At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

As the tall buildings in their view were gradually replaced by lush green trees, they were getting further and further away from the urban area of ​​Jiangyang County.

Two hours later, as the driver parked the car in front of an antique-style gatehouse, they finally arrived at their destination.

"Young Master, we've arrived."

The three of them got out of the car. Knowing that Li Xiao was coming today, a well-dressed butler had been waiting there for a long time.

As Li Xiao got out of the car, the senior butler in charge of their meals and lodging for the next few days came up with several waiters, their attitude so respectful that no one could find fault with them.

"Young Master Li, the detached courtyard house you reserved at Tingquan Residence has been prepared. Please come in."

Zhou Yanhuai got out of the car and looked at the carved beams and painted rafters, the quiet and elegant scene before him. He couldn't help but take a deep breath of the fresh mountain air.

"Brother Xiao, you've chosen a really good place. The air is fresh and the environment is quiet. It's definitely a great place to cultivate your mind and body."

Upon hearing the words "cultivating one's character and temperament," Zheng Hao, who was walking at the very back, almost couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, yes, Lao Zhou, you're absolutely right! In the next few days, you must not hold back, you must open your heart and truly feel nature."

Zhou Yanhuai didn't catch the implication in Zheng Hao's words, assuming that Zheng Hao also thought the scenery here was nice.

He nodded in deep agreement, took another deep breath of the crisp mountain air, and then said...

"That's for sure. This environment is calming. You should avoid organizing those chaotic gatherings last night."

"A mess? Last night when you were looking at someone's chest, why didn't you complain about how messy it was?"

He was internally ranting and raving, but when he actually said it, he used a different phrase.

"Old Zhou, you're right. Last night's gathering was really too vulgar, so Brother Xiao specially arranged a more refined setting for you today, so you can cultivate your taste. How about that? Isn't Brother Xiao being a good friend to you?"

Why is this kid being so easy to talk to today?

Seeing that Zheng Hao did not refute him, Zhou Yanhuai glanced at Zheng Hao beside him with some suspicion.

Normally, if I tease him once, he'll retort with ten. But today, he actually went along with it and even admitted that last night's gathering was too tacky? Is this really Zheng Haoyao?

Zhou Yanhuai cautiously took two steps back.

Something's not right. Something's definitely not right.

"Are you up to something again, kid?"

"Me? What bad things could I possibly be up to? Don't you know what kind of person I am? I'm the most upright person you can ask for."

"It's precisely because I know your character that I'm even more worried."

Seeing that Zhou Yanhuai seemed to have noticed something, Zheng Hao immediately put on a face more wronged than Dou E.

"Old Zhou, those words are really hurting my feelings! This Bright Moon Bay was personally chosen by Brother Xiao, do you think I would dig a pit for you here?"

Zhou Yanhuai didn't say anything, but just gave him a look that said, "Do you think I'd believe that?"

Having no other choice, Zheng Hao could only look to Li Xiao for help.

Li Xiao glanced at Zheng Hao, speechless. Why did you go and stir up trouble? Now look what's happened, he's the one who has to clean up the mess.

"Alright, Lao Zhou, don't worry. I booked this place today, and no one can force you to do anything you don't want to do. Let's go in quickly."

With Li Xiao's guarantee, Zhou Yanhuai reluctantly put away his suspicious gaze and followed the others further inside.

Zhou Yanhuai was actually quite interested in the Mingyue Bay Hot Spring Resort.

He initially thought it was a newly opened hot spring resort, but when he searched for the address on his phone map, he found that the place couldn't be found at all.

The nearest place to them, also called Mingyue Bay, is thousands of kilometers away, and it's not a hot spring resort, but a bathhouse.

Zhou Yanhuai refused to believe it and tried several more maps, but the result was still the same. He could only see buildings on the mountain on the satellite map of this place, but there were no specific names or anything like that.

Zhou Yanhuai suppressed his doubts and looked into the distance.

As far as the eye can see, there are no densely packed guesthouse buildings. Instead, there are individual Chinese-style courtyard houses scattered among the trees and by the lake.

These courtyards are all separated by a great distance, with dense bamboo forests, artificial hills and tall trees acting as natural sound barriers.

Even with binoculars, it's useless to try to see into another courtyard from one place; you simply can't see anything.

Guided by the senior butler, Li Xiao and his companions did not follow the seemingly endless forest trail, but instead boarded a shuttle bus.

As the group passed through a bamboo forest, the shuttle bus finally came to a stop halfway up the mountain at a spot with an excellent view.

"We're here, let's go in!"

Zheng Hao pushed open the door and was immediately captivated by the scene before him.

In the center of the courtyard stands a three-story Chinese-style antique villa with upturned eaves and gray tiles.

But what's even more eye-catching than the villa is the huge open-air hot spring pool, spanning two to three hundred square meters, located directly in front of the main building.

The pool was not covered with any modern tiles, but was built with local materials, using native bluestone from the mountain to form an irregular natural shape.

A natural crevice is embedded in the rocky slope on the north side of the pool, and hot spring water gushes out from the crevice and flows into the pool through a man-made underground channel.

The poolside is paved with non-slip, temperature-controlled bluestone slabs that feel slightly warm underfoot. It's clear that there are underfloor heating pipes underneath, so even walking barefoot on them doesn't feel cold at all.

The surrounding area is lush with vegetation, and various precious plants can be seen everywhere, which makes the entire hot spring pool a green courtyard that is isolated from the world.

Zheng Hao stood by the pond and looked up, only to see a patch of blue sky above him, fragmented by bamboo leaves and pine branches.

"This is amazing, Brother Xiao! How did you find this place? I'm thinking of retiring here!"

Looking at the steaming hot spring pool before him, Zhou Yanhuai couldn't help but open his arms and let out a heartfelt exclamation.

Compared to the dazzling lights and deafening noise of the private room last night, the simple and natural beauty before him truly resonated with his aesthetic sensibilities.

The butler stepped forward at the opportune moment, with a polite smile, and introduced Zhou Yanhuai and Zheng Hao.

"In addition to this main pool, each of the three master bedrooms in Tingquan Residence also has its own running water and a small private hot spring bath made of bluestone. If the young masters want to be alone and quiet, the private hot spring in the room is also kept at a constant temperature and circulating 24 hours a day. Moreover, the rooms are very soundproof, so no matter what you do in there, you will never be disturbed by the outside world."

Zheng Hao's eyes lit up. "A private hot spring? And we definitely won't be disturbed! That's great!"