269: Chapter 269 Unexpected Situation: Wanbaolou's Invitation

The picturesque lingering charm on the second floor of Listening to Rain Pavilion was brutally torn apart by the sound of these overbearing footsteps.

A middle-aged man in a luxurious brocade robe, sporting a Mustached Steward, swaggered up the stairs, accompanied by several arrogant-looking guards with swords.

This middle-aged man had a pale, beardless face, and his triangular eyes revealed undisguised calculation and shrewdness.

He completely ignored the tea guests who were still immersed in the lingering sound of the Great Dao, unable to extricate themselves. He didn't even glance at Xu Chen, walking straight to the bottom of the central high platform with his people.

"Excellent music! Truly a peerless masterpiece!"

The middle-aged man clapped his hands in a feigned manner, but his tone held no reverence for music; instead, it carried a condescending sense of charity.

"Miss Gong Yu's zither skills are indeed well-deserved, even attracting such an auspicious phenomenon as 'A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix.' It's no wonder my Young Lord went to such lengths to specially reserve this invitation for you."

Hearing this jarring voice, Gong Yu, who had been flushed and immersed in the lingering afterglow of her Soul merging with Xu Chen's, suddenly stiffened.

Her jade hands, resting on the zither strings, instinctively tightened, her knuckles turning white from the effort.

Her Seven Orifices Exquisite Zither Heart, which had just been liberated and made clear and transparent by Xu Chen's flute music, was once again uncontrollably covered by a layer of gloomy haze.

This reaction, falling into Xu Chen's eyes, caused his originally warm and jade-like gaze to instantly turn cold.

He had just painstakingly wiped clean this dust-covered beautiful jade, and as he was about to admire its luster, a swarm of flies, not knowing their place, jumped out to sicken him.

"Take it, Miss Gong Yu."

Below the high platform, the Mustached Steward pulled out a large, gilded red invitation from his wide sleeve. He raised his hand, holding the invitation in mid-air, his expression as if he were bestowing a gift upon a roadside beggar.

"The Myriad Treasures Tower is about to hold its decennial top-tier auction. My Young Lord specifically requested you to play the zither to add to the excitement. This is a great fortune that countless Music Cultivators would fight tooth and nail for. Miss, please accept it quickly and return with me to the merchant guild to prepare."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere on the second floor of the tea house instantly dropped to freezing point.

The tea guests who had just been marveling at the heavenly phenomenon now all tightly shut their mouths, not daring to even breathe loudly.

In Tianyin City, who didn't know the character of that profligate Young Lord of the Myriad Treasures Tower, Unchanging Gold? The so-called 'playing the zither to add to the excitement' was merely a facade. Once inside the inner courtyard of the Myriad Treasures Tower, what fate would befall this aloof and fairy-like blind girl could be guessed with one's toes.

Tragically, in this seemingly elegant city of music, the Myriad Treasures Tower was the local emperor, wielding absolute power, and no one dared to provoke them.

On the high platform, Gong Yu bit her lip tightly, a trace of crimson blood oozing from the corner of her pale mouth.

She did not reach out for the gilded invitation that was so close, but sat stiffly on the futon, exuding a heartbreaking sense of helplessness.

"What? Is Miss Gong Yu trying to resist my Young Lord's kind invitation?"

Seeing that Gong Yu was still unwilling to comply, the Mustached Steward's hypocritical smile gradually faded, replaced by a cold malevolence. He took a step forward, actually extending his rough hand, intending to forcibly grab Gong Yu's slender wrist.

"Miss, don't forget the Heavenly Dao Contract you bear. If you anger our Myriad Treasures Tower, and the Law of the Heavenly Dao retaliates, your cultivation and your life will both be gone!"

Along with this naked threat, the steward's hand had already reached in front of Gong Yu.

Although Gong Yu had cultivation at the Middle Stage of the Dragon Transformation Realm, under the suppression of the Heavenly Dao Contract, she dared not resist in the slightest, and could only close her empty eyes in despair.

Just as that dirty hand was about to touch Gong Yu's skin.

A tall, white-robed figure moved countless times faster than the steward.

Xu Chen remained steadily seated on the futon opposite Gong Yu, not moving an inch. He merely picked up the cup of cold tea in front of him and lightly flicked the rim of the celadon teacup with his index finger.

Clink.

A crisp sound of porcelain colliding suddenly rang out in the silent tea house.

To ordinary tea guests, this sound was just a common crisp snap. But to the steward and the guards, it was like a world-destroying thunderbolt striking directly from the Nine Heavens.

Boom!

A terrifying, mountain-toppling pressure erupted with Xu Chen at its center. This power did not affect any tables or chairs in the tea house, but accurately struck the chests of the Myriad Treasures Tower's entourage.

"Pfft!"

The Mustached Steward's hand, suspended in mid-air, suddenly stiffened, and he felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer. He didn't even have time to let out a scream, tilting his head back to spray out a large mouthful of blood, his corpulent body flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

The steward's body slammed heavily into the agarwood pillar at the stairwell, causing large, spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the thick pillar, before he slid to the ground like a pile of mud, his life unknown.

As for the several sword-wielding guards who had been acting arrogantly with him, they were pressed firmly to the floor by this invisible pressure, their bones emitting a chilling cracking sound, and they immediately fainted.

On the entire second floor of Listening to Rain Pavilion, there was only the rustling sound of the breeze passing through the window lattice. Everyone's eyes were wide with terror, staring at the white-robed young man who was still seated on the high platform.

Merely by releasing his Qi with a flick of his finger, without even touching the opponent, he could half-kill a steward at the Peak of the Dragon Transformation Realm.

This musical master who could summon the 'A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' phenomenon had not only reached the pinnacle of artistic achievement but was also a decisive and supreme powerhouse in cultivation.

"Young Lord, such dirty work should be handled by This servant; there's no need for you to trouble yourself personally."

Hua Jieyu, who had been hidden in the corner, gracefully stepped forward. Her seductive fox eyes held a hint of coldness as she looked down at the Myriad Treasures Tower's lackeys lying on the ground, unaware of their fate.

With just a word from Xu Chen, she had hundreds of ways to make these people experience the Hehuan Sect's most brutal Soul-searching torture, leaving them wishing for death but unable to die.

Xu Chen put down his celadon teacup, his gaze as calm as still water.

He ignored the ants on the ground and turned to look at Gong Yu, who was still sitting opposite him in a stiff posture.

Although the blind girl's unfocused eyes could not see the bloody scene outside, her transparent spiritual insight clearly perceived Xu Chen's domineering and protective action.

That unprecedented sense of security instantly enveloped her heart, which had been lonely for many years.

But what followed was deeper worry and guilt.

"Young Master, by severely injuring the Myriad Treasures Tower's steward for Gong Yu, you will surely attract endless trouble."

Gong Yu bit her bloodless lips tightly, her voice choked with a hint of a sob.

"The Myriad Treasures Tower not only monopolizes most of Tianyin City's business, but it is also backed by ancient merchant guilds from the Central Continent. Moreover, several Saint Realm powerhouses are enshrined within the pavilion."

She lowered her head, tears once again uncontrollably streaming down her face.

"Gong Yu is merely a blind zither girl. I am deeply grateful for Young Master's kindness in treating me as a soulmate and even playing the flute to resolve my Heart Demon and help me break through my Realm. Gong Yu is already endlessly thankful and truly does not want to implicate Young Master further in this quagmire."

Listening to these words, which showed concern for him at every turn, the coldness in Xu Chen's eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a gentle smile.

This kind of sensible and aloof little white flower was indeed much more endearing than those spoiled young ladies who only caused trouble.

"Implicate?"

Xu Chen opened his Ink-Wash Folding Fan, gently fanning it twice, his tone carrying an arrogant disdain for the world.

"In this world, there is no merchant guild that Xu Chen would consider a trouble. Since we have met, and are soulmates in music, your affairs are no longer solely yours."

Xu Chen closed his folding fan and lightly lifted Gong Yu's delicate chin with the fan's bone, forcing her to 'look' at him.

"Tell me, with your extraordinary talent, why are you constrained by a so-called Heavenly Dao Contract, subject to a merchant guild reeking of money?"

Xu Chen's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable dominance and a sense of reliability strong enough to support the entire sky.