Chapter 10 Stepmother
When Feng Fei and Xue Tuan came out after changing their clothes, they saw Yuan Jue and Ming Feng, who had changed their appearances, standing solemnly at the bow of the boat.
Upon hearing the noise, Yuanjue immediately turned around.
Seeing Feng Fei's current attire, his eyes flickered. Although the body inhabited by Feng Fei was not the Feng Fei he originally knew, it still bore Feng Fei's appearance. Moreover, the Feng Fei he knew should still be influencing the "outsider" at all times, so this strange Feng Fei would often reveal some familiar little gestures.
At this moment, Feng Fei was dressed in brocade robes, disguised as a man. If it weren't for his overly feminine appearance, anyone would probably think he was a handsome young man.
Yuan Jue smiled faintly and handed over what he had been holding: "Carrying this, even though we can change our appearance, it still requires spiritual energy to maintain, which doesn't seem worthwhile. It's better to put on a mask, which can at least conceal our identity from others."
As he spoke, Yuan Jue winked at Feng Fei, looking quite mischievous.
Feng Fei raised an eyebrow but took the things from Yuan Jue's hands. He handed the smaller piece of dough to Xue Tuan and examined it several times in his own hands.
"Ha, is Little Feifei afraid I've done something?" Yuan Jue suddenly leaned closer to Feng Fei, speaking in a flippant tone. However, this man always gave off a gentle and refined feeling. Even though his words were somewhat inappropriate, they still made people think he was talking about something serious: "Don't worry, if I wanted to do anything to Little Feifei, I wouldn't stoop to such low tactics."
After saying that, Yuanjue stepped back slightly, turned his head to look elsewhere, as if he was angry and having a little tiff.
Feng Fei pretended not to hear Yuan Jue's words and checked several more times, but still couldn't find anything wrong. In the end, he could only take it with him.
Yuan Jue seemed extremely displeased with Feng Fei's actions, and after helping Xue Tuan put on the noodles, he ignored Feng Fei completely. Even when they arrived at the entrance of Gentle Water Village, he only said "We've arrived" to everyone before stepping onto the stone platform in front of the village.
When Feng Feimingfeng and Xue Tuan stood silently behind Yuan Jue, Yuan Jue suddenly burst into laughter: "Everyone says that the 'gentle water town' of this water town is the most famous. Now that we've come to this water town, we really have to take a closer look. Don't you think so?"
As he spoke, Yuan Jue narrowed his eyes and looked at Feng Fei: "Young Master Li, would you be interested in entering with me?"
Feng Fei blinked, surprised that Yuan Jue had gotten into character so quickly and even created an identity for herself—it wasn't the time to break ties with Yuan Jue yet, especially since she was currently preoccupied with her own troubles. Seeing what was about to happen seemed quite interesting, she decided to play along.
At that moment, Feng Fei blatantly lied: "That's right, Young Master Tang loves these things the most, otherwise he wouldn't have let those people know about your reputation. But—" Feng Fei winked at Ming Feng, "I wonder if your little confidante has any other opinions?"
These words subtly imply that Yuan Jue, the "Young Master Tang," is a womanizer, especially fond of young boys, and that Ming Feng is being treated as his plaything.
Yuan Jue felt a pang of displeasure. However, he didn't say anything, only laughing nonchalantly, "Never mind, you always tease me like this."
Feng Fei and Yuan Jue were joking with each other at the entrance of the Gentle Water Village, seemingly oblivious to everyone else. But to the onlookers, it was utterly horrifying.
It's important to know that Feng Fei and Yuan Jue weren't in their original forms. Feng Fei's mask had a prominent scar running from his left chin to his right forehead, making him look extremely ferocious. Ming Feng wore a mask with an ordinary appearance, but his bright eyes made him very eye-catching. Xue Tuan's mask was the funniest; he had a black mole the size of a fingernail above the left side of his lip and below the corner of his right eye, with a few coarse, dark hairs clinging to it.
Fortunately, Fengfei and Xuetuan hadn't noticed what the mask would look like on their faces before putting it on. Even Fengfei, who had checked the mask inside and out several times, didn't know that the mask she was wearing had such a scar. If it weren't for the fact that her face under the scar wasn't unsightly, Fengfei thought she might very well have revealed her true face and gotten herself into danger. She shouldn't be wandering around wearing that mask.
As for Xue Tuan's protest, it was completely ignored by the two adults, with only Ming Feng offering quiet comfort from the side.
Of the four, only Yuan Jue's face looked somewhat normal; he just looked ordinary.
Feng Fei and Yuan Jue stood at the entrance of the gentle water town for a long time, never daring to go in like the other visitors—it was their first time there. They preferred to stand in the cold wind at the entrance if someone knowledgeable could offer them some pointers.
Of course, the people of Gentle Water Town wouldn't let them starve at their doorstep. If these two seemingly powerful and influential playboys caused trouble here, even if it was just a bit troublesome to deal with, it would ultimately affect the reputation of Gentle Water Town.
Perhaps thinking it was better to avoid trouble, a graceful young woman soon emerged.
As she walked, her skirt swayed, and her graceful movements were truly captivating.
However, one was a man whose heart belonged to only one person, another was a man whose heart belonged to a woman, and the other two were clueless children. As a result, all the efforts of this beautiful woman were wasted.
However, those dogs would certainly be extremely willing to eat this tempting delicacy.
As the woman with her hair tied up in a bun approached Yuan Jue, before she could speak, a man who had been standing for a long time watching Feng Fei and Yuan Jue's back-and-forth conversation came over and said, "Oh, I didn't expect Wan Niang to actually come out. Look at that tender skin, tsk tsk, I'm so envious of that boy who only knows how to play the zither all day."
Wan Niang smiled, and the world seemed to lose its color: "Young Master Xiao still likes to tease me like this. He will surely ask Xiu Xin to say a few words to him."
Upon hearing this, Young Master Xiao's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly tugged at Wan Niang's sleeve and pleaded, "Please, Wan Niang, have mercy! Everyone within eight hundred li of this water town knows how much I, Xiao Fuwen, have sacrificed to win Xiuxin's heart! If... Xiuxin might get angry with me and never see me again, then I wouldn't be able to live! Please, Wan Niang, spare my life!"
The young master named Xiao Fuwen was witty, but he also seemed extremely infatuated. He was begging another woman for the sake of a woman with a troubled past. Although it couldn't be considered a real begging, his intentions were at least very good.
The maid was only joking, so she nodded reservedly and called a maid to lead Xiao Fuwen to Xiuxin's place.
The maid's eyes darted between Feng Fei and Yuan Jue, but finally settled on Xue Tuan and Ming Feng, her mind seemingly preoccupied with something.
"I'm sorry to have made you two laugh." Wan Niang bowed slightly to Yuan Jue and Feng Fei. "Young Master Xiao is a regular customer of our Gentle Water Village, and also a close friend of Xiu Xin. He is quite familiar with us. Young Master Xiao has never looked down on us because of our status, so we all like him very much."
Wan Niang's explanation seemed to be explaining her relationship with the young master Xiao from earlier, and also pointing out that young master Xiao had a close relationship with them. What's even more commendable is that Wan Niang's words did not overly praise Xiao Fuwen, nor did they mean to belittle their own status. Yet, they somehow made people feel a little goodwill towards all of them.
Yuanjue and Fengfei were used to such people, and were not particularly moved by Wan Niang's explanation. Mingfeng remained expressionless, while Xue Tuan looked around curiously.
Suddenly, Wan Niang smiled charmingly: "Since you two gentlemen have come here, you must have heard about this place. I was truly wrong to keep you two talking at the gate without leading you inside." As she spoke, she stepped aside to invite Yuan Jue and the other three to enter.
The scenery inside and outside the gentle water town is vastly different. If the exterior is extravagantly luxurious, then the interior is understatedly elegant. Although the colors of all the objects and decorations are extremely simple, anyone with a discerning eye can see the extraordinary nature of everything here—the tables and chairs they sit on are made of wood only produced in the Azure Dragon Kingdom, a material that even nobles from other countries find difficult to obtain, yet all the tables and chairs here are made of that wood; and the teacups they hold are made by the Tao family of Yangzi Town in the Vermilion Bird Kingdom—exquisite porcelain that is priceless, yet they each have a cup, and even if one were broken, it would only cause minor damage. The clever servants complained that their cups were too slippery and would frighten the guests when they broke; and the curtains hanging around were made of silk spun by sea silkworms from the deepest part of the Xuanwu Kingdom's seas. These sea silkworms could only spin a foot of silk in their entire lives, and the fabric made from this silk was impervious to water and fire, and was so soft and tough that even the best divine weapons in the world could not cut a single thread. Yet now, these precious things were being displayed so cheaply in front of everyone, allowing them to use them without any scruples.
At this point, even Yuan Jue and Feng Fei, who were used to seeing big scenes, couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
Wan Niang had been carefully observing Yuan Jue and Feng Fei's expressions. Although she paid more attention to Xue Tuan and Ming Feng, she saw that the two adults remained calm after hearing her introduction, so she guessed that the four of them were extraordinary. She hesitated for a moment.
Just then, someone called out from afar, "Wan Niang, come quickly! The musician is in trouble!"
The maid's face immediately darkened, and she quickly apologized to Feng Feiyuan and left.
Chapter Eleven: Enchanting Song
The maidservant left in a hurry, her face ashen as she went.
Out of curiosity, Yuan Jue pulled aside a young maidservant serving him and asked casually, "Who is the musician?"
The girl who could run around in the lobby of the gentle water town was certainly not a clueless fool. Upon hearing Yuan Jue's words, her eyes lit up: "A musician is indeed a musician!"
"Haha, what a clever little girl." Yuan Jue chuckled and patted the little girl, saying, "Why don't you hurry up and lead us to a place to sit down?"
The little girl smiled and agreed, then led Yuan Jue and the other three to a private room upstairs.
Along the way, the little girl explained everything that could be seen in the gentle water town, and finally said with a smile, "Four gentlemen, my name is Suiyu. If you need anything, just tell me."
After saying that, Suiyu bowed slightly and left, and then people filed in and placed various dishes on the table.
The private room where Yuan Jue, Feng Fei, and the other three were located offered a clear view of the scene downstairs. With singing and dancing below and delicious food in front of them, it was quite a pleasant experience.
Feng Fei glanced around the room but didn't see anything special, so he turned his gaze to a high platform downstairs. Yuan Jue kept looking down, but he was also keeping a close eye on Feng Fei's movements out of the corner of his eye.
Suddenly, the lobby downstairs fell silent, and a glamorous woman in her mid-thirties walked out from the high platform.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the alluring woman paused, then said with a light laugh, "those of you who have been able to come to our gentle water town today are all extremely lucky!"
"Oh? May I ask what brings you to this, Fairy?"
"Fairy Maiden, could it be that something good is happening today?"
"Tell me quickly, tell me how lucky I was, haha!"
...
For a moment, there was a cacophony of voices downstairs. Fairy Maiden waited until the men had finished speaking and the whole building had quieted down before continuing with a smile: "Of course you are all extremely lucky people. You know, Fairy Brocade is preparing to sing tonight!"
"My God! It's actually the Fairy of Brocade!"
"Tsk tsk tsk. Tonight was totally worth it!"
Some sighed, while others shouted, "Hurry up and invite Fairy Jinxiu out! This young master is in a hurry!"
The fairy glared at the man, then swayed her serpentine waist gracefully: "Please be patient, everyone. Next up are the other girls' songs and dances. It's still early, and the Fairy of Brocade will be out in a while."
Some people were immediately disappointed, but the atmosphere in the lobby remained incredibly high.
The fairy maiden slowly retreated to the bottom of the stage, while many women dressed in light gauze robes gracefully entered to the sound of a zither.
For a moment, everyone was completely captivated.
Yuan Jue smiled and commented to Feng Fei, "This musical score is quite good; I wonder who composed it. But this dance... tsk tsk..."
Just then, someone pushed open the door and entered. Yuan Jue looked over and saw the little maid Suiyu carrying a small pot of wine into the room: "This zither score was written by the musician Yueqin!"
"Oh? Is that the one who's been ill, Yue Qinsheng?"
Suiyu nodded, sat down next to Yuanjue, and poured him a cup of wine: "Let me first offer a toast to you, young master."
Yuan Jue took a sip of wine from Suiyu's hand, his eyes narrowed slightly, and after a while he sighed, "Good wine."
"Of course it's good wine!" Suiyu stuck out her tongue. "I went through a lot of trouble to steal it, and Fairy Maiden is keeping a close eye on it!"
"I never expected that Miss Suiyu would be such a drunkard."
“That’s right.” Suiyu was quite smug.
"I wonder if you could introduce me to a musician? I am a lover of music. While the music is beautiful, the player hasn't quite captured the emotions the piece should convey, diminishing the beauty of this otherwise divine score. A musician who could compose it must understand its nuances, so I would truly like to visit and learn from him." Yuan Jue spoke with such earnestness that Sui Yu couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not.
"It's not that I don't want to help you!" Suiyu slumped down, leaning back lazily, completely unaware that she was displaying an air that didn't belong to the gentle waitress of the water town. "The musician is sick, very seriously. Every now and then, someone in the brothel dies, and I never thought it would be the musician this time. Such a good person. Everyone in the brothel likes her. If she dies, my aunt will be heartbroken."
Suiyu seemed to be drunk, her face flushed and her eyes glazed over.
Suiyu's words seemed to be the truth spoken while drunk, but Yuanjue glanced at Suiyu with an inscrutable expression: This little girl was unwilling to say anything before, like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, but after going out for a while and coming back, she poured out everything without him having to ask.
Feng Fei had been listless ever since she entered. She had come for the benefits Yuan Jue had mentioned, but so far all she had seen were women singing and dancing and men indulging in wine and women, which was quite boring. However, Feng Fei did not show it on her face and drank her wine expressionlessly.
Only Xue Tuan was the happiest. She pulled Ming Feng to lean on the railing that opened from the private room towards the lobby, watching the men and women downstairs exchanging glances and shouting with joy.
Suiyu talked for a long time, but found that no one paid attention to her. Even Yuanjue would only take a sip of the wine she handed him.
Suiyu snorted twice in her heart, but ultimately left.
None of the four people in the room paid attention to Suiyu's departure, because the grand finale was about to begin downstairs.
After resting for a long time backstage, the fairy returned to the stage, but the clothes she was wearing were not the same as before.
"Distinguished guests, the main event is about to begin!" Without further ado, Fairy Maiden cut to the chase: "Our Gentle Water Village is different from other places. The Fairy of Brocade won't come up on stage to perform; instead, she'll disappear into the crowd—perhaps offstage, onstage, or even in a room downstairs. Now it's up to you all to find her. Whoever finds her before she finishes her song will be hers tonight!"
The fairy maiden's powerful throw caused a huge uproar, and the entire gentle water town was thrown into chaos.
"I'm going to find the Fairy of Brocade tonight, all of you get out of my way!"
"Where did this country bumpkin come from, daring to act tough in front of me? Men, drag him away and beat him!" The young master raised his eyebrows, and someone dragged the first person out. For a moment, screams of agony came from outside.
However, many of the people in this building were not from powerful backgrounds, and immediately, some chaos broke out in the lobby downstairs.
Yet no one caused trouble in the building, presumably because they knew some of the charm of this gentle water town.
The farce downstairs was still going on when suddenly the entire building went dark. But no one panicked, as if they knew what was going to happen.