After Ji Yuan whispered these words to Zhang Rui, he did not look back. After a while, the madam behind him hurriedly caught up with him, holding up her fan and skirt. Naturally, Wang Li followed closely behind.
"Oh, sir, you are really strong and have brisk steps. I can hardly catch up with you after just a few steps. Sir, although Miss Hongxiu is temporarily accompanying others to play the piano, I think it is almost time. I will ask for you later. You can go to the boat to have some tea first, hahaha..."
Ji Yuan looked at the old woman, smiled and nodded.
"Okay, thank you for your help."
"Hey, no need to bother, no need to bother!"
The madam put on a smiling face and fanned herself several times faster than usual, showing that she was slightly excited.
Wang Li, who was standing next to him, followed Ji Yuan silently. He then realized that the old immortal should also know what he had just whispered to the madam.
Ji Yuan certainly knew what Wang Li said. There was no need to guess. With his hearing, how could he not hear it? But this matter was also helpful, so there was no need to expose it.
This Daxiulou is indeed quite large in scale, with many courtyards and elegant pavilions inside, which can be regarded as the brothel business taken to the extreme. The madam led Ji Yuan and Wang Li all the way to the back, and on the way she diligently introduced to Ji Yuan which girls in which courtyard are good at what talents, and which ones are both talented and beautiful.
However, seeing that Ji Yuan basically did not look to the side, and even if he looked at her occasionally, it seemed casual. The madam immediately thought that this gentleman must be accustomed to beautiful women, and would not be interested in ordinary vulgar women.
After a while, they passed through the Daxiu Tower and came to the water's edge. They walked along the wooden plank road in the water on the Su River. In front of them was the Daxiu boat in the inner courtyard.
"Mr. Wang, the big show boat is ahead. The best girls in our show pavilion are all inside! Hehehe... Please follow me aboard!"
The old procuress waved a fan and covered her mouth with her hand while laughing. While leading the way, she carefully looked back at Ji Yuan. Just in time, after seeing Ji Yuan laughing, she flicked her sleeves and followed.
This flick of the sleeves actually made the madam feel as if all the dust had been swept away from her heart, and the bright moon in the sky was reflected on the water beside her.
To be honest, as a brothel owner, she has been in this business for a long time and has seen countless men. This gentleman's appearance is naturally good, and there are definitely many men who are more handsome than him, but his naturalness and indifference, as well as the subtle vicissitudes of life, are what she has never seen in her life.
In an elegant room on the boat, the madam invited Wang Li and Ji Yuan to sit down, and told others to serve tea before leaving.
"Please sit here and enjoy your tea. I will go to Miss Hongxiu's attic to take a look..."
The madam stood up and left. After walking out of the elegant room slowly, she immediately quickened her pace and hurried towards the attic where Hongxiu was.
The elegant room was quiet, and apart from the guests, even the servants were just waiting outside.
Ji Yuan picked up the teacup and smelled the tea, then drank it. Wang Li and Zhang Rui also sat on their left and right in a kneeling position. Outside a window was the calm surface of the Su Shui River.
"The smell of powder on this ship is not so pungent."
Zhang Rui spoke, picked up Wang Li's teacup and put it to her nose and sniffed. A puff of white air was sucked away. She was good at hiding, and with Mr. Ji's order, she was not afraid of the breath leaking out.
Seeing this, Wang Li looked at Ji Yuan and Ji Yuan, took a new teacup and poured himself a cup. At the same time, he looked around at the elegant room of the big show boat.
The only time he had been on the Daxiu boat was when he was invited to tell stories. After meeting Hongxiu once, he was struck by her beauty. After he finished telling the story, Hongxiu toasted him with a glass of wine and whispered to Wang Li that he could call her "Wan'er".
From then on, Wang Li became a frequent visitor to Daxiulou, and he thought about Yizhihongxiu day and night. Of course, the other girls in the brothel also had their own merits, and Wang Li liked them as well.
"Mr. Ji..."
Wang Li said weakly, not knowing where to start.
"Mr. Wang, please speak. Ji is listening."
Ji Yuan sipped the tea without looking at Wang Li. He reached into his sleeve and took out a book. Under such circumstances, Wang Li didn't realize how strange it was to have a book hidden in his sleeve.
"Mr. Ji, you, you said that Miss Hongxiu is... unclean?"
Ji Yuan flipped two pages of the book, looking for the place he saw last time, without looking at Wang Li, and said.
"Whether it is clean or not, we need to see it first."
"Mr. Ji, to be honest, I have a crush on Miss Hongxiu. I met Wan'er more than a year ago... After seeing Miss Hongxiu, I always felt that this woman should not live in a place of prostitution. If Miss Hongxiu is really coerced by a monster, you..."
"I know, I know. I won't ignore it."
Ji Yuan said this and continued to turn the pages of the book. This was a deduction he wrote himself, and sometimes he would find it magical when he read it again.
"Uh, hehe, Wang..."
"Wang, are you done yet? What do you want to say? Even if Mr. Ji is not anxious, I am already annoyed by you!"
Zhang Rui on the side retorted to Wang Li in annoyance.
Wang Li smiled awkwardly.
"Wang thinks that this is actually a good opportunity to save Miss Hongxiu. A wonderful woman like her should have been a rich lady, but she has fallen to this point..."
"Oh? Mr. Wang likes her very much?"
Ji Yuan looked at Wang Li and asked casually, and the latter nodded quickly.
"Wang has just said that he has already fallen in love with her!"
Ji Yuan smiled, reached out to pick up the teapot and refilled Wang Li's cup, and then poured another cup for Zhang Rui, but the latter only produced a small puff of white mist.
"Which girls does Mr. Wang usually go with when he comes to Daxiulou?"
"Uh... Xiaolan and Chunfang are more... Xiaoya will also be there..."
"Oh I got it… "
Ji Yuan looked at him.
"What is it about these girls that attracts you?"
Wang Li looked irritable and spoke hesitantly.
"It's just... it's just... they are all very gentle... and, they also have talents..."
"Didn't you say you were in love with Hong Xiu?"
Zhang Rui sneered at the side, and Wang Li hesitated.
"This, this is different..."
Ji Yuan sighed, shook his head and looked at Wang Li. It was also the first time that Wang Li could truly see Ji Yuan's eyes tonight.
"Mr. Wang, that's not called falling in love. It's all about food and sex. You are just lustful..."
"Tsk..."
Zhang Rui couldn't help laughing so hard that she sprayed out a breath of tea. Wang Li was stunned for a moment, feeling embarrassed and ashamed, and hurriedly drank his tea.
After waiting for more than a quarter of an hour, footsteps were heard on the gangway outside the private room. The madam opened the door, and her attentive voice came in impatiently.
"Oh, sorry to have kept you waiting. Miss Hongxiu is putting on makeup and will be here soon... uh..."
The madam walked into the room and saw three cups of tea. However, she couldn't figure out what was going on after thinking about it. She didn't ask any more questions, but took a cushion and knelt beside the tea table.
"Ms. Hongxiu is polite and will touch up her makeup before meeting a new guest. I heard that a gentleman like Mr. Wang came here because of his reputation, so I am looking forward to it. Oh, of course, we already know about Mr. Wang's talent..."
Ji Yuan did not reply. He took a teacup, turned around and put it down, and personally poured a cup of hot tea for the old woman.
This move not only did not make the madam feel that Ji Yuan had lowered her status, but instead made her feel flattered.
"Thank you very much, sir!"
Ji Yuan just nodded and continued to turn the pages of the book, but at this moment, his hands suddenly stopped.
"Um?"
"Mr. Ji, what's wrong?"
"Mr. Big, what's wrong?"
Zhang Rui and the madam asked Ji Yuan almost at the same time. The latter frowned, shook his head and looked at the madam.
"Miss Hongxiu is putting on makeup?"
"Yes, yes!"
The madam finally saw Ji Yuan's eyes clearly at this moment. When they were half-open, she saw a pair of pale eyes. However, there was no sense of turbidity at all. They were crystal clear and translucent, like an ancient well, without any ripples.
"Do you have any advice, sir?"
The madam asked subconsciously.
"fine!"
Ji Yuan smiled and turned the page to read the book again. Just now, that extremely special demonic aura was fading rapidly. Now, it had become almost imperceptible.
You have to know that Ji Yuan's hearing, smell and certain aspects of his vision are all outstanding and abnormal. He can detect human colors and smell worldly air. This is the first time he has encountered such a change in front of him at such a close distance.
Not long after, the sound of light footsteps outside was heard again, and a particularly fresh fragrance drifted into the house. A pair of soft white hands moved the door open, and paused slightly when the door was one-third open.
"My humble self is Duan Muwan. Nice to meet you two gentlemen. Mom, I'm a little late!"
The girl Hongxiu entered the room, bowed to everyone, walked slowly to the table, and looked at Ji Yuan and Wang Li with gentle eyes. Zhang Rui was next to Ji Yuan, but Hongxiu seemed unable to see her.
"Then you guys have a good chat, I'll leave first?"
The madam asked with a smile, and only walked towards the door after seeing Ji Yuan nod.
"Go slowly, mom!"
Hongxiu said something obediently to the madam, who nodded and secretly winked at her, asking her to serve carefully.
When the sliding door outside was closed again, Miss Hongxiu had already refilled the cup of tea for Ji Yuan and Wang Li.
"Gentlemen, before I came here, there were only three of us, including my mother. Why are there four cups of tea? Was it left for me?"
Hongxiu pointed at the empty seat next to Ji Yuan in confusion and asked a question in doubt.
"As expected of Miss Hongxiu, she has excellent psychological quality."
Ji Yuan said lightly, and his pale eyes met Hong Xiu's puzzled gaze. Even the surprise when he saw the color of his eyes seemed very natural.
Ji Yuan opened his eyes wide and looked at Hong Xiu calmly.
"Girl, you have a nice makeup look!"
Hongxiu touched her face in confusion.
"Sir, you are too kind... No matter how talented we are, we are still lustful..."
Ji Yuan nodded, picked up another cup and poured a cup of tea for the woman. The latter thanked him and drank from the cup with her sleeve.
"How did Young Master Xiao know you? And why did you help him to replace the original with the fake?"
Hongxiu's hand holding the cup trembled slightly. She drank the tea, put the cup down and said in surprise.
"Sir, you know Young Master Xiao. He hasn't come to see Wan'er for a long time. Although the journey to the capital is far, but..."
"Miss Hongxiu, did Ji say that this was Mr. Xiao from the capital?"
Ji Yuan sneered, causing the woman in front of him to stop talking.
"Because this is the only Mr. Xiao that Hongxiu knows, I thought you were talking about him..."
"Ha ha ha ha ha… "
Ji Yuan suddenly laughed.
"Ji once heard from a friend that there are very few people in the world who know how to paint skin. Among the ways of change, he takes one path and leads the way. His magical qualities are worth pondering. Today, I see that he is indeed outstanding."
Hongxiu tightly grasped the cup, glanced at Zhang Rui casually, and then looked at Ji Yuan with a cold expression.
"Who on earth are you?"