The Seven Fairies… An image of a celestial maiden flashed across my mind. The woman before me was as beautiful as a blooming flower, with a graceful figure, making me seriously wonder if I had stumbled upon the legendary Seven Fairies. Moreover, such a marvelous person was actually staring right at us! My heart hammered against my ribs in tension, and I swallowed hard, nudging Xiao Shu with my elbow. "Am I seeing things again?"

"If you are, then we're both seeing things," Xiao Shu whispered back, equally nervous.

"Miss… Ma'am…" I clumsily tried to greet her, but I couldn't decide what to call her. Calling her 'Miss' felt a bit impolite the moment it left my lips, but 'Ma'am' didn't seem to fit her apparent age.

Just as I struggled to find the right form of address, she turned and ducked behind a massive tree, casting a quick glance into the woods, as if she hadn't heard the four halting words I’d managed to utter.

"Young lady…" I switched my term, summoning my courage, and called out again.

The lovely creature gave no response, preoccupied with covertly peering into the trees.

Moments later, a man's silhouette emerged from the thicket. He wore a white shirt and slate-grey trousers, his long hair flowing to his neck. He held a guqin cradled across his left arm, his right hand resting against a tree trunk, constantly scanning left and right as he walked, searching for someone.

I thought perhaps this was the man who had spoken earlier. I felt a strange sense of familiarity, perhaps recognizing his face by about fifty or sixty percent.

The man subtly glanced toward the woman hidden behind the tree, then swiftly averted his gaze to the other side, pretending he had seen nothing, and continued to wander aimlessly, like a headless fly.

The woman, however, unaware that she had been discovered, stayed smugly hidden behind the trunk. When the man angled his head and walked past her vicinity, she suddenly leaped out, letting out a loud "Ah!" directed at him. Seeing the surprise on his face, she burst into gales of laughter, doubled over with sheer delight!

"Why were you hiding here? You made the search awfully difficult for me," the man complained, feigning anger with a slight frown.

"Sorry, sorry…" The woman giggled, wrapping her arm around his neck, apologizing profusely.

"Let me play a tune, and you can dance for me," the man said, gently tapping the tip of her nose with his free right hand. He pulled down her encircling arm, found a flat stone nearby to set down the guqin, and sat down decisively.

The man casually plucked the strings two or three times, tilted his head, closed his eyes, and quietly listened to the notes drifting from the ancient instrument. The woman shook her head resignedly, walked into a clearing in the woods, crouched slightly, holding one hand up to the air and supporting her elbow with the other, striking an opening pose as if she were one of the flying apsaras from Dunhuang.

What followed was ethereal music filling the air and phantom-like shadows dancing, leaving me completely astonished. I felt disoriented, transported back to my own world, seated at the front row of a concert hall, my spirit wholly immersed. I never imagined I would encounter these two god-like figures here in the Sea of Lost Souls. I firmly decided that the moment the music ceased, I would walk over and strike up a friendship with them.

As I was lost in the wonder of the exquisite music and dance, Xiao Shu let out an unexpected sob beside me. I instinctively turned my head to look at him, only to find him staring fixedly at the celestial sleeves dancing in the woods, his face already streaked with tears.

"What's wrong?" I snapped out of the trance of the music and dance, asking with concern.

"N-nothing," Xiao Shu stammered, quickly wiping the tears from his face and turning away from me.