Chapter 1729
Chapter 1729 (Raw 1740):
The young maidservant withdrew from that immortal scene of clouds and water on the eighth floor. Then, a refined and exquisite beauty emerged from the flower boat.
Suddenly, a huge commotion erupted in the Smiling Daughter Pavilion as many people cried out Ling Long's name.
Xiao Chen looked at that woman. She did look as pretty as a flower, capable of ruining a kingdom with her beauty. Her appearance and air were excellent.
Of course, the most shocking thing for Xiao Chen was that this woman's cultivation was actually at the Major Primal Core Realm.
Purely in terms of apparent strength, this woman was actually stronger than Xiao Chen. Jiang He's words were true.
Ling Yu showed an embarrassed expression. He was just feeling conflicted over this earlier. He raised his head and looked at that woman. However, after merely one glance, his hand that held the wine cup froze.
Ling Long held her pipa in her embrace and nodded lightly. Then, her delicate hands started gently plucking the strings.
A wondrous pipa melody rang out, very pleasant to hear. It sounded like it came from right beside the ear. "Ding dong! Ding dong!" It sang of a splendid story.
The noisy chatter fell silent the moment the pipa music began.
Everyone was immersed in this wondrous state. The scenes of green mountains and flowing rivers immediately came to mind. When everyone closed their eyes, it was like this beautiful vista was just right before them, tangible if they just reached out.
Slowly, the many decorations in the elegant room, the mountains and rivers painting on the wall, and the pretty girls carved on the screen, they all seemed to come to life.
The flower boat on that foggy river above bobbed up and down along with the pipa music. They complemented each other perfectly, looking magnificent like a poem or a painting.
The bold strings rattled like splatters of sudden rain; the fine strings hummed like lovers' whispers.
Chattering and pattering, pattering and chattering; as pearls, large and small, on a jade plate fall.
The sweet melody recalls oriole singing among flowers; the sobbing music brings the gushing spring out of glacier.
The spring frozen, the strings ceased vibration; the water stopped flowing and silence set in.
In my heart, a spell of deep feeling; at this magical moment, silence tells more than sound.
[TL Note: The above five lines are a part of a Tang Dynasty Chinese poem called "Song of the Pipa Player." This poem is about compassion for a highly skilled female pipa musician who went through all sorts of misfortune, and her talents ended up being buried. It is also about the poet's rage at being implicated despite being innocent. The actual poem is much longer; this is just a part of it. Reference for the english translation for the poem is taken from here: ]
At some point, the music stopped. However, everyone remained immersed in it, their eyes still closed.
"Wonderful!" Xiao Chen could not help praising as he slowly opened his eyes.
However, Xiao Chen discovered that Jiang He's eyes were already open. "Brother Xiao, did you manage to comprehend something from it?"
Xiao Chen took a sip of wine and said, "No, I just felt that the pipa music was wonderful, filled with many variations. It complemented the elegant room and its decorations. One could not help becoming engrossed in it. However, at the very last note, this song of hers did not seem finished yet, as if there were still many emotions to be expressed, but she stopped for some reason."
Jiang He smiled and said, "Great, in that case, I will help Brother Xiao clear your doubts. Tonight, I will get the headliner Ling Long to come and accompany Brother Xiao."
Jiang He casually waved his hand, and a flowing crystalline light flew out of the window.
Countless Medial Grade Spirit Jades flew out of Jiang He's storage ring, forming a flowing and dazzling ribbon of light.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The moment the Spirit Jades flew out, they automatically headed towards the flower basket in the hand of the young maidservant on the flower boat.
"One hundred thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades to obtain Miss Ling Long's card!"
Jiang He was very generous. With a wave of his hand, one hundred thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades were spent just like spilling water.
However, the flower basket in that young maidservant's hand did not expose anything, directly accommodating all of the Spirit Jades.
"How generous! The moment he made a move, he tossed out one hundred thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades. I wonder which honored guest it is?!"
The spectators startled awake from the music. When they saw such generous giving, they were shocked.
One hundred thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades was a rather average sum, but ordinary people would not dare to spend such an amount casually.
It was not that they could not take out one hundred thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades. It was the fact that Jiang He took out one hundred thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades simply to please a performer.
"It's him. He is that Jiang He who managed to win the bid for the Life Juice Source at the Soaring Dragon Pavilion!"
"No wonder he is so generous. He is someone who can afford to spend four million Medial Grade Spirit Jades. Naturally, one hundred thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades is nothing to him!"
"I heard that he even offended the Cluster Lord's Residence's people. He showed off too much and stood out; many people are already upset with him."
Jiang He did not care about the various discussions taking place around him. He continued to smile, as though there was nothing around frustrating him.
"Two hundred thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades!"
Just as Jiang He thought that the matter was settled, a clear voice rang out as two hundred thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades flew into the flower basket.
Jiang He's face sank. That voice seemed to be directed at him. Clearly, there was some other meaning for doubling that amount.
"Three hundred thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades!"
Jiang He already made a declaration to Xiao Chen and could not possibly back away.
"Four hundred thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades!"
"Five hundred thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades!"
…
"One million Medial Grade Spirit Jades!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Light flickered in the Smiling Daughter Pavilion as ribbons of crystalline light made of Spirit Jades snaked about, making the pavilion looked resplendent and dazzling.
The flower basket, which concealed the bounty, flickered with light that seemed to expand infinitely, dazzling everyone's eyes.
When the one million Medial Grade Spirit Jades entered the flower basket, a colorful cascade of countless beautiful flowers burst out.
In that instant, the Smiling Daughter Pavilion filled with blossoms, looking very vibrant and indescribably beautiful.
Jiang He's face sank, but he could no longer keep adding Spirit Jades. When the other party sent out one million Medial Grade Spirit Jades, he could no longer keep up.
Everyone in the Smiling Daughter Pavilion knew that someone was purposely going against Jiang He, wanting to trample on him in front of everyone.
"Blooming flowers filling the hall!"
"This is my first time seeing such a scene. They must have thrown in at least four or five million Medial Grade Spirit Jades by now."
"What a rare sight! This is my first time seeing such intense competition. This is too crazy."
"Do they have to go that far?"
"That is the Heavenly Profound Gate's Feng Chen, the Flowing Cloud Sect's Chen Yun, and the Thunderflame Castle's Yan Yuan!"
"I remember them. In the contest of the Great Desolate Divine Eyes at the Soaring Dragon Pavilion, those three were the ones who lasted to the end."
"No wonder they are purposely causing trouble for Jiang He. It turns out that a grudge was already sown in the Soaring Dragon Pavilion."
"Haha! This is interesting. This time, Jiang He is going to be so embarrassed."
Excited cries immediately cropped up in the Smiling Daughter Pavilion. Some people wanted to watch a commotion here; they would never complain that the commotion was too big.
Jiang He shrugged and smiled helplessly. "It can't be helped. In the end, I'm unable to obtain Miss Ling Long's card."
In the clash with the others earlier, sending out Spirit Jades in turn, Jiang He already spent about two million Medial Grade Spirit Jades. Right now, he could no longer take out any more Spirit Jades. The other side had three people while he was alone, so he was at a disadvantage in the first place.
This somewhat flabbergasted Ling Yu. This clash truly opened his eyes. In just a few blinks of an eye, so much was spent.
"Pauper, if you cannot afford to, then don't participate!"
"In the Soaring Dragon Pavilion, we were just giving face to the Cluster Lord. It was not that we could not handle you. To think that you dare to come to the Smiling Daughter Pavilion and show off!"
Just as Xiao Chen was about to say something, sarcastic comments came from the elegant room that had been opposing Jiang He.
In that particular elegant room, Feng Chen, Chen Yun, and Yan Yuan showed cold smiles and expressions of mockery as they sipped their wine.
The Heavenly Profound Gate's Feng Chen said, "Let's see if he is still able to continue laughing in the Smiling Daughter Pavilion."
Yan Yuan set down his wine cup heavily and said, "This fellow really doesn't know the rules. I wonder what backwater he came from. To think that he dared to be so arrogant. How reckless!"
"Tonight, we will show him what the rules are!"
These three were elites of the nearby astral clusters. In the contest of the Great Desolate Divine Eyes, they stood out prominently.
However, who could have imagined that this Jiang He from wherever would snatch the Life Juice Source in such a high-profile manner? Furthermore, he even dared to show off in the Smiling Daughter Pavilion without any care or fear.
The former was already enough to agitate these three. After some investigations into Jiang He, they followed him to the Smiling Daughter Pavilion.
Their goal was none other than to beat down on Jiang He's sharpness before forcing him to hand over the Life Juice Source.
When Jiang He heard that, he immediately showed a murderous intent on his face. Then, a playful smile appeared in his eyes.
Xiao Chen held down Jiang He's hand and said, "Let's play with them!"
This Smiling Daughter Pavilion was not a place where they could take the initiative to attack the other side.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Xiao Chen waved his hand, and two million Medial Grade Spirit Jades flew out, turning into a stream of magnificent light as they flowed into the flower basket.
Inside the other elegant room, Feng Chen and his companions were all stunned.
The ribbon of light formed by two million Medial Grade Spirit Jades continued for a long time before the flower basket finally collected all of them.
This sight stunned everyone who saw it, making them gape in disbelief.
Immediately, a boundless, beautiful, dazzling, iridescent light shot out from the flower basket in the young maidservant's hands. As it shone on the eighth floor, where the clouds and waters were, the scene was like heaven on earth.
"Whoosh!"
A fairy-like beauty flew out from the rainbow light and performed a sword dance in the air.
This figure looked magnificent. The sword dancer possessed an extraordinary appearance, giving off a hazy air that brought all the people in the Smiling Daughter Pavilion to their feet and drew them to the windows as they opened their eyes wide, doing their best to get a better look.
These people only wanted to clearly see that fairy's face. Everyone was intoxicated by her charm, unable to pull themselves free of it.
Finally, the sword dancer's sword swung through the air, covering the sky. The snow and frost gathered into pure-white flowers drifting down everywhere, looking extremely beautiful.
A fairy performed a sword dance, and ice flowers bloomed.
The phenomenon of the beautiful flowers was of an even higher level than when flowers filled the place.
Everyone became engrossed in it, unable to utter a single word.
This was "flowers filling the place, intoxicating three thousand guests; the frost of a single sword freezing fourteen provinces"!
[TL Note: Flowers filling the place, intoxicating three thousand guests; the frost of a single sword freezing fourteen provinces: This is a line from a Chinese poem.]