Chapter 83 - 82: Musical Piece

Chapter 83: Chapter 82: Musical Piece

At dusk, the lanterns were lit.

Having finished his work for the day, Su Mu returned to the South City Government Office.

Before he even entered, he heard the sound of string and wind instruments from the rear courtyard, accompanied by a clear and moving voice.

’So this is the wonderful nightlife of the rich young masters,’ he thought.

Wang Guan hadn’t bought a residence in the South City, so he was currently living in the rear courtyard of the South City Government Office.

The rear courtyard was actually quite large, a bit bigger than the one Su Mu currently lived in, in fact.

Hu Yuxing used to live here as well.

Su Mu had not been on good terms with Hu Yuxing, so this was his first time entering the Government Office’s rear courtyard.

Wang Guan was new in town, so aside from Su Mu, the guests he was entertaining tonight included the South City’s most prominent figures and the heads of its various powers.

To put it bluntly, even if Wang Guan was a scion of the Wang Family, one of the four great families of the Inner City, he couldn’t get anything done in the South City without the support of the local bullies.

Besides, which of these South City factions didn’t have the backing of a great family from the Inner City?

Wang Guan himself probably didn’t care about these things, but Wang Lai and the Master had been sent by the Wang Family specifically to help Wang Guan win over these powers.

As Su Mu walked in, he recognized quite a few faces and mused to himself.

’I haven’t had to deal with this sort of social gathering much in this life, but they were a regular occurrence in my past one.’

The only difference was the stage here.

A two-foot-high platform was draped in red silk, surrounded by large, red lanterns that lit up the area as if it were day.

When Su Mu entered, a young woman was on the stage, playing a zither.

Just as he was starting to listen, a voice cut through the music.

"Brother Mu, you’re finally here! Why are you so serious about your job? We call the shots at the South City Bureau now."

Wang Guan shouted boisterously, "Come on, take a seat! We were waiting for you."

He gestured for Su Mu to join him.

Su Mu smiled but said nothing, choosing a seat some distance from Wang Guan and sitting down.

"Brother Mu, come sit over here,"

Wang Guan said.

"This spot is perfect. I have a clear view,"

Su Mu demurred. ’The Minister and the Chief Clerk are between me and Wang Guan, which is perfect,’ he thought.

Wang Guan tried a few more times to persuade him, but Su Mu refused to move.

’The principle is to stay far away from rich young masters with peculiar hobbies.’

The Minister and the Chief Clerk gave Su Mu a faint smile but made no particular effort to engage him in conversation.

’They’re Civil Servants, and they’ve always looked down on a crude Martial Artist like me.’

Su Mu didn’t have a good impression of these two insignificant Shangguans either.

’Just a couple of useless parasites,’ he thought. ’You never see them when there’s work to be done, but they’re always the first to show up for drinking and entertainment.’

"My Brother Mu is here! Please have the Xiang Family come out!"

Wang Guan said, clapping his hands.

Su Mu’s gaze fell upon the stage. ’The woman playing the zither is so lovely and pitiable... but she’s not the Courtesan Wang Guan was talking about?’

"I’ve long heard that the Xiang Family’s beauty and talent are unparalleled. Today, we shall feast our eyes and ears,"

the Minister said, stroking his beard.

The Chief Clerk nodded in agreement.

The two old lechers wore sleazy smiles.

"I heard Wang Sima spent a full three thousand taels of silver to invite the Xiang Family to the Outer City,"

the Chief Clerk said with an admiring look.

Su Mu was stunned. The rewards for the two wanted criminals he’d recently captured didn’t even add up to three thousand taels.

’Wang Guan spent three thousand taels just to invite a Courtesan over?’

’This could be a problem.’

He had agreed to Wang Guan’s invitation, admittedly because of the Courtesan. However, he wasn’t interested in becoming her patron for the night; he wanted to ask for her guidance on musical instruments.

Miss Luo had given him the technique but not the means to use it. She’d handed over the Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds Marrow Tempering Technique but had forgotten that he was completely ignorant of music.

Since Wang Guan had mentioned that this Courtesan was a master of music, Su Mu had thought he might be able to learn from her.

’At worst, I’d just have to pay for the lessons.’

But now, hearing that a single appearance from this Courtesan cost three thousand taels, Su Mu doubted his meager savings would be enough to hire her.

At that thought, he instantly lost all interest in staying.

’I’m better off finding some other Musician in the South City,’ he decided. ’They might not be as skilled as the Courtesan, but at least they’ll be cheap.’

"Lord Sima, I just remembered an urgent matter I must attend to. I’ll be taking my leave,"

Su Mu said, rising to his feet and clasping his hands in a salute to Wang Guan before the Courtesan even made her appearance.

"How can you do that? The people who should be leaving aren’t, so how can the one who shouldn’t leave, leave?"

Wang Guan blurted out.

All the other guests looked awkward.

Did he just say they were the ones who should be leaving?

Su Mu was once again struck by Wang Guan’s complete lack of tact. ’How many people did he just offend with that one sentence?’

’It’s only because he’s a young master from the Wang Family,’ Su Mu mused. ’Otherwise, he’d have been beaten to death countless times over by now.’

"This matter concerns the security of the South City. As your subordinate, I dare not delay official business for pleasure,"

Su Mu said sternly.

It wasn’t that he was being difficult; it was just that every single person present was of absolutely no social value to him.

He’d rather be at home practicing his martial arts than wasting time here.

"Lord Sima, since Chief Su has official business to attend to, you should let him go,"

the Minister chimed in. "A coarse man like Chief Su probably isn’t interested in sophisticated music and ceremony anyway."

"I certainly can’t compare to the Minister, a man who has mastered propriety, righteousness, and integrity,"

Su Mu said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

The Minister’s brow furrowed, and a flash of anger crossed his face.

"I didn’t realize Chief Su had such a sharp tongue!"

he said coldly.

Wang Guan was completely bewildered. "You two can stop flattering each other now."

The Master covered his face and tugged on Wang Guan’s sleeve. ’How is this flattery?’ he despaired. ’They’re insulting each other, can’t you hear it?’

’The Minister called Chief Su rude, and Chief Su called the Minister shameless.’

"What are you pulling my sleeve for?"

Wang Guan glared at the Master, annoyed.