Douluo Continent: The True Body and Blood Soul, Starting from Blacksmithing

Chapter 114 Departure, Heading to Moon Pavilion

In the afternoon, the four of them—Lin Yu and Xue Qinghe, Tang San and Xiao Wu—had lunch together in the academy cafeteria before taking a carriage to the center of Tiandou City.

The carriage was spacious, with seats facing each other on both sides. Lin Yu and Tang San sat on one side, while Xue Qinghe and Xiao Wu sat on the other.

The carriage swayed gently with the rhythm of the wheels rolling over the stone slabs, and the tassels of the curtains swayed from side to side.

Tang San's posture was stiffer than usual. Xiao Wu, his adopted sister, was sitting opposite him, side by side with the Crown Prince of Tian Dou, their shoulders less than a palm's width apart. As the carriage swayed, they would occasionally bump into each other.

Xue Qinghe would occasionally turn his head to say a few words to Xiao Wu, his voice low but his tone casual and natural.

Xiao Wu didn't resist much, tilting her head as she listened to Xue Qinghe finish speaking, and even smiled from time to time.

Tang San unconsciously clenched his fingers on his knees.

The eldest prince of Tiandou was of noble status and a close friend of his senior, who was both a teacher and a friend. Xiao Wu did not show any discomfort, so he did not say much.

But that inexplicable feeling of unease lingered in my chest and wouldn't go away.

Through Lin Yu and Xue Qinghe's conversation, Tang San roughly deduced that Xue Qinghe's destination was the same as his own—a place called "Yuexuan."

She was simply visiting relatives, while the eldest prince was representing the royal family to discuss cooperation with Master Yuexuan. It just so happened they were going the same way.

The carriage came to a stop, and the four people got off one by one.

Yuexuan is a five-story building that stands in the most bustling central area of ​​Tiandou City.

The small building is constructed entirely of light blue stone, with no gold or colored decorations on the exterior walls. Only minimalist carvings are added to the eaves and window frames. The entire building is elegant and simple, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding shops and mansions that are adorned with gold and colorful decorations.

Five-story buildings are truly rare in the central area of ​​Tiandou City, after all, land here is extremely valuable, and most buildings are only built to three stories before being hastily topped out.

Although Lin Yu had been undercover in Tiandou City for almost six years, he usually spent most of his time in the academy practicing blacksmithing. This was his first time visiting this street.

The stone slabs underfoot were worn smooth and shiny, with fine copper strips embedded in the seams of each slab, polished to a gleaming shine by countless feet.

The shops on both sides of the street are not large, but each shop sign is extremely exquisite, either a gilded plaque or carved from a single piece of jade.

The passersby were dressed in fine clothes, and the hair ornaments on the women's temples shimmered in the sunlight. The jade pendants on the men's waists clinked gently with each step, producing a clear and melodious tinkling sound.

As Lin Yu stood at the entrance of Yuexuan, she felt that her own temperament was seriously out of place with the surrounding environment.

Although he was wearing a clean academic robe, he still stood out from the other figures around him with their crisp, well-tailored clothes.

He wasn't sure if this was due to the influence of Tang Yuehua's domain at Yuexuan, or simply because the place was too luxurious.

I glanced at Xue Qinghe. He was just chatting casually with them in the carriage, but after getting off the carriage and walking into this street, his demeanor quietly blended into the surrounding atmosphere.

His gait was unhurried, and the curve of his straight back was just right, making him blend in perfectly with the distinguished people on the street.

To avoid the security guards favoring certain people, Lin Yu tacitly followed Xue Qinghe by one step behind, giving up the center position.

With the eldest prince leading the way, the gatekeepers didn't even ask any questions. Zi Guang glanced at the token on Xue Qinghe's waist and then bowed to let him pass.

As you step into Yuexuan, a faint fragrance of sandalwood wafts over you.

The lobby floor is paved with a single piece of dark blue-green stone slab, and several ink paintings with a hazy artistic conception hang on the four walls. The stair railing is made of a single piece of old mahogany, polished by time to a warm and jade-like texture.

The echoes of their footsteps in the lobby were very faint, as if they had been absorbed by something.

A steward dressed in a plain long robe came forward, bowed respectfully to Xue Qinghe, and then led the four of them through the lobby, up the winding wooden staircase to the third floor, and sat down in a south-facing reception room.

The reception room was decorated in a very minimalist style.

A low table sits on which rests a celadon vase, containing two white magnolia blossoms that are about to bloom.

Several official-style chairs with light gray cushions were placed near the window. Outside the window was the street scene of the center of Tiandou City, and the noise of carriages and pedestrians was filtered out by the window, leaving only a very faint background sound.

The four chatted casually for a short while before footsteps could be heard outside the door.

The footsteps were very light, so light that the only sound was the rustling of her skirt brushing the ground.

The door to the reception room was pushed open from the outside, and the two carved wooden doors slid inward silently, the sound of the hinges turning low and smooth.

The newcomer was a woman dressed in a silver-white palace-style long dress.

The long dress was made of extremely light and thin moonlight brocade. When she walked, the hem of the skirt would ripple with layers of silvery-white waves, as if someone had crushed moonlight and kneaded it into the warp and weft of the fabric.

The sash was tightly fitted, outlining her slender waist perfectly. Above the sash was a white jade pendant that swayed gently with her steps, making a soft tinkling sound as it touched the fabric.

The neckline wasn't low, but the skin around her collarbone was so fair that it almost blended into the silvery-white silk of the neckline. Only when the light shone at an angle could one distinguish where the fabric ended and the skin began from the boundary between the shadows.

Her skin was incredibly smooth, making her look no more than thirty years old; she was so well-maintained that you could hardly see a single fine line.

But the mature charm that emanates from her very being is something that no thirty-year-old woman can possess. It's like a certain quality that time has etched onto her, a composure and gentleness that can only be cultivated by being cherished and nurtured for most of one's life.

Her features were delicate and gentle, with a low brow bone but a beautifully shaped eyebrow, a straight and elegant nose that was not sharp, and full and moist lips with a very light layer of lip rouge, the color of which was a light pink close to her natural lip color, and a slightly moist sheen under the light.

Her gaze swept across the reception room, first nodding slightly to Xue Qinghe, then lingering on Lin Yu for a moment, and finally landing on Tang San.

For a moment, she paused, her fingers clenching and unclenching lightly at the hem of her skirt. The jade bracelet on her wrist made a very faint sound as it touched her wrist bone.

Something flashed in her eyes as she looked at Tang San, so fast that it was impossible to catch, but the restraint itself was enough to explain it.

She walked to the head of the table, first turning slightly to the side, smoothing out the folds of her skirt with one hand, before slowly sitting down, her back straight but not stiff, her hands folded on her knees.

The hem of her palace-style long dress spread out in a complete fan shape on the ground after she sat down. The silvery-white silk reflected the afternoon sunlight streaming in from the window, making it seem as if a pool of shattered moonlight was hidden beneath the dress.