Chapter 17: Lan Yixuan, You're More Terrifying Than I Imagined.
The hall was filled with opulence and luxury, with men and women mingling, laughter echoing, and the air thick with fragrance.
On the elevated stage of the second floor, a woman in red was dancing gracefully, her light veil draping over her body, and the crimson silk bodice hugging her proud curves. Her fragrant shoulders were exposed, and due to her vigorous movements, a thin layer of sweat glistened on her skin, catching the light and enticing the men below.
The woman on stage slowly slid her hand towards the strap on her shoulder, giving it a gentle tug. The vivid red veil fell effortlessly into her hand, which she brought to her nose, her eyes sparkling. She smiled slightly at the men below, who were already wide-eyed with desire. Her flirtatious demeanor, with her flowing red attire and fair skin, captivated everyone's attention.
With a slender waist and a serpentine grace, her body appeared delicate and fragile. As she waved the red veil, the men below stretched their necks, their eyes fixed on her, throats bobbing in an unconscious motion. Some were drooling, oblivious to it, their blood rushing, eyes gleaming red, resembling lustful wolves, eager to pounce on the red-clad dancer.
In the midst of the lively hubbub of the hall, no one noticed the two people on the roof.
"Mr. Lan, don't you know that doing this will ruin me?"
Despite saying this, Xuan Yue's eyes were firmly fixed on the red-dressed dancer on stage. Her fists were clenched as she muttered, "Take it off, keep taking it off."
Her eyes sparkled; indeed, stripping dances made one's blood boil.
"Look at her eyes," Lan Yixuan pointed to the dancer.
The woman casually glanced at the crowd below, her lips curling into a faint smile, ambiguous and mocking. She let the men gaze at her body without a hint of embarrassment. Her water-like eyes were full of charm but also seemed cold, like frozen water, devoid of warmth.
Xuan Yue's gaze swept over the other courtesans in the hall. They were beautiful in their own right, but compared to the dancer on stage, they paled in comparison. Yet when those women's gazes fell on the red-clad dancer, it was tinged with a hint of disdain and even a touch of schadenfreude.
"She was originally the courtesan of the Li Yan Pavilion, performing arts without selling her body. A few days ago, she was violated by a flower thief and hung naked at the city gate."
Xuan Yue understood; no wonder the other women looked at her with such expressions. In brothels, women who performed arts without selling their bodies often held themselves high above others, making them targets of jealousy. Now that such a thing had happened to her, in such a place where human feelings were cold, it was unlikely that anyone would sympathize; they might even think she deserved it and secretly feel pleased.
A fragile woman, after suffering such humiliation, could still stand there. For that courage alone, she deserved the title of courtesan.
"The three courtesans of the Xiaoyan Pavilion, Ruixiang Pavilion, and Lianyue Pavilion perished after being violated by that flower thief, their beauty tragically cut short."
Lan Yixuan shook his head, appearing to lament for the three beauties, yet his gaze remained fixed on Xuan Yue, lacking any trace of pity.
"Hypocritical."
Xuan Yue huffed, "You didn't bring me here just to talk about this, did you?"
"I'm doing this out of kindness."
As he spoke, Lan Yixuan leaped down from the beam, clapping his hands. "That flower thief seems more fond of courtesans."
Xuan Yue nodded, "Everyone has a love for beauty."
She smiled and leaned closer to Lan Yixuan, noticing his calm demeanor. She was surprised, "Mr. Lan, how can you have no reaction to such a beautiful courtesan?"
Lan Yixuan took a step back, slightly uneasy. After a while, he turned to look at Xuan Yue, a smile curling on his lips.
Seeing his smile, Xuan Yue suddenly had a bad premonition.
"I've already spoken with the old madam here."
"Sir, you've come."
At that moment, a chilling voice came from behind Xuan Yue.
She turned around to see a woman, slightly past her prime but still possessing a certain charm, with a shrewd look. Xuan Yue guessed she must be the old madam Lan Yixuan mentioned.
She first glanced at Lan Yixuan with a smile, then walked directly to Xuan Yue. Her keen, experienced eyes scanned Xuan Yue from top to bottom, occasionally exclaiming in astonishment, "A rare beauty, truly a rare beauty."
By the end of her inspection, her eyes narrowed into a line.
Xuan Yue felt a sense of dread. Avoiding the madam's gaze, she grabbed Lan Yixuan's hand and hurriedly left, finding a corner to hide. "Lan Yixuan, what do you want?"
She felt like she was being sold—indeed, it was that feeling.
"To be the courtesan of the Li Yan Pavilion."
Lan Yixuan said it nonchalantly.
"I don't know how to do anything."
Xuan Yue stared at Lan Yixuan in disbelief. A courtesan? While she was already accustomed to being admired, she certainly did not want to be dressed so scantily and surrounded by a group of lecherous men. She felt unhappy, but still had to keep a smile on her face.
Lan Yixuan's gaze fell to her waist. "Don't you want to catch that flower thief? He's in the dark while we're in the light. If we don't do this, we'll never catch him, and more innocent women will be harmed. I've already arranged everything; it doesn't matter if you can't do anything."
Xuan Yue glared fiercely at Lan Yixuan, her eyes seeming to spit fire. After a moment, she sighed, "I can do this, but you must promise me one thing."
Xuan Yue held up a finger, bargaining. Having suffered such a significant loss, she naturally wanted to gain something in return.
"At the Pando Conference, you can't compete with me."
Lan Yixuan grasped her finger, nodding with a smile, "Alright."
Xuan Yue huffed and disdainfully shook off Lan Yixuan's hand. Halfway through her retreat, she suddenly heard someone behind her say, "That flower thief likes clean, beautiful women. Those he violated were all after bathing."
Xuan Yue clenched her fists tightly, turning around angrily, "Hypocrite."
The dance on stage had already ceased, yet the men surrounding the stage regained their senses, licking their lips in lingering desire.
"Gentlemen, this is our newly arrived courtesan of the Li Yan Pavilion, Zhi Lan."
The old madam pointed at Xuan Yue, beaming with delight.
"From now on, gentlemen, please frequent the Li Yan Pavilion to support Zhi Lan."
The crowd was still in a daze, unable to pull themselves from the intoxicating dance, when suddenly, a silver-bell-like laughter resonated in the air. The sound was neither soft nor delicate, neither charming nor sweet; the audience had no idea how to describe it, only feeling as if a cool breeze had swept past, washing away the heat and agitation from their bodies, leaving them immensely comfortable, yearning to glimpse the beauty.
Dressed in purple, her figure was graceful, skin as fair as snow, delicate as jade, a light veil covering her face, leaving only her clear eyes visible. Her eyes shimmered, pure and clear, like a cool spring, refreshing and invigorating, intoxicating everyone in an instant.
The old madam watched the audience's reaction, her mouth curling into an uncontrollable grin: "Miss Zhi Lan is still a pure maiden."
The men below gazed at her with rapt attention, completely forgetting the previous dancer, their hearts and eyes solely on Zhi Lan. Their eyes were fixated on her snowy, delicate feet. Suddenly feeling a chill at the back of their heads, they glanced back, only to find everyone was in a trance, showing no signs of anything unusual.
"Zhi Lan is feeling unwell today and cannot perform for the gentlemen. Please come back in three days to the Li Yan Pavilion."
After Xuan Yue spoke, she turned to leave. The men below nodded in agreement, waving their silver bills at the old madam.
"I almost didn't recognize you just now."
After returning to her room, Xuan Yue had just poured herself a cup of tea when Lan Yixuan appeared behind her.
"It's better if you don't recognize me."
Xuan Yue turned around and threw the teacup at him without hesitation. Lan Yixuan smiled slightly, stepping back a couple of paces to catch the teacup deftly in his hands.
"Lan Yixuan, you're more terrifying than I imagined."
Hearing this, Lan Yixuan gently shook the cup in his hand, letting the tea droplets fall into his palm.
Placing the cup on the table, he glanced at Xuan Yue. She looked up at him, feeling that his usually cheerful face seemed a bit profound.
"Be careful tonight."
"After saying that, he turned and left."
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