Hibiscus as a Painting

Chapter 30

west Le raised her eyebrows twice, her face showing a storm brewing, and her beautiful eyes were already filled with rage.

Stunned, Zi Jin wondered why west Le would throw such a tantrum at a storyteller, but faced with west Le's immense and unprovoked anger, she dared not step forward to dissuade him.

west Le tossed down a silver ingot and strode out of the teahouse. As he was leaving, Xi Le glanced back at the teahouse's signboard. Zi Jin followed west Le's gaze and saw four ordinary characters on the signboard: "Ruyi Teahouse".

west Le's face was pale and cold, her purple robe fluttered in the wind, and her exquisite hair was slightly disheveled. She strode towards the outside of the imperial city.

Zi Jin, panting, jogged to catch up. They walked for what seemed like forever; it was getting dark, and Zi Jin's legs were about to give out when west Le finally stopped.

Zi Jin bent down, panting heavily. Her hair was already in a mess. She looked up at west Le and was surprised to find that she and west Le had arrived at the gate of the Nalan Nan clan's ancestral temple.

That day I encountered west Le in this temple. Could it be that west Le has some connection with the Nalan Nan tribe? Or perhaps with the Empress?

Standing against the cold wind, Xi Le's face was filled with an indescribable desolation and sorrow. She stared blankly at the four characters "Remnants of the Gods" on the plaque in the center of the Nalan Nan clan's ancestral temple, a slow, painful struggle slowly escaping her eyes.

As darkness fell, Zi Jin, hungry and cold, looked deeply worried. She gently tugged at west Le's sleeve: "Aren't you hungry?"

west Le turned her head and stared blankly at Zi Jin, her eyes filled with confusion. She raised her hand and stroked Zi Jin's messy hair: "Are you worried about me?" A tear slid down her cheek as she spoke.

Zi Jin was extremely surprised. Without thinking, she raised her hand and gently wiped west Le's eyes.

west Le closed her eyes, grabbed Zi Jin's hand, and rubbed it against her face like a wounded cat: "Little mute, do you know why I always come here?"

Zi Jin turned her gaze toward the Nalan Nan clan's ancestral temple and gently shook her head.

west Le suddenly raised her eyes and stared intently at Zi Jin, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She abruptly released Zi Jin's hand: "I must firmly remember the irreconcilable hatred between myself and the people inside! ... I must not be soft-hearted in the slightest!"

In the darkness, Xi Le's alluring eyes shone brightly with hatred, captivating all who looked away.

The Nalan Nan tribe has already lost its kingdom and been wiped out, so what hatred could there be?

west Le suddenly smiled alluringly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She said, "Little mute must be hungry. How about I take you to the best restaurant in the Moon Kingdom for the best food?"

Already starving, Zi Jin nodded quickly upon hearing the word "eat," not wanting to dwell on the hatred west Le had mentioned.

west Le pulled Zi Jin up and jumped away. Startled, Zi Jin tightly hugged west Le's waist.

west Le chuckled lightly: "Little mute, are you scared?" After saying that, she quickened her pace.

Without thinking, Zi Jin stiffly hugged west Le even tighter.

Before long, the two arrived at the bustling city center. After entering the street, Zi Jin was completely dumbfounded: how could an ancient night market be so prosperous?

All along the street, shops were adorned with dazzling lanterns of all kinds, and occasionally, beautiful women could be seen tugging at passing men outside the shops. When Zi Jin stood before what Xi Le had called "the best restaurant," she was dumbfounded. Was this a restaurant? Did he really think she was some country bumpkin? This was clearly a brothel!

Brothels, oh brothels, the root of evil; brothels, oh brothels, the source of encounters; brothels, oh brothels, the classic of vulgarity.

Standing under the lanterns, west Le looked at Zi Jin with a charming smile and said coquettishly, "If the little mute doesn't like it, shall we go to another place?"

Zi Jin nodded, then realized she had expressed herself incorrectly and quickly shook her head.

west Le laughed loudly, tilted his head back, and strode inside.

Zi Jin followed Xi Le stealthily, her eyes darting around like a country bumpkin visiting the Grand View Garden, her face full of surprise.

The women were all incredibly alluring, swaying their hips as they moved through the hall. Occasionally, one could see men and women embracing and sitting at the tables in the hall.

Before they even entered, a stunningly beautiful woman swayed as she approached: "Gentlemen, is this your first time visiting our 'Lianyue Zui Lou'?"

Zi Jin stared wide-eyed at the legendary madam before her, her eyebrows painted with fine makeup, a silver turban swaying gracefully in the breeze. If the madam was this beautiful, then the girls in the brothel were undoubtedly even more stunning.

west Le placed a silver ingot in the madam's hand and secretly gave her a wink, saying, "Call out all the best girls and male prostitutes in the brothel."

"Yes, yes, yes! Young master, you've come to the right place. Of all the male prostitutes on this street, only those at my 'Lianyue Zui Lou' are the most handsome." The madam hurriedly put away the silver, her eyes gleaming as she happily led Zi Jin and west Le to a private room on the second floor.

Before long, a table of food and wine was served. Extremely hungry, Zi Jin ate the food absentmindedly, while she was filled with anticipation for the best girls and male prostitutes in the brothel.

The madam pushed open the door and entered, swaying with each step, and said with a smile, "Have you two gentlemen been waiting long?"

Behind the madam emerged a graceful woman dressed in light gauze and silk. Her skin was smooth as butter, her eyebrows and eyes were exquisite, and her makeup was just right. Her red sleeves covered her red lips. Although she was not stunningly beautiful, she had a charming and shy appearance that made people feel sorry for her.

Standing beside the woman was a young man not yet twenty, handsome as jade, with eyes as bright as morning stars, and snow-white skin that complemented his red lips, making him exceptionally beautiful. He wore a loose red silk dress that seemed to be loosely draped over his body, revealing his jade-like skin in a way that was both exposed and concealed.

His eyes darted back and forth over west Le, looking like a little fox, utterly adorable.

Zi Jin swallowed hard, completely captivated by the little fox's adorable appearance.

west Le observed Zi Jin's reaction discreetly and casually waved to the madam.

The madam tactfully left the room, closing the door behind her.

west Le picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. He smiled and waved to the boy, a charming smile curving his lips.

The boy smiled shyly and walked gently to Xile's side.

west Le pulled the boy into her arms. The boy, with his alluring, narrowed eyes, wrapped his soft, boneless arms around west Le's neck.

Zi Jin looked on in astonishment: This...this is still the Grand Princess of Chen Kingdom?

At this moment, the woman who had come with him sat down next to Zi Jin with a coquettish smile, leaning gently against him and saying, "Could it be that you, young master, dislike Peony and are unwilling to even look at her?" Before she finished speaking, she tried to hook her arm around Zi Jin's neck.

Startled, Zi Jin stood up and dodged, thinking to herself: If you were that young man, I might consider taking a loss...

A glint of light flashed in west Le's eyes, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. He slowly picked up the wine glass in his hand, took a sip, and roughly pulled the boy in his arms up, slowly passing the wine from his mouth to him.

The boy let out a soft moan, drank the wine from west Le's mouth, his peach blossom eyes were confused and innocent, and he leaned weakly against west Le's chest.

While avoiding the beautiful women, Zi Jin kept his eyes fixed on the master-level wolf girl, and west Le teased the innocent little handsome boy: What a level of skill...