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Chapter 147 Dancing Girl (4000 words long chapter)
(Some readers said yesterday that it was unfair to keep Lu Ping hanging like this without taking him on as a disciple, so I rewrote the previous chapter overnight. Readers who subscribed before 1 a.m. can reread it.)
And so, another three or five days passed.

Lu Xiuyuan, however, remained immersed in the joy of his child having found a master to teach him.

Just like a parent who has learned that their child has been admitted to Tsinghua University, this man boasts to everyone he meets about how successful Lu Ping will be in the future. As a result, the other three bodyguards have been avoiding him as much as possible these past few days. After all, no one can stand being talked about four times a day, for at least two hours each time.

Zhou You, as the master, was not bothered much. His activities were simple: he taught swordsmanship once a day and supervised the practice of the Jing Shen Food Song.

Lu Ping is a smart and obedient boy, and most importantly, he is very persevering. Although his progress in cultivation is not exactly rapid, it is still quite effective.

As for the 'big trouble' he had anticipated... it never appeared, and those persistent pursuers also vanished without a trace.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

just
When has this script ever gone smoothly?
Zhou You shook his head, just about to pat his behind and check on Lu Ping's cultivation progress, when a commotion arose in front of him.

He was just about to ask what had happened when Lu Xiuyuan came running over excitedly first.

"Master, we're almost at Mang Village. We only need to rest for a day and replenish our food and water before heading straight to Ci'en Temple to complete this escort mission!"

Zhou You looked up upon hearing this.

Ahead of the procession, in the distance, a peaceful mountain village came into view.
-
Lu Xiuyuan needed to arrange food and lodging, and Lu Ping and the other镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) needed to arrange the goods, so Zhou You had some free time after entering the village.

However, he wasn't the kind of person who would deliberately look for trouble. Since the other party was kind enough not to make him work, he was happy to relax and just wandered around the village.

At first glance, this mountain village seems like a very ordinary one.

The village is picturesque, with people living off the land, possessing all the characteristics of an ancient rural village. Looking around the entire village, you'll see very few people dressed well. Patched-up clothes are a rarity; being poorly clothed is the norm.

But after wandering around for a while, he suddenly noticed something unusual.

First, it's unclear what the villagers are busy with. Most of the villagers aren't in the fields; instead, they're carrying things around, moving all sorts of earth, stones, and timber into the village.

Secondly, the people here do not have the usual sorrowful faces of farmers in other villages; instead, many of them wear a mysterious and mischievous smile.

The problem is that this smile is only for men.

Among the working group, the few women looked as if they had encountered some bad luck, their faces full of dissatisfaction, and they would even spit out a curse under their breath when passing by the men.

What are you doing?
After looking around, Zhou You realized that these people weren't targeting him or his group, which made him even more confused.

But soon, Lu Xiuyuan, who had arranged his food and lodging, answered his questions.

"Master, you're talking about them, oh dear, this matter is actually very simple."

Lu Xiuyuan pulled Zhou You along, looked around first, and seeing that Lu Ping wasn't there, he lowered his head and said with the same mysterious smile as the other men.

"I only just found out about this myself—we've really hit the jackpot this time. A theatrical troupe is passing through this village and they're setting up a stage tonight."

Zhou You was completely baffled.

"What does setting up a stage have to do with your lewd laughter?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiuyuan coughed a few times as if he had choked, before awkwardly replying.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem, Daoist Master, you are unaware of this. The troupe performing today, well, let's just say, is probably..."

Lu Xiuyuan spent a while organizing his words before speaking.

"...There's a little bit of meat in it."

Zhou You was stunned for a few seconds, and then immediately understood what it meant.

These traveling opera troupes often doubled as brothels, including not only actors but also prostitutes. Many of the women would go on stage to dance or sing a few lines, and then go straight to a brothel with men after the performance.

A few copper coins for a single visit makes it one of the cheapest brothels.

However, this is just hearsay; it's the first time I've ever seen such a tour, so I'm quite curious.

However, seeing his expression, Lu Xiuyuan seemed to have misunderstood something, revealing a knowing smile that all men would understand, and then gently patted Zhou You's shoulder.

"It seems you're interested, Daoist Master. Don't worry, considering you taught Lu Ping, you can choose whoever you fancy tonight, and I'll cover all the expenses."

Without giving him a chance to explain, Lu Xiuyuan shoved a money pouch into his hand, then walked away with his hands behind his back as if nothing had happened.

After a long while, Zhou You finally realized what was happening, but he shook his head with a wry smile.

"Well, I'm just killing time anyway, so I might as well go and take a look. It'll be good to broaden my horizons."
-
Night fell quickly.

In an open space in the village, the stage had been set up. The stage was made entirely of rammed earth, without even being compacted. A bunch of rags were torn from somewhere and sewn together to serve as a curtain.

Even in such a simple setting, almost all the men in the village, including the people from the escort agency, were present, and even many people from outside the village came to see the event—among the excited crowd, Zhou You even spotted a bald man!
The world is going to the dogs; even monks have fallen to this level.
After marveling at the professionalism of the local monks, Zhou You looked back at the stage.

Although the show hasn't started yet, the surroundings are already brightly lit—it's unclear how much influence the troupe and the village chief have had, but the lighting is provided by torches soaked in grease—you know, in a mountain village like this, such high-grade fuel is practically synonymous with grain.

The surrounding whispers grew louder and louder as everyone speculated about the origins of this troupe, wondering how they could afford such a large production, and they were increasingly looking forward to the upcoming performances and their own wallets.

About 15 minutes later, just as everyone was getting impatient, a gong suddenly sounded on the stage.

Although Zhou You had never experienced it before, he understood to some extent that this meant the play had begun.

Everyone from the escort agency looked forward—except for Lu Ping, who had been sent back to the inn ahead of time—and filled with anticipation, Lu Xiuyuan even disregarded his usual courtesy and poked Zhou You with his finger.

"Master, just you wait and see. Based on my years of experience traveling all over the country, the quality this time will definitely not be bad, and it may even reach the level of a large-scale production!"

Zhou You remained noncommittal.

Lu, the镖头 (bodyguard/escort), had been holding back for too long, to the point of delusion. If he were truly one of those big troupes, he could make a fortune performing in the prefectural capital; why would he bother coming to this countryside to do this flesh trade?
However, while everyone was talking...

—The curtain has been drawn back.

The first person to emerge was a woman.

But as the performers finally appeared, the commotion from the audience subsided slightly.

Immediately afterwards, boos erupted.

—The reason is simple.

The woman's face was covered by a light veil, making it impossible to see her true appearance. Although her figure looked good, she was also covered up very tightly, so it was impossible to see what was underneath.

Rather than being a performer, she was more like a young, unmarried woman about to be married—or even more so than a young, unmarried woman, who was covered up more thoroughly.

This greatly disappointed the men in the audience who had come with high hopes to watch the 'pornographic show'.

But the woman paid no attention to the boos. She turned her beautiful eyes around, then raised her hand and began to dance lightly.

As the pearl tassels twirled and her robes billowed in the wind, though her face remained obscured, her dance unfolded like a beautiful painting before one's eyes, instantly drawing the viewer in.

The audience fell silent instantly.

Zhou You suddenly frowned. —Isn't this level a bit too high?
Could it be that Lu Xiuyuan was right, and which bigwig from the prefecture had some madness and came to this poor countryside to perform a ritual of physical almsgiving?

However, just as Zhou You was pondering, the woman on the stage suddenly unbuttoned her coat.

As her clothes slipped down, her fair and jade-like arms were revealed to everyone.

The men in the audience all paused for a moment, then...

Cheers erupted from all sides.

Whistles, cheers, and even joking noises instantly filled the night. Those with a little more money in their wallets started throwing coins onto the stage, while constantly urging the women to take off another piece of clothing.

But no matter what the audience said, the woman's dance remained unchanged. She moved with steady steps and, to the accompaniment of the music, lightly raised her hand.

In the blink of an eye, the lining also slipped to the ground.

So, I'm watching a striptease in ancient times?
Zhou You also became slightly interested. He raised the corners of his mouth and looked over with the others.

But after taking off those two pieces of clothing, the woman stopped and began to dance more intensely to the music.

No one in the audience complained.

This is because as her body turned, a glimpse of her plump, white skin would always be visible. Although one could not see the whole picture at once, the glimpse alone was enough to arouse one's appetite.

"Gudu."

This is the saliva that a man in front of us swallowed.

Zhou You watched with amusement. After all, he had been exposed to countless modern adult films. Although the woman's dance was incredibly alluring, this little bit of stimulation was not enough to make him lose his composure.

however.

Just now.

A voice suddenly sounded beside him.

"Master, that girl dances so beautifully."

"."

"."

Zhou You's smile froze on his face.

...In this village, there is only one person who can call him master, and it's obvious who the speaker is.

He felt like the poor guy who went out excitedly for a massage, only to be caught by a younger person, and he felt an embarrassment deep in his bones.

Although Zhou You felt he had a clear conscience, he still couldn't shake off the feeling of shame.

However, that person showed no consideration for his feelings and continued speaking.

"Master, that girl is so slow. She's been dancing for ages and only just taken off a few pieces of clothing. If you're too embarrassed to say anything, could I go and urge her on your behalf?"

Zhou You took a deep breath and decided to exercise the rights that only elders have.

That is tyranny and autocracy.

He raised his hand and slapped the kid on the back of the head, then said in feigned anger.

"What the hell are you doing here? Didn't your uncle tell you to go back to the inn and stay there? Why did you run out on your own?"

The young man—that is, Lupin—covered the back of his head, feeling deeply wronged.

"My uncle told me to stay at the inn, but he didn't tell me how long I would stay. I saw him and a few other uncles coming out suspiciously, like they were doing something wrong and keeping it from me, so I wanted to come out and see what was going on and whether I had done anything wrong."

Zhou You was speechless for a moment, but he quickly found other reasons.

"Why are you, a little kid, getting involved in adults' activities? Go, go, go back to your room and stay there quietly."

Unexpectedly, Lupin countered again.

"I'm already thirteen this year, quite old already. In some families, I'd probably be married by now! And you don't need to hide it from me, masters. It's not like men and women are anything shameful. Years ago, my companions and I stole countless erotic novels and illustrations from the teacher."

—How come I never knew before? This child is so stubborn.

—And this is ancient times, right? How come this kid seems more precocious than modern kids?!

Zhou You pressed his temples hard, just about to call his parents to deal with the kid—but suddenly, he slowly raised his head.

On the stage, the dancer had already stripped off most of her clothes, her lotus-root-like arms, fair and delicate legs, and smooth, jade-like back were all exposed to the air.

Although the key parts haven't faded yet, these alone are enough to make a man's liver fire flare up.

The sound of swallowing was no longer just heard from one or two people, but from many others. However, for some reason, none of these rough men made a move, and even the teasing sounds had disappeared. Everyone was simply looking at the stage, their expressions focused and oblivious to everything else.

Zhou You suddenly frowned.

Although he doesn't sense any evil energy right now, something is clearly wrong.

Very wrong.

How could a mere dancer possibly bewitch so many people?

Zhou You took the Broken Blade out of the ring and suddenly patted Lu Xiuyuan in front of him.

At first there was no reaction, but Zhou You gradually increased the force, and the other person finally came back to their senses from the dance.

"Oh, it's the Taoist priest. What's wrong?"

Zhou You ignored his lustful and foolish behavior and whispered something in his ear.

"Something's not right. You should take the escort agency and Lu Ping back first."

"Erupin? Wasn't he at the inn? How did he end up here?"

"Don't worry about that for now. Take them back first. If anything unexpected happens, just run. You should be safe once you get to Ci'en Temple."

After giving his instructions, Zhou You grasped Duan Xie and looked up again.

At this moment, the woman's dance had reached its final stage, and her every move was becoming increasingly frenzied. Under the drooling gazes of everyone, she finally pulled up her undergarment and then gently tugged it.

But what lay below was not the crimson color that everyone had imagined.

There wasn't a single piece of skin or flesh between the woman's chest and abdomen.

Only the pale white ribs were visible to everyone.

(End of this chapter)