Chapter 98

......

Without waiting for Wang Shouzhe's opposition, Chen Fangjie exclaimed in approval: "Good, the sound of the flute is clear and penetrating yet not devoid of沧桑 (沧桑 means 'a sense of vicissitudes of life'), deep and resonant yet not lacking in grandeur, it perfectly matches our mood for savoring tea and listening to the lotus."

Enough, enough, if you want to play the flute, just play it. Wang Shouzhe let her be, after all, she was preparing to play the flute in a serious manner.

"Then I will embarrass myself." Subsequently, "Zhong Luoxian" with her eyes like water, raised the jade flute, slightly parted her lips, and her fingers moved to play.

Her movements were very graceful and beautiful.

And then...

There was nothing more.

The sound of the flute, even for an amateur like Wang Shouzhe, made his heart race, wishing he could jump into the lotus pond from the second floor.

As for Chen Fangjie, he closed his eyes tightly, his face stiff, swaying as if about to fall. If not for his good self-control, he would have burst out in anger on the spot.

Embarrassing... Indeed, it was a real embarrassment.

After the piece, Wang Shouzhe drank several sips of the spirit tea Hongniangzi to calm his agitated heart, and couldn't help but ask curiously: "Luoxian, what kind of courage and confidence do you have to play the flute in front of me?"

"Ah? Liu Gongzi and Zhao Gongzi both praised me for playing well." "Zhong Luoxian" said with a puzzled look, "Could there be something lacking in my performance?"

Something lacking?

Luoxian, you are too modest. You are simply terrible.

Wang Shouzhe barely resisted the urge to splash her with the Hongniangzi. Liu Yongzhou and Zhao Dingteng must be blind to see beauty in her.

"This... Luoxian, playing the flute involves four key elements: breath, fingers, lips, and tongue. Simply put, it requires controlling the breath's smoothness, the fingers' agility, the lips' movement, and the tongue's flexibility." Chen Fangjie, with a pale face, seriously pointed out, "Each element requires repeated practice, not something that can be mastered in a day, but needs long-term training."

Wang Shouzhe's cheeks twitched uncontrollably. Although he understood that Chen Fangjie was seriously explaining the essentials of playing the flute, he couldn't help but feel an urge to kick him into the lotus pond.

Fortunately, at the same time,

A young man's voice echoed from the distant walkway: "Is Miss Luoxian here? Liu Yongzhou has come to visit as agreed."

This young man was about twenty years old, looking quite spirited, but dressed in plain clothes, with slightly red eyes that couldn't hide his sorrow. He was none other than Liu Yongzhou, a young elite of the Ping'an Liu family.

In the second-floor Tinghe Pavilion,

Chen Fangjie, drinking the spirit tea Hongniangzi, said: "I've heard that Liu Yongzhou is quite a figure, with good abilities and talents, but unfortunately, he is not the legitimate son, so he cannot pursue the path of the spirit platform. Shouzhe, his father just died, isn't it a bit too much to bully him?"

"Brother Chen, you have the spirit of a hero, but I, Wang Shouzhe, am not a villain." Wang Shouzhe added tea and said calmly, "When Wang Mei chose her targets, she had conducted investigations and selections. This Liu Yongzhou is not a good person. His fishing fleet, when operating on the river, if they encounter suitable targets, such as weak and isolated cargo ships or merchant ships..."

"You mean... pirates?" Chen Fangjie's expression turned serious and angry, "A noble family's son, to do such heinous deeds."

The Donggang Chen family, who relied on waterways for their livelihood, always detested pirates and sea bandits.

"Not exactly heinous, but he comes from the Liu family, which rose to power through rebellion." Wang Shouzhe said calmly, "This family has always been profit-driven and unscrupulous. Moreover, the family head, Liu Shengye, is insatiable in his greed for resources, leading to such actions sooner or later."

"However, they are very secretive, leaving no survivors or ships after their deeds, making it hard to discover. The An River stretches for thousands of miles, with countless risks, and shipwrecks are not uncommon. My Uncle Dinghai discovered some clues and conducted the investigation. According to further investigations, Liu Yongzhou's evil deeds are not limited to piracy, mostly acting on behalf of the family head, Liu Shengye."

"Such a villain, death is too good for him." Chen Fangjie said with hatred, "And the entire Liu family is rotten to the core. Shouzhe, I will fully support you in eliminating the Liu family, as a righteous act."

"Thank you, Brother Chen." Wang Shouzhe raised a cup of tea in place of wine.

"Please rest and drink tea, gentlemen." 'Zhong Luoxian' smiled, "I will go and do some righteous deeds and return shortly."

......

Under Wang Mei's instructions, the maid led Liu Yongzhou to the pavilion beside the Tinghe Pavilion. From the angle where Wang Shouzhe and Chen Fangjie were drinking tea, they could see through the thin curtains and look down at the scene in the pavilion.

Zhong Luoxian waited beforehand, with a graceful and dignified demeanor, increasingly resembling a noble lady.

Liu Yongzhou entered the pavilion, bowing politely like a nobleman: "Liu Yongzhou greets Miss Luoxian." His brows still carried a lingering sadness and anger.

"Mr. Liu..." Zhong Luoxian sighed deeply, "The deceased are gone, please take care of yourself. Let's sit and talk."

After saying that, she personally prepared tea to serve him.

"Thank you, Miss Luoxian." Liu Yongzhou, drinking tea prepared by Zhong Luoxian for the first time, felt honored and nervous, "I wonder why Miss Luoxian invited me..."

In such a beautiful night, with the moonlight and the lotus, Luoxian inviting him, could it be... His grief over his father's death had diminished.

"This time, I invited you to say goodbye." Zhong Luoxian's tone carried a hint of distance and coldness.

"Ah?" Liu Yongzhou almost dropped his teacup, panicking, "Luoxian is leaving! Why? Could it be that I didn't treat you well? Or is it..."

"Mr. Liu's hospitality is excellent, and I thank you for sending the spirit tea Hongniangzi, which is quite good." Zhong Luoxian's tone became even more distant, "When I return to my family, I will send someone to repay you double."

"This... this..." Liu Yongzhou panicked, standing up, "Luoxian, did I do something wrong? You can point it out, and I will definitely correct it."

"No, the one who is wrong is me, not Mr. Liu." Zhong Luoxian's eyes showed pain and disappointment, "I thought you were... Forget it, I was too naive."

Liu Yongzhou felt a chill, recalling something, and quickly defended himself: "Luoxian, you misunderstood. My father was framed by the Wang family. That despicable Wang clan, Wang Shouzhe! I, Liu Yongzhou, will never let them off." His eyes filled with intense hatred.

"Liu Yongzhou, you disappoint me." Zhong Luoxian's words were intense, as if she couldn't contain her emotions, "I thought you were a reliable and upright man, but you are a fool who can't distinguish right from wrong, and can't tell black from white. Leave, I don't want to see you anymore." She clutched her chest, her brows furrowed in pain.

"Luoxian, I, I..." Liu Yongzhou panicked, pleading, "You can hit me or scold me, just don't get upset. Tell me what I did wrong, and I will change, I really will."

"Mr. Liu, I can tolerate a humble background, as long as he has a kind heart and a strong will." Zhong Luoxian sighed, "Forget it, your Liu family has its own way of survival, and I have no right to interfere."

Chill! Cold! Liu Yongzhou understood; the Liu family's bad reputation had reached Zhong Luoxian's ears, and she was repulsed.

Indeed, she was a noble lady of a prestigious family, and it was already a great effort for her to overlook the difference in status and interact with him. Now, with the Liu family's reputation in ruins and their situation in shambles,

How could she continue to ignore the obstacles and interact with him?

"Miss Luoxian, please listen to me." Liu Yongzhou said urgently, "Our Liu family's current downfall is temporary. We are planning a counterattack. Once we defeat the Wang family, our Liu family will become the true masters of Ping'an Town. And I will pursue the path of the spirit platform to be worthy of you."

"Liu Yongzhou, you still don't understand." Zhong Luoxian was extremely disappointed, "If I were greedy for power, I could choose from many prestigious families. Are spirit platform cultivators that great?"

"I never despised your family's poverty. But now I despise your family's dirtiness and baseness, willing to do anything for a little profit. Do you think I can accept it, or can the Zhong family accept it?" Zhong Luoxian's eyes showed shock and repulsion, "Don't try to shift the blame onto others. You know what your family is like."

"Ah!"

Liu Yongzhou felt as if struck by lightning. He finally understood the reason. After a long time, he said helplessly, "You are right, Luoxian. I am not worthy of you. But I couldn't choose which family to be born into. If I had a choice, I would..."

Zhong Luoxian's eyes softened: "I know, you are essentially a good person. Yongzhou, can you leave that vortex?"

"Leave?" Liu Yongzhou was stunned, then overjoyed, "You mean... Yes, I can become a赘婿 (zhuixu, a man who marries into a family)."

But after his joy, he fell into worry: "But if I become a赘婿, my status in the family will be low, and even the Zhong family might not support me in pursuing the path of the spirit platform."

Zhong Luoxian's face turned slightly red, her eyes filled with tenderness: "You once said that your Liu family plans to support you in pursuing the path of the spirit platform. If you can get their support..."

"You are right, Luoxian." Liu Yongzhou nodded repeatedly, "I have made so many contributions to the Liu family. Asking for some compensation now, the family head will not refuse."

"Liu, be careful of Liu Shengye. He is cunning and not a good person."

One call of "Liu," made Liu Yongzhou's heart melt.

"No problem, he promised me. Alright, alright, Luoxian, don't worry. I will be careful and probe first."

"You must be careful. I fear that Liu Shengye..."

Zhong Luoxian bit her lip, "Let me give you a plan to probe for our future."

"Your plan is excellent. I will be back with news in a few days."

Subsequently, Liu Yongzhou left the Xia Garden with a burning heart. This was the first time in their relationship that they had truly discussed marriage. Being a赘婿, so what? A赘婿 of a prestigious family, the future is not bad, and Luoxian is...

......

In the second-floor Tinghe Pavilion,

Chen Fangjie was first shocked by Zhong Luoxian's improved acting, but as he listened, he realized something was off.

After the person left, Chen Fangjie took a sip of tea, still unable to hide his shock: "Shouzhe, you are going against the heavens. What are you planning to take from the Liu family? Could it be... the Heavenly Spirit Pill?"

With his intelligence, standing in a god-like perspective, he couldn't be fooled.

Wang Shouzhe, however, calmly drank his tea: "The Liu family harmed my Wang family's ancestor and stole our ancestral heritage. I am just taking some interest. What's the big deal? Can I just watch them enjoy the Heavenly Spirit Pill and then come after us? If I can't get it, I will destroy it."

"Grand plan, impressive." Chen Fangjie said with envy and jealousy, "I am so jealous."

Ha ha, I told you not to come and suffer. Wang Shouzhe ignored him. He came here just to give Wang Mei advice, write scripts, and provide support.

After an hour,

On the walkway outside the Tinghe Pavilion, another young man's voice echoed: "Dingtian has come as agreed to visit Miss Luoxian."

This young man was none other than Zhao Dingtian, an elite disciple of the Zhao family.

"Mr. Zhao, Miss Luoxian has invited you." A maid led Zhao Dingtian to the pavilion.

......