"Despicable?"
Good froze.
What was going on?
The girl bristled with indignation. "I've figured it all out! You knew that ten thousand gold would come back to you all along. You were just putting on a show!"
"..."
Good pressed a hand to his forehead helplessly.
Had this girl only just caught on?
Besides...
If that counted as despicable, he was practically a despicable philanthropist!
Chapter 30: Take the money and be my dogs
The lounge at the Hot Spring Club.
"Lord Good, is the pressure enough?"
"A little harder."
Good lay shirtless on the bed, enjoying Cai Die's massage. His eyes narrowed in comfort as he asked a question.
"How has business been lately?"
"There are so many customers that we're booked solid for the next two weeks. These days, all the girls are sore all over by the end of every day."
Cai Die instinctively began playing up their hardships.
Giving massages was no easy work. Compared with the old days, when they only had to spread their legs, they now genuinely earned their money through physical labor.
It was exhausting.
But the pay was outrageously high, too!
The shop operated on a performance-based system. The attending therapist received a set percentage of whatever her customer spent.
Since their customers were all rich or influential and spent lavishly, the women earned several times what they had as courtesans, sometimes even more than ten times as much.
In just one month, they had earned what once took them a whole year of hard work.
"Although the girls are tired, they all work very hard."
As she spoke, Cai Die's eyes reddened. "Lowly women like us never imagined we could live with dignity one day. We're all grateful to you, my lord."
"Mm."
Good nodded slightly.
Courtesans generally met miserable ends. They were discarded before they even turned thirty. The luckier ones could scrape by serving the newcomers, while the less fortunate died young from illnesses brought on by their work.
Meeting a benefactor like him really had changed their fates.
"Has Kyoshiro approached you?"
"Well..."
Cai Die hesitated.
"I understand."
Good waved a hand.
There were fewer than a thousand courtesans in the entire Pleasure District, and he had poached so many of them, all top-class courtesans at that. Of course Kyoshiro would be anxious.
After all, from the outside, Good appeared to have no intention of returning them.
"Tell the girls that if they want to stay, I can buy their freedom. They can pay me back slowly. If they have any other difficulties, they can bring those up, too."
"Ah, thank you, my lord!"
Cai Die trembled with excitement.
Buying their freedom would cost a substantial sum.
With his promise, the girls could finally rest easy.
"My lord."
Cai Die's voice trembled, her eyes shimmering. She raised a hand to undo the buttons over her chest, then leaned forward, pressing two soft mounds against Good's back.
"Please let me serve you."
"..."
Good sighed helplessly.
People always talked about men seducing women, so why were these women trying every trick in the book to seduce him? Did they really think he had no needs as a man?
Oh, well.
It wasn't as though he was some upstanding gentleman.
This was a trial he was destined to face!
Two hours later
Four shabby-looking customers arrived at the Hot Spring Shop.
"Gongoro, are we really going in?"
Taking in the lavish interior and the contemptuous glances occasionally cast their way, the four gang bosses lingered at the entrance.
This was the Flower Capital's hottest leisure destination. A single day's spending here could keep them well fed for half a year. How could they not be intimidated?
"What's there to be afraid of? Don't let that pirate look down on us!"
A fierce gleam flashed in Gongoro's eyes.
Three days earlier, they had received another invitation.
Unlike the previous one, this invitation gave no specific reason. It merely asked them to come for a chat.
But the fewer the words, the bigger the matter tended to be.
They were inevitably uneasy, yet had no choice but to steel themselves and attend. Otherwise, who knew what the pirate might do?
At least things were out in the open for now. Whatever he wanted them for, there should still be some room to negotiate.
Scrape, scrape...
Gongoro turned to look at Omasa, who was scuffing his feet over the gravel nearby. Acho of Ringo and Mitaiping of Kibi looked over as well.
"Omasa, what are you doing?"
"Cleaning the soles of my shoes."
Omasa was the most powerfully built of the four, and his methods of dealing with enemies were the cruelest. He was known as "Blood Letter" Omasa.
Yet here he was, cleaning his shoes.
"If I get their carpet dirty, I can't afford to pay for it."
"..."
The other three exchanged glances.
That made perfect sense!
Scrape, scrape, scrape...
With their soles clean, the four gang bosses puffed out their chests and stepped inside. A female therapist serving as the greeter immediately approached them.
The therapist smiled. "You must be the gang bosses from the different regions. Lord Good has already left instructions. Please follow me."
"Uh, all right."
The four followed behind her.
The three men's eyes involuntarily drifted toward the rounded, pert bottom wrapped in her qipao, then to the snow-white thighs flashing through its high slits. They swallowed instinctively.
How could this woman be so enticing?
Acho, the only woman among them, was also drawn to the therapist's qipao, a hint of longing and envy in her eyes.
That outfit is so beautiful. The fabric looks incredibly soft, too. It must cost a fortune. I'd love to try it on.
Soon, the four arrived at the reception room.
Smiling brightly, the therapist opened the door for them, then turned to usher them in. "Please come in, bosses. Lord Good is inside."
"Ah, ahem, yes!"
Guiltily avoiding the therapist's amused gaze, they pretended nothing was amiss and entered the reception room.
Inside, by the window.
Good turned around and walked toward the sofas.
"Sit."
"..."
The four exchanged a discreet glance and sat opposite Good. As they looked at the man before them, murderous intent welled up uncontrollably.
At their last meeting, they had witnessed Good kill two hundred Kozuki Samurai, including quite a few of their friends.
Despite their fury, they had been powerless.
The moment those Kozuki Samurai appeared, their deaths had been inevitable. Helping them would only have added to the casualties.
Good crossed his legs and leisurely surveyed the four.
"Broken Hat Gongoro of Hakumai, Yuyan Acho of Ringo, Snake-Eye Mitaiping of Kibi, and Blood Letter Omasa of Uwan. Correct?"
"That's us."
The four answered in low voices.
Now that they were here, they had to show the bearing of gang bosses. They couldn't let him look down on them.
"Good."
Good took out four documents and placed them on the table along with a large bag of money.
"Read them. If there are no problems, put your thumbprints on them."
"What's this...?"
The four picked up the documents and read them, their expressions growing increasingly grim.
They were employment contracts.
And signing them was practically selling themselves into bondage!
Bang!
Omasa slammed his fist onto the table and glared furiously at Good. "Pirate, you want us to be your dogs!"
"Yes, that's more or less the idea."
Good nodded calmly.
"Also, be gentler. This table is made of expensive wood and costs a hundred gold. You couldn't afford to replace it if you broke it."
"What? A hundred gold!"
Startled, Omasa hastily pulled his fist back.
He really couldn't afford it!
The other three were furious as well, but they remained restrained-or rather, they didn't dare turn hostile. They were on his turf, after all.
Acho pushed both the contract and the money back toward him.
"Mr. Good, we will never sign this employment contract. Don't think you can buy us off!"
"Buy you off? I think you've misunderstood."
Good pointed at the money on the table.
"This money is for buying you some decent clothes. Look at you, all shabby and covered in patches. I'd be embarrassed to take you anywhere."
Before you continue