What in the world? Are you people at Hua Man Lou planning an adventure in a haunted house?" Ye Jingyu smiled faintly, his tone laced with teasing...
"Haunted house exploration?" Yao Yao paused, clearly unfamiliar with this novel term...
"Hehe, it’s just a rather stimulating game. What exactly is going on outside that’s causing such panic?" Ye Jingyu shook his head, choosing not to explain further...
"I am not entirely clear either. Please allow Yao Yao to go and see..." Doubt flickered in Yao Yao's eyes, unsure if it was due to the shrieks outside or Ye Jingyu’s string of baffling phrases...
"Let’s go take a look together..." Ye Jingyu offered a slight smile and was the first to rise, heading toward the door...
Yao Yao quickly set aside her pipa and followed Ye Jingyu to the entrance. As they stepped out of the room, they saw a crowd gathered below—guests and the courtesans of the brothel alike—all staring in terror at a pair standing amidst them: a man and a woman...
One particularly portly man, built much like a pig, had been so frightened that he sat stunned on the floor, as if he had witnessed the most horrifying sight imaginable...
Yao Yao felt a wave of confusion. From their vantage point, they could see the couple: the man was handsome and dashing, though his skin was rather pale; the woman, however, wore a wide-brimmed hat that obscured her face completely from above. What was so astonishing about such a pair?
But when Ye Jingyu saw them, a faint smile touched his lips, and he took a step toward the bottom of the stairs...
"A ghost..." the fat man on the floor cried out, instinctively scrambling backward...
"You... who are you? Quickly... leave quickly..." The madam of Hua Man Lou also stood at the front of the crowd. She dared not look at the woman, fixing her gaze only on the man, speaking with great trepidation...
"We are here to lodge. We only require a place to rest..." The man spoke coldly, his icy gaze fixed on the fat man on the ground. If the woman's withered hand hadn't gripped him so tightly, he might have already struck the fallen man...
"This is a courtesan house, not a..."
"Not what? Madam, do courtesan houses not arrange accommodations for guests?" The madam was about to protest that they weren't an inn, but she was interrupted by a clear, crisp voice...
Turning, she saw Ye Jingyu strolling over leisurely, a faint smile gracing his face. The madam’s expression immediately soured into one of bitter resignation. Had it been anyone else speaking that way, she would have retorted immediately. But who was standing before her? This was the man who could make the mighty Marquis Wei turn tail; how could she possibly dare provoke him?
"My Young Master Ye, it’s not that this servant refuses to give them rooms, it’s just that..." The madam, looking aggrieved, tried to explain to Ye Jingyu, only to be cut off by his next words...
"Brother Nangong, long time no see. I trust you are well..." Ye Jingyu ignored the madam’s look of distress and offered a cupped-fist salute directly to the man...
This man was none other than Nangong Shang, the devoted lover they had encountered that day in the Hundred Burials Valley, and the woman beside him was naturally Yi Ruoshui, afflicted by the corpse poison.
Seeing the veil she had casually dropped, Ye Jingyu vaguely guessed that the fat man below, likely drunk, had seen a beautiful woman enter, tried to lift her veil, and was nearly scared to death...
"You are here too..." Nangong Shang was surprised to run into an acquaintance here and returned the cupped-fist salute to Ye Jingyu. Yi Ruoshui beside him bowed slightly as well, acknowledging Ye Jingyu...
"Hehe, Madam, prepare another table of fine food and wine for me. I must properly entertain our guests..." Ye Jingyu laughed heartily, disregarded the fearful gazes of the surrounding people, and spoke directly to the madam...
Faced with Ye Jingyu's demand, the madam dared not utter a single complaint, swallowing her final protest and hurrying off to make preparations. As for the onlookers, once Ye Jingyu intervened, they were dispersed by the bouncers of Hua Man Lou...
Moments later...
In the most luxurious private room at Hua Man Lou—the very same one initially reserved by Xiao Geng—a lavish feast was newly spread. Two men and two women were seated around the table. Both men were handsome and dashing; one was rather cool and refined, the other handsome with a hint of delicate beauty. Of the women, one was enchanting and voluptuous, strikingly beautiful, while the other was deathly pale and gaunt, utterly terrifying, creating a stark disharmony with the setting...
However, neither Ye Jingyu nor Yao Yao found anything amiss. Ye Jingyu had long been aware of Yi Ruoshui's condition, and Yao Yao, after a brief shock, quickly calmed herself, not even showing a trace of revulsion on her face...
"Nangong, if you needed lodging, you should have gone to an inn. Why did you come to a courtesan house?" With the outsiders gone and only Yao Yao keeping them company, Ye Jingyu spoke casually...
"All the others were closed; only this one was still open..." Nangong Shang stated flatly, his face showing little joy...
"That’s true. It’s already the third watch; those inns would certainly be shut. But I’m curious, how did you manage to enter the city so late?" Ye Jingyu nodded, realizing that while the inns might be closed, they would open their doors for paying guests. He assumed Yi Ruoshui feared her appearance would frighten an innkeeper or attendant, hence their arrival at the brightly lit Hua Man Lou...
Nangong Shang shot Ye Jingyu a brief, sharp glance and said no more, instead using his chopsticks to pick up a piece of beef and place it in Yi Ruoshui’s bowl, his eyes full of deep concern...
Ye Jingyu shook his head, realizing the question was moot. For a Grandmaster-level expert, a city wall several zhang high was hardly an obstacle...
Meanwhile, Yao Yao noticed that from the moment Nangong Shang entered, he hadn't spared her a single glance; all his attention was fixed on the woman beside him, clad in white but exceedingly hideous.
For the first time, her confidence in her own beauty wavered...
"Now that you’ve arrived in Yunjing, where are you heading?" Ye Jingyu inquired as he ate...
Frankly, he was intensely curious about the provenance of this couple...
"We are here searching for medicine..." Nangong Shang replied succinctly...
"Searching for medicine? What kind?" Ye Jingyu was momentarily taken aback. He knew Nangong Shang had been traveling constantly to find a cure for Yi Ruoshui’s corpse poison. Now that the poison was resolved, he must be looking for herbs to restore her appearance. But why come to Yunjing instead of searching in the deep mountains?