My Wife Is A Sword Immortal
Chapter 221 - 182 She’s Here

Chapter 221: Chapter 182 She’s Here

The attendees of the gathering were already largely introduced by Ye Ruoxi, who swept her gaze around once more before finally settling in the southeastern corner, a direction she had deliberately ignored before.

In the southeastern corner of the gathering, there was a cluster of emerald bamboo, beneath which sat a torreya wood chess pedestal. A man and a woman were seated opposite each other on either side.

However, at this moment the two were not engaged in a game of chess; the match on the board had been played out.

The man on the side of the white pieces was reading, a thick tome resting on his lap. He pinched two white Go pieces between his fingers, twirling them playfully, while his other hand leisurely turned the pages of his book.

The man casually flipped through his book, seemingly engrossed and oblivious to the hubbub of the gathering.

When the gathering’s eyes—all following Ye Ruoxi’s lead—fell upon him, he remained as if deaf to their attention, head unraised.

The man wore plain, dark robes. Although he was looking down, one could roughly make out his countenance was as fine as jade.

The woman opposite him was similarly attired.

The woman on the side of the black pieces wore the simple uniform of a Taiyi Mansion resident student. Her looks, compared to most of the women at the gathering, were unremarkable. Calmly and attentively, she tidied up the chessboard, sorting the white and black pieces into their respective boxes as if it were a matter of great importance.

Ye Ruoxi’s gaze naturally overlooked the young man engrossed in his book; she beamed at the woman on the side of the black pieces and introduced her to the Academy’s scholars:

"This is Senior Sister Yun Zi from Taiyi Mansion. I’ve long admired Senior Sister Yun Zi, but she seldom appears in public. I never expected to meet her here in the Nuanyi Bamboo Garden. Sister Kongyi and Master Du are indeed capable, even inviting Senior Sister Yun Zi, which is a fortunate occasion for me. I’ve heard Senior Sister Yun Zi is preparing for seclusion to forge her Golden Core. Here, I, along with the junior brothers and sisters, wish Senior Sister Yun Zi success in reaching a high-grade Golden Core and a smooth graduation."

All echoed their agreement.

Yun Zi smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your concern, junior brothers and sisters."

Zhao Rong interrupted his thoughts and looked up to size up this resident student who was likely the highest in cultivation among those present. As for the young man opposite her, Zhao Rong was also curious, but regretfully, after Ye Ruoxi exchanged a few words with Yun Zi, she turned her gaze away, with no intention to introduce the unnamed man.

What caught Zhao Rong’s interest more was that after Yun Zi finished speaking, she continued to tidy up the chessboard. After patiently sorting all the chess pieces into their respective boxes, aside from the two white pieces the young man was idly turning in his hand, she took out a tea set and brewed a cup of tea. Then, she slightly rose, extended both hands to present the cup beside the hand of the young man, and said something softly.

The man nodded slightly without lifting his head, picked up the tea cup for a sip, and continued to read.

Yun Zi sat quietly beside him, waiting.

This pair, resembling master and servant, seemed like outsiders to the gathering at Nuanyi, each in their little world, not joining the lively crowd.

Not only did Zhao Rong notice this spectacle—most of the cultivators from the Taiching Prefecture were keen and observant; none of them were blind. Yet, few showed any curiosity or interest, reacting indifferently as if they were already familiar with the situation.

Zhao Rong watched for a while, then withdrew his attention; he was aware that among the collection of talents from all over the Taiching Four Mansions, many were dragons hiding in plain sight.

After introducing everyone, Ye Ruoxi teased with a laugh:

"Listening to me blabber on so much must have been hard on everyone. But now, after this round of introductions, everyone should be somewhat acquainted, so let’s not be shy anymore. Let’s liven things up."

Her eyes twinkling, Ye Ruoxi glanced at Li Jinsu beside her, who wore a serious expression, "Although the main purpose of holding a gathering in this scenic mountain and river setting is to recite poetry and discuss scholarship, since it is a cultural meeting, we must have elegant people, elegant affairs, and an elegant mood. Besides, with so many beautiful ladies attending, we can’t all just sit and listen to the gentlemen’s lengthy discussions. We need to organize some interesting activities that both men and women can participate in. Hehe, I just happen to have a fun idea..."

Ye Ruoxi paused, looked around at everyone, the majority of whom were looking at her, all ears, and then with a finger raised, she continued with a smile:

"Hmm, as for what it is, let me keep you in suspense for a moment. Not everyone has arrived yet, so let’s wait another quarter of an hour. This will also give the Dragon Carp ladies time to set up. After a quarter of an hour, I’ll share the details with you all."

With that said, everyone dispersed with laughter, each engaging in various entertainments.

It was now late morning, the sunshine was splendid, and a gentle breeze weaved through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, adorning the Nuanyi riverside gathering and the young students and scholars with dappled light.

Some were leisurely enjoying individual activities—listening to the rush of the Bamboo Forest, angling in the warm stream, resting against a rock, or drawing with incense...

Some men gathered together noisily—one playing the zither, a few others gathered around, steeping tea from spring water.

As for those ethereal women, in groups, they ran upstream of Nuanyi, away from the gaze of the men, to a secluded part of the stream amid the forest where they rolled up their garments to wash their feet in the water.

The sounds of splashing water faintly reached those further away, accompanied by peals of giggling like silver bells; surely they were playfully splashing water, their garments soaked and clinging, waves surging..

The women’s clear, distinct laughter resonated.

Those men downstream, upon hearing these sounds, exchanged looks and found their thoughts wandering.

"Junior brother, remember, it is indecent to look and indecent to listen," reminded his senior brother as they prepared tea together.

Upon hearing these words, Zhao Rong’s lips twitched.

He glanced at Li Jinsu, who was intently preparing tea with a stern face, somewhat at a loss for words.

"Eldest Senior Brother, you told me to mind my own business, so why is your face all red? Could it be that you also heard Miss Ye’s laughter just now?"

"Alright, cough cough, Eldest Senior Brother, your tea is spilling over..."

About a quarter of an hour later, everyone returned, laughing along the way. Ye Ruoxi clapped her hands crisply, and all gathered around her once again.

Ye Ruoxi glanced down the mountain and saw her cousin had not yet arrived, showing a hint of hesitation. After thinking for a moment, she was ready to speak.

Just then.

In her field of vision, not far below, two women were gracefully making their way up the mountain.

At first glance, Ye Ruoxi recognized the woman in front. Her eyes lit up.

"At last she arrives. Hmph, this beauty-conscious girl has dressed up quite decently. Wait, the woman in the ruqun behind her seems familiar... Oh no, could it be her? Why would she wear such a pretty dress..."

The one leading the way up the mountain was indeed Ye Lanzi, who had been delayed.

When Ye Ruoxi saw clearly the woman following Ye Lanzi, her expression first registered confusion, then surprise began to emerge.

The participants of the Nuanyi Gathering noticed that Ye Ruoxi remained silent, her neck rigidly twisted, her gaze seemingly frozen in a particular direction, stunned and immobile. They couldn’t help but turn their heads to follow her line of sight.

They saw that the woman brought up by Ye Lanzi... was Zhao Lingfei.

What was most astonishing was that Zhao Lingfei today didn’t wear her usual plain and simple attire.

Her hair was still coiled with wooden hairpins, but a delicate hint of makeup adorned her petite oval face. Her eyes were like autumn waters reflecting the moonlight, her brows like distant mountains enveloped in mists, and her skin was radiant like peach blossoms after the rain.

Her already delicate face seemed even more refined and fair, and the teardrop mole below her left eye appeared to have been emphasized with a dab of vermilion, its color deepened, adding a touch of softness to her cool beauty.

It was as if during a summer night, the full moon had dipped into the water and was being caressed by the fragrant breeze, its perfect curve slightly melted, transforming its solitary coldness into a hazy and tender luminance.

This was Zhao Lingfei wearing light makeup.

If the Residence Students were not mistaken, since her return to Taiching Prefecture at the beginning of the year, Lingfei had always appeared barefaced. Today was the first time in many months she had shown up with makeup.

That wasn’t all; Zhao Lingfei was no longer dressed in plain white garb. Instead, she wore a moon-white brocaded ruqun that fit snugly across the chest.

Some perceptive Residence Students gradually widened their eyes. It seemed that this was the first time since Zhao Lingfei joined Taiching Prefecture that she had worn such a traditionally feminine and delicate garment.

The atmosphere at the edge of the Nuanyi Gathering became silently heavy.

Zhao Lingfei, with her lotus steps, approached the gathering. The surprise her arrival caused among the attendees was even greater than the surprise of her sudden appearance.

Many opened their mouths slightly, with some men revealing a hint of shock in their eyes.

Among them, some furrowed their brows, unable to avoid recalling the rumors which had been circulating within the prefecture and were slowly spreading—rumors concerning Zhao Lingfei’s husband. They shook their heads lightly, finding it hard to believe... Could it be true?

The arrival of Zhao Lingfei rippled through the gathering, eliciting a variety of reactions.

Liu Kongyi, who had until that moment been idly staring at the stream out of boredom, was no longer the indifferent figure from before; instead, he watched Zhao Lingfei intently without blinking an eye.

Upon seeing her arrayed thus, Liu Kongyi’s eyes gradually narrowed, gleaming with a flickering light.

The enigmatic Dragon Carp, which was silently swishing its tail through the air, came to a halt beside her, motionless.

Not far away,

beneath the canopy of the Bamboo Forest, the man who had been engrossed in reading a book by the chessboard immediately looked up the moment Zhao Lingfei appeared in his line of sight.

His hands stilled, and without any visible movement, the white chess pieces that had been jumping between his fingers as if preparing for a morning’s play had vanished.

Simultaneously, the sound of jade stones colliding crisply and pleasantly issued from the chess box.

Ji Qianyi, seated beside the chessboard, had straightened up, his gaze fixed on the gracefully approaching Zhao Lingfei, pupils contracting.

On the other side of the chessboard, Yun Zi saw his master’s reaction, his expression still calm.