"Sigh, I just got played."

  Ling Yun was sitting on the bed waiting for the girl to come. He was in one of the private chambers in the Thousand Fragrance Palace. The room was furnished with beautiful tapestries on the walls and other decorations pleasing the eyes. At the centre was the bed. It was softer than the one in his master's house.

  There was also a jar of wine with two golden cups at the side table with an incense burner beside it, filling the room with an enchanting scent. Opening the window would show the beautiful view of the garden with the peach blossom trees but Ling Yun kept it shut.

  "Madame Feng is too cunning. I should've kept calm not let myself be provoked."

  After his blood cooled, how could he fail to notice this scheme? He had arbitrarily chosen the girl playing the zither because she was the only one who interested him.

  "Maybe if I explain everything, she will understand. She can have the money without doing it, isn't that best for her as well? But I have to stay here atleast for a few hours to not make Jin Hao suspicious.

  "How will I pass the time, maybe I can ask the girl for some pointers."

  The door suddenly opened interrupting his musings. Each room was soundproofed for privacy so it was impossible to hear anything from outside.

  With small graceful steps, the girl entered the room before turning around and closing the door. Ling Yun took this moment to observe her. Unlike the other girls which wore bright red clothes with beautiful designs, she was clad in a plain light pink robe.

  She was still wearing the mask which confused him. Another strange thing was that there was no smell coming from her, she was completely odourless. Ling Yun had a sensitive nose so he could easily tell. All of the girls, even the ones serving drinks wore some kind of enchanting perfume.

  Maybe she's nervous. She must be simply a musician not a courtesan forcefully sent here because of my unreasonable demand. I should quickly explain the matter so not to trouble her further.

  But before he could, a soft voice rang out from behind the mask. "Sorry for making you wait, master." Her voice was so melodic, each word dripping with nectar. She removed her hairpin and set it free. Her luscious black hair reached just above her waist.

  The girl flipped her hair as if to fix it baring her nape and suddenly a strong enchanting fragrance emanated from her. Her hands slowly raised to remove the mask and a sudden desire of wanting to see her hidden face was lit in his heart.

  His eyes intensely watched her jade like fingers undo the straps and when the mask slid down, all of his attention was attracted to her eyes. Her misty eyes were a light shade of pink. They suddenly shone and dark pink petals of peach blossom formed in the place of her pupils and he felt a sudden prick on his forehead.

  "Nocturne of misty dreams."

  He saw her pink lips curve into a relaxed smile as she kept her gaze at him. Out of a sudden, she screamed loudly and fell down on the floor clutching her head.

  What is going on?

  "Hmmph! This stupid girl just used charm arts. It could've worked on anyone else but she had quite the worst luck that one she tried it on was you. Attacks at this level wouldn't be even noticed by you." Brahma spoke up clearing his confusion.

  "Ling Yun mental and soul attacks are pretty dangerous. If unsuccessful it can cause a backlash and leave you open to a huge counterattack."

  She tried to attack me? Why? What are they planning?

  Ling Yun immediately took to action and chanted the Serene Ocean sutra. Even against the defenseless girl slumped on the ground he was on guard.

  All my questions can be asked later. But first-

  "Soul connecting thread."

  ***

  As she struggled to get up and compose herself, the girl tried to figure out what exactly happened. This night was already going out of her expectations.

  First, she was somehow chosen to serve a customer. She planned to trap him in an illusion making him believe that he actually did it with her. It was all going well, his guard was down and he had even taken a sniff of her fragrance. But when she used her technique, she was instantly hit with a backlash. An intense pain erupted in her head caused her to fall down.

  He was a just young boy at the sixth realm of Qi Refining, how could she fail against such an opponent. The gears in her mind tirelessly ran till she came up with the possibility that he must have a high grade mental protection artifact with him.

  Now how should I deal with this situation. Did he realise that I tried to use my technique?

  When she finally was stable on her feet, her eyes immediately searched for him as soon as the headache subsided. He was still sitting on the bed in the same position but his entire demeanor had changed. A silent fury radiated from him and his cold gaze chilled her soul.

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  "Care to explain?"

  A sudden pressure stared squeezing her, nearly forcing her back to her knees. She would have screamed but she struggled to even breathe. As she barely tried to stay on her feet, she knew she had stepped on the tiger's tail.

  There is only one way out.

  "Master, please forgive me!"

  She fell forward with her hands clutching his legs and her face pressed against his bare feet. The mysterious pressure squeezing her instantly disappeared. Taking this chance before he could make another move, she immediately started pleading.

  "Master I'm so sorry that I tried to trick you. It's just that I was so scared and I have never done it and I-I was just going to put master in a harmless illusion. I never had any intention of hurting master. Please just forgive me this one time."

  Everything she said was the truth, just not the complete truth. She prepared herself to shed fake tears when she heard a sigh above her.

  "Get up." She looked up and saw the cold stare was gone replaced by a tired look on his face.

  "Let's just forget about this matter. I didn't even want to come to this place. I only chose you because I was interested in your playing skills and now all this happened.

  "You can leave now. I won't complain or come after you."

  Thats it? He is going to let me leave this easily. If it was any other person, there would be a huge commotion.

  She started to turn around to leave quickly when a sudden idea struck her. He was the disciple of the genius alchemist, getting close to him would be beneficial in the future. Also he looks like a kind person.

  "I'm sorry I can't leave this quickly. Madame Feng would be furious if she found out that I left so early." Her legs shifted slowly till she reached by his side.

  "Can I stay here for the whole night? Ah I remembered, master was interested in my zither right? You can me ask anything."

  "No I don't care about it now. Why would I want to stay here for a second more?"

  Before he could get up, she grabbed his hand and kneeled down. "Master please don't leave! Madame Feng will kill me. Please master please help me."

  He tried to shake her off but her grip remained firm. No way I'm letting you go this easily. After a few tries, he finally relented. Ling Yun clicked his tongue.

  "Okay let's just stay here for the whole night."

  "Thank you, thank you so much. Master's kindness is deeper than the ocean. I will never forget it."

  Part of it was true. Even while trying to free himself he was careful enough, making sure not to accidentally hurt her.

  He really is a kind person.

  After bowing repeatedly, she let go and then directly sat beside him on bed. She ignored his shocked face and took out her zither from her spatial pouch.

  "Master now tell me which song you want me to play."

  ***

  Ling Yun looked at the expectant face wondering how exactly he got here. He initially took pity on the poor girl believing partially it was his fault for calling for her. But the girl wasn't as simple as she seemed.

  The girl who was just moments before begging for her life was now sitting too close to the person who squeezed her soul and that to of her own volition. Bold wouldn't be enough to describe her.

  Looks like I'm stuck with her. Let's just go with the flow.

  "I don't want to hear any songs. I also play an instrument so I thought to ask for some pointers."

  "What instrument does master play?"

  "A flute." Ling Yun took out his flute from his spatial bracelet. She took it without asking and started inspecting it.

  She acts way too audacious for a simple musician working in a brothel.

  "It's quality isn't too good and from the looks of it, it hasn't been used for quite a while."

  She is right, when was the last time I played my flute? I used to play it quite often back then.

  Ling Yun tried hard to remember and his blood ran cold when it hit him. The reason he had unconsciously avoided playing. The image of a girl holding a sword covered in blood looking down on him flashed in his mind.

  Yes, it was for her.

  A wave of melancholy and disgust for himself hit him. He was still trapped under the shadow of that night. Nothing has changed and maybe it never will.

  What am I even doing here-

  A sudden warmth on his hand jolted him from his spiralling thoughts. He looked at his side and felt a delicate white hand above his own.

  "Master tell me how do you find this song?"

  And without waiting for his response, her fingers began plucking at the strings and she started singing. It was a popular song about the love story of a prince and a princess overcoming countless difficulties to be together.

  Her voice was like a nightingale, beckoning him to sing along and soon he couldn't help but join in with her forming an impromptu duet. Soon he forgot what he was thinking before as they both sang loudly at the chorus in unison.

  After the song was finished, both took a moment to catch their breaths sporting a large smile on their faces. Ling Yun took this moment to finally look at her face.

  She looked like she had come straight out of a painting, her beauty defining perfection. Her oval shaped face, her skin the colour of the purest snow that falls on the highest peaks, her light pink pheonix eyes, her plump lips ending with a well defined pointed chin.

  Every feature added together to form a celestial harmony that even trying to make a single change would shatter everything like glass. Any cosmetics or ornament would only be a stain on her face. This is what he meant by perfection.

  "Master, did that make you feel better?"

  Ling Yun simply nodded, his eyes still focused on the arch of her lips.

  "What I did wasn't simple music, it was the art of music mastery, one of the hundred arts of cultivation."

  Ling Yun had never heard of it before. But there are many obscure arts so he couldn't be sure. Clearly his confusion was evident on his face. The girl simply giggled before continuing.

  "It is a very obscure and unpopular art so I can understand your reaction. Let me ask you a question. If there was a Core Formation or a Foundation Establishment cultivator here, can you effect them in any way?"

  "It is impossible."

  Ling Yun didn't even take a moment to answer. Even if he tries with all his might, he might not even ruffle a single strand of hair of someone that powerful. That is the enormous gulf between great cultivation realms.

  "Now if they were present here, I guarantee that I can make them sing along with me just like you before. I'm a simple Qi Refining cultivator like you but I can make them hum to my tune."

  "That's just sophism. Do you think I'm stupid enough to fall for your nonsense. Or are you delusional enough to think you can force and control someone of a higher cultivation realm?"

  Ling Yun tried to not harshly rebuke her incredulous claims. The girl had finally given up all pretense of a simple musician working in a brothel. From her tone that stopped being subservient like before when she was begging and pleading, to her eyes which directly met his own while speaking; it had confirmed his suspicions that she was more than what meets the eye.

  Hearing his reprimands, her smile only grew wider to a huge smirk. He had seen it many times on Brahma whenever she explained something from a higher position to an ignorant fool like him.

  "I never said I can control or force them. I can only resonate with them.

  "This is the Dao of music mastery."