No matter how eccentric Madam Miaoyin was, Chen Lin still needed to make contact with her, so he followed the crowd forward.
After turning down two streets, he caught sight of a white jade tower.
The tower had nine stories and was built entirely of white jade. Nor was it ordinary jade: it gave off faint energy fluctuations and was a material used to refine treasures.
A closer look revealed that the tower had no seams whatsoever. It was a seamless whole, as though carved from a single enormous piece of jade.
Above the entrance at the foot of the jade tower hung a plaque bearing three large characters: Huanyin Pavilion!
There was no need to ask. This was a property of Huanyin Palace.
Chen Lin's gaze traveled upward from the base until it rested on the top of the tower.
A woman in red stood there, light and graceful, like a flower in full bloom, with an air of seductive charm.
Holding a jade xiao, she gazed down at the ever-growing crowd of cultivators, a faint smile curling across her enchanting face.
Then she brought the jade xiao to her lips and began to play softly.
A lilting melody rang out, its notes gentle and winding, refreshing the ears and delighting the heart. The cultivators below stopped in their tracks, intoxicated expressions spreading across their faces.
But a moment later, the melody changed and grew somber.
It sounded like yearning and lament, like weeping and pleading, drawing the listeners' heartstrings into melancholy and making them long to hold the woman in their arms, cherish her, and protect her.
Then the melody changed again. The lingering notes of the xiao rippled gently through their hearts, like tender waves that seemed capable of healing every weariness and sorrow.
The cultivators below