Chapter 76: Don't Say It Isn't Soul-Stirring (Seeking Follow-up Reads!)

"Young Master, the people lying in ambush have all withdrawn."

After confirming that all the ambushes around the room had left, Xia Chan finally relaxed and reported to Ning Mu.

As expected.

Ning Mu smiled and nodded, then rose and walked to the window, first glancing at Liuli, who was meditating on the roof opposite.

Liuli happened to open her eyes at that exact moment.

Their gazes met, and they nodded to each other.

Afterward, Liuli closed her eyes again to continue her cultivation.

Ning Mu then cast his gaze toward the main street.

Unlike the desolation and dishevelment outside the city, the East Market, being the most prosperous area of Yonghang City, was filled with people walking about in fine silk and brocade, or at the very least, neat cloth garments.

Men, women, young, and old—it was bustling with activity.

In the center of the wide market street, there were all sorts of stalls.

People selling goods, street performers, molten iron fire-show artists, storytellers, fortune tellers, and so on.

In this peaceful and prosperous age, their greatest worry was likely just what to eat for dinner.

Yet, who could see that just one wall away, outside the city, disaster victims covered the land, and there had even been cases of people trading children to eat? At this moment.

Ning Mu's gaze shifted to the very center of the market.

On the street.

It was packed with people.

The most crowded section was the path where Yu Linglong was passing through.

Yu Linglong was a Red Courtesan of Hua Man Ge. As one of the popular candidates who had once participated in the competition for the top courtesan, although she had been outshone by Ruyan, her looks and figure went without saying; if not exactly a national beauty, she was certainly a charming woman of a thousand styles.

Especially today, she had deliberately worn a red tube top that was about to burst forth.

Coupled with the long, jade-like legs revealed beneath an irregular red skirt that only covered her knees, and the wooden clogs she wore on her feet.

She was truly a feast for the eyes.

And it was not just her.

Accompanying Yu Linglong were two other Red Courtesans from Hua Man Ge.

They were almost all dressed in this manner, and combined with the scent of heavy perfume, wherever they passed, the air was filled with fragrance, their graceful movements attracting the gazes of countless pedestrians on the street.

Especially the men.

Many even deliberately slowed their pace, following closely behind the three of them.

That charming and moving posture, combined with the faint, lingering fragrance carried by the breeze, made them linger endlessly.

It was both a delight to the eyes and rich in fragrance.

Such a wonderful encounter was something many people might not experience once in a lifetime, so how could they not cherish it? Liu Dabao and Deng Yijin were students at the White Deer Academy in Yonghang City. Today was a day off from the academy, so the two had gone out together to purchase daily necessities and, incidentally, to experience the bustling scene of the market after their arduous studies.

"Dabao, look!"

Deng Yijin, standing before a dried fruit stall, hurriedly tugged at Liu Dabao, who was haggling with the stall owner, and pointed at Yu Linglong and the other two women walking past them.

Deng Yijin stared without blinking, his drool almost spilling out.

His family was very poor; his parents had sold their land just to get him into the White Deer Academy, hoping he would gain the favor of a Lecturer, eventually enter the Confucian Sect, participate in the Autumn Examination, obtain an official position, and rise above the masses.

Or perhaps be accepted as a Disciple by the Jixia Academy at Houji Mountain in the Imperial Capital Linzi, and from then on, soar to the heavens.

Thus, he usually only focused on hard study and had seen very little of the world. Seeing the alluring, fiery, and semi-revealing figures of Yu Linglong and the others at this age of youthful vigor, how could he possibly resist?

His face was already flushed red. Although he silently recited Confucian sayings like "do not look at what is improper" and "a gentleman has virtue," his fiery eyes still kept stealing glances at the beauties like Yu Linglong, who were gradually walking away.

"Tsk, truly beautiful!"

"If one could spend a night of ecstasy with them, I fear my bones would turn to mush!"

Liu Dabao turned his head, and after seeing the backs of Yu Linglong and the others, he also immediately exclaimed in wonder.

But his self-control was clearly much stronger than Deng Yijin's.

"I heard they are courtesans from Hua Man Ge. Hua Man Ge is closed for reorganization, and they have come out specifically to promote and sell. Moreover, they are incredibly fragrant despite having no scent sachets on them; they are using something called perfume. Their purpose is to promote this item called perfume and to build popularity for the reopening of Hua Man Lou."

At this moment, the dried fruit vendor looked at the backs of the three women with longing and explained to Liu Dabao and Deng Yijin.

If it weren't for running this stall, he would have followed them to feast his eyes as well!

Today, there was more than one group of Hua Man Ge women on the street.

His eyes were practically spinning!

Hearing the vendor's words, Liu Dabao suddenly understood.

Scanning the area, he indeed saw a crowd packed into a circle not far away. In the center of the crowd were three more such scantily clad women, one of whom was facing the surrounding pedestrians and customers, explaining something in a crisp voice.

Listening carefully, one could vaguely hear some of the sounds coming from there.

"... Yu Rou and her sisters are here to sincerely invite you all to visit Hua Man Ge on the fifth day of the fourth month to experience our newly upgraded, ultimate service... For the first three days of the grand opening, customers who spend at our establishment will receive a fifty-percent discount. Of course, out of consideration for our vast number of patrons, please do not tell your wives; your physical and mental comfort is provided by us~"

Seeing his classmate and friend looking so salivating, Liu Dabao frowned, patted Deng Yijin on the shoulder, and comforted him: "A-Jin, study hard. One day, no matter how beautiful the woman, you and I will be able to have them at will!"

"Mm... yes, yes..."

Deng Yijin nodded insincerely.

But in his heart, he was already counting the days.

The fifth of the fourth month... there were still a few days until the next break. What if... he asked his teacher for leave, using the excuse of going home? With a fifty-percent discount, the silver he had saved up should be enough!

Thinking this, Deng Yijin's heart had already flown away, utterly soul-stirred.

"Husband, stop looking. It is simply shameless and corrupting to public morals!"

In the crowd, there was a young couple in their early twenties. Seeing her own husband staring blankly, the wife finally couldn't help but tug at his sleeve and whisper a few words of reproach.

"My lady, your husband was only listening for news; that thing they call Perfume on them is simply miraculous. Not only does it smell so pleasant, but one cannot even tell how they are carrying it. I wanted to hear where one might find this item, so that I could gift it to you."

The man turned his head and said to his wife with a beaming smile.

Upon hearing these words, the woman immediately beamed with joy.

So it turned out her husband was not enticed by that exposure or coveting beauty, but was actually thinking of her!

The woman immediately fell silent.

She stood silently by her husband's side, her heart already beginning to fantasize about what that so-called Perfume might actually be.

Yet she failed to notice the fire in her husband's eyes as he looked at those three scantily clad brothel women.

Not to mention him.

The atmosphere of this entire street market today seemed different from usual.

If there were anyone who understood yin and yang, they would certainly discover that the yang energy here had become even heavier!

(End of this chapter)