The sound of strings entered his ears, and beauty filled his eyes.
A figure stood bathed in the crisp frost, clad in silver-white silk that reflected the moonlight. It cascaded from her shoulders like a waterfall, creating a striking contrast with her raven-black hair.
Uncertain if it was a zither or a lute, the melodic strings filled the air, accompanied by ethereal voices singing a tune.
However, Yun Ze’s attention was not on the music or the graceful figure, but solely fixed on her face!
Her skin was like jade and water, her eyes held the moon, and beneath her nose hung a delicate, exquisite tip. Further down, a touch of cherry red adorned her lips.
With just one glance.
Yun Ze was utterly captivated by her visage!
Every frown and smile seemed to stir the beast within his chest, making his heart pound uncontrollably!
Even thousands of years later, having seen countless women hailed as saintesses and celestial maidens, whenever the word "beauty" came to mind, this scene would resurface, and he would use a single phrase to describe it…
A chasm between mortal and immortal!
Setting aside cultivation, purely by appearance, all the women he had ever met thereafter were a tier below her!
After about five breaths, Yun Ze regained his senses and cupped his hands in greeting. "Fellow Daoist! Forgive my intrusion, may I rest here for a moment?"
The other party did not reply, merely continuing to dance to the music of the strings.
Yun Ze dared not move rashly and could only stand there watching.
Having grown up in Hanshan Village, he had never seen a dance and naturally did not understand it. He simply found the way her body swayed to the rhythm of the music to be extremely beautiful.
Since she did not speak, he did not dare to speak again, merely standing silently by the entrance.
There was still about fifteen minutes left, surely the dance would end by then?
It was strange, though. There should only be the two of them in the Yingqing Pavilion, so where was this music coming from?
A hundred breaths later, the music gradually subsided.
The woman also stopped, turned, and walked towards the depths of the tower, leaving behind a calm instruction.
"Close the door and follow me."
"Thank you, fellow Daoist!"
Yun Ze responded, closing the tower door behind him and stepping forward to follow.
He followed the woman to a doorway.
She pushed the door open and turned to look at Yun Ze. "Fu Yue told me to let you stay for the night. You will reside here, but you must leave before noon tomorrow. Do you understand?"
"I understand!"
Yun Ze replied, cupping his hands again. "I am Yun Ze. Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist. May I know your name? If there is an opportunity in the future, I will repay you handsomely!"
"...We shall speak of that when you have a future."
The woman replied calmly and paid Yun Ze no further mind, stepping once more into the moonlight.
As the moonlight cascaded down, the sound of strings began to play again.
Her body started to dance once more.
Yun Ze felt awkward but did not enter the room to sleep. Instead, he sat cross-legged by the doorway, watching her graceful dance while regulating his breathing and resting his spirit.
This was not because he wanted to watch the dance, but because the auction was about to end.
Once it concluded, whether the silver-haired elder or the other group acquired the clue, they would undoubtedly come here immediately!
He naturally had to remain vigilant and seize the opportunity.
It was strange, though.
For some reason, as he watched the dance, he had unconsciously entered a state of cultivation.
Previously, to cultivate, he had to close his eyes, calm his mind, and connect with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth before entering the state. But now, he was absorbing spiritual energy with his eyes open?
And the speed of this cultivation was much faster than before!
Was it because of the dance?
Yun Ze could only speculate and did not dare to ask, so he could only wait silently.
After the dance concluded.
Only about fifteen minutes had passed.
Yun Ze calculated the time, estimating that the auction had just ended.
If the person who bought his information paid immediately and collected their prize, they should be rushing to the Yingqing Pavilion now!
Regardless, it was best to inform this fellow Daoist!
"Fellow Daoist!"
Yun Ze seized the moment when the music subsided and called out to the figure before him. "Someone might be coming later. Do you... not need to prepare anything?"
"You don't need to worry about it."
The woman did not turn around, but her voice drifted over, as if she was already confident. "If you're scared, just go back to your room and sleep. Go on."
Yun Ze's mouth twitched.
Her words were like coaxing a child!
And... how could he possibly sleep!
Yun Ze did not move, continuing to wait silently in his spot, while the woman began another dance.
About half an hour later.
Two muffled thuds were suddenly mixed into the sound of the strings.
That was the sound of knocking!
Yun Ze stopped cultivating and shifted his gaze from the figure to the door.
What was coming had finally arrived!
He wondered which group it was.
When he discussed with Brother Shan this morning, he had said that to ensure the accuracy of the information, Yun Ze not only had to reach the Yingqing Pavilion but also appear there and speak at least two sentences.
As the door sounded, the woman's body did not stop, nor did she show any intention of speaking.
"Who is it! Knocking in the middle of the night!" Yun Ze questioned the door in an arrogant tone.
After several breaths, a voice responded from outside.
"Fellow Daoist, please calm your anger. We are here to discuss a business transaction!"
It was the silver-haired elder!
It seemed he had bought his information. He wondered how many spirit stones he had used, and if it exceeded eight thousand.
"Business?"
Yun Ze pretended not to recognize him and retorted, "What business? I'm not interested! Get lost!"
"Fellow Daoist, don't rush. Let this old man speak first."
The silver-haired elder spoke again. "I see you are only at the third level of Qi Refining. You shouldn't be in a hurry to build your foundation. I am willing to offer one drop of Earth Soul Liquid, plus an additional Foundation Establishment Pill, in exchange for the Earth Soul Liquid in your possession! Do you agree?"
Earth Soul Liquid for Earth Soul Liquid? And an extra Foundation Establishment Pill?
Was this old man so rich he didn't know where to put his spirit stones?
Before Yun Ze could question him, the elder explained.
"Of course, this other drop of Earth Soul Liquid will take some time to obtain, but it will not exceed seven days! All of this can be done under the supervision of the Immortal Mansion! I will cover the handling fees!"
So that was it.
It seemed this elder had someone in his family who was about to reach Foundation Establishment and could no longer suppress their cultivation, thus requiring Earth Soul Liquid within this timeframe.
Yun Ze couldn't help but show a wry smile.
If not for Brother Yu's test, he would have earned a Foundation Establishment Pill out of thin air!
Compared to the person in the black cloak earlier, what the silver-haired elder said was clearly more credible.
Brother Yu, oh Brother Yu, couldn't you have thought of a different test?
This was a Foundation Establishment Pill!
"Heh, a Foundation Establishment Pill? Do I not have one!"
Since he couldn't agree, he had to maintain his persona.
Yun Ze sneered and flatly refused. "Old man, I advise you to spend your time finding other Earth Soul Liquid instead of wasting my time here!"
"...Fellow Daoist, can we really not discuss it further?"
Yun Ze remained silent.
He could detect a hint of anger in the elder's tone and dared not provoke him further.
After a few breaths, the elder spoke again.
"Alright, if that's the case, then don't blame this old man for being ruthless."
"Break down the door, capture him!"