Prodigal

Zhou Chen felt quite foolish, truly.

He had actually assumed that the Third Young Master, a glutton for lust, would abstain from women for the sake of rigorous cultivation.

However, perhaps this was exactly who the Third Young Master was.

Offering a slight bow, Zhou Chen asked in a low voice:

"Third Young Master, do you require my company?"

Standing at the top of the stairs, Xu Yuan looked back and smiled:

"Didn't Master Zhou previously express interest in those two sisters, Zi Ye and Zi Hua?"

Xu Yuan was always generous toward those with ability.

He was not short on money.

"..." Zhou Chen's eyelid twitched.

Xu Yuan patted him on the shoulder and laughed heartily:

"Let's go, I've already notified the madam to wait for us downstairs."

Zhou Chen was silent for a moment, then chuckled: "Then this Zhou shall thank the Third Young Master in advance."

Having said that, he followed closely behind Xu Yuan.

Descending the stairs, a faint, delicate fragrance permeated the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

This scent carried a hint of intoxication; it was likely a medicinal concoction, and a careful perception revealed a faint aphrodisiac effect within it.

Along the way, they passed countless beauties, occasionally encountering young masters standing neatly at the doors of private rooms, bidding reluctant farewells to the courtesans inside.

Some courtesans who did not know the depth of the situation, seeing Xu Yuan descend from the top floor, would take the initiative to approach, chatting and laughing with subtle, lingering temptations.

The Third Young Master, after all, was a famously easy mark.

Rumors among the sisters held that if one served him well, this Third Young Master would sometimes toss out hundreds of taels without a second thought.

The courtesans who owned private rooms in the Drunken Immortal Pavilion were of top-tier appearance and figure, and Xu Yuan was happy to flirt with these young ladies.

Food and sex are human nature; since he had already come to this place of pleasure, there was no need to hide it.

By the time they reached the rear hall on the ground floor, Xu Yuan's clothes were already stained with the scent of rouge.

Outside the rear hall of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion were several large courtyards where the madam and the top-tier headlining courtesans of the pavilion resided.

These headlining courtesans possessed great autonomy; not only were they stunningly beautiful, but they were also well-versed in poetry, song, and dance. Some of the poetry and music gatherings held in the Drunken Immortal Pavilion were hosted by these very women.

To become their guest of honor, one had to be not only wealthy but willing to spend lavishly, handsome, and talented.

It was a case of them choosing the guests, rather than the guests choosing them.

It was an old marketing tactic, but these young masters who fancied themselves refined were exactly the type to fall for it.

The area of courtyards behind the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was vast; calling them courtyards was an understatement—they were more like gardens.

Every courtyard where a headlining courtesan lived was built to the standard of being able to host a poetry and music gathering.

Small pavilions, terraces, vast lakes—it was a scene of luxury.

However, this was normal; if it weren't built with such extravagance, how could they entice those young masters to throw their money away?

Compared to the courtyards of these headlining courtesans, the residence of the madam appeared somewhat smaller.

It was merely a standard small villa.

Arriving before the madam's courtyard, Xu Yuan pushed the door open and walked in.

He could have knocked, but there was no need.

Artificial hills, small ponds, trickling streams, stone benches, and stone tables—it was a place of birdsong and fragrant flowers, with quite a refined style.

Seemingly hearing the noise at the entrance, a smiling voice immediately drifted out from the room:

"Oh my, Third Young Master, you've arrived so early; this humble one hasn't even finished dressing yet~"

The tone carried a hint of the seductive charm unique to places of pleasure.

As she spoke, a woman with a bewitching figure pushed the door open and stepped out, a golden hairpin tucked into her hair, a simple beige dress wrapping around her ripe, mature frame.

Xu Yuan remembered that this madam was named Yue Niang, a very formidable woman.

His original self couldn't even last three moves under her.

After Yue Niang emerged, her smiling gaze swept over Xu Yuan first, then lingered deeply on Zhou Chen behind him, her lips curling into a smile:

"Third Young Master, you had Nine come to notify me—is there something the matter? If it's for two people, this humble one's constitution might..."

Hearing this, a playful smile appeared on the corner of Zhou Chen's mouth.

But Xu Yuan interrupted her directly:

"Two things."

Though her words were cut off, Yue Niang was not the least bit annoyed. She moved with lotus steps, approaching the two with a bewitching grace, and bowed her head with a smile:

"Please speak, this humble one is listening."

"First, send Zi Ye and Zi Hua to the top floor."

"Oh my, this... this depends on the wishes of my two daughters themselves."

Yue Niang spoke to herself, but after glancing at Xu Yuan, she immediately changed her tone and smiled: "Since it is the Third Young Master who needs them, then we shall forgo such rules. Please wait a moment, I will arrange it immediately. I just wonder, what is the Third Young Master's second request?"

Xu Yuan shook his head with a smile, turned and walked to the stone bench in the courtyard to sit down, tapped the stone table, and said with a squinting smile:

"The second request: send the new courtesan of your Drunken Immortal Pavilion to my room."

Yue Niang's eyes flickered for a moment. She walked to the opposite side of Xu Yuan, gathered her skirt, sat down slowly, and said with a coquettish smile:

"Third Young Master, a poetry gathering will be held in the Bamboo Garden tomorrow night. My daughter will naturally appear there then, why must you be in such a hurry~"

"A poetry gathering?" Xu Yuan murmured.

"Yes, at that time, my other daughters in this villa will also go there to help out. If you show off your talent then, won't all my daughters be enamored with you? Why the rush~" Yue Niang tried to refuse tactfully.

Xu Yuan listened carefully, tapped the table again, and smiled:

"How much silver? Just say it."

A trace of helplessness flashed in Yue Niang's eyes, and she hurriedly said:

"Third Young Master, this is not a matter of silver. The invitations for my daughter's debut have already been sent out, and besides, she is a 'pure' courtesan; it must depend on her own wishes."

Xu Yuan frowned, stared at the beautiful woman in front of him, and remained silent for a long time:

"So, you're saying there's no room for negotiation?"

The smile on Yue Niang's face remained undiminished. She drifted lightly to Xu Yuan's side, wrapped one arm around his, and stroked his thigh:

"Third Young Master, calm your anger. How about this: regardless of the outcome of tomorrow's poetry gathering, I will arrange for you to meet my daughter. How does that sound?"

Xu Yuan glanced at Yue Niang's ample bosom and silently pulled his hand back.

Yue Niang sat up straight with a chuckle, her eyes curving as she looked at Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan, meanwhile, wore a look of contemplation.

Let him participate in a poetry gathering?

He carefully recalled the poems from his past life that had been passed down through the ages.

Hmm. It seemed like a decent suggestion.

This act of showing off seemed quite doable.

But as the thought flashed by, Xu Yuan gently shook his head.

He was Xu Changtian now.

Know poetry?

He didn't know a damn thing!

Was he supposed to have someone who couldn't even write a doggerel poem suddenly churn out timeless masterpieces?

Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan took ten thousand taels of silver notes from his Sumeru Ring and slapped them onto the stone table.

Yue Niang's pupils shrank slightly.

She was astonished not only by the ten thousand taels of silver notes but even more so by the ring on Xu Yuan's finger.

Ignoring the shock in Yue Niang's eyes, Xu Yuan stared at her:

"Last time: are you sending her, or not?"

Ten thousand taels to buy the virginity of a debutante courtesan was already very high, one could even say ridiculously high.

For instance, the sisters Zi Ye and Zi Hua together only cost about forty taels a night, and individually, it would barely be over fifteen taels.

The price of a hundred taels a night for the top floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was usually split among groups; only an outrageous young master like Xu Yuan would stay there long-term.

Spending tens or hundreds of thousands of silver taels to buy a courtesan's first night only existed in storybooks.

Yue Niang glanced at the ten thousand taels of silver notes and pursed her lips, looking somewhat pitiful:

"Third Young Master, the invitations have already been sent out, can you not wait a little longer?"

Given this Third Young Master's past reputation for impatience, perhaps he could be squeezed for more. Since he even had a Sumeru Ring, he could definitely afford to pay more.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan directly put away the ten thousand taels of silver notes, placed three thousand-tael notes on the table instead, and as he walked away, said to Zhou Chen:

"Mr. Zhou, accompany me to the Bamboo Garden."

"Heh, as you wish."

Zhou Chen responded, cast a glance at Yue Niang with the expression of someone watching a good show, and silently followed behind Xu Yuan.

The Third Young Master could have just taken her by force, yet she refused ten thousand taels. Heh.

"..."

Yue Niang looked at the three thousand-tael notes on the stone table, stood up, and called out to Xu Yuan's departing back with a beaming smile:

"Oh my~ Since the Third Young Master is so fond of my daughter, then ten thousand it is."

The stream trickled softly, and the courtyard remained silent.

Xu Yuan's footsteps were light and steady; he paid her no further mind.

The money had already been offered.

If she did not want the ten thousand taels, then so be it.

Three thousand taels was the market price from his memories; had the young master been a man of poetic talent, the price might have even been halved.

As he reached the doorway, Yue Niang's smiling voice dimmed slightly, drifting toward him with a light, airy quality:

"Third Young Master, one must always abide by the rules. Forced buying and selling is simply not the way of things."

Hearing this, Xu Yuan cast a sidelong glance at Yue Niang, let out a soft chuckle, and closed the courtyard gate.

With the gate shut, the silence in the courtyard was absolute.

Yue Niang, seated on a stone bench, let her gaze flicker for a moment before she drew a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Origin Qi surged across her body, and her figure suddenly blurred, vanishing from the spot in an instant.

Yet, the moment her figure disappeared—

"BANG!!!!!"

A muffled explosion erupted in the alleyway outside the courtyard!

As the dust settled.

Xu Yuan looked on with a hint of amusement at the beautiful young woman who had suddenly appeared before him, only to be instantly seized by the throat by Zhou Chen and slammed against the stone wall.

After a few breaths, Xu Yuan sighed and said with a smile:

"Yue Niang, what kind of game are you playing?"