Are You Deaf?

Green Willow Alley, Magpie Nest.

Xiao Liu hadn't actually been lying earlier.

Even if its name was a little vulgar, this two-story brothel was one of the few in the alley with a signboard. It deserved to be called one of the best.

A table and two grand armchairs had been added in the corner. Sister Hua had prepared them especially for Lin Shu and his companion.

"Lord Fox."

"My surname is Lin."

"Master Lin..."

Sister Hua might have had some looks when she was young.

But now her figure had gone to seed. No matter how thickly she powdered her face, it couldn't hide the layers of wrinkles. Fortunately, she'd made it to madam, so she no longer had to service the customers herself.

With a smile plastered across her face, she softly explained how Magpie Nest operated.

There were seventeen or eighteen girls in all. The cheaper ones cost seventy or eighty copper coins, the more expensive ones two or three hundred. There was also a newly recruited virgin whose first night was priced at three taels of silver.

Sister Hua explained all this to make it easier for Lin Shu to calculate the brothel's earnings, so he wouldn't suspect them of hiding money when it came time to take his cut.

She spoke earnestly, but the two men seated there didn't seem to be listening.

"..."

Old Yang rubbed his nose, looking dazed.

His mind was full of the fat man who'd stormed off in a rage just moments ago.

Mid Qi Condensation was what those cultivator lords called it. Old Yang couldn't quite tell what it meant.

The only thing he knew was that these big shots could crush him with the flick of a finger.

Old Yang felt a pang of sorrow.

Lin Shu had finally managed to leave the South Suburb and seemed on the verge of a bright future, only to run into some damned freak who'd plunged that future right back into darkness.

"All right, I understand."

Lin Shu cut off Sister Hua's endless chatter.

He took a sip of tea, uninterested in any of this.

Even when he'd been at his lowest in his previous life, he'd never stooped to making money this way off women.

What Lin Shu needed was the status that came with the Blackwater Gang. Green Willow Alley was only a starting point.

He'd never planned to stay here long.

"Bring me something to eat."

"Right away."

Sister Hua hurriedly turned and told the girls to bring out some pastries meant for the customers.

They were only simple rice cakes, but they'd added plenty of sugar, making them much more appetizing than flatbread or cold steamed buns.

"Gulp."

Old Yang had managed to keep his eyes straight ahead even when faced with the scantily clad women.

But when faced with these sweet, soft treats, he immediately lost his wits. He'd been hungry for a day and a night.

With the rough tea on the table to wash it down, Old Cripple grabbed the rice cakes and stuffed them into his mouth like a madman, swallowing before he'd even had time to chew.

At the sight of this,

the smile on Sister Hua's face stiffened.

The girls in the room also wore strange expressions.

Fierce Wolves relied on their strength. Foxes weren't strong themselves, so they relied on wealth and connections.

They needed powerful enough muscle to keep order.

This Master Lin wore clothes washed so many times they'd faded white. It was already at odds with the Foxes' usual air of affluence. And now he had this starving-looking Old Cripple at his side. His connections seemed just as unreliable.

Everyone knew Green Willow Alley was a lowly place.

The customers who came and went included plenty of ruffians, scoundrels, and desperate men. Skipping out on bills, stealing, and even beating the girls were common.

Without an iron fist, how could anyone keep them in line?

And Lin Shu had just offended Master Tian. He couldn't even ask him to come back and lend a hand.

Thinking of this, everyone's faces inevitably grew a little sorrowful.

"Uh."

Old Yang noticed the strange looks from those around him.

His hand paused slightly around the rice cake.

Oh no.

Old Yang had always been the lowest of the low in the Opera Troupe. He'd had to read the room at every turn just to keep himself alive.

How could he fail to see that his disgraceful display had cost Lin Shu all the respect he'd had at Magpie Nest?

At the thought, rice grains clinging to his lips, Old Cripple's mouth trembled as he looked shamefacedly across the table. "I... I..."

"What do you mean, 'I, I'?"

Lin Shu swallowed his rice cake at an unhurried pace and wiped his hands.

Then he casually pushed his own plate across the table as well and said coolly, "Eat your food. Don't waste your time worrying about things that don't matter."

He seemed not to notice the eyes on him—or perhaps he simply didn't care.

If he'd never seen a brothel, surely he'd at least seen a gambling den.

This kind of place wasn't about puffing yourself up to save face.

To put it bluntly, the Blackwater Gang's name alone was enough to scare off most petty thugs.

The rest were hard cases who didn't care if they lived or died. How could a few outward trappings make them back down?

"Have you finished eating, Master Lin?"

Sister Hua noticed the awkward atmosphere in the room and quickly forced out a laugh.

No matter what, this was a big shot from the Blackwater Gang. He might not be able to bully anyone else, but putting the brothel girls in their place would be a piece of cake.

She absolutely couldn't afford to offend him.

She smiled ingratiatingly. "It's still early. I'll arrange a few of our prettiest girls for you. How about washing off the dust of the road?"

"No need." Lin Shu didn't even bother turning his head.

Sister Hua worried he was just being polite, so her smile grew even wider. "Trust me, I'll make sure to find you—"

Before she could finish, he cut her off.

"Dirty."

Lin Shu had eaten his fill and lazily closed his eyes to rest.

That one simple word made every girl around them change expression.

Hearing such blunt words, they exchanged looks. Then, angry but afraid to speak up, they lowered their heads and clenched their teeth.

This Fox was even more arrogant than the Fierce Wolf from earlier.

If he thought they were dirty, then why make money off them?

Besides, when it came to filth, who could outdo these Foxes in the dirty tricks they used to make silver?

"W-well, then, Master Lin, rest here. I'll get back to work."

This time, even Sister Hua couldn't keep the smile on her face.

She straightened up awkwardly. "Girls, get up and tidy yourselves. Time to see customers."

At last, night fell.

The red lanterns at the entrance to Green Willow Alley were lit, casting a hazy glow over the street.

People gradually began to set foot in the alley.

The girls pressed down their unease for the moment and braced themselves to see customers.

Sister Hua no longer wanted to press her warm face against Lin Shu's cold backside, either. She left him and Old Cripple sitting quietly in the corner, as if they didn't exist.

Unlike the brothels, the hidden dens didn't need a doorman outside bowing and scraping.

They only had to leave one half of the door open, enough for passersby to catch a glimpse of the girls inside.

Sister Hua leaned behind the door and looked toward the entrance to the alley.

With her sharp eye, she could easily tell which people might have more silver to spare.

Just then, a white silk robe entered Sister Hua's view.

A delicate young man paused leisurely, holding a cloth bundle behind his back as he looked up at the tattered red lantern above him.

He was young and handsome, with a jade pendant at his waist that was clearly worth a fortune. He stood out from the rough-clothed laborers passing by like a crane among chickens.

A wealthy young master like him would hardly ever set foot in a filthy place like Green Willow Alley.

"..."

As she watched him step into the alley, Sister Hua's breathing suddenly grew heavy.

There was no greed for silver in her eyes. Instead, a deep unease welled up within them.

It was the busiest time for customers.

Sister Hua hesitated, but soon gritted her teeth and hissed at Xiao Liu beside her, "Quick, get the door bar! Close the door first!"

While the other girls looked on in confusion, she shoved the door closed with all her might.

Only a narrow crack remained.

But a laugh drifted in from outside.

"Sister Hua, don't you welcome this young master?"

His slightly boyish voice seemed to turn into an invisible hand around Sister Hua's throat.

Sweat beaded on the madam's forehead. She didn't dare move another inch.

She took a deep breath, forced the corners of her mouth upward, and opened the door again. "How could that be? Young Master Zhang, you're joking."

At the sound of that name, every girl in the room turned pale.

At the same time, the young master strolled into the room.

His gaze roamed casually over the place. Then he walked over to the table and threw the cloth bundle he'd been carrying behind his back onto it with a thud.

"That's more like it."

The young master smiled amiably and pulled a broken tael of silver from his sleeve. "Same as always. You arrange things."

That was no small amount of silver. Even the most expensive girl at Magpie Nest would need to see four or five customers to earn that much.

Yet everyone held their breath and quietly retreated.

Their resistance was clearly no way to greet a customer.

Young Master Zhang didn't get angry. On the contrary, he seemed to enjoy watching them.

Sister Hua instinctively glanced toward someone in the corner, but Zhang Ci's body blocked her view.

By the rules, something like this should have been handled by the Blackwater Gang's men.

But that Fox Lord was new here, and the impression today's events had left on everyone...

"Ah." She sighed and turned to the girls beside her.

"Please, I don't want this silver."

At the madam's glance, the girls' voices were already choked with tears as they shook their heads.

"Go to the back and draw lots."

With a hardening heart, Sister Hua expressionlessly herded them into a room.

A long while later, a cry of anguish rang out.

At last, the madam came out of the room with a woman whose face was smeared with tears and snot.

"Good girl, if anything happens, I won't take a single coin. I'll send it all to your family."

She closed her eyes and let go of the woman's hand. "Go on."

"Hah! Hah!"

The woman gasped for air, staring blankly at the lot in her hand.

The other girls peeked out from the room, their faces full of the grief of the rabbit mourning the fox.

They watched the woman walk upstairs, stiff as a board. Then her legs gave out, and she crumpled onto the stairs. Clutching the railing so hard her arms shook, she finally came to her senses and shrieked:

"I won't go up! Two people have already died! I don't want to die—"

Her piercing cries echoed through the room, but no one dared help her up.

"I remember now."

Old Yang stared nervously at the table and edged closer to Lin Shu.

The bundle had fallen open. What lay inside looked less like sadistic playthings and more like cold, bloodstained instruments of torture.

His voice was as faint as a mosquito's. "That man's called Zhang Ci. He's the young master of Good Fortune Martial Hall. He's played so many women to death in brothels, but his family's always managed to cover it up."

No wonder he'd come to Green Willow Alley. His reputation must have been so vile that the brothels in town had barred him from their doors.

"Don't be afraid, sweetheart."

Zhang Ci didn't seem to blame the woman at all.

His smile grew warmer, and his voice grew gentle.

"Come on. Go upstairs with me."

Zhang Ci reached for the bundle, intending to help the woman up.

Just then, someone suddenly pressed down on the hand he'd placed on the bundle.

"Hmm?"

Zhang Ci turned around. At last, he looked toward the young man sitting at the table.

Lin Shu's expression barely changed. He still looked as lazy as ever as he said casually, "The person can go upstairs. Leave the things here."

"Who's this?" Zhang Ci frowned and looked at Sister Hua.

"This is Lord Fox, newly arrived from the Blackwater Gang."

Sister Hua hadn't expected Lin Shu to step in at a moment like this. She stammered, instinctively invoking the Blackwater Gang.

"Pfft."

However, Zhang Ci clearly knew the score. He shifted his gaze back and sneered, "Uncle Tian approved it. You don't? Please get a grip, Lord Fox."

As long as the other party wasn't a fool, the two words "Uncle Tian" were all it took.

Zhang Ci tugged again with all his might, but still couldn't budge the bundle.

The young master of the prestigious Good Fortune Martial Hall had been humiliated in a lowlife place like Green Willow Alley. His face darkened at once. "You fucking don't know when to quit!"

Faced with the insults, Lin Shu finally lifted his eyelids.

He stared at the young master and seriously repeated what he'd said:

"Are you deaf?"

"I said, put it down."