Two Months

Due to the unforeseen turn of events in the Northern Border, the priority of the marriage alliance seemed to have been pushed back. Since his old man was not paying much attention to it either, Xu Yuan chose to take his time sightseeing on the way back to the Imperial Capital. Though dark clouds gathered over the war in the north, the lands of Great Yan remained peaceful and serene. Before total chaos broke out, he took the chance to enjoy these splendid mountains and rivers alongside the Big Ice Block and Xu Xinyao. And then... Xu Xinyao took advantage of a moment when Xu Yuan wasn't paying attention and ran off. She left him a letter saying she wanted to continue her travels and see for herself whether all the sects under heaven were truly birds of a feather, then slipped away under the cover of night. As for the Big Ice Block, after traveling with Xu Yuan for over half a month, she departed as they were passing through Daqing Province. She went to find the cavern Xu Yuan had told her about, intending to bring the items back to the Sword Sect for her master. With both women having left one after the other, Xu Yuan—one man and one soul—journeyed from the southwest all the way to the northeast, traversing nearly the entirety of Great Yan. Two months later. Outer suburbs of the Imperial Capital, Mount Qibei. The morning sun was just rising. Caressed by a gentle breeze, the mountain mist drifting through the woods parted slightly to reveal a structure perched atop the mountain peak. The morning in the mountain forest after the rain felt exceptionally tranquil. Standing solitary upon the sheer cliff of the peak was a nine-story pleasure house, its walls carved with dragons and painted with phoenixes, while ethereal melodies of instrumental music drifted out from within. It was difficult to imagine how much manpower and resources had been expended to construct such a building atop this mountain summit. Yet, bordering the Imperial Capital and close to the seat of power of the Great Yan Dynasty, this area was a gathering place for imperial nobility and wealthy tycoons. Countless desires gave rise to innumerable lavish money-dissolving dens all around it. This establishment was Qifeng Pavilion, a pleasure quarter subordinate to the Music Bureau. Most of the courtesans here were female disciples who had survived the Xuanqing Sect rebellion years ago. Not female disciples who trained along the path of martial apprentices, but bona fide cultivators who practiced actual cultivation methods. Even having fallen into the mortal dust, they still retained an unearthly, transcendent aura. Many patrons favored this sort of taste. Even with the exorbitant starting price of a hundred taels a day, the pleasure house still enjoyed an endless stream of benefactors. In the morning light, Xu Yuan unhurriedly pushed open the door of his private room and headed downstairs for a meal. Outside was a long, narrow corridor carpeted in luxurious red, the air tinged with a faint, intoxicating fragrance. Just as he stepped out of the private pavilion, Xu Yuan heard a slightly chilled voice from the corridor nearby: "Young Master, please have some self-respect!" "..." Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. Judging by the voice, it seemed to be a courtesan of the Music Bureau named Chu Jingyi. He had stayed here for three days, only listening to her play the guqin from behind a folding screen a few times. It had sounded lovely, her skill quite profound, but he had never seen her face. He was currently going by the name Zhou Chen, whereas she was Qifeng Pavilion's top pure courtesan, rumored to be the daughter of some deceased high-ranking figure of the Xuanqing Sect. His current persona simply didn't have the status to see her. As these thoughts flickered through his mind, Xu Yuan heard a casual male voice: "Hahaha, my apologies, my apologies! My hand slipped." Glancing over, Xu Yuan saw three people standing not far away. A young nobleman in loosely draped brocade robes was blocking the path of a graceful woman whose face was veiled with sheer silk, his hand unhurriedly withdrawing from her lower waist and hips. A feminine-looking man stood quietly behind the young nobleman. Annoyance flashed in the woman's eyes, but after a glance at the effeminate man, she did not lash out. The young nobleman eyed the fuming woman with great interest, laughed heartily, and then suddenly turned to Xu Yuan not far away, grinning: "Brother Zhou, what fun is there in just watching? Care to join in?" Hearing this, Xu Yuan's expression turned slightly odd. "Quite the mood so early in the morning. Why make things difficult for Lady Chu?" Young Master Wang grinned and patted the veiled woman's waist. "Fine. Since Brother Zhou is pleading on your behalf, you may leave. Don't be an eyesore here." Enduring this humiliation, Chu Jingyi's chest heaved, but in the end, she merely let out a cold snort and turned away. Watching the slender figure disappear at the end of the corridor, Young Master Wang shook his head with disdain, walked up to Xu Yuan, and smiled. "Brother Zhou, dine together?" Xu Yuan did not refuse the invitation. This Young Master Wang was someone he had met at a top-tier tavern in the provincial seat of Mingze Province after Ran Qingmo left. At that time, a group of young scholars who had just passed the imperial examinations were drinking, composing poetry, and talking about worldly affairs in the tavern. Young Master Wang found their chattering too noisy and got into a squabble with the literati. The tavern's top courtesan came out to mediate, saying that an elegant gathering naturally meant making friends through literature and competing in poetry. Sitting on the sidelines to watch the drama unfold, Xu Yuan had wondered if this Young Master Wang would re-enact a classic trope—such as pulling out a few timeless verses at the poetry gathering to show off and slap faces. But Xu Yuan had miscalculated. Before the courtesan could even finish speaking, Young Master Wang slapped her right across her delicate, pretty face. She flew seven or eight meters with a loud bang, crashing directly onto Xu Yuan's table. "This young master has been in a foul mood lately, and you want me to compose poetry? Fine, I'll compose one for you! Men, tear this building down!" He showed quite a bit of Xu Yuan's own former flair back in the Imperial Capital. And so, thanks to that table-crashing bond, the two had become acquainted. Upon learning that both were bound for the Imperial Capital, they decided to travel together. Perhaps because of their similar temperaments, they talked about everything under the sun and toured along the way; a month had passed since then. Aside from that, Xu Yuan had also discovered that this Young Master Wang seemed very rich—even richer than himself. On their way downstairs, Young Master Wang smiled familiarly at Xu Yuan. "Brother Zhou, this Chu Jingyi really is a wild mare. If not for the fact that we're entering the capital today, I would really love to break her in." Xu Yuan gave him a noncommittal glance. "With your financial power, what's stopping you?" Young Master Wang waved a dismissive hand. "This is the Music Bureau right under the Emperor's nose. Teasing her casually is fine, but if I were to go all the way, the Patrol Bureau would likely give me trouble." "The Imperial Court established the Music Bureau to make money. If one is willing to throw money around, it's just business. If it attracts the Patrol Bureau, it most likely means you haven't thrown enough money at it." Xu Yuan scanned the layout of the pleasure quarter. "Besides, Brother Wang, you don't actually believe that all the courtesans here are truly remnants of the Xuanqing Sect, do you?" Young Master Wang froze for a moment. "What do you mean, Brother Zhou?" Sweeping his gaze over the female disciples clad in various dresses, Xu Yuan murmured, "Some died in the chaos of war, some captives were slaughtered, some escaped, and other sects ransomed the children of old friends. Scarcely one in a hundred remains. Where would they find so many gorgeous female disciples?" "Put that way, it does make some sense." Hearing this, Young Master Wang narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Is this what you previously called 'packaging,' Brother Zhou?" Xu Yuan curled his lips. "More or less. But these women do have genuine qualities; at least their looks and figures are indeed top-notch." Upon hearing this, Young Master Wang seemed to suddenly recall something and stared at Xu Yuan with interest. "Brother Zhou, news like this isn't exactly common knowledge, is it? Especially about the children of Xuanqing Sect higher-ups being ransomed off—that counts as treason. If uncovered, it would implicate many high-ranking officials." Xu Yuan turned his gaze to meet Young Master Wang's and grinned. "Indeed. So how did you know, Chengyu?" With those words spoken, they stared at each other for a breath and burst into laughter at the same time. The group of three entered the main hall of Qifeng Pavilion. The feminine man hurried ahead a few steps to have the maids prepare breakfast, while Xu Yuan and Young Master Wang went straight into the hall and sat down. Crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair, Young Master Wang watched the long-sleeved Xuanqing female disciples dancing gracefully on stage. "Package up a pheasant and it turns into a phoenix... Tsk, tsk, this business really rakes in the cash. No wonder the pleasure houses under me never took off. One of these days, I ought to get one going for fun." Sipping his morning tea, Xu Yuan reminded him, "To make this kind of money, you need the Music Bureau's endorsement. Even if an ordinary person actually managed to find female disciples, nobody would believe them." Young Master Wang raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. After a pause, he remarked with feeling, "I've frequented brothels like this for so many years, but I used to just spend money without ever thinking about all the twists and turns behind it. Thanks to you, Brother Zhou, I've really picked up quite a bit of knowledge in here these days." "Positions?" Xu Yuan quickly waved his hands upon hearing that. "Brother Wang, whatever positions you've been learning in here, you certainly didn't learn them from me." "..." Young Master Wang was rendered speechless. Chuckling, Young Master Wang tapped the table. "Brother Zhou, we've known each other for a month, and the Imperial Capital is right before our eyes. There's no need to play dumb with me anymore." "Oh?" Xu Yuan's gaze narrowed. "What do you mean by that?" Young Master Wang shook his head helplessly. "Brother Zhou, along the way you've seen me managing several merchant associations, and your insights into business operations are truly unique. Would you consider coming to lend me a hand?" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. Just as he was about to reply, he heard Young Master Wang continue: "I can tell that your family must possess some influence, Brother Zhou, but I don't care about that." With that, Young Master Wang gently placed a jade medallion engraved with the character "Three" onto the table beside them.