Chapter 447 - 70: Gold Foil, Jiu Ying, Sisters
「Several years later.」
On the border of the Jin Country, in the market city of the Spirit Moon Sect.
A young man walked down the street, carrying two boxes containing a Six-Color Birthday Gift.
The Spirit Moon Sect was only a second-rate sect in the Jin Country, with just two Life Soul Cultivators within its ranks. However, it was renowned throughout the East Cyan Domain for its expertise in crafting Space Artifacts like the "Stone Meditation Hut."
The market city was a sprawling expanse of buildings, drawing in large numbers of nearby Loose Cultivators and members of aristocratic families. The total number of Cultivators exceeded ten thousand.
The young man was an Outer Disciple of the Spirit Moon Sect named Wen Ruyu. He was licentious by nature, fond of frequenting brothels to "explore the profound truths of life."
Six months ago, he had met a beautiful Female Cultivator in Spring Rain Alley. Enamored with her mature figure, he’d spent a fortune in Spirit Stones, staying with her for over ten days straight until his storage pouch was empty. Only then did he depart, full of reluctance.
From then on, whenever he had Spirit Stones, he would come to Spring Rain Alley to spend them.
He came and went so often there was hardly a day of peace. He and the woman, Jin Yue’Er, grew as close as burning coals, constantly talking of marriage.
Half a month ago, he left to carry out a sect mission and only returned yesterday. Today happened to be the sixtieth birthday of Jin Yue’Er’s "mother," Madam Zheng San, so he eagerly bought a birthday gift and headed for Spring Rain Alley with great enthusiasm.
For women of the demimonde, the word "mother" did not refer to one’s birth mother, but to the madam of the house.
Female Cultivators like Jin Yue’Er were all orphans, taken in at a young age and taught a Qi Refining Technique and Dual Cultivation Secret Skills so they could earn Spirit Stones upon reaching adulthood.
This Madam Zheng San had three such "daughters" under her, but Jin Yue’Er was the only one who was truly exceptional.
Ordinarily, Wen Ruyu relied on his status as an Outer Disciple of the Spirit Moon Sect to receive a warm and fawning welcome.
Upon arriving at Spring Rain Alley and entering the main gate, Wen Ruyu saw seven people in the courtyard. They were dressed in magnificent Magical Robes but appeared to be family servants. They were sitting on stone benches, chatting idly. When they saw Wen Ruyu enter, they all arrogantly ignored him.
Wen Ruyu’s brow furrowed. These people all possessed Middle and Late Stage Sensing cultivation. A single glance told him they were Cultivators trained by a major family.
His gaze shifted to Jin Yue’Er’s room. When he heard the sound of laughter from within, a flicker of displeasure sparked in his heart.
Just then, Zheng San emerged from a southern room and said with a smile, "Young Master Wen, you’ve returned! Please, come have a seat in the east courtyard’s pavilion."
Wen Ruyu asked, "Who are these people?"
Zheng San replied, "Let’s go to the pavilion, and I’ll explain everything in detail, Young Master."
Wen Ruyu handed over the birthday gift and said, "This is a gift for your wife. Please accept it."
Zheng San accepted the gift with a smile, placed it in his storage pouch, and said respectfully, "You are too kind, Young Master. This humble one will arrange things properly."
The two went to the east courtyard’s pavilion and sat down. Only then did Zheng San form a hand seal for a Spell, setting up a ward around the pavilion. He began to speak slowly, "Young Master, you asked about the origin of those people... It’s a rather helpless situation, I’m afraid."
"Three days ago, a core Disciple from the He Family of Mu Tianyuan, named Shi He, came to the Spirit Moon Sect’s market city on business with his family’s Cultivators. Somehow, he heard that Jin Yue’Er was a famous courtesan, so he sought out my humble home. He demanded to see Yue’Er by name. We are but a humble house of entertainers; how could we dare to refuse? We had no choice but to invite him into the main hall to meet her."
"Who would have thought he’d be taken with Yue’Er the moment he saw her and refuse to leave? Yue’Er was originally unwilling to receive him, but my wife and I saw that we couldn’t afford to lose face given the situation. It took a great deal of persuasion before we could convince Yue’Er to reluctantly agree."
Anger burned in Wen Ruyu’s heart as he listened. He had intended to save up enough Spirit Stones to buy Jin Yue’Er’s freedom, but his extravagance over the past six months had left him with no savings. ’To think something like this would happen now...’
Outwardly, however, he maintained a nonchalant expression and said casually, "What’s the big deal? A horse in a public stable is for anyone to ride. Since she’s open for business, she has to entertain clients. I’m just curious—how old is this man surnamed He? What’s his cultivation? Has he condensed a Life Talisman yet?"
Zheng San replied, "He’s around thirty, with what should be an Eighth-Layer Sensing Cultivation."
The He Family of Mu Tianyuan was one of the eight great millennium-old aristocratic families. Their power was profound, not necessarily any weaker than the Spirit Moon Sect’s.
Moreover, this He Shihe was a core Disciple of his family, so his status was naturally far superior to that of Wen Ruyu, a mere Outer Disciple of the Spirit Moon Sect.
Wen Ruyu wanted to leave right then and there, but when he thought of the warm and enchanting moments he had spent with Jin Yue’Er, he felt a pang of unwillingness and couldn’t bring himself to go.
Zheng San, reading his expression, said, "Young Master, that Young Master He is returning to Mu Tianyuan tomorrow. Yue’Er is with him right now, but I’ll have her come find you later."
Wen Ruyu nodded without saying anything more.
Zheng San bowed, then turned and left.
「A short while later.」
Zheng San’s other "daughter," Yu Qing’Er, arrived with a graceful sway, a wide smile on her face. She sat with Wen Ruyu, and they drank a few cups of Spirit Tea while making small talk.
Wen Ruyu couldn’t help but ask Yu Qing’Er about Jin Yue’Er. He knew that nothing Zheng San said could be trusted.
It turned out that when He Shihe and Jin Yue’Er had met that day, the attraction had been mutual.
Furthermore, the Young Master of the He Family was handsome and approachable, well-versed in the ways of the world, and incredibly generous. In just two or three days, he had Jin Yue’Er wrapped around his finger, her affections completely shifting from Wen Ruyu to him.
After a long while, a beautiful and radiant young woman was seen parting the flowers and willow branches as she approached. Arriving at the pavilion, she smiled and asked Wen Ruyu, "Did your sect mission go smoothly this time?"
"Thanks to you, there were some scares, but no real danger."
Wen Ruyu gave a faint, mocking smile. "You’ve found your ideal man recently. I haven’t had the chance to congratulate you yet."
He paused for a moment before asking, "So what kind of person is this He?"
Jin Yue’Er replied, "He’s alright."
The two exchanged a few desultory words. Just then, Zheng San walked over again and said, "That Young Master He heard that Young Master Wen has arrived and insists on meeting you."