Chapter 888 - 409: A Hundred Boats Competing, Courtesan’s Birthday Banquet, Long Dream in the Azure Heavens, Thirty-Three Skies (Part 4)

Chapter 888: Chapter 409: A Hundred Boats Competing, Courtesan’s Birthday Banquet, Long Dream in the Azure Heavens, Thirty-Three Skies (Part 4)

Shuimeng Garden is deeper inside, surrounded by marshes. Xu Shaoqian, Li Xian, and Lei Chong arrived at a bank. A maid was waiting by the shore, looked at them, clasped her hands and asked, "Who might you be..."

Xu Shaoqian clasped his hands and said, "We heard that Miss Xiangrong is holding a birthday banquet here. We are friends of Miss Xiangrong, specially here to visit, and have prepared birthday gifts."

The maid said, "Friends from afar have come, please take a boat inside, the three of you. It’s just that the regulation has been temporarily changed, originally three people to a boat, now it’s changed to one person per boat."

Xu Shaoqian was taken aback and asked, "Why the change?" The maid covered her mouth and laughed, "Perhaps the elder sister is feeling quite lonely, always seeing you all in groups, she doesn’t say it, but deep down is envious. So she came up with a method to separate you."

Xu Shaoqian heard this and smiled. Hearing the word "loneliness," he thought, "Having been alone for long, one desires company. This principle is simple enough, yet bringing these two here seems somewhat pointless under such circumstances."

Originally... Xu Shaoqian intended to include "Li Xian," but at such occasions, there was no real need to involve him. It was because of the previous regulation of three per boat. Xu Shaoqian thought, "If I sit alone in a boat, it would feel empty. Calling others to join poses some risks of rivalry over Xiangrong. If I randomly choose a companion, and their status is too low, wouldn’t it lower my own status? Might as well call the Gold Appraisal Guard along, to both display my status and occupy a boat alone."

Thus, despite a bit of disdain, he brought the two to the banquet. Xu Shaoqian sighed to himself, "Well, since we are here, I cannot send them back." He said, "Each get on a boat!"

There were several small boats moored by the shore. Xu Shaoqian leaped, stepping onto the bow with elegance, and was already ahead without caring for Li Xian and Lei Chong.

Li Xian thought amusingly, "So Xu Shaoqian intended to use me as a headcount. Little did he know that regulations would change, and the count became unnecessary. Well then, if it were not for him, I wouldn’t enjoy such a fine banquet."

He also jumped onto a boat.

These boats were very stable, with an "an table" and a futon in the middle. Incense that inspired contemplation burned on the table. Li Xian sat steadily, his palm sent a gentle breeze across the water, slowly pushing the boat away from the shore.

His speed was very slow, surrounded by mist, making it hard to see others. Li Xian wasn’t in a hurry to catch up, drifting lightly with the current, thinking, "If I’m not wrong, the banquet should be aboard the boats. While they spend effort vying for favor, I, however, am only here to enjoy the delicacies this place has to offer."

On the table was a wine goblet and a flask. Li Xian filled half a cup and drank in one sip, feeling the fragrance of wine linger on the palate for a long time, a delightful drink. Though the wine wasn’t strong, it subtly intoxicated.

Li Xian raised an eyebrow slightly, "Could it be that the courtesan intends to test one’s drinking capacity? While this wine is delightful, those not able with drink will surely be drunk within ten cups, most unseemly at a lady’s banquet."

Continuing to drink wine, drifting along with the flow. Suddenly, the mist ahead dispersed slightly, opening up the view. Before him, stepping into a vast water-town scenery. Quite expansive, sporadically occupied by over a hundred red boats.

The passengers in the boats were all young talents. Li Xian thought, "She truly is a courtesan beyond compare. For someone like her, although General Xu is a Central Lang General, young yet accomplished, truly capturing her heart might not necessarily be a sure thing."

At the forefront of the flotilla of red boats, floated a red-sleeve boat. Tao Xiangrong was on the red-sleeve boat. Xu Shaoqian, with exceptional martial arts, walked confidently amongst the red boats, nearing the red-sleeve boat closely.

There were quite a number of people around him, not inferior to him, covertly competing, vying with each other.

The red-sleeve boat was sailing ahead, not slowly. For the other red boats to keep pace, martial arts or paddling had to be employed to accelerate the voyage, but in such a setting, paddling would be losing face.

Thus, no one paddled, feigning ease, sitting cross-legged on the futon, covertly using their martial arts to push water and propel the red boats.

The red boats, however, were made of special materials, designed to obstruct and dissipate Inner Qi. Sitting cross-legged in the boat, using martial arts to propel it, was remarkably challenging.

Li Xian murmured, "This courtesan must really enjoy seeing men vying for her favor. She deliberately set up such a scene of hundreds of boats contending. Making people exhaust Qi power, only to gaze distantly at her hem, never obtaining, the heart restless."

Nearly a hundred red boats, mutual restraints are formed. If one pushes forward, wanting to get nearer to the courtesan’s red-sleeve boat, the crowded forefront would already hinder the path, and those upfront would surely block, obstructing the rear boats.

The young talents who could consistently follow behind the red-sleeve boat already demonstrated their prowess.

In all these...

Though there was no explicit contention, contention was everywhere!

Yet Li Xian, intent on mooching food, content in the rear, was quite relaxed. Seeing no one paid attention, he lay down in the boat, drinking directly from the wine flask.

Pleasure in leisure, there’s joy in that.

Soon, the birthday banquet began.