Chapter 25: The Beauty of the River
Ever since Miss Bai appeared in Sushui Pavilion, Liu Xunyi's eyes have never left her.

Tonight, Miss Bai looks even more stunningly beautiful than when she was in the Yuanyang Pavilion. She is wearing a white dress with fluttering rings and pendants, jade bracelets, gold hairpins, and purple gauze. She was the ethereal fairy in the Yuanyang Pavilion who was not concerned with the worldly affairs, but now in front of Shen Dongshan, she shows another kind of charm that makes people's heart flutter.

Liu Xunyi's gaze followed the steps of Miss Bai and Shen Dongshan from the lobby to the second floor of Sushui Pavilion, with a look that contained a hint of incredible surprise and inexplicable complexity.

"Brother? Brother?"

Lin Fangda called out several times, and Liu Xunyi finally came back to his senses as if he had just woken up from a dream. He even looked at Lin Fangda with a puzzled look, and it was obvious that he didn't care about Lin Fangda's words and actions just now.

"Brother called me?" Liu Xunyi asked hesitantly.

"What are you looking at, brother?" Lin Fangda turned around and glanced at the figures looming in the private room on the second floor. He stared at Liu Xunyi suspiciously and whispered, "Do you know Miss Bai?"

"Miss Bai?" Liu Xunyi was shocked when he heard that. He thought to himself, "Yes, the fat girl in Yuanyang Pavilion also calls her 'Miss Bai'. It seems that I was not mistaken just now. It is indeed the same person." Thinking of this, Liu Xunyi was suddenly shocked and hurriedly asked Lin Fangda: "Brother, that woman... who is she? What is her relationship with Shen Dongshan? What is her relationship with this Sushui Pavilion?"

Lin Fangda frowned and looked at Liu Xunyi, with a hint of intriguing meaning in his eyes, and said: "Brother, don't you know that the woman is Bai Shuang, the most beautiful woman in Sushui Pavilion?"

"Bai Shuang..." Liu Xunyi's heart sank, and he murmured to himself, "The most beautiful woman in Sushui Pavilion..." When he said this, his tone sounded particularly complicated, with a hint of regret. He thought that such an extraordinary woman should be a pure and innocent lady from a noble family, but he never expected that she was actually the most beautiful woman in this decadent place.

"My dear brother." Seeing Liu Xunyi in deep thought, Lin Fangda spoke again, "Although Bai Shuang is the most beautiful woman in Sushui Pavilion, she is not someone that anyone can approach easily. She should not be confused with the other singers and dancers in Sushui Pavilion. Although gentlemen love beautiful ladies, I still want to remind you that if you are also interested in this girl, you'd better give up the idea as soon as possible, so as not to catch a fox but get into trouble."

"Just because she is Shen Dongshan's woman?" Liu Xunyi asked instead of answering.

"The man behind her is not Shen Dongshan, but Lu Tingxiang, the head of the Lu family." Lin Fangda said with a wry smile, "In fact, Lu Tingxiang did not give her any status, but the entire Chunqiu Guangsha belongs to the Lu family, and the most beautiful woman in Sushui Pavilion should naturally be considered Lu Tingxiang's woman." After saying that, Lin Fangda took a deep look at Liu Xunyi again and asked, "Brother, you bought the gold hairpin for this girl, right?"

"I……"

"Beautiful women have always been the source of trouble. Not to mention that her background is very complicated, the fact that she is famous in a place like Sushui Pavilion is enough to prove that she is by no means a decent woman at heart." Lin Fangda advised kindly, "Look for a virtuous wife. With your talent and martial arts, you should marry a lady who is a lady, not a woman of this worldly nature. Although she is stunningly beautiful, unfortunately she is just a plaything used by Lu Tingxiang to win over the rich and powerful, no different from gold, silver, pearls, and jade. Alas!" At the end, Lin Fangda couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Bai Shuang.

"Brother, you misunderstood. I don't have any romantic feelings for Miss Bai Shuang. I just..." Liu Xunyi shook his head and evaded the question, "I just feel sorry for her!" Liu Xunyi did not mention much about the fact that Bai Shuang resembled his sister.

"That's great!" Lin Fangda nodded and smiled, "There are tens of thousands of women in the world, my dear brother, you don't have to fall in love with just Bai Shuang." After that, Lin Fangda pointed at the vague figure of the man in the private room and said seriously, "Just like tonight, Bai Shuang must have been instructed by Lu Tingxiang to wait on Mr. Shen, the distinguished guest, in the Sushui Pavilion."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi suddenly felt a little contempt for Lu Tingxiang, the "number one gentleman in the martial arts world". He originally thought that Lu Tingxiang was an upright gentleman, but now he heard that in order to flatter Shen Dongshan, he actually let his woman accompany other men to drink and have fun. This was really unmanly and his means were even a bit despicable.

Lin Fangda didn't know what Liu Xunyi was thinking about, so he asked, "Brother, do you know Mr. Shen?"

"I've heard of his great name." Liu Xunyi quickly put away his regret for Bai Shuang and his contempt for Lu Tingxiang, and nodded, "The owner of the number one business in Song Dynasty, rich, powerful, and resourceful. It is said that he can do both black and white, but I don't know if it's true or not."

"A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. Whether it's true or not, the fact that these words can be spread in the martial arts world is enough to prove that he is extraordinary." Lin Fang said, "Master Shen's appearance in Quanzhou must be for Mo Cen's retirement tomorrow, but I don't know what his purpose is."

"The reason why the martial artists covet the Jingfenghuayutu is probably because of the Jinyu magic, and Shen Dongshan is a businessman through and through. All businessmen in the world are the same, and they are all after money." Liu Xunyi said frankly, "So he should be coming for the Jin Kingdom treasure hidden in the Jingfenghuayutu." After that, Liu Xunyi changed the subject and asked in confusion, "Brother just said that Shen Dongshan has a relationship with the Northern Sage King and the Golden Sword Dock Master, but the Northern Sage King and the Golden Sword Dock Master have no contact with each other. I wonder who Shen Dongshan is friends with?"

"I only know that he has dealt with the owner of Jinjianwu, but I don't know what his relationship with Jinjianwu is like." Lin Fang shook his head and said, "But the relationship between the Palace Master and Mr. Shen is indeed extraordinary. Mr. Shen goes to Luoyang to visit our Palace Master almost every year, and the Palace Master regards Mr. Shen as a distinguished guest among distinguished guests of the Xianwang Mansion. Whenever Mr. Shen comes to Luoyang City, my Palace Master will take time out to accompany him in person no matter how busy he is. I also followed the Palace Master's order to deliver a gift before Mr. Shen's birthday."

"He is not a man of the underworld, but he has been involved in the affairs of the underworld. It seems that Shen Dongshan is definitely not a good person." Liu Xunyi said with emotion, "Other businessmen want to stay away from both the government and the underworld, but he can get along with both sides, wandering between the two irreconcilable factions of the government and the underworld, and still keep himself out of trouble. I think he must have extraordinary means and unfathomable scheming." "Don't look at his weak appearance, but he is definitely not an ordinary person. Don't underestimate him, my dear brother." Lin Fangda reminded, "Otherwise, with the prestige of the Jiangnan Lu family in the underworld, how could Lu Tingxiang let Bai Shuang curry favor with this person?"

Liu Xunyi nodded and said, "Shen Dongshan is just a businessman, but he can be valued by the Northern Sage King who controls half of the martial arts world. How dare I underestimate him?" At this point, Liu Xunyi suddenly came up with an idea and thought to himself, "Since Luo Tianjin values ​​Shen Dongshan so much, if I can get to know Shen Dongshan first, wouldn't it be helpful to get close to Luo Tianjin in the future?"

Liu Xunyi thought for a moment before speaking, "Just now, my elder brother said that Shen Dongshan could take me into the Lu Mansion. I wonder what this means?"

"Although my elder brother doesn't have the ability to ask the Lu Mansion for an invitation for you, he can ask for a favor from Master Shen and ask him to take you to the Jin Pen Washing Ceremony tomorrow." Lin Fangda nodded and said, "In the eyes of the Lu Mansion, I am just a nobody, so I can only enter with an invitation. But Master Shen is different. If he wants to visit the Lu Mansion, no one will dare to ask him for an invitation. Naturally, he can bring as many followers as he wants."

Liu Xunyi was delighted and asked hurriedly, "Can you really plead for me in front of him?"

"You and I are brothers. Let alone asking for a favor for you, what if I have to stick my neck out for you?" Lin Fangda stood up suddenly while speaking, and took Liu Xunyi with him, saying with a smile, "I'll take you upstairs to pay a visit to Master Shen. You don't need to say anything later, let me do the talking!"

Liu Xunyi nodded hurriedly and looked at Shen Dongshan in the elegant room on the second floor. His eyes couldn't help but sweep over Bai Shuang who was pouring wine for him, and a sense of inexplicable sadness flashed through his heart again.

Lin Fangda and Liu Xunyi went straight up the stairs to the second floor. Several followers guarding outside the private room blocked their way. After Lin Fangda revealed his identity, the man looked at him suspiciously for a few more times before turning around to report to Shen Dongshan in the private room. However, Shen Dongshan and Bai Shuang were chatting and laughing happily at this moment, so the follower did not dare to disturb them. He just stood quietly by the side, as if waiting for the opportunity to speak.

"Reeds grow thick and white dew turns to frost. My beloved is on the other side of the water." In the private room, Shen Dongshan and Bai Shuang sat opposite each other. With a hint of elegant smile on his face and a paper fan gently waved in his hand, he said with a faint smile, "Follow it upstream, the road is long and obstructed. Follow it downstream, and it seems to be in the middle of the water. What a great Sushui Pavilion and what a great Bai Shuang, the names are very clever!"

"Mr. Shen is very talented in writing." Bai Shuang smiled and raised her glass respectfully, "Mr. Shen's presence has brought honor to our humble home. I feel very lucky to be praised by Mr. Shen."

"Miss Bai, there is no need to be modest. There are countless men in the world who are willing to sacrifice ten years of their lives to drink and chat with Miss Bai." Shen Dongshan said with a smile, "But a woman like Miss Bai is hard to come by. She is not greedy for money, profit, or fame. How many men in the world can make a beautiful woman smile? Today, I am truly lucky to be able to chat and laugh with Miss Bai here."

Bai Shuang smiled slightly when she heard this and said, "Mr. Su Wen Shen is a rare great man in the world. No woman in the world can resist Mr. Shen's charm. It is true after seeing him today. How rare is it to see a beautiful woman smile? Mr. Shen only said a few words, but I am already overjoyed and can't help myself."

"Ha ha……"

With Shen Dongshan's current status, he is naturally often complimented, but he has rarely enjoyed it as much as today. In the final analysis, it is because Bai Shuang is a stunning beauty that men cannot resist. How many men in the world can remain reserved when being flattered by such a beauty?

While they were chatting, Bai Shuang's beautiful eyes inadvertently glanced at Lin Fangda and Liu Xunyi outside the door, and when she saw Liu Xunyi, her eyes were stunned. But she concealed it very well and returned to normal in an instant.

Shen Dongshan smiled and toasted Bai Shuang without looking away, and asked his follower casually, "What's the matter?"

"My lord, there is someone outside the door asking to see you!" the attendant replied hurriedly.

Hearing this, an inexplicable smile quietly emerged in Shen Dongshan's eyes as he looked at Bai Shuang. This look made Bai Shuang's heart tighten for no reason. She felt as if everything about her was seen through by Shen Dongshan's eyes.

"Since you are Miss Bai's friend, please come in and talk!"

……

(End of this chapter)