132. The Entertainer
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Yan Liwei and Rourou appeared right in the middle of the beautiful Banquet hall, but sensing multiple auras, Liwei thought quickly and took action before they fully appeared.
With a wave of her hand, she and Rourou were suddenly dressed in airy and beautiful blue sets of robes, a pair of intricate silken veils covering the bottom half of their faces.
~"My Princess..."~ Rourou nervously began with telepathy. ~"I don't think this is Four-Petal Garden!"~
~"My girl, don't you think I've noticed?!!"~ Liwei shot her a brief glance. ~"Follow me..."~
"Ahem." Liwei gave a small cough and lifted her eyes to the obvious hosts.
But her breath caught in her throat at the sight of one.
'Th- th- this is - !' Was it possible for a person to look like this?!
Liwei has always been comfortable with her own appearance, and in the Yan clan, she was often praised to the high heavens for being the most beautiful fairy in all of Sky Realm.
Yet this person made her feel inadequate!
This person was like the sun and moon in Liwei's eyes- his golden gaze like the sun, and long silvery hair falling straight down like a liquid moon.
'And that aura...!'
His brow raised, perhaps a reminder that she had stared too much, and she cleared her throat yet again, thankful for the veil.
"Ahem." She linked her thumbs and bowed. "Pardon our intrusion. My sister and I are entertainers who got lost on the way to the Eastern Sea Palace, and we suddenly appeared here... Could you offer us directions?"
"Oh?" One elegant brow raised. "Why not explain how you ended up here?"
Liwei smirked beneath her veil. "A group of mortal bandits sold us a silver talisman saying it would take us to the Eastern Sea Palace hall, and they swore they had picked an immortal's pockets to steal it.
"You understand... In our line of work, we don't get involved or ask too many questions."
'Hao! What a clever intruder!' Bailong toyed with an ornate white liquor cup. 'I can't poke any holes in such a good story. Except...'
"You say you got lost here...? But how did you instantly know this wasn't Eastern Sea Palace?"
"Ahem!" Yet again... Liwei coughed.
Of course she knew this wasn't the East Sea Palace!
She had snuck into East Sea Palace at least three times while looking for Four-Petal Garden before!
But she already faltered here...
If she was indeed a lost stranger, her first reaction should have been to ask 'if this was East Sea Palace', especially since a banquet was going on here as well.
Instead, she had apologised for getting lost and ending up here, which meant she somehow knew this wasn't East Sea Palace.
But if she admitted she knew East Sea Palace, then she wouldn't have needed the silver talisman or gotten lost in the first place.
'Clever!' She thought. 'But...'
"Ah, surely the Eastern Sea King isn't so young! Also, given his prominence, this banquet hall is rather small, and the guest list is too scanty."
Bailong smirked. 'Hmph. Well done. But I won't let you off so easily!'
"Hao! You also understand..." He began with a smile which could stop hearts. "We have no way of proving your story. So why not perform here for a bit? Afterwards, I'll personally guide you to the Palace."
A short silence passed where Liwei considered her options.
Then she nodded to Rourou and waved a hand. Her pipa appeared in her hands, while Rourou suddenly held drumsticks, and two large drums materialised on either side of her.
"Then permit us to make a fool of ourselves." Liwei said with an elegant bow, just as her fingers darted across the strings.
The singular strum of strings held the guests by their breaths, calling every ear to attention as Rourou spun and darted between both drums, establishing a swelling rhythm.
Liwei floated into the air swirling, as her delicate fingers plucked the strings in light precision, filling the hall with sounds surpassing the divine, and accompanied by a sheer and beautiful sight as she danced lightly, accentuating every strum of her fingers with graceful steps,
her veils and robes swirling behind her.
Bailong felt his liquor cup nearly slip from his fingers and he caught himself.
'Wah! She's good!' He admitted with no small appreciation, and he scowled to find the entirety of male guests staring with entranced gazes, their faces red from more than just wine!
Liwei smirked.
Being unable to cultivate properly had her directing her energies elsewhere from a young age, and she was certain no one in sky realm could beat her at playing the Pipa, if not any instrument.
When they were done, she glided down on the last beat, landing on her toes and swivelling into a dramatic sweeping bow.
The hall erupted into applause, and Bailong had such a lost expression that Yin Shuilong smirked beside him.
"Oh? The most beautiful and talented Sky maidens endlessly chase after some fellow, but he's here eyeing some entertainer..."
"Elder brother!" Bailong protested, clearing his throat. "Ahem!" He privately decided this entertainer was more dangerous than she looked and he tossed her a small silver ball.
Liwei caught it and on her palm, it unfurled into another talisman, this one a brilliant sea blue.
"This will reverse-summon you to East Sea Palace." Bailong said, and she bowed, backing away.
But just before the doors closed behind them she heard,
"Oh. And if over there you see my good younger brother, let him know he'll pay for giving you the silver talisman!"
Liwei's eyes widened in surprise and she swivelled, but the doors were already closing, affording her only a sliver of Bailong's smug face just before they snapped shut.
'He- He knew?!'
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Back in the banquet hall, Shuilong turned to Bailong in surprise. "The entertainer was lying?!"
Bailong nodded, refilling their empty cups. "The silver talisman isn't something any cat and dog can simply steal... It can only be willingly given by that shrimp! (Yin Xing)!"
"Aiya! A-Xing gave away your talisman?! No wonder you doubted the entertainer at once!"
"Hmph. I only let her off because she saved his life..."
Yin Xing was indeed the carp getting bullied!
Yin Xing had set out from the East Sea, determined to impress Bailong by making a name for himself in Sky Realm.
Bailong had tried to dissuade him at first. "'All that glitters isn't gold'... Sky Realm should be the most peaceful of all three realms, but the immortals' refusal to accept their own human weaknesses make for some of the cruelest of hearts."
But Yin Xing had been insistent.
"Tch, stubborn..." Bailong said, then handed him the silver talisman. "In any emergency, this will bring you to Four-Petal Garden. I'd know when you use it and come find you there." He had said.
But after struggling to save Yin Xing's life, Bailong still didn't feel assured leaving him on his own, so he had taken another measure- a qi seal which would react if Yin Xing was in mortal danger.
And so, Bailong had appeared that day and was about to teach those bullies a profound lesson. But Yan Liwei's voice scared them away.
At the time, Bailong had felt something oddly compelling about her aura, but before he could see who she was, she had vanished with an unconscious Yin Xing...
At present, Bailong smirked.
Yin Xing had probably handed her the talisman out of gratitude, but the talisman was only meant for Yin Xing's qi... In case Bailong was somewhere dangerous, the talisman would take Yin Xing to the safety of Four-Petal Garden.
But anyone else who tried to use it would be brought right to Bailong himself!
"How clever!" Yin Shuilong praised, raising his cup, but Bailong caught his hand.
"I nearly forgot! This wine is potent! You can't drink it!"
"Ei? Why not? Aren't we celebrating my successorship?"
"Ehehe, Father is also 'celebrating' your successorship... If you get drunk here, won't your clone at the Palace disappear?! We left Father with a clone...
"Won't he kill me if he finds out I lured you away!!"
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Outside, a certain someone still lurked around an elegant residence beneath the Eastern Sea.
The residence was so vast and well-designed that most might indeed mistake it for the East Sea Palace.
At the large gateway, a plaque with bold and beautifully penned characters spelt out the ridiculous name of: Silver Urchin.
Liwei shook her head and began scouting around, taking care to mask her and Rourou's presence.
"My Princess, we were lucky enough to escape! Shouldn't we leave?!" Rourou asked.
"No! We've come too far to simply give up." Liwei protested. "If my guess is correct, that silver-haired fiend is none other than Yin Xiaolong himself..."
She had of course heard of Yin Xiaolong's description before now, but words could never describe the sheer and divinely beautiful appearance of the immortal she had seen in that hall!
Still, he fit Yin Xiaolong's basic description of tall, white hair, gold irises, and powerful, so Liwei could only conclude that the utterly beautiful immortal was Yin Xiaolong.
"If we can sneak into his room, then I can surely find some clues there!" Liwei told Rourou who seemed hesitant.
Liwei turned to her. "You go back and let father know I'm somewhere beneath the East Se-."
"My Princess! I'm not leaving you behind!" Rourou cut in.
"Ei? But if we're both caught, we'll be in danger." Liwei deadpanned. "And we'll both die here. And I'll never be able to protect the family. And I'll die with regrets. And aunty will win and kick mother, father, and A-Lin (Yan Linfeng) out. And the whole Yan tribe will be in dange-."
"I get it, I get it!" Rourou stamped her foot.
Liwei beamed at her, holding her shoulders. "It's the smartest way! Did you forget? I'm the 1st princess. Father might uproot the East Sea if I'm harmed, so East Sea King won't let Yin Xiaolong get away with harming me in any way!"
Rourou sighed. "I understand." She gave a bow. "Then please, take care till we find you!"
Rourou vanished in a red swirl, and Liwei sighed.
She waited a few hours, making sure she crossed into midnight, and then she vanished as well, heading back into the residence...
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