chsdbacks Chapter 25 Zi Yan Takes a Bath
Chapter 25 Zi Yan Takes a Bath
Ziyan Pavilion.
It is located in the most bustling area of the city.
Yet it offers tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle, creating its own world.
Its territory is extremely vast, far exceeding that of ordinary pavilions.
Inside the towering courtyard walls.
The front yard is an area open to the public and is decorated in a refined and elegant style.
Artificial hills and flowing water, winding paths leading to secluded spots, and exotic flowers and plants dotting the landscape.
The main building is a three-story main building.
It is used to receive guests who come to enjoy tea, listen to music, and discuss business.
Those who came and went were all well-dressed and were either rich or noble.
The maids were well-mannered and highly trained.
Despite the constant flow of customers, it maintains an elegant tranquility.
Passing through a moon gate and entering the backyard, the view opens up dramatically.
Here, fresh water is drawn to form a lake, which is vast and has rippling blue waves.
It is surrounded by winding corridors and exquisite waterside pavilions.
A pavilion is built on the island in the middle of the lake, which is connected to the shore by a winding stone bridge.
Every building and pavilion was extremely luxurious, using only the finest wood and stone.
The carvings are exquisite and lifelike, and even the railings are inlaid with beautiful jade.
This is the true core of Ziyan Pavilion, and also the residence of Pavilion Master Mu Ziyan and her personal maids and guards.
Ordinary guests are not allowed to enter.
At this moment, high in the sky above this earthly paradise.
A figure silently floated up, blending into the clouds.
It was Qin Xiao!
He used some newly acquired minor spells to perform a simple illusion.
Then, they rushed to Jinyang Prefecture.
As for the parade convoy, it was still traveling slowly hundreds of miles away.
It will take more than ten days to arrive.
Qin Xiao stood on the clouds, looking down at the exquisitely laid-out architectural complex below.
With a thought, the [Da Yong Spirit Mine Distribution Map] unfolded before him.
I looked at the map and compared it with the actual terrain below.
Soon, their gaze settled on the backyard of Ziyan Pavilion.
The map shows that the spirit mine is located beneath the lake and several magnificent pavilions adjacent to it!
"Found it."
Qin Xiao's eyes narrowed, and his divine sense suddenly probed towards Ziyan Pavilion!
In the blink of an eye, it enveloped the entire Ziyan Pavilion.
"The security is tight, with many sentries, both overt and covert, and several martial artists with considerable aura."
Qin Xiao murmured softly as his divine sense continued to penetrate deeper.
They passed by patrolling guards and busy maids.
They eventually ventured into a separate three-story embroidered building.
This embroidered pavilion is built by the lake, boasting the best location and the most exquisite decorations.
This is clearly the owner's residence.
The second floor of the embroidered building is an extremely elegant and cozy boudoir.
At this moment, the room was filled with steam and a warm fragrance.
A huge bathtub is placed in the center of the room.
The bucket was filled with warm water.
Layers of pink petals float on the water, emitting a delicate fragrance.
A woman is soaking in a bathtub.
Her long, jet-black hair was wet and casually draped over her smooth, jade-like back.
Water droplets slid slowly down her fragrant shoulder.
Although the air was misty.
But the barely visible outline is enough to stir one's heart.
Qin Xiao did not intentionally spy on people bathing; divine sense probing is a comprehensive perception.
Just as he was about to shift his divine sense and focus on investigating the specifics of the underground spirit mine.
His gaze suddenly sharpened!
Right in front of the bathing woman, a phantom panel that only he could see appeared!
Name: Mu Ziyan
Gender: Female
[Furnace Pot Aptitude]: Heavenly Level (Estimated Cultivation Points Gained: 2000)
"Tiandeng?"
Qin Xiao felt a slight tremor in his heart.
We searched deliberately along the way.
The number of people whose divine sense swept over them was more than ten thousand.
The women I saw were all ordinary people.
I've never seen someone with such exceptional talent as Luo Qingluan since leaving the capital!
"It's another furnace with top-tier aptitude, and it's right here in this spirit mine."
Qin Xiao withdrew his divine sense, his eyes narrowing slightly as thoughts raced through his mind. "A Heavenly-Rank talent, highly likely possessing a spiritual root... this Mu Ziyan..."
The original plan was to dive directly underground to explore the scale of the spirit mine and the feasibility of mining it.
But at this moment, the unexpected surprise of discovering Mu Ziyan made him instantly change his mind.
The spirit ore is right there; there's no escaping it.
But a woman with spiritual roots is a rare find!
Now that we've encountered this, how can we let it go so easily?
Having thought this through, Qin Xiao no longer hesitated.
Their gaze turned to the wards and districts of Jinyang Prefecture.
Soon, they found a small stall selling all sorts of exquisite trinkets.
He stretched out his palm and gently probed the stall from a distance.
On the stall, a uniquely shaped, ancient-patterned black half-face mask suddenly flew up with a "whoosh," soaring into the sky at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive.
The stall owner was tidying up his goods when suddenly something went missing.
Upon closer inspection, they realized that the dark mask had vanished!
He stood there, stunned, rubbing his eyes, looking around, muttering, "Huh? Where's the mask? It was just here, is something ghostly?"
The next moment, a faint light flashed on the stall table.
Immediately afterwards, a snowflake silver ingot weighing fifty taels appeared out of thin air.
Upon seeing this, the stall owner's eyes widened instantly. He quickly grabbed it, weighed it in his hand, and even bit it with his teeth to confirm that it was indeed real silver!
His expression shifted from surprise to delight. He quickly stuffed the silver into his pocket, then furtively looked around, saying, "Who? A magic trick? Thank you, thank you so much!"
High in the sky.
Qin Xiao held the dark mask in his hand and slowly put it on his face.
The mask completely covered most of the face above the bridge of the nose.
The next moment, his figure transformed into a streak of light and fell.
Soon, the crimson light silently landed in a quiet bamboo forest outside the Ziyan Pavilion.
As the light faded, Qin Xiao walked calmly out of the bamboo forest and mingled with several elegantly dressed young men who were chatting and laughing as they headed towards the Ziyan Pavilion.
Together we stepped through that grand and elegant gate.
Inside the main building in the front yard.
The high-ceilinged hall was extremely spacious, with the floor paved with gleaming marble tiles.
The pillars around the perimeter are carved with exquisite floral and bird patterns.
Around the pillars hang landscape paintings with profound artistic conception and calligraphy by famous artists.
A stage is set up in the center of the hall.
At that moment, a musician holding a pipa was gently plucking and playing a clear and melodious tune.
Scattered around were several elegant seats, where many guests enjoyed tea and whispered conversations.
The second and third floors surrounding the hall are private rooms separated by beaded curtains or screens.
The figures could be vaguely seen inside, laughing and chatting.
A pretty maid in a light purple dress, seeing Qin Xiao's extraordinary bearing, immediately greeted him with a smile and a graceful bow: "Greetings, young master. Is this your first time visiting our Ziyan Pavilion? Would you like me to show you the way?"
Qin Xiao nodded slightly, casually took out a silver ingot of about ten taels from his sleeve, and naturally handed it to the maid: "Find a quiet private room."
The maid received the heavy silver coins, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. Her attitude became even more respectful and enthusiastic: "Thank you for your generosity, young master! Please follow me. The 'Listening to the Rain Pavilion' on the second floor, by the window, is the most elegant and quiet, with a great view."
After saying that, she led Qin Xiao up the soft carpeted stairs to a rather spacious private room on the second floor.
The interior was exquisitely furnished, and calming incense burned.
From the window, one can see part of the lake and mountain scenery in the backyard.
Qin Xiao took his seat.
The maidservant then inquired solicitously, "What would you like, young master? We have the finest Yunwu tea, pre-rain Longjing tea, as well as aged Shaoxing wine and Zhuyeqing tea. If you would like to listen to music and watch a dance, I can arrange that for you as well."
Qin Xiao waved his hand and cut straight to the point, asking, "I've heard that Miss Mu Ziyan of Ziyan Pavilion is exceptionally talented and beautiful. I wonder if I'll have the chance to meet her today?"
Upon hearing this, the maid's smile froze slightly, revealing a hint of embarrassment.
But weighing the amount of silver in his sleeve, he lowered his voice and said sincerely, "Young master, I am truly sorry, but my young lady prefers quiet and does not show herself to guests. This is the rule of the establishment, so please understand."
"Um."
Qin Xiao nodded slightly: "In that case, we are not destined to be together."
Seeing Qin Xiao's composure, the maid hesitated for a moment, then took a half step closer and lowered her voice even further: "Young master, to be honest, someone keeps coming here intending to harass my young lady. Alas, the person is of high status, and my young lady had no choice but to resort to this tactic to avoid meeting him. It was not an intention to slight our distinguished guests."
Qin Xiao understood immediately and asked softly, "Could it be the Prince of Jin?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of panic flashed in the maid's eyes.
He then quickly lowered his head and nodded very slightly.
Immediately afterward, she quickly changed the subject, forcing a smile and saying, "If you wish to see Miss, it's not entirely impossible. Miss has established a rule that any talented young man who can match the poem she presents and win a martial arts competition at the 'Martial Arts Arena' will have the opportunity to enjoy tea and conversation with her."
"Heh, I suppose this is also a rule set for the Prince of Jin?"
Qin Xiao said calmly, "After all, a direct refusal would offend the royal family, so setting a threshold that they cannot reach is reasonable."
The maid smiled awkwardly, "This is also to weed out some people who lack real talent and ability."
Qin Xiao pondered for a moment, then asked, "What poem did Miss Mu compose?"
"If you wish to compose a poem, please wait a moment while I fetch the poem topic given by the young lady."
After the maid finished speaking, she waited for Qin Xiao's reply.
Qin Xiao nodded: "Okay, and another pot of Cloud Mist Tea, please."
"Yes, young master, please wait a moment."
After the maid finished speaking, she gave a graceful bow and quickly left the private room.
While waiting, Qin Xiao casually glanced at the shimmering lake outside the window.
However, in the instant his mind relaxed slightly...
A familiar aura suddenly entered the range of his divine sense.
With a slight thought, Qin Xiao expanded his divine sense perception.
A magnificent motorcade was making its way down the long street a few hundred meters from Ziyan Pavilion.
The guards cleared the way ahead.
A magnificent four-horse carriage was surrounded by guards on the left, right, and rear.
Sitting inside the carriage was none other than Prince Qin Yuan of Jin!
Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eyes. "Speak of the devil, and he appears..."