Chapter 22: Femme Fatale Mu Xiaoyun

Chapter 22: Mu Xiaoyun, the Viper Beauty

Soon, the song concluded.

Li Yue glanced at the audience, rose, and bowed, saying, "Miss Li Yue thanks everyone for gracing us with your presence tonight."

Her voice was clear and melodious, carrying a hint of charm.

"Miss Li Yue, you are too kind."

"Yes, truly too kind."

Everyone courteously raised their cups in response.

Even though their hearts were itching with desire, they maintained the respectable demeanor of a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Excellent! Truly excellent! To be able to hear Miss Li Yue's 'Moon over the Mountain Pass' is truly our honor, a fortunate event in this life!"

Just then, a loud shout echoed through the pleasure boat.

The speaker was none other than Zhou Xianming.

At this moment, Zhou Xianming's face was flushed with excitement, and his expression was impassioned.

Isn't that a bit of an overreaction?

An Jing was startled by the sudden loud shout, nearly dropping his cup. If one knew, they'd realize he was cheering for a courtesan; if they didn't, they'd think he had just become the Number One Scholar.

Li Yue covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "Young Master Zhou truly overpraises me. This humble girl is unworthy and feels deeply ashamed. Thank you, Young Master Zhou, for your continued support. If you have time, please allow this humble girl to treat Young Master Zhou to a small drink as a token of my gratitude."

Every gesture, every smile, stirred the heart.

Zhou Xianming's heart thumped wildly, beyond his control.

"Brother Zhou, she's gone."

After a long while, An Jing patted Zhou Xianming's shoulder.

"Dr. An."

Zhou Xianming came back to his senses and excitedly said, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Among so many people, Miss Li Yue only spoke to me. Didn't you hear?"

"I heard."

An Jing glanced at Zhou Xianming.

What a simp.

He felt he shouldn't have trusted this unknown Opportunity, but he had already spent two taels of silver. If he didn't continue to wait, he would be unwilling.

"Her words definitely have deep meaning, absolutely."

Zhou Xianming clenched his fists.

"Don't overthink it," An Jing sighed. "This won't end well."

"Think about it, why didn't she say it to others? Why only to me?" Zhou Xianming said with a serious expression.

"This…"

An Jing was speechless. At that moment, your voice was the loudest, and what you shouted was the most bizarre! What did she see in you? A poor, ugly man in his thirties?

Of course, such words could not be spoken aloud.

"Her words are hinting at me."

Zhou Xianming suddenly slammed the table, realizing.

"What is she hinting at?"

"Love until death, always fraught with difficulties, not tolerated by the world. Her heart must also be filled with sorrow, unable to directly express her feelings to me."

"You're really overthinking it, Mr. Zhou."

"How much silver does it cost to redeem a courtesan?" Zhou Xianming hadn't listened to An Jing's words at all. His mind was now filled with what Li Yue had just said to him.

He felt that Li Yue's words were directed at him.

"You want to use a public resource for personal gain?" An Jing said in surprise.

Indeed, the old saying is true: love makes one lose their head. But Zhou Xianming's head was rushing too fiercely; it looked like his blood vessels had burst.

Even a courtesan, no matter how skilled, had a very low status. Zhou Xianming seemed to be a Xiucai or a Juren, which meant he had official status, and his position in the Great Yan Dynasty was not low.

History books or miscellaneous notes often contained stories of scholars and courtesans falling in love, but when it actually happened, it was often a bit melodramatic and difficult for people to accept.

"What public resource for personal gain?" Zhou Xianming glared angrily, looking as if he would flip the table if An Jing said another word.

"Redeeming a courtesan is very expensive. That Li Yue is a courtesan queen; this entire pleasure boat relies on her. It would cost at least several hundred guan of money."

An Jing shook his head. You're a pauper; forget about it. Even if you redeemed her, you wouldn't have the money to support her.

"Brother An, talking about money is too vulgar. Besides, these are small sums."

Zhou Xianming shook his head, "True feelings are priceless."

"Alright."

An Jing also didn't want to argue with Zhou Xianming about these useless things.

"Continue for another round; I'll pay you back when I have money." Zhou Xianming poured himself a cup of wine.

A person who couldn't even produce one guan of money was righteously claiming that several hundred guan was a small sum.

An Jing took out one tael of silver and threw it to the nearby maid, then walked out to get some fresh air.

Night fell, and moonlight poured down for a thousand li, reflecting on the river.

Pleasure boats were like weaving shuttles, flowing ceaselessly, bustling with activity.

"Hint Three: The unknown Opportunity has been unlocked. There is a green Opportunity on the pleasure boat. Obtaining this Opportunity can improve your root bone."

"Hmm? Improve root bone!?"

An Jing's heart trembled when he heard this.

He knew that his ability to reach First Rank cultivation in such a short time was largely due to his root bone being that of a 'Heaven-Gifted Genius.' If such a root bone was not bad, the future would generally be that of a Sect Leader of a top-tier sect.

Such a root bone was already rare in this world, a first-class existence.

Now, there was even an Opportunity that could improve his root bone.

This was simply a heaven-sent Opportunity!

An Jing's heart sank, and he looked around. The Earth Scroll sensed a seemingly unremarkable pleasure boat.

An Jing returned to the pleasure boat and found Man Yue.

"Here are five taels of silver. Please arrange a room for me."

"Yes, Young Master. I'll go now." Man Yue's heart brightened, and she quickly agreed.

The boat swayed, flowing with the wind.

Inside the pleasure boat, there was only one table, a pot of tea, four cups, and a few prayer mats, very simple.

Sitting by the table was a black-clad middle-aged Daoist priest with a slightly solemn expression. If An Jing were there, he would definitely recognize the person before him as Jiang Sanjia, the Divine Calculator.

Across from him was a beautiful mature woman, and An Jing had even met this mature woman before.

The beautiful mature woman chuckled softly, "It's been decades since we last parted, hasn't it? The last time we met was in the Peach Blossom Garden in Yujing City. Back then, your temples weren't so gray."

"It's better not to meet." Compared to the beautiful mature woman's enthusiasm, Jiang Sanjia was very cold.

"Your words truly sadden me." The beautiful mature woman looked pitiful. "You weren't like this back then. For my sister, you were very passionate towards me. Have you forgotten…"

"Shut up!"

Jiang Sanjia frowned and coldly snapped, "Mu Xiaoyun, tell me what you really want."

Mu Xiaoyun, these three words were like thunder in the Jianghu, famous and renowned.

Mu Xiaoyun was from the Mu Family of Jiangnan Province. When she was active in the Jianghu, she was a famous beauty. Countless young knights and Jianghu wanderers pursued her, falling at her feet. Later, she married Liu Qingshan, the Sect Leader of the Cao Gang, and helped him manage the Cao Gang. Because of her ruthless and sinister methods, she was known as the Viper Beauty.

Mu Xiaoyun was famous, and her younger sister was even more famous, being the current imperial concubine of Great Yan.

The Mu Family itself was the helmsman of the Jiangnan merchants, and coupled with their status as imperial relatives, their prestige in Jiangnan Province was even more soaring, unparalleled for a time.

Jiang Sanjia and Mu Xiaoyun's sister had a romantic relationship back then, and their story was also a beautiful one. One was a descendant of Guigu, a new court noble, and the other was a peerless beauty from a prestigious family. They seemed perfectly matched.

But the final outcome was that Mu Xiaoyun's sister became the imperial concubine, and Jiang Sanjia resigned from his official post and retired to the Jianghu.

Is a ghost watching?