The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

Li Ping looked embarrassed. To prove his innocence, he glanced disdainfully at the maid's direction before striding into the building.

As soon as you enter, you can hear a melodious and pleasant sound of a zither.

The music was unlike any ordinary tune; it was more like melting snow in March, seeping into the heart drop by drop.

Li Ping was so engrossed in the moment that he unconsciously stopped in his tracks.

Gradually, his breathing slowed down, as if he had entered a state of clarity.

"Tea and music in the hall, ten spirit stones per person."

The maid's voice snapped Li Ping back to his senses.

He looked up and saw that the cultivators in the hall were sitting in twos and threes, their eyes half-closed and their expressions intoxicated.

Music has the wonderful effect of calming the mind, stabilizing the spirit, and dispelling inner demons.

When cultivators are at critical moments such as breakthroughs, they often listen to a piece of music in order to achieve a state of mental fulfillment.

Many of the cultivators who follow this path are beautiful women, which is why they are quite popular.

However, Li Ping had a different opinion.

For example, the female cultivator playing the zither on the stage right now, her movements are gentle and her music is melodious, seemingly captivating and immersing everyone, but isn't this just another form of control?

If she were to subtly insert her own agenda into her music, wouldn't she be unwittingly leaving a flaw in someone's perception of her?

"However, these musicians probably don't have that ability."

"Besides, it's our own business, and it's always had a good reputation."

Li Ping thought to himself, and his heart gradually calmed down.

At this moment, a group of three people in the hall finished their spiritual tea and silently got up and left.

Upon approaching, the three men chuckled upon seeing Li Ping: "Brother Li, didn't you say you had something to do?"

Li Ping coughed lightly and gave a perfunctory answer.

Mu Ming grinned mischievously, leaned closer, and said meaningfully, "The musician on duty today is quite skilled. Brother Li, you should listen carefully."

After saying that, he left with Mu Junyi and Mu Chengyuan.

Li Ping sighed softly, realizing he shouldn't be thinking such things.

Misunderstanding Mu Ming is a small matter, but how could you misunderstand your father-in-law?

Just as she was silently blaming herself, the maid beside her suddenly spoke:

"Fellow Daoist, are you here to listen to music in the main hall?"

Li Ping shook his head and took out his father-in-law's jade pendant.

The maid's eyes lit up: "So you are a distinguished guest, fellow Daoist. Please come upstairs and take a seat."

She led Li Ping to a private room on the second floor, where she burned incense and brewed tea before unfolding a jade scroll.

"These are all musicians from our Wenxiang Pavilion. Fellow Daoist, you may choose one of them."

Li Ping nodded, and upon looking around, he saw that the group consisted entirely of women.

Each woman has her own unique charm; some are petite and lovely, others possess an ethereal elegance…

He looked around for a moment, and was momentarily overwhelmed by the choices.

Seeing this, the maid chuckled and said, "If you're unsure, you can use the instrument to determine the person."

"In that case..." Li Ping said calmly, "then let's have someone play the flute."

"This...maybe we'll have to wait a moment?" the maid said.

"She was chosen?" Li Ping asked.

The maid shook her head and explained, "Only the head steward in the building can play the flute, but she's quite busy. If you don't want to wait, the guzheng would be a good alternative."

"She's the one."

Upon hearing this, the maidservant said no more.

She left the private room and continued upstairs, stopping at a corner on the third floor.

"Manager Su, someone has requested your services."

Bang!

The room was suddenly pulled open, and Su Mei's expression turned hostile: "I said I had something to take care of, why did you let the guests request me?"

"That person is a VIP," the maid said, sounding aggrieved.

Su Mei shook her head and sighed: "Go back and inform him to wait for half an hour."

The maid nodded and quickly left.

In a daze, she actually saw a man in the steward's room.

The man's face was unnatural, and his aura was erratic.

He had been hiding behind the curtains, but as soon as the maid left, he couldn't wait to come out.

"They haven't gone far yet," Su Mei said fiercely as she closed the door.

"A maid will be fine," the man said calmly.

Su Mei snorted coldly, her face showing displeasure: "Ma Dao, I'm warning you. I've been operating here for over ten years. If my affairs are exposed because of you, I'll make sure you're reduced to ashes before the scholar even has a chance to do anything."

"Madam Su, you flatter me," the male cultivator said. "I'm just staying here to recuperate."

"Injury? Your injury has long since healed."

The man gave a dry laugh, neither arguing nor explaining, and just sat there.

Su Mei knew this man was being shameless again, and she felt disgusted.

"Tell me, what do you want in return for leaving?"

"Three hundred spirit stones."

"Again and again, Ma Dao, you've gone too far." Su Mei sneered, drawing her flute from her waist.

Seeing this, Ma Dao thought it was for real and finally panicked.

He raised his hand to shield himself, pleading, "Madam Su, please don't get agitated."

Am I excited?

Ma Dao sighed deeply, "Really, this is the last time. I'll never come looking for you again."

Su Mei watched coldly, knowing that this person was just talking and would never change his ways.

But when he thought of his own daughter, his heart softened.

She counted out one hundred spirit stones and tossed them into Ma Dao's hand: "Get out of here before I return."

Having said that, he turned and left, leaving Ma Dao alone in the room.

"One hundred spirit stones aren't even enough to cover the initial investment."

"Ugh."

Ma Dao shook his head and sighed, feeling that this woman was too stingy.

"If we continue to pressure her, she might do something reckless."

"We need to find a way to get some money."

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered what the maid had mentioned about the distinguished guest.

"This person must be very wealthy."

……

……

Inside the private room on the second floor, Li Ping had finished several rounds of tea before finally waiting for the person to arrive.

Su Mei was around forty years old, lightly made up, and dressed in a white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), exuding charm.

She held a blue jade flute and knelt before the table.

Looking down from his vantage point, Li Ping felt a sense of familiarity from his vantage point.

"This distinguished guest looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time here?" Su Mei asked softly.

"To be honest, I've always listened to music in Shuangfeng Market before, this is my first time visiting Wenxianglou in Xikou Market."

"Then you should listen carefully, fellow Daoist, and patronize our business in the future." Su Mei suddenly realized.

"nature."

Su Mei chuckled and then held the jade flute to her lips.

As she blew, melodious flute music, like a moonlit stream, poured from her fingertips.

The tone was clear and melodious, unlike ordinary string and wind instruments, but rather like the pine breeze after a mountain rain, gently brushing past the ears.

She played very slowly, as if afraid of disturbing something.

The flute music wasn't loud, yet it seemed to penetrate the skin and bones, reaching directly to the softest spot in people's hearts.

In a daze, it reminds one of many peaceful things.

After the song ended, the lingering sound still echoed in the rafters.

Before anyone knew it, Li Ping's breathing had become long and drawn out, just like the sound of the flute.

"Fellow Daoist Su, you truly deserve to be the manager of Wenxiang Pavilion." Li Ping clapped his hands in praise, "Such skills are truly unparalleled."

"Fellow Daoist Li, you flatter me." Su Mei smiled slightly.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Li Ping got up and left.

He walked toward the courtyard, still savoring the sound of the flute, unaware that a faint gaze was watching him from behind.

Ma Dao concealed his aura, his expression calm, and followed behind Li Ping like any other cultivator.

He was pleased with himself, feeling that he had concealed himself quite well.

It wasn't until they reached the location of the Mu family cultivators that they came to their senses.