain factions refused to use them, as no one could be certain if the Mohist mechanists had left any hidden tricks within the boxes.

Even if a Mohist swore by heaven and earth—since dozens of ways to resolve even the most rigorous Heart Demon Oaths had long been researched, what use was an oath?

"Zhuang State, Qinghe County, Sanshan City?" He enunciated each word, unable to help but spit: "What remote corner of the world!"

The longsword wobbled in the air, seemingly urging him.

The bald man grew increasingly irritable, but clearly, the owner of the letter was an existence he could not currently resist.

Using his blood-stained finger, he drew five crooked strokes on the letter—a simple sketch of a horse, meaning: *Go immediately.*

He casually secured the letter back to the sword's body, and the sword vanished as swiftly as it had arrived.

Only after the flying sword had departed did the bald man suddenly remember something. "The Boss won't misunderstand it, will he?"

He thought for a moment, then brushed the small worry aside.

"If he can't even understand this, how can he be the Boss!"

...

...

Walking to the dormitory door, Jiang Wang heard the sound of voices from within.

After entering the inner sect, he still lived with Ling He and Du Yehu to facilitate spontaneous sparring and the pursuit of the Dao. Zhao Rucheng would come to stay every few days, though he wouldn't stay long. Although the room was much better than before, to Zhao Rucheng... there wasn't much difference.

Hearing Jiang Wang's footsteps, Ling He walked out quickly. "You're finally back! Your family has been waiting for you for ages!"

Family...

Jiang Wang's heart skipped a beat. He hurried into the room and saw a woman of lingering charm sitting at the Huanghuali wood table and chairs by the window—that set of furniture was, naturally, something Zhao Rucheng had insisted on having moved in.

Du Yehu sat beside them, acting somewhat constrained and behaving like an honest, dutiful person—answering every question the woman asked. He was the very picture of a wild child reining in his nature in front of a friend's parent.

It was just that this "child" had a beard that was far too thick and a face that had matured far too quickly. By comparison, he actually seemed older than the well-maintained woman.

Seeing Jiang Wang enter, the woman hurriedly stood up, her eyes flashing with pleasant surprise. "Xiao Wang, long time no see! You've grown taller and sturdier!"

Jiang Wang nodded in greeting. "Greetings, Auntie Song."

His biological mother had passed away early, and this woman was his father's second wife. He could not change his way of addressing her and had always called her *Auntie*.

This auntie was not a bad person, nor had she ever mistreated him. It was just that a few years after his father remarried, Jiang Wang had already passed the entrance exam for the outer sect of the Academy. His cultivation was arduous, so aside from holidays, he almost never came home. They had no conflicts, but their relationship could not be described as particularly deep.

While greeting him, Auntie Song pulled the little girl hiding behind her to the front. "Come on, say hello!"

It was a timid little girl. Prompted by her mother, she opened her mouth slightly and whispered, "Brother."

The silk clothing Auntie Song wore was bright and beautiful, adding to her charm. The little girl was also well-dressed, but her exquisite features were naturally striking and drew admiration.

Unfortunately, having only spoken once, she immediately ducked behind her mother again, peeking out with only half of her small head to observe this brother she hadn't seen in a long time.

He naturally loved his sister; blood is thicker than water, a fact no one could change. It was just that he was focused entirely on cultivation, and every time he returned home, it was only a brief visit. It had been a long time since he had heard that "Brother."

Though the voice was soft and small, it was as clear and pleasant as pearls rolling onto a jade plate.

Having endured much slaughter and frequently seeing blood and darkness, Jiang Wang's heart, which he believed to be cold and hard, suddenly felt as if it were melting.

Since returning from Tangshe Town, Jiang Wang rareley showed a sincere smile. "An'an!"

(End of Chapter)