After being reborn, all I want to do is run away.

Chapter 483 The Soft Sound of a Zither

"Brother Shen, I'm so sorry."

"I was supposed to take you to Baihua City, but now I have to make you come with me to my job interview," Xiaolan said apologetically.

"Since I promised your grandma I'd take care of you, I need to find you a good place to stay. After all, I won't be staying here for long..."

At this point, Shen Xu fell silent. Even if he had found a good place for Xiao Lan this time, could he really guarantee that Xiao Lan would survive the great calamity to come and the blood tide a few years later?

Upon further reflection, Shen Xu felt relieved. The future was uncertain, and he couldn't save anyone's fate. He could only do his best in the present.

Perhaps every effort he makes will eventually become the wing of a butterfly.

The lower reaches of the Jade Belt River are still teeming with people and bustling with noise, as if they were in a completely different world from the old town.

"Are there any tickets left for Tingtao Residence?" Shen Xu asked a middle-aged man in charge of selling tickets.

The middle-aged man immediately said, "Sorry, we're sold out."

"Could I ask how much the ticket price is?"

"Entrance fee is two hundred Nourishing Essence Pills."

"Tsk..."

This price left Shen Xu speechless. It seemed that Tingtao Residence had quite a reputation! The medium-sized pleasure boats he had visited hadn't dared to charge this price.

What did Li Linghui see in him that made her let him stay for free?

That thousand Yuan-Nourishing Pills this morning were a waste; she's a hidden little rich woman!

However, both Li Linghui and Qingyun possess remarkable looks and exceptional talent, and Tingtao Residence can only accommodate a small number of people, so the high price is reasonable.

"Brother Shen, the pleasure boat you mentioned is Tingtao Residence!" Xiao Lan tugged at his sleeve, asking in a very low but somewhat incredulous voice.

"What, is Tingtao Residence very famous in Baihua City?"

"It's more than just famous. Apart from Aoki-ho, which is where Aoki-sama came from, Tingtao-ho is one of the most famous small pleasure boats."

Their demands must be very high, Brother Shen, I'd better not go and humiliate myself!

"What are you afraid of? I'm here for you! It may be difficult, but you'll never have a chance if you don't try."

"Okay!" Xiaolan took a deep breath.

"Please take us to Tingtao Residence."

After Shen Xu showed the attendant on the shore the jade token that Xiao Hu had given him, the attendant found a small boat and took them to Tingtao Residence.

"This is Tingtao Residence!" Looking at the scene on the boat, Xiaolan seemed very curious about every item on board.

"Young Master, didn't you say you wouldn't be back until tonight?" Qing Ning asked, somewhat surprised and delighted, as she came out to greet him.

"The matter ended early, and I came back early too."

"What's this?" Qing Ning looked at the girl next to him with some confusion.

"This is Xiaolan. She has just finished her studies as a Spirit Envoy and has not yet found a suitable pleasure boat."

Her grandmother helped me a lot, so I thought I'd bring her here to try out. If it's a good fit, you can keep her; if not, I'll take her somewhere else.

Even with Shen Xu's thick skin, he felt a little embarrassed at this moment. He and Tingtaoju were just casual acquaintances, and not only had he not done anything for them, he had also shamelessly asked them for help.

"Greetings, sister. My name is Qu Lan. Actually, I begged Brother Shen to bring me here," Qu Lan hurriedly explained.

"Well... actually, we are indeed a bit short-staffed on the boat recently, but whether you can stay depends on whether your sister is satisfied with you. Come on in!"

Qing Ning looked Qu Lan up and down before speaking.

Qu Lan's face lit up with joy, and she immediately bowed, saying, "Thank you, sister!"

The elegant and melodious sound of the zither came from deep within the boat. Although Shen Xu did not understand music theory, he could still feel the faint thoughts contained in the music, as if the zither player's thoughts were being directly conveyed to his heart through the music.

In his view, Li Linghui's playing had transcended the level of "skill" and touched upon a trace of the "Tao" (the Way).

Although there were more guests in the boat, Tingtao Residence, enveloped in the sound of the zither, remained very tranquil.

Time seemed to stand still. Everyone, whether lying down or sitting, was so engrossed in the atmosphere created by the music that they didn't even notice his and Qu Lan's arrival.

Qu Lan looked into the bamboo curtain with a face full of reverence, wishing she could pay her respects to the owner of the zither music the next moment.

Even the music played by Zhenhua, who taught them the guqin, was far less moving than the music playing now.

Before long, the music faded away, disappearing into the boat with the last tremolo.

The crowd slowly snapped out of their reverie, drawn back to the world created by the music.

“Miss Li’s poem ‘Bamboo Shadows Under the Moon’ lingers in my heart like a gentle spring, never fading away. Wonderful, wonderful!” an old man in a brocade robe inside the boat exclaimed in admiration.

"Senior, you flatter me. Linghui still has much to learn."

Li Linghui lifted the bamboo curtain and slowly walked out.

She was taken aback when she saw Shen Xu standing in the corner, but then her smile returned.

"Not so, not so. In my opinion, even Miss Miaoyin of Tianyin Pavilion cannot compare with Miss Li's zither playing." A young man in blue, reclining on a soft cushion, raised his cup and laughed.

"Young Master Deng, you flatter me. My skills in playing the zither are lacking, how could I possibly compare to the Fairy of Wonderful Sounds of Tianyin Pavilion?"

“I think what Brother Deng said is true. Miaoyin is most skilled at playing the pipa, but when it comes to musical skills, I'm afraid no one in the entire Hundred Flowers City can compare to Miss Li.” The white-robed youth sitting next to the blue-robed youth nodded slightly.

"I always heard my two brothers in Tianjian City say that Miss Li's zither skills are divine, so in addition to participating in the Hundred Flowers Festival, another purpose of my visit this time is to hear Miss Li's zither music."

Now that I've heard it with my own ears, I can only say that it truly lives up to its reputation! A young man dressed in the standard sword robe of the Four Directions Sword Alliance smiled and praised them, his eyes full of arrogance.

"Thank you all for your kindness, especially the gentlemen who came to support us."

Most of you are frequent guests of Tingtaoju, so naturally you will have a preference for Linghui's zither playing.

However, Fairy Miaoyin is proficient in all kinds of instruments, which is far beyond Linghui's ability to compare. I hope you can all understand. Li Linghui bowed gracefully to everyone in the boat.

"Miss Li is too modest. If she hadn't left Lan Yue Fang back then, I think she would most likely have been the Miss of a Hundred Flowers this time." Someone couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

“Ah, Brother Wang is wrong. If Miss Li becomes the Daughter of a Hundred Flowers, where will we hear such beautiful music and drink such high-quality flower tea?”

"That's absolutely right! That's absolutely right!" The middle-aged man smiled and took a sip of flower tea.

At this moment, Li Linghui gracefully moved to Shen Xu's side and asked softly, "This guest looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting Tingtao Residence?"

Everyone then realized that a newcomer had arrived at Tingtao Residence, but wasn't Tingtao Residence already full? How could someone else be boarding the ship?

"This is the second time, isn't it!" Shen Xu stroked his chin. Was Li Linghui trying to play a role-playing game with him?

"I'm so sorry I didn't even remember this was your first time here. Please forgive me," Li Linghui said, bowing apologetically.

Qu Lan was deeply confused. The girl in the green dress was clearly familiar with Brother Shen, but why did the fairy sister in front of her seem to be seeing Brother Shen for the first time?

Brother Shen said he was friends with the owner of Tingtao Residence, right? Could it be that the fairy sister in front of us isn't the owner and just joined Tingtao Residence? But judging from the reactions of the people around us, it doesn't seem like it.

Qu Lan felt her mind was a bit overwhelmed by the truth of the matter.