With light and elegant steps, an androgynous figure flitted through the forest. Wearing plain Taoist robes and black cloth shoes, the figure seemed to come from a common background. Looking further, the red and orange tassel attached to the end of his sheathed sword on his back distinguished him as a rogue cultivator under the Jade Mountain Alliance.

 

It wasn't long before the figure broke past the layer of trees into a clearing. There was a tranquil lake in the middle of the clearing. Its water was so clear that you could see all the way to the bottom. At the shore, a few animals were having a drink. Breaking the tranquil silence, the sound of a pipa filled the air. All of the animals stopped drinking and sat down as if they were a human audience. The strumming of the pipa continued to play the tune of a lullaby.

 

Watching in mild interest, the androgynous male turned his gaze toward the other side of the lake.

 

There was a small wooden boat with a cloth canopy sitting just off the shore. Under the cloth canopy was a woman, her back turned to the male. The strumming noises continued to resound and some animals closed their eyes, enthralled in the pipa's lullaby. Walking up to the shore, the rogue cultivator stepped onto the water and continued to walk across with light measured steps. With a gentle smile on his face and his eyes closed, the male proceeded in a careful manner to not alert the figure under the boat canopy. When he reached the side of the boat, he stopped and continued to stand there enjoying the light strumming sounds. A few minutes later, the pipa ceased playing.

 

"Why are you playing such a sorrowful lullaby, young miss?"

 

The male questioned the figure under the boat canopy. Startled, she almost dropped her pipa but quickly caught it. Flustered, the woman slowly turned around. Her silky black hair flowed down past her shoulders onto her back. A few strands of hair had come undone and hung down in front of her face. With a gentle brush from her right hand, she moved them back into position. She had fair lily white skin, her hands were small and delicate, and her pupils were a warm brown.

 

"You must not be from here. Where do you come from?"

 

Holding a gentle smile and firm gaze, the woman inquired from the man, hugging her pipa firmly in her arms. Returning her gaze and smile, the man returned her question with one of his own.

 

"How do you know that I'm not from here?"

 

"Returning a question with a question? Don't worry I'm not someone from the Martial World."

 

Her laughter was like a clear brook, soothing to the ears. The androgynous male seemed to ease up at her words and spoke up.

 

"Well, I'm still curious about the answer to that question either way. May I?"

 

The male gestured towards the boat. The pipa lady smiled gently and affirmed.

 

"Go ahead, I wouldn't be a good host if I left my guest standing."

 

Going around to the front of the boat, the male hopped inside and sat down across from the pipa lady. When the man had settled down, the lady answered his question.

 

"No one around here comes here at this time. That's why I knew you weren't from here."

 

Raising his eyebrow, the man asked the lady with an interested tone.

 

"Oh, why's that?"

 

Her smile dropped at the question as she recalled something sad. Seeing this, the man hurriedly spoke up.

 

"I'm sorry for asking. I'm the one imposing on you."

 

"No, it's fine. It's just the past. Nothing to apologize about."

 

The pipa lady showed a fake smile to try to back up her words. Although the male noticed this, he didn't point it out. She continued to explain.

 

"It's no secret. Everyone around here knows the reason. My younger brother… drowned here when I was a child."

 

Her fake smile crumbled as she recalled the tragedy. Although no tears filled her eyes, her demeanor had become gloomy and her gaze was fragile.

 

"I'm sorry for your loss."

 

The man replied quietly. Hearing his words, the lady woke up from her gloomy stupor.

 

"Oh no. Don't be. It was a long time ago."

 

The two sat in the boat for a few minutes in silence with the only sounds coming from the animals on the shore. The lady was the one to break the silence.

 

"I come here every day on the lake to play a lullaby. It's tradition to play the song at the grave, but I personally believe it would be better to do it at the site of death. Its purpose is to give the soul a safe passage to the netherworld. Where else would their soul be than at the place where the soul is stripped from the body?"

 

Nodding slowly, the man watched the lady with great interest.

 

"Well, guest. What else do you want to know?"

 

Shifting his gaze to the wooden plaque tied to her waist, the man asked his question.

 

"Crane. Why does the plaque on your waist have that written on it?"

 

"Oh, yes. This is my identification plaque. It shows that I'm from the Crane Pavilion."

 

The man squinted a bit at these words and asked with a suspicious tone.

 

"And… what kind of establishment is this Crane Pavilion?"

 

As if she knew what he was thinking, she giggled before replying.

 

"It's not a faction in the Cultivator World. It's a brothel."

 

Hearing the last sentence, the man had an awkward expression on his face.

 

"So you're…"

 

"Mhm. Want a discount? I can get you one."

 

Winking at the man, the pipa lady tried to hold back her laughter at the man's colorful expressions. After a few moments, the lady felt there was a need to clarify something and spoke up.

 

"We only do performances; nothing of the… other sort."

 

With an embarrassed expression, the androgynous man coughed into his fist before talking.

 

"I'm Shi Jianhui. My Taoist title is 'Benefit Conferring Sword'."

 

Finishing his words, he reached out his right hand for a handshake. Giggling once more, the pipa lady responded to Shi Jianhui with a playful tone.

 

"Benefit Conferring Sword… Jianhui. Not very creative are you?"

 

Reaching out with her delicate hand, she gently shook his outreached hand before revealing her own name.

 

"I'm Mo Qingwu. Nice to meet you, Taoist Jianhui."