A Song Ends, Smoke and Flowers Scatter

Chapter 36: A Song Ends, Smoke and Flowers Scatter

At night, the banks of the great river were as bustling and lively as during the day, with myriads of lights reflecting in the water, like a galaxy fallen to earth.

Gaily decorated pleasure boats, curved like the moon and bright as a full wheel, were moored at the riverbank docks. Young attendants in tight-fitting clothes stood guard below, checking wooden tokens and ushering guests in and out.

Many people had arrived at the dock: well-dressed, middle-aged gentry, dashing scholars and elegant gentlemen, and even portly merchants, rich beyond compare.

These individuals formed separate circles, conversing with each other. Laughter, the recitation of poetry, and hushed whispers amplified the fact that the renowned Jiang Ting Night was just beginning.

At this moment, a carriage stopped in front of the dock. Though no one had yet alighted, some people couldn't help but glance at the carriage before quickly averting their gaze.

Gao Xian stepped down from the carriage. He surveyed the onlookers, as if seeing through something, yet he didn't expose it.

Tang Yao led Gao Xian onto the boat, explaining the customs and rules of the brothel, such as the roles of the brothel madam, the brothel keeper, the pimp, and various secret codes. Gao Xian found it eye-opening; these ancient people really knew how to have fun.

"Esteemed guests!"

"This way, please! This way!"

The brothel keeper eagerly approached, smiling at everyone he met. Although his enthusiasm was a bit excessive, it didn't seem forced since he treated everyone the same.

Women on the boat leaned or stood, all veiled with light gauze and dressed in silk robes that accentuated their fine figures.

The boat was adorned with lanterns depicting beautiful women. Gilded bronze censers emitted heat, making it feel like spring had arrived early. Coupled with the soft warmth, fragrant scents, and melodious chatter, an air of romance and decadence naturally arose. Visitors unconsciously succumbed to this world of drunken revelry and perfumed allure.

The night had just begun, and the music and dance continued unabated.

Everyone gathered on the second floor of the pleasure boat. Some occupied private rooms, while others sat directly in the main hall, accompanied by beautiful women and served endless wine.

The zither played melodiously, and the singing and dancing were joyous and grand.

After several rounds of drinks, many were tipsy. The singing and dancing on the main floor became more sensual and fiery, with unspeakable suggestive tunes that made one's heart burn.

The brothel keeper, seated in a high position, looked out the window. The night grew deeper, and the moon had climbed to the treetops.

Feeling it was time, he exchanged a glance with a young attendant in a corner below, who was holding a teapot.

The attendant holding the teapot immediately nodded and headed toward the outside of the cabin, preparing to send a message.

"The moonlight is beautiful, and the wine is flowing freely. Why the haste to leave?" Gao Xian, dressed in white and appearing tipsy, leaned against a pillar carved with exotic beasts, as if intoxicated by the decadent scene. He suddenly opened his eyes.

His voice, the moment he spoke, drowned out the music and dance in the room.

Instantly, it was as if everyone froze at his words.

Heroine Hong Yuan, who had come to watch the excitement and was playfully interacting with a singing girl beside her, also sensed something was amiss.

The white-clothed youth's sudden utterance made the back of the teapot-carrying attendant break out in a cold sweat.

He wanted to pretend he hadn't heard and walk out of the boat, but found he couldn't move a single step.

The white-clothed youth straightened up and extended his hand. A bamboo tube from the attendant's person flew up and landed in his grasp.

The brothel keeper, who had been subtly observing everything from his high vantage point, was astonished. How did this person know so much? Was he a fortune teller, or did he possess clairvoyance?

In that case, had everything in the hall already been seen by him? The brothel keeper suddenly had a bad premonition.

The secret message, about to be sent in the tube, floated into the white-clothed youth's hand.

The youth wasn't in a hurry. He leaned against the pillar, took a sip from his wine pot, and then carefully examined the contents.

This casual action sent a chill down everyone's spine, as if everything they did was within his control.

After reading it, the white-clothed youth let out a cold laugh. The paper in his hand spontaneously combusted, turning into flames that vanished between his slender, fair fingers.

"I... you..."

The attendant suddenly knelt on the ground, coughing violently, his hand desperately reaching out towards the brothel keeper, who was watching him with a look of horror from above: "Save me... save..."

Before he could finish, like the paper sealed in the bamboo tube, fiery energy surged from within him and outward. Then, with a poof, he turned to ash in the air.

It was as if the sparks and ashes from burnt paper scattered across the floor.

"Crash!"

In an instant, the entire hall erupted. Everyone was so terrified by the scene that they lost all reason. Wine cups and silver pots fell to the floor from their hands, and many even drew daggers and swords from their persons.

Tang Yao, disguised as an attendant and sitting beside Kongchenzi, now saw clearly. Her playful demeanor and drunkenness vanished almost entirely, and she felt utterly dreadful.

It turned out that there was no Jiang Ting Flower Moon Night on this boat tonight. All the singing and dancing, all the scholars, officials, and wealthy merchants were merely an act.

Including the singing girl who had been playfully toasting with her, these people were all disciples and assassins of the Five Gods Cult.

The brothel keeper's wine pot fell to the ground, as if a command.

Several individuals hidden in the shadows, poised to strike, moved as if receiving an order.

The brothel keeper turned and fled towards the outside. His role was to trap the Daoist on the river, not to kill him, or rather, he had never intended to. He wasn't like those foolish Poison God Altar disciples who went to their deaths. Just how terrifying was this person? It was evident from the fact that even the Poison God Altar Master had to mobilize the Poison God to deal with him. This was definitely not someone mortals could contend with.

The clash of swords and sabers rang out, whistling through the air.

The top assassins beside Gao Xian, who had been still, now moved. The patrons at the tables, laughing and cursing, showed no sign of their true nature.

In a single motion, they moved like dragons, their blades like thunder, striking from pre-calculated blind spots to deliver death.

Streaks of afterimages crossed the long tables in the tavern, all lunging towards the young man in white.

"Clink!"

The young man in white tapped his wine cup with his jade chopsticks, producing a pleasant sound.

A fierce wind suddenly rose, sweeping through the entire second-floor cabin and rushing out of the Yunlou pleasure boat.

Everyone felt as if an supreme will was looking down upon the boat, like the gaze of a deity.

Especially those who had simultaneously attacked the Daoist were frozen in mid-air, maintaining their assassination posture.

The sharp blades, mere inches from the Daoist, could not advance an inch further.

"Clink!"

The Daoist moved again, propping his foot on the table and taking a swig from the silver wine pot.

With each drink, he tapped.

With each tap, one person died.

A frenzied melody transformed into a horrifying spectacle of smoke and scattered flowers.

Those inside the second-floor cabin dared not move, while people outside, terrified, screamed and leaped into the river.

Those inside watched helplessly as person after person outside jumped into the river. Unfortunately, before they even hit the water, screams erupted, and they turned into scattered ashes falling into the river.

Whoever moved, died.

They could clearly see this terrifying scene through the intricately carved windows.

The entire hall fell silent, not a single person dared to move.

"On such a night of beautiful flowers and a bright moon, with fine scenery, how can we stop the music before the wine is finished!" the young man in white said with a smile, as if nothing that had just happened had occurred.

Only then did the musicians and dancers on stage dare to move.

They began to play and dance, even though their legs were weak and their faces pale with fear.

The singing girls started singing soft, alluring melodies, and the musicians played cheerful tunes.

Amidst the romantic ambiance of the "Night of Fish and Dragons Dancing," the entire hall was filled with trembling hearts.

Only the young man in white sat upright in the center, softly singing along with the strings and gracefully swaying his sleeves.

The chopsticks in the young man's hand lightly tapped the wine pot, yet it felt as if they were piercing everyone's hearts. The listeners broke out in a cold sweat, their hearts filled with dread.

Heroine Hong Yuan, Tang Yao, was completely stunned. She had imagined countless romantic and leisurely scenes of the martial world, but she had never witnessed such a breathtaking spectacle.

"The wine has dispersed our intentions to leave. Tonight ends here!"

At this moment, the Daoist merely glanced coldly at the specters and demons before him and flicked his jade chopsticks.

A powerful gust of wind tore through the wooden walls of the pleasure boat, creating a long passage that ran from the inside to the outside.

The jade chopsticks continued their descent, reaching the stern of the boat.

The brothel keeper, who had already run to the stern and was preparing to board a small boat to escape, happened to look back at the assassins jumping off the boat to their deaths. Terror and despair flickered in his eyes, and he could no longer move.

Uncertain of life or death, uncertain of the outcome.

At this moment, he watched a beam of light approach him, pierce through his skull, and plunge him into darkness.

His body fell into the river, becoming food for fish and shrimp.

The moment he fell into the river, a sense of release filled his eyes.

The young man in white, carrying the wine pot, descended like the wind, landing gracefully on the tip of the boat. The night wind blew, causing his white clothes to flutter and dance.

The calm river surface began to churn, and wisps of smoke continuously rose from the depths, spreading across the water.

"They're here."

"Croak!"

The Golden Toad cried out! The river surged!