The World's Rouge Rankings, Mirror

Liu Changhu let out a cold snort. "Lead the way! Stop asking questions!"

The waiter took the hint, bowing as he ushered everyone inside.

As soon as Bai Bingxue entered the first-floor hall, a massive wooden screen stood before her.

The screen was carved with a scene of the nine peaks of Dian Cang Mountain. In the blank space at the upper right, two lines of small characters had been written vertically: "Spreading Might Through the Martial World, Blessings, Prosperity, Longevity, Happiness, and Wealth; Literature, Martial Arts, Skill, History, and Tradition Across Rivers, Lakes, and Seas." The signature read, "Heavenly Southern Sword." The two lines had been written in one fluid stroke, faintly carrying a sword aura.

The tavern's entrance alone displayed its formidable background and financial power, discouraging ordinary people from causing trouble. A corridor behind the hall led to the guest rooms, while stairs at the front led to the second and third floors.

While everyone admired the screen, the tavern's manager, Liu, diligently arranged the finest rooms and instructed the attendants and servers to prepare a table of premium food and wine in a private room on the third floor.

At the hour of the Rooster, in the private room on the third floor, everyone returned from washing up in their rooms and prepared to begin the feast.

Bai Bingxue stood by the window, taking in the vast, emerald waves of Erhai Lake outside. The seagulls in the sky and ducks on the water showed no sign of returning to their nests. The masts at Haidong Town's docks formed a dense forest. Farther away, white sails no bigger than palms drifted across the lake. Hong Yun and Hong Lian came over as well, admiring the beautiful view of Erhai Lake together.

The waiter brought the dishes one by one, filling the table.

Seeing the three women immersed in the scenery, Ying Hu said with a smile, "In another half an hour, the sun will set and the moon will rise, turning the surface of the lake orange-yellow. Then, with clouds and rosy mists billowing and passing sailboats dotting the scene, it'll be one of Erhai Lake's great sights."

Liu Changhu said with a laugh, "Exactly. Three Commanderies Princesses, the food and wine are all ready. Have a drink first, then continue enjoying the view."

Bai Bingxue turned around and saw Chen Xi tearing off two drumsticks from a roast chicken and eating them with gusto. She shook her head with a smile and thought, Ever since this little fatty returned to secular life, he's avoided neither meat nor wine. It's as if he's been hungry for over a decade.

Bai Bing and the other two took their seats and drank three cups of wine.

Liu Changhu began introducing the delicacies on the table, all famous dishes of Southern Expedition Country: "green-bean rice cakes, red-pear pastries, roasted erkuai, Bai ethnic raw skin, Nanzhao Piluo Pavilion braised meat with erkuai noodles, peach-blossom bowfish, chicken braised with papaya, loaches burrowing through tofu, and Southern Expedition Country clay-pot fish." The dish Chen Xi was eating was black-boned chicken from Wuliang Mountain.

Everyone praised the food, and Ying Hu said, "A region's soil and water nurture its cuisine. Everyone, try a little of everything."

Everyone had only just picked up their chopsticks when Su Jiangcheng suddenly raised a finger to his lips.

Bai Bingxue and the others put down their chopsticks and pricked up their ears. Two men in the private room next door were speaking in hushed tones.

"Lord Gao, the news that the Dian Cang Sect is going to be wiped out is too far-fetched, isn't it?"

"Hmph, why would I lie to you? My younger brother works at the High Minister's Residence. They went to Dian Cang Mountain first thing this morning, with over a hundred experts."

"Does the female demon leading them, along with her six disciples, have any background?"

"Have you heard of the Divine Dragon Snow Mountain Sect?"

"I haven't. Please enlighten me, my lord!"

"Forget it. Their reputation is too great. I'm afraid it might frighten you. You only need to know that this female demon's martial arts surpass Liu Tianyang of Ma Long Peak. She also has six formidable disciples known as the 'Six Sons of Ling Kong.' Every one of them is no weaker than Liu Changjiang, Ma Long Peak's chief disciple."

"What? When did Southern Expedition Country produce such a powerful sect?"

"Manager Liu, you really don't know anything about the martial world! The Six Sons of Ling Kong aren't merely top experts. Every one of them is also a delicate, beautiful young lady."

"That's even better. I'll bring one home as a concubine!"

"You really aren't afraid of dying horribly! It's said that Gao Zhushou, son of Gao Huizhu, the Strategy Commandery's chief actor—"

"Chief actor?"

"—took a fancy to one of them. But when he tried to harass her, he was captured."

"What? How was it settled in the end?"

"The Strategy Commandery had enormous influence and wealth. They offered a thousand taels of gold and three thousand taels of silver before they could ransom their young lord."

"Gao Huizhu was willing to let them bleed him dry without saying a word?"

"The Divine Dragon Snow Mountain Sect was someone even he couldn't afford to provoke. If my brother didn't work at the High Minister's Residence, I wouldn't have gotten this news either."

"Lord Gao, I believe you. But the Dian Cang Sect has been famous for hundreds of years. Could it really fall to some unorthodox evil sect?"

"Hmph, I'm only warning you out of friendship. As the saying goes, 'When a tree falls, the monkeys scatter.' Once the Dian Cang Sect truly falls, it'll be too late to make plans."

"You're right, Lord Gao... I was foolish. Let me think it over."

"Manager Liu is a clever man. When that day truly comes, I'll put in a word with High Minister Gao and make sure you can continue managing this Canghai Tavern. Hahaha."

"Of course, of course. I'll have to rely on you even more in the future, Lord Gao."

Although the two men spoke softly, the people here were all martial artists and heard every word clearly. When the two began clinking cups and discussing matters of no importance, Bai Bingxue asked, "Lord Ying, have you heard of the Divine Dragon Snow Mountain Sect?"

Ying Hu smiled. "The name of Feng Xuyang, leader of the Divine Dragon Snow Mountain Sect, is famous throughout the martial world of Southern Expedition Country."

"Feng Xuyang? The most beautiful woman on the World's Rouge Rankings?" Su Jiangcheng asked in astonishment.

Ying Hu smiled and nodded.

"Fifth Brother Su, what are the World's Rouge Rankings?" Hong Yun asked.

"Commandery Princess Hong Yun, the World's Rouge Rankings are naturally a ranking of the most beautiful women under heaven. They're one of the lists of the Yuedan Review, hosted by the Xu family of Runan in Gongjiao Country for a thousand years," Su Jiangcheng replied.

"A thousand years? Which beauties are on the Rouge Rankings?" Hong Yun asked curiously.

Su Jiangcheng smiled. "Before I came here, I heard that the top-ranked woman on the Rouge Rankings was Feng Xuyang of the Divine Dragon Snow Mountain Sect. Her appraisal was: 'Peerless.'"

"Ah, a peerless beauty. Is she really that beautiful? Then who's second?" Hong Lian asked in amazement.

"Second place: Princess Rongde of the imperial family of Gongjiao Country. Appraisal: 'National Beauty!'" After saying this, Su Jiangcheng paused.

Hong Lian urged him, "Fifth Brother Su, hurry up and finish them all in one go!"

Su Jiangcheng scratched the back of his head, unable to remember. Su Dingfeng picked up the list:

"Third place: Xiao Sese, Imperial Consort Wen of Northern Feather Country. Appraisal: 'Virtuous!'"

"Fourth place: Fang Shuozhen, Holy Maiden of the Ming Cult. Appraisal: 'City-Destroying Beauty!'"

"Fifth place: Princess Li Chunyi of Western Shang. Appraisal: 'Innocent!'"

"Sixth place: Su Niannu of the Su Xian Sect. Appraisal: 'Nine Songs!'"

"Seventh place: Jun Zhirou, the second young lady of the Linzi Duke Manor. Appraisal: 'Pheobe!'"

"Eighth place: Ye Zhenzhen, Dragon Nine Chiwen of the Hidden Dragon Gate. Appraisal: 'Passionate!'"

"Ninth place: Gao Shishi, the courtesan of Brightmoon Tower in Bianjing. Appraisal: 'Elegant Beauty!'"

"Tenth place: Liu Qian'e, wife of the Shànchǎn Marquis. Appraisal: 'Grazing Swan!'"

Above the garden of the White Jade Palace on Penglai Immortal Island, Chen Renfeng projected the ten beauties into the air with the Karma Value Calculator. White Deer Immortal stood to one side, changing into one woman and then another, provoking peals of laughter from the assembled immortals.

Chen Renfeng's eyes grew dizzy from watching. Once he put away the Karma Value Calculator, the immortals' view returned to the water mirror.

After listening to Su Dingfeng praise the ten great beauties, Hong Lian said disdainfully, "Sixth Brother Su, you have no shame at all, remembering so many. Your eyes lit up and you were practically drooling as you recited them!"

Su Dingfeng covered his forehead and eyes with one hand, giving an embarrassed smile.

"Hmph! Most men are lechers. Besides, are the women on this list really all beautiful?" Hong Yun challenged.

Bai Bingxue said sourly, "No matter how beautiful someone looks, if her heart is as poisonous as a scorpion's, making the list only turns her into a joke for martial artists to gossip about over tea."

"Exactly. Perhaps they gave the Xu family, who compiled the rankings, some gold to buy themselves a reputation and spread their fame throughout the world, all to attract men's attention," Hong Yun said bitterly.

Three women made a lively scene together. What was more, none of them could stand seeing another woman outshine her in appearance, so the men at the table were frightened into silence.

Ying Hu drank a cup of wine, leaned toward Liu Changhu, and whispered a few words in his ear. Without even taking time to eat, he left the private room.

Where did Ying Hu send Liu Changhu? Hong Yun wondered.