Golden Wind and Jade Dew Meet Once

"This..." Zhao Sanchong hesitated for a moment before saying apologetically, "My Young Master has never liked meeting outsiders."

Seeing this, Wang Yuqi immediately called toward the shop entrance, "Wang Si."

Before her words had even faded, the middle-aged coachman who had just been standing guard outside took a step through the air, crossing a distance of thirty feet in an instant to appear before them.

He stepped forward with a bow and said respectfully, "Miss, what are your orders?"

Zhao Sanchong was inwardly horrified. This middle-aged coachman possessed astonishing skill, clearly one of the Jianghu's supreme experts, yet he had actually become the Wang Family's coachman.

Wang Yuqi ordered, "Wang Si, make him take us to see his Young Master."

"Wait!"

Seeing that the act was about to fall apart, Zhao Sanchong hurriedly shouted, "Don't make a move. I'll take you there."

"Lead the way!" Wang Si said grimly.

A quarter of an hour later, led by Zhao Sanchong, the group arrived at an exquisite, elegant courtyard.

Before they had even entered the courtyard gate, the Wang sisters heard waves of zither music drifting from the rear courtyard.

At times, the music was lofty and vast, its rhythm natural, rising and falling like towering mountains. At other times, it flowed in winding streams, soft as running water, its lingering meaning endless.

Hearing such a wondrous melody, the Wang sisters could not help becoming immersed in the music.

Seeing this, Zhao Sanchong could not help sighing at the Ninth Young Master's masterful methods and deep understanding of the human heart.

Only after quite a while, when the zither music slowly weakened and faded away, did the Wang sisters awaken with a dazed sense of loss.

Do not wonder why the Wang sisters had lost their composure so badly. The true reason was that the Wang Family's ancestor had begun as a Rogue Cultivator.

Having lamented the hardships of cultivation, the Wang Family had always centered everything around cultivation. Arts such as zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting were all regarded as distractions that sapped one's ambition.

Thus, Fragrant Swallow Valley was always desolate and cold, its atmosphere exceptionally stifling. The Wang sisters had grown up without ever hearing such a marvelous zither piece.

"Quickly take us to see your Young Master." Once Wang Yuqi came to her senses, she urged him impatiently.

Though Wang Yuyan beside her said nothing, the anticipation on her face revealed some of her thoughts.

"Please follow me, ladies!"

After saying this, Zhao Sanchong immediately led the three into the courtyard. They passed through the front hall and down a corridor before turning into a garden with artificial hills and flowing water.

Beneath the Octagonal Pavilion at the center of the garden sat a young man in white, his face like polished jade and his eyes like bright stars, his bearing graceful and extraordinary. Seated behind a zither table, he was lowering his head as he slowly tuned an ancient zither.

As the saying went, "When golden wind and jade dew meet once, they surpass countless encounters in the mortal world."

The grand scheme Zhao Sheng had painstakingly laid out for the Wang sisters had shown remarkable results from the very beginning.

Food and beauty were human nature!

It was not only men who loved beautiful women in this world; women were the same.

Zhao Sanchong led the three to the front of the Octagonal Pavilion and called out loudly, "Young Master, visitors have arrived!"

As though startled awake, Zhao Sheng suddenly raised his head and looked at the Wang sisters.

From so close up—

Zhao Sheng's incomparably handsome face was displayed before them without the slightest concealment.

At the age when buds first blossomed, what young maiden did not cherish springtime feelings? Even knowing that the man before them was merely a mortal, the two Wang sisters could not help feeling their hearts stir.

After a slight pause, Zhao Sheng asked in a deep voice, "Shopkeeper Zhao, who are they? Why have you brought them to see me?"

Following the script, Zhao Sanchong introduced the purpose of the Wang Family's visit to his Young Master, taking the opportunity to bring up the topic of Perfume and those destined for it.

After hearing Zhao Sanchong's words, Zhao Sheng finally smiled, and his attitude became gentler.

He made an inviting gesture toward several meditation cushions beside the zither table. "Please sit, honored guests."

After exchanging a glance, the Wang sisters entered the Octagonal Pavilion and sat upon the cushions, their postures exceptionally dignified.

"I am Zhao Zhiqin. May I ask the names of you two ladies?"

"My name is Wang Yuyan."

"My name is Wang Yuqi."

No sooner had Zhao Sheng finished speaking than the Wang sisters answered in unison.

"Oh, so you are the two sisters of the Wang Family. Forgive my discourtesy, forgive my discourtesy!" Zhao Sheng nodded slightly, refined and courteous.

Wang Yuyan spoke directly. "We came today for that one-of-a-kind Perfume. Young Master Zhao said that this Perfume would only be given to one destined for it. What kind of person do you mean by one destined for it?"

After hearing this, Zhao Sheng fell silent for a moment. Then, in a low voice, he told the two of them a tragic and beautiful love story.

This story had been adapted from famous love tales of his previous life, such as the Queqiao Xian, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.

It told of a poor young man who fell in love with a rich family's daughter, only to be forcibly torn apart by her father in the end. After suffering humiliation, the poor young man devoted himself to martial arts and eventually became an Innate Grandmaster. Meanwhile, the rich young lady was forced into a wealthy household, where she languished in sorrow and passed away at a young age.

"...Before her death, that poor woman, in memory of this love that had ended without fruition, blended a Perfume unique in all the world and named it Golden Wind Jade Dew. A poem bears witness!"

At this point, Zhao Sheng could not help reciting, "Slender clouds play their clever tricks; flying stars convey their sorrow. Across the distant Silver River, they secretly cross. When golden wind and jade dew meet once, they surpass countless encounters in the mortal world. Tender feelings flow like water; the long-awaited meeting is like a dream. How can one bear to look back upon the Magpie Bridge's road home? If two hearts are meant to last forever, why must they be together morning and night?"

The charm of words could undoubtedly transcend time and space. Even in another world, the tender poetry contained within the verses of Queqiao Xian instantly moved a certain young maiden who had not yet seen much of the world.

Upon hearing this poem, Wang Yuqi's eyes brimmed with tears, so moved that she was nearly crying. Wang Yuyan, however, remained calm, though her gaze had softened considerably.

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng inwardly nodded. At last, he deliberately sighed, "What is love in this world, that it makes people pledge life and death to one another? Golden Wind Jade Dew is given only to those destined ones who truly understand what love is."

"Ladies, do you think you are destined ones?"

Wang Yuyan and Wang Yuqi glanced at each other, then both shook their heads.

The two had been born into a Cultivation Family and had never experienced love. Within the Lineage, everyone was assigned a marriage by the Elders for a Marriage Alliance. Love was simply out of the question.

Zhao Sheng gave a soft sigh. After showing a regretful expression, he said sadly, "I'm very sorry. It seems Golden Phoenix Rain Dew has no fate with you two."

Wang Yuqi opened her mouth as if to speak, but Wang Yuyan tugged at her from the side, leaving her no choice but to close it again.

"Young Master, hearing such a moving story has already brought us great gains. Since we have no fate with it, we will not force the matter here."

Wang Yuyan quickly regained her composure and suddenly said, "However, I have a presumptuous request. I wonder whether Young Master would be willing to hear it."

"Please, speak freely!" Zhao Sheng nodded.

"I wish to ask whether Young Master intends to sell the Perfume formula."

Well, well! I admit I'm coveting your bodies, but you aren't innocent either—you're actually eyeing my chicken.

Could it be that Perfume's value went far beyond this?

A thought suddenly flashed through Zhao Sheng's mind. He then decisively shook his head and said, "The Perfume formula was left behind by my family's forebears. It would not be convenient to pass it on to outsiders."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyan's face was full of regret.