Chapter 213.2: Listening to a Melody in the Pavilion

Thunder snarled. "Persuade my ass! I just got back and found out he's sweeping through Feng and Lin Empires, planning to kill one hundred evil gods in a single day!"

Lishan froze.

"What?!”

But we separated less than a day ago! Qiyuann Sovereign had just spoken of cautious growth, only to launch a divine war the moment he returned?! This is way too fast. Did a donkey kick his brain?!

"This is bad," Lishan said gravely. He made up his mind instantly. "Once the enemy camp intervenes, they won't survive. I'm heading to Clearwater Village now."

He couldn’t stand by while Qi kept fooling around. Hopefully, he could still make it in time.

"Get him to the North Sea Divine Eye immediately. No matter what, you must keep Qi Yuan alive!"

"

Hmph

. Like I need you to tell me that!" Thunder grumbled. "Couldn't you have talked some sense into him?!"

***

Located deep within the fallen zone, Huaye City had no ancient gods, only a new god. However, said new god remained in prolonged seclusion, never attempting to assimilate the citizens. As a result, the people lived cautiously, as if walking on a tightrope. Life barely went on.

At this moment, atop a small hill within the city, two figures stood side by side.

One was tall and broad-shouldered, exuding an air that warned others not to provoke him. The other stood straight and elegant. He was strikingly handsome, but his expression was distant, as though lost in memories.

It was Qi Yuan. He gazed at the pavilion rising upon the hill ahead, and sighed softly. "So we ended up here after all."

"You've been here before, sir?" Zhu Zhuangshi asked from the side, clearly surprised.

Qi Yuan's origins had always been a mystery. His villagers and the other ancient gods had long speculated about his identity in the distant ages.

"Yes," Qi Yuan replied. "Once, I traveled the world with a woman of peerless grace. She told me this was her birthplace. The place should've been a bamboo grove, and now there's a pavilion instead."

There was a faint sense of time's cruelty in his voice. Back then, No-Food Goddess had brought him to Little Jiang Mountain. She had cut a single stalk of bamboo, fashioned it into a fishing rod, and gone fishing with him. She had murmured then, how she wished she'd been born tens of thousands of years later.

Zhu Zhuangshi said thoughtfully, "Since it is somewhere you have been before, why not revisit it properly?"

Though he had followed Qi Yuan out to do serious business, he wasn't in a hurry.

"Might as well," Qi Yuan said casually. "It's a teahouse. Let's take a look. There's also a treasure inside."

Calling it a teahouse was misleading. It was far more than that. Singing, dancing, music—the teahouse had everything to offer. Before they even entered, a voluptuous woman approached them with a bright, practiced smile.

Her gaze lingered on Zhu Zhuangshi, the smile in her eyes difficult to read. "Gentlemen, are you here to enjoy some music, or perhaps a dance? Would you like a private room?”

"A private room," Qi Yuan said.

"Right away!" the woman replied, her laughter causing her ample figure to sway.

Inside the pavilion, exotic fragrances filled the air. At its center, seventeen graceful young women danced lightly, their movements fluid and enchanting. Sheer silk draped over the curves of their slender waists. They appeared light, their steps gliding across the floor. Every smile, every glance was brimming with charm.

Zhu Zhuangshi stared, utterly transfixed. The surrounding guests applauded softly, savoring the mesmerizing performance. Who could imagine such decadence existing in the fallen zone? Perhaps it was precisely because the future seemed hopeless that these cultivators indulged so freely in pleasure.

Aunt Liu led the way, a peculiar glint in her eyes. She couldn't see through either guest's cultivation. Even so, she could faintly sense that the burly man was at least peak Violet Palace, possibly even an ancient god.

Why would such figures come to Huaye City? She didn't dare ask. How many ancient gods still served the Mortal Heart World? Most were nothing more than lapdogs. The followers of the No-Food Saint Sect had taken root here, keeping their identity deeply secret.

Aunt Liu smiled warmly. "Please, have a seat. Would you like a young lady to play music or sing a tune for you?"

With a flick of her hand, more than a dozen projections appeared in midair.

Each girl was stunning beyond anything mere illusion techniques could replicate. Floating text beside them detailed their specialties—some excelled at the zither, others at the flute, others were masters of both song and dance.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Qi Yuan glanced over them, unimpressed. "Who plays the suona?"

Aunt Liu froze. "Quite a unique taste you have, sir."

Strange preferences were common here. Still, a suona? That was rare to the point of absurdity. It was like hiring two comic storytellers to perform at a funeral.

"Whenever I hear a suona, I feel like killing someone," Qi Yuan said lightly, "And I happen to be preparing to do just that, so a suona will do nicely."

The smile on Aunt Liu's face stiffened.

Killing?

That was when she knew that a storm was brewing.

"There's a new god stationed nearby," she said vaguely, her words deliberately ambiguous. "You two may want to think carefully before acting."

Her warning went in one ear and out the other.

"Who plays the suona?" Qi Yuan asked again.

"Little Xing learned it for a while," Aunt Liu replied after a pause.

"Then her," Qi Yuan said, settling by the window. From there, he could overlook the dancers performing below in the pavilion's center.

"Please wait a moment." Aunt Liu left the room and entered another. She instructed quietly, "Little Xing, there are two guests in Heavenly Room Seventeen. Be careful, try to find out their identities if you can."

As a follower of the No-Food Saint Sect, she was especially alert toward mysterious powerhouses like Qi Yuan and Zhu Zhuangshi.

"Do your best to figure out who they plan to kill," she continued, softening her tone, "but above all, your safety comes first."

Little Xing, dressed in an apricot-colored gown, nodded obediently. "Understood, Aunt Liu."