Descendants of the Feather Emperor

Chapter 20: The Descendant of the Feather Emperor

"I don't have the habit of disturbing others," Shili Changkong said as he sat to the side, drinking a cup of tea with a smile. "What if I end up offending the lady?"

"This woman is no simple character. Be careful you don't capsize in a ditch," Xu Zimo warned briefly, saying no more.

After about three minutes, the Madam walked over with a smile and said to Xu Zimo, "This young master, Miss Baiyu says that if you don't mind, would you be willing to meet her in her private chamber?"

"Let's go," Xu Zimo said to Shili Changkong with a smile.

Then, under the envious gazes of the crowd, the two of them headed upstairs.

Shili Changkong didn't follow Xu Zimo inside but stood guard at the door.

Xu Zimo opened the door, and a faint fragrance wafted out from within, a blend reminiscent of the scent of roses and the freshness of peonies.

The room was divided into an inner chamber and an outer hall. Xu Zimo swaggered in.

The outer hall was simply arranged. The walls inside were pink, adorned with many small trinkets belonging to a woman.

Surrounding the area were layers of colorful silk curtains. From the inner chamber came the melodious sound of a zither, the tune flowing like a small bridge over a gentle stream, lifting the spirits.

The small door leading from the outer hall to the inner chamber was covered by a thin layer of pink gauze. Through it, Xu Zimo could vaguely see a slender figure sitting inside, playing the zither.

"These women, they all care so much about appearances," Xu Zimo said with a smile as he walked in.

He lifted the gauze and stepped into the inner chamber.

Inside was clearly a woman's boudoir. There was a soft pink bed, and by the window on the left sat a dressing table.

Directly in front of Xu Zimo was a table made of sandalwood. The woman sat on the other side of the table, her delicate fingers plucking the zither, a smile in her eyes as she watched Xu Zimo's arrival.

The zither music stopped, and the woman covered her mouth with a laugh. "Young master, you are truly amusing. When I meet others, they are always captivated by my beauty.

But you, the first thing you did upon entering was to examine my room."

"Some things I see with my eyes, but some people I perceive with my heart," Xu Zimo replied with a smile, finally taking a good look at the woman before him.

She wore a white embroidered dress, the top tightly wrapped around her bosom, with a white gauze jacket over it.

Her features resembled those of women from the Western Regions—delicate and beautiful in every aspect.

She had willow-leaf eyebrows, a particularly high and straight nose bridge, large jet-black eyes, and a small cherry-like mouth.

Her hair cascaded loosely down her back, tied into a simple bow with a pink ribbon.

"Young master, how did you find my zither playing?" Ji Baiyu asked with a smile.

"Your service attitude isn't great. You didn't even pour me some water," Xu Zimo said as he sat down cross-legged, helping himself to a cup of tea before slowly asking, "Can you play those rousing, martial tunes?

The kind that gets your blood boiling? These gentle, romantic pieces you play—I can't appreciate them, nor can I comment on their quality."

Ji Baiyu gave Xu Zimo a particularly serious look, her red lips lightly pressed together as she said, "Young master truly is different from others."

"What's so different? One mouth, two eyes—am I supposed to have three heads and six arms?" Xu Zimo replied with a laugh.

"Young master carries a unique aura. It's not exactly charm, but it feels like you're quite unconventional," Ji Baiyu said after a moment of thought.

"Not really. I just don't follow the crowd," Xu Zimo said, shaking his head with a smile.

"How do you see me, young master?" Ji Baiyu asked.

"What do you mean?" Xu Zimo countered.

"I am merely a woman of the pleasure house. Do you think I am fickle and look down on me?" Ji Baiyu said, her expression falling.

Her voice was soft and weak, and with her downcast, pitiful demeanor, it was hard not to want to hold her close and feel protective.

"How could that be?" Xu Zimo set down his teacup and looked at Ji Baiyu with a smile. "If I were to look down on the founder of the Yunyan Pavilion, one of the twenty-four Sword Immortals, the Sword Dancing Immortal, then who in this world would be worthy of my regard?"

Ji Baiyu's expression froze for a moment before she smiled and said, "So you already knew, young master!"

She straightened up, no longer appearing pitiful as before, but instead composed and graceful.

"In the performance you staged for me, I chose to look the other way," Xu Zimo said with a smile.

"May I ask what business you have with me, young master?" Ji Baiyu inquired. "If my Yunyan Pavilion has offended you in any way, please speak freely."

Xu Zimo smiled without answering. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, let out a long breath, and sighed, "Good tea."

"If you like it, young master, I can give you some. This tea is prepared using my own secret recipe—you won't find it anywhere else," Ji Baiyu replied with a smile.

"Is that so?" Xu Zimo's eyes were filled with reminiscence as he slowly said, "I remember a long time ago, I seemed to have tasted this tea before.

It was in a place called Lin Yun City on the Northern Continent.

What a coincidence. There was a small family there that also bore the surname Ji, just like yours. I heard that family were descendants of the Feather Emperor, though they had fallen into decline."

Xu Zimo clicked his tongue, his tone full of regret.

But Ji Baiyu's expression shifted dramatically. She stared intently at Xu Zimo, her body trembling slightly.

Her face paled as she forced a smile and asked, "What are you trying to say, young master?"

"Nothing much, I just find it quite a coincidence. I heard that family was suddenly wiped out decades ago—hundreds of people, all killed in battle," Xu Zimo said regretfully. "Later, there were rumors that the Ji Family head's daughter escaped with the legacy of the former Feather Emperor."

"Isn't it strange how coincidental things are in this world? That girl who escaped was supposedly named Ji Baiyu too."

As Xu Zimo's words fell, Ji Baiyu's expression shifted drastically in an instant.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang." The four Meridian Gates on her body burst open, unleashing the overwhelming power of the Empty Meridian Realm. Spiritual energy coiled around her like a long dragon.

"What's wrong? I was just telling a story. Is it worth getting this worked up over?" Xu Zimo said calmly, a faint smile on his face.

"Who exactly are you?" Ji Baiyu's voice trembled slightly as she stared fixedly at Xu Zimo.

"My father is the Vice Sect Master of the True Martial Sacred Sect. In a sense, I suppose I'm what you'd call a second-generation official," Xu Zimo replied with a light smile.

"True Martial Sacred Sect?" Suddenly, an aged voice sounded behind Xu Zimo.

An old man in a black robe had appeared silently at Xu Zimo's back.

"Boy, what is your purpose here?" The old man pondered for a moment, then looked at Xu Zimo, his aura pressing down on him bit by bit.

"I didn't expect you were still alive," Xu Zimo said, looking at the old man as if he didn't feel the steadily intensifying pressure emanating from him.