61: Chapter 61 Re-entering Bailu City

["This... Martial Aunt?"]

[Unsure of the little loli's personality, you chose a more conservative address.]

["Why do you want to learn the zither?"]

[The little loli didn't care at all, sitting unceremoniously in front of the wooden table and toying with the tea cup on it.]

[Without waiting for your answer, she continued on her own:]

["Musical cultivators are truly too boring. You should properly learn swordsmanship from Martial Uncle Qingming instead. What's the use of playing a lousy zither?"]

[Then, the little loli seemed to anger herself, abruptly drawing the long flute from her waist and heavily tapping it on the table surface, making several crisp and rapid sounds.]

["If it weren't for learning these lousy instruments, this lady would have already started condensing liquid into pills!"]

[Weak and helpless, you stood aside trembling with fear. The aura inadvertently leaked by this little loli when she flew into a rage just now was definitely not a bluff; she was undoubtedly at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.]

[What kind of monster is this anyway?]

['You are quick-witted, guide Luo Linger more and help her divert some of her thoughts away from cultivation.']

[Recalling the woman's parting words, your little brain raced, finding the irritable loli before you quite tricky to deal with.]

[After a while, you tentatively asked:]

["Martial Aunt, how about you teach me how to play the zither, and I teach you... disguise?"]

[You didn't have any presentable treasures at all, nor did you know any profound spells. The only thing that might arouse her interest was the Thousand Mechanisms Transformation, which couldn't even be considered a cultivation method.]

[Hearing that you wanted to teach her, the little loli initially wore a look of disdain.]

[But upon hearing the two words "disguise", her eyes instantly lit up, and she clearly became interested, though a trace of suspicion still floated in the depths of her eyes.]

["You know the art of disguise?"]

[Hearing this, you pursed your lips with a smile and opened your arms toward the little loli.]

["What are you doing?"]

["Carry me back to the cave abode flying; there are tools for disguise there."]

[You said righteously.]

[A moment later, the woman looked with a bizarre expression at you, whose pretty face was flushed red as you were carried out of the room in a bridal style by the little loli.]

[Seeing that the two of you seemed to have reached some kind of agreement, she didn't ask much, but instead gave an instruction with a maternal smile:]

["Luo Linger, remember not to break through for now."]

["Got it!"]

[After the little loli gave an impatient reply, she held you and flew straight up into the clouds.]

[A moment later, under your exquisite disguise technique akin to performing magic, the little loli became your little fan girl.]

[You also learned her true identity.]

[Luo Linger, the daughter of the Tianxuan Sword Sect master, and that beautiful woman was her biological mother.]

[Fifty-two years old this year, possessing the Heavenly Spiritual Root and a cultivation base at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.]

[In her early years, due to forcibly cultivating thunder-attribute spells, her foundation was damaged, which caused her defect in height.]

[What a treasure girl!]

[Looking at the lightning arcs dancing at Luo Linger's fingertips, your heart felt burning hot; thunder-attribute spells were secured. It's just a pity that with your current spiritual power purity and cultivation, you aren't qualified to practice them yet.]

[What's even more regrettable is that the other party is not a man; you always feel like a major opportunity is missing...]

[Thus, your daily schedule was packed full.]

[During the day, you practiced the zither and cultivated spells; your Water Mirror Technique was also nearing Great Accomplishment.]

[At night, you continued body refining, and when you had time, you would casually discipline the little loli.]

[You also took the time to visit the Red Pavilion, using the news of the nine luminaries demon-suppressing monument to exchange for an earth-grade intelligence token once again.]

[At this moment, you already had four Xuan-grade and one Earth-grade intelligence tokens in your hand, so you used a Xuan-grade token to exchange for news about the foundation establishment pill.]

[The result deeply disappointed you; either the distance was far too great, or the difficulty of acquisition was too high. It seemed you could only pin your hopes on Bai Shouzhuo's side.]

[Time passed by extremely fast in such pleasant days, and four years flashed by in the blink of an eye.]

[...]

["Miss, there seems to be someone ahead."]

[The girl in the red dress, who was drawing her bow, paused her movements. Her gaze followed the direction of the guard's finger, and she saw a blood-stained figure lying prone in a pile of withered leaves not far away.]

["Bring them over and let me see."]

["Yes!"]

[The two guards strode forward, gently lifted the person up, and brought them close.]

[The girl in the red dress dismounted with a flip, her gaze lingering on that blood-stained yet stunning face. She was slightly startled for a moment before speaking:]

["Help her onto this young lady's carriage first, and return to the city immediately."]

[After a bumpy journey, when the carriage finally stabilized, the figure who had passed out inside slowly opened her eyes. Looking at the three characters "Bailu City" on the city gate, a curve slowly hooked the corner of your mouth.]

[Recently, the Drunken Dream Pavilion welcomed a female zither master whose extraordinary beauty was as if an immortal from the nine heavens had mistakenly fallen into the mortal world.]

[In just over a month, this matter spread all over Bailu City. Every day, an endless stream of cultivators came upon fame, wanting to catch a glimpse of her beauty, almost breaking the threshold.]

[Behind the screen on the high platform of the tavern's main hall, you were dressed in a purple light gauze long dress, your dark hair tied up high into a Lingyun bun, revealing your slender and fair neck. There was less childishness between your brows, and the whole person gained a few parts of a calm, gentle, and mature charm.]

[As a tune came to an end, you stood up, intending to return to your room to rest.]

["Miss Lin, the boss invites you."]

[A maid blocked your path, bowed respectfully with her hands folded and lowered head.]

[Suspecting nothing, you nodded slightly and followed her footsteps.]

[This time you didn't conceal your cultivation; your excuse was still that set about the xuanyuan immortal-ascending fruit, but you found a very common cultivation method to muddle your aura. It would neither cause too much sensation nor fend off some unnecessary trouble.]

[Moreover, the target you wanted to contact was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. A mortal woman's identity would not give you any chance at all. If you wanted to defeat the white moonlight, at the very least, your hard conditions had to be stronger than the white moonlight to have a chance.]

[Ascending to the third-floor private room, pushing open the door, you saw two people sitting opposite each other by the window: one holding a pot to pour wine, and the other leaning against the railing looking into the distance.]

[Quite literary.]

[You silently withdrew your gaze, bent your body and executed a bow.]

["Mr. Wu."]

[The person holding the pot was Wu Mengmeng—or rather, Wu Shian, the father of the red-dress girl, the boss behind the Drunken Dream Pavilion, and an early Foundation Establishment cultivator.]

["Haha~ Miss Lin is here, no need for formalities, please sit."]

[Wu Shian let out a loud laugh, his words quite enthusiastic.]

[After all, you were now the golden signboard of the Drunken Dream Pavilion, doubling his daily profits and more.]

[You pursed your lips into a smile, walked over to the table, and slowly sat down.]

[Only until this moment did the other person turn his gaze back, landing on you—it was none other than Bai Shouzhuo.]

["Who is this lord?"]

[Your face carried just the right amount of curiosity, your gaze lingering slightly on the other person's face, before seeming to realize something, your pretty face blushing slightly as you hurriedly shifted your gaze away.]

[Bai Shouzhuo's expression was faint, and he did not answer.]

["This is my close friend, and also the lord of this Bailu City."]

[Seeing this, Wu Shian immediately spoke up to smooth things over.]

[Hearing this, you hurriedly stood up, a trace of panic in your expression, and properly executed a junior's bow.]

["Greetings, City Lord."]

["Mhm."]

[Bai Shouzhuo responded softly, then asked as if inadvertently:]

["Where did you learn those tunes you play?"]

[Of course it was taught by your good daughter...]

["I dare not hide it from you, My Lord. In my early years, this humble one was saved by a senior musical cultivator. These zither tunes were also heard when that senior played them, leaving a deep impression, so I remember some."]

[You had investigated the life of Bai Shouzhuo's wife. All in all, it could be summarized in two words—a good person.]

[She practiced charity year round, and her footprints spread all around Bailu City. She would frequently go to various places to relieve mortals. Occasionally in her leisure time, she would also play a tune on the zither, healing the common people's chronic illnesses with the rhythm. Therefore, your words simply could not be verified.]

[But the zither tunes were real, so the credibility of what you said was very high.]

[After all, you were just a Qi Refinement Stage rogue cultivator who accidentally came to this border town after being heavily injured and falling unconscious; could you possibly have some heaven-shaking conspiracy? Moreover, there weren't any treasures worth plotting in this godforsaken Bailu City.]

[Not to mention Wu Shian didn't believe it, even the probing in Bai Shouzhuo's eyes faded a lot.]

[A moment later, he smiled self-deprecatingly, a trace of imperceptible loneliness flashing across his eyes. When he spoke again, his tone was no longer as aggressive as before.]

["Could you please play another tune, Miss Lin?"]

["Of course!"]

[You agreed a bit too eagerly, realizing your loss of composure only after the words left your mouth. Your ear tips burned slightly, and you hurriedly lowered your head and quickly hid behind the screen.]

[Seeing this, Wu Shian on the side let out a soft laugh, winking and blinking at Bai Shouzhuo.]

[Tsk tsk~ Brother Bai's charm truly hasn't diminished from back in the day!]