Onstage, the storyteller had begun his tale.
To a lilting tune, he painted a love story: a chance encounter, a talented young man and a beautiful woman.
The audience listened, chatting and laughing among themselves.
In a corner, Yu Fang's eyes flickered. She rubbed her brow and said to Lu Shouyi beside her, "Stray thoughts are invading, like the Heart Plague."
Lu Shouyi sighed. "This place is dangerous indeed!" He glanced toward the private room.
"Could the Marquis of Linru County have fallen under its spell?" Yu Fang said. "He's a cultivator, but his cultivation is low. It would be easy to catch him off guard. I'll find a chance to warn him and see whether he understands. If he can't wake up on his own, we'll have to take him away by force and explain afterward."
Lu Shouyi was about to reply when his gaze shifted to four figures.
Yu Fang looked over too and frowned. "Those four must have tempered their bodies with some secret Legalism, then used medicinal baths to push them further. I can smell their boiling blood from here. Hm?"
As she watched, she realized something was wrong.
The four men were pushing into the crowd, barging straight through.
People staggered out of their way. Some started to complain, but the four looked so fierce that they swallowed their words.
"The Marquis of Linru County is right in front of them. Well, I suppose this is trouble he brought on himself. These members of the Imperial Clan really are all cast from the same mold..."
Even as she spoke, Yu Fang readied herself to intervene.
Onstage, the storyteller smiled broadly as he described Wang Sheng taking the young woman home with him, the music lively beneath his words.
"Brother Zhou, you'd best leave early. I