Snow Reed leaned slightly toward Han Yu, holding a small cup of tea with both hands.
"Your tea," she said softly.
He took it. "Thank you."
Their fingers brushed briefly.
Snow Reed studied his face, careful, subtle.
"You are not from around here," she said lightly.
"No," Han Yu replied, now wearing his false identity like a second skin. "My na is Chen Xiu. I travel."
"Travel where?" she asked.
"To deliver a ssage," he said casually. "To a city not too far from here."
Her brows lifted slightly. "A ssenger?"
"Yes."
She looked him up and down again, this ti more carefully.
"You are at the Core Condensation Realm," she said quietly. "A cultivator like you being used as a ssenger. That ssage must be very important."
Han Yu smiled faintly. "Or the pay is simply very good."
Snow Reed laughed softly, covering her lips with her fingers. "You are an interesting man, Chen Xiu."
He took a sip of tea. "I am a very simple man. I go where the money tells to go."
She tilted her head. "And what about now?"
"Now?" Han Yu looked at her. "Right now, the money is not here. But you are."
She blinked, then flushed faintly.
That was not loud flirting.
Not crude.
It was soft, smooth, like slipping a blade into silk.
Snow Reed recovered quickly. "You speak well."
"I have to," Han Yu said lightly. "Words are cheaper than fists, and sotis more useful."
She smiled. "You sound like soone who has used both."
"Many tis."
They continued to talk.
Snow Reed asked about his travels. Han Yu gave vague but believable answers. Cold towns. Long roads. Dangerous paths.
He told stories that were partly true, partly shifted.
He spoke of storms in the mountains, of beasts on lonely roads, of long nights with only fire and silence.
Snow Reed listened closely, eyes bright.
"And you are not afraid?" she asked.
"Of course I am," Han Yu said. "Only fools are never afraid. The difference is whether fear controls you, or you use it."
She nodded slowly, impressed.
Around them, the performance continued.
The music grew faster.
The drum beat stronger.The lute sang louder.The flute cried sharper.
But at Han Yu’s table, the hunters were not paying attention anymore.
Changli stared openly at Han Yu.
"Brother Chen," he said loudly, half drunk. "How are you so smooth?"
Han Yu looked at him calmly. "Practice."
The other hunters laughed.
"Strong, hunts beasts like vegetables, and now even steals the hearts of won," one joked. "You are unfair."
Snow Reed smiled at that but did not move away from Han Yu.
She leaned closer, speaking softly. "They admire you."
Han Yu shrugged. "Admiration is just surprise that has not faded yet."
She thought about that, then laughed again.
He kept his tone easy, playful.
He praised her flute playing even though she had not played tonight.
He asked about her training, not as an interrogation, but as curiosity.
He listened when she spoke.
That alone made him different from many n who ca here.
Slowly, other people in the hall noticed.
So looked at Han Yu with curiosity.
So with jealousy.
So with quiet respect.
Even the courtesans on stage glanced at him once or twice.
He was not loud.
Not flashy.
But he was steady.
Calm.
Dangerously calm.
And beneath all that charm, his spirit sense never fully relaxed.
That faint gaze in the depths of the Frost Lily Pavilion was still there.
Watching.
Waiting.
And Han Yu knew.
Whether he ca here for pleasure or not, he had already stepped into sothing deeper than music, wine, and beautiful faces.
Han Yu and Snow Reed continued chatting in low voices while the music flowed through the hall.
They drank warm tea that slled faintly of herbs and flowers. Light snacks were brought to the table. Candied nuts, thin sliced dried fruits, and small stead buns filled with sweet paste. Han Yu ate slowly, appreciating the taste far more than he would have a few days ago. After weeks of salted at and roasted beast flesh, even simple sweetness felt luxurious.
On stage, the five courtesans finished their piece with a long fading note from the flute. Applause filled the hall. Snow Reed looked at Han Yu, eyes bright.
"You should hear play soti," she said.
"Then I hope soti is soon," Han Yu replied.
She smiled, then stood lightly and stepped forward with her flute.
The hall quieted again as people recognized her. So clearly knew her already. Whispers of her na passed through the tables.
Snow Reed raised the flute to her lips.
Her music was different.
It was gentle at first, like falling petals. Then sharp notes cut through the softness, like blades slicing through silk. The lody flowed between calm and sudden force, like a dance of swords beneath moonlight. It was not loud, but it carried energy that made people sit straighter, hearts beating faster.
Han Yu listened properly this ti.
It reminded him of battle without blood.
Grace without weakness.
He nodded in appreciation.
When she finished, applause burst out louder than before. Even the hunters clapped hard.
"She’s good," Changli said. "Really good."
Snow Reed bowed lightly, then returned to Han Yu’s side.
He leaned toward her. "That sounded like wind fighting steel."
She laughed softly. "That is a strange complint."
"But accurate," he replied.
Many people called out for another song. Even Han Yu nodded once.
Snow Reed lifted the flute again.
KACHA CRACK
But before she could play, a loud crash echoed through the pavilion.
It sounded like a table being thrown.
The music in the hall died instantly.
THUD
Another crash followed. Then shouting.
"What are you doing!"
"Stop it!"
"Get away from her!"
The courtesans on stage froze for a mont. Their eyes flicked toward the sound, fear flashing across their faces. But they did not move yet. Their duty was still here, unless told otherwise.
The noise grew louder.
KACHA
Sothing shattered.
Glass or porcelain.
"AHHHHH!"
A woman scread.
This ti, everyone heard it.
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