On the first day of October, it was the chief’s birthday. Early in the morning, the palace sent someone to summon him.
He had breakfast with Emperor Shi Wenyu and then went to pay his respects to the late empress. When he returned to the Celestial Court, it was already dark.
The chief waited for Huang Rang’s dinner, but she didn’t come. He searched the dormitories, but she was nowhere to be found. It seemed like she had gone out.
He didn’t pay much attention to it, as he knew that Huang Rang was also very busy.
Later in the night, someone came in and reported, “Chief, Miss Ah Rang sent a letter.”
“A letter?” The chief furrowed his brow, took the letter, and opened it. Inside, it read, “Come to the Baoqin Pavilion.”
The Baoqin Pavilion?
Although the chief was not one to seek pleasure, he knew what the Baoqin Pavilion was. It was a place where high taxes were imposed each year, and he certainly had an impression of it.
The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.
Ebu eke Twydt Sydt kdhkvl bkx vs ts vblal?
Jwv obld bl zssjle yv vbl bydeoakvkdt sd vbl zlvvla, kv oyp ekqqlaldv qasx Twydt Sydt’p wpwyz pvuzl, yde kv oyp oakvvld kd vbl pvuzl sq vbl Mbkae Palyx Flyz pnakrv vbyv pbl ayalzu wple.
Ekvbswv blpkvyvksd, vbl nbklq zlqv vbl Ulzlpvkyz Uswav yde blyele pvayktbv qsa vbl Jysikd Vyhkzksd.
Tl oyp dsv sdl qsa asxydvkn lpnyryelp, yde yp bl yaakhle yv vbl rzynl, bl nswzed’v blzr cwv qasod yv vbl blyhu pnldv sq nspxlvknp kd vbl yka.
Mblal olal xydu osxld ealpple kd nszsaqwz sa pkxrzl yvvkal swvpkel, pszknkvkdt nwpvsxlap. Tsolhla, obld vblu pyo bkx, vblu fwpv pxkzle yde eked’v yrrasynb. Rdpvlye, y uswdt xyd kd rzykd nzsvblp nyxl qsaoyae yde ypjle, “Yyu R ypj kq usw yal Nsae Pk?”
Mbl nbklq dseele, yde vbl uswdt xyd zle bkx kdpkel. “Nsae Pk byp qkdyzzu yaakhle. Vzlypl qszzso xl.”
Mblu oyzjle vbaswtb y nsaakesa, yde vbl hsknlp yaswde vblx tayewyzzu talo iwklv. Gp vblu oldv qwavbla, kv clnyxl eyajla, ps vbl uswdt xyd elnkele vs nyaau y ale zydvlad vs zktbv vbl oyu qsa bkx.
Pk Zkikw, obs bye fwpv clld pwaaswdele cu y cwpvzkdt nasoe, pweeldzu qlzz kdvs nsxrzlvl pkzldnl. Xnnypksdyzzu, vbl pswde sq qzsokdt oyvla yde yavkqknkyz bkzzp nswze cl blyae, yp kq bl bye ldvlale ydsvbla osaze.
As they walked, the young man by his side said, “I heard that you are a high-ranking official from the Celestial Court. Something strange has happened in our vicinity recently.”
He spoke mysteriously, and Di Yiqiu asked, “Oh? What happened?”
“We have a chamber here that’s haunted,” the young man whispered with an air of secrecy.
This piqued Di Yiqiu’s interest, and he inquired, “How is it haunted?”
The young man’s voice was very hushed, and in the dimly lit corridor, it felt rather eerie. He said, “We have a place called Fengyue Lake. In the lake resides an enchanting spirit. Whenever a handsome man passes by the lake, the spirit transforms into a beautiful woman, bewitching the man’s soul. She leads them step by step into the water…”
“Oh?” Di Yiqiu had always looked down on such romantic stories. He casually remarked, “The women that the enchanting spirit transforms into in the lake must be exceptionally beautiful.”
At that moment, the young man led him into a pitch-black hall where you couldn’t see your own hand in front of your face.
He slowly raised the lantern, casting a dim red light on his own face, revealing a ghastly expression. He said, “Well… you can only see it with your own eyes, my lord.”
With those words, he slowly backed away.
Suddenly, the two large doors slammed shut.
Of course, Di Yiqiu felt no fear. At that moment, a faint light appeared in front of him, and the sound of flowing water grew louder. Di Yiqiu gazed ahead and saw a pool of water. Faint music from stringed instruments emanated from behind a screen.
The water in the pool rippled gently, and a woman emerged, her hands cradling a lotus flower. Her dark hair flowed like seaweed, and her movements resembled a waterfall of pearls. She wore a delicate, sheer garment that clung tightly to her body, outlining an incredibly graceful figure.
Difficult to paint and difficult to describe.
Candles around them began to light up one by one, seemingly without any wind. The beautiful woman, her waist slender and barefoot, danced in the water, her skin as smooth as jade and her figure as elegant as a startled swan.
Di Yiqiu’s breath caught in his throat.
In the dim candlelight, the beautiful woman continued to dance and gradually moved away from the water’s edge. It was evident that the lotus she had been holding concealed a drying artifact device, so when she left the water, her sheer gown was already dry, and her long hair flowed like silk and clouds.
The barefooted beauty stepped on the jade steps as if she had just noticed the arrival of a stranger. Her enchanting eyes and delicate jade-like hands held a flower in one hand, while the other beckoned to the young man.
The chief seemed to have been entranced and didn’t even know if he had approached. But when he came back to his senses, he found himself by the edge of the pool.
The beauty smiled, sweet and alluring, like it could pull out gossamer threads of transparency. She reclined half on the black-stone-paved pool, wearing a thin veil that half-covered her jade-like legs and half-dipped into the water. The dim light scattered, and her gown shimmered, as pure as an ice sculpture with no imperfections.
Beside her, there was a white lotus wine flask and a jade cup.
The beauty poured the liquor gently, filling the cup halfway. The chief couldn’t help but sit across from her. The beauty’s fair hand held the cup and brought it to his lips. The chief smelled the intoxicating fragrance, like flowers and honey, which dispelled all his aversion to cosmetics.
As he raised the cup to his lips, he took a sip. The liquid in the cup wasn’t wine but had a refreshing mint-like coolness upon entering his mouth. The beauty only allowed him a light taste before she withdrew the cup. Her fingertips were cool as they lightly touched his forehead, then down his nose, across his lips, and gently rested at his throat, where she lingered for a moment before casually discarding the cup into the pool.
Di Yiqiu only tasted a hint of sweetness and a faint floral fragrance between his lips.
He reached out to grasp the beauty’s jade arm, but her skin was silky smooth. She slowly retreated, and even her fingertips slipped away from his grasp, leaving the chief with only half of her sheer sleeve in his hand.
The delicate sleeve was soft, and he refrained from using force, so it slipped away from his palm like fine sand.
The beauty’s sleeve fell, obscuring his vision, and she backed into the water barefoot. The deep pool water rose over her delicate jade feet, soaked her floating sheer gown, and slowly engulfed her.
Di Yiqiu reached out and held the hand that was holding the lotus flower. She released her five fingers, and the lotus flower drifted down gently.
The beauty reached the pinnacle of allure, and it was breathtaking to behold.
Di Yiqiu no longer cared about anything else and followed her into the water.
The pool water was pleasantly cool, and in this crystal-clear water, her white veil floated like a beautiful jade melting in the serene waters.
The pool gradually embraced her and engulfed her.
He followed, and with her serpentine arms gently wrapped around him, her lips drew closer. The beauty sighed like orchids, and in the slightly cool water, only her lips were warm and full.
The chief had not drunk any wine, but his blood was boiling and on fire.
He responded with a passionate kiss, and the beauty’s sheer gown drifted away in the water, soaring like clouds. What an enchanting sight it was!
But as someone who had not been cultivated as an immortal, he couldn’t linger in the water, especially as his breath became erratic and his internal energy couldn’t last.
The beauty pulled him down to the pool’s bottom, where they stayed together for a moment. Then she exerted force with her delicate hand and pushed him away.
In the icy blue light, the chief watched her sink to the pool’s bottom while he used the momentum to return to the surface. He took a deep breath and immediately dove again. But under the water, there was no longer a beautiful woman like Jade.
The chief searched everywhere but found only a beauty bone made of pink crystal.
“Huang Rang—” He searched around, but the underwater world remained silent and devoid of anyone. He had no choice but to bring this enchanting bone back to the surface. The sounds of strings and music behind the screen gradually ceased, the door opened, and a servant brought clothing for him.
“Lord Di, please change your clothes,” the servant said with a smile.
This time, the candles were fully lit, and in the well-lit room, the chief finally saw that there was only a pool and a screen in the room. Behind the screen, there were only a few musicians.
He looked back at the water, and the beauty on the water’s surface had vanished, leaving only a white lotus flower floating on the waves.
The chief recalled the events just now and felt as though he had been in a dream.
The servant smiled and said, “I’ve mentioned before that this place… is haunted. After changing, it’s better for my Lord to leave promptly.”
After saying this, he glanced at the pink crystal bone in the chief’s hand and shook his head with a sigh. “A pink skeleton, huh.”
Di Yiqiu held the enchanting bone in his hand, and from that moment on, he gained a deeper understanding of human desires.
Meanwhile, Huang Rang was changing clothes.
The madam personally helped her change her attire and muttered, “You sure know how to handle men’s desires, my dear!”
Huang Rang giggled, “It’s just that I encountered someone who needed a wake-up call. Let him broaden his horizons.”
The madam said, “With your skills, you could capture any man. Why bother with an inexperienced one?”
“Tsk.” Huang Rang didn’t like what she heard. “This guy may be inexperienced, but everything else about him is good.”
The madam understood and said, “Looking at his clothing, he’s clearly someone of influence in the capital. Young and handsome too. It’s no wonder you’re so invested in him. But since it has come to this point, why not seize the opportunity and spend the night with him?”
Huang Rang finished dressing and replied, “That’s not possible. It would damage my family’s reputation.”
As she mentioned the word “reputation,” she herself felt surprised. Back in outside the dream world, she wasn’t someone who cared about her reputation.
—With a father like Huang Shu, what reputation was there to speak of?
But now she was the niece of Qu Manying and He Xijin.
He Xijin, as the head of the Ru Yi Sword Sect, had a good reputation in the world of immortality.
No matter what, she couldn’t tarnish their names.
Huang Rang shook her head and prepared to leave.
The madam still regretted it and said, “What a waste. If you were a bit more patient, even Xie Hongchen might not be able to escape your charms.”
Huang Rang burst into laughter. “Let’s forget about it. You’ve done a good deed, so consider me never being here.”
She paid her silver and hurriedly left the Baoqin Pavilion.
In the evening, the chief tossed and turned, unable to sleep all night.
After finally falling asleep, his dream still revolved around the ice-blue water and the enchanting woman with fiery red lips. He pressed closer, and between their lips and teeth was a faint floral fragrance.
The woman’s jade arms around his neck, her coquettish laughter spilling from her lips—the dream was chaotic, crazy, and fragmented.
After a restless night, the chief woke up to find that the bedsheet was stained.
…
Poor guy 😂😂😂