Chapter 19 - A Lady Blossoming at Home—Fu Qu!

Stepping out from the Sword Pavilion, Xiao Yu found himself bathed in the radiant sunshine. He suddenly remembered that Fu Qu had promised to wait for him at the entrance.

“Where’s that little rascal? Could she have wandered off again?”

Standing in front of the Sword Pavilion, Xiao Yu waited for a long time, but Fu Qu was nowhere to be seen.

Eventually, a fellow disciple informed him that a brief rainstorm had passed through earlier. Fu Qu was most likely back at Tingyu Pavilion, her personal residence.

[Tingyu Pavilion (听雨轩, Tīngyǔ Xuān) literally means, “Pavilion of Listening to the Rain.”]

Tingyu Pavilion was protected by an intricate formation designed to keep out unwelcome visitors. However, Fu Qu had long ago taught Xiao Yu how to bypass the barrier, just so her beloved senior brother could visit her anytime.

↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣

Arriving at the pavilion, Xiao Yu activated a yellow command token, directing it into the protective formation. The shimmering barrier revealed a doorway, and with one step, Xiao Yu disappeared inside. The entrance sealed shut behind him.

Ordinarily, as the master of the formation, Fu Qu should have sensed Xiao Yu’s presence. But for some reason, she didn’t react, perhaps distracted or simply unaware.

Xiao Yu rarely visited Tingyu Pavilion, too engrossed in cultivation most of the time. Unfamiliar with the layout, he wandered through the front hall, then through the main chamber, and finally to Fu Qu’s boudoir—still, there was no sign of her.

[Boudoir comes from the French word bouder, meaning “to pout” or “to sulk.” Historically, it referred to a private space where a woman could retreat, often for privacy or leisure.]

What’s that noise?

Standing under the courtyard’s eaves, Xiao Yu caught the faint sound of rustling leaves or flowing water, accompanied by a low, rhythmic hum—almost like the resonance of spiritual energy.

The noise came from the rear garden. With curiosity piqued, Xiao Yu stepped forward, passing through a pink-beaded moon gate to reach the back courtyard.

↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣

The rear garden was a sprawling expanse filled with vibrant blossoms in myriad colors. Rare, exotic plants thrived here—gifts from Hansu Zhenren himself, painstakingly collected from distant lands to please his beloved daughter.

Amidst this floral haven, Xiao Yu discovered a waterfall cascading from the cliffs above. Like a silver dragon, the waterfall roared into a crystal-clear pool below, enveloped in a misty haze. White cranes soared overhead, and graceful deer grazed near the pool’s edge, lending the scene an ethereal beauty.

Suddenly, Xiao Yu’s gaze fell upon a figure standing in the pool.

In the translucent water stood a young woman, slender and graceful. The waterline barely reached her knees as she gently combed her long black hair with a jade comb. Her jet-black locks flowed like a silken waterfall, glistening under the sun.

It was Fu Qu.

“So… little Fu Qu has truly grown up.”

Xiao Yu stood rooted to the spot, a hint of astonishment flickering in his eyes. The carefree girl who used to cling to him, calling out “Senior Brother” at every opportunity, had unknowingly blossomed into a breathtaking beauty. Her delicate features and feminine grace were now impossible to ignore.

This… this isn’t appropriate, Xiao Yu thought.

Feeling a pang of guilt for lingering, he quickly averted his gaze and left the garden, quietly retreating back to his own residence at Xiaoxiang Pavilion

.

↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣↣

Shortly after Xiao Yu departed, Fu Qu finished her bath and stepped out of the pool. Wrapping herself in a soft cloak from the bank, she was about to leave when her attention was caught by a faint glow emanating from a control disc in her storage bag.

“Why is this lit up?”

Curious, Fu Qu activated the control disc, which served as the central mechanism for the formation surrounding Tingyu Pavilion. It documented all comings and goings.

“Someone entered earlier!”

Her heart skipped a beat as she reviewed the records.

To her shock, someone had entered Tingyu Pavilion while she was bathing. Judging by the timestamps, the intruder had likely passed through the garden—meaning they had seen everything.

“Did they see… me?” Fu Qu’s mind raced, her cheeks flushing crimson.

Tingyu Pavilion was nestled deep within Tianyong City, guarded by powerful formations and surrounded by layers of protective wards. It was almost inconceivable for an outsider to breach such defenses unnoticed.

Moreover, Hansu Zhenren and Ziyin Zhenren—the two most powerful figures in the city—regularly monitored the area with their divine senses. Even the slightest disturbance would have been detected.

“Could it be… one of our own?”

A vivid image of Xiao Yu suddenly surfaced in Fu Qu’s mind. His noble, commanding figure filled her thoughts.

After all, Xiao Yu was one of the few people she had entrusted with the method to access Tingyu Pavilion’s formation.

“Was it… Senior Brother?”

Her face grew even redder at the possibility. Her heart raced like a startled deer, pounding so loudly she feared it might leap out of her chest.

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

Earlier, she had promised to wait for Xiao Yu outside the Sword Pavilion. However, a sudden downpour had drenched her favorite dress, prompting her to hurry back to Tingyu Pavilion to change.

When Xiao Yu couldn’t find her outside the Sword Pavilion, it made sense that he would come looking for her. Knowing how to unlock her formation, he would naturally assume she was inside.

Unintentionally stumbling upon her bathing, Xiao Yu would have felt awkward and retreated immediately.

“That must have been it…”

Fu Qu’s face burned with embarrassment. Yet, mingled with her shyness was a strange sense of anticipation, a flurry of emotions she couldn’t quite name.

Back at Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Xiao Yu remained blissfully unaware of the storm brewing in Fu Qu’s heart.