Beside the Divine Pool, Yun Tian's residence was elegant and tranquil, its pavilions overlooking the water and its plants suffusing the air with fragrance.
At that moment, Gu Lan, Ying Yue'ru, and the others were gathered around a stone table, repeatedly examining an ancient, imposing scroll-the legendary Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains Painting. They studied it intently, tentatively touching the edges with their fingertips, only to be repelled by an invisible barrier. After struggling with it for quite some time, every one of them wore a deep frown.
Gu Lan knitted her brows slightly and sighed helplessly. "The restriction around this Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains Painting is far too strange. We've tried several methods, but we can't break through it at all."
Ying Yue'ru nodded as well, a trace of regret in her eyes. "We can clearly feel an immensely powerful aura seeping out from inside, yet we can't even find the door. No matter how wonderful the treasure is, we can only stand here and look at it."
They exchanged suggestions, but still failed to find even the slightest clue. At a loss, they all turned their gazes toward a spot nearby.
Yun Tian was leaning beneath the covered walkway, leisurely teasing Huang Ying beside him.
Little Huang Ying was the youngest, innocent and gentle, and the easiest to tease. At that moment, she held an exquisite pastry in both hands, treasuring it beyond measure. This was no ordinary treat, but a variety released in limited quantities each month by the city's most famous pastry shop. There were only a few in the entire Divine Pool, and she had finally managed to snag the very last one.
Cradling the pastry, Huang Ying first leaned in to take a deep sniff of its sweet fragrance.