Before his voice even faded, the faint sound of a zither drifted from the depths of the peach garden.
Su Xuan’s interest was piqued. He was quite knowledgeable about music and could naturally tell how profound the player was, and he imagined how beautiful and ethereal they must be.
“Phoenix Seeking Phoenix. What a wonderful piece.”
Su Xuan had been raised in an excellent environment, so his standards for women were quite high. It wasn’t that he had never seen elegant women skilled in the four arts — zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting. However, women who were not only musically talented but also possessed divine abilities were truly rare.
Moreover, the woman playing the zither at this moment felt very different; just a few notes were enough to make him start daydreaming.
Si Yan continued to lead the way, introducing her as they walked. “This is my second disciple.”
“Once you’ve seen him, the first two will seem like normal people. This one is the most monstrous…”
But neither of them seemed to hear Si Yan’s introduction. Both were fantasizing about what kind of peerless figure the zither player was and how magnificent their elegance must be.
Su Tao’er nodded repeatedly and praised, “This Senior Female Disciple plays even better than I or my older sisters!”
After passing through the small peach grove, they saw a woman dressed in plain clothes sitting in a pavilion, gently stroking the zither. Her fingers were slender, and her figure was exquisite.
Aside from the zither, there were screens on both sides, and next to her were embroideries she had personally made. The embroidery featured landscapes, birds, beasts, pavilions, and figures. Her needlework was clearly top-notch.
At that moment, moonlight poured down from the sky, reflecting off her and making everything look like an intoxicating scene from a scroll — a beauty that seemed not to belong to this world.
“Greetings, Honored Master.”
The ‘woman’ rose from the seat and bowed to Si Yan.
Si Yan let out a long-awaited sigh of relief because this disciple had indeed followed his instructions today.
“Bai Lan, this is your Junior Female Disciple, my new student,” Si Yan introduced. “And this is Mr. Su, your junior’s direct brother and a distinguished guest of my Destiny Pavilion.”
Bai Lan smiled faintly and nodded to the three of them.
Su Xuan had been standing there in a daze for a long time, unable to snap out of it. Seeing this woman, he was already struck by her celestial beauty! He only came to his senses when his sister nudged him with her elbow.
In a panic, he hurriedly stepped forward. “Mis… Miss, greetings. I am Su Xuan, a resident of the capital. My father is the current Kingdom of Tiansheng’s…”
“Brother!”
Su Xuan was kicked by his sister again, causing him to stop abruptly in shock.
But from beginning to end, Bai Lan only smiled without saying a word. To Su Xuan, Bai Lan was like a legendary fairy — so fresh, refined, and breathtaking, as if a goddess had descended to earth…
Su Tao’er also bowed to Bai Lan. “Greetings, Senior Female Disciple. You can just call me Tao’er from now on!”
Bai Lan was dressed in a plain white scholar’s outfit. Standing with hands behind the back, the smile remained mysterious.
“Tao’er, hello.”
“Ahem,” Si Yan coughed twice as if to remind them. “Bai Lan is your Senior Male Disciple, not a Senior Female Disciple.”
When those words came out, both Su Xuan and Su Tao’er froze, not reacting for a moment.
“He was just born looking like this — a natural feminine appearance. There’s nothing that can be done about it,” Si Yan explained. “Just remember it for now so you don’t get it wrong later.”
While explaining, Si Yan felt his palms sweating because this disciple was the most troublesome one. Back when Bai Lan left the Phantom Sea to travel the world, no one knew how many earth-shaking events he had caused! How many tragic cases he had committed! How many families he had torn apart!
However, seeing that Bai Lan was currently without makeup and had followed instructions to wear men’s clothing, Si Yan felt somewhat relieved.
Compared to Su Tao’er, who had somewhat recovered, Su Xuan was still in a daze. Finally, after a long while, he spoke with a trembling voice, as if in disbelief. “Ma… Male!?”
Su Xuan turned to see the embroideries and needlework next to the ancient zither, and how ‘she’ was looking at him so calmly, appearing like the most beautiful woman in the world.
Su Xuan suddenly felt dizzy. Then, he felt a wave of shame and anger, his face turning bright red. He had actually fallen for a man!
Su Xuan said indignantly to Bai Lan, “Senior Male Disciple! A real man, since you are a man, how can you play such soft and delicate music!? Since you are a man, why do you have so many embroideries and needlework!? Isn’t that just inviting misunderstanding!?”
Su Xuan’s face flushed through shades of green, red, and white, his breathing becoming chaotic.
“Brother! We aren’t at home. Senior Male Disciple Bai is our senior. You’re being too rude,” Su Tao’er hurriedly stepped forward to advise him.
Su Xuan froze for a moment, realizing he had indeed lost his composure. He lowered his head and apologized to both Bai Lan and Si Yan.
“Senior Male Disciple Bai, Pavilion Master, Su Xuan has offended you.”
Si Yan gave a forced smile. “Don’t take it to heart. I understand.”
Su Xuan looked up at Bai Lan, but Bai Lan still didn’t speak, only curling his lips slightly. And that one smile actually made Su Xuan’s heart flutter and his legs go weak!
‘Such a charming smile, such captivating eyes…’
Seeing this, Si Yan broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, “Alright, Tao’er, you’ve met all three of your senior brothers. You should return to your room and rest. Lessons start tomorrow, so it’s better to sleep early.”
Thus, under Si Yan’s indirect urging, the two siblings, including Su Xuan, thanked him and returned to their rooms.
Soon, only Si Yan and Bai Lan were left in the courtyard. Si Yan breathed a sigh of relief, sat down, took a sip of tea, glared at Bai Lan, and said solemnly, “Lan’er, you’re clear on everything I warned you about, right?”
“Yes, Honored Master,” Bai Lan nodded.
“Remember,” Si Yan stared at Bai Lan, “don’t let your true nature show. It wasn’t easy for me to take in a female disciple. Do you know how hard it’s been for me to endure all these years? If you scare her away, I’ll make you pay!”
Bai Lan nodded obediently and replied, “I understand.”
Si Yan gritted his teeth and continued to threaten, “Also, don’t smile at that guy. Smiling at him randomly will affect his cultivation heart. If something happens to him, that cute and silly girl will run away too! Do I have to stay in an empty room alone for another tens of thousands of years? Life is so hard for me!”
The corner of Bai Lan’s lips curled slightly as he replied, “I know.”
Si Yan picked up his 2B Pencil and poked Bai Lan’s tender cheek hard, saying fiercely, “If you little brat dare to be disobedient, I’ll strip off your skirt and beat your butt until it’s raw! I’ll hang you up and beat you!”
Bai Lan acted as delicate as a little bird, blinking his large eyes innocently at Si Yan.
Having spoken, Si Yan finally stood up to return to his room.
“Alright, I’m going back to my room to try and color the drawing tonight and have some fun… Eh… Eh? Where’s my drawing!?”