I courted death and then tried to escape, so the whole sect wants to get rid of me.

Lin Qing looked on in surprise: "You actually know about 'Floating Dream'? That's a wine only available at Wanchun Pavilion. Have you been here before?"

"I've never been to this place before."

The place was a mixed bag, and Song Yao couldn't tell which of the eighty-eight servants of Yong'an Tower were genuine and which were malevolent cultivators.

But they're all pretty much the same.

She focused her attention and searched carefully, but found no trace of the Guiyu Sword.

It's unclear whether the Guiyu Sword wasn't actually there, or whether they hid it with a special restriction.

Suddenly, the music burst forth, the drumbeats of the Jie drum were as rapid as a downpour, and the guests on all floors were stirred up, rushing to the empty railings that were meant for people to enjoy the music.

Lin Qing leaned out and exclaimed excitedly, "It's Miss Zhiyu and Young Master Zhihua!"

The sweet and cool scent of gardenias suddenly filled the entire city of bliss, and Song Yao subconsciously looked up.

Directly above, two figures descended on light, one in white and one in scarlet, their wide sleeves billowing in the wind.

A gentle breeze swept up countless gardenia petals, scattering them like a rain of flowers from the highest level down to the jade platform at the bottom, covering everything with a layer of delicate, fragrant snow.

Dozens of musicians stood in mid-air, some holding pipa or jade sheng, their music intense, the sound waves carrying the fragrance of flowers crashing into the ears.

Two figures danced to music in mid-air. When they spun around, their wide sleeves suddenly unfurled, like butterfly wings opening abruptly, swirling up a shower of petals. When they bent over, their clothes flowed like water, brushing past layers of lamplight. As they rose and fell, their toes lightly touched the ground, their crimson skirts and white sleeves overlapping each other.

The crowd watched, mesmerized and speechless.

The music stopped abruptly when the dance ended.

Two figures landed in mid-air.

Song Yao then noticed the masks covering their faces. They were made of gold thread embroidered with flower petals, extremely exquisite, revealing only the lower half of their similar faces.

The two bowed and tucked their sleeves around them, then lightly touched the ground with their toes and flew side by side into the private room on the ninety-eighth floor above.

The guests, still lingering in the afterglow of the performance, finally erupted in waves of praise: "To have witnessed Miss Zhiyu's dance, I could die without regret!"

"The Gardenia Prince remains as dashing as ever; he is truly stunning no matter how many times I see him."

"But they've always worn masks. Even with only half their faces showing, they're already so handsome. What would they look like if they took off their masks?"

"Come on, I've heard that those who try to remove their masks have become nourishment for the gardenia trees in their rooms."

"Then forget it, forget it..."

"Ah, I wonder who will be the lucky one to share a drink with Miss Zhiyu and Prince Zhihua today."

"..."

Once you get to the tenth floor, it's all private rooms and booths, which are much quieter and more elegant than the lower floors.

Several servants stood guard outside the tenth floor, bowing respectfully to Song Yao: "This is private property upstairs. Does your distinguished guest have a pass?"

Song Yao lifted her face from under the cloak and shook her head: "No."

The attendant gave a standard, gentle smile: "Then we'll have to trouble you to remain on the lower level. If you have any other needs, you may..."

Before they could finish speaking, a gust of wind swept past them, and the distinguished guest had transformed into a streak of light, swiftly passing by them.

The smiles on the servants' faces vanished abruptly, and they formed black hand seals: "Seize her."

Just as they set off, a voice came from beside them: "Miss Zhiyu and Young Master Zhihua's guests, there's no need to stop them."

After ascending to the ninety-eighth floor, a large door leads to the carved spiral staircase.

Two servants also stood outside the door.

Upon seeing Song Yao, the two bowed to her and opened the door: "Miss Zhiyu and Young Master Zhihua have been waiting for you for a long time."

Song Yao gave a slight smile, took off her hood, and walked inside.

As soon as I stepped inside, the door closed behind me.

The interior was surprisingly spacious, with white gauze hanging along the walls. In the corner, a few sprigs of white gardenia were casually placed in a jade vase, their subtle fragrance filling the warm light. It was so quiet that you could hear the crackling of the candlelight.

The hustle and bustle downstairs is kept in another world; this place is quiet and elegant.

In the center of the room, two people knelt silently on the ground.

The skirt, in shades of light blue and crimson, spread out like two clusters of fallen flowers.

Song Yao walked over slowly, squatted down, and lightly flicked the folding fan in her hand. The colorful gold-threaded mask on Zhiyu's face spun out and landed on the ground with a crisp sound.

She took the opportunity to grab Zhiyu's chin and forcefully made her raise her head.

Beneath the mask was an extremely striking face, with slightly upturned eyes and bright lips. A narrow, narrow sword mark adorned her brow, short like a misplaced cinnabar mole, adding a touch of cold sharpness to her vibrant appearance.

Song Yao scrutinized her closely, leaning closer, and said lazily, "I've heard that anyone who dares to remove your masks must die. Am I going to die too?"

Zhiyu's long eyelashes suddenly trembled: "Master."

Gardenia, seemingly unable to bear the neglect, removed her mask, revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to Gardenia.

He held the mask in both hands, raised it above his head, and respectfully presented it to Song Yao.

Song Yao glanced at it and brushed away the hand that was holding Zhiyu's chin.

A rosewood armchair slid out from behind her, and she sat sideways on the armrest, stepping on the edge, idly waving a folding fan in her hand: "Your master must be someone else, right?"

Gardenia bit her lip and crawled a few steps to her side: "That's not how it is, Master."

His face was as white as jade, and his slightly red eyes were filled with tears, giving him a pitiful appearance: "We have been waiting for you."

Song Yao smiled and said, "Is that so, my two masters?"

She asked with great interest, "What's your birth order? Are you highly regarded by Yong'an Tower?"

Their already pale faces became even more bloodless, and they swayed as if they were bamboo branches about to fall in the cold wind.

She was born too beautiful, and it was easy for people to be mesmerized by her beauty.

Zhiyu moved closer to her, trying to press her face into her palm, her voice pleading, "Master, we were forced, we, we won't harm you."

"Yeah?"

Unfortunately, Song Yao did not grant her wish. She withdrew her hand, leaned back casually, and said slowly, "Back then, you said you didn't want to die, so I saved your lives from those evil cultivators. You begged me to spare your lives in the Tian Shu Realm, so my senior brother took pity on you and let you stay in the Wan Chun Pavilion in Wu Dong Valley."

She chuckled, closed her folding fan, and then lifted the pale face of the gardenia beneath her. "But after I returned this time, I heard that the Wanchun Pavilion there was bewitched. Two gardenia demons destroyed the entire Wanchun Pavilion, then set it on fire and disappeared?"