Chapter 445: Yu Youwei

Zijin Lou.

The most famous brothel in Beiliang.

It has produced several top courtesans who shook the four prefectures of Beiliang, such as Li Yuanyuan, Yu Youwei... every one of them possessed beauty capable of toppling cities and states. Of course, in the courtesan trade, if one only has looks, one can only be a vase and engage in flesh peddling. A true top courtesan must not only be proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but must also possess a stunning, unique skill.

For instance, Li Yuanyuan excelled at playing the flute; its sound was mournful and yearning, like weeping and complaining, the lingering notes winding on like a thread, endless. As for Yu Youwei, she excelled at sword dancing; the garden would be filled with clear light, and a single sword dance would move all directions.

It is just a pity that Li Yuanyuan's trail has long since vanished, and she has disappeared without a trace.

Some say that when the Emperor came to the Beiliang Prince Mansion to escape the summer heat, he took her back to the palace as his private plaything. Others say she abandoned all her wealth and status to elope with a poor, pedantic scholar...

As for the top courtesan Yu, she also rarely performs dances in front of people, and in recent years, she has almost faded out of Zijin Lou.

Yet, very few people know that the top courtesan Yu is still in Zijin Lou, and she lives in the backyard.

The backyard is planted with nothing but banana trees. Yu Youwei sits in the courtyard, holding a white cat named "Wumeiniang." The white cat is as enchanting and lazy as its owner, only meowing when it wants food.

Yu Youwei sits upright, with long eyelashes, a pair of rippling, autumn-water-like beautiful eyes, a slightly upturned delicate nose, and rosy cherry lips. Her cloud-like hair is uncombed, simply cascading down like a waterfall to her waist and hips. She is charming and graceful, yet exudes a faint scholarly air; one can tell at a glance she is a woman from a prominent family.

"Sigh, Murong Tonghuang."

The top courtesan Yu lets out a faint sigh, stirring pity in others, making one unable to resist holding her in one's arms to cherish and dote on her as one pleases. Her cherry lips part slightly as she murmurs the name of a certain heartless man.

The first time she met that person was when the good-for-nothing Prince returned from his travels and invited the top courtesan Yu into the mansion. Originally, the top courtesan Yu thought it was a great opportunity to assassinate the good-for-nothing Prince Xu Fengnian.

Yet, she did not expect that Xu Fengnian had invited all the top courtesans in Lingzhou at that time, wanting them to serve a person—a young man so handsome he was beyond description—all for the sake of wanting to apprentice under that black-clad youth to learn martial arts. Unexpectedly, the youth was quite disdainful and threw Xu Fengnian directly into the lake.

During that banquet, the other party flirted with her twice, yet she felt not the slightest aversion, but instead developed strange feelings.

And the other party's posture of drinking and singing, bold and unrestrained, left an indelible mark on her fluttering heart.

Several days later, the man called Murong Tonghuang paid a visit. He wanted to appreciate her sword dance. She could not refuse, so she put on the QicaiNishang, and with her peerless beauty and slender figure, she performed a magnificent sword dance, filling the garden with clear light.

However, the other party was not very satisfied, because her sword dance was filled with sorrow and killing intent.

This sorrow and killing intent were not directed at the sole spectator, but were brought about by her practice of the sword.

Every time she danced with the sword, the top courtesan Yu would think of her father who died in depression at Shangyin Academy, and think of the faint, fragile back she saw when she and her father were caught in the tide of refugees and looked back.

Then, Murong Tonghuang invited her to drink wine called "Peach Blossom." She got drunk, and in her drunken dreams, she dreamt of her father and mother, yet she slept more sweetly than ever before.

When she woke up, she was lying in the arms of that black-clad man, her saliva dampening his lapel.

Murong Tonghuang also woke up with his usual warm smile, and he gave her a dragonfly-touch kiss on her lips. He said he liked her and said he would teach her a real sword dance next time...

However, a man's words are clearly not to be trusted. This period of time has passed, yet that man has not stepped into the small courtyard even once.

It is said that Murong Tonghuang has returned to Huishan in Jianzhou and killed the Imperial Prince Zhao Kai and two extremely famous figures. These days, it has been the talk of the town, and she has also heard of it.

As for when they will meet again, she does not know what year or month it will be.

The top courtesan Yu gathers her black hair to the side of her face and looks at the banana trees filling the garden, but suddenly feels a sense of loneliness. Although she has long been tired of the noise and prosperity, she does not know why she is suddenly unaccustomed to such solitude.

She lowers her head to stroke the white cat named "Wumeiniang" and murmurs to herself, "If only I were you."

Sunbathing all day, sleeping, occasionally acting spoiled, catching butterflies... it is indeed very comfortable.

She has stayed in Zijin Lou for a long time. Her original intention was to assassinate the good-for-nothing Prince, but Xu Fengnian first traveled Six Thousand Li and then went far to Wudang Mountain; she fears this wish will come to nothing.

Her father died in depression at Shangyin Academy back then, and after that, she, whose real name is Yu Xuanji, traveled over mountains and rivers to come to Lingzhou. She first learned the most authentic Fengzhou accent, then became the most lowly prostitute among the commoners. Fortunately, her appearance was outstanding, and from the beginning, she was intentionally or unintentionally groomed to be a top courtesan, so she did not need to engage in the flesh peddling that disgusted her the most.

Perhaps it is time to return to Shangyin Academy to pay respects to her father.

The journey is long and arduous, and she is but a weak woman.

But apart from this Wumeiniang in her arms, who else can accompany her on this journey? Perhaps the rest of her life will be just as lonely.

Suddenly, that handsome, demon-like face with a warm smile appears before her eyes, and she murmurs to herself, "Murong... you bastard."

Dong dong dong!!

At this very moment, a knock comes at the door.

Yu Youwei raises her head and sees a familiar smiling face at the door.

Yu Liancheng walks into the courtyard with long strides and says with a smile, "Just returned to Lingzhou, drank some wine with an old man in a sheepskin coat, slept for a while, and then came out to see you."

The top courtesan Yu stretches out her slender hand to stroke Wumeiniang's head, and the young lady says softly, as if sulking, "Youwei is but a woman of the dust; how could I dare to hope that the world-renowned Master of Huishan would be so concerned."

Yu Liancheng chuckles and sits beside her: "The guest has already arrived; why is the host not serving tea and water?"

The top courtesan Yu gives a delicate snort, holding the cat, her chest trembling even more, yet she truly pours tea and water for him, though it is filled with a distance amidst the courtesy, seemingly blaming him for his long neglect.

But in the end, this is only the third time the two have met.

Yu Liancheng does not mind, takes a sip of the tea that is about to go cold, and says, "Come here, let me hold you; be obedient."

The top courtesan Yu's pretty face sinks, and she gently pats the table with her jade palm: "This guest, please respect yourself. If you are looking for pleasure, you might as well go outside..."

Before she finishes speaking, the cat in her arms moves, and with a meow, it darts toward Yu Liancheng.

"Meiniang is so good." Yu Liancheng strokes Wumeiniang and looks up at the top courtesan Yu, whose face is becoming increasingly unpleasant, asking in confusion: "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Only then does Yu Youwei realize that the other party was teasing the cat.

The courtesan cannot help but blush, and she glares hatefully at Wumeiniang again. This cat with no integrity—hasn't he only fed it a few bites of food? Why did it run over as soon as someone called it?