As Situ Qingliu's figure drew closer, Hua Chongyang felt a surge of surprise. For some reason, she sensed that the Situ Qingliu she saw tonight was somewhat different from the Situ Qingliu of the past. He had the same voice, the same appearance, even the same gentle face, but his tone, posture, and mannerisms seemed to have something different—especially since he had suddenly called out the name "Ren Ruhua"...
How did you know?
"How would I know you're Ru Hua, is that it?" Situ Qingliu took another step forward, chuckled, "Heh, it couldn't be simpler. Tonight, besides Ru Hua, probably no one else would be dressed like this."
Situ Qingliu was not unaware of Ren Ruhua's existence.
Ren Ruhua, a famous courtesan in Hangzhou, was said to have never shown her face in public. Whenever she appeared in front of others, she would stand on the Phoenix Terrace, which was ten zhang high, across the Spring Lake, and conceal herself with a curtain. Many people scoffed at her reputation and laughed at her undeserved fame. However, there were also people who were willing to spend a fortune just to hear Ren Ruhua play a tune at the brothel, saying: "It's worth it just to see her back."
What Situ Qingliu was looking at was the legendary figure worth a thousand pieces of gold.
He had never seen Ren Ruhua standing on the high Phoenix Terrace, playing the zither by the river, but at this moment, the bright candlelight cast a soft glow on her light red robe, highlighting the woman's slender and graceful figure. The flickering candlelight and clear light outlined the small, fair profile of her face, which was neither male nor female, beneath the thin veil, revealing her delicate, pointed chin and long, dark, upturned eyes.
The silhouette before him inexplicably reminded Situ Qingliu of something...
It was a portrait he had inadvertently glanced at at a corner where the bustling streets of Hangzhou intersected with the crowds. A row of more than a dozen portraits hung high on the wall. In one of them, a white-line drawing of a man in a long robe stood with his back to the viewer, only slightly turning his head to reveal the flamboyant corners of his eyes and eyebrows, and a faint smile on his lips.
The two are so similar in their exquisite beauty.
He approached subtly, step by step, until they were inches apart. Situ Qingliu could even see a strand of hair peeking out from behind the thin veil, curling stubbornly and slightly, making him almost want to reach out and tuck it away. But he suppressed the urge to do so, his gaze sweeping over her body before finally settling on her hair. He stared at it for a long time before smiling and saying:
"This hairpin is exquisite and beautiful, truly a perfect match for a lovely young lady like you."
"……"
Although she knew that Situ Qingliu was good at going off-topic, Hua Chongyang was still speechless for a moment. After a pause, she decided to send Situ Qingliu away as soon as possible. Even if Situ Qingliu was a good person, Hua Chongyang did not dare to believe that Situ Qingliu was really a kind-hearted person from the inside out. How could the dignified Prince Jing, who was also the crown prince, be a simple person?
"The paths inside the brothel are indeed a bit winding and hard to remember," she said in a low voice, deciding to send the customer away directly. "Young master, why don't you go directly to the main hall, and then someone will take you to Linchun Pavilion. Go out from this door, turn right to the end of the corridor, and go straight down the stairs to the main hall. I won't see you off any further."
Situ Qingliu raised an eyebrow, paused, and then nodded. Even though he was being driven away, he left politely and calmly.
"Well then, thank you very much, young lady. Farewell."
He glanced again at the purple-gold hairpin on Hua Chongyang's hair, then lifted his robe, turned, and went out, closing the door behind him.
As his footsteps faded into the distance, Hua Chongyang breathed a sigh of relief, pulled off the handkerchief from her face, turned around, opened the door, and walked out. Old Master Ye had probably left her here to sneak off to the kitchen to eat, but her immediate priority was to find out what Ye Qinghua was up to: she could accept pretending to be a talented woman and playing the zither at Phoenix Tower, and she could even accept having a few martial arts masters come to watch—but Ji Chongrong, Chen Fei, and even Situ Qingliu were coming—all people she knew. If she were to be exposed, she, Hua Chongyang, would be in deep trouble.
Reaching the second floor, Hua Chongyang hurried through the curtained, dark corridor towards the kitchen. Just as she was about to step down the corridor, a faintly familiar, loud, and flirtatious voice echoed from the downstairs hall:
"Oh--isn't this Miss Bo Jiang? What brings you here today?"
15. The Sword That Could Topple Cities
Hua Chongyang was initially given goosebumps by the voice, but after he realized what it meant, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Bo Jiang actually came too?
She turned and stepped forward, carefully using her fingers to lift the curtain hanging in the dark corridor, looking downstairs.
Red lanterns hung high at the spacious entrance of the brothel facing the street. Bo Jiang, dressed in a snow-white fur coat trimmed with pure black mink, her head adorned with a section of snow-white mink hair ornament, was tall and radiant. Her allure, though no longer that of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old from the morning, still retained a pure and captivating charm. Surrounded by three or four maids, she stood proudly at the entrance, gazing at Ye Qinghua with a charming smile, her voice melodious and alluring yet sharp:
"What, does Master Ye not welcome me?"
"Oh dear! What are you saying!" Ye Qinghua, her black cloak a stark contrast to Bo Jiang's, stood at the door, a smile playing on her lips behind her handkerchief. Her intention to block the way was crystal clear. "Miss Bo Jiang is the most beautiful woman in the martial world. Your presence is certainly an honor to our brothel! Firstly, we only sent out twenty invitations today. If you go in, wouldn't I offend the other heroes who didn't receive invitations? Secondly, our brothel's guest today is Miss Ren Ruhua—a brothel, after all, makes a living off beautiful women. I'm not afraid of anything else, but I'm afraid that if Miss Bo Jiang sits down, all the heroes will only see you, not Miss Ren Ruhua! Oh, hahahaha!"
The veins on Hua Chongyang's forehead throbbed faintly.
Ye Qinghua's performance was superb, arguably unmatched in the entire martial arts world. However, Bo Jiang remained unmoved, casually waving her hand, and six or seven attendants filed out, each carrying a box. She glanced at the boxes in the attendants' hands, her gaze completely bypassing Ye Qinghua:
"I've heard that Master Ye is incredibly greedy. Ren Ruhua's price is one thousand taels of silver, so five thousand taels of silver to buy just one of your invitations shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"
"Hahaha, Miss Bo Jiang, you're really generous! I, for one, love money more than anything!" Ye Qinghua chuckled, her laughter sending chills down Hua Chongyang's spine once more. She then proceeded to touch the box in the servant's hands, even opening it and picking up a silver ingot to examine it, fully displaying the characteristics of a proprietress who loved money more than life itself. Finally, she stopped in front of Bo Jiang, raising her eyebrows high and smiling, "Silver is certainly a good thing, a good thing indeed, but I'm truly sorry, Miss Bo Jiang, we can't ruin the brothel's reputation for two thousand taels and delay our future earnings. Miss Bo, please leave!"
Even from across the hall on the second floor, Hua Chongyang could see Bo Jiang's expression change instantly. She finally turned to look at Ye Qinghua directly, but hesitated for a long time before answering loudly:
"Ten thousand taels of silver? I refuse to believe I can't buy a single postcard for ten times that price!"
"Want to add more silver? -- That's easy. There's only one table left at Linchun Pavilion," Ye Qinghua said, neither annoyed nor angry. She crossed her arms, took a step back, and smiled, her eyes narrowing. "Didn't you say I love money? Then I'll live up to that reputation. Fifteen thousand taels. What do you think of that price?"
Hua Chongyang was too preoccupied to notice Bo Jiang's expression—this was the first time she'd ever heard of Ren Ruhua's influence. Although it was the result of Bo Jiang and Ye Qinghua's anger, Ye Qinghua was indeed ruthless! She'd only received a few hundred taels of silver after pretending to sit on the Phoenix Terrace until her back ached, yet Ren Ruhua was now demanding a staggering 15,000 taels! 15,000 taels! 15,000 taels!
"Twenty thousand taels."
Twenty thousand taels...
Hua Chongyang looked towards the door again, looking lost and dejected.
Clearly, Ye Qinghua and Bo Jiang were also shocked by the sound and both looked towards the door.
A tall, slender man walked slowly into the brothel with one hand behind his back. His long, light purple robe, trailing on the ground, made him appear even taller. The bright red lanterns at the entrance made it difficult to discern the color of his clothes until he approached step by step. Only then, by the bright candlelight inside, could Hua Chongyang see that his light purple robe was embroidered with intricate and gorgeous dark patterns. The robe was open, revealing a brocade long gown underneath and a dazzling gold belt wrapped around his waist.
...Another man who likes gold jewelry.
Hua Chongyang subconsciously moved his gaze along the man's long neck to his face.
Under the dazzling lights, the part of the man's face except for his chin reflected a hazy, soft glow—the delicate luster of pure gold. Therefore, this person is…
Lan Wuxie.
Hua Chongyang couldn't help but tighten his fingers.
The hall fell silent for a moment.
The masked man walked into the hall as if no one else was there. His magnificent light purple robe trailed slowly across the deep red and gold carpet as he approached the bronze candlestick in front of the carved wooden partition at the back of the hall. Eight flower holders extended from the candlestick, each holding a single candle. After standing before the candlestick for a moment, Lan Wuxie raised his left hand, the three-inch-wide purple-gold bracelet on his wrist gleaming brightly. With two pale fingers, he picked up a copper hook on the candlestick and casually adjusted the wick of the lowest flower holder. Then, he slightly turned his head:
"Twenty thousand taels, can I go in?"
Before Ye Qinghua could answer, Bo Jiang, unable to contain himself any longer, pulled Qiu Chang forward, raising an eyebrow coldly:
"Twenty-five thousand taels."
Lan Wuxie put down the copper hook in her hand and smiled gently. She didn't even look at Bo Jiang, but raised an eyebrow at Ye Qinghua:
"Fifty thousand taels."
Bo Jiang was so angry that his cheeks turned red, but he couldn't say a word.
Hua Chongyang could no longer contain his excitement. He covered his face with the curtain and shouted in a high-pitched voice downstairs:
"Master Ye, please have another seat. Would you please invite Miss Bo and Pavilion Master Lan in as well?"
So, the two of them have a total of 75,000 taels of silver...
But as soon as the words left her mouth, not only Bo Jiang, but even Ye Qinghua's face turned pale. From afar, Hua Chongyang saw Ye Qinghua's hand hidden in her sleeve, making a gesture that said, "I'll strangle you in a minute." She didn't dare to say anything more, quietly taking a step back, only leaving her eyes looking outside, thinking in surprise, "It's rare to see Ye Qinghua like this, not making money when she has it... It seems that something big is about to happen in the martial arts world."
This was no longer a matter of money. Clearly, Bo Jiang had been overwhelmed by Lan Wuxie's momentum, and no amount of money could reverse her current predicament. However, whether Bo Jiang hadn't considered this or was simply too stubborn, after a moment's thought, she released her fur cloak and reached for a long, cyan sword at her waist.
"The Sword of Allure."
Under the candlelight, the sword gleamed coldly, incredibly sharp, its scabbard adorned with intricate patterns, and a large, dazzling sapphire was embedded in it.
After a pause, Bo Jiang raised his head high and looked at Lan Wuxie with a defiant gaze:
"The Alluring Sword, which commands the gangs of the four provinces of Jiangnan, is here. If you are willing, young master, I will share a table with you tonight and offer you this precious sword. Whoever wins the beauty contest tonight will be able to command Jiangnan with this sword!"
Silence fell over the hall once more. After a long while, Lan Wuxie nodded slightly.
"good."
As the group followed Ye Qinghua into the back garden, the hall gradually quieted down, and Hua Chongyang, startled, withdrew his fingers that were hooking the curtain.
She finally understood why Ye Qinghua had gone to such lengths to adorn her head with that priceless purple-gold phoenix hairpin. Wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue; perhaps she was just an accessory at tonight's banquet of heroes, but even as an accessory, she had to be worthy of the world of intrigue that had taken place in the brothel tonight.
16. Phoenix Terrace
After watching a good fight in the front hall, Hua Chongyang ran to the kitchen but didn't see Ye Laoqi. She had no choice but to lift her skirt and return to Ye Qinghua's room. The mirror in front of the dressing table reflected a woman's face: her eyebrows were bright and her hair was as black as clouds. A touch of crimson rouge covered her slightly pale lips. She put aside her worries, straightened up, and carefully examined herself in the mirror again and again, finally sighing.
She hadn't looked in the mirror properly in a long time, so she couldn't immediately recall what she looked like before putting on makeup. Now, looking at her face in the mirror, she felt somewhat unfamiliar. Ji Chong said she looked a lot like her mother, but she herself couldn't see any resemblance. Her mother had a small, oval face with a pointed chin—somewhat like Bo Jiang, but although she also had an oval face—a "long oval" face—her forehead was a bit square; her mother's eyes were round and bright, always smiling, but her eyes were long with slightly upturned corners, making it seem like she was glancing at people when she wasn't smiling; her mother's eyebrows were curved and thin, while she had two thick, long eyebrows that almost reached her temples—so overall, she did lack a certain femininity.
When she was little, Hua Chongyang always thought her mother was the most beautiful person in the world, so she always regretted that she didn't look like her. Later, after meeting another person, she realized that in some ways, that person was even more beautiful than her mother.
But at that time she also realized that she didn't look much like that person.
Until the last two years... Although Hua Chongyang didn't want to admit it, the image in the mirror forced her to admit that she resembled that man more.
...However, their overall demeanor is vastly different.
A wave of melancholy mixed with sadness washed over Hua Chongyang. She closed her eyes, and a vivid scene immediately appeared before her. Two open vermilion gates were surrounded by tall white walls, revealing a courtyard with high vermilion pillars, a tranquil and dimly lit open hall, and an empty bluestone courtyard. From a distance, she stood behind the threshold, which was a foot high, watching a tall man walk out of the open hall.
After many years, the feeling of my heart stopping returned.
At that moment, the man in white approached with unhurried steps; she gradually saw his arched eyebrows, deep and long eyes, and indifferent expression. He stopped beside her, lowered his eyes to examine her for a moment, his voice as indifferent as his face:
"You are Hua Chongyang?"
He paused, his expression softening for a moment:
"It's a good name."
Hua Chongyang tried hard to control her racing heart, her eyes fixed on his black jade belt; after a long while, the man reached out and gently cupped her chin, lifting her face.
When I opened my eyes, the figure in the mirror almost perfectly matched the face that I remembered so vividly over time.
She hated him and wanted to forget that face for many years, but ironically, many years later, she had the same eyebrows and eyes as him and a similar face.
Reincarnation is merciless, leaving his mark on her, indelible for eternity.
Just as Hua Chongyang was lost in memories while looking in the mirror, Ye Qinghua's door was suddenly pushed open with a "bang," and Ye Laoqi barged in, shouting as he went:
"Chongyang, are you all packed? My older sister just sent word that we should be heading over soon."
Hua Chongyang hadn't fully recovered her senses when she turned around and stared blankly at Ye Laoqi. Before she could speak, Ye Laoqi gasped, clutched his heart, and roared at her:
"Ah! What's wrong with your eyes?!"
Hua Chongyang was startled, quickly closing his eyes and then opening them again to stare intently at Ye Laoqi:
What's wrong with my eyes?
Ye Laoqi dragged a stool over and sat down next to Hua Chongyang. After carefully scrutinizing her face from head to toe, he solemnly took Hua Chongyang's hand:
"Chongyang, tell me honestly, do you have a lover?"
"……"
Hua Chongyang sighed.
There isn't a single normal person in the brothel; it's been like this for many years, but she still can't get used to it.
"I'm very tight-lipped, unlike Ye Qinghua, who's a gossip." Ye Laoqi held up three fingers as if swearing an oath, his face full of conviction. "Tell me, I won't tell anyone, who is your lover?"
"No."
"I'd be a fool to believe you," Ye Laoqi said with an expression that said, "I know everything." He raised his hand and lightly patted Hua Chongyang's face. "Hua Chongyang, you're absolutely radiant with desire, your eyes were practically bewitching just now! And you still say you didn't?"
"Shut up, Ye Laoqi!" Ye Laoqi was good in every way, except for her incessant chatter. Annoyed by her nagging, Hua Chongyang simply turned his back to her, flopped onto the dressing table, and said, "Go play somewhere else, don't disturb my rest."
"What do you mean, 'Go away and play'? I'm fifteen, okay? If you ever treat me like a child again, I'll never forgive you, Hua Chongyang. Let me tell you, the other day my older sister looked down on me for being a kid, and I just got into a fight with her. We may be best friends, but if you ever embarrass me, I'll never forgive you either..."