novelraw Chapter 11 : Chapter 11
Chapter 11 : Chapter 11
Chapter 11 : Strolling in the City
“If you want to go to the pleasure quarters, it's still a bit early.”
Leading Xun Qiu, he secretly slipped out of the Su Residence, avoiding the guards arranged at the entrance by Master Su.
Su Wantian explained to the country bumpkin Xun Qiu who had never seen the world:
“It's a bit... you know... to go over now. Why don't we wander around other places first. Let me tell you, there's a Wang Ji Fried Pork Ribs in the city. They're golden and crispy, an absolute delicacy of the human world. Made with a secret recipe, not only is the skin crispy and the meat tender and juicy, but even the bones can be crunched and eaten. Tsk tsk tsk, the taste of that bone marrow is truly amazing.”
Xun Qiu's eyes lit up as she listened, and she hurriedly urged Su Wantian to walk faster, but after the two really started walking, she suddenly remembered something:
“Hey, good-for-nothing…… never mind, I'll call you Dog Tycoon outside. Did you bring enough money?”
Su Wantian gave her a sidelong glance:
“More than what you have on you.”
“Is being richer than a penniless former beggar something to be proud of?”
“It's still more than you.”
Su Wantian repeated, unmoved.
He had already grasped the ultimate secret to dealing with Xun Qiu, which was to not engage with her words, and for each to say their own thing.
As long as I don't fight with you, I am invincible!
Xun Qiu was stunned, and said angrily:
“I say, don't you have any sense of shame? If we get thrown out of the brothel for not having money, a normal person's life would be over, right? For the rest of your life, people will be pointing at your back saying ‘Ah, that's the guy who wanted to visit a brothel for free,’ aren't you afraid of such a miserable life?”
Su Wantian gave a cold smile:
“You're telling a person who has failed the imperial examination three times, who has fought and lost repeatedly, that getting free services will cause me to lose face?”
Xun Qiu was speechless.
This guy has completely lost his mind, he's been struck by me until he has no face or skin left.
He's already invincible.
I can only risk my life to accompany a gentleman.
Xun Qiu showed a determined expression and reached out to pat Su Wantian's shoulder:
“Even if you are laughed at for a lifetime, I will stand on the side of those who laugh at you So, let's go quickly, I'm hungry!”
“Sometimes I really envy your cheerfulness and optimism.”
After the joking was done, Su Wantian shook the money pouch hanging inside his clothes.
Inside was the travel money he had saved up from when he was out some time ago, originally intended to buy some dry rations and travel equipment, but since it was needed now, he took it out.
Anyway, as the son of a rich family, he wasn't short on this bit of silver, Master Su was angry with him, but not to the point of not even giving him pocket money.
At least, he wouldn't stop him from asking Mistress Su for money.
Both of them had some troubles on their minds, more or less, but neither showed it.
Xun Qiu and Su Wantian happily strolled around Xinyang City for a day, searching everywhere for famous old shops to eat, drink, and have fun.
At the very beginning, Su Wantian was startled when he saw Xun Qiu's appearance like a reincarnated hungry ghost, and secretly counted his money again to see if it was enough, but he eventually found that this person's appetite was about the same as his own.
She looked fierce, but in reality, she broke with a single poke.
Xun Qiu would walk into a shop and heroically and dashingly shout for one of everything on the signboard, but in the end could only sheepishly ask the shopkeeper if the untouched items could be returned.
It had to be said, although it was a bit unscrupulous, Su Wantian felt that her wronged and pitiful appearance was a bit cuter than her normal state.
Though that was basically just an act to arouse sympathy.
The economic conditions of the residents of Xinyang City were not bad or rather, the local customs were simple and honest.
Many shop owners, perhaps because they found a little girl disguised as a man to be quite cute, perhaps because they felt they should give Su Wantian, the sole son of the Su Residence, some face and build a connection, or perhaps because they thought it was fine to feed a dog once in a while, would wave their hands and waive the silver, not even taking the items back, truly letting her eat and drink for free for quite a few meals.
Su Wantian could only lament that Xinyang City had quite a few people who were suckers for a pretty face.
The sun rose in the east and set in the west.
When dusk arrived and the daylight gradually faded, the two had reached the riverside within Xinyang City.
A thin mist of water lingered over the river.
Su Wantian casually took the candied hawthorn that Xun Qiu handed him because she couldn't eat anymore, and amid her stubborn claims of “It's not that I can't eat anymore, it's just because this thing is too sweet and cloying,” he casually bit off the topmost hawthorn.
“The Flower Street is about to open for business.”
Xun Qiu produced a question mark:
“What is Flower Street?”
“It's the brothels.”
Su Wantian used a term that even an illiterate person could understand.
“A whole street of them.”
“Eh? But I'm too full to walk……”
“Get walking.”
Su Wantian said indifferently.
“If you can't even do such a small thing, how will you cultivate after entering the Tai Xuan Sect? Crunch crunch……”
“But I'm still carrying things……”
“Throw them away. It's just a little snack. There is no gain without loss. If you can't even give this up, how will you climb to the peak of the Immortal Dao? Chew… chew…”
“……”
Xun Qiu struggled to her feet and followed Su Wantian step by step to the Flower Street he spoke of.
Looking from afar, the street was full of flower lanterns, and the windows of the buildings on both sides were wide open.
The figures of many girls could already be seen by the windows, casting beautiful long shadows under the lights.
Seeing two more customers step into Flower Street, the Gui Gongs immediately approached them, their words explicit as they showed great attentiveness.
Su Wantian casually pushed them away and led Xun Qiu deeper into Flower Street, explaining casually:
“The ones that can solicit customers at the entrance are definitely not good houses.”
“How are you so knowledgeable?”
Xun Qiu was a little timid, but seeing Su Wantian's natural demeanor, she also slowly relaxed and said suspiciously, “I think I'm starting to understand why you couldn't pass the exam.”
“Young master come on up and play”
On the floors above on both sides of Flower Street, the girls were packed together, their red sleeves waving.
The clothes they wore were not as revealing as Xun Qiu had imagined; at a glance, they were wrapped up very tightly, but with the girls' every frown and smile, a patch of snow-white skin would be inadvertently revealed, carrying a kind of beauty like holding a pipa that still covers half the face.
“Now I recall the joys of Jiangnan, back then I was young with thin spring clothes, riding a horse, leaning against a slanted bridge, the whole building of red sleeves beckoned.”
Xun Qiu said to herself.
Noticing Su Wantian's strange gaze from the side, she coughed and explained:
“There used to be an old scholar in town, I learned it from him. I didn't know what it meant before…… but hearing him talk, I also became a little curious about these places.”
She paused for a moment:
“Now that I've come and looked around, it's actually not that interesting.”
“Of course, what's so interesting about you, a woman, looking at women.”
Su Wantian crossed his arms.
“If I were to see a man acting coquettishly towards me… ugh…”
Xun Qiu glanced at him:
“Let's go back.”
“Hmm? Not looking around anymore?”
“Not a single one is prettier than me, why come here.”
Xun Qiu said.
“Your standards for courtesans are a bit too high. Never mind, today was just about accompanying you to have fun anyway.”
Su Wantian clapped his hands.
“Let's go back. Tomorrow we'll have to think hard about how to convince my old man. The Tai Xuan Sect is a bit far, the two of us can't get there by walking on our legs…”
On a floor above nearby, a certain person who heard their conversation fell into silence.
Thoughts surged in his mind.
He glanced at the bloody hole in his chest, and not long after, he summoned a person with a hoarse voice and said amidst the bloody smell filling the room:
“Go down and invite a young master in a green robe and a woman in white clothes disguised as a man to come up. If they refuse. Just say, it is a Tai Xuan disciple who requests to see them.”