The three of them walked without stopping in the silent city at night, heading towards the southwest.
Ji Yuan didn't mention going to places like the City God Temple, so Zhang Rui knew that he must be going there in person to see the situation.
For matters like this, it is not appropriate to involve the gods and ghosts in the underworld. Firstly, it may easily lead to jurisdictional disputes, and secondly, it is troublesome. It is better to keep it simple and rough.
Among the three, Ji Yuan was curious and held his own speculation, Wang Li had a frown on his face, and Zhang Rui was the most relaxed. Mr. Ji helped her write an imperial decree, which was equivalent to helping her temporarily condense her will power and she didn't have to worry as before.
A rather peculiar thing about Chengsu Prefecture City is that more than half of the southern city wall is not actually built as a wall, but is directly adjacent to the Sushui River. The Sushui River is a large river, and its surface is dozens of feet wide in this area. This construction method of Chengsu Prefecture has made the southwest section of the city a natural large wharf.
This large wharf is not only the water transportation hub of Chengsu Prefecture, but also one of the most prosperous places in Chengsu Prefecture. It is also a good place for romance. Of course, it is far from the scale of Chunhui Prefecture.
The big show boat that Zhang Rui mentioned is also here. It is a famous kiln boat in Chengsu Prefecture. The red show inside is even more famous in Youzhou. Even some wealthy young men and masters in Jingji Prefecture would come here because of its reputation.
Compared to the silence in other places in the city, there are still pedestrians near the Su Shui Wharf in the city. It goes without saying what their purposes are for walking outside at this time and coming to such a place. Some of them even sneaked out of their homes.
"Daxiu boat" is one way of saying it. In fact, in addition to the big boat, there is also a larger brothel next to it, called Daxiu Tower. The real Daxiu boat is parked on a concave river bank behind the building. The buildings on both sides belong to the Daxiu Tower, which is equivalent to forming a small harbor that surrounds the Daxiu boat. Only by entering the brothel and walking behind the building can you go to the Daxiu boat.
Before Ji Yuan and others got close, the sweet sounds mixed with giggles, teasing and screams had already reached Ji Yuan's ears. Soon, the complex smell of rouge and powder also rushed into his nose.
There was nothing to be embarrassed about. Ji Yuan took Wang Li directly to the brothel. Although Zhang Rui followed them, she had obviously cast a spell so that no one could see her except Ji Yuan and Wang Li.
"Mr. Zhang, why are you here so late today?"
"Mr. Zhao, have a safe trip!" "Come, come, come in, sir..."
Some women were pulling customers outside the brothel. Some people passing by during this time went straight in. There was no need to avoid anything so late. Even if some people pretended to pass by, they would half-heartedly go in after being called and pulled.
"Oh~~~ Prince Wang, you are here again~~~ Please come in quickly! Oh, who is this gentleman? What a charming demeanor!"
As the three of them came closer, Wang Li was immediately recognized by the girl outside, and someone came over immediately, took his hand and led him inside.
"Uh, heh... Mr. Ji, I... I don't come here often..."
The girls in brothels also have good eyesight. They have a rough standard in their minds as to who can be touched too intimately and who cannot be touched casually.
For example, Wang Li was pulled in so intimately and even rubbed his body against him, but Ji Yuan and the others didn't dare to do so, even though many girls were looking at Ji Yuan and some even felt moved.
But Ji Yuan just stood there and no one dared to pull him.
"Humph, you don't come here often? Who would believe that? Look, Mr. Ji, this guy rarely tells the truth!"
Wang Li's face flushed red, and he didn't dare to look at Ji Yuan's expression. This was the deity who told stories in dreams, and he didn't know how he would look at him.
Ji Yuan had never been to such an occasion in his previous life. If it were the Ji Yuan from his previous life, his face would probably blush at this moment. But at this moment, there was no special emotion on his face, and his mood was relatively calm. Of course, he still felt a little nervous in his heart, but he was neither excited nor disgusted with others.
If there were people who worked in brothels purely for quick money in their previous life, then the prostitutes in this life were basically either sold to brothels at a young age or reduced to slavery due to a disaster. The pressure that this social environment puts on this industry is enough to crush people. Except for a few who are lucky, there is almost no chance of turning things around in their lifetime.
"Master Wang, why don't you come in? Sir, would you like to come in and rest for a while? It's very cold and windy outside!"
These girls all noticed that Wang Li had an embarrassed look on his face and was looking at Ji Yuan's expression.
Ji Yuan nodded immediately.
"Mr. Wang, let's go in."
The women nearby were delighted and several of them immediately rushed to hold Ji Yuan's hand.
"Buzz..."
The green vine sword behind Ji Yuan suddenly made a sound, and a suppressed sword intent spread around Ji Yuan within a distance of half a meter.
Whether it was Wang Li or some of the prostitutes nearby, they all felt a ringing in their ears and an extremely panicked feeling. Many of them even subconsciously stepped back in panic.
"They are just poor people who have no choice."
Ji Yuan murmured something in a low voice, and the terrifying feeling that made his heart palpitate suddenly disappeared without a trace.
Zhang Rui retreated more than ten feet in horror, looking at Ji Yuan's position from afar and not daring to approach. She could feel it more clearly than ordinary people.
Just at that moment, it was as if an illusion that I saw endless snow-white silver light filling my senses. It was an indescribable sharpness, just like a mortal feeling of being scraped by a knife in a freezing, damp wind.
At this moment, Zhang Rui suddenly remembered that in the original version of "White Deer Love", there was a magic sword hanging around the "old immortal".
"That is to say..."
The goddess in white subconsciously looked in all directions around Ji Yuan and above him. Just because she couldn't see it didn't mean it wasn't there. It was normal that she couldn't see the immortal weapon because of her low level of Taoism.
During the time Zhang Rui was stunned, Ji Yuan and Wang Li had already entered the Daxiu Building. However, compared with the other guests who were hugging and tugging at each other when they entered, the two girls around these two people only dared to lead them in from a distance, saying a few words awkwardly, and did not dare to touch their bodies at all.
Shaking her head, Zhang Rui gritted her teeth and followed in.
Inside the Daxiu Building, the busy old madam was arranging several guests to go upstairs. She turned around and saw Ji Yuan and Wang Li coming in. Her eyes stayed on Wang Li for a moment and then she looked directly at Ji Yuan. She felt at first glance that the person who came might be of extraordinary status.
"Oh, Mr. Wang, you are here to take care of our business again. It's a pity that Miss Hongxiu still has customers today... This is..."
The madam came forward with a big smile, fanning herself with a round fan, and glared at the girls beside her. These girls were too blind to tell who should be treated warmly.
"Sir, are you Mr. Wang's friend?"
The madam stood beside Ji Yuan with a smile on her face and pretended to glance at him casually. Although she didn't have any expensive accessories and her clothes looked simple, she still gave off an extraordinary demeanor.
Especially that seemingly ordinary black jade hairpin. If you look closely, it is more transparent than glass under the light, which can attract people's attention.
'Extremely rare, extremely valuable! Big fish!'
When Wang Li heard the madam's words, he subconsciously showed a sense of panic.
"Oh, old lady, please don't talk nonsense. How can Wang be qualified to be Mr.'s friend? Mr. is... uh, Wang's elder, yes, the respected one!"
Although Wang Li was just a storyteller, he was a man who had truly seen the world. Some young men and masters who seemed to have noble status were actually not in Wang Li's eyes. Occasionally, when he was drunk, he would inadvertently reveal this attitude.
Seeing Wang Li's cautious reaction at this moment, the madam smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum. She fanned the fan twice to blow some of the watercolor fragrance toward Ji Yuan, then bowed and bowed.
"Hahahaha... Mr. Wang is joking. Sir, why don't you go to the big show boat? The girls in the show building are not worthy of you!"
The smell of excessive makeup made Ji Yuan feel a little uncomfortable. The Qingteng sword behind him did not make any sound nor reveal its sword intent, but in the spiritual text on the scabbard, the word "hidden" in the sword's blade had actually faded. If someone who knew the truth saw it, they would probably be worried.
Ji Yuan resisted the urge to use the wind to blow away the strong and choking smell of powder, and asked the madam calmly.
"I wonder if Miss Hongxiu is free?"
"Uh... this... sir, Miss Hongxiu is playing the piano for Mr. Liu. Mr. Liu is the uncle of the prefect of Chengsu Prefecture. Sir, he is an official after all, so we should..."
"Tsk..."
Listening to the madam's endless explanation, Wang Li couldn't help but sneered. How could the prefect's uncle compare with Mr. Ji
As soon as the laugh came out, he saw Ji Yuan turned to look at him with an indifferent expression. He was so scared that his face turned pale and he dared not have any unnecessary reaction.
The madam's eyes lit up and her heart trembled slightly. My goodness, he doesn't even take the prefect seriously. Could he be more outrageous than she imagined
"Uh hehehe... How about this, you two go on the big show boat to rest and have some tea first?"
The madam smiled and kept thinking about this method in her mind. This guest must stay.
"All right."
Ji Yuan smiled for the first time in this brothel and walked towards the back of the building first. A faint evil aura floated from the back of the brothel, and to Ji Yuan's sense of smell, there was no smell of powder to cover it up.
Just as Wang Li was about to catch up, he found himself being grabbed by the madam, who leaned close to his ear and whispered something.
"Mr. Wang, Mr. Wang, I promise not to tell anyone about the background of that gentleman. Please give me a definite answer. If his background is big enough, Miss Hongxiu will..."
Wang Li's eyes lit up. He looked at Ji Yuan who was almost ten steps ahead and leaned close to the madam's ear.
"If I were to tell you about his background, it would scare you to death. Not to mention the prefect's brother-in-law, even the prefect himself is not as good as him! As for him... I can't say anything..."
“Ohhh… I understand…!”
The madam swallowed and nodded, looking surprised and understanding. She realized that the identity of this great gentleman was not simple. She turned around and found that the man had gone far away, so she quickly turned her hips to chase Ji Yuan.
Next to Ji Yuan, Zhang Rui took a step closer cautiously and asked in a low voice.
"Mr. Ji, shall I help you drive that vixen out?"
Ji Yuan shook his head.
"Your level of skills is not good enough. That fox demon is not simple. It is not just a fox that knows how to deceive people. It may be a fox demon that has transformed. It may even be much more powerful than that! There are still too many people here..."