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"Your territory, you make the rules? May I ask what your relationship is with the mobile?" Bai Tang asked with a smile.
"Huh?" Jinghuan Fairy was confused.
"Nothing." Bai Tang retracted her wandering thoughts, her eyes narrowing slightly; one of those so-called fairies was missing!
"Put down the mirror, and I'll let you go!" Jinghuan Fairy's confidence suddenly surged, as if she had found some support.
"Foolish!" Bai Tang coldly spat out. The invisibility technique was of no use to her; the system clearly displayed the name of a certain woman who was quietly approaching.
Bai Tang sidestepped and kicked out, only to hear a scream as a woman revealed herself and fell at Jinghuan Fairy's feet. This woman had a graceful figure and moved elegantly, distinctly different from others, but her current disheveled state ruined her beauty.
"Keqing Fairy?" Bai Tang sneered. "Such a shameless woman who has an affair with an elder and entices underage boys into immoral acts, truly disgracing the title of fairy."
She looked directly at Jinghuan Fairy: "What a pity, you couldn't reclaim your true form!"
Bai Tang's expression grew colder: "I initially wanted to leave you some leeway, but now..."
Bai Tang tossed the Wind and Moon Treasure Mirror into the flames of her left hand.
"Ah—" Jinghuan Fairy let out a piercing scream as brilliant flames erupted around her. Unfortunately, although the flames were beautiful, they were deadly.
"Help me!" Jinghuan Fairy cried out to the other women.
The other women panicked; they all wanted to save Jinghuan Fairy, but the flames were too domineering for them to dare approach. How could they deal with Bai Tang? Jinghuan Fairy was the Tai Xu Illusion Realm Master, the most powerful among them, yet she was no match for Bai Tang. How could they possibly fight back? Wouldn't that be seeking death? Didn't they see Keqing lying on the ground, unaware of her fate?
"Ah—I was wrong! Senior, Great Immortal, my lord, please spare me..." Jinghuan Fairy rolled around while desperately pleading for mercy. Her pitiful appearance made Bai Tang click her tongue in disbelief. This Jinghuan Fairy was the goddess of love and beauty from Dream of the Red Chamber, equivalent to Venus or Cupid in Western mythology. She was also the first to propose the concept of "intentional seduction."
There is evidence: "Leaving Liuwu, suddenly emerging from the flower house. Wherever she goes, birds are startled in the courtyard trees; when she arrives, shadows glide through corridors. Her fairy garments flutter lightly, carrying the fragrance of musk; her lotus attire stirs as she listens to the tinkling of jade ornaments. Her dimples smile like spring peaches; clouds pile upon her emerald hairpin; her lips bloom like cherry seeds; pomegranate teeth hold fragrance. Her slender waist is delicate; winds dance with snowflakes; pearls and jewels shine brightly; her face is adorned with pale yellow. Among flowers she flits about; she can be both angry and joyful; lingering by the pond; she seems to fly or float. Her moth-like brows frown and smile; she is about to speak yet remains silent; her lotus steps move lightly; she waits to stop yet desires to walk. Envying her fine qualities—clear as ice and jade—envying her splendid attire—shining with literary brilliance. Loving her beauty—fragrant as jade carved by skilled hands—adoring her demeanor—like a phoenix soaring or a dragon flying. How pure is she? Spring plums bloom white as snow; autumn chrysanthemums covered in frost are tranquil; pines grow in empty valleys. How radiant is she? The glow reflects in clear ponds. How literary is she? Dragons swim in curves. How divine is she? The moon shines on cold rivers. I should be ashamed before Xi Zi; I truly feel inferior to Wang Qiang. How strange it is! Born in what land? Coming from where? Is it true that Yaochi has no equal and Zifu has no match? Who could this be? Such beauty!" (Excerpt from original text)
Such a grand existence, yet so shamelessly begging for mercy from her, how embarrassing!
However, it seems that this Jinghuan Fairy is not that impressive after all. The ancients had too little experience; once they see the various beauties of the modern world, who would still consider her a goddess?
"Wah wah wah..." The fairies cried with tears like rain, each with their own charm, looking incredibly beautiful. If Bai Tang were a man, he might have softened his heart. What a pity—Bai Tang never considered killing all these women; he only wanted to eliminate one Jinghuan. What could this group of women do without their leader?
Jinghuan's cries grew louder and then disappeared, along with her body, which vanished completely in the flames, leaving not even a strand of hair behind. The mirror in the fire cracked with a "snap" and split in two.
All the women froze. They did not expect Jinghuan to truly disappear. Although they were nominally Jinghuan's sisters, in reality, Jinghuan was their master, controlling their lives and deaths. Now that Jinghuan was dead, did it mean they were free?
Bai Tang ignored the dazed women, tossed aside the broken mirror, and stepped into the hall.
"Great Immortal..." A woman called out to Bai Tang hesitantly.
Bai Tang turned around: "What is it?"
The woman was overjoyed to receive Bai Tang's response and knelt down, saying, "Great Immortal, please spare our lives. We are willing to serve you as your maidservants."
"No need!" Bai Tang flatly rejected her. "I do not need anyone to serve me, nor do I want your lives. You may leave; do not let me see you again!"
The women exchanged glances. Was there no danger now? Were they really free? Although they no longer had a backing, they also had no constraints; they didn't have to pretend to please their master while feeling unwilling inside or do things they disliked against their will.
Gradually, a hint of joyful smiles appeared on the dazed faces of the women. Two bolder women stood up first and left the Tai Xu Illusory Realm together. With a leader, the other women followed suit. In no time, only a half-dead Keqing Fairy remained outside the palace; all the other women had left. Some chose to retreat into seclusion to continue their cultivation, while others mingled in the mortal world to experience the joys of being ordinary people. Different choices led to different outcomes, but it was certainly better than being a servant or accomplice in the Tai Xu Illusory Realm.
At this moment, Bai Tang had already entered the Fate Bureau and took out the Jinling Twelve Beauties volume to browse through it. He found that all the illustrations and writings in the booklet were blurred and unclear. It made sense; the fates of the twelve beauties had all changed due to her unintentional or intentional meddling, so the original annotations in the booklet should have changed as well. The reason it remained unchanged but blurred was likely due to Jinghuan using her magical power to sustain it; she had been thinking about reversing the fates of those girls at that time.
Flipping through the volumes again, most of the fates had changed, while some remained the same. Bai Tang focused on several well-known maidservants; the pages for Xi Ren and Hong had not changed, while Qingwen and Zi Juan had undergone the most significant changes. Xi Ren still ended up marrying Jiang Yu Han, and Hong also became a couple with Jia Yun. Without Madam Wang's persecution, Qingwen's ending was not as tragic as in the original text; this proud woman ultimately had to marry a servant of the Jia family, becoming the kind of daughter-in-law she once looked down upon. Jia Min and Lin Ruhai were living well, so in this world, there was no Zi Juan, only a parrot, and just a second-rate maidservant who eventually married and lived an ordinary life.
"There's no use in keeping this; what for?" Bai Tang tossed aside the volume and then threw it into the fire, burning all the books that held the fates of the women. Then, Bai Tang began a thorough sweep of the palace, taking anything she could find as if raiding a village.
The incense was elegant; it must have been made from rare flowers born in famous mountains and infused with oils from various precious trees.
This tea had a unique fragrance, pure and exquisite; it must have been picked from Fangchun Mountain's Fragrant Cave and brewed with dew collected from celestial flowers.
This wine was fragrant and sweet; it should have been brewed from the essence of a hundred flowers and juices from myriad trees, combined with phoenix marrow.
There were also jade zithers, precious tripods, ancient paintings, calligraphy... absolutely exquisite antiques!
She was getting rich! As she loaded items into her gang's base, Bai Tang sighed that indeed robbing was the most profitable business. Unfortunately, such things could only happen once; in modern times, it was a society governed by law— even if it weren't modern times, breaking and entering was still illegal. Sister Bai, quickly pick up your morals and values.
Watching the palace disappear in flames, Bai Tang left the illusory realm feeling elated. This time she had gained so much that even if she didn't return to the Dream of the Red Chamber world for a year, the items in her backpack would be enough for her online store. Bai Tang indeed decided not to return to the Dream of the Red Chamber world in the short term; she had fallen out with this world's emperor and would not come back before his version. Moreover, the second time-space portal had already lit up; Bai Tang decided to explore this second world.
"Is that Plum Blossom Falling Qinqin?!" Zhang Feng exclaimed in astonishment as he stared at Bai Tang pulling out an ancient zither primarily black lacquered with red and yellow snake-like patterns. His hands trembled with excitement as he wished he could immediately rush over to examine it closely.
Zhang Feng had come along with Sheng Qingxi. After returning to modern times, Bai Tang immediately called Sheng Qingxi. Due to the large quantity of goods, Sheng Qingxi did not have Bai Tang send them by mail but instead brought a driver to load everything directly into a truck to City D. Zhang Feng hitched a ride; before the festival, there would be a large auction held in Kyoto organized by several companies together. Zhang Feng was one of the organizers, and he came to find Bai Tang hoping to acquire another valuable item from her for the auction's grand finale.
"I don't understand ancient zithers; you can check it yourself," Bai Tang said as she took out an ancient zither along with a set of agate jewelry. The agate jewelry was bought by Zhang Feng for one million Huaxia coins.
Zhang Feng immediately rushed to the table where the zither was placed. He didn’t touch it directly but put on gloves and carefully picked it up.
"Zhongni Style, redwood goose feet shaped like a pentagram, side carved into gear shapes with finely carved patterns on the bottom..." He flipped it over and saw inscribed words: 'In the first year of Wu De during the Great Tang Dynasty,' confirming it was indeed Plum Blossom Falling Qinqin.
"What is Zhongni Style?" Bai Tang asked Sheng Qingxi.
Sheng Qingxi scratched his head, "I don't know much about the guqin either. Let's wait until my uncle is done looking and ask him."
Their conversation was overheard by Zhang Feng, who put down his guqin and turned to explain to the two, "The Zhongni Style is a type of guqin style. The guqin has a beautiful shape, and it is mainly distinguished by the different designs of its neck and waist, categorized into fourteen common styles: Zhongni Style, Fuxi Style, Liezi Style, Lian Zhu Style, Ling Ji Style, Falling Sunset Style, Ling Guan Style, Jiao Ye Style, Shen Nong Style, Xiang Quan Style, Feng Shi Style, Shi Kuao Style, Ya E Style, He Ming Qiu Yue Style. Among these, the most famous is the Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, which is Fuxi Style. The most common styles are Fuxi Style, Zhongni Style, Lian Zhu Style, Falling Sunset Style, Ling Ji Style, Jiao Ye Style, and Shen Nong Style."
"Zhongni Style, also known as Confucius Style or Master Style. The head of the Zhongni Style guqin has a common square shape, with a sloping inward arc at the neck and shoulder areas and a square strip at the waist. Besides that, there are variations. The overall design is simple and elegant, with both rounded and squared curves that embody Confucian principles. This style is the most prevalent among ancient guqins that have survived through history. The book 'Treasures of Ancient Chinese Guqin' records 109 old guqins, of which 6 are Zhongni Style; in 'Jin Yu Qin Kan', out of over two hundred ancient guqins listed, eight out of ten are Zhongni Style, indicating its popularity. However, based on surviving Tang dynasty guqins, Zhongni Style was not very popular before the Song dynasty; currently, only one guqin can be definitively identified as from the Tang dynasty, and it was made in the late Tang period. It was only after the rise of Neo-Confucianism in the Song dynasty and an increased reverence for Confucius that Zhongni Style became dominant and emerged as the most popular style among many..."
"I've learned something new!" Bai Tang and Sheng Qingxi looked at Zhang Feng with admiration, which filled him with pride.
"Bai Tang, are you sure you want to sell me the Plum Blossom Falling Qinqin? It's quite rare," Zhang Feng asked.
"Of course," Bai Tang smiled. "It's just a Plum Blossom Falling Qinqin, right? I already donated the Sui Hou Zhu."
"That's right!" Zhang Feng laughed as he decided to only auction off the agate jewelry while keeping the Plum Blossom Falling Qinqin for his collection—definitely not for sale.
Voices came from the living room; it seemed there were guests arriving. Bai Tang listened intently and recognized it was Cao Xue.
"Is someone looking for you?" Sheng Qingxi asked. "Why don't you go greet them first?"
"It's an old classmate of mine; they're pretty nice. I'll introduce you," Bai Tang said as he led them out of his room. Indeed, they saw Cao Xue sitting on the sofa chatting with Bai Ma. Upon seeing Bai Tang's two companions behind him, Cao Xue was momentarily taken aback before giving Bai Tang a knowing look.
Bai Tang shot back a glare at Cao Xue: What are you thinking?
Bai Ma quickly stood up to invite Sheng Qingxi and his uncle to sit down and said to everyone, "You all sit and chat; come have some fruit and pastries!"
After warmly greeting the guests, Bai Ma went through the living room door to the Xing Family to chat with Wu Xuemei, casually taking Baozi Aiwanxi with her.
"Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Zhang Feng, and this is Mr. Sheng Qingxi. This is my high school classmate, Cao Xue," Bai Tang introduced both parties.
Both sides had a good first impression. Cao Xue was cheerful and generous, with looks and figure above average, complemented by her charm, which made Sheng Qingxi take notice.
"What does Sister Cao do? Are you interested in acting?"
Cao Xue was taken aback by the enthusiastic attitude; was this person a talent scout?
Bai Tang laughed, "Sheng Qingxi is a director. He must think your image fits a certain role in his play and wants to recruit you for it."
Sheng Qingxi chuckled, "Bai Tang, you’re almost like a worm in my stomach. Indeed, I’m planning to shoot a new drama after the New Year, and Sister Cao's appearance really suits one of the roles."
"Who’s the worm? That's disgusting!" Bai Tang shot Sheng Qingxi a fierce glare.
"Ah, I remember now! No wonder Sheng Qingxi sounds familiar. You're the director of the upcoming film 'Reversal'?" Cao Xue exclaimed excitedly, pointing at Sheng Qingxi.
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