Fragrant Flower Lady, Beauty with a Serpent's Heart (Part 1)

A clear, lilting voice drifted over from the other side of the pond amid the strings and flutes, and quite a few people at the banquet cried out:

"Flower Lady is here!"

The slight commotion among those who loved a good spectacle could not help but make one wonder what sort of beauty this so-called "Flower Lady" was. Yu Ci looked up and saw a woman circle the pond and step onto the winding bridge leading to the Three-Pavilion Waterside Hall.

At first, she was obscured by pavilion pillars and passing figures, and he could only vaguely make out her magnificent attire and graceful figure. When she passed the pavilion on the right, its cultivators all rose to greet her. One guest retainer who had just been joking about her tried to reach out and do something, but with a flick of the woman's sleeve, he immediately wore a drunken expression and collapsed back into his chair, still laughing uproariously.

Without slowing, the woman crossed the winding bridge and came toward them.

Who could still care about the singing and dancing in the pond now? Yet the music by the pond never ceased. The dancers continued to bend and whirl their sleeves, humming softly and chanting long notes, their dance unchanged.

Yu Ci felt an inexplicable stir. He had only just glanced toward the pond when the woman's sweet, bright voice reached the pavilion entrance. "Flower Lady has arrived late. I hope all you honored lords and generous patrons will not blame me."

Her words sounded soft and yielding on the surface, yet they carried little barbs. They left a truly peculiar flavor in the ear.

Only then did Yu Ci see her clearly, and his eyes brightened at once. To call her dazzling was no exaggeration.

The woman held