Tie Ci glanced at Xiao Jing. The youth stood there, smiling somewhat shyly, his snow-white face slightly flushed. Looking at them, he and Feiyu truly seemed well-matched.

She thought about it—she seemed to have never bought anything for Feiyu. Seeing her so delighted, her heart felt uncomfortable.

But buying something for her at this moment would seem too obvious.

Watching Feiyu’s fingers fiddle with the tassels on the hairpin, she smiled and helped straighten the pin for Feiyu, but couldn’t help saying, “The Xiao family showing such courtesy probably has some intentions. Have you… thought about it?”

“What intentions?” Feiyu looked at her sideways.

Tie Ci didn’t believe this shrewd person was completely clueless. She chuckled, “With the Xiao family’s status, they wouldn’t casually form marriage ties with people of unknown origins. Be careful—’Poor beauty, sweet lord, content to be concubine.'”

“Being a concubine to the Xiao family doesn’t seem bad at all.” Feiyu gazed at her slantwise, saying slowly, “I never told you before, but my origins are actually ordinary. Though my family had some modest assets, we fell into decline. I myself am just a concubine-born daughter, and after wandering the martial world, I learned some skills through chance encounters. But ultimately it’s a drifting fate like floating duckweed. How would sons of good families be willing to take me as a proper wife? Yet I’m unwilling to marry peddlers and laborers to be the main wife of a poor household. Calculating it all, being a concubine to this legitimate Xiao family son seems most suitable.”

Tie Ci felt stifled hearing this but couldn’t refute it. Though she suspected Feiyu’s origins were definitely not from a small household, her current explanation was quite reasonable. After all, if she were still wealthy, no woman would lower herself to a pleasure house. Her proud and ruthless temperament was definitely more than ordinary small households could handle.

Feiyu smiled again, “Otherwise your Second Senior Brother would work too. I see he treats me quite well, though he seems to have some illness…”

Without thinking, Tie Ci said, “Second Senior Brother won’t do. He’s careless in his actions and loves causing trouble—definitely not a good match.”

“This won’t do, that won’t do.” Feiyu said melodiously, “Will you marry me then?”

Tie Ci: “…”

Actually, responding with a joke would be fine, but now she was unwilling to lie to Feiyu.

After a long moment she said, “The hairpin looks good?”

“Good.”

“Do you like it?”

“I like it.”

“Then I’ll make one for you with my own hands. Would you like that?”

Feiyu smiled.

In the sunlight, her eyes blazed like fire.

“Then I’ll throw this one away.”

Tie Ci sighed, thinking damn it, if Feiyu didn’t mind her female body, then she’d take them all!

Three palaces and six courtyards, both men and women—what’s wrong with that!

Though matters should be discussed step by step, now wasn’t the time.

Feiyu’s eyes inexplicably showed joy. She pulled out the hairpin and stuffed it into Second Senior Brother’s hands, saying “It’s yours,” then turned and excitedly dragged Xiao Jing to the gambling house.

A quarter hour later, Xiao Jing stared dumbfounded at that beauty who had lifted her skirts and tied them at her waist, rolled up her sleeves exposing a pair of white wrists, put one foot on a stool, and slapped down dominoes with one hand. She stared at that row of colorful tiles with bright eyes, laughing heartily when winning, and when losing, kicked a burly man into a rolling gourd with one foot.

Xiao Jing: “…”

The goddess crumbled in his heart.

His little heart went crack, crack, breaking into countless pieces.

…

Tie Ci also entered the gambling house, but didn’t sit at Xiao Jing’s table. She chose another table and sat down. She had a different style—unhurried and unflurried, shuffling and dealing cards with practiced gestures, showing a general’s bearing. She leisurely won a small pile of silver, and when others were losing and black-faced, she would appropriately lose a hand, like holding a fishing rod swaying gently. Both gamblers and dealers became fish in her pond, staring at her bait swaying back and forth. One person controlled the rhythm of the entire game.

Tie Ci had always considered herself poor at gambling, but now realized the skills honed over years at her master’s card table—while insufficient against Third Senior Sister—were more than enough for these gamblers. Xiao Wenliu sat tightly beside her with her chin in her hands, cheering loudly and helping count chips when she won, sighing and anxiously reaching for her own small purse when she lost. Her gaze followed Tie Ci everywhere, always bright and shining.

After playing for half an hour, Tie Ci pushed away her cards and rose decisively. Everyone at the table breathed a sigh of relief and saw her off with smiles.

Someone brought over her winnings converted to silver. Tie Ci weighed it, thinking whether to buy good wood or fine jade for carving. Turning her head, she saw Xiao Wenliu looking at her eagerly and asking, “Young Master Ye, could you give me a piece of this silver?”

Tie Ci didn’t mind, smiling, “Your capital was included anyway, so you should have it.” She picked out a plum blossom-shaped ingot. Xiao Wenliu joyfully put it in her small purse and patted it.

Xiao Wen stood to the side with no presence, watching the flowing waves in her eyes and her flushed cheeks, then turned away, her gaze lightly drifting over green treetops.

Over there, Feiyu also came out from gambling, apparently with quite a harvest. She walked while tossing a small brocade pouch, then casually threw it to Xiao Jing after a few tosses, laughing carelessly, “Thanks for standing guard, Young Master Xiao. Here, take your cut.”

Taking a cut meant commission. Xiao Jing caught it, bewildered, and after a long moment, managed a bitter smile.

But when he steadied himself and saw Feiyu’s flowing wide sleeves and skirts ahead, he couldn’t control his legs and hurried to catch up.

Suddenly it became very lively ahead, with everyone shouting about watching iron flower performance. Xiao Wenliu’s eyes lit up and she nearly jumped, saying hurriedly, “Iron flower performance! Is it the Shengyu troupe’s iron flower show? This is truly rare to see. Quick, quick! Get a good spot!”

Someone in the distance shouted loudly, “Master Wang of Danlan Street’s vow before the Dao Lord was fulfilled—today he fulfills his promise!” The crowd surged like a tide.

Iron flower performances were popular in the Jing River region. Tie Ci had heard of them before. This folk art was originally a Daoist activity for praying for blessings, warding off disasters, driving away evil, and protecting homes. The five trades of craftsmen would also perform iron flowers when opening for business. Previously it only occurred when craftsmen opened for business at the beginning of each year and at important Daoist ceremonies and celebrations. In recent years it had gradually become popular nationwide. Whenever common folk made vows, celebrated, held weddings, or achieved success, they would invite such performances. Iron flower shows were most popular in Heyu Province. From this troupe’s name, it must be a famous troupe from that Heyu region.

Before she could reply, Xiao Wenliu had already run over. The crowd formed three layers around a performance area. In the center, a two-zhang-high two-story octagonal pavilion was erected. The first story was about one and a half zhang, the second half a zhang—this was the flower pavilion. Fresh willow branches were spread on the pavilion, with various fireworks and firecrackers tied to the branches. At the very top center of the pavilion was the main pole, from which hung long “ritual decorations”—an extremely large string of bright red firecrackers. The entire pavilion’s shape corresponded to Daoist doctrine: “The One generates Two Forms, Two Forms generate Four Images, Four Images generate Eight Trigrams, Eight Trigrams generate Five Elements, Five Elements generate all things.”

Beside the flower pavilion was an unremarkable iron furnace, with large bellows blowing wind into it—this was the melting furnace containing molten iron.

The flower performers were the main attraction—twelve people, all bare-chested, holding inverted gourd ladles. One hand held a flower rod—a willow stick the thickness of a fist with a small groove at the tip to hold molten iron—while the other held a plain willow stick without grooves.

Amid the crowd’s cheers, the twelve moved in single file, quickly approaching the flower pavilion. They struck the upper rod with the lower rod. The iron juice in the rod flew out in a black arc toward the pavilion, shattering against willow branches and igniting the firecrackers and fireworks on them. A spray of brilliant gold and deep red shot skyward.

The first performer struck and left, returning to the furnace for more molten iron, while the next followed immediately, creating another spray of fireworks. Rod after rod continued endlessly. For a moment, sparks flew and scattered, flowing light like a waterfall, red fire swirling, broken gold filling the sky. The brilliant light extended to the heavens and enveloped half the county town.

This scene was truly spectacular. Suddenly more cheers arose as two people came forward, clearly more skilled. They made the iron flowers dance like playing dragons, shattering into countless colorful crystal scales, or rolling into brilliant spirals like nine-heaven phoenixes dropping feathers to form spheres. The flower rods rose and fell in their hands as they walked and struck, circling the arena. The iron flowers rolled like dragons wrapped in bright armor, tumbling and moving. The cheers on the field nearly lifted the sky, with someone excitedly shouting, “Iron flower dragon dance!”

To make iron flowers dance in dragon form naturally demanded higher skills from the performers. Watching the dragon dance and rise, the crowd followed it, surging and pushing. Tie Ci instinctively spread her arms to protect Feiyu, then turned to see Xiao Wenliu about to be knocked down by the crowd and reached out to pull her. With this turn, she was unknowingly pushed to a different position by the crowd without realizing it.

With firecrackers and cheers echoing throughout the city, naturally no nearby sounds could be heard. She saw Feiyu turn back with a smile, opening and closing her mouth as if saying something, but it was completely inaudible.

She also didn’t hear the commotion behind them, beyond the crowd.

It was Second Senior Brother, who had somehow fallen behind and was now being chased by a group of angry-faced people. He ran toward where there were more people. Seeing sparks flying ahead and thinking they were setting off fireworks, he leaped up, falling toward the high center of the crowd.

At this moment, a flower performer struck out, the dragon head rose up, colliding with the large “ritual decoration” on the main pole. Instantly firecrackers shook the sky, five colors stretched endlessly, clashing and colliding with the dragon head’s red colored light, creating a sky full of stars. Everyone was startled by that magnificent spectacle and instinctively looked up together.

This was called “hitting the mark”—the most intense moment of iron flower performance, when everyone cheered.

Second Senior Brother couldn’t squeeze through the crowd, so he leaped over it, landing on something high. But his feet felt very hot, and hearing people scream, he instinctively kicked away whatever was under his feet.

Tie Ci suddenly felt alarmed, seeming to faintly hear screams. Looking up, she discovered that somehow she and the others had approached near the melting furnace. The furnace had been kicked over, with someone nearby splashed by the scalding molten iron, their screams drowned in cheers and firecracker sounds.

That large mass of molten iron, hot enough to melt flesh and destroy bone, was pouring down toward her and Feiyu!

Beside her, Xiao Wenliu screamed, obviously noticing too. This girl was rather simple—she didn’t react to realize this was molten iron and suddenly rushed over to pull her.

Tie Ci had already grabbed Feiyu preparing to teleport, but seeing her rush over, cursed internally.

If she teleported away, this girl would bear the brunt and be melted by the molten iron!

In that instant, she only had time to push Feiyu away forcefully.

Then she turned her back, shielding Xiao Wenliu, and pointed backward at the pouring molten iron.

She shouted in her heart: “Restore!”

In that flash, all her mental energy concentrated in her brain, all her body’s strength concentrated at her fingertip. Inside her organs came several consecutive snapping sounds as the long-dormant reverse-flowing true energy appeared like a swimming dragon, breaking through barriers and acupoints like angry waves rolling backward.

Behind her seemed like a mountain of flames collapsing, scorching waves killing toward her. Where her finger touched felt like being suddenly bitten by sharp teeth. Ten fingers connect to the heart—the pain pierced to the bone.

She convulsed.

But didn’t withdraw her hand.

She pressed firmly on the edge of the molten iron.

That sharp pain didn’t dissipate, but the liquid sensation seemed to change.

Behind her came another cry of alarm, then a whoosh of wind as someone lunged forward. With a clang, something hard hit the ground, shattering and scattering dirt.

She suddenly fell into a warm embrace. That person held her, frantically feeling all over her body.

The familiar sandalwood and patchouli scent made her heart settle. She patted Feiyu’s back to show she was fine, then glanced to see the overturned furnace still leaking molten iron, with a large iron block added to the ground.

That block was the molten iron that had poured toward her, then been restored by her to its original solid state.

By now the crowd had scattered in alarm, including the flower performers. Some stood bewildered in place while others threw down their flower rods and joined the fleeing crowd. Tie Ci shouted, “The pavilion!” and pushed Feiyu away to go up.

Feiyu pressed her down, leaped up herself, grabbed a flower rod from a performer’s hands, and in a few steps mounted the pavilion. Sparks gradually died under her feet. She turned and climbed the top pole, seeing those bare-chested, gourd-capped flower performers escaping. With a wave of her hand, burning willow branches shot out like flashing stars, instantly reaching behind the two master performers who had appeared last. Fire blazed as the two men wailed and fell, immediately seized by the Xiao family guards who had reacted.

Feiyu didn’t stop. The willow rod in her hand struck the flower pavilion continuously. Each fire dragon that blazed precisely knocked down an escaping person. How she accurately found the troublemakers among the scattering, fleeing crowd was unknown.

At this moment, on the square, crowds scattered with their backs to the flower fire. Only she stood at the pavilion’s center, smiling with anger, her downward gaze filled with killing intent. Flower fire shot from her palms in all directions like countless flame whips, lashing demons and monsters. She was the master of that realm, punishing countless malicious hearts below for the sake of the one person she held dear.

Tie Ci had been angry, planning to personally deal with these bastards who treated human life carelessly. When that molten iron poured down earlier, she wouldn’t have been the only unlucky one.

However, now looking up at Feiyu, her anger seemed to dissipate instantly. Flower fire and starlight reflected in her eyes, and something in her eyes shone brighter than the flower fire.

Suddenly Feiyu gestured to her, indicating she should look at the trajectory of the iron flowers.

Tie Ci was startled and looked back at the horizon, only then discovering that after that circle of strikes, a heart-shaped trace faintly remained in mid-air.

Flickering slightly with red light and smoke, above the crowd—a giant heart.

When the wind passed, it scattered in an instant.