Brightly dressed servants stood before the gate, behind which stretched a long and secluded flower hall. At the entrance, numerous brightly colored carriages, including large green sedan chairs and small pink and gold-lacquered sedan chairs, came and went in an orderly fashion, guided by the servants. There was no sign of panic.
Such an arrangement and imposing presence would deter ordinary people, and even those who are moderately wealthy.
Lin Yi looked at the row of deep and exquisite pavilions, the faint pink ivory curtains on the pavilion roofs, and the faint fragrance. Even before entering, he could feel the soft and warm fragrance and the seductive sounds that made his manhood rot.
Seeing Lin Yi stop in his tracks, a poorly dressed, down-on-his-luck scholar walked over, sighed with a sense of pity, and said, "Although this Sanhua Tower is a brothel, all the men there are honest officials who only sell their art, not their bodies. Every woman inside is a rare beauty who is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and prose."
“When the princes, nobles, civil and military officials, and scholars of Yujing held their private gatherings, they would often spend a fortune to invite these upright officials to attend. These were elegant places of entertainment, quite different from ordinary brothels that dealt in prostitution.”
"That legendary Su Mu, the most talented woman in the capital, is a celestial being descended to earth, with unparalleled beauty, beyond the reach of us mere mortals. Seeing how young you are, it's best not to linger around this den of iniquity, lest you end up like me, fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of her beauty, only to be unable to eat or drink, wanting to go in but lacking the funds. Alas..."
Finally, the man sighed deeply again.
Lin Yi nodded slightly, immediately understanding the positioning of "Sanhualou"—it was the most elegant place of entertainment, not a place for buying and selling sex.
However, such places are much more profitable than brothels that sell sex.
In the capital city of Yujing, some idle nobles, scholars, and civil and military officials would every now and then invite their friends to hold small gatherings, where they would drink and make merry, talk about poetry and literature, appreciate calligraphy and painting, and so on.
At this time, a woman's companionship is needed to appear charming, especially an elegant woman.
Of course, maids, concubines, and shrewish wives are all unsuitable.
The most suitable candidates are, of course, these honest and upright officials.
Each time a performance is held, it costs several hundred taels of silver to invite these upright officials, even the least popular ones. For the more famous ones, it's not uncommon to pay over a thousand taels, not to mention the renowned first talented woman of Yujing City.
"May I ask your honorable name, sir?" Lin Yi asked casually.
"My name is Jun Mozhu," the man replied.
Lin Yi smiled and said, "Today I'll grant your wish, brother. It's just a matter of meeting Su Mu. What's so difficult about that? Come with me."
Jun Mozhu felt uneasy, but his feet had already followed unconsciously.
When the two arrived at the entrance of Sanhua Tower, two powerful servants immediately came up to them and looked them up and down.
People who usually come to Sanhua Tower come in sedan chairs or carriages. It is not uncommon for people like Lin Yi and his companion to come on foot, but it is very rare.
You should know that the minimum charge for each visit to Sanhualou is several hundred taels of silver, but what can you do when it is the number one brothel in Yujing?
Some people save money by living frugally, and then come to Sanhualou to enjoy themselves. The wealthy servants have naturally entertained such guests before. Although there is no profit to be made, they cannot be offended casually.
When others spend money to act like big shots, their wallets are empty; but when a servant acts like a big shot, he disgraces the Sanhualou (a brothel).
However, after Lin Yi gave each of them two silver coins as a reward, the two servants immediately put on big smiles, their eyes narrowed with laughter, and they bent over, quickly inviting the two men inside.
Inside the gate were numerous long corridors, pavilions, gardens, ponds, and many side rooms, decorated in a style even more extravagant than many wealthy households in Yujing City.
Lin Yi asked the servant following behind him, "What's the price to see Su Mu?"
The servant said with a troubled expression, "Master Su doesn't usually receive guests; you need to make an appointment in advance."
Lin Yi shook his head slightly and said, "It's just a matter of how much money..."
Before he could finish speaking, someone nearby sneered, "Where did this country bumpkin and poor scholar come from?"
------------
Chapter 174 Lost in the World's Allure, Where Can One Find Truth?
Lin Yi looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young man dressed in a silk jacket with a jade pendant at his waist, looking very elegant.
Standing next to this man was a tall, slender young man in fine clothes, who stood out like a crane with eyes like stars, clearly someone of extraordinary talent.
Taoist cultivation involves refining the spirit and soul, which resides deep within the body, formless and intangible. As long as it remains inside the body, no one can discern the level of cultivation one has reached.
Martial arts are different; they reveal one's masculine and vigorous nature, and those with keen eyesight can see through them at a glance.
Lin Yi ignored the young master who was talking and instead glanced at the richly dressed boy with interest.
This person was among those who went hunting in the secluded valley of Xishan a few days ago and ended up being taught a lesson by Bai Ziyue.
Facing the White Ape King, one of the eight great demon immortals in the world, does the fear left in one's heart need the gentleness of the girl from Sanhualou to soothe it?
Lin Yi suddenly stepped forward, and his boundless immortal energy transformed into a burst of blood and qi. Within a radius of several feet, it instantly turned into a furnace. His incomparably powerful will pressed down like Mount Tai, making everyone afraid to move.
"Martial... Saint." The young man in brocade robes managed to utter the two words with difficulty. Upon hearing this, the young master standing next to him trembled even more, and his trousers were unknowingly soaked.
Currently, the Great Qian Dynasty only has two publicly acknowledged martial saints. One is Yang Tuo, the Divine Might King, who is the commander of the Western Regions frontier. He has countless fierce generals and experts under his command, and his army can rival an entire country.
He guarded the Western Regions, and even with the support of the Huoluo Kingdom's Jingyuan Temple, he was never allowed to cross the line, which shows how formidable he was.
Another martial saint was Hong Yi's father, "Marquis Wuwen" Hong Xuanji.
This man held a prestigious title and a high position, serving as a Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. He was skilled in both literature and martial arts. In his youth, he could draw a powerful bow with a strength of nine shi (a unit of weight) and shoot arrows in succession. He could also charge into battle against hundreds of enemy soldiers on horseback as if walking in a garden with ease. (In the Great Qian Dynasty, one shi was equivalent to one hundred jin, and nine shi was equivalent to nine hundred jin.)
After achieving remarkable military exploits at the age of twenty-two, he abandoned martial arts to pursue literature, passed the imperial examination with flying colors, and was awarded an official position, participating in court affairs. He once received the highest praise from four emperors of the Great Qian Dynasty: "He can lead an army on horseback and bring peace to the people on foot."
The power of the Martial Saint can be seen from the status of these two people.
Inside a quiet room in a five-story building to the east of Sanhua Tower.
A woman of unparalleled beauty, seemingly ethereal and otherworldly, sat quietly.
The room, exquisitely decorated with pink gauze curtains and a warm, jade-like ambiance, was filled with a unique and refreshing fragrance.
Just then, Su Mu, known as the "Number One Talented Woman" of Sanhua Tower, suddenly stood up. A fragrant breeze blew by, and she disappeared.
………………