Playful Dragon Teases Phoenix

Shuzhou City was vast, with four east-west avenues and eight north-south roads. It stretched long and narrow from east to west, and was somewhat narrower from north to south.

Marquis Dingyuan's Xiao Manor stood north of Bashan Street, on the city's central axis, near Zhennan Street, right at the intersection of the two streets.

Facing south with its back to the north, it occupied an enormous area.

After Chen Yi and the others left the mansion, they turned two corners, reached Bashan Street, and headed south.

All the while, he held open the brocade curtain of the carriage, curiously studying the scene outside.

The road was paved with smooth bluestone slabs, with scarcely a pothole in sight, much less dust or debris. Someone clearly kept it swept.

Wooden buildings of equal height lined both sides of the street, their paint a deep purplish red. Plaques hung above every entrance, bearing names such as "Moon Gazing Restaurant," "Jiangnan Cloth Shop · Shu Brocade," and "Black Mountain Inn."

Though it was still morning, quite a few pedestrians already traveled along the road.

Most wore coarse linen, while quite a few jianghu folk carried weapons.

Chen Yi also spotted several foreigners dressed in gaudy silk. Just as Xiao Die had said, most wore colorful gemstones around their necks, with turbans wrapped around their heads or veils covering their faces.

"Those are Poshir people. They're awful." Seeing those foreigners through the curtain, Xiao Die said indignantly, "Several masters of the household mentioned before that these Poshir people often disguised themselves as horse bandits to raid merchant caravans on the Tea Horse Road. A few years ago, Second Miss even led troops to wipe them out."

Chen Yi swept his gaze over the slightly dark-skinned, curly-haired Poshir people, nodded, and looked toward the others, especially the jianghu folk carrying weapons on their backs.

Yet after looking for quite a while, he still could not make heads or tails of them.

Most of those who roamed the jianghu dressed plainly—ragged and bedraggled, with disheveled hair and grimy faces. One could not tell from their appearance alone what they were capable of. They were far less sharp-edged and imposing than Eldest Miss Xiao's guard, Shen Huatang.

At that moment, Xiao Die glanced at Xiao Wuge and quietly leaned closer. "Son-in-law, c-can you not go south of the city?"

Chen Yi laughed after hearing that. Her warm breath brushed his face, and he caught the fragrance at his nose as he reassured her, "Don't worry. I'm only going over for a look. I won't do anything."

If there had not been "something juicy" there, he would not have chosen Yanhuaxiang south of the city for his first outing.

"Even if I were going to do something, I'd have to go at night. Don't you think?"

Xiao Die lowered her head and thought for a moment before asking in bewilderment, "Son-in-law, is there a difference during the day?"

Chen Yi turned his head and caught the curiosity on her face. So this girl had merely heard things secondhand and knew nothing of the mysteries involved.

Seeing that he only smiled without answering, Xiao Die realized she seemed to have asked a foolish question. "I-I only heard the older sisters in the mansion say that isn't a good place. I-I'm worried that if people find out, they'll gossip about Son-in-law."

Chen Yi smiled and patted the hair bun atop her head. "Let them talk. You can't stop their mouths anyway."

Xiao Die's pretty face flushed scarlet. "Son-in-law, hitting someone on the head makes them stupid."

"It certainly does." Perhaps having heard their conversation, Xiao Wuge nodded solemnly. "Brother Heir Apparent often got hit on the head by his father. That's why he turned out like this."

Chen Yi chuckled. This one was a curious baby and a problem child besides.

"You two..."

As the three chatted, the carriage traveled all the way to the south of the city and stopped outside a secluded tavern.

Wang Lixing knocked on the carriage. "Young Marquis, we've reached south of the city."

Wang Lixing had not originally been among the guards accompanying Xiao Wuge, but when the Marquis's mansion heard they were leaving the mansion, it sent two additional guards.

Besides Wang Lixing, an Eighth Rank Realm expert, there was an older middle-aged man responsible for driving the carriage, named Liu Si'er.

The Marquis's Mansion Guards all called him Fourth Brother.

Chen Yi jumped down from the carriage first, then helped Xiao Wuge and Xiao Die down. After looking around, he had no idea where that Lihong Courtesan House was, so he found an excuse to enter the tavern beside them.

Before long, he walked out calmly, clapped his hands, pointed east, and led the way with his hands clasped behind his back.

Xiao Die hurried after him.

The guards, meanwhile, clustered around Xiao Wuge. Clearly, in their eyes, the Young Marquis's safety mattered far more than Chen Yi's.

Liu Si'er remained seated atop the carriage. Only after seeing Chen Yi and the others walk far away did he enter the tavern.

He looked around and saw that the place was full of ordinary people who had come for breakfast after seeking flowers and willows. He then walked straight to the counter and asked, "What did that Young Master ask you about just now?"

The shopkeeper behind the counter continued working his abacus as he drawled, "Five coins."

Liu Si'er narrowed his eyes, then tossed down five copper coins.

After accepting the money and finishing his calculations, the shopkeeper replied, "He asked for the location of Lihong Courtesan House."

Liu Si'er committed the name to memory, returned to the carriage, and secretly pondered Chen Yi's purpose in going there.

A strange expression soon appeared on his face. "Could he have held it in too long and gone to the pleasure quarters to vent his fire?"

He had never heard that this Chen Family bastard son had a habit of seeking flowers and willows.

And in broad daylight, with the Young Marquis in tow—was he not afraid Second Miss would hang him up and whip him when she returned?

He did not know whether this intelligence was worth reporting...

Elsewhere.

After Chen Yi found Lihong Courtesan House, he led the group wandering around its surroundings as though they were genuinely out for a stroll.

It had to be said, the scent of rouge and powder in Yanhuaxiang was indeed overpowering.

Along a narrow lane stretching two li, there were no fewer than fifty or sixty pleasure houses of all sizes, each with red lanterns hanging outside.

Some of the more distinctive establishments even hung several brightly colored dudou. Without a close look, they were almost indistinguishable from face veils.

Xiao Die took one glance, immediately blushed furiously, lowered her head, and dared not look further.

Xiao Wuge, however, was completely open about it. He looked left and right before suddenly asking his brother-in-law, "What are we doing here? It smells awful."

Pfft.

At his words, one of the guards could not hold back a laugh, prompting the others to laugh as well.

Even Wang Lixing's face turned red as he struggled to hold it in. Clearly, "it smells awful" had nearly broken him.

Chen Yi turned back and blinked. "I'm broadening your horizons."

Of course, he himself had come to broaden his horizons as well.

Setting aside intimate articles like those dudou, merely the words "Poshir, Western Buddhist Kingdom, Japanese people" written at the entrances had already opened his eyes.

Shuzhou truly deserved its reputation as a great southern city of the Great Wei Dynasty. It really did business with all four directions.

Xiao Wuge still did not understand. "They're all just gaudy clothes. There's nothing special about them."

"You're a child. Stop asking so many questions."

No sooner had he spoken than a group of more than ten people appeared at the mouth of the lane. At their head was a broad, plump woman dressed extravagantly in silk and satin.

The women following behind her were no soft targets either, each with a fierce look on her face.

Chen Yi quietly signaled for everyone to step back, then had Xiao Die take out some sunflower seeds. As he distributed them to the others, he said softly, "Looks like there's something entertaining to watch. Don't talk."

Before Xiao Wuge, Xiao Die, and the others could understand what he meant, the woman strode straight up to Lihong Courtesan House and waved a large hand. "Smash it!"

The fierce women behind her immediately rushed forward, tearing apart the clothes hanging outside and smashing the signboard, all while cursing without pause.

A heavily made-up woman in a bright red dress ran out from inside. As she ran, she cried, "Oh my, oh my! Wh-what are you doing?"

"Tell Liu Man to get out here!"

"That's right, tell Scholar Liu to come out! I want to see which fox spirit seduced him into staying out all night!"

Very soon, as Xiao Wuge watched in complete confusion, a disheveled middle-aged man was shoved out.

Though this Xiucai was thin, his movements were exceptional. He darted left and right, twisting and dodging, avoiding the woman's Five-Finger Mountain.

"Madam, Madam, let's talk this over. Don't hit me, don't hit me..."

But the Poshir woman behind him, wearing nothing but a dudou, did not possess such skill. The fierce women dragged her out and beat and cursed her without end, leaving her trembling in fright.

At this sight, not only did Chen Yi keep cracking sunflower seeds, even Wang Lixing and the others stared wide-eyed, grinning from ear to ear.

Only Xiao Die was so frightened that she shrank behind Chen Yi and dared not look.

As for Xiao Wuge, he simply had no idea what was happening and watched the people fight with curiosity.

"Brother-in-law, should we leave?"

Chen Yi glanced at him, and a prompt suddenly appeared before him:

[You comprehended the mysteries of Scholar Liu's Body Movement Technique from his evasions. Reward: Yellow Tier Body Movement Technique—Playful Dragon Teases Phoenix. Fortune +4.]

[Assessment: The person arrives, the sound is heard, the scene unfolds—behold the myriad states of life, observe the faces of all living beings.]

Chen Yi scanned it, his expression blank. "Leave!"

Playful Dragon Teases Phoenix?

If he used that Body Movement Technique against Lady Xiao Jinghong, he probably would not even dodge a single slap.