Southgate City

There had been two major pieces of news in Nanguan City recently. The first was that Miss Xue of Nanyin Pavilion would be launching her debut tour here. The second was that monsters had been causing trouble outside the city at the Li Family Manor, and it was rumored that several people had already died.

Among the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Nanyin Pavilion was a rather unique presence. Though it stood as one of the Ten Lands’ immortal sects, its ways and deeds were vastly different from ordinary sects or gangs.

Nanyin Pavilion had, since ancient times, inherited the path of music and was revered as a holy land for immortal musicians. Its disciples cultivated music from childhood, and all their skills were centered on instruments. Their cultivation might not be inferior to others, and they possessed their own singular magical abilities, yet they very rarely engaged in combat.

The pursuit of an immortal musician was to reach the heavens above, the earth below, and to touch the human world. In the early stages of cultivating the Dao of music, they sought to move as many people as possible with their sound, striving for resonance with the masses. The more resonance they created, the greater their progress in cultivation.

Thus, the cultivation system of Nanyin Pavilion was to select a handful of the most gifted from among the many outer disciples to become inner disciples. Each inner disciple received abundant resources, their tours carefully planned to spread the art of music.

This made every generation’s inner disciples of Nanyin Pavilion immensely famous, with countless admirers. The sect even took popularity as a key metric, allowing it to play a decisive role in the final selection of the chief disciple.

After several years touring, each generation’s inner disciples would return to the mountain gate for a grand selection ceremony. At that time, admirers from all corners of the world would gather to support their favored musician, hoping to help them become the chief disciple of their era and win everlasting renown.

Such a system had created a unique phenomenon: Nanyin Pavilion had the fewest numbers of any sect in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, yet its influence was second to none.

Over thousands of years, as the Dao of music grew ever more profound, Nanyin Pavilion drew countless seekers, and some even attained mastery over the heavens. Though their cultivation method was unorthodox, no one dared look down on it.

This generation’s inner disciple competition was particularly fierce. Two years ago, the prodigiously talented Yu Xiang’er appeared, virtually securing the chief’s seat in advance. Not long after, Xue Lingxue burst onto the scene, her brilliance so dazzling that her reputation preceded her even before she left the mountain.

Yet only a year later, another appeared—Shen Qingyan, famed for her peerless beauty and ancient charm, another once-in-a-century genius. People lamented that any one of these three would have easily claimed the chief’s title in previous generations, but fate had made them contemporaries.

It was truly an era of contention in Nanyin Pavilion.

Yu Xiang’er’s tour was already underway, mostly in the grand cities of the Eastern Region. Xue Lingxue, for her debut, did not choose to compete directly but instead came to the Southern Region.

Yet the Eastern Region of the Yu Dynasty was prosperous and wealthy, while the Southern Region was wild, mountainous, and sparse in cities—no comparison. It was likely that, after accumulating some popularity in the south, Xue Lingxue would eventually return to the east to make her mark.

Located at the border between the Eastern and Southern Regions, Nanguan City was one of the most flourishing cities of the south. For this reason, it was chosen as the venue for Xue Lingxue’s debut performance.

Though a few days remained before the tour, the anticipation was already palpable. Miss Xue’s upcoming performance was the hottest topic in the city. Even the choice of venue and which merchants would host the event had become subjects of heated discussion.

…

“So you two are the immortal masters from Mount Shu?” A middle-aged man with a bushy mustache greeted them with a beaming smile and a deep bow. “I am the steward here at Li Family Manor, surnamed Cui. You may call me Uncle Cui.”

“There’s no need to be so formal, Steward Cui. We’re much younger than you—just treat us as juniors,” said a sturdy, bright-eyed youth, throwing a friendly arm around his shoulders. “He’s Chu Liang, I’m Lin Bei. If you don’t mind, I’ll call you Uncle Cui.”

Lin Bei wasted no time employing his instant rapport technique.

“Oh, young heroes, you flatter me,” Uncle Cui replied with a hearty laugh. “Our manor lord is busy these days and has not been in Nanguan City, otherwise he would surely have come himself to welcome you.”

“It’s all the same,” Lin Bei waved it off. “We’re here to protect the people. The rest doesn’t matter.”

“Well said, Young Hero Lin,” Uncle Cui chimed in enthusiastically.

He ushered the two inside, where Lin Bei continued his banter, and Chu Liang finally spoke up, “Perhaps Steward Cui could first tell us the details of the strange case?”

“Oh, yes, of course.” Uncle Cui slapped his forehead with a sigh. “We had no choice but to seek help from Mount Shu’s young heroes. You see, our Li Family Manor was negotiating to host Miss Xue’s concert for Nanyin Pavilion, and it was almost settled—just about to succeed.”

Li Family Manor stood on an open hillside outside Nanguan City, not as a private residence, but as an upscale garden for banquets and entertainment, catering to the elite. Naturally, they wished to host Xue Lingxue’s concert to boost their own renown.

“Our only rival is Jingyue Pavilion, a business on the Qinnan River that operates pleasure boats. Their proposal is to dock a painted barge by the riverside, with Miss Xue performing onboard and the audience sitting along the shore. Isn’t that ridiculous?” Uncle Cui couldn’t resist taking a jab at his competitors.

“Indeed,” Lin Bei agreed at the right moment.

“But just as we were about to finalize the deal, something strange happened in our manor. For several nights in a row, people encountered a monster! It moves like the wind, impossibly fast. We have several martial artists, but none could track it. Worse, a few guests were startled, and word spread.”

“What’s more, the monster seems to only target women, not men, for reasons unknown…”

“It wasn’t a big deal at first—no one was hurt. But that Jingyue Pavilion took the chance to spread rumors, exaggerating that several people had already died because of the monster. Now, with these rumors out, our bid to host the concert is in jeopardy…”

“That’s why we turned to Mount Shu and asked you two to help us rid ourselves of the monster,” Uncle Cui said, looking at them hopefully.

“But isn’t Nanyin Pavilion one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands? Is it even necessary to seek our help?” Chu Liang asked, a little puzzled.

“You don’t quite understand Nanyin Pavilion,” Lin Bei laughed knowingly. “Those immortal musicians may not lack in cultivation, but they dislike fighting, and their inner disciples are so few they almost never take up monster-slaying for others.”

“For Miss Xue, this concert tour is of utmost importance. She must devote herself entirely to preparing for the performance. If some monster distracted her and forced her to deal with it, it could affect her state of mind.”

“Their cultivation path is quite different from that of ordinary practitioners.”

“Young Hero Lin is exactly right,” Uncle Cui added. “Nanyin Pavilion won’t help us with such matters. Besides, the founder of our Li Family Manor was also a disciple of Mount Shu. So we make annual offerings, and our ties to Mount Shu have always been good.”

“So the manor was established by a senior from Mount Shu? Then I must explore it thoroughly!” Lin Bei said at once. “Uncle Cui, I have a small request—would it be too much trouble?”

“Please, Young Hero Lin, say whatever’s on your mind,” Uncle Cui replied warmly.

“If we help you with the monster and secure the concert, could we stay a few extra days to enjoy the manor and leave after the performance?” Lin Bei asked.

“Haha, that’s no problem at all. I can promise that on behalf of the manor lord. If you solve our trouble, we’ll host you as honored guests. Young Hero Lin, are you looking forward to Miss Xue’s performance?”

“Heh.” Lin Bei grinned. “Among the Nanyin Pavilion, Shen Qingyan is my favorite, followed by Xue Lingxue. But in the whole martial world, my true idol is our own Jiang Jiang—Jiang Yuebai of Mount Shu.”

“Ah! Young Hero Lin, you and I are kindred spirits! Shen Qingyan is my top choice, too. As for Mount Shu’s Fairy Jiang, I’ve long admired her name, but alas, never had the fortune to meet her,” Uncle Cui said, this time with genuine delight. “Qingyan, Qingyan, beautiful and sweet-voiced!”

“For you, my heart’s delight!” Lin Bei responded eagerly.

The two, growing more excited, clasped hands and beamed, overflowing with the joy of finding a soulmate at the ends of the earth.

Chu Liang, meanwhile, looked on in bewilderment.

Lin Bei, with his bushy brows and big eyes—well, he was still young, so fair enough. But Uncle Cui… surely you’re old enough to have seen more than four cycles of twelve years, aren’t you? And you’re caught up in this too?

What salt? What sweet?

Do we really live in the same world?

Hmm?