Chapter 87

Before Xiao Yu woke up, Hong Qu had been sitting by the bed, examining her with a scrutinizing gaze... It started like that, but later she gradually became distracted, staring at Xiao Yu in a daze.

Now Xiao Yu had left.

Hong Qu moved a chair and sat by the window, staring blankly at the river embankment shaded by green willows outside.

Until Auntie Liu pushed the door open again and walked in, smiling, "Hong Qu, hurry up and prepare, pack your things, we're moving."

Hong Qu turned her head and asked calmly, "We're living here just fine, where are we moving to?"

"Hehe, if Little Fengxian had said this, I could understand. Compared to the sand dunes of the Northern Wilderness, a pavilion room has become a blessed land of the gods.

But you, Miss Hong Qu, have seen the world. I heard that the Lu Kingdom's palace is not as rich and magnificent as the Dou Prime Minister's mansion."

Auntie Liu looked left and right, opened the wooden cabinet in the corner, and while picking out clothes, teased her.

Hong Qu pursed her lips, and a dark cloud covered her pretty face again. "You don't need to use words to prick me; noble families might produce many weak and gentle daughters, but I am not that kind of person.

I've been here for quite a few days, have I ever complained about the accommodation or the food?"

"Hmm, you are indeed not bad; even if you witnessed your former pride being crushed into mud, and felt tormented to the extreme in your heart, you still tried to maintain your graceful demeanor.

But compared to Little Fengxian, you are still far behind."

Auntie Liu picked out the new, good-quality skirt and clothing, placed them on the head of the bed, folded them one by one, and said, "Even if you haven't been out much, you should know that this is the pavilion in the front yard of the Red Sleeve Workshop.

To put it bluntly, it is the 'signboard' placed at the street corner for guests to see.

In the pavilion, your room is considered superior, more spacious and quiet than others, but compared to the 'Elegant Gardens' with independent houses in the back, it is still far behind.

Letting you live in the pavilion before was just the rule.

New daughters are graded first.

You are 'superior daughters,' living in superior rooms on the second floor; those of middle or lower grade have to go to the first floor or the backyard to sleep in a dormitory.

Rooms similar in size to yours house seven or eight people.

Once the daughters become 'girls' and start hanging their signs to earn money, they naturally have to move again."

Hong Qu was shocked. "Who is going to start earning money? Is it Sha Man Yu? Has she already started receiving guests?!"

"Receiving guests, so what? Does receiving guests only mean selling one's body? Hmph, in a place of pleasure, selling one's body is always the least profitable. If someone only relied on selling their body to earn money, I would never be so attentive to her in my life!"

Auntie Liu first glanced at her, then smiled proudly, "Our Red Sleeve Workshop, as the number one place of pleasure in Tianmen Town, has never lacked swordswomen.

Songstresses, dancers, zither players, painters, poetry fairies... whatever the guests ask for, we have it all.

It's just that the strongest individual item is far inferior to 'Five Absolutes Swordswoman' Li Li Manman.

Now I see hope; in a few years, either the 'Five Absolutes Swordswoman' will change, or Li Li Manman will change her name herself. Anyway, the 'Number One Swordswoman of Shu' will probably belong to our Little Little Fengxian!"

Under Auntie Liu's urging, Hong Qu also opened the cabinet and packed her clothes and supplies into a bundle.

Actually, there weren't many things, mainly a few sets of seasonal clothes for changing.

She and Xiao Yu, as "superior students," were assigned high-quality materials, specially customized by a well-known tailor from "Four Seasons Workshop," which needed to be brought along.

Towels, teapots, and study supplies didn't need to be brought.

Auntie Liu called over a sturdy maid of about twenty to move the bedding.

The quilt was also new.

The three women turned left and right in the backyard, passed through seven or eight doors, and finally arrived at a quiet little pavilion.

The little pavilion was a blue-tiled brick house with two large glass windows, about forty or fifty square meters, slightly low, and the eaves outside the corridor were less than two meters from the ground.

To the right of the pavilion, there was a grape trellis, and under the trellis, earth was chiseled and stones were piled to form a pond, about a zhang long and wide, raising a group of small golden carp.

On both sides of the small pond, a weeping round cypress was planted; in the thick spring sunlight, the green shade was swaying, which was very cute.

Along the wall on the outside of the courtyard, several emerald cypresses stood like a green screen, blocking the prying eyes from outside the wall.

Under the emerald cypress screen, there were also three small rockeries; although they were small, they had the beauty of towering mountains and ridges.

Other parts of the courtyard were not empty, but covered with velvety golden thread grass and embroidery grass.

Hong Qu was an expert and knew that these two kinds of grass would not wither or decay even in the severe winter after falling frost.

Walking to the door of the little pavilion, one could see a carved cage hanging on the corridor outside the window, with a green-headed, red-beaked parrot inside.

"Master is good, Master is hungry," it could even speak.

Hong Qu was not surprised.

As a parrot, if it couldn't even speak human language, it wouldn't be worthy of being hung here.

"Creak~~~" Pushing the door and entering, it was in the style of a study, first seeing a desk, with flower-arranging porcelain vases, ancient weights, brushes, and inkstones on the desk.

Four sheets of gold-flowered paper were pasted on the pink wall, with poems inscribed on them; the poems and paintings seemed to come from famous masters, and they should all be fakes.

"How is it? It can almost compare to the maid's room in your Dou family, right?" Auntie Liu put down the bundle, turned back, and smiled.

"Auntie Liu is talking about the maid's room, but in her heart, she is thinking of my mansion and boudoir, right?"

Hong Qu's disdain almost dripped to the ground. "When I was a child, I heard a story; an old farmer in the field mentioned the monarch and looked forward to it, guessing that the monarch's shoulder pole must be made of gold."

Auntie Liu was angry.

She stepped forward two steps, pinched Hong Qu's cheek, twisted it half a turn, and scolded, "You really think your Dou mansion is a palace! I was born humble, but that doesn't mean I haven't seen the world.

Open your eyes and look carefully, this is Tianmen Town.

Tianmen Town is the most prosperous place in the West.

Many things here, you barbarians from the distant Lu Kingdom have never seen in your whole life."

Hong Qu covered her face with her right hand and sneered, "So what if I've seen them? All the rare treasures you've seen in Tianmen Town are eventually sent to the nobles outside Tianmen Town to enjoy, right? Can you use them yourself just because you've seen them?"

Auntie Liu rolled her eyes in anger. "You are no longer the young lady of the Prime Minister's mansion! The Dou mansion has vanished into thin air, and you are just a stranded orphan!"

Hong Qu not only wasn't angry but said calmly, "Auntie, you don't need to humiliate me in a fit of anger! You were the one who started the topic; you can't stop people from telling the truth!"

"Oh my, I'm so angry my chest hurts, oh my~~~"

Auntie Liu clutched her chest and cried out, until a maid came in to find her, and then she pointed at Hong Qu's small nose and said, "As long as you still have a bit of the pride of a noble young lady, you shouldn't keep eating Little Little Fengxian's free meals, hmph~~"

Seeing Hong Qu pursing her lips and saying nothing, she seemed to have won a round, twisted her slender waist, and walked out majestically.

If Xiao Yu were here, she would surely exclaim: My foster father is called "Frankenstein General Guan"!

Near dusk, Xiao Yu finally returned to the little pavilion, holding a large bag of things, led by the little girl Sister Ziying.

"Yes, although this 'Wu Xiaojing Pavilion' is not big, it is the quietest and most exquisite place in the workshop.

Back then, when Sister Sister Shao Yao Yao sister was still a 'daughter' in the workshop, she lived here for three years."

Sister Ziying had a round, fair face, big round eyes, a fleshy round nose, a small mouth, and her hair was tied into two round buns, revealing her entire face, making her look extra cute and extra energetic.

"Is this place called 'Wu Xiaojing Pavilion'?"

Xiao Yu took two steps back, returned to the courtyard gate, and sure enough, saw a wooden sign hanging on the wall, weathered by wind and rain, with the words "Wu Xiaojing Pavilion" somewhat blurred.

"Who is Sister Sister Shao Yao Yao sister? Does she not work as a 'daughter' anymore?"

"Hehe, Little Fengxian sister, you just arrived, you probably haven't heard of 'Li Li Manman of Luodu, Sister Sister Shao Yao Yao Red of Tianmen'."

Li Li Manman is called the 'Five Absolutes Swordswoman'—poetry absolute, sword absolute, song absolute, dance absolute, and absolute beauty, hence the five absolutes.

Although 'famous courtesan' doesn't sound very good, adding 'Number One in Shu' before it makes it a bit different.

'Sister Sister Shao Yao Yao Red' can be on par with Li Li Manman, hehe, Little Fengxian sister should know how powerful Sister Sister Shao Yao Yao sister is now!"

Sister Ziying loved to laugh, and every time she spoke, she would grin and laugh hehe after a few words.

Only when mentioning "famous courtesan," there was a trace of sadness that flashed quickly in her very clear but no longer pure big eyes.

"Where is Sister Sister Shao Yao Yao sister now? Can we not see her?"

Xiao Yu walked into the room, scanned it casually, and placed the brocade bundle on the table.

She regretted it a bit.

Earlier when chatting with Sister Ziying, as soon as Sister Ziying asked, she blurted out her birth date, resulting in her becoming the "younger sister."

If she had been alert at the time and let Sister Ziying report her age first, she would definitely have become the "big sister."

Anyway, having been born a barbarian in this life, she really didn't remember her specific birthday, and the month was just a guess.

"Hong Qu, you're here too, hurry up and pour us some tea."

"No, no need to trouble Hong Qu sister, I'm not thirsty... um, I'll do it myself."

Sister Ziying looked at Hong Qu, who had a cold face and cold star-like eyes, seemed to feel weak, waved her hands repeatedly, took the initiative to find the teapot, poured a cup for Xiao Yu and Hong Qu first, and then held the teacup herself, not drinking, just looking at Xiao Yu with a smile, and said, "Sister Sister Shao Yao Yao sister still belongs to the Red Sleeve Workshop, but she has her own mansion outside and rarely comes back."

Saying this, she pointed to the brocade bundle on the table and laughed hehe, "Little Fengxian sister, didn't you open for business today?"

Xiao Yu nodded thoughtfully.

The number one courtesan of Western Shu was still a courtesan, and the Sister Sister Shao Yao Yao of Tianmen was still a person of the Teaching Division.

It was just that by the time they reached that level, their circles were different from ordinary people.

Afterwards, Sister Ziying chatted with her for a while about the common knowledge of the Red Sleeve Workshop before being called away by another little girl in a green dress named "Du Juan."

Before leaving, Xiao Yu even opened the brocade bundle on the table and said, "Come, come, don't be polite at all, everyone has a share, everyone must take one! Not taking one is looking down on me."

The brocade bundle took up most of the table, and after opening it, the room immediately flashed with the brilliance of gold and silver.

Gold ingots, gold leaves, silver knife coins, jade pendants, not to mention these ordinary goods, there were also pearl necklaces, pearls as big as chicken eggs, and even three precious swords, two daggers inlaid with gemstones, and four thin old books...

Du Juan even let out a "wow," while Sister Ziying only laughed hehe to express her gratitude, showing no surprise or doubt.

As for Hong Qu...

When Du Juan and Sister Ziying were still there, she gave a disdainful glance.

When only Xiao Yu and she were left in the room, she sneered and mocked, "I knew you were a barbarian, but I didn't expect your vision to be so shallow."

Xiao Yu flipped through *Ghost Shadow Capture Hand* and said calmly, "I fought with your father, and he was so weak~~"

"You~~~" Hong Qu was about to become a little angry lion again, but stopped halfway, only looking at her with hateful eyes.

Xiao Yu ignored her and focused on flipping through the secret manual in her hand.

Well, the four books were all martial arts manuals.

Together with the precious swords and daggers, they were all gifts from Jiang Hu "big shots" like "Flying Crane in the Clouds" Xu Xu Dahao.

It was easily obtained.

She only reported the name "General Guan Yu, who killed Kong Zan and destroyed Zhou Lang," and the Jiang Hu "big shots" exclaimed in amazement, stood up to bow to her, and asked her to perform a few moves of the "sword technique that killed the Hunting Flag Immortal."

Auntie Liu was still a bit worried about her unhealed injuries.

Xiao Yu just treated it as getting out of bed after a long illness to exercise her body, picked up the sword, and danced a set of "Tiger Roaring Sword."

Well, the seven great mysteries of the *Seven Killings of the Tiger Soul*, forty-nine moves in total, the Tiger Roaring Sword derived from the "Tiger Roaring Saber" was the simplest first-level mystery, with a total of seven sets of moves.

As a result, the Jiang Hu big shots were shocked on the spot, exclaiming, "It's actually the legendary sword control with divine intent," "Heavens, to have comprehended sword intent at such a young age," "Didn't they say her sword bone was destroyed, why is her sword intent still so sharp, chilling to the bone just by looking at it"...

Auntie Liu on the side also had eyes shining with brilliance.

Sister Ziying and the other little girls were full of admiration, with obvious awe in their admiration.

Xiao Yu was confused by their fuss.

—I just started warming up, what are you screaming about? And "legendary." If even "divine intent" is a legend, then what are sword immortals? What is the Lord Lieyang Marquis?

But their expressions were all very genuine, not like they were deliberately flattering her.

Xiao Yu was suspicious in her heart; she entered the door and shouted "Greetings to all Daddies," and a series of massacre methods were activated.

Being able to be activated meant that their combat power was not weak, at least capable of threatening her at this moment.

She spoke respectful words, letting those "Jiang Hu big shots" also go on stage to try.

Their "heroic faces" turned red, their eyes flickered, and they waved their hands repeatedly, declining, "I dare not."

Xiao Yu pleaded repeatedly, and with an exceptionally sincere expression and gaze, they finally gathered the courage to demonstrate their unique skills on the spot.

Cooperating with the massacre methods given by the Purple Mansion, Xiao Yu gradually gained some understanding.

These heroes were not undeserving of their names.

Their moves were exceptionally sharp, their combat experience was seasoned, their internal qi and blood qi were incomparably thick, their swords came out like dragons, and their punches hit like a gust of wind.

Several of them were even in the True Qi realm, and like Ge Qing, their true qi merged into gang qi, making them "Gang-Refining Big Shots" who were invincible and unbreakable.

But they were all about physique, moves, and internal qi; one could not say their divine intent was very insufficient, only that they hadn't even entered the door.