Chương 249: The Yaochi Tea Party

Forget-Sorrow Island. As a large island situated in the middle of Yaochi Lake, it was meticulously tended to year-round by the people of the Heavenly River Sword Sect. The scenery here was so exquisite that it truly could make one forget their sorrows. The jade pavilions, elegant lofts, and tranquil courtyards—every inch of Forget-Sorrow Island was exquisitely designed by master craftsmen.

Seeing it for the first time, Song Que and Shen Ziming couldn't help but sigh in continuous awe; the sight alone was well worth the trip. Following Yun Xi's lead to the entrance, they presented their invitation letters. The martial artists guarding the gate called out in unison:"The Sea of Clouds Pavilion's Miss Yun Xi arrives!"

"The Moon-Lacking Pavilion's Black Gorilla, Young Noble Song Que, arrives!" Grandee Song:..... could you not mention the Black Gorilla part? Knowing he couldn't blame them, Grandee Song darkened his face and followed the servant leading the way inside. Passing through the main gate and walking a short distance down the corridor, the view ahead suddenly opened up to a bright and spacious area.

In a courtyard facing the lake, blooming with exotic flowers and rare grasses, over a hundred handsome young men and beautiful young women were gathered in small groups, chatting softly and enjoying tea.

"Young Noble Song, the Tea Party won't officially begin until Miss Zhao Mingyue arrives. Before then, we can freely stroll around the courtyard. Over in that corner, tea and pastries are being served; whatever you like, you can order the servants to fetch it for you." Following Yun Xi's explanation, Song Que looked toward the far corner of the courtyard. Weren't those just long rows of tables laden with pastries and fruits? It was no different from a modern dessert buffet. Truly high-class and grand!

The group's arrival drew the probing gazes of quite a few people. However, intimidated by the fierce and rugged appearance of a certain someone, everyone remained cautious, and no one dared to rashly step forward to strike up a conversation.

"Let's go get some drinks first." Secretly scanning the area and not seeing his little brother, Hui Wu, he called the others to find a random spot to sit down.

"Miss Yun, if you have friends here, please feel free. Just leave the two of us sitting here." Yun Xi certainly didn't lack friends in this place, but how could they compare in importance to the person sitting here? Hearing his words, she smiled quite openly:"Young Noble Song, this is your first time here, and the waters are unfamiliar to you. How could I leave you alone? I can chat with my close friends another time; let this little lady sit here and keep you company."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Yun Xi! I wonder, how many guests usually attend this banquet?"

"Usually, around seventy or eighty invitation letters are sent out for each Tea Party. The specific number depends on how many people meet the criteria at the time, but the difference isn't too large. The reason you see so many people here is because many, like us, bring companions. Furthermore, there is no shortage of people from the host faction, the Heavenly River Sword Sect." Having settled at a table, Grandee Song finally had the time to observe everyone in the courtyard while chatting with Yun Xi.

He didn't recognize most of them, but there were a few he had the fate of meeting before. For instance, pretending to be aloof and cold while standing under a tree with his head tilted back, counting leaves, was the Clear Wind Sword, Zhu Yinming. Not far from him, seemingly inseparable, was one of the "Twin Flowers," Zheng Shuang, who was chatting with a few other beauties. When he arrived earlier, that guy had secretly shot him a few glances.

As soon as he turned to look back, the guy pretended nothing had happened and stared up at the sky. Other than him, there was Gao Jun, who was currently walking toward them.

"Brother Gao, we meet again!"

"Young Master Song, welcome to Yangnan Prefecture! Greetings, Miss Yun Xi!" Seeing Grandee Song again, Gao Jun was also happy and stepped forward to greet them.

"Greetings, Young Hero Gao!" The group also hurriedly returned the greeting. Casually finding a seat, Gao Jun asked:"When did Young Master Song arrive? Why didn't you let me know so I could show you around Yangnan?" Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"Haha, I just arrived yesterday. It was too late, so I didn't want to trouble Brother Gao."

"What trouble? After today's event, you must let me host Young Master Song for a meal."

"Then I will trouble Brother Gao when the time comes." While the two were talking, Yun Xi, who was sitting beside them, finally asked curiously:"Young Hero Gao is acquainted with Young Noble Song?"

"Haha, last time, it was Brother Gao who personally delivered the invitation letter to me. We got to know each other then."

"So that's how it is!" After chatting with Gao Jun and noticing that Yun Xi was struggling to find common ground in the conversation, Song Que turned to her and suggested:"Since Brother Gao is here to guide me, Miss Yun, why don't you go find your close friends to chat first? We can catch up later." Yun Xi was also tempted by this idea. After considering it for a moment, she nodded in agreement, then stood up, bid farewell to the two, and left with Qingzhu.

Once she was far enough away, Grandee Song couldn't wait any longer and leaned close to Gao Jun, asking:"Brother Gao, quickly point out to me, which one here is the other half of the Twin Flowers, Jing Tian?" For men, women would forever be an eternal topic of conversation. Hearing his question, a sly smile crept onto Gao Jun's face. His eyes darted around briefly before he tilted his chin toward a group of four or five women chatting around a tea table in the distance.

"Look, Young Master Song, the one wearing the light blue dress over there is Jing Tian." At that moment, Jing Tian had her back to them, leaving the men with only a back view that spurred boundless imagination. The three old men chatted idly about this and that, their minds wandering for quite a while, until Song Que finally caught a glimpse of the beautiful Jing Tian turning her head casually. Truly beautiful! As expected, she was equally matched with Zheng Shuang; they simply possessed different kinds of charm.

Compared to Zheng Shuang's pure appearance and shrewish personality, Jing Tian had a bit more allure—especially those eyes, they truly hooked the soul. After meticulously admiring and savoring the sight for a long while, Song Que finally turned and asked:"Brother Gao, how does she compare to your sect's Miss Zhao Mingyue?"

"They cannot be compared," Gao Jun answered with absolute certainty, without the slightest hesitation, a fervent glow flashing in his eyes.

"You'll understand it yourself once the Eldest Miss appears later. Jing Tian and Zheng Shuang are beautiful in a way that makes us men desire them. But the Eldest Miss... that is no longer a beauty belonging to the mortal realm. You can only look up to her in reverence, without daring to let even a hint of blasphemous thought arise in your heart." That miraculous? With Jing Tian and Zheng Shuang's appearances, even Song Que's discerning eyes had to admit they were top-tier beauties in this world.

Yet now, Old Gao was saying they weren't worth a single copper coin compared to that Blood Moon Enchantress. Could the Top Ten Beauties truly be that incredibly, absurdly miraculous? Grandee Song was half-skeptical but still harbored massive anticipation in his heart. Gao Jun was also a straightforward and talkative person. Sitting with him for a while, Song Que and Shen Ziming managed to catch plenty of interesting gossip about this year's Tea Party.

Most of it was about who had grudges against whom, or the love triangles between the young talents... but there were also things that caught his attention. For example, aside from Song Que, there were two other guests from Lingjiang Commandery this year. However, only one of them had arrived so far: the Young Sect Master of the Frightening Swan Sword Sect, He Jiajing. As for the other, the Eldest Young Master of the Liu family, Liu Yuzhi, was nowhere to be seen.

It was worth mentioning that this Liu family was Old Nie's great enemy. This left Song Que and Shen Ziming rubbing their fists, wanting to collect a little interest on behalf of Nie Feng, but they had to let it go for now. Furthermore, there was Zhu Yinming, the guy who had a minor conflict with Grandee Song previously. It turned out his age had already exceeded the guest limit of twenty-five. His presence here this time was simply as a companion, just like Shen Ziming.

Perhaps this was exactly why he was awkwardly standing alone, pretending to be cold and aloof while counting leaves....... Clang! Just as they were killing time chatting about everything under the sun with Gao Jun, the sound of a chime rang out, signaling that the Tea Party was about to begin.

"Young Master Song, I still have some matters to attend to, so I cannot continue to keep you company. Tell me where you are staying, and once everything is finished here, Junior Sister Xu and I will definitely come and show you around Yangnan," Gao Jun stood up regretfully upon hearing the chime. After giving him the inn's address, Old Gao hurriedly bid them farewell and headed inside to prepare. Fortunately, Yun Xi and Qingzhu had returned at that moment.

"I wonder what Young Noble Song was chatting with Young Hero Gao about so joyfully? Did you find a girl who caught your fancy?" Standing not too far away, Yun Xi had been secretly paying attention to this side all along. Seeing these guys' eyes constantly darting around, evaluating everything in sight, she knew exactly what they were thinking. Out of nowhere, she curiously blurted out the question.

Smelling the faint, elegant fragrance beside him, Grandee Song grinned and began to boast:"Brother Gao and I were just lamenting how, ever since Miss Yun appeared here, you've outshone all the flowers, completely eclipsing those so-called 'Twin Flowers of Yangnan.' As long as my head hasn't been caught in a door, if I'm looking for someone, I obviously have to look for Miss Yun first—someone who is both talented and beautiful, gathering wisdom and beauty into one body.

How could I have the energy to pay attention to those ordinary flower vases?" Knowing that not even half a sentence of what this guy said was likely true, Yun Xi still felt incredibly elated upon hearing it. Her face flushed slightly as she rolled her eyes at him:"With your mouth full of sweet talk and smooth words, Young Noble Song, who knows how many women will be ruined by you."

"I am falsely accused! I am still a virgin to this day. If Miss Yun doesn't believe me, you can inspect me yourself," Grandee Song argued with tragic indignation.

"You... hooligan... giggle..." Yun Xi was amused by his shamelessness. She scolded him once, then covered her mouth, giggling non-stop.

"Hehe, I'm only telling the truth, how am I a hooligan? With my peerless good looks, if I didn't resolutely protect my purity, I would have long been eaten down to the bones by those vixens out there. What need is there for sweet talk and smooth words to deceive? If you are still not at ease, Yun Xi, why don't you benevolently take me in? That way, I won't go out and bring ruin to other women in the future. This act would definitely be one of boundless merit; you could become a Buddha on the spot!"

"Giggle..." Everyone was thoroughly amused by his shamelessness. Swaying with laughter, they led each other along with the crowd into the banquet.