Bayue Weiban

Chapter 68 Hundred Flowers Tower

Outside a small building adorned with red lanterns, in the late morning, Ji Yuan, Shen Lang, and Zhao Yuansong arrived at the most opulent establishment in Qianyu City.

Though the morning had passed, a few people, both alone and in groups, were leisurely exiting the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Attendants, with obsequious smiles, saw off their esteemed patrons.

One young attendant, after seeing a guest depart, happened to notice the trio by the roadside. Upon spotting the disheveled scholar, he immediately scurried over.

"Young Master Shen!"

The attendant bowed respectfully, his face now displaying a genuine smile. "Have you come to see my lady?"

Shen Lang nodded, gesturing for the attendant to lead the way. He explained to his companions, "Here, the women are generally called 'ladies,' which is not the same as the common folk's title."

Zhao Yuansong listened intently, nodding occasionally. Ji Yuan, however, wore an expression of utter disdain, as if he had no interest in anything related to this place. He inherently looked down on establishments that were both financially ruinous and spiritually draining. In the past, when Shen Lang was short on funds and unable to leave, he would simply send an attendant to retrieve the necessary silver, never coming himself.

Soon, led by the young attendant, the three arrived at a separate courtyard. The courtyard was elegantly arranged, clearly the work of Shen Lang, suggesting a relationship of some unusual depth with the establishment's proprietress.

As they settled into a pavilion, before the first cup of hot tea was finished, a beautiful woman in plain clothes emerged from a building and curtsied to them.

"Young Master Shen, are you well?"

Before taking her seat, the woman in plain clothes looked at Shen Lang with concern. Seeing his body covered in wounds and dust, her eyes involuntarily filled with a tenderness that seemed more painful than her own afflictions.

Ji Yuan and Zhao Yuansong exchanged a silent glance, both recognizing the unusual connection between them. They then discreetly averted their gazes, refraining from staring too overtly.

"I am well, I am well. With my lady's concern, of course, I am perfectly fine!" Shen Lang laughed heartily and proceeded to introduce them to each other.

The woman in plain clothes, whose artistic name was Yalan, was one of the top courtesans at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. She was exceptionally beautiful and skilled in music and poetry. She was known for selling her artistic talents but not her body, only sharing moments of pleasure with those who could earn her admiration. It was rumored that at the year-end courtesan selection, she might become the new top courtesan of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

Alas, two days prior, an unfamiliar woman had suddenly appeared at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and, that very night, broken all conventions to be appointed the new top courtesan.

"Yalan, could you perhaps convey a message for me? Shen and my two friends wish to have a word with this new top courtesan."

After some pleasantries, Shen Lang directly stated his purpose.

Upon hearing this, Yalan made no attempt to hide her displeasure. She shot a reproachful glance at the scholar before her gaze swept over the other two and finally settled on Ji Yuan.

"Young Master Shen, if you wish to bring friends here for... entertainment, I would not dare overstep my bounds to comment. However..."

Although she did not finish her sentence, her meaning was not difficult to infer. She was clearly chiding Shen Lang, implying that while his own dalliances were his affair, bringing a mere boyish Taoist to such a place was surely detrimental to his reputation.

Seeing her accusatory expression, the group understood she had misunderstood. However, some matters were difficult to explain, leaving Shen Lang to urge her.

Despite her evident annoyance, even anger, Yalan still instructed an attendant to take a letter written by the scholar to the new top courtesan's private residence. After all, as a woman of her profession, despite her reluctance, she could not break the rules of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, which was her sole refuge.

However, while adhering to the rules, she offered no further pleasantries to Shen Lang. Instead, she ordered many pastries to be brought and piled them in front of Ji Yuan. She spoke kindly to the young Taoist, subtly and overtly advising him to leave as soon as possible, suggesting that as a cultivator, he should not associate with women of their repute.

Shen Lang and Zhao Yuansong could only offer wry smiles at this scene, unable to intervene or explain. They remained silent, their eyes focused on their own noses, and their noses on their hearts.

Ji Yuan, however, looked somewhat different. This was the first time he had received such direct concern from an outsider, and he felt a touch of awkwardness, yet not discomfort. Instead, he felt a warmth he hadn't expected. He then, for the first time, set aside his usual indifference to mortal affairs and picked up a pastry, eating it slowly, perhaps savoring the taste or perhaps the newfound warmth in his heart.

In a daze, Ji Yuan suddenly recalled his younger days, watching other children with an older sister by their side, and feeling an uncontrollable envy. He envied their sibling camaraderie and the care they received. He often found it difficult to sleep at night, dreaming of a future day when a woman claiming to be his sister would appear outside the Taoist temple.

"We've talked so much, and I still don't know your name," Yalan said, gently tapping her forehead. "No, no, I heard asking for a name is taboo, you should ask for a Taoist title, right?"

She offered an apologetic smile, as if atoning for her abruptness. Indeed, there were rumors that one should not inquire about a monk's secular name, as upon entering religious life, they should renounce their past and be known by their Taoist title. However, for true practitioners, such strictures were less important; only those who struggled to let go held such rigid beliefs.

"My secular name is Ji Yuan, and my Taoist title is Ling Yu."

Ji Yuan, however, was surprisingly forthright, revealing not only his Taoist title but also his secular name without reservation. His words caused Yalan to pause in surprise, and even Shen Lang looked astonished. He had not expected the always detached young Taoist to reveal such a hint of closeness. The scholar glanced at the woman beside him and then thoughtfully stroked his chin.

After a long moment, Yalan recovered. The young Taoist had always maintained an unapproachable demeanor, and his sudden display of sincerity was rather disarming. However, being experienced in her profession, she handled the situation gracefully after her initial surprise. She neither forced intimacy nor immediately distanced herself, maintaining an appropriate distance that prevented the limited goodwill from devolving into dislike or aversion.

Following this brief interlude, Yalan's resentment towards Shen Lang visibly diminished, and she engaged in conversation with the trio more frequently. Although all three were somewhat preoccupied, her efforts managed to lighten the atmosphere, preventing them from remaining lost in their own thoughts.

Amidst their conversation, Ji Yuan's expression suddenly changed. Almost simultaneously, Zhao Yuansong and Shen Lang wore serious looks. They sensed a dense, almost palpable malevolence and a chilling, ghostly aura rapidly approaching their location. While they did not yet feel any hostility or murderous intent, they dared not underestimate the source of this looming pressure, which they recognized as originating from a practitioner of the second realm.

"What's wrong?" Yalan asked, her brow furrowing as she noticed their sudden change in demeanor.

Ji Yuan and the others did not reply. They rose in unison and turned their gaze towards the courtyard gate. Moments later, an attendant hurried into the courtyard, followed by three figures: a young woman and a man and woman with blank, expressionless faces.

Seeing this, Ji Yuan immediately flicked his sleeve, and a bronze oil lamp materialized in his palm. The spirit energy, not yet fully recovered within it, flowed out, emitting a faint glow. He was prepared to act at any moment, his thoughts already fixed on the long sword on his back, ready to be drawn with a single command. The others noticed Ji Yuan's unusual readiness. Though they didn't understand why, they also prepared to defend themselves.

"Oh, isn't this the little Taoist from that night? I didn't expect to meet again so soon." The young woman giggled behind her hand, her gaze shifting to the two men behind her. After a brief assessment, she turned her attention back, her intuition telling her that despite the second-realm cultivation of one of the men, Ji Yuan, whom she had encountered before, was the most dangerous presence here.

"As I suspected, the ghostly apparition that appeared in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was indeed you!" Ji Yuan's face was grim, his tone laced with killing intent. The first ghostly entity he had encountered in Fallen Soul Slope was this young woman. Her true form was a Red Powder Skeleton, a rare and inherently powerful type of ghost. Yet, only a few days had passed, and she had advanced from the late stage of the Enlightenment Realm to the second realm, the 'Spirit Pointing Realm,' with remarkably stable cultivation, unlike someone who had only recently broken through. He suspected that even cultivators who had spent a year or two honing their skills after breaking through would not be as stable as she was now.

"Naturally, it was me. Who else could possibly be worthy of the title of top courtesan at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion?" The young woman chuckled, her words laced with a hint of pride, as if the title of courtesan was the highest honor.

Ji Yuan sneered, glancing at the man and woman behind her before speaking, "Ghosts are indeed ghosts. This skill of refining living people into puppets is truly innate!" His words were filled with undisguised sarcasm, as he recognized the two disciples of Li Mufeng as having been transformed into mindless puppets. Such a method of sacrificing living beings was something only demons and evil spirits could devise, and they did so with an air of righteous entitlement.

"So, little Taoist, you came here and mentioned the Bone Dissolving Flesh Regenerating Pill. Are you here to trade, or to slay demons?" The young woman retracted her gaze and slowly walked to the edge of the pavilion, appearing to admire the potted plants. She was now only four or five paces from Ji Yuan, a distance that would be fatal to a cultivator. With a gentle puff, the bronze oil lamp in his hand would release all its spirit energy, engulfing her in scorching flames. At such close range, enduring a full-powered attack from a magical artifact, even with her second-realm cultivation and her true form as a 'Red Powder Skeleton,' would result in severe injuries. If luck was on his side, she might even be killed on the spot!

However, Ji Yuan sighed softly and quietly stepped back two paces, weighing the pros and cons and deciding not to seize the opportunity. Seeing this, the young woman smiled and entered the pavilion, sitting in Ji Yuan's previous spot. She picked up a pastry and tasted it. As a skeletal ghost, her current form was merely an illusion conjured by her true self; she felt no pain and no sensation, and therefore could not taste the food.

"Now, can we discuss what you mentioned in your letter?" she looked up, her gaze finally settling on Shen Lang, believing that only such a scholar could write such beautiful calligraphy. However, despite the good handwriting, she found it difficult to appreciate, as the strong aura of righteousness it contained, while not directly harming her true form, was still quite uncomfortable.

Shen Lang exchanged a glance with Yalan. Though slightly confused, she wisely turned and retreated into the room. The three then took their seats, sharing the table with this Red Powder Skeleton.

"Before we discuss the terms of any trade, we must first confirm one thing: that you have no involvement with all the recent events in the city." As he spoke, the scholar produced a book from his robes, which emanated a powerful aura of righteousness.