Chapter 208 (1/2)
The Drunken-clouds Tower had an elegant layout, showing no vulgarity of strong rouge. Both the waiters and maids, dressed in fine clothes, were with no plain appearances and talked in good taste.
Even the guests who came here to drink and have fun were mostly self-proclaimed talented and romantic men, which showed the place was really different from common brothels.
When Lin Xun entered the Drunken-clouds Tower, he found a high platform circled with white jade railings and paved with flowers. Sitting on the high platform were a group of musicians, who were respectively playing instruments, including Se (a twenty-five-stringed plucked instrument), Xiao (a vertical bamboo flute), Flute and Qin (a seven-stringed plucked instrument). The melody was rising and falling like towering mountains and flowing water, giving people an ethereal feeling.
There were already full of guests in front of the high platform, who seemed to be waiting for something.
“Childe, do you have a familiar girl here?” a maid with the hair in two buns came up and asked with a smile.
Lin Xun shook his head, “I’m not here for girls.”
The maid blinked her eyes and said, “If there is no girl accompanying you, it will be boring while you drink or listen to music. How about me introducing you some decent girls?”
In her eyes, the lad in front of her looked calm and composed, but obviously it was the first time he came here. It was likely that he dared not boldly call girls for companion due to shyness.
She had seen quite a few such lads who had no experience of fun, thus feeling nothing strange about it.
To her surprise, Lin Xun just smiled and said, “I’m looking for someone.” Then he pointed to a room on the second floor, “He’s right up there.”
After a glance at that room, the maid immediately said with a more submissive expression, “Ah, you are one of Yuan Shan’s friends. Please come, you are warmly welcome here.”
Lin Xun nodded. A cheer suddenly went off from the crowd when he was about to walk upstairs. He looked up and saw that a girl dressed in white plain clothes had somewhen walked out. She had got a graceful figure and elegant face, with long black hair hanging down to her waist
In her arms was a Chinese lute. As soon as she appeared on the platform, it rendered a lot of people present cheerful, with many practitioners showing fanatical admiration.
“Miss Lou Xiaoyi finally appeared on stage. She is a famous artistic practitioner from the Mist College and her mastery of Chinese lute has reached the acme of perfection. Our boss has spent a large sum of money this time in order to invite her to perform here and she finally agreed.”
The maid cast a respectful eye at Lou Xiaoyi who was on the high platform.
After making a sound of consent, Lin Xun withdrew his sight and started to walk toward the second floor.
…
With the beauty in his arms, Yuan Shan pleasantly drank the wine, and at the same time, he sighed comfortably, “Enjoy the scenery of mountains on upstairs, snow on the top of the city wall, the moon on a boat and the rosy clouds on the lake are all eclipsed by the beauty under the lights.”
The beauty in his arms smiled bashfully, and blamed, “Smooth tongue.”
Yuan Shan let out a hearty laugh, suddenly gave a hard kiss on the beauty’s moist red lips, and then said, “It’s unfortunate that I have an urgent thing to do tonight, otherwise I must let you know what my smooth tongue can do.”
At this time, the closed door was suddenly pushed open, with a juvenile walking in.
The lad had a handsome face. As soon as he entered the room, he closed the door naturally and asked with a smile, “Yuan Shan?”
“Who let you in?” Yuan Shan frowned and sulked.
The boy smiled warmly, striking people as a harmless person. He then said, “It seems that you are Yuan Shan. Good, I don’t find the wrong person.”
Suddenly, Yuan Shan became alert. Directly pushing away the beauty in his arms, he stood up and said unkindly, “Little fellow, are you coming here to pick a fight?”
The lad smiled but said no word. He just raised his arm and a ball of black light was suddenly shot out of his sleeve.
Buzz!
A terrible and sharp whistling sound arose.
Yuan Shan’s expression instantly changed. The moment he was about to dodge, he felt the pain in his throat where a bowl-sized bloody hole was made. Then, with his sight gone, he completely lost consciousness.
Gurgle~
Yuan Shan’s body fell hard to the ground, and in the meantime, blood spurted from his throat, splashing all over the room and staining wherever it went the color of scarlet.
That prostitute’s face had long turned pale for fear upon the unexpected scene. After witnessing the sight of the horrible death of Yuan Shan, she began to scream in scare.
But as soon as she opened her mouth, she felt a pain in the back of her head and fainted.
“You intend to kill me while not even knowing me. What an idiot!” the lad muttered.
The lad was precisely Lin Xun. The short crossbow he used just now was named “Soul Devourer”, a superior weapon given by Chu Feng, which was worth three hundred imperial gold coins and was very powerful, able to kill a strong practitioner in the Sea Spirit Realm at close point-blank range by surprise!
The only drawback was that the crossbow could only be used once.
“But your life is worth the three hundred imperial gold coins.”
Lin Xun turned around and left. After closing the door behind him, he called in a waiter and ordered, “Remember not to bother him again tonight. You’ll have a lot to suffer if you spoil his mood.”
The waiter nodded in a hurry and agreed on it.
Lin Xun walked downstairs, and a clangorous melody suddenly rose behind him when he came to the gate of the Drunken-clouds Tower.
Creating the same impression as horses galloping in the battlefield, the moment the melody came, it stimulated people’s burning indignation and aroused the urges to fight.
Lin Xun couldn’t help looking back, and saw that the girl named Lou Xiaoyi had begun to sing on the platform.
“Hair on end and shoving my hat,
in wrath I lean on the balustrade,
while the rain leaves off its pitter-pat.
Eyes fixed skyward,
I sign long and loud.
A hero’s fury fills my breast.
At thirsty, nothing achieved, unknown,
but these to me are light as dust—
I’ve fought through eight-thousand li,
holding the field, under cloud and moon.
What I do mind, is not to let
my young head turn white in vain,
and be gnawed by empty sorrow then!
With the Human Humiliation yet
unavenged, unredressed,
how can the empire’s grievance be
ever effaced from memory?