"Who exactly is this person..."

"I've never seen her before..."

"A newcomer?"

After the song Water Melody Prelude ended, whispered conversations filled the air. If anyone else had sung this song, the evaluation would likely have been either bland or unorthodox, but at this moment, not a single person questioned the singing style. All they could feel was the tremendous emotional impact contained in that gentle singing voice.

Nie Yunzhu had been one of the star performers at Golden Wind Tower three years ago. Born into an official family in her youth, she was a celebrated talent. Later at Golden Wind Tower, her qin playing and singing had established her own distinctive style. Though she still had some unique characteristics and rough edges back then, her skill level was already among the top in Jiangning. If she hadn't deliberately held back and avoided competing with others, even becoming one of the Four Great Courtesans¹or Jiangning's top courtesan wouldn't have been impossible for her to achieve.

In comparison, although Lü Xia was now Smoke and Emerald Tower's star performer, she had only placed in the top sixteen during the Courtesan Competition—far inferior to Nie Yunzhu from three years ago. Now, after three years of settling and cultivation, Nie Yunzhu had washed away the superficial glamour and shed the shackles and burdens in her heart, achieving an even higher transformation in her qin playing and singing. This kind of transformation was hard to find in the pleasure quarters, possible only because she had later found someone to rely on and something to entrust her heart to, allowing her to truly find peace and tranquility. Now performing at Smoke and Emerald Tower, the question of who was superior was really not worth discussing.

Only on the second floor platform and corridors, after Xue Yan, Liu Qingdi and the others finished listening to the song, they couldn't help but ask: "Who... is this?"

Lü Xia shook her head, her voice barely a whisper: "I haven't seen her either..." Then she couldn't help but glance at Ning Yi, who was frowning slightly to one side. That woman had sung Water Melody Prelude—she must have some connection to him. But why did Ning Yi have such an expression?

As they spoke, the woman on stage who had calmly finished singing—attracting everyone's gaze like a lily among ink lotuses—had already poured a cup of tea. Holding the cup with both hands, she quietly ascended the stairs, walking straight toward them. A moment later, everyone unconsciously made way, including Lü Xia. They all watched as the woman walked past, stopping in front of Ning Yi. She gracefully curtsied, smiled, and offered him the tea cup.

Just moments ago downstairs, Lü Xia had presented a wine cup to Xue Yan in a similar manner. But now with both women upstairs, not far apart, Lü Xia in her red dress compared to the woman in white created vastly different impressions. The white-dressed woman had now become the focal point. Within this focus, Ning Yi smiled, reached out to take the tea cup, and drained it in one gulp before returning the cup.

Behind them, Li Pin began to applaud, followed by the Su family members. Applause filled the main hall.

By now, everyone understood—clearly this woman disapproved of Lü Xia choosing the Xue family, so she had come out to show support for Ning Yi. The song choice alone made this obvious. If an ordinary woman had come out to make a fool of herself doing such a thing, it would seem rather petty. But this woman's song had directly overshadowed everyone else's brilliance. Even if the Su family had invited her, everyone was first curious about this woman's identity.

On the second floor, Ning Yi and the woman were actually whispering to each other amid the applause.

"There was no need to go this far..." During the brief moment of exchanging the tea cup, Ning Yi smiled and shook his head. "Yuan Jin'er already told me the inside story. It's really not that big a deal."

"I know you're indifferent by nature and might not consider it important." Yunzhu smiled behind her veil. "But I couldn't stand it."

These words were simple, yet contained a power that needed no further explanation. Ning Yi had originally planned to say something, but now he simply summarized: "No matter what, thank you."

"I don't know much—this is about all I can offer."

"You scared me."

"Hmm?"

"Not just several floors high anymore—more like a dozen floors."²

"Heh..."

Words passed quietly between them in this brief moment. The applause was gradually dying down. Everyone watched Ning Yi and Nie Yunzhu standing there in the corridor, waiting for what would happen next. Ning Yi glanced around, wondering if he should invite Nie Yunzhu to sit down. Nie Yunzhu was actually also glancing around, her face reddening. She lowered her head and softly reminded him: "You should give me a reward..."

"Hmm?"

"A re...ward."

Her words grew even softer, almost just mouthing the words, because everyone nearby was watching. Only then did Ning Yi react. "Oh!" He reached into his robes for money. "Mm, right, right... I have five hundred taels... Thank you for your wonderful performance, miss."

Since Lü Xia's side had received a combined five hundred taels from the Su and Xue families, this single reward was truly astonishing. Ning Yi's manner was actually quite proper—he loudly thanked her for the performance so those around could hear, then quietly added: "I won't write you any poetry."³It was best to minimize the impact now, no need to escalate things further. After saying this, Nie Yunzhu looked somewhat flustered. When Ning Yi offered the banknote, she didn't take it, creating an awkward moment. Li Pin rolled his eyes from the side, then soft laughter arose. Only then did Ning Yi realize his mistake.

Nie Yunzhu blushed, lightly stamping her foot, then shot a meaningful glance toward the serving woman by Ning Yi's side. Ning Yi placed the banknote on a small wooden tray held by a woman from Smoke and Emerald Tower behind him, his expression darkening.

"Then I'll be going." Yunzhu said with a smile. Hearing the laughter around them, she lowered her head and walked out of the crowd, heading toward the stairway. Ning Yi let out a breath. The Su family probably wouldn't feel overshadowed by the Xue family anymore. Of course, there would likely be quite a few matters to consider next. Nie Yunzhu had faded from view for three years—if she became a topic of conversation again because of this, it definitely wouldn't be good. But since she had performed for him, regardless of any considerations, if there was trouble, he would have to help smooth it over.

As Ning Yi pondered these matters, Nie Yunzhu had already reached the stairway. Many people's gazes still lingered on her, whispered conversations everywhere. But among them, there seemed to be another incongruous discussion arising. At first it was unnoticeable, but then someone said "Eh?" Liu Qingdi, who had been watching Nie Yunzhu, turned his head and suddenly widened his eyes, muttering softly. Only then did Ning Yi turn to look down at the stage below. Yunzhu, who had been keeping her head lowered under everyone's attention, also turned at the stairway to glance at the stage. After that glance, she froze completely.

Music had already begun. A woman in a green dress now stood on the stage, elegantly dressed but with a tall, graceful figure that was clearly soft and perfectly suited for dancing. At this moment, she swayed her waist gently, holding a flower in her right hand pressed lightly against her elegant lips. Her gaze looked toward some point in the hall's ceiling, her eyes holding a hint of alluring charm and intoxication within their dreamy distance. As her body slowly turned, her gaze swept across the second floor area.

This was the opening moment of the dance. The woman's form was beautiful, and her few simple movements clearly showed mastery. But what was most shocking wasn't her simple movements—it was that people in the main hall had already started calling out.

"Yuan Jin'er..."

"It's Yuan Jin'er..."

"She's actually here..."

On the second floor, Ning Yi's jaw dropped in astonishment: "This is too chaotic..." At the corridor's end, Nie Yunzhu was also dumbfounded, almost unconsciously glancing at Ning Yi, who happened to look back at her. If this had been one of their usual morning chats and not a public spectacle, they would have probably just sat side-by-side on the steps, burying their faces in their hands.

Yuan Jin'er had a beautiful figure and typically displayed a lively, energetic personality. But her dance foundation was truly profound—her body was flexible to the extreme. Right now she was slowly twisting like a wound spring. The instant the main melody began, her entire body burst into motion. Her dress bloomed like a lotus on water, continuously whirling through the air. Her hair danced wildly, occasionally revealing glimpses of her beautiful face. In this dance, her gaze was serious and focused.

The dance... had begun...

Ning Yi stepped back and sank into his seat, gently pressing his forehead. After a moment, he finally sighed helplessly and stretched his neck to watch below.

Well, speaking of the dance itself, it was quite beautiful to watch.

He might as well enjoy it for now and worry about the aftermath later...

No one knew why Yuan Jin'er would suddenly appear here, but after her name was called out, people in the hall were either shocked or amazed by the dance. For a moment, almost no one remembered what Lü Xia had done earlier. She was originally supposed to be tonight's main attraction, but now she had become completely irrelevant.

The dance started bright and lively. Yuan Jin'er displayed various astonishing dance movements as if walking a tightrope. After a while, the rhythm began to slow, creating an atmosphere of gentle beauty and vitality. The Four Great Courtesans' reputation wasn't empty boasting—Yuan Jin'er herself possessed sufficient talent and accomplishment in this area. When the dance finally ended with a graceful bow, Yuan Jin'er tilted her head slightly to reveal a smile. The applause in the hall thundered like waves.

"Yuan Jin'er, excellent!"

"Miss Jin'er..."

Various voices arose. Yuan Jin'er stood on stage, smiling as she accepted everyone's applause and attention for a while. Then she tilted her head, reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and smiled with pursed lips. Her gaze swept the hall several times before she finally said nothing. After looking around a few times, she walked to the side of the stage and then lightly jumped down.

Everyone watched in astonishment as she poured a cup of wine, then held the cup with both hands, lowered her head, and walked upstairs.

Following the exact path of the woman in white, she ascended the stairs. Many in the crowd had already turned to stare at Ning Yi. Li Pin looked at him, then at Ning Yi again, unable to suppress a quiet laugh. At this moment, aside from some knowing or astonished laughter, the hall remained relatively quiet as everyone simply watched Yuan Jin'er's actions. Ning Yi sat there, his expression twitching in a complex way. Earlier Nie Yunzhu had worn white, now Yuan Jin'er wore lake green—perhaps the legend of White Snake and Green Snake⁴originated from these two...

After thinking for a while, before Yuan Jin'er arrived, her gaze had already looked over. Ning Yi met her eyes. But in a staring contest, neither would ever back down. Then everyone in the hall watched as Yuan Jin'er walked up to Ning Yi, gracefully curtsied, and with a smile, offered him the wine cup.

"You think it's not chaotic enough already..."

"Hmph, I'm helping provide cover."

"Making trouble out of nothing..."

"Don't care... hurry up and give me a reward."

"This is highway robbery."

"Better than highway robbery."

"Fine, I admit defeat today... but..." Ning Yi sighed, reaching into his robes for money. After a moment of searching, he pulled out some loose silver. The two exchanged loaded glances as they whispered. "I have... four taels of silver total..."

Yuan Jin'er unconsciously looked around. The surrounding people had already crowded in with complex expressions...

End of Chapter