Chapter 8: A Beauty in My Arms

The madam's face turned ashen, but fortunately, the rouge she had applied to her face was thick enough that it couldn't be seen. She struggled to maintain her composure, though she couldn't understand why this woman could walk naturally now, when she had clearly been drugged by her and shouldn't have been able to move until tomorrow.

Despite the confusion in her heart, now was not the time for her to daze off. The woman had already announced to everyone that she would perform a program; once such words were spoken, they were like spilled water—there was no taking them back.

"Don't you agree, Auntie?" Jiu Qing's eyes were smiling, her brows slightly raised, and the corners of her mouth formed a perfect arc as she waited for the madam's answer.

It seemed she had planned this long ago. This damn woman—she had actually underestimated her. She must have been waiting for this very opportunity. At this moment, the men below were already boiling with excitement; if she retracted those words, she would likely find it impossible to save face.

Thus, the madam could only manage a fake smile, gritting her teeth as she spoke, "Look at my memory! Our beauty has clearly prepared a program for everyone. Does our beauty wish to sing, or perhaps play the zither?"

"Dancing." As the two words left Jiu Qing's mouth, the madam's expression stiffened again. Singing and playing instruments were highly restrictive, but dancing was something that could not be controlled. What on earth was this girl plotting? Seeing the smile on her lips, the madam felt an even greater surge of displeasure.

"Very well, then the next time belongs to our beauty. You gentlemen must keep your eyes wide open and watch closely; our beauty rarely dances, you know." The madam prepared to leave with a face full of forced smiles. As she walked past Jiu Qing, she whispered coldly, "Girl, you'd better restrain yourself. If you mess this up, I'll skin you alive."

Jiu Qing gave a light chuckle without answering. With a dark face, the madam walked off the stage and immediately ordered her thugs to guard all the exits. If the girl tried to run, she would make sure there was no way out. "Little girl, you're still a bit lacking if you think you can play me."

Jiu Qing naturally saw all of this. She scanned the entire venue. The exits would certainly be heavily guarded by the madam's men; if she only relied on creating chaos to escape, her chances would likely be slim.

The sound of musical instruments drifted into her ears. Someone blew out several lamps, leaving only a few lit in the entire hall, specifically the soft lights surrounding the stage. It had to be said that this brothel was excellent at creating atmosphere.

Some flower petals fluttered in the wind, and the hall fell silent. Everyone's gaze converged on Jiu Qing. This madam was indeed cunning; under the eyes of so many people, she wanted to see how she would escape.

Jiu Qing's body began to move, but her mind was thinking about how to escape. Looking at those candle flames, a sudden idea sprang to her mind. This madam was "smart" enough to be undone by her own cleverness; she had only left the lights near Jiu Qing lit so that everyone could watch her in the dark.

What if... she extinguished the lights on the stage as well? The world would return to total darkness. Her escape route absolutely could not be the main entrance. Having made this decision, she had to try no matter what. If she couldn't escape now, then if the person who bought her was someone skilled in martial arts, she would be in deep trouble today.

The music was very soothing. She didn't care what kind of piece it was; she simply moved along with it. This body was surprisingly supple, as if it had practiced dance for a long time, showing no sense of incongruity at all.

Everyone watched her body, which seemed to bloom quietly like a flower petal. As the music grew faster, the frequency of her movements gradually increased. She knew the piece was coming to an end; there would be no more chances.

Her body suddenly began to move rapidly across the floor. Everyone was stunned by her dance; no one expected such powerful strength to erupt from that delicate body. Even the madam felt a momentary sense of relief.

*This girl really knows how to play the part. She's actually dancing quite well. She made me worry for so long; with a dance like this, her price will probably double in a moment,* the madam thought, the corners of her mouth curling up toward her ears again.

No one noticed that as she waved her sash, the wind it generated happened to extinguish the two nearby candles. As her body spun rapidly backward a few times and she suddenly dropped into a split, she swept her hands to both sides, extinguishing two more candles.

The madam's expression began to change, her smile freezing on her face. The first two might have been a coincidence, but this time it was clearly intentional. Only two were left. Oh no—the girl even moved toward them. Before she could give the order, the other two were extinguished.

After a moment of silence, the hall erupted into thunderous applause. Everyone thought the ending had been intentionally designed this way, so no one thought much of it. Only the madam's exasperated voice rang out, "Light the lamps! Light the lamps quickly!" But as soon as the words left her mouth, they were quickly drowned out by the applause.

Jiu Qing took advantage of this time to hurry away. Although she could see nothing at all in the darkness, she had already planned her direction just now, heading toward the side door.

Fortunately, her sense of direction was good. Relying on her memory and the fact that the crowd had not yet discovered her, she sprinted forward. The seated spectators only felt a gust of fragrant wind pass by them.

The madam was jumping around in anxiety. Her screams were swallowed by the applause in the hall. Having no choice, she had to go and light the lamps herself. But in the pitch black, she had barely taken two steps before she was tripped and fell to the ground.

"Ouch!" This time she had truly shot herself in the foot. She cursed Jiu Qing a thousand times in her heart. Trembling, she scrambled up and hurried toward the candle stands.

With every step Jiu Qing took, she could hear her own violent heartbeat. *Almost there, almost there. Just a few more steps and I should be out of the hall.* After the applause, people began to grow suspicious. "What's going on? Why haven't the lights been lit yet?"

Seeing the applause stop, the madam roared with full strength, "LIGHT THE LAMPS!!!" Everyone in the hall couldn't help but shudder. It was just lighting a lamp; was she really necessary to be this angry?

Jiu Qing's mind went into chaos, and she felt as if she were about to suffocate. Just then, her foot caught on something, and she tumbled forward. At that moment, there was only one thought in her head: *It's over.*

She knew very well what the consequences would be if she were caught while escaping. Not only would she suffer, but she would also implicate the girl who helped her. Her heart was filled with trepidation.

Her body did not hit the ground as expected, but instead fell into someone's arms. The man's arms wrapped around her waist with great strength; judging by the power in his grip, he was definitely a martial artist. At this moment, she felt as if she had grabbed a piece of driftwood while drowning; the person before her might just be her lifeline.

She pressed against the man's chest, and both of them could feel each other's slight panting. Before the lights came back on, she spoke: "Save me."