129. The Man on the Painted Boat Appears

Yu Yao, however, had no intention of dodging. Instead, she lunged forward, her long sword coming dangerously close to slicing Le Qianxue’s throat.

Le Qianxue was startled; behind her lay the river. She wondered to herself why her poisonous powder had been ineffective.

Yu Yao sneered, as if mocking Le Qianxue’s foolishness. Le Qianxue felt a surge of irritation. Yu Yao was indeed no simple opponent; she was formidable enough to be immune to her poison. Fortunately, Le Qianxue reacted quickly, leaping aside just in time to avoid the strike. Yet, as Yu Yao swung her sword again, although it did not cut her, the force of the sword energy wounded her.

"Humph, is that all you've got?" Yu Yao’s smile deepened, carrying a strange, eerie quality.

Le Qianxue braced herself, struggling to hold on, for Yu Yao’s martial arts were superior to her own. After they had sparred for a short while, Le Qianxue was already struggling to parry. Yu Yao did not deliver a killing blow, as if she were intentionally toying with her.

"How boring. I’m done playing with you." As soon as the words left Yu Yao’s lips, a wave of killing intent surged from her.

Le Qianxue was struck with alarm, certain that this time she was doomed. Suddenly, the music from a painted pleasure boat on the river became sharp and piercing. She felt a jolt in her chest and found it difficult to breathe.

Yu Yao was affected even more severely. The music seemed to be directed specifically at her. She stopped in her tracks, clutching her chest, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Yu Yao was horrified. She looked back at the pleasure boat. It was a magnificent, candlelit craft drifting on the river, and she wondered who could possibly possess such internal strength to play music of such power.

Yu Yao glared at Le Qianxue. Just as she prepared to charge again, the music intensified. Le Qianxue was stunned—who was this person, and why were they helping her?

Realizing that someone was preventing her from harming Le Qianxue, Yu Yao grunted, turned, and used her light-body skill to fly toward the boat. Le Qianxue stepped to the riverbank and watched as Yu Yao skated across the water with ease.

The melody shifted. What was once sharp and piercing to the soul now turned soft, yet beneath the gentleness lay a hidden sharpness that was difficult to detect. Yu Yao could not get near the boat, for countless wind blades erupted from its windows, striking directly at her.

Le Qianxue was left speechless. To what level had this person’s cultivation reached? Not only could they infuse internal energy into music, but they could also use that music to manifest such attacks—it was truly exquisite.

Yu Yao swung her sword to deflect the blades, but the stranger’s power was indeed peerless. No matter how high her own cultivation, she could not withstand it. Gritting her teeth, she took several cuts from the blades. She knew that if this continued, she would surely die. While the stranger could not kill her instantly, her internal energy was draining rapidly; staying any longer would be a dead end.

With a final, frustrated snarl, Yu Yao leaped to the opposite bank and fled, disappearing into the night.

Le Qianxue let out a sigh of relief. Since Yu Yao had run off, it was clear that someone extraordinary was on that boat. Should she go and thank them? She hesitated, but the music drifting from the boat had become much softer, as if someone else had taken over playing.

Le Qianxue thought for a moment and then called out, "Thank you for your help!"

Having said this, she felt a bit more at ease and planned to return to find Zhan Yungue, lest something happen to her and she be unable to account for it. However, after she spoke, someone emerged from the boat. Because it was night and the lanterns were dim, Le Qianxue could not see the person’s face clearly. But then, the man flew toward her.

Le Qianxue stepped back a few paces, and the man landed on the very stone where she had stood moments before.

The moonlight fell upon him, revealing an appearance that was truly, breathtakingly beautiful. Le Qianxue was stunned. He wore a purple robe, and his hair was loosely tied with a ribbon, the stray locks making him look incredibly enchanting. Compared to Zhan Lianjing, he was a different kind of beauty; he was stunningly, heart-stoppingly beautiful, whereas Zhan Lianjing was of the cold and elegant variety.

Seeing her frozen, the man smiled, looking even more beautiful. "Why are you staring at me?"

Le Qianxue regained her composure. She found his features vaguely familiar, though she could not recall where she had seen him. "You... you are exceptionally beautiful, so I just looked for a moment," she replied.

The man’s smile deepened. He touched his own face and stared at Le Qianxue for a long time before saying, "You thanked me with mere words. Do you not intend to offer a gift of gratitude?"

Le Qianxue thought about it and realized he was right. "What kind of gift would you like, sir? I have some silver and rare medicinal pills on me."

"Who wants your worldly possessions? Can you play the zither?" the man interrupted.

Le Qianxue was taken aback. She was at a loss; the original owner of her body had learned, but she had spent the last few months practicing martial arts and alchemy—when would she have had time to play the zither?

Seeing her hesitation, the man stepped forward. Le Qianxue instinctively took a step back, but the man laughed, quickly grabbed her hand, and before she could react, he pulled her toward the boat, flying across the water.

Le Qianxue let out a cry of surprise. Being carried by him, she didn't even need to use her own internal energy to cross, which proved how profound this man’s cultivation was. Upon reaching the boat, the man released her hand and walked inside.

"What are you standing there for? Come in," the man said without looking back.

Le Qianxue followed him in. Though this might be entering a wolf's den, if he had wanted to kill her, he would have done so already; there was no need to go through all this trouble.

Inside, she found many musicians, all dressed in uniform, holding various instruments. When they saw her enter, they glanced up, but quickly lowered their heads again, though Le Qianxue caught a flicker of surprise in their eyes.

The man sat on a velvet couch, his posture languid and alluring. He chuckled, "Little beauty, come and sit."

Le Qianxue felt a chill. Being called that by someone more beautiful than herself required a thick skin to endure. "That wouldn't be appropriate," she said. "I just remembered I have something to attend to. I should go."

She felt the atmosphere here was strange and did not know who this person was, only that he was clearly not a simple character. She turned to leave, but the wooden door of the boat slammed shut with a bang.

"You think you can just leave once you've arrived here?"

Le Qianxue turned back. The man smiled beautifully and added, "I’m teasing you. Very well, I will give you a ride. That 'she-devil' might still be lurking in the shadows looking for trouble, and it won't be good for you to go back alone."

Le Qianxue hesitated, then walked over. By chance, there was a musician sitting next to the man, and even at a glance, one could tell the zither was a fine instrument.

Recalling the music from earlier, she said with admiration, "Miss, was it you who played the zither to save me? Thank you."

The musician was also quite beautiful. She replied, "You misunderstood. It was our master who intervened; I don’t have that kind of ability."

Her tone sounded a bit sour, which made Le Qianxue feel uncomfortable.

The man’s expression darkened as he stared at the musician. "What kind of tone is that? How dare you speak to my little beauty like that?"

The musician was terrified. Before she could kneel to beg for mercy, the man flicked his finger, and she was sent flying against a pillar. The woman who had been fine a moment ago was now left gasping for breath.

Le Qianxue was stunned; this man was ruthless. However, someone quickly dragged the musician away and cleaned up the spot. The other musicians didn't dare make a sound, fearing they might offend their master.

The man’s expression softened as he turned to Le Qianxue. "Little beauty, sit down and play a piece for me. Consider it your gift of gratitude, how about that?"

Le Qianxue thought that sounded fair; it would repay the debt, and she would owe him nothing. She sat down. With a wave of the man's hand, a maidservant took away the previous zither and replaced it with an even better one.

She was even more curious. The strings of this zither felt cool to the touch, and the tone was superior. She recognized it immediately as the one the man had used to save her.

This zither was far too precious; it was clearly his personal instrument. It didn't seem right for her to use it. Le Qianxue felt troubled and asked, "This zither is too valuable. It must be your personal instrument, sir. It wouldn't be right for me to use it."

The man smiled and said, "The one from before wasn't worthy of you. Use this one."

Le Qianxue had no choice. She recalled the tunes the original owner of her body had learned. She didn't have much mastery of music, so she could only play based on the memories she had inherited.

She composed herself and plucked the strings. It was a fine zither, but the player’s skill was lacking—it was hardly worthy of the instrument. The other musicians showed expressions of delight; they had not expected this woman to be so mediocre, especially since their master was a connoisseur of music.

However, the man gave a sidelong glance with his phoenix eyes, walked over to Le Qianxue’s side, and said, "Your fingering is wrong. Look at my fingers, like this... and the other hand..."

The musicians were shocked—their master was actually teaching someone! Even Le Qianxue was stunned, especially since the exotic fragrance emanating from the man was particularly pleasant.