Chapter 19: Little Pearls Falling onto a Jade Plate

If one asked which pleasure house in Maple Forest City was the most soul-stirring, every seasoned connoisseur of such places would give only one answer—Three Parts Fragrance House.

It was not a brothel with only three parts beauty, but a Three Parts Fragrance House that alone occupied three parts of all the fragrance beneath heaven.

Even though it was only a branch house.

From the day it was completed, it swept through Maple Forest City’s mediocre market of flowers and willows like a storm.

The young masters of Maple Forest City who now enjoyed such pleasures all had Three Parts Fragrance House to thank for raising the professional standards of all the beauties in the city.

It was equivalent to the way fifth-grade expert Dong A had raised the educational standards of Maple Forest City Dao Academy. Of course, this was something Zhao Rucheng only dared to say secretly in private.

The current leading courtesan of Three Parts Fragrance House was a woman named Miaoyu.

Countless people thought of her boudoir day and night, wishing they could crawl on the ground and climb beneath her skirt. But those fortunate enough to taste her favor were few indeed.

On the gorgeously decorated swaying bed, a naked middle-aged man wore a fanatical expression. Yet beneath him, there was clearly only a bundle of bedding.

Separated only by a curtain of pearls, a soft couch faced the swaying bed. Miaoyu rested her chin on one hand and reclined lazily, her curves exquisitely graceful. Her gaze was misty, and it was impossible to tell whether that middle-aged man’s “self-entertainment” was even in her eyes.

A man in black knelt before the soft couch, respectfully reporting something.

“In other words, that person called Jiang Wang knows a rather profound sword manual, but before this, he had never displayed it before anyone?”

Her voice was lazy, like a cat that had just awakened, faintly teasing the heart.

The man in black knelt with his head lowered, never once raising it.

“That is indeed the case. This subordinate is incompetent and truly cannot discover where he learned it.”

Miaoyu seemed thoughtful and lightly lifted a finger.

“Leave.”

Hearing this, the man in black pressed his forehead to the floor. His ring finger and little finger folded inward, while his thumb, index finger, and middle finger formed a triangle over his heart as he softly chanted:

“Beneath the River of Forgetfulness, within the abyss of the Yellow Springs. The honored god returns to the world, illuminating the mortal realm.”

His entire body sank into the floor just like that.

“A sword manual that has never appeared in all of Maple Forest City Dao Academy? Was it passed down by some mighty martial artist who tested his sword across the world? Or perhaps…”

Miaoyu’s gaze grew misty.

“Dao Child…”

Her thoughts drifted further, farther, more ethereal.

“Beneath the River of Forgetfulness, within the abyss of the Yellow Springs. The honored god returns to the world, illuminating the mortal realm.”

She made the same gesture and softly recited the same words.

Meanwhile, the naked man on the swaying bed continued writhing with himself. In his beautiful fantasy, it seemed he could sink forever.

…

At this moment, far away in a certain village in Yong Country, a fierce-looking bald man was grabbing something and gnawing on it in great mouthfuls, blood flowing all over his mouth and hands.

He was eating happily when a streak of light suddenly descended, shooting straight toward him.

Unfortunately, this was not some heavenly justice descending from above, nor a flying sword sent to eliminate evil.

The bald man reached out and grabbed fiercely, catching the streak of light in his hand. It transformed into a simple, ancient-looking sword.

“Damn it! Sooner or later I’ll swallow your heart!”

Having his meal interrupted, the bald man was clearly very displeased.

“Old bastard, what era is this? You’re still using flying swords to send letters!”

While cursing, he used his blood-covered hand to open the letter attached to the flying sword.

The Mo School’s thousand-li voice transmission boxes had already been promoted for many years and sold extremely well. But there were always some forces unwilling to use them, because no one could be certain whether those mechanism-obsessed Mo School people had left some hidden tricks inside the boxes.

Even if Mo School members swore to heaven and earth—

Even the strictest heart-demon oath had long since been researched and decoded in dozens of ways. What use was swearing?

“Zhuang Country, Qinghe Commandery, Sanshan City?”

He read each word one by one and could not help spitting.

“What backwater corner is this!”

The long sword shook in midair, as if urging him on.

The bald man grew even more irritated, but the sender of the letter was clearly someone he could not currently resist.

With his bloodstained finger, he drew five crooked strokes on the letter paper—a simple drawing of a horse, meaning: I’ll go immediately.

He casually fastened the letter back onto the sword. The sword then vanished as suddenly as it had arrived.

Only after the flying sword had gone far away did the bald man suddenly remember something.

“The boss won’t fail to understand it, right?”

He thought for a while, then tossed aside this tiny worry.

“If he can’t even understand that, what kind of boss is he!”

…

When Jiang Wang reached the dormitory entrance, he heard voices coming from inside.

After entering the inner academy, he, Ling He, and Du Yehu still lived together, making it convenient to spar and seek the Dao at any time. Zhao Rucheng came over to stay the night every few days, but he never stayed long. Although the room was much better than before, to Zhao Rucheng… there was not much difference.

Hearing Jiang Wang’s footsteps, Ling He quickly came out.

“You’re finally back. Your family has been waiting for you for a long time!”

Family…

Jiang Wang’s heart skipped. He hurriedly turned into the room and saw a still-charming woman seated at a set of yellow rosewood table and chairs by the window—that set of furniture had naturally also been something Zhao Rucheng stubbornly had people move in.

Du Yehu sat stiffly beside her, looking honest and proper as he answered her questions—one answer for every question she asked.

He looked exactly like a wild child restraining himself in front of a friend’s parent.

It was just that this “child” had far too thick a beard, and his appearance had matured far too urgently. In comparison, he even seemed older than the well-maintained woman.

Seeing Jiang Wang enter, the woman hurriedly stood up, surprise showing in her eyes.

“Xiao Wang, it’s been so long! You’ve grown taller, and stronger too!”

Jiang Wang nodded in greeting.

“Hello, Aunt Song.”

His birth mother had died very early, and this woman was his father’s second wife. He had never been able to change how he addressed her and had always called her aunt.

This aunt was not a bad person, nor had she ever mistreated him. It was simply that a few years after his father remarried, Jiang Wang had passed the exam into the Dao Academy’s outer academy. Cultivation was difficult, and aside from holidays and festivals, he almost never returned home. They had never had any conflicts, but emotionally, they could not be called especially close either.

As Aunt Song greeted him, she pulled the little girl hiding behind her to the front.

“Hurry and call him.”

This was a timid little girl. Only after her mother urged her did she open her small mouth and softly say:

“Brother.”

The silk clothing Aunt Song wore was bright and beautiful, adding three points to her charm. The little girl’s clothing was also not poor, but her delicate features were naturally eye-catching and drew admiration.

Unfortunately, after calling out once, she immediately circled back behind her mother again, only peeking out half her small head to look at this elder brother she had not seen for a long time.

Of course Jiang Wang loved his younger sister. Blood was thicker than water, and no one could change that. It was only that he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation, and every time he returned home, he came and went in a hurry. It had been a long time since he last heard this “Brother.”

Though the call was light and small, it was like pearls rolling onto a jade plate, indescribably clear and pleasant to the ear.

Having long experienced slaughter and often seen blood and darkness, Jiang Wang had thought his heart had already grown cold and hard. Yet suddenly, he felt it melting.

For the first time since returning from Tangshe Town, Jiang Wang showed a rare, genuine smile.

“An’an!”

(End of Chapter)