“Commander Teng, this is my junior sister, Wen Xiao,” Gu Shiyou said. The girl in purple, whose eyebrows were rather thick, possessed a heroic air about her. She examined Teng Qingshan closely and smiled faintly. “Wen Xiao greets Commander Teng. It is a shame I didn't accompany my senior brother to Flame Mountain last time, otherwise, I could have witnessed the might of Commander Teng’s ‘Flame Spear.’”
Teng Qingshan paused, momentarily taken aback.
“Flame Spear?” Teng Qingshan laughed. “Miss Wen, what is this ‘Flame Spear’ all about?”
Wen Xiao appeared surprised. “Commander Teng doesn't know? The latest edition of the Earth Ranking described your spear technique as being as savage and fierce as fire. Furthermore, you gained your fame at Flame Mountain, and many across the Nine Provinces refer to you as the ‘Flame Spear.’ The Earth Ranking even noted this description.”
Teng Qingshan felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
‘Flame Spear’ Teng Qingshan?
Indeed, the world’s top experts usually had epithets—like ‘Blood Moon Blade’ Meng Tian, ‘Thunder God Blade’ Wu Yue, or ‘Life-and-Death Blade’ Du Jiu. Most titles hinted at some aspect of the person. ‘Flame Spear’ clearly indicated that Teng Qingshan used a spear, and that his spear work was ferocious and unrestrained.
“Commander Teng, what? You truly haven’t heard?” Gu Shiyou asked, astonished.
“I have been away these past few days and haven't returned to the Yuan Sect yet; I am indeed unaware,” Teng Qingshan replied.
“I see,” Gu Shiyou nodded.
Just then, a silver-haired, portly old man from nearby approached them, his eyes narrowed in a smile, hurrying over. Upon arrival, he gave a slight bow and chuckled, “The Young Island Master honors us with his presence without prior notice, failing to give this old man time to prepare properly... What would the Young Island Master care to eat? Please command me.”
Gu Shiyou glanced at the silver-haired elder. “Oh, Boss Yuwen. Tell me, of the ten beauties gracing this flower boat this year, how many are yours?”
The silver-haired elder kept smiling. “Seven! The one just stepping out now, named ‘Dream Cuckoo,’ is the finest girl under my management. In musical aptitude, she is second to none in the entire Wu'an Commandery City, and—she is still a virgin, mind you. Perhaps, Young Island Master, you…”
“You may withdraw for now,” Gu Shiyou’s face darkened.
The silver-haired elder glanced at the girl in purple robes before promptly backing away.
“Senior Brother, that Miss Meng Cuckoo upstairs is quite a beauty,” the girl in purple remarked.
“Junior Sister, don't joke with your senior brother,” Gu Shiyou replied with a smile.
Suddenly—
The surrounding crowd of nearly a thousand people erupted in a roar of applause like a tidal wave. Every eye was fixed on the seemingly delicate girl in white standing on the deck of the flower boat. This girl held a jiaoye-style seven-stringed zither. After a slight curtsey, she sat down and placed the instrument on the table before her.
Then, she sliced incense chips and lit the censer.
The white-robed girl closed her eyes to center herself for a moment before touching the strings.
“Clang!” A crisp sound resonated directly into the soul. Instantly, the entire area fell silent.
“Hmm?” Teng Qingshan turned his head in surprise.
As that sound struck, Teng Qingshan’s heart involuntarily fluttered, and his scalp tingled. He then set down his wine cup and listened intently to the music. The melody flowed in waves, brisk and clear, like a nightingale’s song, piercing the listener’s heart and instantly uplifting the mood.
After an indeterminate time.
With a final, lingering pluck that echoed across the lake, the piece concluded.
“Such supreme musical skill,” Teng Qingshan gazed at the frail girl in white. He simply could not fathom how a master capable of producing such ethereal, joyful music—music that could even affect his state of mind—could be a courtesan.
“Everyone has witnessed Miss Meng Cuckoo’s skill. Now, you may purchase flowers to present to Miss Meng Cuckoo. A white flower costs one hundred taels of silver, a yellow one costs one thousand taels, and a red one costs ten thousand taels!” a voluptuous woman in red chuckled. “Of the ten beauties, whoever accumulates the most money from flowers becomes the Courtesan Queen! Moreover, among those who present flowers to the Queen, the one who spends the most will have the chance to spend a night alone with her. Even those ranking second or third will have an opportunity for a private audience.”
As she spoke, two young maids carried flower baskets from the boat ashore.
“Master Li, eight hundred taels of silver!”
“Master Wang, one thousand taels of silver!”
“Lord Lan, one thousand five hundred taels of silver!”
...Wealthy men spent fortunes on the beauties they favored.
“Courtesan Queen?” The girl in purple, ‘Wen Xiao,’ sighed. “So, whoever gathers the most silver becomes the Queen. Alas... her musical talent is the finest I have ever encountered since childhood. Pity she still has to sleep with disgusting men.”
At that moment—
“My master wishes to buy out the contract of Miss Meng Cuckoo!” a deep, powerful voice rang out.
Instantly, the thousands gathered fell silent, all eyes fixed on the speaker. It was a tall, powerfully built, dark-skinned brute, standing as immovable as a stone statue.
“Buy out her contract? Can your master afford it?” someone sneered.
“Miss Meng Cuckoo is very likely to become the Queen this time; that will fetch an astronomical price,” ordinary people and merchants alike watched the spectacle, anticipating the drama.
For a woman of such supreme caliber, one bordering on ‘Courtesan Queen,’ even a single night would cost several thousand taels of silver. Such women were veritable money trees in a brothel, its pillars! As long as the Queen remained, the establishment’s status rose.
“Tell your boss to name his price,” the dark-skinned brute commanded.
The silver-haired elder ascended to the deck of the flower boat and announced loudly, “Buying out the contract is not impossible! However, Miss Meng Cuckoo is one in ten thousand; we invested a great deal to cultivate her. If your master truly wishes to purchase her freedom, the fixed price is ten thousand taels of gold!”
“Ten thousand taels of gold?”
Most of the thousands present were stunned into silence. Ten thousand taels of gold equaled one million taels of silver! This was an astronomical figure. Anyone possessing a hundred thousand taels of silver was considered wealthy; a millionaire in silver was a grand merchant. The price for a top courtesan was equivalent to the entire fortune of a major merchant!
It was terrifying! Although a Courtesan Queen might charge several thousand taels of silver for a single night, her availability was limited to maintain her mystique. Her earning power was greatest only when she was young. Once older, her value diminished. Over her entire career, a Courtesan Queen might earn close to ten thousand taels of gold, provided she had the right patrons.
“Ten thousand taels of gold,” the girl in purple gasped. “That’s a thousand catties of gold—enough to forge a solid gold statue!”
A sky-high price!
The dark-skinned brute turned, conferred briefly in a low voice, then stood up and announced loudly, “Ten thousand taels of gold! My master agrees to the price!”
“Whoosh!”
The nearly thousand people around were dumbfounded. Those crowded on the periphery, unqualified to even sit, couldn't pool that amount together. Few people present could genuinely afford such a figure.
“Ah,” the silver-haired elder stammered, momentarily stunned, before recovering. “Th-this Lord, Meng Cuckoo’s deed of indenture is not here. Would you please wait a moment? I will retrieve it immediately.” He had never imagined that during the selection of the Courtesan Queen, someone would demand to buy out a contract.
“If you go back, just tear up the deed,” a gentle voice commanded. “Iron Tower, give them the gold notes. Bring Miss Meng Cuckoo over.”
“Yes, Master,” the brute, Iron Tower, leaped, covering several zhang in a single bound, landing directly on the boat.
“Miss Meng Cuckoo, please,” Iron Tower handed the gold notes to the silver-haired elder.
The elder inspected the stack of gold notes—ten in total, each worth one thousand taels of gold. The glittering characters made his heart surge.
“I am to return and tear up the deed?” The silver-haired man was skeptical. If he refused to tear it up, he could use the government authorities to reclaim Meng Cuckoo.
“No one dares embezzle my Master’s gold notes,” Iron Tower warned, casting a glance at the elder. The elder shivered internally. A man capable of spending ten thousand taels of gold merely to purchase a woman—this was a figure he truly could not afford to offend.
Meng Cuckoo, clutching her jiaoye-style zither, descended from the flower boat with the dark-skinned brute.
“Master,” Meng Cuckoo approached and bowed.
The Master finally rose. He was a slightly plump, fair-skinned man dressed in purple robes. Judging by his features, he must have been handsome in his youth. The stout man nodded. “From this day forward, you belong to me!”
“Yes, Master,” though Meng Cuckoo maintained her composure, a flicker of joy crossed her eyes. After all, even a Courtesan Queen was destined to be desired by countless men; to be bought out now brought her relief.
“I don’t recognize this man?” Gu Shiyou looked at the middle-aged man in purple robes, astonished. “Anyone capable of such generosity must be a major magnate. I know almost every grand merchant in Yangzhou. Commander Teng, do you recognize this extravagantly wealthy merchant?”
“No,” Teng Qingshan replied, taking a drink.
Just then, the purple-robed man turned his gaze toward Teng Qingshan’s table. “My luck is quite good today. I encounter Teng Qingshan, first on the Crouching Dragon Ranking, and Gu Shiyou, second on the Crouching Dragon Ranking.”
“First on the Crouching Dragon Ranking?” Teng Qingshan immediately understood. Being ranked forty-sixth on the Earth Ranking meant he was certainly listed on the Crouching Dragon Ranking, but he hadn't expected to be number one, placing him ahead of Gu Shiyou.
Gu Shiyou’s expression subtly darkened.
“Pei San, I don’t recall hearing your name in Yangzhou,” Gu Shiyou said, narrowing his eyes.
The purple-robed man chuckled. “That is merely due to your ignorance.”
Gu Shiyou’s anger began to rise. In Yangzhou, who dared to show disrespect to him, the Young Island Master?
The purple-robed man glanced at Teng Qingshan a few more times. “Seventeen years old, first on the Crouching Dragon Ranking, forty-sixth on the Earth Ranking! Not bad, very good! The younger generation of the Guiyuan Sect is indeed stronger than that of Green Lake Island.” At this remark, Gu Shiyou grew even more incensed. The purple-robed man immediately commanded, “Iron Tower!”
The dark-skinned brute knew exactly what his master intended. He immediately stepped forward and boomed, “Teng Qingshan! I have heard your spear technique is formidable. I have come to seek instruction!”