Chapter 46: The Kui Drum Order

The third day of the third lunar month: auspicious for praying for blessings and sacrifices; avoid all other matters.

The spring rain, like silk and threads, clung to the pedestrians on the road. Xu Qing, holding an oil-paper umbrella and with one foot bare, stood in a dead-end alley.

He felt he was somewhat ill.

By logic, even if he believed that Emperor Longping could handle ten women a night, he shouldn't believe that this "gambling dog" skill would work.

Looking at the high wall blocking the road in front of him, Xu Qing threw the shoe again.

Try one more time. What if it's accurate this time?

Adopting the "gambling dog" mentality, Xu Qing watched the shoe draw an arc in the air, finally landing in a wet puddle and splashing water.

"..."

What happened to the "auspicious for praying for blessings" in the almanac?

Seeing that this shoe couldn't be saved, Xu Qing leaned forward and looked down at the "points" he had thrown.

He saw that this thoughtful shoe was still stubbornly pointing its toe at the high wall at the end of the alley, the angle not even slightly off.

"So firm? Could the Wu brothers really be on the other side of the wall?"

Xu Qing was amused by his own thoughts. He activated his "Qi-Gazing Technique" and looked. Where were the Wu brothers outside the wall? It was clearly the fertilizer storage area where the night-soil collectors processed waste.

People say that the fragrance of wine doesn't fear the depth of the alley, but they never said that the place night-soil collectors like most to store fertilizer is precisely in deep alleys where human footprints are rare.

Xu Qing shook the sewage off his shoe, his expression shifting from hesitation to that of a determined lone warrior.

At first, he only treated "Throwing a Shoe to Ask the Way" as a little toy to entertain himself.

But now, the nature of the entertainment had changed.

Today, he had to see where this "gambling dog" minor technique was leading him!

Putting on his shoe and climbing over the high wall, Xu Qing stood next to the night-soil cart. His initial leisurely, strolling manner had vanished.

Now his expression was cold and hard. Ignoring the mountains of fertilizer piles around him, he threw his shoe again every twenty steps.

Fortunately, pedestrians on rainy days were in a hurry, and few would notice the strange man holding an umbrella and constantly throwing his shoe.

Xu Qing walked through streets and alleys, turning around, and finally stopped outside a high building with upturned eaves.

At this moment, the dirty shoe was pouting, pointing at the flower house with its doors wide open.

Xu Qing was very familiar with this place. There were three major flower houses on Changfeng Street. Besides Cuiyun Pavilion and Youlan Garden, the Shuohuang Pavilion in front of him was the most famous.

But he had never been to this flower house.

The reason was simple: Shuohuang Pavilion was famously expensive. The girls inside were all proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Even the worst girl had extraordinary skills.

Following that, the greater the fame, the more expensive the "seafood."

Xu Qing sized up the elegant young servant in a long gown at the door.

In the end, he still felt the "big teapot" in a short jacket at Cuiyun Pavilion was more approachable.

His gaze swept over the luxurious carriages parked at the entrance of Shuohuang Pavilion and the guests in brocade robes coming in and out. Xu Qing gave his own evaluation of the "Throwing a Shoe to Ask the Way" technique—

A pile of crap!

How much money did Wu Yaoxing's paper-effigy shop earn in a year? Even if he sold himself, it might not be enough for his son to book a girl at Shuohuang Pavilion for the night.

Not to mention the Wu brothers were two people.

Of course, it didn't exclude the possibility that a girl might be willing to accept a "double dragon" meeting.

Xu Qing had always been a rigorous person. To confirm the accuracy of his evaluation, he finally chose to walk into the flower house without looking back.

The internal environment of Shuohuang Pavilion was vastly different from Cuiyun Pavilion.

Besides the decor, the social etiquette and the way of booking girls were also very different.

In a place like Cuiyun Pavilion, once you enter, you don't need to use your brain. You just rely on instinct, call the "big teapot" or the madam, and express your thoughts directly—the more straightforward, the better.

For example: "Master heard you have a girl surnamed Chang, call her out quickly, I want to prostitute her!"

Or: "Master just ate chive boxes and three catties of oysters today. I'm not here for anything else, just to make sure your girl can't get out of bed tomorrow!"

But if you dared to start like that in Shuohuang Pavilion, being scolded was a small matter; you might even be thrown out bruised and battered!

This was Shuohuang Pavilion, a flower house with a deep background that specialized in the high-end route.

Xu Qing walked into the lobby. The warm fragrance of incense and heat hit his face. Under the hollow atrium, one could see the four-season screens and jade-bamboo ink paintings placed in the corners and corridors.

There were literati waving brushes, and musicians and geishas playing music together on the stage—a scene of elegant, powdered, and scholarly atmosphere.

Xu Qing was lamenting that he, like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, was such a vulgar person—how could he be worthy of this level?

He scanned the area and, seeing no sign of the Wu brothers, intended to leave. But just as he turned around, he saw Wu Zhiyuan, pushed by Wu Wencai, walking into the gate of Shuohuang Pavilion.

Xu Qing stood a few steps away from the door, his head full of question marks.

How could the result of "Throwing a Shoe to Ask the Way" have foresight?

Was it a coincidence, or a coincidence?

Xu Qing couldn't figure it out. If you say it's inaccurate, the two Wu brothers really came here!

If you say it's accurate, when he first arrived, the Wu brothers weren't here.

Not to mention Xu Qing's brain-storming, Wu Zhiyuan was pushed by Wu Wencai into Shuohuang Pavilion. This was his first time entering a place of wind and moon.

"Wencai, this isn't good. You and I are scholars, how can we come to such a... place that insults the scholarly spirit."

Wu Wencai winked: "Good brother, this is a proper place. Inside are all 'pure' girls who sell art but not their bodies. Don't talk about zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting; even the poetry and classics we excel in, they might not be ignorant of."

"That may be so, but if we meet acquaintances, it will be embarrassing."

Wu Wencai said without thinking: "What kind of place is this? Besides Brother Zhu who invited us, who else would we meet? Not everyone can come here."

The two talked and walked with their arms around each other, heading inside, but they didn't expect that after only a few steps, they would see "Uncle Xu" from next to the paper-effigy shop looking at them in shock.

Wu Zhiyuan's face turned pale instantly, thinking that if his father found out about this, he would definitely be in big trouble.

Wu Wencai's heart was also pounding. While secretly cursing that this was strange, he also blamed his cousin for being a crow's mouth.

Just as the two didn't know what to do, a little fatty in brocade robes suddenly popped out from the side.

As soon as they met, he laughed: "You two finally came. The Kui Drum Order will start in a moment. Hurry up and come in with me. Today, no matter what, you have to help me win this round and let me win the beauty!"

Wu Zhiyuan followed the fatty inside. When passing by Xu Qing, he couldn't pretend not to know him, so he blushed and stammered: "Xu... Xu..."

Before the word "Uncle" could pop out, Xu Qing interrupted: "Zhiyuan, what are you doing? Is it that we meet by chance, and you don't even recognize Brother Xu?"

Wu Wencai was the smartest, immediately introducing him to the little fatty: "Brother Zhu, this is my good friend, surnamed Xu."

"Brother Xu, this is Young Master Zhu from the Jinmen Zhu family, who specially invited us to gather here today."

The little fatty's eyes lit up: "A friend of Brother Wencai must also be extraordinary. If this brother doesn't mind, he can join us for the Kui Drum Order. As for the admission fee, I'll treat you!"

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 47 =====