Chapter 103: All of Them
The Demon Lord was furious. This body double was a pain, a constant thorn in her side. If it weren’t for Luo Nianshang’s presence, she would have smashed the pipa over Cai Lian’s head.
Luo Nianshang patted Cai Lian’s back, but she didn’t leave. Instead, she tossed a bag of gold to the madam, who was watching from the side.
“This one is mine now,” she said, her voice cold and authoritative, silencing the noisy patrons.
They turned to stare at the woman standing before the stage, a child in her arms. A woman in a brothel was an unusual sight, especially one accompanied by a child.
They should have stood out.
But that no longer mattered. Those who had been eyeing them with lustful gazes suddenly found themselves unable to speak or move.
They stared at Luo Nianshang and Cai Lian, their eyes wide with terror, realizing they were the source of this strange paralysis.
The madam, opening the bag, her eyes gleaming at the sight of the gold, a wide smile spreading across her face, approached Luo Nianshang, her voice filled with a sycophantic cheerfulness.
“It is Yao Yue’s great fortune to be favored by such a distinguished guest,” she said, her smile so wide that the powder on her face threatened to crack. “But this girl is a bit stubborn. Perhaps I could find you a more agreeable companion?”
The Demon Lord’s hopes, which had momentarily soared, plummeted. “I’m willing to serve you, miss,” she said quickly, her gaze fixed on Luo Nianshang. “Please take me with you.”
Luo Nianshang nodded, then turned to the madam. “Do you have any other girls?” she asked.
A loud twang echoed through the room, and they all turned to see Yao Yue, her expression apologetic. “My hand slipped,” she said.
Cai Lian, watching Yao Yue’s barely suppressed fury, her heart filled with a malicious glee, wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t speak. Otherwise, her laughter would have been louder than the pipa string’s twang.
The Demon Lord, ignoring Cai Lian’s amusement, was still reeling from Luo Nianshang’s words.
What did she mean by “other girls”? How many girls did she want?
Her jealousy intensified, her heart twisting with a bitter resentment. She couldn’t believe the righteous and uptight Luo Nianshang was actually soliciting prostitutes.
The madam, however, seemed to share her assumption. She glanced at Luo Nianshang, her smile suggestive. “What kind of girl are you looking for, miss?” she asked, her voice a low purr. “We have all types: seductive, innocent, even talented and refined.”
“I’ll take them all,” Luo Nianshang said calmly.
Even Cai Lian was shocked. She stared at Luo Nianshang, her previous image of the Sword Saint shattering.
Perhaps she wasn’t cold and righteous. Perhaps she was simply repressed and… unusual?
“Well, that’s not bad,” Cai Lian thought. “She and that annoying, arrogant Demon Lord are a good match.”
Even the madam, who had seen it all, was stunned. This seemingly innocent young woman was clearly a connoisseur of pleasure.
But Luo Nianshang’s next words shocked her even further. “Bring out all the girls,” she said, her voice still calm and even.
The madam, her mind reeling, suddenly realized that this wasn’t an ordinary customer. She bowed even lower, her smile even wider, her voice filled with a sycophantic eagerness.
“Yes, miss,” she said, then she turned, waving her handkerchief. “Bring out all the girls!”
Luo Nianshang felt a burning gaze on her back and turned to see the woman on stage staring at her, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and disbelief.
But the expression vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Luo Nianshang, at her level of cultivation, didn’t care about the opinions of mortals. She dismissed it.
The Demon Lord, seeing Luo Nianshang’s indifferent expression, wanted to rip the strings from her pipa, but she restrained herself.
This was humiliating. Since becoming the Demon Lord, she had always done as she pleased. But for Luo Nianshang, she had repeatedly compromised, her pride wounded.
But this was different. If the deity she had worshipped as a child was this… depraved, how could she face it?
The girls soon gathered on the first floor.
The Demon Lord’s heart sank. She felt foolish, but she still couldn’t believe that the woman who had promised to take responsibility for her was this… unrestrained.
Luo Nianshang, sensing something, turned towards the Demon Lord, her gaze softening as she saw the despair and loneliness in the Demon Lord’s eyes.
She was trying to appear strong, her smile strained, her gaze unwavering, as if she were waiting for an answer, a confirmation of her worst fears.
Luo Nianshang’s heart ached, and she felt a strange tightness in her chest, her breath catching in her throat. She didn’t understand these emotions. She glanced at the Demon Lord, her brow furrowed with confusion.
Then she turned away, approaching the nearest girl.
The Demon Lord, watching her, her heart sinking, her shoulders slumping, felt a surge of despair. She lowered her head, hiding her tears, a self-deprecating laugh escaping her lips.
She was the Demon Lord. She wanted to fight Luo Nianshang, to unleash her fury, but she restrained herself. She still couldn’t believe it.
Luo Nianshang, oblivious to the Demon Lord’s turmoil, turned to the girl before her, her voice gentle. “Do you want to leave this place?”
The girl, stunned, then her eyes widening with hope, dropped to her knees, her head bowed. “Please, miss, take me with you,” she pleaded.
Luo Nianshang, realizing this would take too long, turned to the other girls, her voice carrying through the room. “If you want to leave, step forward.”
The Demon Lord, watching her, suddenly realized something was wrong. She stopped, her gaze fixed on Luo Nianshang’s back.
Half the girls stepped forward, their movements eager, their eyes filled with hope. The madam, however, panicked. She understood the difference between a single transaction and a steady stream of income.
But this woman was clearly wealthy and powerful. She couldn’t afford to offend her. She forced a smile, her voice a whiny plea. “If you take them all, miss, I’ll have to close down,” she said.
She then tried a different tactic. “And most of these girls have been abandoned,” she said. “At least here, they have a place to live, a way to earn a living. If they leave, they’ll have nowhere to go.”
The girls who had hesitated, their fears echoing the madam’s words, looked at each other, their uncertainty growing. What would they do if they left?
Luo Nianshang understood their concerns. Most of these girls didn’t possess the potential for cultivation. She couldn’t take them to the Ejian Sect. And she couldn’t constantly intervene in the mortal realm. Abandoning them seemed cruel.
But she had a solution. She retrieved several bags of gold from her sleeve, her voice calm. “I’ll buy the entire building,” she said.
The madam, staring at the mountain of gold, more than she could ever earn in her lifetime, was speechless. She didn’t even question how Luo Nianshang had managed to carry so much gold.
After confirming its authenticity, she rushed upstairs, returning with the deeds and other documents.
Luo Nianshang accepted them, then questioned the girls about their skills. Discovering that most of them were skilled weavers, she thought for a moment, then said, “This place will be renamed the Brocade House.”
She smiled. “If you find a better opportunity, you may leave.”
It was evening when they left. Luo Nianshang glanced back at the brothel, its sign removed, then turned, preparing to leave.
But footsteps behind her made her pause. She turned to see the woman who had been playing the pipa.
Remembering the woman’s gaze, she approached her, her voice gentle. “Do we know each other?” she asked.
The Demon Lord shook her head, her emotions a jumbled mess.
Her past experiences had convinced her that humanity was inherently evil, so she had assumed Luo Nianshang would also succumb to her desires.
But she had been wrong. It was her own trust that had been misplaced. She, Qiu Yingxi, was the flawed one.
She felt a surge of guilt, but also a sense of relief.
She had chosen the right person to love. And perhaps, after all she had endured, she simply wanted to believe in the existence of someone like Luo Nianshang.
Luo Nianshang, seeing the tears in the woman’s eyes, her heart aching, couldn’t bear to see her cry. She offered her a handkerchief, her voice soft. “Don’t cry.”
Those two simple words made the Demon Lord’s heart pound. She touched her cheek, surprised to find it wet. She was so easily moved to tears. It was pathetic.
She took the handkerchief, wiping her eyes, then offered it back to Luo Nianshang.
The white fabric was stained with tears. Luo Nianshang stared at it, a strange feeling of connection washing over her.
She looked at the woman, remembering her defiant gaze, her unwavering spirit, and she felt a surge of admiration.
She conjured a bell, offering it to the woman, her smile gentle, its warmth melting the Demon Lord’s defenses.
“Will you come with me?” she asked.
The Demon Lord, staring at her, her heart pounding, nodded.
Then she realized she had made a mistake. She had only wanted to use this disguise to keep an eye on Luo Nianshang, to lure her away from the brothel. She hadn’t intended to become her disciple.
And what was with this disciple bell?!
She was about to refuse when Luo Nianshang’s smile widened, her voice soft. “I feel a connection between us,” she said. “Perhaps it’s fate.”
“A connection,” “fate”…
Those two words were enough to silence the Demon Lord’s protests. “It’s just another disguise,” she thought. “I’m the Demon Lord. I can handle this.”
She accepted the bell, her voice filled with feigned gratitude. “Thank you, Master,” she said.
Luo Nianshang, finding her rather quick-witted, her smile widening, turned to Cai Lian. “This is your little sister,” she said. “Her name is Cai Lian.”
“Oh, right,” the Demon Lord thought. “I forgot about her.”
Cai Lian grinned, her eyes gleaming with a malicious glee, waiting for the Demon Lord’s reaction.
The Demon Lord glared at her, but under Luo Nianshang’s expectant gaze, she forced a smile. “Little Sister,” she said.
Luo Nianshang, pleased by this display of sisterly affection, but remembering that Cai Lian was still young and her cultivation low, said, “It’s getting late. We should go back.”
She turned to leave, then added, “Follow me.”
After taking a few steps, she realized she hadn’t asked for the woman’s name. She didn’t turn back. “My name is Luo Nianshang,” she said. “What’s yours?”
The Demon Lord’s grip tightened on the pipa. “Yao Yue,” she said.
Luo Nianshang glanced up at the moon, its light illuminating the night sky. “That’s a beautiful name,” she said.
“Thank you, Master.”
The name might have been beautiful, but the Demon Lord’s head throbbed. She had another name to remember.
She sighed silently, hoping this would be her last disguise.
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