Class

The property broker pushed open the main gate. Houses here were expensive, so women were hired every so often to clean them.

It cost very little, and prospective tenants always arrived to find a house looking fresh and new.

If dust covered the floors and spiders had spun their webs, tenants would certainly haggle down the price.

These days, plenty of people could barely afford food. A few copper coins were enough to find any number of people willing to do this work.

The quadrangle residence had a small courtyard out front, with a stone table and stools beneath a tree.

The courtyard had also been swept clean, with hardly a fallen leaf or weed in sight.

"We have people come clean every few days." The broker bowed and extended a hand, inviting them inside to look around.

Li Yingling stepped in first and surveyed her surroundings.

Naturally, it could not compare to the scale of Li Yingling's home, but it was better than the Ruined Temple by an immeasurable margin.

At least it was clean and tidy, and she would not have to patch up a drafty door herself.

Li Yingling walked over to the stone table and lightly brushed her hand across it. When she lifted her hand to check, there was indeed hardly any dust.

She picked a side room on the right at random and pushed open its door. The inside had been tidied up as well.

The bed lacked a mattress and blankets, but a desk and chair were both provided.

Chu Xingchen also stepped into the courtyard, looked around, then asked Li Xingtian beside him:

"What do you think?"

"As long as you think it's fine, Master."

Li Xingtian genuinely did not care much about his living conditions. Otherwise, he would never have chosen to actually sleep behind the Ruined Temple.

The broker froze briefly at that.

Master? Their relationship did not seem to be what he had assumed.

"Master, this place is really nice."

Li Yingling emerged from the side room, looking thoroughly satisfied with the house.

Hearing that, the broker hurried to sing its praises. "Of course! Ask anywhere in Yuzhou City. Both the location and the house are top-notch."

Seeing how pleased his eldest disciple looked, Chu Xingchen promptly took out twenty taels of silver.

"We'll rent it for six months to start. Finish the paperwork yourself, then bring it to me."

The broker's eyes instantly lit up. He hurriedly agreed and accepted the silver, then respectfully handed Chu Xingchen the key to the gate.

"Certainly! Here's the key. I'll bring your rental agreement over tonight."

Once Chu Xingchen had taken the key, the broker tactfully withdrew and left.

Seeing that his master had rented the place, Li Xingtian promptly carried his load inside and put the pots, bowls, ladles, and pans where they belonged.

"Master, why did you decide to come to Yuzhou City?"

Li Yingling asked curiously. She had originally thought her master would take her off into some mountain range.

His eldest disciple certainly knew how to ask a good question. Chu Xingchen had indeed had compelling reasons for coming to Yuzhou City first:

"Good question... I'll explain everything to you both tonight. For now, see what we're missing and go buy a few things. We might be staying here for a while."

As he spoke, Chu Xingchen untied the silver pouch at his waist and tossed it to Li Yingling.

"All right, Master!" Li Yingling caught the pouch, her eyes lighting up. "Junior Brother, hurry up! Let's go shopping."

"Coming..."

After setting down his bundle, Li Xingtian came out of the left side room, though his first glance went toward his master.

Chu Xingchen nodded. "Go on. Head out with your senior sister and buy some necessities."

"Yes, Master." Li Xingtian nodded in acknowledgment.

Then Li Yingling swept her junior brother off on a whirlwind shopping trip.

Apparently expecting to buy quite a lot, Li Yingling even told Li Xingtian to bring along the bundle he had just unloaded.

As their footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Chu Xingchen first shut the outer gate, then quietly set concealed formations in several hidden spots.

The formations did little beyond alerting their caster when someone entered their bounds, allowing him to shift his spiritual sense over for a look.

They therefore needed no spirit stones to power them. Chu Xingchen simply left a few strands of his own spiritual energy, enough to last until he returned.

Once everything was done, Chu Xingchen's figure abruptly vanished from the middle of the courtyard.

If one were to ask where the best place in Yuzhou City was.

The answer was naturally the Full Spring Courtyard, where the springlike beauties were like spring blossoming across the earth.

Spring breezes and gentle rain, elegance and refinement-it had everything.

But if one were to ask which place had the most class.

That would have to be the Bamboo Jade Court.

Though the Full Spring Courtyard offered everything from high to low, from the carnal to the chaste, anything easily obtained could hardly be called truly refined.

After all, anyone money could buy was a whore, and anything money could settle posed no challenge to the sons of wealthy families.

The Bamboo Jade Court was entirely different. Even the maids serving tea were not to be touched or insulted.

That went doubly for the chaste courtesans who practiced music, chess, calligraphy, and painting within the Bamboo Jade Court. Each was colder and more aloof than the last, each prouder than the next.

Even if someone offered a thousand taels of gold, a simple refusal meant he could not so much as glimpse one through her white veil.

Fewer still had ever seen a courtesan of the Bamboo Jade Court with her face uncovered.

Yet everyone who had described those courtesans as beauties fit to rival heavenly immortals.

Moreover, the power behind the Bamboo Jade Court seemed immense. To this day, no one in Yuzhou City had ever been seen forcing its chaste courtesans to meet someone they did not wish to see.

Thus, this unattainable pinnacle of refinement was the highest ideal men pursued.

Anyone who had personally seen a courtesan's face beneath her white veil could boast about that alone all across Yuzhou City.

Strictly speaking, the Bamboo Jade Court was divided into two sections. The first, where guests were received and songs performed, was the Bamboo Jade Court itself.

Behind the Bamboo Jade Court, the residence of those chaste courtesans was known as the White Jade Tower.

At that moment, Chu Xingchen was inside the White Jade Tower-in the private chamber of the chaste courtesan Yaoqin.

It was a plain, elegant chamber without a single unnecessary ornament. There was not even any rouge or face powder in sight.

At the tea table, Chu Xingchen gently sipped the rather weak tea before him.

Across from Chu Xingchen sat a young maid with a cute, round face and large almond-shaped eyes. Her cheeks were puffed out as she glared at him, while he looked perfectly at ease.

The maid was brewing tea.

"Savoring" was hardly the word for it. In truth, Chu Xingchen was a wild boar unable to appreciate fine bran. All he knew was that this tea was expensive, he probably could not afford it, and he wanted a few extra cups while it was free.

"Tsk, tsk." Chu Xingchen drained his cup in one gulp. He still could not tell what was so good about it, but he could certainly offer an opinion:

"It's weak. Don't be so stingy next time you brew it. Add more leaves. There's hardly any flavor."

The maid nearly choked with fury. She wanted to smash the teapot in her hand over this shameless bastard.

Did he have any idea how expensive even this tiny amount of tea was?!

Did he know that this little bit had only been left because her mistress could not bear to drink it?

Usually, just getting to smell this tea was as good as celebrating New Year!

The maid snorted coldly and snapped, "If you don't know how to appreciate it, don't drink it!"

"Do not be rude, Xiao Ling."

A cool female voice came from outside the door.

Xiao Ling jolted at the sound, hurriedly rose from her chair, and obediently went to stand off to one side.

Chu Xingchen raised his eyes toward the doorway.

There stood a tall woman in a long white dress, her face covered by a white veil and her smooth, long black hair secured with a white jade hairpin.

The veil concealed her features, but her slightly icy eyes were exceptionally beautiful.

Even without seeing her entire face, one could tell that the beauty before him surely rivaled a heavenly immortal.

She held a zither in her arms, her eyes fixed directly on Chu Xingchen as he sat in his chair.

"It's been a long time, Miss Yaoqin."

Chu Xingchen greeted her first.