Liu Shinian initially thought Jin Yulan was joking, but he was serious.
Filled with doubt and disbelief at his decision, he immediately accused him,
"Jin Yulan, what nonsense are you talking about? How can she go?"
Facing Liu Shinian's questioning, Jin Yulan remained unfazed, only saying,
"I believe in her ability."
Dao Lang also felt puzzled and asked,
"Boss Jin, could you have made a mistake? Mu Ye, how can she go?"
Ada was also confused.
"I heard that Ten Thousand Ghosts Forest is extremely dangerous.
Mu Ye doesn't know anything, so she'll be useless there."
Everyone was bewildered, assuming he was joking.
Facing their speculation and confusion, Jin Yulan remained firm in his decision.
"You don't need to guess. No one is more suitable for this heavy responsibility than Mu Ye."
Liu Shinian listened to his every word, all pointing to Mu Ye going to Ten Thousand Ghosts Forest.
He couldn't believe he had become so muddled.
In a fit of rage, he drew his long sword and pointed it directly at Jin Yulan's throat.
In an instant, silence fell, the surroundings deathly still. Everyone was stunned.
They stared blankly at Jin Yulan and Liu Shinian.
However, in this Thousand Beauties Hall, no one had ever dared to lay a hand on Jin Yulan.
Liu Shinian was the first.
Jin Yulan was neither hurried nor impatient, gazing at the sword before him, his expression still calm.
He smiled faintly and spoke of the pain buried deep in Liu Shinian's heart, a pain that would never fade.
"What, you can't escape your own long-standing gloom, yet you refuse to help when someone is in danger.
And you won't allow others to help either. Don't you think you're like a coward?"
Jin Yulan's words struck like daggers, directly hitting Liu Shinian's sore spot.
His hand trembled slightly as he retracted his sword and pulled me over, saying,
"Let's go."
Ali and Ada hurried to follow.
As we reached the doorway, a group of guards suddenly rushed in from both sides, surrounding us.
Liu Shinian shielded me behind him and drew his sword again, ready to fight them.
Jin Yulan leaped forward lightly and pulled me out.
Liu Shinian turned and slashed with his sword. Jin Yulan, holding a folding fan, easily deflected it.
"Let her go!"
Liu Shinian shouted.
Jin Yulan shook his head and advised him,
"Liu Shinian, don't be unreasonable."
"Jin Yulan, I misjudged you."
"You never truly saw me."
"Since that's the case, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"You are no match for me."
Saying this, Liu Shinian swung his sword with great speed.
The sword moved so fast that only faint, flashing sword shadows were visible.
However, Jin Yulan was not just a idler who only knew how to eat, drink, and play.
He possessed unfathomable, supreme strength.
And his strength far surpassed Liu Shinian's.
Every move Liu Shinian made, Jin Yulan could steadily parry.
After dozens of exchanges, Jin Yulan suddenly kicked a nearby chair towards him.
Liu Shinian cut through it with his sword and leaped forward again.
Everyone present was witnessing Jin Yulan's combat skills for the first time.
No one had expected that the owner of Thousand Beauties Hall, who was usually elusive and only spoke of romance,
possessed such profound martial arts. It was truly astonishing.
Jin Yulan fought while dragging me along.
He dodged the sword with a sidestep and delivered a swift kick.
He pinned Liu Shinian's sword under his foot.
Jin Yulan smiled faintly and taunted him,
"Fighting with such impulsiveness doesn't seem like your style.
You should move on from your past pain."
Liu Shinian sneered and abandoned his sword.
He decisively threw a punch, engaging in close combat.
Jin Yulan wielded his folding fan, sending it flying to counter the attack.
Ali watched them exchange blows, while Mu Ye was still tightly held by Jin Yulan,
making her a dangerous object in this confrontation.
He cried out in a hurry,
"You can fight anytime, just don't hurt Mu Ye."
Liu Shinian also said,
"Let Mu Ye go!"
Jin Yulan smiled faintly and then flung me away.
Liu Shinian rushed forward to catch me.
Jin Yulan leaped forward, landing in front of him and blocking his path.
Seeing this, Ali rushed to the side to catch me.
I spun around several times before collapsing into his arms.
Fei Xiong and Dao Lang watched the two men stare at each other for a long time.
Liu Shinian bit his lip slightly, his eyes filled with ferocity.
Jin Yulan, however, maintained his composed demeanor.
Seeing that they were about to fight again, and unsure when this meeting would end, everyone stepped forward to pull them apart.
Dao Lang advised,
"There's no need for you two to fight. Shinian, don't get angry.
Boss Jin has his reasons for saying what he did.
It wouldn't hurt to listen before making a decision."
Fei Xiong asked,
"Boss Jin, why must you insist on Mu Ye going?
She has no magical powers, no weapons, and can't even protect herself."
Jin Yulan sighed faintly, moved past Liu Shinian, and faced everyone, slowly explaining the reason.
"In the past few days, I've been reviewing ancient texts about humans.
The books say that humans have an extremely accurate sense of direction and judgment.
Even in difficult situations, they can calmly find a way out."
Li Sanren, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked,
"Humans? Legends say they are ancient beings comparable to gods.
But no one has ever seen them, so how can we know if the books are true?"
"A few days ago, I invited a fate diviner.
The master observed the celestial phenomena at night and concluded that
to resolve this predicament, only the humans described in the books can do so."
The others still didn't believe him, finding his claims somewhat absurd.
Seeing their doubts, Jin Yulan immediately addressed the guards at the door,
"You all may leave. Go and invite that elder."
"Yes,"
The guards responded and then retreated.
Before long, an old man slowly walked in from outside the door.
The old man was dressed in purple robes and had white hair.
He held a transparent crystal ball in his left hand and leaned on a red sandalwood cane in his right.
His face was solemn and dignified, possessing the air of an otherworldly sage.
Upon seeing him, everyone was surprised and shocked, murmuring amongst themselves.
"Isn't that the renowned fate diviner, Elder Shui Xingyuan?"
"Legends say he's rarely seen, how did he end up here?"
"Yes, yes, it's said he spent his life traveling, only to perform divination for those destined."
The crowd, who had initially doubted Jin Yulan's words,
now saw the highly respected elder personally involved.
Their doubts gradually turned into belief.
After the fate diviner took his seat, he spoke of his observations from the previous night.
"I was invited by Young Master Jin to resolve this predicament.
Last night, I observed the celestial phenomena and found that the stars had shifted, and the heavenly bodies were dim.
However, one northern star was exceptionally bright.
Therefore, I concluded that this other realm must contain an extraordinary being from the outside world."
He paused and continued,
"I then calculated the fate of Master Zhang and his companions, and found that they could still be saved.
Ten Thousand Ghosts Forest only affects those with demonic powers, but not humans.
If humans are placed within it, it's like walking through an ordinary misty forest.
They can find their way out with a little application of astronomy and geography.
Therefore, I am certain that only this young lady can save everyone.
However, there is one more thing you must remember.
Do not casually reveal this young lady's identity in front of outsiders,
lest it invite unnecessary disaster."
With that, he closed his eyes and vanished into smoke.
Li Sanren was still somewhat uneasy and asked,
"Although the elder's words seem reasonable, we haven't seen this young lady's abilities.
How can we be sure she can do it?"
Jin Yulan said,
"Then we can simply ask her."
A righteous warrior from Beishen, Xiao Yifang, looked at the unconscious person in Ali's arms and said helplessly,
"She's fainted from fright, how can we ask her?"
Jin Yulan looked over slowly and indeed, it was as he said.
He slowly walked to Ali's side and crouched down.
He fanned me with his fan, and I awoke from my daze.
Rubbing my eyes, I realized in a daze that everyone's gaze was fixed on me.
I felt a little scared and unsure of what to do.
At this moment, the righteous warrior from Beishen, Xiao Yifang, asked me,
"Young lady, do you have any methods for finding your way?"
"Methods for finding my way?"
I remembered in geography class that the teacher had mentioned some things, and they should be useful.
So I said,
"I remember that if you get lost in the wild, you can follow the flowing water to find your way out.
If you get lost at night, you can follow the Big Dipper.
During the day, you can look at the tree rings; the direction where the tree rings bulge is the way out."
Everyone listened to my explanation. Although they didn't fully understand,
they found it very impressive and began to praise me.
"Excellent, Miss Mu Ye certainly has her own wisdom."
"Yes, since Young Master Jin has made his decision, I have nothing more to say."
I listened to them talking amongst themselves, my mind filled with confusion.
I didn't know what had happened during the moments I was unconscious.
Seeing that everyone had no further objections, Jin Yulan knew that today's meeting had to end.
He then said to everyone,
"Everyone is tired today, so let's end the meeting here.
I have arranged accommodations for all of you. Please go and rest."
Li Sanren cupped his hands and said,
"Then we shall take our leave."
Xiao Yifang also said,
"I shall take my leave as well."
Jin Yulan replied,
"Alright, everyone may go."
Afterward, he ignored us and walked out of the pavilion by himself.
Liu Shinian sheathed his sword, his earlier rage gradually subsiding.
He slowly walked up to me, his gaze filled with a hint of worry, and asked with concern,
"Mu Ye, how are you?"
I struggled to get up and replied with a smile,
"I'm fine, just a little dizzy."
Fei Xiong and Dao Lang also came over and asked me,
"Mu Ye, how are you?"
I shook my head and said,
"I'm fine."
Dao Lang said,
"Since Boss Jin has arranged accommodations for us, we'll go and rest as well."
I nodded and said,
"Okay, you go ahead."
After Fei Xiong and Dao Lang left, Liu Shinian, still indignant, began to complain about Jin Yulan.
"Jin Yulan, I really misjudged him. I never expected him to be like this."
Seeing his anger was for my sake,
I couldn't help but feel touched. I placed a hand on his shoulder and comforted him,
"Don't get so worked up, calm down.
Your moves just now were so cool, the most amazing I've ever seen."
Liu Shinian smiled slightly upon hearing my praise, his heart warming again.
Ali also praised him,
"Brother Liu is truly amazing. He held his own against Boss Jin without being at a disadvantage."
Liu Shinian chuckled proudly upon hearing this,
"Hahaha, that old fellow Jin Yulan.
If I hadn't been out of practice for so many years, he wouldn't have stood a chance against me."
Ada also praised him,
"Brother, those punches you threw just now were so cool. Teach me sometime."
Liu Shinian patted his shoulder, filled with joy.
"Sure, I'll definitely teach you."
"There's no one else here, let's go too."
Ali looked around the empty surroundings, with only a few of us left, feeling quite desolate.
"Okay, let's go."
Liu Shinian intended to take us downstairs and out of Thousand Beauties Hall.
Unexpectedly, as soon as we exited the pavilion, a woman intercepted him.
The woman said,
"Young Master Liu, our young lady wishes to see you."
Liu Shinian's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately guessed who it was.
"Xue Ji."
"Yes, Young Master Liu, please follow me."
He hadn't expected Xue Ji to seek him out. Filled with joy, he turned to us and said,
"You guys go ahead, I'll be right back."
"Okay..."
Saying this, he followed the woman.
The few of us stood there, unsure where to go.
Ada looked around. The place was empty, and only we were left. She asked doubtfully,
"Aren't there any guides?"
Ali also suspected,
"Could it be that they don't have rooms for us?"
I comforted them,
"It's fine. If we don't have a place to stay, we'll just leave Thousand Beauties Hall.
After all, we have places to stay outside, and it would be a waste not to use them, since we paid for them."
This made everyone more optimistic. Ada, however, was still a little worried.
"That's true, but what about Brother Liu?"
Ali thought for a moment and said,
"If Brother Liu comes back and can't find us,
he'll guess that we've left Thousand Beauties Hall and will follow us. Don't worry."
I agreed with Ali's opinion.
"Then let's go downstairs."
"Okay."
Just as the three of us were about to move, we suddenly saw a woman in pink slowly approaching in the distance.
The woman slowly walked closer, bowed to us, and then said,
"Guests, you've waited a long time. My young master has prepared rooms for you.
Please follow me."
It turned out they were just a little late.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble."
Then, we followed the woman to our accommodations.
Meanwhile, Liu Shinian followed the woman downstairs and arrived at the entrance of the garden from before.
This time, no one blocked his way.
As he stepped into the garden, he heard a melodious and pleasant zither melody.
The melody was sometimes like high mountains and flowing water, and sometimes as light as a spring.
Liu Shinian closed his eyes slightly and listened carefully.
He recognized this melody, unlike any other zither player.
This melody was interwoven with ice and snow, spring and autumn.
It was upon hearing this exquisite melody that he had fallen for Xue Ji.
"Young Master, please follow me."
The woman in front saw him pause and turned back to call him.
He then came to his senses, said "Mm,"
and followed the person forward. After passing a rockery,
he saw a high pavilion built beside a lotus pond.
Liu Shinian followed the person up and arrived before a screen.
Behind the screen, a melodious zither tune could be heard.
Liu Shinian secretly peeked to the side, but was blocked by the woman beside him.
Liu Shinian turned his head sideways in resignation.
"I heard you had a confrontation with Young Master in Qianji Pavilion."
A voice as beautiful as heavenly music graced his ears.
Liu Shinian couldn't hide his smile upon hearing the voice.
"I didn't expect you to know about it so quickly."
"I originally thought you were a timid person, but I didn't expect you to have some backbone."
Liu Shinian was surprised that Xue Ji thought of him as timid and cowardly.
He coughed a few times, deciding to regain his dignity.
"Cough, cough, cough, I'm not what you think.
My swordsmanship is still here, I just don't use it often."
Xue Ji chuckled softly, and Liu Shinian felt as if he were basking in spring breeze.
"I heard you've made new friends?"
"Yes, they are all rare and good friends."
"Friends? I used to think you were indifferent to the world, only devoted to the way of wine.
I never expected that in just a few days, you would seem like a changed person."
"Hehehe, I had too many worries before."
"That's good, it means you won't bother me.
I invited you here today just to see you.
Now that I've seen you, you're not as good as before. You may leave."
"More..."
Liu Shinian wanted to say a few more words, but Xue Ji had already left, playing her zither.
He hurriedly stood up, went around the screen, and came to the back.
Beneath the falling white cloths, the place was already empty.
"Xue Ji."
Liu Shinian murmured, still having so many things he wanted to tell her.
The woman beside him also stepped forward and invited him,
"Young Master Liu, please return."
Liu Shinian sighed faintly and had no choice but to go back.