"Old You, it's almost dark. You're not planning to spend all our time here, are you? Brother Hou brought us here to broaden our horizons. Let's go see what fine spirit materials and treasures they have first."
Li Chen glanced ahead. Beneath an enormous sign hung a magically captured photographic image, showing several gorgeous women standing in a row. Some cast seductive glances, some looked cold and haughty, and others were tender as water, each presenting a different charm and demeanor to the passersby.
Several real women stood beside the colorful picture, too. Dressed scandalously, they beckoned customers with seductive voices so cloyingly sweet they could kill without paying for the funeral.
"Young master, come in and have some fun."
"Big brother, come on over and enjoy yourself..."
"Oh, handsome, why are you walking so fast? Your big sister won't eat you, hehehe..."
You An licked his lips, looking positively impatient. "Ah, little brother, you just don't understand. Life is short. You have to enjoy yourself while you can!"
"What do you think us rough-and-tumble rogue cultivators work so hard for? Isn't it to get drunk today while there's wine today? No, tonight I'm going to battle these wicked enchantresses for three hundred rounds. We can look at spirit materials and treasures tomorrow."
Li Chen shook his head, speechless. What on earth was all this? A perfectly good restaurant, run like one of those places.
Still, he understood that this was a cultivation world utterly foreign to him. He couldn't impose the values of his previous life on You An.
Besides, that was simply how things were among the rough wanderers of the world. Was he really going to spoil You An's fun and embarrass him?
Even Old Hou couldn't help smiling at the sight. He said to Li Chen, "Brother You is getting impatient. All right, let's go inside and have a look, too. We can discuss the spirit materials tomorrow."
The three walked over, and several alluring women promptly came forward to greet them warmly.
You An looked as though he knew the ropes well. Pushing away a woman who sidled up to him, he said, "Don't start pouring your bewitching brew down my throat yet. Get your proprietress out here. I want to ask what fine goods you've got!"
Li Chen couldn't help laughing. "Old You, this is a restaurant. What do you think it is?"
To his surprise, the proprietress soon appeared. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the three. "Oh, young master, our Hundred Flowers House has every kind of beauty you could want. Whether you prefer someone young and sweet, gentle and shy, or overflowing with seductive charm, I'll find her for you right away."
Old You glanced at Li Chen and smiled without a word, then called out to the proprietress, "I like the noble-lady-from-a-rich-family type. Find me one of those."
As the saying went, money gave a hero courage. You An had recently come into a windfall, and his purse was bulging. Even his voice was a good deal louder than most people's.
The proprietress smiled. "Of course, of course. I'll have the girls come out to meet you right away. Now, these two gentlemen..."
Old Hou waved a hand. "I'm old, I'm old. I can't handle your girls anymore. I'll just sit in the main hall, drink some wine, and play a few rounds of tiles. That'll do nicely."
This world also had games like chess and cards. One was called Tile Treasure, somewhat similar to mahjong, with suits and numbered tiles used to form pairs and hands, and a distinction between the dealer and the other players.
The stakes in establishments like this were generally small, though. They weren't dedicated gambling houses, after all, and couldn't very well steal their business. Their main source of income was still having girls keep customers company over drinks.
"Hehehe, sir, you certainly know how to joke. But we offer all sorts of diversions here. How about I arrange a bath for you, so you can loosen up your muscles?"
Old Hou considered it briefly, then nodded his assent.
The proprietress turned to Li Chen.
Before she could speak, Li Chen said, "I'll keep my older brother company."
Naturally, the proprietress wasn't willing to leave it at that. Old Hou was clearly a seasoned hand, and she really couldn't persuade him, but Li Chen was so young, at the very age when a man's blood ran hot. If she didn't give him a hard sales pitch, how could she do her establishment's reputation justice?
So she brought out her finishing move. "Young man, since you're already here..."
"Exactly, little brother. Since you're already here, you might as well relax a little." You An gave him a knowing look and chuckled.
This time, however, Li Chen had made up his mind and refused to yield another inch, no matter what they said. When pressed too hard, he muttered bizarre nonsense about the great River Crab God above and having to protect this world from destruction.
The proprietress talked until her mouth went dry. Only when the girls had all come out did she reluctantly accept that this young man truly wouldn't budge, no matter what she tried.
You An surveyed the girls who had emerged and soon took an interest in a long-legged beauty with a cool, aloof air. He laughed heartily in delight.
He beckoned the icy beauty over and pulled her into his arms, no longer bothering to persuade Li Chen. He merely said, "Arrange for two girls to drink and play tiles with my brothers. Put it all on my bill."
With that, he hurried impatiently toward the rear courtyard.
"Oh, Old You's treating us? Thanks!"
This time, neither Old Hou nor Li Chen refused.
"If you don't mind, let Xiao Die and her sister keep you gentlemen company." The proprietress recommended a pair of young girls who were clearly still untouched and had yet to fall into that life.
They were actually twin sisters, and extraordinarily sweet-looking ones at that. In a few more years, they would probably become the undisputed star attractions of this Hundred Flowers House-a matched pair, no less.
Old Hou couldn't help chuckling at the sight. "Proprietress, you're looking to let them learn the ropes, aren't you?"
Old Hou had guessed correctly. The proprietress really did intend to give the pretty sisters some innocent work to build up their experience.
Li Chen didn't mind. He merely looked at them a few more times, inwardly feeling sorry for them.
Born into a world of turmoil, without any talent for cultivation, either. How tragic.
But he wasn't a particularly sentimental person. He was still wandering from place to place himself, and who knew when he might end up in a demonic beast's belly?
Old Hou casually asked the girls their names and learned that the elder sister was Xiao Die and the younger was Xiao Ying. They were fifteen, just at the age of coming of age.
Xiao Die and Xiao Ying had grown up here, steeped in everything around them, so naturally they weren't as reserved as girls from respectable families. Before long, they were giggling and affectionately calling the men "uncle" and "big brother" as they played Tile Treasure with them.
They played late into the night, all four winning and losing in turn. Overall, Li Chen had the greater skill and was enjoying a run of luck, so he won the most. In the end, however, he generously pushed his winnings over, giving several hundred Talisman Coins outright to Xiao Ying, who had been clinging to him the whole time.
He knew that while money mattered when traveling the world, he couldn't pinch every penny and lose face. Sure enough, the gesture made Xiao Ying giggle with delight. "Big brother, you're so nice," she said sweetly.
Old Hou, meanwhile, had lost almost all his chips. He casually pushed everything he had left onto the table and said to Li Chen, "I'm done playing. I'm going to take a bath and loosen up my muscles. Want to come along?"
Li Chen shook his head. "I'll pass. I just remembered something."
Old Hou glanced at Li Chen, thinking he had suddenly changed his mind and intended to go enjoy himself.
So he said, "Then do as you please. I'll find myself something to eat later and go to bed afterward."