Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 527 Encountering an Old Friend in Jiangnan

The rain at the end of spring was drizzling.

Lu Xingzhou, holding an oil-paper umbrella, walked with Dugu Qingli on the main street of Chunshan County in Jiangnan.

The umbrella wasn't big, so Lu Xingzhou shifted most of it towards Dugu Qingli, letting the rain soak half of his body.

For him, who cultivated water-based techniques, getting rained on was no different from practicing. Similarly, Dugu Qingli didn't need this kind of protection, and would occasionally turn to look at Lu Xingzhou, her blue eyes flashing with an incomprehensible light.

It's hard to figure out why Lu Xingzhou did this. I'm not afraid of the rain, so why did you specifically shield me from it? If it's just for your own practice, then why hold an umbrella for me?

But deep down, I felt inexplicably sweet.

It turns out that humans can be very happy doing things that are completely useless, like giving away the genitals of a flower.

Little White Hair felt that he had learned more about humanity in the short time he had spent with him than he had in the previous twenty years.

In addition... Jiangnan is indeed very different from the North.

In the misty rain, distant mountains appear like dark eyebrows, streams meander through the city, and stone bridges are scattered everywhere. The setting sun casts its rays, and the misty rain creates a picturesque scene.

This kind of scenery is hard to see in the north, and the people are also handsome and beautiful. It feels like the whole world has become gentler, and I don't know if it has anything to do with my mood.

The only thing that made me uncomfortable was that there were more brothels now, and they were very direct about it. When the girls saw Lu Xingzhou, they would wave their handkerchiefs and try to attract customers. I couldn't tell if they had seen a fat sheep or a treasure in their eyes.

He's so handsome, of course he's a treasure.

So Dugu Qingli tightened her grip on his arm, indicating that he was taken.

However, the girls looked at him with hostility and an undisguised "This monster doesn't deserve it?"

You could even hear girls whispering to each other: "That young master is so handsome, it's a pity he brought a monster with him."

"If I could spend a night with that young master, I wouldn't ask for money."

"I'll pay out of my own pocket!"

"Hehe~ you little slut."

The girls upstairs burst into laughter, while the white-haired man downstairs pursed his lips and tightened his grip on his arm.

Lu Xingzhou reached out with his other hand and brushed away a stray hair from her temple: "Even if they were all tied together, they wouldn't be as good as a single hair of yours."

Dugu Qingli smiled.

He then asked in a low voice, "What should we do now? We can't see anything on the street. Should we go directly to the prefect?"

"No need, we're traveling incognito," Lu Xingzhou said with a smile. "You can actually see a lot of things on the street."

"for example?"

"There were quite a few girls practicing cultivation in the brothel just now, and I even sensed that some of them were at the seventh rank. A seventh-rank cultivator is already considered strong, and for them to be willing to do this, the force training them behind the scenes must be quite something."

"……so what?"

"I want to find a larger brothel to go inside and take a look."

"You just want to go to a brothel!" the girl raised her voice.

Passersby glanced at him, their faces showing suppressed laughter, before quickly turning their heads away.

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "As a disciple of Tianyao Sect, shouldn't your first reaction be that it's related to the pleasure of the beautiful maiden and needs to be investigated? Yuan Muyu said that Xuan Nu isn't completely dead yet, and Chu Yun has taken over the main camp. Who knows how many burrows the cunning rabbit still has?"

Dugu Qingli was stunned for a moment, then fell silent.

Under Ye Tinglan's leadership, survival for the demonic path in the North is quite difficult. The traditional brothel business model of the Cha Nu He Huan Sect is under close surveillance, with almost every brothel being rigorously guarded to verify whether it is affiliated with the Cha Nu He Huan Sect. The decline of the Cha Nu He Huan Sect over the past few decades is also related to the severe crackdown on its basic industries, leaving it with little money.

As the Holy Maiden of Tianyao, Dugu Qingli's first reaction should indeed be this... but her reaction was jealousy, without even thinking about the important matter.

Little White Hair scratched his white fur, feeling that he was now even less valuable than his dear Tinglan.

If you looked in the mirror, even a dog would probably find it repulsive.

But was he really not just making excuses...?

After turning two streets, I saw another lake in the distance, with painted boats floating on it, temporarily moored to the shore. The boats were decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and many guests were already boarding, their laughter and chatter filling the air.

It's obviously a pleasure boat.

A madam was waiting by the lake. When she saw Lu Xingzhou, her eyes lit up and she immediately approached him.

The neckline was plunging low, revealing most of her bodice, and her enormous breasts bounced around: "Sir, tonight our pleasure boat has a courtesan making her debut..."

Dugu Qingli stared at the hopping rabbit for a while, then looked down at her own and lowered her head.

Lost.

He still felt a sense of accomplishment in front of his martial uncle; outside, he would be easily outmatched by any madam.

Lu Xingzhou was saying, "Is it appropriate for me to bring my companions?"

The madam's eyes darted around: "Then isn't it about the customer's own skills?"

Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "Then let's go take a look? Even if it's just like having a meal and watching a play, it'll be fine."

He then slipped a silver note into the brothel madam's ditch: "Give me a top-class private room."

The madam was overjoyed: "Sir, please follow me."

Dugu Qingli obediently followed behind and boarded the ship.

Madam: "..."

"Impressive, that's quite a setup." She deliberately asked, "The evening program hasn't started yet, would you like to order a few companions first?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "Let's start with one."

Dugu Qingli remained silent.

The madam took a deep breath and looked at Lu Xingzhou as if he were a god.

This white-haired girl's demeanor is clearly not that of a maid or guard. The faint, chilling sword intent emanating from her body sends shivers down one's spine. How did you manage to become like this?
Outside the painted boat, Jiang Yuan was dumbfounded.

You're all enjoying the pleasure boats, but what about me? How am I supposed to get there?
Lu Xingzhou followed the madam to the private room, which was on the second floor of the pleasure boat. From inside, a large stage could be clearly seen below, presumably for the courtesan's performance, which had not yet begun. Only the sounds of string and wind instruments echoed tirelessly all around, the music soft and the atmosphere decadent.

Lu Xingzhou casually ordered some drinks and snacks, and the madam smiled and said, "Please sit down, sir. The drinks, dishes, and girls will be here shortly."

Watching the madam leave, Dugu Qingli pouted: "I sensed everything along the way, but I didn't detect any aura from the Joyful Union Sect. Were they well hidden?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "Now it seems that it is probably not the Joyful Union Sect of the Maidens..."

"why?"

"Because the Joyful Union Sect of the Maidens is certainly aware of your distinctive appearance, while other forces may not, since you rarely appear in public. Judging from the madam's attitude, she clearly doesn't know."

Dugu Qingli said, "You already guessed it wasn't true, so why did you come?"

"It's all here..."

Dugu Qingli: "?"

Lu Xingzhou hurriedly said, "It's not about the 'Charming Maidens' union,' but there might be something else. Let's try to get some information out of them first."

Dugu Qingli said, "So you chose this girl to try and get information out of her?"

"of course."

"Then you're not allowed to touch her."

Lu Xingzhou chuckled: "How come you seem to know quite a bit about what it's like to visit a brothel?"

Dugu Qingli said expressionlessly, "I don't understand. I only know that you touch me inappropriately. Aren't other girls also used for touching inappropriately? So just ask me questions, don't touch me."

Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I won't move."

Dugu Qingli lowered her head: "If you really want to do something, you can do it to me."

Lu Xingzhou almost burst out laughing.

Not long after, the door opened again, and the waiter brought out wine and dishes. A line of girls filed in, and the madam said with a smile, "Our girls are all of the highest quality. They are proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. They can even chat about cultivation. Is there any that you fancy, sir?"

Dugu Qingli's small hands clenched so tightly they cracked, she just wanted to throw all these women away.

Lu Xingzhou glanced around and found them all quite nice... then suddenly his eyes widened.

I saw someone I knew.

Liu Yan'er stood at the very edge, staring at him in astonishment.

Lu Xingzhou felt that fate was truly wonderful, and pointed at Liu Yan'er: "Let's go with her."

The madam smiled and said, "Yan'er is lucky. Take good care of her."

After saying that, he left with the other girls and closed the door again.

Liu Yan'er stood there, looking at Lu Xingzhou and then at Dugu Qingli, the atmosphere incredibly awkward.

Dugu Qingli recognized her as well, and was quite surprised: "You're not dead?"

Liu Yan'er: "..."

How can you talk like that?

Lu Xingzhou said, "Sit down, uh, no need to come closer, just sit across from me and chat."

Dugu Qingli smiled again.

Little did she know that even if Liu Yan'er wanted to get close, Lu Xingzhou was still afraid of getting dirty. She had syphilis... Although it seemed to be cured now, it was still disgusting, wasn't it?

Liu Yan'er finally processed the situation of seeing Lu Xingzhou here, and silently sat down opposite him, laughing self-deprecatingly: "You think I'm dirty."

Lu Xingzhou said, "Not at all, not at all. I brought my lover with me, so it wouldn't be right to be so abrupt. Miss Liu, how did you end up... here?"

Liu Yan'er said calmly, "You killed my father, robbed the Danxia Gang, and you still ask me this? Is it meaningful?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "Don't talk nonsense. Your father died because of Huo Yu's shadow guards' betrayal. That's a settled case. The Danxia Gang was also bought by Tangtang with real money."

"I thought so at the time... but after learning about the story of Lord Lu and the Huo family, I realized that the people around Huo Yu could only have been killed by you, and the blame was just placed on a shadow."

"It seems you've finally become wiser after all this trouble..." Lu Xingzhou simply admitted, "Yes, so you want to take revenge on me?"

Liu Yan'er shook her head: "How could I be qualified to seek revenge against the all-powerful Marquis Lu... Marquis Lu must have come here on important business. It's already good enough that he didn't kill me to silence me. To be honest, Marquis Lu spared my life back then and even gave me money to buy the Danxia Gang... Otherwise, even if he killed me and robbed the Danxia Gang, I would have no way to seek justice."

Although his intention at the time was to clear himself of suspicion and pin the blame on Huo Yu, making it inappropriate for him to kill Liu Yan'er separately, Liu Yan'er's words were not wrong. If he really wanted to kill her, there were a hundred ways. Given her naivety at the time, she wouldn't even know how she died. Lu Xingzhou did indeed show mercy.

"So why did Miss Liu end up like this?" Lu Xingzhou said, "Back then, Miss Liu had a large sum of money. If she hadn't followed Bai Chi and been swindled, she could have married an honest man or lived a secluded life in a beautiful place and wouldn't be in this situation."

Liu Yan'er spoke calmly, but could not hide her deep-seated hatred: "I came to Jiangnan to seek refuge with relatives, but they ate my entire family line."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)