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墨書 Inktalez
Vast and Misty, Azure Water stretches endlessly. Dots of white Seagulls soar above the water. Scattered across the wide Lake Surface are three to five oases, resembling green Giant Snails from a distance, covered in lush Green Trees.
At the horizon where water meets sky, a magnificent Palace Ship with intricately carved beams approaches, its deck towering five stories high, adorned with layers of Red and Green Silk Curtains fluttering in the wind.
Such a grand Palace Ship is rarely seen in this inland Great Lake, making its presence here quite peculiar. However, the scattered fishing boats on the Lake Surface clearly recognize the origins of this splendid vessel and quickly steer away, trembling fishermen whispering, “The Lake Master is out on the lake; we must leave.”
The Palace Ship anchors in an open area.
On the upper deck, dressed in men's clothing, Li Xiaolou nestles among the soft red and green silks. She wears a plain white robe with phoenix patterns and surprisingly dons a Twenty-Four Beam Celestial Crown, which only emperors are allowed to wear. A few vividly crafted Golden Cicadas dangle from the crown's gold adornments, gently swaying against her snow-white shoulders as she opens her robe. The gold is extremely hard, yet where it touches feels soft and white, glimmering with a delicate sheen.
Li Xiaolou appears languid, her Cherry Lips a striking red. She carelessly extends her slender fingers to wipe away the remnants of Fresh Red Liquid from her lips, the bright red stark against her pale fingers.
Gazing at the vivid red on her fingertips, Li Xiaolou seems lost in thought for a moment before waving her hand dismissively, saying, “Take it away.”
Several attendants retreat, one of them carrying a jade plate that holds a Golden Lantern. Inside the lantern remains half a cup of Fresh Red Liquid, which sways slightly with the ship's movement, appearing to be thick blood.
After closing her eyes to gather herself for a moment, Li Xiaolou opens her starry eyes and calls softly, “Come here...”
A man around thirty years old, a Scholar, slowly steps out from behind the silk curtains. His face is pale and beardless, with a slightly pointed chin; his appearance can only be described as passable. What stands out is his somewhat thick and square lips, dark red with a purplish hue that contrasts sharply against his pale complexion.
His hands are quite nimble as he twirls a Strange Green Bamboo Flute between his fingers at an astonishing speed that dazzles onlookers.
He seems completely unconcerned about it; clearly, playing with this green bamboo flute has become second nature to him.
Upon seeing Li Xiaolou, his eyes light up with unhidden desire as he scans from her exposed snow-white shoulders down to her bare feet peeking out from beneath her robe. While he gazes intently, his expression remains clear and bright; only deep within his eyes lies a glimmer of something known only to him.
Li Xiaolou raises her starry eyes to glance at him before frowning: “You are still my elder brother after all. If our adoptive father knew you often looked at me like that, he would surely be angry.”
Hearing the mention of their adoptive father makes Phoenix Perches on the Wutong visibly uncomfortable. He clears his throat to mask it and sits down across from Li Xiaolou, saying slowly, “If our adoptive father knew you were involved in those matters every day, I think he would be much more upset than I am for looking at you this way.”
Now it's Li Xiaolou's turn to feel uneasy; her beautiful brows knit tightly: “I wonder what our adoptive father thinks about protecting those Southern Barbarians. I've advised him several times, but he never listens.”
Phoenix Perches on the Wutong smiles: “You yourself are a proper member of the Jiang family yet refer to those as ‘Southern Barbarians’; that's truly ironic.”
Upon hearing the words "Jiangnan," Li Xiaolou's expression suddenly turned cold. "Phoenix Perches on the Wutong, you know I least want to mention old matters. Yet you often bring this up to stab at my heart. Hmph, anyway, the Zhao Family deserves to die. If you don't help me, I'll find Xiao Rushi. Once the deed is done, my adoptive father won't blame me."
"Xiao Rushi has his own matters to attend to. Moreover, without my father's permission, he wouldn't dare act recklessly," Phoenix Perches on the Wutong sighed. "Well, you know I always help you. I'll wait here for you as if I'm just taking a break. But don't take it too seriously; look at you, you're bringing up old wounds again. Are you really willing to risk your life? Listen to me, have some fun for a few days and then return to Azure Sky Palace. The mundane world is too noisy; I've had a headache these past few days."
Li Xiaolou's lips curled into a slight smirk as she mocked, "Too noisy? You think the courtesans I sent you aren't beautiful enough? Are you perhaps thinking of Autumn Maiden? Don't even think about it; she's someone I've put a lot of effort into and can't give to you for now."
"Are you jealous?" Phoenix Perches on the Wutong squinted half-seriously, seeming to joke, yet the green bamboo flute in his hand suddenly stopped moving, revealing a hint of tension within him.
Li Xiaolou ignored him lazily, turning over with her snow-white bare feet and elegantly long white legs extending out from her sheer robe, exuding an irresistible charm.
Unknowingly, Phoenix Perches on the Wutong's gaze was drawn back to that beautiful white leg, and the green bamboo flute in his hand began to spin rapidly again.
Li Xiaolou closed her eyes to rest, her long eyelashes fluttering. After a while, she suddenly spoke: "Phoenix Perches on the Wutong, go get me some quality goods; preferably an eighteen-year-old untouched boy. This kind of vitality is most beneficial for my recovery. That last one was no good."
Phoenix Perches on the Wutong chuckled bitterly. "Clearly I'm your elder brother, yet you insist on calling me by name; can't you just call me 'brother'?"
Li Xiaolou pouted playfully. "Do you look even remotely like an elder brother? I'm afraid you'd be happier if I didn't call you brother at all; do I not know that? Hurry up and go."
Phoenix Perches on the Wutong laughed sincerely and vanished in a flash of black light; he went off to find a source of blood for Li Xiaolou.
Li Xiaolou sat up, her snow-white feet swaying at the edge of the bed as she muttered to herself: "That kid from Nine Li Sect really has some luck and skill. Since he's in Lin'an, Autumn Maiden and the others are in a bit of danger. Perhaps I should make arrangements quickly. As for Zhao Gou, let him enjoy himself for a few more days; once I'm healed, I'll make sure he can't even cry like that useless Zhao Huan!"
Li Xiaolou's eyes narrowed into slits, her gaze icy and devoid of allure. In that moment, she resembled someone from the Demon Sect—much like a cold-blooded snake ready to strike.
Merely harming enemies physically was evidently insufficient; psychologically tormenting them brought greater pleasure. Unfortunately, there was no time left.
Li Xiaolou stood up gracefully, her bare feet gliding lightly across the thickly carpeted floorboards. The next moment, she appeared at the door of a cabin on the second deck where several courtesans were confined inside. All were young and beautiful, dressed in luxurious garments. However, upon seeing Li Xiaolou appear, their faces changed dramatically as they trembled in fear.
To them, this stunning beauty was akin to a venomous monster.
Li Xiaolou fixed her gaze on one of them at the cabin entrance and suddenly flashed forward. She grasped the courtesan's chin tightly and smiled sweetly: "You bear some resemblance to your father; why not take you along this time so he can see what kind of daughter he has? However, your words are rather excessive." Suddenly tightening her grip further made it impossible for the courtesan to breathe; tears streamed down her face as pain overwhelmed her beauty. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and soon soaked her dark hair completely.
After a while, Li Xiaolou finally released his grip. The Courtesan opened her mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood, revealing half a tongue within the blood. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted immediately.
Li Xiaolou then turned and floated away, reminding the guards as he left, "Apply some healing ointment to her wounds and keep a close watch on her. Don't let her commit suicide."
The remaining Courtesans rushed forward to tightly embrace the unconscious woman on the ground, tears streaming down their faces as they softly called out to her, "Zhen Ji, Zhen Ji, wake up! Please don't leave us!"
The guards quickly entered, applied the healing ointment to Zhen Ji, and fed her a pain-relieving pill. Zhen Ji slowly regained consciousness, making muffled sounds but unable to speak a word.
She extended her finger to her lips, trembling as she dipped it in the blood from her mouth and wrote painstakingly on the cabin floor: "She wants to take me to Lin'an. You must endure and wait for me to find a way to inform Father Emperor to save you." After finishing, she immediately wiped away the blood with her hand, gasping for breath.
Several Courtesans held Zhen Ji tightly and cried loudly but dared not make too much noise, trembling all over, their sobs echoing like a Cuckoo's mournful call.
********
"Going to the brothel? Let's all go together; none of us have seen the Mortal Realm's brothels. It would be fun to check it out together." Upon hearing Li Hong's plan, Wei Ming and others rushed over, all eager to experience it.
Li Hong said mysteriously, "We are going for something significant." After explaining the plan, it unexpectedly aligned with their intentions. Wei Ming chuckled and said, "So the Demon Sect has even recruited courtesans as part of their operations. Let's go strike at them together. However, we shouldn't alert them; it's better if we disguise ourselves as real customers."
Li Hong smiled wryly and had no choice but to agree.
They summoned some palace guards for a few outfits and, with Liu Zhong's help, everyone dressed up accordingly.
Wei Ming and others were excited and kept asking, "What do you think? Should we change our identities?"
Li Hong was reminded by their words and discussed with Liu Zhong before confirming their false identities. The group of eight or seven exited the royal city through Corner Gate, using the cover of night to swiftly head towards Lianxiang Courtyard. Just as they flew a short distance away, they heard a rush of wind behind them. Li Hong turned around to see Jiang Xuanzi's smiling face close at hand. He said, "What are you all being so mysterious about? I heard you mention going to a brothel; why not let me join you?"
He put on an expression that insisted he couldn't be left behind. Li Hong scratched his head under his carefree scarf with a wry smile, thinking that he was probably there to keep an eye on his daughter. It was difficult to say anything outright, so he could only respond ambiguously.
Thus, smiling Jiang Xuanzi took the lead, and the eight of them no longer flew but walked towards Lianxiang Courtyard.
Li Hong was already familiar with the nearby terrain. He led everyone through the streets, stepping over the cobblestone path, and finally stopped in front of a large black door.
The door was tightly shut, and there was not a single figure in sight. However, if one listened closely, there were many voices coming from inside. Li Hong was about to call out for someone but hesitated, unsure of the rules of the brothel.
"Is this the place?" Jiang Xuanzi asked with a smile.
"Yes, Elder, keep your voice down. This is the outskirts of the Demon Sect Monster. We came here to..." Li Hong was still transmitting his thoughts when he saw Jiang Xuanzi lift his leg and kick the door.
With a loud crash, the black door splintered into pieces. Inside, voices erupted in chaos as many footsteps rushed toward them.
Jiang Xuanzi chuckled nonchalantly and said, "Look, now someone is coming to welcome us."
He held his head high and walked through the flying wood chips, directly entering the doorway while calling out, "Guests have arrived; whores, come out quickly!"
Li Hong was left dumbfounded. This was too arrogant…
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