Chapter 494 - 248: Upper Two, Ferryman, Bai Qiuyue

Chapter 494: Chapter 248: Upper Two, Ferryman, Bai Qiuyue

"The more things go wrong, the more I like to spend money."

"The more frustrating it is, the more I spend."

"Money’s a damn nuisance. Spending it is the only way to feel good."

With every gold ingot he stacked, the madam’s breathing grew more frantic.

"But I’m well aware that money isn’t everything. There are, of course, some problems that even silver taels can’t solve."

In the blink of an eye, Zheng Xiu had stacked six gold ingots high.

This much gold was enough to buy the entire Yan Chun Building.

The madam had seen plenty of rich men flaunt their wealth in the brothel, but she’d never seen anyone do it this extravagantly.

Her breathing was rushed, her pupils dilated, her gaze fixed on the six gold ingots. Just as she was about to say something, the madam suddenly seemed to remember something and quickly forced a smile. "Oh, you’re the death of me, my dear young master. You truly are. If I were just ten, even eight years younger, I’d do anything you asked! I know you’re here for Fragrant Maiden, but tonight of all nights is impossible. Her guest for this evening was arranged long ago. She has a very important visitor in her room! Tonight, I’m afraid I’ll have to..."

Before she could finish, Zheng Xiu, his expression calm and a smile on his face, pulled out a seventh gold ingot and placed it on top.

CLANG!

The tower of gold ingots was unstable and collapsed, scattering across the table.

The young man’s expression was one of resignation. "So when I encounter problems money can’t solve, I just have to find another way. Tell me..." He looked up, his gaze bright and clear—unusually so for a patron of a place like this. He smiled. "Is Fragrant Maiden available tonight, or isn’t she?"

After the terrified madam departed, Situ Yong watched suspiciously as the young man put away the gold ingots.

"If I may say so," he asked, "your skill at throwing your wealth around seems even more practiced than the Red King’s."

"Hmph. You don’t even know the Red King."

"I am well acquainted with his reputation, having heard all the legends."

"I learned by observation. Practice makes perfect."

"Makes sense!"

Situ Yong nodded.

Closing the door tightly, Zheng Xiu recalled the madam’s various reactions and whispered with a frown, "There’s something wrong with that madam."

Situ Yong was taken aback. "Are you saying she’s also a Miracle Master of the Orchid Path?"

"Not necessarily." Zheng Xiu shook his head, tapping his forehead in thought. "She figured out that I was the leader of our group within moments. You don’t develop that kind of insight without practicing ’Observing Appearance and Recognizing People’ day in and day out for a decade. Someone like that is incredibly sharp, far from foolish. And when I announced where I was from and made a big show of my wealth, there wasn’t a hint of greed in her eyes. Instead, there was a faint trace of terror..."

"Everything she said was an excuse. It’s like she didn’t want us to see Fragrant Maiden..."

"She’s afraid we’ll die here!"

"She knows, to some extent, what Fragrant Maiden is doing!"

"I’m going to step out and investigate!"

As he spoke, the young man’s eyes lit up. He scooped up the Orange Cat that was grumpily picking through the food on the table, placed it on his head, and walked out the door. "Don’t do anything rash. When the girls get here, just play along for now."

Hearing the word "girls," Situ Yong looked troubled. "But I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle them."

"My apologies for the hardship, Elder Divine Doctor!"

"Sigh, fine! What choice do I have, with my Medical Compassion!"

Situ Yong nodded with a pained expression.

Not long after Zheng Xiu left, a dozen or so beautiful girls, each with an elegant and quiet demeanor, entered to pour wine and completely surrounded Situ Yong.

Situ Yong’s two fists were no match for twenty-four legs, and before long he was struggling to keep up.

Once outside, Zheng Xiu cast one [Scouting] after another, quickly filtering through lines of text for useful information.

A moment later, he found a cloud of orange mist. It was the madam’s perfume, called "Spring is Coming." Following the "scent" in his vision, Zheng Xiu activated [Stealth] again.

Gray "concealment zones" appeared in his vision. As if playing a game of hide-and-seek, he moved along the gray zones to best avoid the madam’s line of sight.

Zheng Xiu walked along the corridor and looked down. The atmosphere in the hall below was intimate. A few girls were flirting with well-dressed Flower Gatherers. Someone, emboldened by wine, was composing poetry on the spot. Another girl played a stringed instrument, her song lingering in the air, but the guest’s eyes roamed up, down, left, and right, his intentions clearly not on the wine.

The hall catered to all tastes, both refined and common. The refined enjoyed reciting poetry, discussing life, or playing instruments and dancing. The common, on the other hand, were loudly playing drinking games, the atmosphere boisterous. They were shouting things like, "Who’s a slut? I’m a slut! Who’s a slut? You’re a slut!" with the loser having to down three cups. Song, dance, music, poetry, and wine—all these elements, in the company of the beautiful women of the brothel, added a certain amorous flavor to the air.

The first floor was the main hall, the second floor had private booths. As for the third floor and above, those were the elegant rooms where the courtesans took their chosen guests for the night. He had heard that in another hour, Fragrant Maiden would be performing. It wasn’t yet time for overnight stays, so the upper floors were still quiet, the corridors empty.

The orange mist rounded a corner in the corridor. Just as Zheng Xiu was about to peek around, an angry shout came from the other side, followed by a dull THUD.

"Get out!"

Zheng Xiu held his breath and peeked out. Beyond the corner was the end of the corridor, with only one room. The door was open, and the madam had been thrown heavily to the floor. Then, a vase was hurled from inside, CRASHING against her forehead. The madam cried out and collapsed, clutching her head in pain.

"Please... I’m begging you... You can do whatever you want usually, but that young master looks like he has a powerful background. Please don’t go after him. I’ll agree to anything else you want, isn’t that enough!"

Her head split open and bleeding, the madam pleaded desperately before the door as it was slammed shut with a BANG.

There was no response from inside. Next to the room’s door leaned a long, dark-green bamboo pole. It was nearly eight feet tall, almost touching the ceiling. On the pole hung a tattered conical hat and a straw raincoat. Zheng Xiu stared at the three-piece set of pole, hat, and raincoat. ’Never mind how someone managed to get such a long pole up the narrow staircase,’ he thought. ’The whole ensemble makes me picture a boatman soliciting a prostitute, a truly bizarre image.’

The relationship between the madam and Fragrant Maiden was intriguing. After pleading at the door for a while with no reply from inside, the madam gritted her teeth, got up, took a silk cloth from her robes to press against her forehead, and staggered back the way she came, her face etched with worry.

Zheng Xiu quickly slipped away, getting back to their private room even faster than the madam.

Upon entering the room, he found it packed. Some girls were playing music, some were singing and dancing, one was leaning against Situ Yong’s back like a pillow, and several others were feeding him snacks on bamboo skewers.

Situ Yong’s beard was trembling, and he looked to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

Zheng Xiu’s mouth twitched. ’Damn it,’ he thought. ’Having a grand old time at the brothel on my money, are we?’

’"Medical Compassion," he said earlier. Now he’s some kind of master gynecologist?’

When the Red King opened the door, Situ Yong heard it and his expression turned solemn. He instantly became as sage-like as a Buddha, coldly waving the beautiful courtesans away. "All of you, leave!"

The melody stopped abruptly. The girls looked at each other, but he who pays the bills is the boss. They tactfully withdrew from the room.

"I..."

Situ Yong straightened his clothes and calmly explained, "It was merely an act. I couldn’t very well get stage fright!"

Then, he smacked his lips, adding with an air of not having had enough, "Medical Compassion!"

"Alright, alright!"

Torn between laughter and tears, Zheng Xiu told Situ Yong to shut up and stop making excuses, then smiled and recounted what he had seen and heard upstairs.

"What?"

Jun Buxiao, who had been standing stiffly in the corner, ignoring the dozen or so girls and letting Situ Yong descend into his paradise of women, suddenly wiped his face as if by magic. In the blink of an eye, a "shocked" mask appeared.

"Hehehe! Are you saying... you saw a bamboo pole upstairs? A very, very long bamboo pole?"

"And a conical hat, and a straw raincoat."

Zheng Xiu added.

"Heeheehee! Hahahaha! Hehehe!"

Jun Buxiao rapidly changed masks, laughing hysterically. After standing for so long, he abruptly sat down, poured himself a cup, and drained it in one gulp. Only then did he ask the young man through his mask, "You didn’t startle the snake, did you?"

"I don’t think so. I have a certain degree of confidence in my [Stealth] ability."

Jun Buxiao muttered to himself, "Good! That’s good! It’s him! How could it be him? What is he doing here?"

Zheng Xiu coughed twice. "People who speak in riddles never come to a good end."

Jun Buxiao said, "It’s Bai Qiuyue!"

Situ Yong, who had been silently wiping the faint traces of rouge from his face, froze. "Which Bai Qiuyue?"

Jun Buxiao nodded emphatically. "*That* Bai Qiuyue!"

Situ Yong was shocked. "Why would he be visiting a brothel?" A moment later, understanding dawned on him and he nodded. "Ah, I see! Food and sex are basic human nature. It’s only natural!"

Zheng Xiu frowned. "Which Bai Qiuyue are you two talking about?"

From under his mask, Jun Buxiao let out a strange, inscrutable laugh.

"Heeheehee! The former number one master of Ye Weiyang, the natural-born Ferryman, Upper Two, Bai Qiuyue!"

Jun Buxiao held up two fingers, his sinister mask drawing close to the young man, just inches away.

"The Mystic, Bai Qiuyue!"