Chapter 539: Chapter 540: The Music of the Great Path
 

The white-robed fat man took the lead, striding directly to the forefront in the middle, sitting down brazenly in the face of some astonished glances from the cultivators on both sides, face-to-face with Xiao Longnvu.

“Indeed, indeed, the center is nice, there are no troubles in the center, and if trouble arises, there are Immortals to protect us,” he said.

The five figures following behind also laughed heartily as they sat down one by one, completely indifferent to the murderous looks from the cultivators of Aolai Country.

For the cultivators of Aolai Country from the Eastern Sea, Xiao Longnvu was inviolable; she could be admired from a distance but not played with. This consensus had been reached long ago.

It could be said that the first row of center seats was a forbidden zone, only those who truly had the qualifications and strength to win the heart of a beauty deserved to sit there.

Today, these young cultivators from afar had the audacity to sit down right in front of Xiao Longnvu, on what grounds?

Even they had never sat in that spot!

However, Long Xue didn’t say much; on the contrary, her gaze toward the several people in front of her even revealed a hint of approval. She too had grown weary of the same old platitudes and faces she faced year after year.

The intrusion of such an interesting group into her life was exactly what she had been looking forward to.

“You jest, gentlemen. Today’s tea gathering is about making friends through literature, and surely no one will cause disturbances,” she replied.

“Who would have thought that in addition to Young Master Li, I would see other overseas cultivators today. It is indeed somewhat unbelievable. Young Master Li, are you satisfied with the young talents who have come today?”

Long Xue’s gaze shifted back to Li Xiaobai and asked.

“Hehe, satisfied, very satisfied. Tea gatherings, after all, are for enjoying music together, which is lovely,” Li Xiaobai chuckled, scratching his head as he plopped down beside the white-robed fat man, surreptitiously sizing him up.

Seamless as a celestial garment, no flaws could be discerned, but intuition told him that this guy was his sixth senior brother, Liu Jingshui.

Long Xue was somewhat taken aback, not expecting such a reply. Listen to music?

Was he truly treating her as if she were a songstress from Chunxiu Tower?

This year’s cultivators attending the tea gathering were indeed amusing. Which young master of the past didn’t treat her as an Untouchable Immortal, never uttering the term ‘headliner’, always presenting themselves in impeccable manners? It had been a long time since she had encountered such candid cultivators.

“Young Master Li is certainly an amusing person. You are right, everyone has indeed come to listen to music at today’s gathering. I have convened the young talents from all paths so that we could verify each other’s learnings. Naturally, I should take the lead and set an example,” Long Xue said with a light smile, summoning with a casual wave an ancient zither that appeared in her hands.

“This zither is transformed from Deep Sea Thousand-Year Coral Essence, with spiritual intelligence within, resonating with the Great Dao Melody,” she explained.

The surrounding cultivators were also gaping, staring at Li Xiaobai with incredulous and furious eyes.

How dare an overseas cultivator chat so casually with Lady Long?

And it seemed that Lady Long didn’t mind?

Why would Lady Long favor a nonchalant young cultivator? What was so special about this guy?

Listen to music?

It was simply an insult to Lady Long!

For so many years, they never dared to converse with Lady Long so casually. Who did this Li Xiaobai think he was?

In this world, no one understood Lady Long better than they did. Li Xiaobai’s actions, absolutely not permissible, must be sternly warned against; he must be instructed to keep his distance from Lady Long!

“Preposterous, utterly preposterous. What status does Lady Long hold? Yet you, as a proud son of heaven, dare to utter such vulgar language; it’s a blatant insult to Lady Long!”

The one speaking was a cultivator from the Situ Household, seething with anger.

“Indeed, you dare to be so disrespectful towards Lady Long. Lady Long is an Immortal of the sea realm, above mundane worldly affairs, a true Immortal. How could you summarize and describe her as simply a singer?”

“Naive child, completely clueless.”

The eyes of the other cultivators brimmed with fury, their annoyance with Li Xiaobai reaching its peak; the tea party hadn’t even started, and he had managed to dampen everyone’s spirits.

They felt extremely aggrieved. Why should this man be allowed to speak so casually to an Immortal? Why didn’t the Immortal care about his attitude? Wasn’t this a slap in their faces?

Absolutely not acceptable!

“Can an Immortal not sing songs?”

“Although I do not understand Immortals, I do know that they are proficient in the path of music, which is their life’s love. You believe that singing is an insult to the Immortal. Aren’t you indirectly suggesting that what an Immortal loves is something vulgar?”

“May I ask, what is the purpose of everyone’s visit today?”

Li Xiaobai narrowed his eyes slightly and said indifferently to the surrounding cultivators.

These people had impure motives and harbored ill-intent, yet they dared to challenge him, completely clueless.

As his words were spoken, the complexions of the cultivators in the hall changed. They hadn’t expected him to publicly pull off their fig leaf. Only at this moment did they remember that Li Xiaobai was not a cultivator of the Eastern Sea and need not care about the power behind them; naturally, he spoke without restraint.

Beichen Shixi and others looked on with eyes full of mockery, delighted to see the cultivators of the Situ Household lose face.

“Heh, there always are some self-righteous pretenders who like to feign decency. As someone who’s been there, I want to tell you that wearing a false mask won’t get you a wife. You deserve to be single for life.”

“Comparatively speaking, kid, I quite like you!”

The man in white also spoke with a sharp tongue, expressing considerable appreciation for Li Xiaobai in his words.

“Heh, thanks, brother,” Xiaobai said dryly. This fatso sure could put on an act.

The other cultivators’ faces alternated between green and white, fuming with anger. Just as they were about to say more, they were interrupted by Long Xue.

“Young Master Li is indeed an interesting man. You’re right, today’s tea party is indeed to listen to music. I have gathered young talents from all paths for mutual enlightenment, and of course, I must lead by example to inspire others,” Long Xue said with a light smile. Li Xiaobai’s bold statements had sparked her interest, and she was even more eager to see if he was truly the once-in-a-millennium genius as claimed by their third leader.

With a casual wave of her hand, an ancient qin appeared in her grasp.

“This qin is transformed from the essence of Deep Sea Thousand-Year Coral, imbued with intelligence, able to connect with the Great Dao Melody, and possesses the ability to enlighten one’s heart and reveal one’s true nature. It’s just that I have not mastered my art and will make a fool of myself here!”

Long Xue spoke softly, her delicate fingers caressing the strings of the qin, layers of musical Dao rhythm flowing out, with pleasing notes dancing in the air, cleansing the souls of everyone present.

Within the music of the qin, there was a faint mixture of crane and Phoenix cries, and a subtle aura of authority spread from her, making the audience feel as if they were sitting beneath the Phoenix trees, with the qin sounds gradually turning into the shrieks of Phoenixes.

It was as if within this tower, a Phoenix nested, sacred and ethereal.