Chapter 87: The Red-Clad Woman Crossing the River
“This place is more luxurious than I imagined.”
Hua Shuya silently marveled.
She picked up her chopsticks, about to grab a pink pastry, but her movement suddenly stopped. A scene flashed through her mind: Mao Ruoyu feeding Lin Tianlu at the Ascension Immortal Restaurant.
Usually, she wouldn’t have such distracting thoughts during meals, but now her mind was filled with fantasies, and a soft voice seemed to be urging her in her ear. Thinking of the warm and harmonious scene of the two feeding each other, a surge of impulsiveness welled up in the girl’s heart.
She wanted to try it too.
She wanted to be closer to Senior, just like Madam Mao.
With that thought, the girl’s face flushed red as she picked up the pastry and slowly held it out, stammering, “Se-Senior, um… do you want me to help you eat, no-no! I mean, feed you…”
“Huh?”
The meatball Lin Tianlu was holding with his chopsticks froze in mid-air, his face full of astonishment. “Miss Hua, what are you—”
Hua Shuya’s face was already crimson, her body trembling slightly with shyness.
Seeing her flustered and speechless, Lin Tianlu immediately understood. He leaned forward and took a bite of the pastry, smiling and giving her a thumbs up. “This shop’s desserts are really good.”
“…”
Only then did Hua Shuya relax, the blush on her face still lingering, but a satisfied smile appeared on her lips.
“Senior is always so considerate.”
Lin Tianlu said with a wry smile, “With Miss Hua’s enthusiasm, how could I ignore it?”
“…Le-Let’s eat the dishes first.”
Hua Shuya coughed lightly, quickly averting her gaze, and pretended to be calm. “These hot dishes won’t taste good if they get cold.”
She was afraid that if she said a few more words, she would really be so embarrassed that she would be red all over, and then she wouldn’t be able to face anyone.
Moreover, the conflict between her aloof and ethereal sword intent and the unspoken passion in her heart was really troubling her.
But as she continued to eat the dishes, she found them even more delicious and flavorful.
With her heart filled with joy, even the dance performance, which she hadn’t been interested in before, suddenly became more appealing. She couldn’t help but observe the dancers’ steps and gestures, silently memorizing them in her heart.
…
A short while later, the music and dance were still beautiful and captivating, and most of the dishes had been served.
But at that moment, both Lin Tianlu and Hua Shuya stopped eating.
A faint fluctuation of Yin energy suddenly brushed past their faces along with the river breeze.
Although it was deliberately concealed, it couldn’t escape their keen senses.
“Is there a ghost haunting this Yan Hong Fang?”
A cool river breeze blew gently, stirring the red silk curtains hanging around them. The faint sounds of laughter and chatter completely disappeared, and the surroundings became silent.
The originally faint music became clearer, but the figures of the dancing girls in the distance gradually disappeared…
No, they didn’t disappear.
Instead, they flickered with surprising speed, appearing behind the red silk curtains separating the private rooms. Their dance moves remained the same, but they seemed more ghostly, as if they were performing an extraordinary magic show, appearing and disappearing, accompanied by a faint, pleasant fragrance.
“Senior, what is this…”
“It seems to be a fusion of Yin techniques and dance.” Lin Tianlu took a sip of wine and smiled faintly. “But don’t worry, this Yin technique doesn’t harbor any killing intent. On the contrary, it seems to be trying to soothe our emotions.”
The fragrance was calming and refreshing, the music was gentle and soothing, perfectly complementing the atmosphere, demonstrating a high level of skill. However, compared to the Yin technique Ren Yinshan had used not long ago, this riverside dance lacked a bit of spiritual depth and artistic conception.
Hua Shuya nodded thoughtfully, seemingly enjoying the performance.
But…
Her brows soon furrowed.
She saw several dancing girls quietly undressing, gently swaying their silk robes. Although their faces were hidden behind the red silk curtains, their figures were still graceful and alluring under the candlelight.
Especially as the red silk curtains swayed in the wind, she could even vaguely see the dancers’ fair skin, their smooth and white limbs particularly eye-catching, adding a touch of sensuality to the originally gentle and soft music and dance.
Lin Tianlu’s chopsticks froze in mid-air.
Then, he chuckled awkwardly and exchanged glances with the girl. “Did we… come to the wrong place?”
So this Yan Hong Fang wasn’t just a place for drinking and enjoying the scenery, but… a brothel of a different kind?
“Ahem! Miss Hua, why don’t we leave first…”
“Senior, don’t worry.”
But Hua Shuya shook her head gently. “I don’t mind this. If Senior likes it, you can continue watching.”
Although she felt a bit resistant to the seductive gestures of these women, she thought that Senior, as a hot-blooded man, also needed to relieve his worries, and seeing this kind of scene wouldn’t be unacceptable.
The girl’s unexpected understanding made Lin Tianlu feel a bit embarrassed.
This silly girl, why was she so oblivious in this regard?
Just then, several red silk ribbons suddenly flew in from the river, darting into the private room and rapidly swirling around.
Hua Shuya’s eyes turned sharp, her sword intent silently condensing.
Although she didn’t have a sword in her hand, she had a sword in her heart. Using her sword intent to control the Heart and Mind Sword, its power was even greater than before, and it was even more effective against these evil spirits.
If these ghosts dared to act recklessly…
But as the red silk ribbons gradually fell, a beautiful woman in a red dress with long black hair appeared, holding no weapon in her hand, but gracefully bowing. “I didn’t know that you two esteemed guests would grace us with your presence. I hope you enjoyed the short dance performance.”
“Who are you?”
The woman in red smiled faintly. “I am the owner of this Yan Hong Fang.”
“You—” Hua Shuya’s face turned cold. “You’re not alive.”
“That’s right.”
But the woman in red didn’t try to hide her identity. She nodded frankly. “I died from a serious injury when I was young. By chance, I was reborn as a ghost. After cultivating for a few years, I borrowed some money and founded this Yan Hong Fang. Please forgive me.”
Lin Tianlu was curious. “Why would you tell us this?”
“I overheard some news from He’an Village this afternoon, about a couple of immortals with great power. Then my servants saw that you two had extraordinary auras, so I wanted to come and meet you.”
“Aren’t you worried that we might clash?”
“Of course I’m worried, but I can also see that you two are not the type to kill indiscriminately without reason.”
The woman in red smiled gently. “I came to visit with good intentions, hoping to have a good conversation. Besides, this is my hard-earned business, and I have nowhere to escape. So I might as well come out and meet you two openly, hoping to make a good impression.”
It seemed that she was quite a clever ghost.
Lin Tianlu narrowed his eyes slightly, but he quickly smiled warmly and raised his glass. “In that case, we should thank you for your hospitality.”
“I’m glad you like it, Sir.” The woman in red said softly. “But may I ask why you two have come to Nanfeng County?”
“We just happened to be passing through and will be leaving again tomorrow.”
“That’s a pity. There are many beautiful sights in Nanfeng County that are worth seeing.”
The woman in red covered her lips with a chuckle. “If you two ever come to Nanfeng County again, please come to Yan Hong Fang. I will personally show you around.”
Her words were gentle and friendly. It seemed that this ghost was indeed very tactful and knew how to make friends.
And Lin Tianlu didn’t see any bloodlust or killing intent in her, which meant she was harmless.
“Miss, I have a question to ask.”
“Please speak, Sir.”
“Do you know ‘Luo Xing’?”
“…”
The polite smile on the woman in red’s face suddenly froze, and she clenched her hands tightly. “Why do you know about Luo Xing, Sir?”
Lin Tianlu said calmly, “I’ve had dealings with Luo Xing before. I’m just curious if there is a Luo Xing presence in Nanfeng County.”
The woman in red remained silent for a while, seemingly lost in thought.
After a moment, she said with a hint of melancholy, “I am a member of Luo Xing.
The reason I was able to come back to life after death was because a female ghost from Luo Xing saved me. She has been very kind to me. And now, this vast Nanfeng County is basically under my jurisdiction.”
This woman was actually the local leader of Luo Xing?
Lin Tianlu was quite surprised.
“May I ask how you manage Nanfeng County?”
The woman in red shook her head with a wry smile. “There’s no real management. I just use the name of Luo Xing to drive away any evil ghosts that come from outside and collect a little bit of human essence regularly to replenish my body. I was saved by that female ghost, so I always remember her teachings. We don’t seek to become all-powerful, we just want to live peacefully in Nanfeng County.”
***
Yan Hong Fang = Yan Red Quarter, Crimson Pavilion, etc.
Yan (艳): This character means “bright”, “beautiful”, “gorgeous”, or even “seductive”.
Hong (红): This character simply means “red”.
Fang (坊): This character can mean “workshop”, “quarter”, or “district”. In this case, it likely refers to a specific area or establishment.
I’ll use Yan Hong Fang.
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