Chapter 292: The Sword Intent of the Second Master

Lu Hua gazed at the smile on Xie Guan's face, which was just like the first light of dawn, a beam of golden radiance piercing through clouds and mist to strike the young man's cheek.

It was, in fact, remarkably handsome.

Because she wore a bamboo hat, you had no way of knowing how the expressions on her face had shifted over the course of the night.

"May I ask, Miss Lu, do I have any talent for the Dao of Primordial Spirit cultivation? Can my progress be considered slow?"

Lu Hua curled the corner of her mouth and said, "It's alright, I suppose it passes."

"Also, remember this: you must not allow your Primordial Spirit to leave your body without authorization!"

Her figure was light and nimble, like a faint shadow beneath the blue sky, or like wisps of curling green smoke, drifting leisurely away from the courtyard entrance.

Although your soul had already ascended to the Third Realm, you were still unable to track her movements.

The Sanzhen Sect? The surname Lu—it is said that the Grand Lu Lu Tian Shi of this Sanzhen Sect is surnamed Lu. Could she be a disciple of the Lu Lu Tian Shi?

If not for that, how could she so easily produce the "Yin Talisman Scripture," which leads directly to the Seventh Realm of Primordial Spirit cultivation?

Although you had already committed the "Seven Arts of the Yin Talisman Scripture" to heart, the profound mysteries of the latter four arts were likely not something that could be described in a short time.

The first three arts, "Spirit Tortoise," "Five Dragons," and "Teng Snake," were originally for learning their visualization methods. If one wishes to apply their Dao, there is actually no need for such cumbersome drawing; one only needs to draw the talismans to manifest them.

You flicked your fingers, and a flame leaped out, yet there was not the slightest sensation of heat. This was the fire of the human heart and lungs, a marvelous ability of the second realm of Primordial Spirit cultivation.

You touched your fingers lightly to the paper, and the three sheets instantly turned to ash.

You did not wish for the events of this night to be known by others.

After a night of busyness, sleepiness quietly crept in.

In the inner room of the small courtyard, Sister Wu Tong pushed the door open and walked out, rubbing her sleepy eyes, only to see the Young Master already standing in the courtyard early on.

She did not find it strange; the Young Master had always risen very early.

It was just that she had a slight doubt in her heart as to why she had been so sleepy yesterday.

You must know!

Before going to sleep, she always meticulously counted the silver in the house and carefully planned what needed to be bought the next day, ensuring everything was precise to the last bit.

You looked at Sister Wu Tong and smiled, "There is no need to prepare breakfast for me; I am going to sleep a while longer."

You had already turned and stepped into the room.

Although Sister Wu Tong had doubts in her heart—the Young Master was always punctual and never lazy—looking at him today, she felt the Young Master had become even fairer and more handsome than yesterday.

Recalling the grace he displayed at the Daguan Garden a few days ago to protect her at the Jinghong Courtyard, and thinking of her own status as the Young Master's "chamber maid," ripples could not help but stir in her heart.

Thinking of this, she involuntarily squeezed her legs together, and a rosy cloud burned across her face.

"Sister Wu Tong, oh Sister Wu Tong, you must not let your imagination run wild; the Young Master hasn't even reached his capping ceremony yet."

Bianjing City, West Chamber Tower, it is noon.

West Chamber Tower, though named a tower, is actually the collective name for this area of willow-shaded pleasure quarters in the West City of Bianjing.

Legend has it that in the old days of the Great Qi, a scholar and the daughter of a Prime Minister fell in love at first sight. After experiencing many twists and turns—the initial meeting, the mother's obstruction, the imperial examinations, and rumors of illicit affairs—they finally, with the help of the maid Hongniang, pledged their lives to each other, creating a famous story.

This matter became known to a theater troupe in the Pear Garden, who adapted it into a play called "The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks," also known as "The West Chamber."

The play was sung and the story spread, and as time passed,

These places of "flower lanes and willow alleys, where one listens to music in brothels" in Bianjing came to be elegantly referred to by scholars and poets as the "West Chamber Tower."

The prosperity of this place, whether day or night, was always bustling with crowds, an endless stream of people.

If one arrived in Bianjing of the Great Qi but had never set foot in the "West Chamber Tower," it was as if one had never truly appreciated the elegance of Bianjing.

One could not say they had been to Bianjing.

Inside the West Chamber Tower, brothels and singing houses stood in great numbers. With so many women, jealousy and competition were inevitable; each vied for beauty and charm, and they had to determine who was superior and who was inferior.

Over these years, with several top courtesans "flourishing for a time," their fame resounding throughout the capital, some order had finally been sorted out.

Qimo Qimo Chunfang.

Yuehua Pavilion.

Zi Xiao Pavilion.

These three brothels and singing troupes gradually took the lead.

At this moment, the Yuehua Pavilion!

Was already a scene of great busyness.

This five-story building, occupying a vast area, had upturned eaves, and the light gauze on the windows danced in the wind, surrounded by several elegant courtyards.

It was noon.

Many distinguished guests of Bianjing arrived one after another, and the maids entertaining them were all exceptionally beautiful; in any other brothel, they would certainly be top-tier attractions.

As the top establishment of the "West Chamber Tower," Yuehua Pavilion naturally did not live up to its name in vain.

Today!

Hu Yunniang had risen early.

You must know, the girls of the West Chamber Tower usually rose in the afternoon; the time from afternoon to night was when they "displayed their grace."

They often slept until after noon, dressed up, and then welcomed guests.

But Hu Yunniang was different; as one of the leading courtesans of Yuehua Pavilion, she was one of the eighteen famous beauties of Bianjing.

She did not need to personally welcome guests; she only needed to chat about "wind, flowers, snow, and moon" with those true big spenders or famous scholars to reap a fortune that others could hardly imagine in a lifetime.

However, the name of a top courtesan was by no means easily obtained.

It was a special honor obtained only by those ranked in the top seven, voted for by brothel patrons with real gold and silver every year.

All of them were beauties famous throughout Bianjing.

The reason Hu Yunniang was willing to follow Su Yun to the Xie Fu that day, besides the status of the Su family—the head of the nine great clans—behind him, was that Su Yun was also one of her big spenders who threw money around like dirt.

Apart from real gold and silver, of course, one also needed "fame." It was not that there were no wealthy sons of the nine great clans willing to spend thousands to win a beauty's smile.

The Great Qi flourished in Confucian studies, and this fame came from being celebrated in poetry.

Hu Yunniang was able to stand out among the many beauties, besides her own flower-like face and moon-like appearance.

It was mainly because last year, that famous critic Jin Zitan said, "Yunniang could play the zheng at eight, the spring breeze blows down the sounds of heaven. One sound of Yongmen brings tears to the lashes, two sounds of the red carp reveal the hairpins, three sounds of the white ape bring arms to the cheeks."

A single critique among the eighteen beauties elevated her to the position of top courtesan of Yuehua Pavilion.

Served by her maid, Hu Yunniang combed her hair and painted her eyebrows, unable to hide the sorrow on her face.

Just watching the waves behind urge the waves in front, it is always the new replacing the old.

The old is not as good as the new!

At the beginning of next year, there would be the new selection for the top courtesan of Yuehua Pavilion, which was not only a major event for Yuehua Pavilion but also the most grand event for the entire West Chamber Tower.

Because at the same time, the other two houses, Qimo Qimo Chunfang and Zi Xiao Pavilion, would also announce their lists of top courtesans.

It would shock Bianjing City.

Major gambling houses would also place bets, guessing which girls would fly onto the branches this year.

Last year, Hu Yunniang won the top courtesan title like a "dark horse," making many gamblers lose so much they had to drown their sorrows in alcohol.

The many girls of Yuehua Pavilion, besides the indispensable gold and silver, perhaps hoped to marry into a good family.

"Famous courtesans" of such singing troupes sold their arts but not their bodies.

Only when a girl was willing to summon a guest into her inner chambers would she break her virginity and lose her innocence.

But once innocence was lost, the value of a top courtesan would plummet.

The gains and losses in this were the most important to be cautious about.

There were many top courtesans who did not have a "discerning eye" and ended up with a bleak outcome.

Hu Yunniang had gone through hardships and finally ascended to the position of top courtesan; if she were unfortunately not selected next year, not only would she be sorrowful, but she would also fear that her doorstep would become cold and no one would ask after her.

Especially for a girl's youth, and they had no backing, like the rolling floodwaters flowing through Bianjing City.

Youth passes easily, and beauty fades easily.

Rootless and without duckweed, the waves come fast and go fast!

The income of a top courtesan in this year far exceeded the past, even when she was the head courtesan of Yuehua Pavilion, it was hard to reach.

Now, those who came and went were the powerful and noble of Bianjing, or famous scholars, people she had only dared to look at through the cracks of a door before.

She saw clearly that it was all because of this title of top courtesan.

There were countless beautiful women in the world; it was just by borrowing this title that she gained the regard of noble people.

Hu Yunniang stared at herself in the mirror; although her face was pretty and her beauty moving, the sisters in the building were like spring flowers, one batch after another, each with a pretty appearance and a flirtatious nature.

"Sister Yunniang, why are you sighing at noon?"

The serving maid asked softly, meticulously combing Hu Yunniang's long hair.

Among the women in the building, they all called each other sisters, and their friendship was deep.

Hu Yunniang held a flower ornament and lightly dotted it between her brows, outlining an exquisite forehead flower.

"Yingchun, you little girl, all you know is to flirt with those down-and-out scholars all day; they are just smooth-talking pretty boys, and I'm afraid they can't even pull out ten taels of silver from their pockets."

"When you understand later, you will know that a man who can pull out silver is your ideal husband." Hu Yunniang's words were somewhat worldly.

Hearing this, Yingchun seemed somewhat unconvinced; her curved thin eyebrows frowned slightly, as if to refute something, and she couldn't help but use a little more strength in her hands.

"You dead girl, your hands are so strong, be lighter!"

Hu Yunniang feigned anger and scolded, "I really should sell you to a kiln so you can't even get out of bed every day, with your legs aching."

Hearing this, Yingchun naturally did not dare to talk back to Hu Yunniang and stood obediently to the side, not daring to say another word.

Hu Yunniang stroked her hair and sighed helplessly:

"You, as your sister, can I not even talk to you? There are many sisters in the building, and there are many lessons, why don't you get it?"

Yingchun pulled Hu Yunniang's hand and said in a coquettish tone: "Sister, not every woman can have your good fortune, to be able to see the scenery from the high places of the West Chamber Tower. We people, after all, still want to find a home and marry as a wife."

Yingchun's face turned slightly red, and she continued:

"And, I think he... is not that kind of person."

Hu Yunniang shook her head gently and said no more, understanding in her heart that girls who had developed feelings were always hard to persuade; only when they truly hit the south wall and felt pain would they wake up.

"I know what you are worried about, sister, are you worried about next year's top courtesan selection?"

Hu Yunniang's words carried a bit of heaviness: "The annual top courtesan selection of Yuehua Pavilion has always been like this; once not selected, it is very difficult to have a day of turning over."

"That is to say, I only have this one chance."

Yingchun tilted her head and thought, counting on her fingers: "Isn't Sister Huang the one who has sat firmly as the top courtesan of Yuehua Pavilion for many years?"

"Sister Nihuang is different; she is the confidante who adds fragrance to the sleeves for the Third Master. Even if it is just the Third Master's name, she is the first-class among flowers."

Hu Yunniang was also envious; for more than ten years, the top of the Yuehua Pavilion courtesan list had always been this Sister Nihuang.

Even that Third Master, known as "Thirty years of great achievements told to the mountain ghosts" and "holding the seals of several countries," came to this Yuehua Pavilion, got drunk, slept for a while, and Sister Nihuang guarded him for a night, leaving behind a poem.

For more than ten years, she had never fallen from the top courtesan position.

This was a blessing others could not ask for.

"Then sister, you have the help of Young Master Su Yun, what are you afraid of?"

Hu Yunniang shook her head gently and said worriedly: "Young Master Su is indeed not short of silver, but the sisters in the building all have the support of big spenders in Bianjing. My foundation is still too shallow; the sisters above are all those who have been top courtesans for a year or two, and I really can't compare to them in terms of connections."

"And, I heard that several of the sisters below this year have also received critiques from the old gentleman Jin Zitan."

Yingchun looked at Hu Yunniang's locked eyebrows and didn't know how to comfort her.

There were only seven top courtesan positions in the building, and Sister Nihuang had already firmly occupied one.

The three above were already consecutive winners for two terms, and the sisters below were also all "eyeing" the top courtesan position.

Women were not only vain but also for profit.

Yingchun thought for a moment and suggested:

"Why don't we go and ask for a few poems written by the teachers of the academy?"

Hu Yunniang shook her head and said helplessly:

"It's hard; those people with reputation and knowledge in the academy don't like our kind of pleasure quarters, and I'm afraid they are hard to see."

Hu Yunniang suddenly thought of that young man in the Xie Fu, but then shook her head again.

As a concubine's son, how much talent could he have?

However, the incomplete sentence he wrote on the paper last time was indeed extremely brilliant, but she didn't know how the whole poem went.

The poem for a top courtesan could not be written casually; it must fit the title of the top courtesan.

Just then, the voice of the old nanny came from outside: "Yunniang, Young Master Su Yun is here."

"Got it!"

Hu Yunniang got up early today specifically because Su Yun was going to hold a "Poetry Appreciation" at Yuehua Pavilion.

Yuehua Pavilion was different from ordinary pleasure quarters; it was more inclined towards elegance and was a gathering place for scholars and elegant people of the Great Qi; patronizing courtesans was also seen as an elegant affair here.

Poetry societies, in order to become famous, mostly chose to hold events in places like the West Chamber Tower where women sang and merchants gathered.

Hu Yunniang dressed up meticulously, hiding the sorrow on her face without a trace, and restored the style of the "Eighteen Beauties of Bianjing" top courtesan.

She arrived at Yuehua Pavilion and found Su Yun already waiting in the lobby on the first floor.

Su Yun was surrounded by Xie Xuan and a group of sons of the great clans of the Caotang Poetry Society; they had an extraordinary momentum, obviously coming for this "Poetry Appreciation."

Su Yun spared no expense today, and Yuehua Pavilion was also very sensible, leaving the storytelling and theater stage in the lobby on the first floor early for them to use.

Su Yun ascended the stage, and the servants immediately beat drums and gongs, attracting the onlookers.

The second floor, the third floor... the corridors on each floor were crowded with spectators leaning on the railings, curious and looking around. They were all accompanied by gentle women, soft and warm in their arms, enjoying this comfort and elegance.

The audience was no stranger to such circulation, especially when the red cloth was pulled up on the stage.

When the four big characters "Caotang Poetry Society" were written on it.

Poetry society matters had already become a trend in Bianjing, especially among these sons of the nine great clans, who liked it the most.

This "Caotang Poetry Society" also had some fame, not a good one, with the elegant nicknames of "Money Bag Poetry Society" and "Throwing Silver Poetry Society."

Upstairs and downstairs were lively.

Hu Yunniang walked onto the stage gracefully under the gaze of many eyes.

The people on the side had already started cheering her name.

(End of chapter)