After mastering the Thousand Faces Divine Technique, Wang Hao returned to Blood Wind Hall and asked the fat steward in charge of finances for some money. After all, he couldn't go courting a beauty without any money.
Especially not when the beauty in question was a heroic woman like Sister Dongfang!
He had originally thought a thousand taels would do, but who would have imagined that the fat steward would be so excessively enthusiastic, insisting on advancing him ten thousand taels? Unable to refuse, Wang Hao had no choice but to accept.
In truth, Wang Hao had performed so brilliantly these past few days that everyone in Blood Wind Hall knew he was Zhao Fengxue's favored man. There were even rumors that Zhao Fengxue intended to groom him as the next master of Blood Wind Hall.
Under such circumstances, who would dare not curry favor with him?
For example, after he returned from breaking through the formation that day, several young female assassins had taken the initiative to attend to him. They had even hinted repeatedly that they wanted to spend a lovely night with him.
If Wang Hao hadn't been a man devoted to one woman, he would have lost control long ago.
Of course, another major reason he had turned them down was that those young assassins weren't as beautiful as Miss Dongfang.
There was really no need to waste his virginity on those women.
Besides, since these women could offer to share his bed, they could pull the same trick with other men later. Who knew when they might put a green hat on his head, or even several?
Naturally, he couldn't tolerate something so damned miserable!
After getting the money and returning, Wang Hao began working on his appearance in front of a mirror.
Fortunately, Wang Hao had once been a devoted player of Justice and Moonlight Blade, and had particularly studied the character-creation systems in those games. Combined with the Secret Method of the Thousand Faces Divine Technique, it was like adding wings to a tiger.
A quarter of an hour later, he finally produced a face that looked ninety percent like Wu Yanzu's. Only then did he nod in satisfaction.
"A world with martial arts is great. You don't even have to pay for cosmetic surgery. You can do it yourself, and there aren't any side effects."
Wang Hao sincerely gave the wondrous legacy of martial arts a thumbs-up.
After fixing his face, he changed into the fine robes the Drunken Immortal Tower had prepared for him last time. They were a little large for his current frame after disguising himself and shrinking his bones, but after some adjustments, they were barely fit to wear outside.
With everything ready, Wang Hao set out!
Following Xiao Mengmeng's directions, Wang Hao arrived at a luxuriously decorated establishment, and this was no ordinary restaurant.
"Listening to Rain Pavilion?"
Looking up at the gold-lettered plaque, Wang Hao frowned slightly.
This was indeed no ordinary restaurant, but a brothel.
At the sight of the flamboyantly dressed young women calling out at the entrance, Wang Hao immediately understood the establishment's true nature.
But what was a woman like Miss Dongfang doing in a place like this?
Could that girl actually be a lily?
Did this count as her putting a green hat on him?
"That girl seems to like dressing as a man. Her identity in the jianghu is even that of a man, so I suppose it makes sense for her to come to a place like this."
Putting an end to the jumble of thoughts in his head, Wang Hao recalled Miss Dongfang's characterization in Yu Ma's version of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer and fell into thought.
Although Xiao Mengmeng had specifically told him that film and television dramas were just dramas and differed greatly from the real world, they still had some value as a reference.
If that girl hadn't wanted to take revenge openly last time, she probably wouldn't have appeared before others as a woman.
Taking a deep breath and preparing himself mentally, Wang Hao changed his expression, adopting a haughty look. Then he swaggered into the Listening to Rain Pavilion with an arrogant, splay-footed gait.
He declined the enthusiastic welcome of a young woman at the entrance, went up to the third floor alone, and found a private room to sit in.
The Listening to Rain Pavilion had a peculiar layout. It had nine floors in all, arranged in the shape of the character 回, with a huge open space ten zhang across in the center.
A stage had been built on the lowest floor, where several scantily clad young women with smoking-hot figures were dancing lightly for all the surrounding guests to enjoy.
Wang Hao wasn't in the mood to watch them dance. After all, as a well-rounded young man of the new era, what hadn't he seen?
In particular, the MMD videos of Miss Yowane and Miss Hatsune performing hot dances that had become popular in Huaxia on Earth in recent years were even hotter and bolder. Wang Hao's tastes in this regard had long since been spoiled.
What he cared about was where that girl Dongfang Bai was!
"Xiao Mengmeng, check where that girl is again. I can't find her!"
After searching all around for a good while, Wang Hao was growing impatient and asked Xiao Mengmeng for help.
"Sister Dongfang will be coming out soon, but don't be too surprised when you see her, Uncle!"
Xiao Mengmeng responded quickly, though her tone sounded rather strange.
Before Wang Hao could react, a beautiful woman walked onto the stage below and said with a hearty laugh, "Everyone, our Listening to Rain Pavilion has the honor today of welcoming Chuanshu's greatest beauty, the illustrious Liu Rushi. We now invite Mistress Liu to perform a dance for you all."
As the beautiful woman finished speaking, several musicians nearby gently stroked their guqins, playing an elegant melody.
At the same time, a graceful figure clad in red gauze, her face covered by a veil, drifted down from a room on the ninth floor. Like a fairy descending to the mortal world, her graceful figure danced to the music, drawing the eyes of everyone present.
Even Wang Hao couldn't help being captivated. It was the first time he had seen that ancient Huaxia dance could be so beautiful.
Before he knew it, he was watching in a trance!
Time passed swiftly without anyone noticing. Before long, the music stopped, and the graceful figure touched down lightly with a lotus foot wrapped in an embroidered shoe, then floated back to the room on the ninth floor like a flying immortal.
"Xiao Mengmeng, I think I'm in love. I might even have to cheat a little!"
Wang Hao's gaze followed the graceful figure to the boudoir on the ninth floor. He looked utterly entranced, as though he had fallen in love at first sight.
"Heh! Men!"
A look of extreme contempt appeared on Xiao Mengmeng's face inside the System Space. Then she said irritably, "Uncle, you don't need to think about cheating, and there's no need for you to cheat. She's your wife to begin with, though she's your future wife."
"What? You're saying that was Dongfang Bai just now?"
Wang Hao's expression stiffened, and then his heart filled with fury.
His future wife had actually danced for so many men in public, and who knew how many disgusting men were fantasizing about her right now?
For a man with a powerful possessive streak, this was absolutely intolerable.
And Wang Hao was undoubtedly such a man!
He was even considering whether he should slaughter every male creature present.
That's right, slaughter them all. As a man, he was just that petty!
"Everyone..."
Just then, the beautiful woman who had stepped down earlier returned to the stage and spoke in a loud voice. Unfortunately, the moment she opened her mouth, a voice imperiously cut her off.
"There's no need to say anything. Here's a thousand taels. Tonight, I want to hear Mistress Liu play the guqin herself."
A banknote imbued with internal force shot down from a private room on the third floor and landed steadily in the beautiful woman's hand.
"Young master, Liu..."
The beautiful woman stared blankly at the thousand-tael banknote in her hand and opened her mouth to explain, but before she could finish, she was imperiously interrupted again.
"Three thousand taels!"
Two more banknotes shot out and landed in the beautiful woman's hand.
"Young..."
The beautiful woman tried to speak again, but the other party still imperiously cut her off.
"Five thousand taels!"
Two more banknotes shot out, likewise landing accurately in the beautiful woman's hand.
"I..."
"Ten thousand taels! Know what's good for you, or I'll have someone tear down your Listening to Rain Pavilion!"
Five thousand-tael banknotes shot out once more, again landing accurately in the beautiful woman's hand.
"..."
Not only was the beautiful woman frightened by this display of both domineering force and extravagant wealth, but the surrounding guests were also frightened.
Although there were plenty of wealthy people in a place like the capital, very few would throw away ten thousand taels just to hear a brothel woman play a single piece. At least tonight at the Listening to Rain Pavilion, there was no one that formidable except for that fellow.
And that formidable fellow who had thrown away ten thousand taels was naturally Wang Hao. For his own wife, let alone ten thousand taels of silver, he wouldn't even blink at throwing away ten thousand taels of gold.
It wasn't his money anyway, so what was there to feel sorry about?
As for that final threat, he was naturally just bullshitting. Bullshitting didn't cost anything, so he could spout as much as he liked.
The extravagance and domineering manner Wang Hao displayed really had overawed everyone, though there was an exception.
"I'd like to see just how you're going to flatten this Listening to Rain Pavilion!"
A young man in fine robes emerged from another private room on the third floor. He waved the folding fan in his hand and looked defiantly toward Wang Hao's room.
"How am I going to flatten it? Naturally, I'll have the Eastern Depot do it. If that's not enough, would adding the Brocade Guard suffice? Here in the capital, apart from the imperial palace, there's nowhere we of the Zhu family can't flatten!"
Wang Hao likewise stepped out and delivered those domineering words with an even more arrogant and defiant bearing.
When it came to boasting, he, a well-rounded young man of the new era, declared that everyone present was trash!
Sure enough, the moment he said this, everyone's pupils contracted. Even the defiant young man in fine robes turned pale, his expression shifting, and ultimately could only slink back into his private room without daring to say another word.
Even in the capital, where nobles and dignitaries gathered, there weren't many people who could throw away ten thousand taels to hear a brothel woman play one piece, and they were all nobles of the highest standing. Among them, members of the Great Ming imperial family were the most numerous.
Coupled with his domineering manner, practically no one doubted the truth of Wang Hao's words.
This was definitely a noble from the Great Ming imperial family, someone they couldn't afford to offend!
"This way, young master!"
The beautiful woman on the stage sighed, used her qinggong to glide up to Wang Hao's private room, and looked him over carefully before gesturing for him to follow.
There was nothing she could do. Although they had many plans, it was truly difficult to refuse a noble like this. Besides, the amount he had offered was impressively domineering in its own right; they couldn't refuse even if they wanted to!
Fortunately, this man seemed to be a member of the Great Ming imperial family and should be able to meet the young lady's needs.
The beautiful woman calculated this in her heart as she quickly led Wang Hao to Dongfang Bai's boudoir on the ninth floor.
"Does the young master require anything else?"
Pushing the door open, the beautiful woman respectfully asked Wang Hao.
"Bring some fine wine."
After speaking indifferently, Wang Hao stepped into the boudoir.
The boudoir was arranged quite elegantly, with several bunches of fresh flowers that filled the room with a faint floral fragrance.
A gauze curtain hung in the room, and a graceful figure in red could be seen kneeling indistinctly behind it, a guqin set before her.
That graceful figure was Dongfang Bai, and Dongfang Bai was also curiously studying Wang Hao through the gauze curtain as he entered.
For some reason, this figure always gave her a strange sense of familiarity, as though she had seen him somewhere before. Yet when she thought carefully, she couldn't recall him at all, leaving Dongfang Bai thoroughly frustrated and even more curious.
What Dongfang Bai didn't know was that, although Wang Hao looked steady as an old dog on the surface, inside he was panicking like crazy.
After all, his relationship with this future wife of his was a real pitfall. If she saw through his identity, he definitely wouldn't walk out of this boudoir today.
You could say he really was courting a beauty with his life on the line this time!