Chapter 214: The Flower Queen

The robed elder waved his hand and said:

"It's come to this; more words won't help. Let's go."

Saying this, the robed elder walked ahead toward the upper floor.

The little girl paused briefly, staring at her grandfather's back, her slender eyebrows knitting together.

Suddenly, she had an inexplicable feeling that the other party seemed almost pleased by the situation.

"How utterly infuriating!"

The little girl gritted her teeth and immediately followed, her heart burning with the desire to beat up Li Musheng for corrupting her grandfather.

Meanwhile, the burly men who had surrounded them now followed step by step, clearly to prevent Li Musheng and his group from fleeing.

Soon, Li Musheng and the other three were led by the hulking Hu Qiu into a lavish hall on the third floor.

"Where's the Flower Queen? Where the hell is she?"

The scar-faced man plopped onto a sable-fur armchair, pulled out a pouch of gold, and slammed it onto the redwood tea table with a "thud," barking orders at Hu Qiu.

Hu Qiu glanced at the pouch of gold and sneered:

"To find the Flower Queen, this much gold isn't enough."

Hearing this, the scar-faced man froze for a moment, then suddenly slammed his fist on the table, pointing at Li Musheng and the robed elder:

"Are you blind? Isn't there anyone else here? Don't they have money?"

At these words, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow—it was true; he had no money.

After all, throughout this journey, Hu Rui'an and the others had handled all expenses, and he'd rushed off to fight at Luoshen Peak, so he certainly hadn't brought any silver.

Thinking this, he turned to look at the robed elder.

And him? Even less need be said—he wore tattered hemp robes, clearly a pauper.

At this, Hu Qiu glanced at Li Musheng and the robed elder, but remained silent.

Seeing this, the scar-faced man slammed the table again, then pointed at the girl in pink:

"See this? A natural beauty—even if she stayed at Bai Xiang Pavilion to pay off debts, she'd be worth at least a hundred gold!"

"Damn it!"

The little girl leapt to her feet like thunder, reaching instantly for the small pouch at her waist, as if ready to kill the scar-faced man on the spot.

But the robed elder swiftly reached out and stopped her, slowly shaking his head.

At that moment, a woman in a black long dress glided into the hall, swaying her hips.

Behind her followed the previous page boy and several graceful young women.

"I heard tonight's great patrons intend to hire all the Flower Queens of Bai Xiang Pavilion—such extravagance deserves a look at who these people are."

The woman in black, heavily made-up, waved her hand casually, and Hu Qiu immediately stepped aside.

Then, her peach-blossom eyes began to scan the four men before her.

Soon, her gaze brightened—and settled on Li Musheng.

"What a handsome man!"

The woman in black clapped her hands suddenly, her face, caked in thick rouge, broke into a grin so wide that white powder sifted down.

Seeing this, the scar-faced man on the sable-fur chair grew displeased, suddenly slamming the table with such force that the woman's eyelids twitched.

"What are you doing? Dilly-dallying—whose brothel is this, yours or mine? Get the Flower Queen up here!"

The scar-faced man roared at the woman in black, his eyes sweeping over the line of young women behind her, then he swallowed hard and said:

"Besides, isn't my face handsome enough? What good are some pretty pillows that are useless inside?"

At this, Li Musheng glanced at the scar-faced man.

What kind of talk is that? You've already courted death.

Yet the woman in black, facing the scar-faced man's outburst, remained utterly calm, slowly withdrawing her smile and saying:

"Bai Xiang Pavilion has its rules. Whether you're here to cause trouble or just for fun, all who come are guests."

"If you want the Flower Queens, I can certainly provide them—but if you cannot afford the cost, you must abide by the rules, and bear the consequences yourself."

At these words, the scar-faced man smashed the table before him into splinters with one palm, roaring:

"What are you babbling about? I have no money—how can I hire a Flower Queen? Do you think I'm rushing to die?"

As he spoke, the scar-faced man felt like crying.

He didn't want to die—but Li Musheng insisted on dying and dragged him along; if that's the case, he might as well enjoy himself first before dying, and not have lived in vain.

At this, the woman in black glanced at the scar-faced man, her eyes narrowing slightly, and said:

"Bai Xiang Pavilion has nine Flower Queens. Three are currently occupied; the remaining six have been brought for you."

Saying this, she clapped her hands, and the six young women stepped forward in delicate steps, stopping before Li Musheng and the others, then bowing slightly.

These women were slender and stunningly beautiful, their black tresses adorned with glittering gold dangling hairpins; as they moved, the jade and pearls trembled, swaying with grace.

Their skin was whiter than frost, smoother than jade; each had lips like crimson dots, eyes like autumn waters, and every glance radiated an enchanting, soul-stealing luster.

The scar-faced man rose trembling, staring at the beautiful women before him, his gaze fixed, and lunged forward with a shout:

"I'll take them all!"

At this moment, he even began to agree with Li Musheng's idea of hiring all the Flower Queens.

To spend a night with these Flower Queens—even death would be worth it.

But just then, the woman in black extended one hand and effortlessly halted the scar-faced man in place.

No matter how hard he strained forward, he couldn't move an inch.

"At Bai Xiang Pavilion, for ladies valued above a hundred gold, it is the lady who chooses the guest—you must be selected by the Flower Queens first."

The woman in black spoke without expression, then gave a light push—and the scar-faced man flew backward, landing squarely back on the armchair.

This push jolted the scar-faced man back to his senses; his face twisted in alarm, then he sat upright and stared at the woman in black, speaking in a low voice:

"By your logic, if none of them pick us, do we not have to pay a single coin at all?"

However, the woman in the black skirt suddenly laughed like a blooming branch, saying:

"It is the rule of the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion: whether the courtesan picks a guest or not, the gold and silver the guest owes must not be missing a single bit."

Upon hearing this, the scar-faced man was instantly stunned; then his entire body trembled violently. He grabbed his own head in uncontrollable rage and roared:

"Damn it! Damn it! You truly deserve to die! How can there be such an unfair rule?"

As he roared, the scar-faced man suddenly lifted his head again and said:

"No, I don't want the courtesan anymore! Just get me any woman in the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, no matter who she is!"

As he spoke, he looked at the woman in the black skirt and ground his teeth, saying:

"You will do too!"

(End of this chapter)