Chapter 10: The Show Begins

"What?" The madam's usually agile brain seemed to have rusted at this moment; it took several turns for her to realize he was talking about the price. The smile on the corners of her mouth immediately sprang back up—she had indeed gambled correctly this time.

The opening bid was one thousand taels. If that was the case, what would happen later? As expected, someone could no longer restrain themselves. A pot-bellied, yellowish old man said arrogantly, "Two thousand taels." After speaking, he even picked his nose without any discretion.

Someone had already recognized him; the one making the bid was none other than Squire Wang, one of the four great wealthy merchants of Shengjing. The men who had originally thought they were certain to win all let out sighs of relief at this moment. How could they compete with a wealthy man whose waist was bulging with riches?

Some sighed, while others widened their eyes, watching the man in black. There wasn't a single ripple of disdain or emotion on his face. He glanced at Squire Wang and said indifferently, "One thousand taels..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he was met with Squire Wang's ridicule. "Kid, if you don't have the money, don't act like a big shot. How can a little pretty boy like you compete with an elder like me? One thousand taels isn't even enough to get stuck in my teeth. If you know what's good for you, let go of the little beauty and go home to play in the mud."

"Haha..." A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.

Sweat broke out on the madam's forehead. No matter how rich Squire Wang was, he shouldn't be mocking others. Couldn't he see this man's aura? He might just be a martial arts expert; if he provoked him, even her pavilion might suffer the consequences. She was just about to step out to smooth things over.

Yet, she saw that the man in black still maintained a calm expression, only to utter two words: "Gold."

Suddenly, the hall fell into an uproar. While one thousand taels of silver might be an astronomical sum for ordinary folk, for these wealthy families, it was merely a piece of cake. But gold was a different matter entirely.

It was dozens of times higher than silver. The faces of some of the more timid people turned deathly pale, and some were even counting on their fingers to do the conversion. Even the fat Squire Wang felt the flesh on his face tremble upon hearing this number.

It wasn't that he couldn't produce the money, but he was a merchant, and he was best at calculating gains and losses. Was it worth paying such a massive price just to play with a woman? This amount was something an ordinary person couldn't earn in ten lifetimes; this man must be insane.

"Pretty boy, don't just talk big. If you've got the ability, bring it out for everyone to see. Don't just give us empty talk," Squire Wang thought it was impossible for him to produce so much money.

The onlookers also widened their eyes. How would the man respond? Since they couldn't afford the money anyway, they might as well enjoy the show. At that moment, a youth walked out from behind the man.

The youth wore only a simple set of cyan clothes, the color so light it was almost negligible, and his hair was tied casually with a sky-blue ribbon. Compared to the nobility of the man in black, the difference was as vast as the gap between clouds and mud.

From the moment he stepped out, his eyes were narrowed into crescents, and a smile curled at the corners of his mouth, making him look like nothing more than a gentle man. Jiu Qing's expression shifted the moment he appeared.

He was Su Qianyin's confidant. Although Lin Ziye looked gentle, his temperament was actually the opposite.

"Squire Wang, may I ask, would you carry one thousand taels of gold on you when you go out?" Lin Ziye replied with a beaming smile.

Squire Wang didn't notice at all how the youth knew him; he simply assumed his fame was widespread and it was normal to be recognized. However, he was stumped by the question: "This... although I don't have it on me, my family has it."

"So, everyone, please rest assured. In a moment, the Yi Hong Pavilion only needs to send someone to accompany me back to my manor to fetch the money. Additionally..." Lin Ziye's originally gentle voice paused. Squire Wang looked toward him, only to hear him say slowly, "You fat bastard, if you dare to insult my Master with even one more word, watch out, or I'll kill you."

The crowd felt their breath hitch for an instant. Jiu Qing pressed a hand to her forehead; this was this person's true face.

Squire Wang originally wanted to argue further, but seeing the killing intent erupting from the youth's eyes, he even had the illusion—despite the distance—that if he said one more word, the boy really would kill him, right here.

Seeing that the situation was turning sour, the madam thought that if she couldn't make money, so be it, but if a life were lost, things would not be so easy. Besides, one thousand taels of gold would mean she wouldn't have to worry for the rest of her life. Thus, she quickly decided to reap the benefits and stepped out to smooth things over.

"The price offered by this gentleman will surely not be surpassed. Therefore, our beauty belongs to this gentleman for tonight." The madam walked over.

Jiu Qing froze, only reacting a moment later. Had he just bought her first night?

She remembered collapsing into a man's arms in the darkness. At that time, she only wanted to escape, so she let the man save her. But she never expected that this person would be Su Qianyin—the very person she dreamed of killing.

"Gentleman, this way please. We have already prepared a room for the two of you. We will certainly give you the most unforgettable night," the madam said, swaying her body with a radiant expression.

"I hope so." Su Qianyin glanced at Jiu Qing out of the corner of his eye and followed the madam away.

When the two burly men prepared to pull Jiu Qing down, they hadn't even touched her body before being barked at by a cold voice: "Don't touch me."

The two men actually trembled at that voice in that instant. However, since the person was now someone worth a thousand taels of gold a night, they could only follow behind Jiu Qing submissively.

No one knew that when Su Qianyin turned around, he happened to hear that voice, and the corners of his cold, stern mouth actually curled up slightly.

In an elegant pavilion above, a gentleman in white watched this scene unfold, a hint of irrepressible confusion appearing in his eyes as he murmured softly, "How can this be?"

Meanwhile, the eyes of the others who had sent people to follow Lin Ziye to collect the money were filled with greed. One thousand taels of gold! Just thinking about it felt incredible. Even if they performed some sleight of hand during the process, the madam would certainly not notice.

"Everyone, follow me," Lin Ziye said with a smile. Several people rubbed their hands in excitement. Not one person noticed that after turning around, the smile had vanished from Lin Ziye's face, replaced by a bloodthirsty grin.

When the dust finally settled, the men eventually left one after another amidst a sea of sighs. Some were still savoring what had just happened, while others were filled with lamentation and regret.

In an elegant pavilion at the end of the second floor, the doors had remained closed from beginning to end. Once everything had settled into tranquility, an unknown wind rose.

The curtains shielding the pavilion were blown open silently. Through the newly opened gap, a man in purple was revealed. He held a wine cup in his hand, his gaze focused intently on the liquid within the white porcelain cup, while a beautiful curve silently pulled at the corners of his mouth.

"Heh, the show has begun..." the man whispered softly. This ethereal murmur was quickly swallowed by the wind.

Jiu Qing was sent to the room that had been prepared long ago. The room was decorated like a bridal chamber, overflowing with the festive red of a wedding, but unlike a standard bridal chamber, it possessed more erotic charm, such as the light pink gauze curtains swaying above the bed.

She could not afford to admire these things; instead, her eyes searched the room for any sharp object. The nightmare she had been obsessing over, returning to her every midnight, she intended to settle here today.

But after searching every corner of the room, she still could not find a single weapon. Seeing that he would arrive soon, her heart grew increasingly anxious. She had already lost her martial arts; to seek revenge on that man empty-handed was no different from charging into the Imperial Palace alone.

As her gaze swept across the room, she saw a pot of elegant orchids resting by the wooden window. She stared blankly at the orchids, lost in thought.