Hu Xiaotian looked around and lowered his voice. "Big Brother, do you know what sort of place the Many Fragrances House is?" Huo Ge was a foreigner, after all, and might well know nothing of its true nature. Visiting the Many Fragrances House was no great matter in itself, but Huo Ge was Li Tianheng's son-in-law, which made his position sensitive. If word got out, it might damage his reputation and leave him unable to account for himself to Li Tianheng.
"It's no matter," Huo Ge said. "We're going there to drink, not to seek flowers and court willows."
Hu Xiaotian could only marvel at him. Even drinking in a place like that meant drinking with courtesans, yet he still claimed he was not seeking flowers and courting willows. He nodded. "Who's treating us?"
Huo Ge leaned close to his ear and whispered, "You'll know when we get there."
Unlike Huo Ge, who went everywhere under the protection of skilled fighters, Hu Xiaotian decided to go alone. He already had considerable confidence in his martial arts. Even if danger arose, the Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps taught to him by Old Beggar and the Aerial Gliding Art he had learned from Unenlightened were two supreme techniques that would let him escape right under the noses of top masters. Besides, Huo Ge had brought so many bodyguards that his guards were as good as Hu Xiaotian's own.
The Many Fragrances House stood on Half-Moon Street in the southern part of Western Prefecture's city. Osmanthus trees lined both sides of the street, many already in bloom. A fragrance that seeped deep into the heart and lungs drifted along the entire street, leaving anyone walking there refreshed and carefree. Looking up at the night sky, Hu Xiaotian happened to see a half moon. He wondered