Mortal Mage

In Changjiang City, on the bank of a tributary river within the city, stands a luxurious three-story mahogany pavilion building.

There is a plaque on the pavilion with three large and elegant characters written on it.

"Flower House"

The stars in the night sky fell into the river in front of the pavilion in the water, floating with colorful lights.

The pavilion-style buildings on both sides are hung with red silk lanterns, with carved beams and painted rafters, and brightly lit.

There is a brilliant sea of ​​flowers on both sides of the pavilion.

On the river, all kinds of flower boats with colorful lanterns hanging on them slowly gathered on the river, creating a bustling scene.

All kinds of merchants, officials, scholars, and rich daughters were chatting and laughing on the flower boat.

A prosperous atmosphere.

Zhang Mingxuan and Hao Fen rented a flower boat and followed the boat to converge in front of Huamanlou.

At this time, the woman upstairs began to sing and dance. After one song, she started another.

Not until the boats had gathered in front of the building did the singing, dancing and music gradually subside.

When the river was bustling with people and the lights were bright, a graceful woman walked upstairs and sang to the people below: "The first question asked by the courtesan today is: Please write a poem on the theme of 'Flower Shadows Under the Moon' to show the beautiful night scenery of Changjiang River."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone under the bright lights began to whisper and discuss. The merchants on the various flower boats anxiously asked the guests beside them, the common people started to make a fuss, and the talented men and beautiful women had already begun to prepare their pens, ink, paper and inkstone to show their talents.

After hearing the question clearly, Zhang Mingxuan turned back to the cabin of the flower boat and spread out the rice paper.

This flower boat is doing the business of Hua Manlou, so naturally it has all kinds of things, such as pens, ink, paper and inkstone.

"Master wants to see the courtesan?"

Huo Fen knelt aside, picked up the ink stick and began to grind the ink.

"good."

Zhang Mingxuan nodded and moistened the brush in his hand. After thinking for a moment, he picked up the brush and wrote as he spoke, "This courtesan makes friends with high-ranking officials and scholars. She has judged countless people on a daily basis. Maybe she knows an alchemist."

"I think so."

The ink stick in Haofeng's hand paused for a moment, and he said hesitantly, "Master should call Qingling to accompany you. After all, Qingling was once the alchemist of the Sword Sect."

When Zhang Mingxuan heard Qingling's name, the fingers holding the brush trembled noticeably. After pausing for a moment, he did not respond to Haofen, but tried to use words to cover up his inner struggle and anxiety.

Every time he thought of Canglang, his heart became extremely congested. His guilt for the past, fear for the future, and inferiority complex about his own useless spiritual roots all made him feel extremely depressed.

The brush in his hand seemed to carry all his emotions.

He couldn't care less about these women - Hua Yu, Xi Yun, Shi Manman, Wang Wan'er, Qing Ling - and felt deeply guilty.

These women might not be willing to change their future for a person with useless spiritual roots.

His thoughts returned to Qing Ling, the woman who used to be the alchemist of the Sword Sect, but he let her down because of his incompetence.

Now, facing the prosperous scene of Huamanlou and the competition among various talented men and beautiful women, he feels more like an outsider.

Seeing that Zhang Mingxuan was silent for a long time, Hao Fen spoke gently: "Master, if you don't want to mention it, then I won't mention it in the future."

Zhang Mingxuan nodded slightly, put down the brush in his hand, blew dry the ink, walked out of the cabin of the boat, and handed the rice paper to the Hua Manlou servant who jumped in front of his boat.

After a long time, the hustle and bustle gradually subsided.

On the third floor of Huamanlou, a graceful and charming female figure appeared under the red gauze. A servant brought a thick stack of poetry papers that he had collected and placed it in front of the woman's desk. The woman waved the servant away, slowly sat down in front of the desk, and began to read.

Then, the servant in Hua Man Lou began to sing;

"Poem 1: The river waves under the moon, the shadows of flowers under the moon are reflected on the river waves, the light under the lamp is reflected on the sunset. The flowers are blooming and reflecting themselves, and the shadows follow the water and reflect people's homes."

The servant recited the lines and everyone cheered.

"What a poem! What a poem!"

"Except for the seven talented men of Changjiang, I'm afraid no one can surpass them.

“And such a masterpiece was produced in such a short time!”

"Yes! Yes! It seems that Miss Jing'er will have to give up her virginity tonight."

"Haha, it is said that this Miss Jing'er is not only a virgin, but also a good swordsman."

"Oh? Really? I've never seen the courtesan of Hua Man Lou dance with a sword."

"Hahaha."

When everyone stopped talking, the servant brought another piece of rice paper and began to recite.

"Poem 2, Flowers."

"Flowers are blooming like brocade, their shadows swaying over the water. The moonlight is dimming, and we are talking by the river tonight."

"Good poem! This poem is much simpler than the previous one, but it is still a good piece of work!"

"Yes, yes, yes, the flowers are blooming like brocade, and the words spoken by the river tonight reflect the beautiful moonlight tonight. This is the perfect phrase to echo the beauty of the moon."

"Looking at the style of this poem, it seems to be the style of Mr. Feng from our Changjiang City last year."

"Well, Mr. Feng always likes things to be clean and clear. It seems that there will be another one among the Eight Talents of Changjiang. That is the Eight Talents of Changjiang."

"Ha ha ha ha"

"Amid the discussion, the servant received another piece of rice paper and began to recite."

"Poem three, two dependent on each other."

"The bright moon and the lake reflect the cold light..."

"Today is a gathering of talented people. I'm afraid it won't be our turn."

"How powerful is Miss Jing'er? She has brought out most of the talented people in Changjiang overnight."

"You don't know this. The courtesans of previous years were all chosen by the insiders of Hua Man Lou. Everyone has seen them on weekdays, but Jing'er has never really shown up."

"Yes, I also heard that her talent, beauty, and martial arts are all legends that have been circulating in the building for a long time. She usually uses the sound of the piano to make swords. Some people also say that she has a master behind her. She usually doesn't want to have too much contact with outsiders and only shows up on specific occasions."

"Tonight is her first night as a married woman, so naturally, half of the celebrities and scholars in Changjiang City came to see her beauty."

Discussions arose and the atmosphere became increasingly heated.

Seeing Zhang Mingxuan frowning slightly, Hao Feng asked softly, "Master, are you sure?"

"I was confident before, but now I am not."

Zhang Mingxuan felt a little pressure in his heart; "Wait a little longer, if we can't make friends, we will go back to the inn."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the graceful figure of the woman on the pavilion holding a piece of rice paper, standing up and lifting the red gauze curtain.

In an instant, everyone on the flower boat fell silent and looked up in unison.

Under the red gauze curtain, the woman was wearing a light yellow long skirt that tightly wrapped her body. Her breasts were attractively raised, her neck and arms were as white as cream, and her oval face was naturally gifted with a pair of exquisite and flawless willow-shaped cold eyebrows. She had a peerless face that was so beautiful that she could overwhelm the whole country.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the woman in yellow gauze in the attic. For a moment, their ears stopped ringing, their heads stopped moving, and the food in their throats seemed to have been digested.

The woman in red and yellow gauze looked around at the flower boats on the river, then picked up the rice paper in her hand and recited in a calm and gentle voice: "There is a river between Jingkou and Guazhou, and Zhongshan is only a few mountains away. The spring breeze has greened the south bank of the river, when will the bright moon shine on me again?"

At this moment, everyone finally recovered from the beauty, as if they had experienced the longest time in their lives.

And when that voice died down, everyone began to respond to the charm of the poem again.

"There is a river between Jingkou and Guazhou,"

"Zhongshan is only a few mountains away."

"The spring breeze has greened the south bank of the river again,"

"When will the bright moon shine upon me again?"

"This is?"

"The Saint's Chapter!"

"What a great poem! You are truly a man of extraordinary talent!"

The discussions around suddenly became lively, and in an instant the beauty of the woman in yellow gauze was forgotten.

"This will surely be a masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages!"

"I didn't expect that there would be such a talented person in our Changjiang City!"

"This poem has a profound artistic conception. It not only describes the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers, but also implies the feeling of homesickness. Such a masterpiece is hard to find in Changjiang City."

"I'm afraid even the entire Song Dynasty would have difficulty matching him!"

"I'm afraid there is no rival in the entire Luyang Continent!"

-

At this time, Zhang Mingxuan was staring blankly at the woman in yellow gauze in the attic.

He always felt that he had seen this woman somewhere.

"Master? Did you write this poem?"

Haofen interrupted Zhang Mingxuan's thoughts.

Zhang Mingxuan nodded.

He wrote this poem, but he did not compose it.

It was done by Wang Anshi.

He couldn't think of other poems at the moment, except for this one which he was familiar with by heart since elementary school.

"Mr. Xuanfeng, you may come up to the pavilion. I will take good care of you tonight."

The woman in yellow gauze closed the curtain and retreated back to the attic.

"Master, the Oiran asks you to go up."

After Hao Xian finished speaking, her expression suddenly changed slightly, and her ears slightly pricked up, as if listening to the movement in the distance. Then she lowered her voice and said, "Master, there seems to be a strange person in this Huamanlou. I feel an unusual aura, maybe it's not just an ordinary Jingshi."

Zhang Mingxuan's heart tightened when he heard this, and his eyes couldn't help but sweep towards the brightly lit building again.

Although he felt a little wary, he still waved to Haofen; "Come with me."

After saying this, he jumped up, stepped on the front row of flower boats, and flew towards the attic.

"Master, wait for me."

Seeing that Zhang Mingxuan had used his cultivation, Huo Fen also used some of his skills and flew up on tiptoe.

She was not wearing a veil tonight, and her joyful figure chased after Zhang Mingxuan like a fairy.

When the people on the flower boats saw the person who had done the work show up, they all looked at him.

But he turned out to be a young man in white clothes, no more than twenty years old. The messenger jumped towards the attic with light skills, but everyone shook their heads in confusion, and no one recognized him.

When everyone was puzzled, a graceful fairy figure followed the young man.

Everyone saw clearly that the fairy had a beautiful face with flawless features. If the courtesan Jing'er was stunningly beautiful, then this fairy's appearance was unparalleled.

Everyone heard it clearly, the Fairy Jinghong actually called the young man...

"what is it call?"

"Owner?"

The people on the flower boat were talking in silence. Even though there was a gentle breeze at night and ripples on the river, the people on the vast river seemed to be under a spell, their eyes full of dreams and fantasies.

"Brother Bu, does that person look familiar to you?"

On the flower boat at the corner of the river bank, Ye Buwen focused his spiritual consciousness and looked away.

Hearing this, the bearded man Bu Dazhen beside him also fixed his eyes and shot in that direction.

Immediately, he breathed a sigh of relief; "This... damn, he is Zhang Mingxuan!"

"Follow him! He's causing us so much trouble!"

After Bu Dazhen finished speaking, he no longer concealed his breath, jumped up, left the flower boat, and headed towards the Huamanlou attic.

Ye Buwen followed closely behind.

-

"The fixed interest jade disc is here."

Among the crowd on the river, on another flower boat, stood a middle-aged man with a goatee.

This person was Yu Qianshou, who used to be from Shouyun Villa.

"Yes, father, the person who entered Hua Man Lou as pointed out by the jade disc should be Zhang Mingxuan that Yun Zhongzi mentioned."

Behind Yu Qianshou, there was a woman wearing a long skirt and a bridal veil with thin, long, curved eyebrows.

This person is Yu Qianshou’s daughter, Que’er.

"We can't let him get away, Magpie. You know what to do."

"Daddy, I know."

Que'er nodded in agreement, and then turned into a sparrow and flew silently towards the Hua Manlou. But when she was flying in the air, she suddenly remembered that she had accidentally leaked a trace of her breath. Her heartbeat instantly accelerated, and she secretly blamed herself: "Oh no, I hope I didn't attract other people's attention."

-

Above Changjiang City, beyond the clouds.

The moon high in the sky is exceptionally bright.

Three middle-aged men in ink-colored Taoist robes shining with starlight stood in the clouds with swords on their shoulders.

The ink-colored star-lit robe is the common attire of the disciples of the Xuantian Sword Sect.

The three middle-aged men had already sensed the fluctuations of spiritual energy in the city below, and simultaneously swept their spiritual senses in the direction of the sparrow.

-

Inside the attic of Huamanlou.

The building is full of jewels and brightly lit.

The four windows of the attic were hung with red gauze curtains, and there was also a red gauze curtain between the bed in the attic and the center of the living room.

Zhang Mingxuan stood in the attic living room, some distance away from the bed in the gauze curtain, with Hao Fen standing behind him.

"Sir, please take a seat."

Inside the red gauze curtain, the woman in yellow was slowly taking off her clothes. "Who is the woman next to you, sir?"

"A maidservant in the mansion."

The woman hummed lightly upon hearing this, and said calmly, "Sir, do you want to listen to the music first, or come over directly?"

The meaning of this statement is self-evident.

The listening session can be skipped.

"I won't listen to the music, nor will I go over there. I'll ask a few questions and then leave."

Zhang Mingxuan did not sit down, but continued to stand in the living room.

Inside the red gauze, the woman Jing'er took off all her clothes, and her snow-white back and the two halves of her jade-like back were vaguely visible behind the red gauze curtain.

Hao Feng stretched out her jade fingers, nudged Zhang Mingxuan's waist, and persuaded in a very low voice: "Master, look quickly."

"rude."

Zhang Mingxuannu glared at Haofen and looked at the river outside the curtain.

The neon lights on the flower boats on the river are gradually fading, and the boats are slowly dispersing.

"Then why don't I ask you a few questions first?"

As Jing'er spoke, she directed outside the room, "Close the doors and windows."

Then, as if some mechanism was triggered, the doors on all sides of the attic merged together with a "clatter". After a moment, the entire attic was sealed into a large guest room.

Zhang Mingxuan was startled and wanted to retreat, but then he realized that this was a mechanism for reorganizing the room layout and it was not the dangerous situation he thought, so he felt relieved.

"Where is the Jingkou mentioned in your poem? Where are Guazhou and Zhongshan?"

As Jing'er spoke, she lifted the curtain with her slender jade fingers with distinct joints, gently brushed the hair between her eyebrows behind her ears with one hand, and stepped out of the red gauze curtain naked.

“This is where my hometown is.”

Zhang Mingxuan closed his eyes and turned his back to Jing'er.

"I see you look very noble, your hometown must be quite important, right?"

Jing'er walked to the round table in front of Zhang Mingxuan, pressed her tender white buttocks against the cold wooden chair, picked up the teacup on the round table, took a sip, then raised her chin slightly and looked at Zhang Mingxuan's face.

After a while.

With a "pop", Jing'er's teacup fell from her hand to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Zhang Mingxuan was startled and opened his eyes to look in front of him.

His pupils slowly dilated.

"His Royal Highness!"

"Zhang Mingxuan!"

After saying that, Jing'er grabbed a cloak from a clothes rack nearby and wrapped it around her delicate body, saying angrily, "Why are you here?"