Page 400

"What legends have you heard?" Jing Rui asked casually.

Upon hearing this, the waiter’s heart skipped a beat, seemingly realizing just then, that he had misspoken.

But then he thought about it, now that they were on this ship and had arrived at Dream Island, these things were no longer secrets.

Thus, he answered with a beaming smile, "I’ve heard that this jade has spirituality.

Keeping it at home can not only prolong life but also ensure the safety of future generations.

What’s even more bizarre is that, it’s said, this Jade Watermelon can speak. "

Jing Rui just smiled and didn’t continue the conversation. The world is so vast and full of wonders, if this jade has gained a spirit, speaking wouldn’t be so strange.

*

Gu Xiaoxi and Ai Xiang entered the banquet hall.

Even though it was noon, the scene was already bustling.

The young ladies, dressed ostentatiously, seemed eager to show off. Someone had even begun to play the piano at the event.

The men liked to socialize, gathering in pairs or small groups, and some lively and outgoing men even began inviting women to dance.

Ai Xiang led Gu Xiaoxi through the crowd to find a sofa by the window and sat down.

Immediately, a waiter brought over drinks.

Gu Xiaoxi politely took a glass and smiled at the waiter. "Could you introduce us to some of the honored guests who have arrived?"

She looked toward the raucous banquet, her eyes lingering on beaming faces, her heart full of curiosity about these people.

If one always stayed behind closed doors, one could never fully experience the vastness of society.

Now, she had seen that society was much larger than she had imagined.

As a child growing up in Luocheng, she thought Gu Lirou was already very wealthy.

Later, upon meeting Quan Shaoqing, she discovered what it truly meant to be wealthy.

Now, looking at the hundreds of wealthy people gathered together, she realized that society was an iceberg, and what she was seeing was just the tip, proving that society was much bigger than she had imagined.

"Well, let me introduce a few guests I know, who are also esteemed guests on our boat," the waiter bowed slightly, very gentlemanly, "Please look over there."

"The young lady playing the piano, she is the third daughter of the martial arts family that reigns over Beihai Dao, Ye Xinhuan. The man dancing at the center of the dance floor is her brother, the second son, Ye Jianming."

"Look over there, sitting on the sofa not far away, is the Eldest Young Master of the martial arts family that reigns over Beihai Dao, Zhu Jun. Sitting with him is the head of the strongest Martial Arts family in the Eastern Three Provinces, Ji Hao."

Gu Xiaoxi’s gaze followed the waiter’s direction, and the two men conversing over there turned around at the same time, meeting her gaze head-on.

Seeing her, they casually raised their glasses and nodded, a polite way of greeting her.

Gu Xiaoxi responded with a faint smile.

Seeing this, the waiter immediately grinned at Gu Xiaoxi and said delightedly, "Miss Ai, it seems you are special. It is rare for any lady to receive the favor of both young masters. They seldom take the initiative to greet anyone."

"Oh! Is that so?" Gu Xiaoxi’s smile deepened as she looked at Ai Xiang.

Her heart was clearer than anyone’s; though they looked at her, their gaze was clearly intended for Ai Xiang. The courtesy was probably not meant for her.

"All right, continue." Gu Xiaoxi was interested in everyone present and wanted to know who among the billions of people in Huaxia were exceptional.

The waiter indeed introduced many families to Gu Xiaoxi that she had never heard of before.

The Four Great ancient families of Huaxia, which are also the current strongest four.

Shangguan, Dongfang, Baili, Duanmu—the four great families amassed wealth, status, population, and power advantages, becoming the grandest ancient surnames of the current age.

And each surname had its own territories and circles.

The Shangguan Family from Huabei had been flourishing for seventeen generations, with thousands of descendants.

They exclusively owned a city; the family head, Shangguan Yue, was appointed by the state as the city lord, to manage all the citizens of the Shangguan clan, allowing them to maintain their tradition of Martial Arts and giving them priority in business endeavors.

And it was similar for the other three families.

One could say that their backing was the state itself. They were managed by the state, and their fortunes rose and fell with it.

"I guess you’re the only one who doesn’t know about these." Ai Xiang took a sip of red wine, her tone indifferent. Perhaps because she and Young Master Quan had been quite busy together, she hadn’t come into contact with these circles and thus hadn’t discussed them.

"You knew all this?" Gu Xiaoxi swirled her wine glass, inhaling the fine aroma, a glint of fascination in her eyes.

"Of course I did! Not just the Four Great Families, Beihai Dao, Eastern Three Provinces, but also the Five Great Mountains, Four Major Buddhist Sects, Four Major Taoist Sects, and so on.

You should know that there are many masters in this society.

Almost all the famous and capable people come from renowned Sects. Miss Gu, you should travel more."

At this, Gu Xiaoxi sharply inhaled. It seemed she was uninformed after all.

Having been a little overlord all her life, she had only made a name for herself in Luocheng, but now that she was out in society, she realized.

This is what real society is like!

With masters as common as clouds and a gathering of heroes, she was but a small boat in this vast world.

"How do you know so much?" Gu Xiaoxi asked Ai Xiang, eyes wide with curiosity.

"I am a medical genius, famous from a young age. Plus, I’ve participated in the Five Great Mountains conference, so I know quite a few people." Ai Xiang squinted, a wicked smile playing on his lips. With the face of a woman, he was unbelievably handsome no matter how you looked at him.

Gu Xiaoxi gave him a glance and had to admit that he was attractive. At the same time, she asked with caution, "But if you suddenly pop up with a sister, won’t others be suspicious?"

"They might be suspicious, but what of it? What I say about my sister goes. Miss Ai Zhen!" Ai Xiang even teasingly addressed Gu Xiaoxi by her assumed name.

...

While they were chatting and laughing, a melodious voice interrupted their conversation.

"Mr. Ai, long time no see!"

Gu Xiaoxi looked up following the voice and saw a man standing before her, dressed sharply in a suit, with a fresh and handsome air and an extraordinary demeanor. Next to him stood another man, tall and elegant, full of youthful vigor.

At first glance, these two were clearly not ordinary individuals.

They were the very two men Gu Xiaoxi had just been introduced to by the service staff and who had politely nodded to her.

"I didn’t expect to encounter you here, Ai Xiang!" The speaker was Ji Hao, and given that he was the leader of a martial arts family, it meant he was indeed a rare martial arts prodigy with natural ability and few rivals.

Ai Xiang nodded to them, "Indeed, I didn’t expect to meet you here either. It seems that Dream Island’s auction this time has some good items appearing."

"You’re so clever! But Dream Island is the famous Golden City, after all. We had to come and see for ourselves what this so-called Golden City is really like." Ji Hao sat down beside Ai Xiang without hesitation, picked up a wine glass, and looked up appraisingly at Gu Xiaoxi.

Zhu Jun sat down uninvited beside Gu Xiaoxi and looked at her appearance with perplexity, then said to Ai Xiang, "Ai Xiang, I’ve never heard that you had a sister. This Miss Ai Zhen, she doesn’t quite resemble you."

"Doesn’t she?"

"Of course, she’s much prettier than you are." Ji Hao chimed in bluntly.

Ai Xiang was speechless for a moment, these men really knew how to make a girl feel happy.

Listening to everyone’s conversation, Gu Xiaoxi’s lips curled into a light smile, "As a newcomer, I ask everyone here to take good care of me."

"Sure thing! Since you are Ai Xiang’s sister, you are our sister too. Of course, we’ll take care of you," Ji Hao said, impressed with Gu Xiaoxi at first sight. The woman before him seemed comfortable to be around, no matter how you looked at it.

She was beautiful without being ostentatious, like a silently glowing sun in the sky, warm to the touch. It made people unable to resist getting closer and knowing her.

"May I then invite you to dance?" Zhu Jun immediately smiled at Gu Xiaoxi, not hiding his admiring gaze. Of course, how much of this admiration was sincere was another matter.

Gu Xiaoxi looked towards Ai Xiang; she wasn’t good at dancing, especially ballroom dancing.

Seeing the pleading look in Gu Xiaoxi’s eyes, Ai Xiang immediately understood and suggested with a smile to the two beside him, "Let’s forget about dancing, it’s too noisy in here. Let’s go outside to the swimming pool instead."

"Great! It’s rare to have some free time; let’s really enjoy ourselves," Ji Hao agreed.

Whether it was the elite or martial arts families, they all wanted to be on good terms with a divine doctor, especially a medical prodigy like Ai Xiang who had been famous since childhood.

With that, the four of them headed out together.

On the deck of the cruise ship was an extremely large swimming pool. At that moment, four or five people were swimming freely inside, carefree and at ease.

While Ji Hao and Zhu Jun were changing clothes, Gu Xiaoxi turned to Ai Xiang, "You guys have fun. I’ll take a walk on the deck."

She didn’t want to be swimming in a swimsuit alongside unfamiliar men. It didn’t feel right to her; it made her uncomfortable.

"Come on! I picked an activity you’re good at, to really show them that my sister is no simple character.

If you feel uncomfortable in a swimsuit, you can choose something very conservative.

Don’t worry, there won’t be any trouble," Ai Xiang reassured her. Since they were here, of course, it was important to network, whether those friendships were real or fake. As long as they come in handy in crucial moments, that’s all that matters.

This was a great opportunity.

Gu Xiaoxi didn’t understand why Ai Xiang wanted her to mingle with those people, but she certainly couldn’t just hide away and be unsociable.

So, she selected the most conservative swimsuit available.

Loose and comfortable, and it wouldn’t be revealing when wet.

Although it didn’t make swimming as effortless.

But that didn’t interfere with her swimming skills.