Chapter 70

After submitting the ingredients, Su Xing returned to the apartment.

"Hmm, with the ghost money the little brothers gave me, my total assets are in the millions again. I have to go to the Yin Tian Pavilion to buy a decent outfit to repay Zi's kindness; I can't let her lose face!" Su Xing muttered to himself as he walked, then lowered his head to open the door.

"Huh?"

As soon as he entered the room, he noticed the neatly folded clothes placed at the entrance, which stood out prominently on the empty floor.

Under the clothes, there was a note.

"This is the outfit I prepared for the banquet. I hope you like it." Su Xing read it and laughed, "This is great, I don't have to buy new clothes."

Then, Su Xing shook his arms, and the clothes rustled as they unfolded. It was a black Tang-style suit, with fine fabric and a dragon embroidered on the chest, its color as red as blood, with only the two dragon eyes shining like gold. The craftsmanship was exquisite, making the dragon seem alive, as if it were about to fly out of the suit and soar into the clouds.

"What is this?" Su Xing stared at the red dragon with golden eyes embroidered on the Tang suit, his eyes narrowing, and he exclaimed, "Did I just have a hallucination?"

In an instant, the four-clawed, hornless red dragon seemed to move, its sharp eagle-like claws disappearing into the clouds from the auspicious clouds.

"It really moved!" Su Xing exclaimed. The golden-eyed red dragon seemed to awaken from its slumber, baring its teeth and waving its claws, soaring through the dark clouds, sometimes showing its head but not its tail.

"It's actually a ghostly garment. It seems I have to repay a favor, but I end up owing another one. It's hard to repay a beauty's kindness." Su Xing looked at the moving golden-eyed red dragon, feeling both amused and exasperated. Zi really wanted him to owe her a favor.

Returning the Tang suit was clearly impossible. Su Xing took a quick look and found that the suit fit perfectly, as if it were tailor-made.

"Well, I owe it, but owing a favor to a female prodigy isn't bad." Su Xing was open-minded and immediately changed into the suit. Through the window, he saw a graceful purple-clad woman standing not far away, waiting quietly as if observing something, with the breeze gently blowing and butterflies dancing.

"Truly a remarkable woman." Su Xing couldn't help but exclaim, as wherever Zi stood, she seemed to blend in, with the air of a hidden orchid, naturally beautiful, and the surroundings naturally accentuating her.

"No wonder she attracts so much attention; she is the most beautiful flower in the world. If Dongmei really spreads the news that I'm attending the banquet with Zi, it will be a real problem." Su Xing muttered to himself as he walked, his brows furrowed.

"What are you mumbling about?" Zi's ears were very sharp, and she could faintly hear Su Xing's voice from a distance.

"You're beautiful," Su Xing said with a shrug.

"Oh?"

"Then tell me where I'm beautiful." Zi's eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, "Don't try to flatter me."

Su Xing smiled bitterly. He wanted to say it, but he didn't know how to describe it. He stared at Zi, racking his brain.

"Zi Yi Ning Hua Yun."

After a long time, Su Xing finally said it. Zi was dressed in purple, without any deliberate adornment, looking fresh and natural, like a hidden orchid, exuding a noble aura.

"Good, continue." Zi nodded in satisfaction, her eyes twinkling, allowing Su Xing to stare at her without any intention of scolding him, but also not letting him off easily.

"Lu Lan Po Sha Yan Zhi Ying, Zi Yi Sha Hua Xun Yun Qing. Quan Li Dan Bo Yin Yuan Ju, Wu Gui Xiao Dao Luo Shen Ming." Su Xing thought for a long time, circling Zi and reciting softly, a sudden inspiration striking him.

"How is it?" Su Xing suddenly looked up and asked, having recited the poem without realizing it.

"勉强凑合吧。"

Zi nodded lightly, her lips moving slightly, as if savoring the poem Su Xing had recited before answering seriously.

In the entire poem, Su Xing did not use any words to directly describe Zi's beauty but approached it from a different angle, writing about Zi.

The first line, "Lu Lan Po Sha Yan Zhi Ying," described their first meeting. When Su Xing and Zhang Yu competed in knife skills, Zi saved the Yan Zhi horse for Su Xing, and he owed her a favor for the first time.

At that time, under the long corridor, the shadow of the purple orchid was intricate and graceful, and the ghost servant led the Yan Zhi horse, reflecting a graceful figure beside it.

The second line, "Zi Yi Sha Hua Xun Yun Qing," described Zi's aura. She often wore purple, like a celestial being, and a glimpse of her was a moment of beauty.

As Zi passed by, her purple clothes fluttered, and the faint lavender scent filled the air, as if one were standing in a vast lavender field.

The third line, "Quan Li Dan Bo Yin Yuan Ju," described Zi's character. As a direct descendant of the city god, she did not compete for favor and power like her siblings, living quietly in the Purple Garden, away from the bustling city god's mansion.

The last line, "Wu Gui Xiao Dao Luo Shen Ming," described Zi's noble status and low profile. Few ghosts knew her name, and the allusion to "Luo Shen" (the goddess Luo) described her unparalleled beauty.

Luo Shen, known to the world as Mi Fei, had a stunning appearance and was the subject of Cao Zhi's "Ode to the Luo River Goddess," but few knew her real name, a sad fact.

One could say that Su Xing's poem contained too much, exhausting his thoughts.

"I think it's already very good. Good writing comes naturally; I doubt I could write another one." Su Xing shrugged, already quite satisfied.

"What's the name of the poem?" Zi asked.

"Um... let's call it 'Yan Zhi Ma' (Crimson Horse). After all, it was because of a crimson horse that we met, and 'Yan Zhi Ma' sounds subtle." Su Xing thought for a moment and answered.

"Yan Zhi Ma... So, Su Xing, are you indirectly calling me a mare?" Zi glared at him, her face darkening.

"Ah?"

Zi's mood could change in an instant, and more importantly, even her angry face had a unique charm. Su Xing was stunned, finding her stunning.

Su Xing, you can even make a world-class beauty angry; you are truly annoying. Su Xing sighed inwardly.

"Moreover, you asked for my name in the poem." Zi added.

"Unfair, I didn't!" Su Xing protested, feeling as if the sky in the underworld was about to snow.

"Isn't the last line 'Wu Gui Xiao Dao Luo Shen Ming'?" Zi teased, a smile playing on her lips, asking lightly.

"Luo Shen, Luo Shen Ming." Su Xing mumbled, realizing that he had indeed indirectly asked for Zi's name by comparing her to Luo Shen.

"Unintentional." Su Xing said with a bitter smile, "I'll change it now."

Zi shook her head and said lightly, "No need. My name isn't a secret; I can tell you."

"Zi Bu Yu."

Zi Bu Yu, meaning "silent," was a name her mother gave her to remind her to remain silent and submissive even in death.

Zi Bu Yu was originally named Li Bu Yu, but she didn't want to be like her mother, silent and submissive all her life. So she changed her surname to Zi and lived in the Purple Garden, not wanting to mention the name "Bu Yu" to other ghosts, a pain in her heart and a reminder of her mother.

"Zi Bu Yu?"

"Then let's call it 'Bu Yu Fu' (Ode to Silence)." Su Xing said.

"Bu Yu Fu, Lu Lan Po Sha Yan Zhi Ying, Zi Yi Sha Hua Xun Yun Qing. Quan Li Dan Bo Yin Yuan Ju, Wu Gui Xiao Dao Luo Shen Ming." Zi nodded, smiling, and for a moment, the world seemed to lose its color, leaving Su Xing stunned.

Zi Bu Yu was very happy. This was the first time she had genuinely smiled since her mother's death, and no amount of silk or flowers from countless young men had ever made her smile like this.

"Thank you for your 'Bu Yu Fu.' Consider it a return gift for the golden-eyed red dragon Tang suit." Zi Bu Yu said.

"The golden-eyed red dragon Tang suit is much more valuable than my 'Bu Yu Fu,' which is worth nothing." Su Xing said with a smile.

Zi Bu Yu shook her head and said, "To me, 'Bu Yu Fu' is priceless, more valuable than a piece of clothing. And the Tang suit looks perfect on you, so it's well-matched."

Just as a Buddha needs gold, a person needs clothes, and a ghost looks good in fine clothing.

Su Xing, wearing the golden-eyed red dragon Tang suit given by Zi Bu Yu, looked completely different from before. He was tall and straight, with his long hair tied up with a black silk ribbon, looking handsome and refined, a perfect blend of strength and gentleness.

"You don't look like a ghost at all. If you go out, you'll definitely be a heartbreaker." Zi Bu Yu looked Su Xing up and down, teasing him.

"Is that so?" Su Xing smiled shyly, his lips curving into a charming smile that instantly charmed a passing maid.

"See?" Zi Bu Yu said.

"Alright, let's get to the point. Can you tell me which banquet you're taking me to now?" Su Xing said helplessly, sensing a mischievous little devil behind Zi's graceful demeanor.

Su Xing had thought about the banquet Dongmei invited him to but quickly dismissed it, as it was for ghost servants, and with Zi's noble status, it couldn't be that one.

Zi Bu Yu inviting Su Xing might be to attend a banquet hosted by a powerful ghost to fend off unwanted attention.

"We're going to the Bai residence." Zi Bu Yu smiled and said.

"The Bai residence?" A bad feeling flashed through Su Xing's mind, "Is it the residence of the ghostly general Bai Wu Chang!?"

"Exactly, Uncle Bai's residence." Zi Bu Yu nodded.

Uncle Bai, Zi Bu Yu's father was the city god of Fengdu. The only one who could be her uncle and have the surname Bai was Bai Wu Chang, one of the ten ghostly generals.

"The Bai residence..." Su Xing's face fell. It was a place where talented and influential ghosts gathered. He didn't need Dongmei to spread the news of him attending the banquet with Zi Bu Yu; the powerful ghosts pursuing Zi would see him in person.

Bai residence banquet! Su Xing could already see a wave of trouble coming.

Trouble... trouble!

"A bunch of powerful ghosts, whom I rarely see, will all be at the banquet today!"

Su Xing was both amused and exasperated. The offspring of powerful ghosts were not ordinary ghost servants. They had countless treasures and high cultivation, raised with precious ghostly materials, and were incredibly powerful.

"Do you regret it?" Zi Bu Yu asked with a playful smile.

"A little." Su Xing nodded, feeling helpless.

"Now we can only go with the flow. No matter how many come, I'll face them. Watch how I deal with them." Su Xing suddenly felt relieved and made a bold statement, determined to achieve something great!

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