In the Leisure Heart Pavilion of the Water Mirror Hall, the sound of a pipa played like jade beads rolling across a plate filled the air. Only when the last lingering notes faded did the disciples below the stage begin applauding. Bowing slightly to the audience, Liu Zijin descended the stage with her pipa in hand.
Just as she was about to return to her seat, Senior Brother Kong Annan approached, waving a folding fan as he praised, "Junior Sister, your playing was magnificent—the bold strokes like a sudden downpour, the delicate notes like whispered secrets.
Truly unparalleled."
Several other senior brothers soon followed with their own compliments.
"Thank you for your kind words, Senior Brothers."
Liu Zijin smiled gracefully and bowed to them, though inwardly she felt a pang of melancholy. She had deliberately played a few wrong notes earlier, yet no one pointed them out—only endless praise. But what she truly wanted wasn’t praise.
She longed for the cold, emotionless remarks of Senior Brother Jiang, especially if accompanied by that sharp gaze of his. If Senior Brother were here... he’d surely call me clumsy.
With a quiet sigh, she returned to her seat surrounded by the senior brothers, her mind drifting to Senior Brother Jiang’s disdainful expression and the way he kept everyone at arm’s length. She recalled his parting words: "Once we return to the sect, we’ll go back to our respective halls. Don’t come looking for me unless necessary."
This was the first time in her life someone had been so openly annoyed by her presence. I should feel upset... but why does my heart race every time I think about it? I just want to... see him again.
Over the past few days, she had often been tempted to sneak into the Blue Heart Hall just to catch a glimpse of him. But Senior Brother Jiang’s abilities were too formidable—she feared being discovered and truly losing any chance to see him again. Lost in her sighs, the music teacher announced the end of the lesson.
As she stepped out of the Leisure Heart Pavilion, Liu Zijin declined Senior Brother Kong’s invitation, citing the need to practice her pipa further.
"Zijin-jie! Zijin-jie!"
Walking along the pebbled path back to her quarters, she suddenly heard three familiar voices. Turning, she saw the Yu sisters hurrying toward her.
"Zijin-jie! Big news!"
"Guess what we found out?"
"You’ll never believe it!"
Listening to their rapid-fire words, Liu Zijin asked, "What did you discover?"
"Guess first!"
"You get three tries!"
"There’s a surprise if you get it right!"
Liu Zijin chuckled.
"Stop teasing me. I need to get back to practice."
"Fine."
Seeing her lack of interest in guessing, Yu Guishui blurted out, "We saw Senior Brother Jiang at the Water Mirror Hall!"
"Really!?"
Liu Zijin’s eyes widened in shock.
"Yes, yes!"
"We saw him with our own eyes!"
"He seemed to be heading to the Mirror Flower Garden."
"Mirror Flower Garden?"
At this, Liu Zijin’s expression dimmed slightly. The Mirror Flower Garden housed the Water Mirror Hall’s mid-to-high-ranking members, meaning Senior Brother Jiang wasn’t there for them.
"Zijin-jie, should we go take a look?"
"We can pretend it’s a coincidence!"
"Yeah, bumping into us in the Water Mirror Hall is totally normal, right?"
"This..."
Hesitating under the sisters’ eager gazes, Liu Zijin finally nodded.
"Alright, let’s go see."
"Yay!"
The three sisters cheered in unison.
"Wait—let’s get Qiuyao first."
Agreeing, the sisters followed Liu Zijin toward the Autumn Water Pavilion, where they usually trained. --- "Sigh... I really want to switch halls..." Walking through the Water Mirror Hall, Jiang Beiran sighed repeatedly.
When he first met Zhang Heqing, he had admired the man’s commanding presence and meticulous negotiation skills. But now, all that remained was a pitiful man humbled by love. Still, switching halls was easier said than done.
Jiang Beiran had spent considerable effort carving out a comfortable niche as a nominal disciple in the Blue Heart Hall—starting over was out of the question. After asking several passing disciples for directions, he steeled himself and arrived before the Mirror Flower Garden.
"State your business," a middle-aged guard demanded as he approached.
"Greetings. I’m a disciple of the Blue Heart Hall, here to see Guardian Yu Manwen of the Water Mirror Hall. Could you inform her?"
"Guardian Yu?"
The guard sneered, eyeing Jiang Beiran up and down before pointing to the side.
"You’re a new face. Go queue up over there."
Queue up?
Jiang Beiran blinked, following the guard’s gesture to a pavilion where eight male disciples stood in an orderly line.
"Are they... all here to see Guardian Yu?" he asked, baffled.
The guard scoffed.
"Same as you—sent here on someone’s orders."
The rotten apple spoils the barrel! No wonder male disciples in the sect were so quick to turn murderous over pretty junior sisters—this was a tradition! Was the entire Heart Returning Sect just a den of lechers?
Slapping his forehead, Jiang Beiran didn’t bother explaining the difference between himself and those disciples. The guard wouldn’t believe him anyway. But the next moment, he smiled in relief.
This was perfect—he could report the situation to Hall Master Zhang later. If he couldn’t get in, it wasn’t his fault, right? Just as he was happily contemplating where to kill time, a clear, bright voice—one he really didn’t want to hear right now—called out.
"Beiran? What are you doing here?"
This world... truly despises me. Turning, he saw Yu Manwen, the very person he had come to find.
"I—" Before he could fabricate an excuse, the guard eagerly cut in.
"This disciple said he was here to see you, Guardian Yu. I was just about to send word."
You absolute— Jiang Beiran barely resisted flipping the guard off.
"Looking for me?"
Yu Manwen sounded surprised but quickly nodded in understanding.
"I see. Follow me."
What exactly do you see...? Watching her affectionate expression, Jiang Beiran felt like crying. But just as inspiration struck for a way out, two system options appeared: [Option 1: "Guardian Yu, I’ll just queue up.
Those disciples seem to be here for you too." Reward: White Crane Twin Springs Seat (Mysterious Grade, Low Tier)] [Option 2: Follow Yu Manwen inside. Reward: Random Basic Attribute Point +1] Dammit, is the system mocking my intelligence?
Reluctantly choosing the second option, he obediently trailed Yu Manwen into the Mirror Flower Garden.
[Option task completed. Reward: Strength +1] As the system notification chimed, an intoxicating fragrance wafted over, refreshing his mind and body.
Something good.
Eyes lighting up, Jiang Beiran began tracing the scent’s origin. PS: Not posted at 11:59 PM (proud face) (End of Chapter)