You Found Out

Zhao Ke had no idea what had happened at the inn, but he had heard that utterly miserable scream.

But he had already lost interest in Xiong Da. Still, when he thought about how much of a shock it would be when Xiong Da realized that the pot he had eaten was filled with bear meat, and whether it would drive him mad...

That thought actually gave Zhao Ke a small sense of anticipation.

Following the innkeeper's directions, Zhao Ke headed north along the road. After asking around a little, he saw passersby exchange knowing smiles before pointing him the way.

Following the mountain path upward, he soon caught sight of the so-called Zhuangyuan Tower.

It was completely different from what he had imagined.

From the innkeeper's description, Zhuangyuan Tower was supposed to be a place of romance and pleasure. Even if it was not draped in colorful banners and lanterns like in television dramas, there should at least have been a few girls outside greeting customers.

Yet rather than a tower, the place before him looked more like the entrance to a temple.

Could the innkeeper have tricked me?

The temple before him did not match the alluring establishment the innkeeper had described at all. Zhao Ke could not help wondering whether the innkeeper had deliberately deceived him.

He immediately felt somewhat disappointed. He had only wanted to see what an ancient brothel looked like, yet he had apparently come all this way for nothing.

"Sir, why pass by without entering? Could it be that you find our establishment too humble?"

Just as Zhao Ke was about to turn and leave, an old cultivator hurried over to greet him. The old cultivator looked to be in his fifties, with kind features and a gentle manner. He held a thick booklet in his right hand and a brush in his left.

Yet his attire was neither monkish nor Taoist, making him look rather strange and out of place.

It was obvious that he was some sort of practitioner, but what exactly he practiced was impossible to tell.

"Uh..."

Questioned by the old cultivator, Zhao Ke became embarrassed instead. He could hardly say that he had come here to... visit a prostitute.

Seemingly noticing Zhao Ke's embarrassment, the old cultivator merely smiled calmly. "You must be a scholar passing through on your way to the examinations. Since you are here, it is fate. Why not come in and rest for a while, then admire the scenery within our Zhuangyuan Tower?"

"The scenery?"

The old cultivator nodded solemnly. "The scenery!"

Zhao Ke met the old cultivator's gaze and immediately understood.

With one hand behind his back, he took out the remaining bits of silver from the Post Album. There was neither too much nor too little, roughly three taels. The innkeeper had mooched plenty of food and drink from him and had not even charged him for the room, while Zhao Ke had no use for this leftover silver anyway.

If nothing unexpected happened, he planned to return to reality shortly. In the real world, this kind of scrap silver was worth only around a hundred yuan or so.

"Master, please do not find it too little. Consider it a token of my sincerity."

"Blessings, blessings."

The old cultivator accepted the silver and weighed it in his hand. It was a little over three taels. Rice had already risen to forty cash per dou, while an ox cost only three taels of silver. This money was enough to feed an ordinary family for half a year.

Delight immediately spread across the cultivator's face, and his eyes nearly narrowed into slits. He hurriedly invited Zhao Ke inside.

"Young friend, this way."

The old cultivator led Zhao Ke into a side room. Zhao Ke took a look and found it quite nice, clearly a guest room that had been carefully decorated.

"Achoo!"

At that moment, he suddenly sniffed. A strong orchid fragrance made him sneeze. When he turned around, he saw a woman in a long robe entering the room at some point.

Her robe was loose and flowing. With every step she took, its hem fluttered in the breeze, revealing glimpses of a pale, smooth thigh and stirring endless fantasies beneath the fabric.

"Please have some tea."

The woman held the tea with both hands, crouched before Zhao Ke, and raised it toward him. As she lifted her arms, her robe rose as well, revealing a pair of delicate little feet, white and glossy as jade. A pair of thumb-sized butterfly tattoos adorned the tops of her pale feet.

Looking at her face, he saw a shapely rounded chin, large eyes, fine brows, and cherry-red lips. She was the very picture of a beauty. Even without hair, she remained exquisitely beautiful and alluring.

She blinked lightly at Zhao Ke, her eyes rippling with charm. A small beauty mark rested at the corner of her mouth, and together with her pink lips, it made her impossible to look away from.

"So it really is a brothel!!"

He had thought the innkeeper was fooling him, but it had actually turned out to be like this.

"Sir, please have some tea."

Zhao Ke had been lost in thought and had not reached out to take it. Seeing this, the woman assumed he was entranced by her beauty. Covering her mouth, she laughed softly and leaned forward until nearly half her body was pressed against his chest. Her voice was sweet and seductive, as though it could steal a man's soul.

If she had merely been some hostess from a karaoke bar, Zhao Ke would not have found it remarkable. But she was a delicate female cultivator, and that already seductive woman had gained an added hint of bewitching wickedness as she leaned into his arms.

She was truly soft and enchanting as water.

Most stimulating of all was the contrast in status. A cultivator who served the gods was putting on a pose before him as though she would let him do anything he wished. Just thinking about it was thrilling.

But beyond the thrill, Zhao Ke felt even more wary. He had not forgotten where he was.

With Li Hongbing's fate as a warning, how could he possibly relax completely?

Zhao Ke reached out and took the tea, then casually set it aside, seemingly with no intention of drinking it.

However, the woman suddenly drew the tea back to her chest and said, "Benefactor, do you think the tea is too hot? Why not let this little woman feed you instead?"

As she spoke, the woman raised the tea toward him. But just as it reached Zhao Ke's face, his brows lifted, and he opened his mouth toward her face. "Achoo!" He sneezed.

It was impossible to tell whether it was snot or tea, but even the tea leaves sprayed all over the woman's face.

"Sorry, I'm a little allergic to pollen." Zhao Ke looked embarrassed.

The woman stood there with tea splashed all over her face. For a moment, she did not know whether to laugh or become angry. Her mouth twitched, and though she tried to conceal it, Zhao Ke caught the vicious look deep in her eyes at once.

Seeing this, the old cultivator immediately waved for her to withdraw. With a trace of apology on his face, he said, "Young friend, there is no need to hurry. There will be singing and dancing at tonight's banquet. Rest for now, and you will surely enjoy yourself to the fullest this evening."

"You're too kind, too kind." Zhao Ke forced a smile and waved his hands repeatedly, exchanging empty pleasantries.

After the old nun said a few polite words, she led the woman out. The moment they stepped outside the room, the woman's eyes turned grim.

She cast a sidelong glance at Zhao Ke's room, parted her red lips slightly, and extended a long, thin tongue. With a slurp, she licked the tea leaves and saliva clean from her face, wiped her mouth with a smile, and strode away behind the old cultivator.

"Interesting!"

After seeing off the two cultivators, one old and one young, Zhao Ke returned to his chair. The embarrassment on his face gradually faded. Half-closing his eyes, he lightly tapped the table with his fingers as he recalled the woman's cold eyes. His vigilance immediately rose. This place doesn't seem safe either.

After resting for a while, someone lightly knocked on his door and summoned him to the main hall for that evening's vegetarian banquet.

The moment he stepped outside, Zhao Ke noticed several well-dressed wealthy merchants leaving their rooms one after another. There were quite a few of them; they had merely been resting in their rooms earlier.

Someone walked alongside Zhao Ke. They swept their eyes over each other and exchanged knowing smiles. Everyone understood perfectly well.

Once everyone had gradually taken their seats in the main hall, a broad, fat man sat beside Zhao Ke. Watching the cultivators move through the hall, his eyes went blank with fascination.

Those pale thighs swayed before his eyes, yet a closer look showed them hidden beneath the long robes. Every cultivator serving dishes and pouring tea appeared dignified and composed, but from time to time they would cast a flirtatious glance, making one's heart itch unbearably.

Once the food and wine had been served, the old cultivator seated at the head of the table stood up. With a solemn expression, he pressed his palms together. "Infinite life and boundless longevity."

After saying that, the old nun waved her hand. A row of women in long robes stepped forward, each holding a ritual implement with both hands clasped together.

"Clap, clap..."

The women raised their legs, exposing long, pale thighs from beneath their loose robes. Pairs of jade-like hands gently stroked the thighs of the women beside them.

Their fingers slowly moved upward, making everyone's eyes widen as they stared intently at those climbing hands.

"Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap, clap-clap-clap-clap..."

Figures overlapped before their eyes. Slender, boneless hands lightly struck thighs as smooth as lamb fat, brisk and powerful, dazzling the eye.

"Rip!"

The long robes were pulled aside, revealing pink bodices stretched taut over full curves. Their slim yet strong waists twisted together, and rather than diminishing the seductive dance, it only heightened its bewitching sensuality.

Zhao Ke initially found it interesting, but for some reason, the longer he watched, the more dizzy he became. The figures before his eyes gradually began to overlap.

"Clap clap clap..."

The slapping sounds by his ears grew faster and faster. Zhao Ke felt as if he were floating, his entire body growing light and weightless.

He vaguely saw a figure approaching him. At first, Zhao Ke did not pay attention, but then he caught a scent. His heart tightened, and those venomous eyes instantly surfaced in his mind. It's her!

Zhao Ke's heart jolted, and a sense of danger surged within him. His consciousness immediately cleared considerably.

"Huff, huff..."

At that moment, warmth brushed against his ear as moist red lips pressed against his earlobe. "Sir, does this little woman's service please you?"

As she spoke, Zhao Ke felt his body tighten, as though something had wrapped around him from head to toe. The red lips moved from his cheek toward his forehead.

"It does!"

Though Zhao Ke had his eyes closed and wore an expression of blissful intoxication, he became increasingly vigilant inside. His hands continuously roamed over the woman's body until, without realizing it, they had settled around her neck.

At the same time, he lightly bit the tip of his tongue. The sharp pain made him open his eyes slightly. Once he saw the scene before him clearly, Zhao Ke's scalp went numb. There was no beautiful woman before him at all—only a snake's face as large as a washbasin.

Seeing Zhao Ke's stiff expression, the snake face revealed a strange, savage grin. "Eh! You found out!"

(I revised this chapter for a long time, mainly because I was afraid of crossing the line. I deleted and rewrote it, then rewrote and deleted it, which is why it came late. But even that is no guarantee. I did my best, everyone.)