After being reborn, all I want to do is run away.

Chapter 479 Moon-Gazing Boat

After leaving Baicaofang, Shen Xu returned to the upper reaches of the Jade Belt River. Mainly, he didn't know what he needed to do to prevent the disaster that followed, so he could only delve into the four oldest families in Baihua City.

He knew that there must be many secrets hidden inside Mount Huashen, but with his current strength, it would still be difficult for him to sneak in.

So he planned to find a sucker to take him in.

He remembered Liang Yu saying that he and Lin Qiwen would be staying at the Floating Pavilion. He had only recently learned that the Floating Pavilion was one of the top ten pleasure boats, but its reputation seemed a bit unstable.

I heard that it will be kicked out of the top ten pleasure boats in this selection.

This gave him a new understanding of the Giant Axe Gang, to which Liang Yu belonged. Although the name sounded old-fashioned, they might actually have some strength.

The Jade Belt River is no longer filled with the noisy music of the night during the day, and there are even fewer people on the roadside.

Through the exquisitely carved window lattices, one could vaguely see that the interior was brightly lit and that shadows were moving about.

The musicians were tuning and rehearsing inside the cabin, and the music could be heard faintly, carrying a sense of seriousness and a far cry from the unrestrained nature of the night.

Shen Xu originally thought that daytime was the best time to enjoy the flowers, and that nighttime was when all the flower boats would actually open for business.

But after inquiring, Shen Xu learned that tomorrow was the day the judging panel would arrive in Baihua City, and all the pleasure boats upstream would be temporarily closed to guests during the day for the next two days.

Although it is not accepting guests for the time being, occasionally the pleasure boats will lower small boats to carry elegantly dressed and distinguished guests to board the boats.

He kept hearing snippets of conversation from passersby:

"Have you heard? To welcome the delegation, the Moonlit Pavilion has invited musicians from across the Milky Way!"

"I heard that the Fairy of the Drunken Immortal Abode has rehearsed a new sword dance,"

"Let me tell you, the 'Dark Fragrance Pavilion' has gone all out this time. It's said that they've managed to get a petal of the 'Bodhi Flower' to bribe the special envoy."

"I wonder how Fusheng Pavilion plans to turn things around this time..."

A faint, unseen scent of gunpowder seemed to waft through the air—a fierce battle of intangible talents, resources, connections, and even conspiracies raging beneath the surface.

At this moment, Shen Xu was worrying about how to get onto the Floating Life Pavilion.

Although Liang Yu told him to go to Fusheng Pavilion to find him, he didn't say how to find him. It seems that he was being presumptuous, and the other party was probably just being polite.

Just as Shen Xu was about to leave, a delicate little boat drifted up in front of him.

"Young master, a gentleman has invited you to the Moonlit Pavilion for a chat. Would you be willing?"

"It's true what they say, someone brings you water when you're thirsty," Shen Xu said with a smile. "I couldn't be happier."

Under the sunlight, the Lan Yue Fang (Moon-Viewing Boat) has a warm, jade-like moon-white hue, and its hull lines are as smooth as a crescent moon, just like its name, which is aloof and elegant.

The interior is as elegant as a fairyland, with white gauze curtains fluttering in the wind and numerous delicate flowers exuding their fragrance.

Inside a private room at the Moonlit Pavilion, two young men were sitting facing each other, drinking tea, with two women accompanying them.

"Brother Song, why do you care so much about a rogue cultivator?"

“It’s not that I care, but Guiyunfang does. That person refused Guiyunfang’s invitation last night, but today he’s lingering by the river as if he wants to enter the Ten Great Flower Boats. Don’t you find that interesting, Ziqian?” Yang Song said with amusement.

"It is indeed strange that he refused Gui Yunfang's invitation. Could it be that he is unaware of Gui Yunfang's special qualities?"

"It's not impossible."

"Yingyue, if that person enters Yinyunxi again, will you still let him enter Guiyunfang?" Yang Song asked the woman beside him.

"They probably won't turn him away; the boat owner seems to value him highly," Yingyue replied hesitantly.

"Oh? That's strange. I'm starting to be curious about that person myself."

"Ziqian still can't forget Miss Ji!"

"The kindness of a beautiful woman is the hardest to bear, and I will probably never forget Miss Ji's kindness for the rest of my life."

"Is it just a favor?" Yang Song laughed.

"Yingyue, if I get that person to agree to stay at Guiyun Pavilion, but on the condition that Miss Ji and Ziqian meet, I wonder if Miss Ji would agree?"

"Brother Song, how can this be?"

Yang Song raised his hand, signaling the young man in black to be quiet.

"Well... I can't be sure, but I'll most likely agree."

"That's good." Yang Song drank the contents of his cup in one gulp.

Following a beautiful envoy, Shen Xu passed through layers of gauze curtains, and he couldn't help but feel a little dazzled.

Stepping inside is like entering a cold palace on the moon, with a smooth, mirror-like floor reflecting the starry dome above.

Huge floor-to-ceiling crystal windows bring in the river view and natural light, while the gossamer-thin moonlight gauze flutters gently in the breeze.

"As expected of one of the top ten pleasure boats, it's quite something." Shen Xu couldn't help but exclaim as he admired the interior layout of the Moon-Viewing Boat.

"Young Master Yang is waiting for you in this elegant pavilion," the guide said respectfully.

"Young Master Yang?" Shen Xu thought of the man in brocade robes from last night, but he didn't know if he was from one of the four great families.

Pushing open the door, I saw a familiar face.

Shen Xu smiled, ignoring the strange looks from the others, and sat down next to the two without any hesitation.

Upon realizing that the pot contained wine, Shen Xu said to the woman next to the young man surnamed Yang, "Could you please pour me a pot of tea? I'm thirsty."

"Mmm!" Yingyue replied softly, then got up and left the room.

This scene made Yang Song's face darken. Yingyue was clearly the Xuan Yun Envoy he had paid to hire, but now it seemed that the man in front of her was far more important than him in her eyes.

"Speak! What do you want from me?"

"My name is Yang Song, and this is my friend Guan Ziqian. We would like to make friends with you," Yang Song said with a friendly smile.

"Guan! That's a very rare surname!" Shen Xu said, eating the pastries on the table and looking at the young man in black robes next to him.

“It is indeed rare, but there’s no need to be so surprised,” Guan Ziqian said coldly.

He didn't have a good impression of the man in front of him; the man was extremely rude and practically a street thug.

"Is the Guan family very powerful in Hundred Flowers City? I have a friend with the surname Guan, but I don't know if he's related to the Guan family in Hundred Flowers City?"

Recalling Bai Lu's strange attitude when she asked him to take Guan Bi to Baihua City, Shen Xu felt that Guan Bi's relationship with Baihua City might not be simple.

Furthermore, Guan Bi's father's surname is clearly Ling, which makes it reasonable that Guan Bi's mother's family is the Guan family of Baihua City.

"My family affairs are none of your business, and you shouldn't try to force your friends to get involved with me!"

"It seems there really is a Guan family in Baihua City. Is there also a Yang family?" Shen Xu looked at the two of them.

“Friend, I kindly invited you onto the boat, but you seem to have overstepped your bounds.” Yang Song’s voice unconsciously turned cold.

"I'm not lying to you. My friend's father's surname is Ling. I wonder if your family remembers him?" Shen Xu said with a smile.