Chapter 253: Ruyi

For those who value their reputation, a public humiliation is remembered more bitterly than a physical assault. When one retaliates violently depends on their cunning and skill. Granny Cui, having risen and fallen through the ranks at the Gwanghan Brothel and now ranking just below a few top figures, was a mature woman with considerable life experience. However, in her haste to see Sister Xiyi humiliated, her actions were somewhat rash. Now, after being sharply ridiculed by the visiting guest, she smoothed her chest and carefully re-examined him, discerning nuances she had previously missed due to her carelessness. Brothels are places where people of all walks of life mix, a chaotic blend of dragons and fishes. While high-ranking officials in their robes must be treated with deference, some unruly and unpredictable individuals are far more troublesome. Officials protect each other, and any misstep can be rectified with the help of connections or compensation. The latter, however, is a different story. The Wind and Wave Pavilion, once so arrogant, angered a formidable figure seven or eight years ago, resulting in the overnight deaths of four courtesans and six singing girls. This case shocked Longyao Province and remained unsolved until the Northern Barbarian Martial Arts Rankings were released, revealing the culprit to be Zhong Liang, ranked seventh among the Ten Great Demonic Figures. Zhong Liang himself was terrifying enough, but his uncle, Zhong Shentong, was one of the Twelve Great Generals of the Northern Barbarians, and the Zhong family was a prominent clan among the southern court officials. Despite having patrons throughout the dynasty, the Wind and Wave Pavilion had to suffer in silence, like a mute eating bitter herbs. It was said that after the incident, they even offered several beautiful young women to the Zhong family to finally settle the score. Of course, such tragedies are rare, but Granny Cui, fearing any unforeseen misfortune and inclined to bully the weak while fearing the strong, immediately sought to resolve the conflict peacefully.

Unfortunately, she had her back to two martial arts trainers from the brothel. They had heard every word uttered by the young man with the saber. Seeing Sister Cui, who usually had a bad temper, fall silent, they assumed she was trapped in a stalemate. Exchanging glances, they decided to teach this newcomer a lesson. Soldiers are trained for a thousand days to be used for one moment. The Gwanghan Brothel had strong backing, and opportunities for action were rare. These guards and trainers, who received generous silver payments each month, could only spar with each other, inevitably feeling restless. They thought to themselves that they should uphold their own dignity and Sister Cui's. As long as it wasn't a direct conflict with Sister Xiyi, it wouldn't be considered troubling her, as she usually took good care of them. Such care, though often just a smile or a brief chat when they met, was a great honor to them, something they could boast about when drinking with their comrades. As for Sister Cui, she would only smile when she needed something, and afterwards, she would dispense some small change for drinks. However, the brothers, who made their living in this world and had some capability to enter the Gwanghan Brothel, knew which was more important, weighing things clearly in their hearts.

Xu Fengnian extended his palm and smoothly glided it along the body of the three-blend yellow wine jar on the table. The wine jar slid off the table, tracing a graceful arc in the air, neatly circling past the two trainers, completing a rotation, and then returning precisely to its original spot on the table. This technique, akin to "drawing a circle as a prison," encompassed Granny Cui, Sister Xiyi, Yunzi, and himself, along with Tao Manwu. The two trainers exchanged bewildered glances. They recognized the skill: the jar had accelerated sharply as it passed them, making it impossible to smash even if they had exerted all their strength. This was clearly no petty trick that just anyone could pull off.

Granny Cui, having been thoroughly chastised, maintained her composure and excused herself after a few teasing remarks. Sister Xiyi dared not seize the opportunity to further humiliate her, indicating her truly precarious position in the Gwanghan Brothel now. Sister Xiyi, a former courtesan, had out of gratitude and a sense of her fading beauty, relinquished her position to become a madam in the brothel, a more refined role than a mere procuress, responsible for training promising young girls. Granny Cui, on the other hand, had started as a maid, long out of favor. After finally becoming a top-tier courtesan, she committed an offense and was demoted. For the past fifteen to twenty years, she had nursed a grudge, and having finally climbed to the position of chief madam, she naturally saw the effortlessly successful Sister Xiyi as a thorn in her side, wishing to remove her quickly. This was especially true since the pure-hearted courtesan, Miss Wei, was a protégé of Sister Xiyi, making it impossible for Granny Cui to rest easy.

Sister Xiyi helped Yunzi up and asked softly, "Does it hurt?"

Yunzi, who had narrowly escaped trouble, knew future days would be difficult, but at that moment, joy outweighed worry. He smiled, "Auntie, I'm fine. I'm destined to be cursed and beaten my whole life; I won't die."

Sister Xiyi patted his clothes, sighing helplessly, "If Sister Cui keeps making things difficult for you, and you truly can't bear it, just tell me. At worst, I'll speak to the mistress and arrange for you to work at the Embroidered Ball Pavilion, though your earning opportunities would be less there."

Yunzi hesitated, then forced a smile, "Having Auntie say that is enough. I believe Granny Cui, being such a busy person who only associates with important people, won't bother to haggle with a small fry like me."

Sister Xiyi sighed, "Go on, I'll handle things here."

After the young man left the tea room, preoccupied, Sister Xiyi fixed her gaze on the young master with the saber. She said softly, "Young Master, your thoughts are truly astute. Xiyi thanks you on Yunzi's behalf."

Seeing the elegant young master feign ignorance, Sister Xiyi didn't press the issue. If this guest had acted a little sooner, relying on his background and ability, she and Yunzi would truly have had no escape from today's predicament. Sister Cui had disciplined Yunzi, then provoked the guest with her words, putting herself in the wrong. Being humiliated by the young man with the saber and then shown such a display of skill with the wine jar was, if not completely flawless, then at least a magnanimous act when he had the upper hand. In this way, Sister Xiyi's situation couldn't get much worse anyway, but Yunzi was far better off. Otherwise, if this young master had simply finished his business, dressed, and left, Yunzi would have been tormented to the point of wishing for death, and she wouldn't even have been able to ask for help then.

Xu Fengnian picked up the wine jar, pocketed the silver notes, and smiled, "What's the point of drinking in a tea room? Let's go to Sister Xiyi's place."

Sister Xiyi's face showed a hint of faint displeasure. She bit her slender lips and said softly, "Please forgive me, Young Master. Xiyi no longer receives guests."

Xu Fengnian burst into laughter, "We're just going to have a drink. Does Sister Xiyi truly think I covet your body? Those words were just casually spoken to that Granny Cui. Sister Xiyi is being a bit self-pitying. I'm here for a study tour. In the past, when I went to brothels with my scoundrel friends, I only accompanied them, playing the pathetic role of the one who paid. I've never actually 'ridden into battle' myself. I was thinking of having some drinks with Sister Xiyi first to bolster my courage, so that later, when I meet Miss Wei, I won't be utterly defeated after just a brief encounter. Although my family has some wealth, spending two hundred taels of silver for something that's over in the blink of an eye truly lives up to the saying 'a moment is worth a thousand pieces of gold.' Two hundred taels for one moment – that's truly too unfair, isn't it, Sister Xiyi?"

Sister Xiyi's lips curled up; she was genuinely amused. So that's a new way to describe "a moment." This young master with the saber, if nothing else, was certainly straightforward, both with Granny Cui and with her. If she had to offer herself in return for his assistance, that would be too absurd and naive. Sister Xiyi was long past that age of innocence. In a brothel, the girls who had the privilege of never being forced to do anything against their will were as rare as phoenix feathers. Even Miss Anyang, the top courtesan of the Gwanghan Brothel, couldn't achieve that, though there were one or two in the Wind and Wave Pavilion, infamous for their hidden vices. Men came to brothels to buy flesh and pleasure with silver and gold, but this "living flesh" was even more expensive than meat on a butcher's block. If women's flowery words couldn't be trusted, could men's vows of eternal love be trusted? Sister Xiyi looked deeply into his clear, phoenix-like eyes, detecting no ill intent. She bit her lip and agreed. Drinking was just drinking. With her capacity to drink two catties of strong liquor without getting drunk, she didn't believe she would suffer a great loss. At most, he might touch her a few times while pouring the wine, which was harmless.

After coming to this understanding, Sister Xiyi said softly, "Young Master, please follow me to the fourth floor. It's not far from Miss Wei's Embroidered Ball Pavilion."

Walking side by side, Sister Xiyi carried a faint, elegant fragrance, and her simple attire made her resemble a refined young woman from a respectable family. Granny Cui, in contrast, was overly exaggerated: lips painted with black balm, face covered in yellow powder, golden shaking hairpins on her head, and a long gown trailing four or five inches. It truly made Xu Fengnian feel troubled and nauseated, like a huge, chaotic stew of mountain delicacies that would intimidate even the best appetite. This disgraced Sister Xiyi, however, was like a small bowl of plain porridge, carefully enhanced with a few lotus seeds – the kind of woman who revealed pleasant surprises upon careful appreciation. The fourth-floor corridor featured elegant blue gallbladder vases and ink wash paintings, uniquely refined. Yet, pretty maids carrying food trays and fruit bowls were also common, indicating that the Gwanghan Brothel's business was indeed thriving. These charming girls all politely greeted her as "Sister Xiyi," showing her excellent rapport. Sister Xiyi smiled and greeted each of them in return. They rounded two straight corridors and arrived at a room facing a window. She sighed inwardly and said, "Young Master, we're here."

Upon entering, the floor was covered with an intricately hand-woven silk carpet. A three-fold screen, a reproduction of the famous painting "Snow Banana with Twin Cranes," separated the sleeping area from the brocade hall. In the front hall, there was an exquisitely crafted small couch with a curbed armrest, and a dedicated small table for warming wine and brewing tea. At the corner of the table sat an incense burner with scallion-stem feet, clearly fired in a Longquan kiln. The table was fully equipped with small utensils such as an ewer and pouring bowls. The black-glazed tea bowls for drinking tea were particularly striking; only a true connoisseur of tea would know the precious rarity of this set of partridge-spot bowls. The Southern Tang emperor especially cherished such bowls, once stating that their color was a precious black, and those with jade-like streaks were superior. Just these tea sets alone were worth dozens of pieces of gold. Xu Fengnian mused, this Sister Xiyi was truly a refined person who knew how to enjoy life. On the sleeping couch lay a jade porcelain pillow adorned with children and lotus flowers to ward off heat. Xu Fengnian was somewhat puzzled; it was only late afternoon, yet this woman seemed overly sensitive to the heat.

Seeing the young master with the saber staring at the porcelain pillow, Sister Xiyi's face flushed so deeply it seemed almost to drip, and she dared not meet his gaze. She simply sat at the small table, skillfully and expertly warming the yellow wine.

Before the wine was ready, Sister Xiyi, seeing him playfully fondle a black-glazed bowl with evident pleasure, softly asked, "Judging by your accent, Young Master, are you from Guse Province? Do you recognize this black-glazed bowl?"

Xu Fengnian's fingers caressed the ancient tea bowl. He nodded, "My family happens to be in the porcelain business, so I know a little about famous pieces and market prices. We're a small family business, nothing grand. As for black-glazed bowls, one of the ten great types of tea ware, I've only heard about them through hearsay. This drinking session has truly been worthwhile. It's also fortunate that I was sensible earlier; otherwise, if I had paid two hundred taels and then said something disrespectful to Sister Xiyi, I would truly have brought humiliation upon myself. However, with such treasures here, I only brought less than a thousand taels of silver on this trip, and I still have several provinces to visit. I no longer have the courage to go to the Embroidered Ball Pavilion. Sister Xiyi, what do you suggest I do?"

Sister Xiyi laughed, "Then, Young Master, drink more wine, drink until you have the courage of a bear and a leopard, and then go to the Embroidered Ball Pavilion. I'll tell you now, once you've entered the room and drunk the wine, you absolutely must go to the Embroidered Ball Pavilion."

Seeing the young master with the saber look aggrieved, Sister Xiyi's smile deepened. She gave him a charming look and said, "The Gwanghan Brothel isn't a place that cheats people. If you merely want to admire Miss Wei throwing her embroidered ball, a hundred or two hundred taels of silver would suffice."

Xu Fengnian retorted indignantly, "Sister Xiyi, that's easy for you to say. If I just take a few glances at the embroidered ball and then slink away from the Gwanghan Brothel, how will I ever have the nerve to ask you for wine again?"

Sister Xiyi handed him a cup of wine, feigning annoyance, "It's not difficult for the Young Master to come to the Gwanghan Brothel for wine, but entering this room is only for this one time."

Xu Fengnian obediently took the wine, making no inappropriate moves. He took a sip. Seeing Tao Manwu, who was sitting on an embroidered stool beside him, look longingly at the cup, he raised it to her lips. The little girl, like a newborn calf that fears no tiger, took a drink, smacking her small lips with relish. Xu Fengnian found it amusing and simply gave her the entire cup, only instructing her to drink slowly. He then left Tao Manwu to entertain herself with the cup of wine and began chatting leisurely with Sister Xiyi. Both had a good capacity for alcohol and were evenly matched. Perhaps Sister Xiyi developed an addiction to discussing porcelain with him, finding that the young master with the saber was knowledgeable, and she herself was a porcelain enthusiast. Furthermore, after the little girl had her drink, the alcohol went to her head, and she drowsily fell asleep on the small couch behind them. Sister Xiyi couldn't bear to wake her, so she warmed another pot of wine, and their conversation was no longer limited to porcelain. They were both smart enough to avoid sensitive topics like their backgrounds; speaking too intimately with a casual acquaintance was unwise.

Xu Fengnian vaguely knew that the woman drinking heartily before him had once been the Gwanghan Brothel's top courtesan, enjoying unparalleled glory for a time, a remarkable woman who could rival the most famous courtesans of the Wind and Wave Pavilion. However, even the most beautiful women cannot withstand the knife-like passage of time and men's tendency to tire of the old and prefer the new. Disheartened and weary of fawning, and without the good fortune to meet a good man whom she mutually admired, she had once been approached by an official interested in taking her as a concubine. But she did not wish to live under someone else's roof and be tormented by the main wife for the rest of her life, so she became a madam, teaching pure-hearted courtesans. The two hundred-plus pieces of gold worth of decorations in her room were all assets she had earned in her early years. Having no family or dependents, and knowing she couldn't take anything with her in life or death, she simply converted her gold and silver into beloved rare curios, for the sake of visual pleasure. The Gwanghan Brothel was quite generous to women who had once been top-tier courtesans but were now getting on in years. With no worries about her future, Sister Xiyi lived a relatively comfortable and at ease life.

The drunken Tao Manwu woke up drowsily, seeming to have been poked by something hard, finding her sleep uncomfortable. She picked up the object and looked at it, her eyes dazed.

It was a small jade *ruyi* scepter.

This *ruyi* was the kind that brought "satisfaction" to a lonely and restless woman.

How could Xu Fengnian not know? He said calmly, "Taozi, it's for back-scratching. Put it away and go back to sleep."

The little girl said "Oh," placed the jade *ruyi* back by the couch, and fell back into a dazed sleep.

Sister Xiyi feigned composure, her eyes hazy, her cheeks flushed pink. She slightly turned her head and took a sip of wine.

Xu Fengnian chuckled softly, "Why is Sister Xiyi shy? This, like a man's natural overflow, is a normal human experience. It also shows that Sister Xiyi maintains her purity..."

Sister Xiyi's eyes were seductive as silk threads. She said, feigning anger, "Are you still talking about that?!"

Xu Fengnian suppressed his laughter and, with understanding, changed the topic. He asked, "When I stayed in town, I chatted with the innkeeper, Manager Sun, about the Four Eccentrics of Feihu City. I heard about a peculiar man who sold swords, painted, and slept in brothels. Does Sister Xiyi know him?"

She hesitated, then laughed self-deprecatingly, "I do know him. I even asked him to paint my portrait once. Of course, I remember that swordsman. But he painted no less than a hundred portraits in those years; he probably doesn't remember me."

Xu Fengnian frowned, "How could such an extraordinary and interesting person just disappear?"

Sister Xiyi used her wine cup to cool her flushed cheeks, her eyes filled with a faint resentment. She sighed, "Ah, him. I did hear some news. All his romantic flair dissipated, and he became a scruffy man with a full beard. He couldn't sell his paintings anymore, but he still had to live, so it seems he went to the City Governor's mansion to be a sword master. Young Master Tantai's swordsmanship was likely taught by him. I suppose he isn't living shabbily, but he's no longer the 'brothel's top scholar' in the hearts of us courtesans. That romantic fellow who used to recline high on top of the Wind and Wave Pavilion is dead."

Xu Fengnian smiled, "Did Sister Xiyi like this romantic 'top scholar'?"

Sister Xiyi smiled, shaking her head gently. "I merely admired his romantic and passionate nature back then. I don't like men destined for loneliness like that. Romantic charm can't feed you, after all."

Xu Fengnian reverted to his old ways, remarking caustically, "You want both romantic charm and stability. Ultimately, you prefer romantic charm that can earn money, and perhaps an ability that brings more 'satisfaction' than that *ruyi*."

Sister Xiyi paused, then charmingly burst into laughter, holding her stomach. "And what about you, Young Master?"

Xu Fengnian replied with a calm expression, "Quite remarkable."

Sister Xiyi looked incredulous.

Xu Fengnian asked, "More *ruyi* than your *ruyi*. Sister Xiyi, tell me, are you happy, are you *ruyi*?"

She spat lightly, playfully cursing, "Little hooligan."

Xu Fengnian corrected her, "Wrong. I'm a big hooligan."