There were lanterns all over the brothel. It was as though there was a wedding. As far the brothel is concerned, it was a truly happy event as the sweet feast was a feast for the eyes. On that day, the brothel would bring out all the beautiful women that they have been hiding. Yan Ran was amongst those that would have been participating had she not already been purchased by Liu Mang.
Liu Mang, Kuai Ran and Yan Ran1 left the room and walked towards the sweet feast area. Watching them from afar were the Huang brothers who have not left since they delivered the message and the manager, who was happy for the extra profit.
Liu Mang was rich so he naturally went for the best. The three of them went to the top floor where they seat in a place like a theater box. There were about twenty two of such places in the brothel. The rest would either be placed behind a curtain or in the hall. Some of them don’t even get any chairs to sit on but they were still happy.
Kuai Ran was very pleased that he was able to sit in the box as he was usually broke. Even though his family is rich, Kuai Yue did not want him to become a spendthrift. Liu Mang was also happy because that seat was relatively private. There would be less people that would notice him and the chances of him being recognized was also lower.
The hall was cleared out, decorated nicely and turned into an outdoor stage. The women went around delivering tea.
Liu Mang was seated by Manager Liu and a woman served Liu Mang tea. The sky turned dark and the sweet feast officially started.
“Since ancient times, there are plenty of beauties in the North. The first fresh flower to be presented today is Luo Xiang from Luoyang!” The old woman spoke eloquently as she tried advertise the beauty of the women that came from the North. Although it was just advertisement, the manager was not wrong. Luo Xiang was a truly beautiful person that fascinated the crowd.
“Luo Xiang! Luo Xiang!” The crowd that filled up the entire brothel cheered. There were all sorts of people in the crowd, ranging from officials to robust martial artists. More than half of the brothel were regulars.
“Who is this Luo Xiang? Why is there such a huge reaction?” Liu Mang asked with interest.
Kuai Ran explained that Luo Xiang’s time was bought for five hundred gold the first time she appeared at the sweet feast.
This woman knew what captivates men. She did not expose her body too excessively nor did she cover up her body completely. Instead, she covered herself with a semi-transparent layer of silk which allowed her to attract the attention of men. After all, people were curious and this could keep them in suspense.
Kuai Ran was one of those people. Unfortunately, he had forgotten about the woman beside him. When Yan Ran saw her beloved eyeing other woman, she became extremely jealous and pinched Kuai Ran. Even Liu Mang trembled when he saw that.
“Five hundred gold?” That was a ridiculously huge amount. Liu Mang bought six women for seven hundred gold but this woman alone was five hundred gold.
“This woman is not a virgin anymore. Why can she appear at this sweet feast?” Liu Mang asked as he remembered the manager saying that all of those that would appear were all budding women. However, Kuai Ran had said she had appeared at the sweet feast before. This meant that this woman had probably served others before.
Kuai Ran spoke silently as he was afraid he might say something wrong again. He told Liu Mang that Luo Xiang’s reputation was still there despite the fact that she was no longer a virgin.
Liu Mang then understood that it was a matter of preference. Some people preferred virgins while others may prefer non virgins.
“Brother Kuai. Should I buy this Luo Xiang as well?”Liu Mang asked with a smile.
“Of course!” Kuai Ran immediately agreed. However, the moment he said that, he felt killing intent come from beside him.
“Aah!” Liu Mang felt some comfort hearing Kuai Ran’s anguished cries as he himself experienced this kind of pitiful situations at home.
Luo Xiang was truly the cream of the crop for managing to dominate the crowd with the performing techniques she learned since she was young.
“Does everybody like Luo Xiang?” The manager shouted to the crowd.
“We do!” The crowd cheered back. Luo Xiang’s beauty had already bewildered them.
“If you do, come and offer her the flower in your hands!” The manager spoke and the crowd followed.
“I am thankful to you all but I am unable to return the favor. I can only offer you all a kiss!” Luo Xiang said to crowd, making them even more excited.
“What are these flowers?” Liu Mang asked as he watched the crowd.
“These flowers are things that had to be bought with money. One flower costs one thousand coins. The more flowers the person receives, the higher their value.” Kuai Ran explained.
“One flower is one thousand coins?” Liu Mang truly admired the manager of the brothel’s ability in making money. Ten thousand coins would be worth one gold. Liu Mang saw that Luo Xiang had already received several hundred flowers which meant that the brothel have already earned several dozen gold.
“Box Sky 6 over there gave a thousand flowers!” Liu Mang said. That was a huge waste. This was already a hundred gold. Unlike Liu Mang who got something in return for the gold he spent, they get nothing in return.
“The flower is also counted as money.” Kuai Ran explained. The costs for the flowers is also used as payment for the services. So if a person were to spend a hundred gold in the brothel, they would first deduct it from the cost of the flowers he bought previously. That being said, no one would actually spend that minimum amount. This was also a money making technique.
“This Han woman is unprincipled!” While everyone was infatuated with Luo Xiang, one man who was drinking wine spoke up in disdain. This man dressed like a Han but he didn’t look like one. His skin was dark and he had a stature larger than a common Han person. One glance is enough to tell that it would be better not to provoke him.
Such an eccentric person would usually attract the attention of those around him. However in this scenario, nobody even bothered to look at him.
“Thank you gentleman!” Luo Xiang said in a very sweet voice.
She had already received two hundred gold worth of flowers despite not being a virgin. There really were a lot of rich people at Jingzhou. Unfortunately, that was as far as she could go as there were more people that preferred virgins. Although disappointed, she could only step back and wait to serve her backers.
“Since our beauty from North have already appeared, now it is time for our beauty from the South! If the beauty from the North is like a cloud, this one would be gentle like a river! This is the beauty from Yangzhou, Li Wen!”
Li Wen then came out and greeted the crowd. She was the type that made others want to protect her. It was a type that was hard to resist. That was why some people in the crowd immediately threw flowers over before she even started her performance.
She may not have Luo Xiang’s charm but she had a soft and gentle look. It was enough for her to obtain at least two hundred and fifty gold worth of flowers. After all, this one was still a virgin.
Liu Mang’s eyes turned cold. The woman from the North could be a prostitute because the North was an oppressive location that is impossible for a common person to make a living. Prostituting herself could have been the only way for Luo Xiang to make a living. The same could not be said for Li Wen since she came from Yangzhou. The people in Yangzhou were his people. When he see his people being sold like this, he would definitely angry.
“Young Master. Calm your anger.” Jia Xu held Liu Mang’s hand to calm him down. “This is Jingzhou. Although that person is from Yangzhou, she was not from your Yangzhou.”
Jia Xu spoke really softly such that Kuai Ran could not hear him.
“Besides, isn’t this also a way of living?”
“A way to survive?” Liu Mang sneered. They wouldn’t have sold their bodies if it did not meant their survival. He had already seen plenty of homeless and starving people at Yangzhou. Although prostitution was shameful, at least she would be able to eat.
“Come. Drink.” Liu Mang invited Kuai Ran and Jia Xu to drink while feeling depressed. They could only join Liu Mang when they noticed his frustration. By the time Liu Mang’s mood improved, Li Wen’s turn on stage was over.
“Next is also our main courses for tonight. She is a Wuxi barbarian princess, Qian Yu!” The previous two women were only appetizers for the sweet feast. This was the main course.
“Wuxi barbarians?” Liu Mang listened with interest. The Wuxi clan operates between Sichuan and Jingzhou. When the Sichuan attacks them, they would escape to Jingzhou and when the Jingzhou attacks them, they would run back to Sichuan. Both Sichuan and Jingzhou were unable to track these barbarians to their mountains. The Wuxi barbarians had always been a source of headache for Liu Biao and Liu Zhang. Right now, Huang Zu had been dispatched to Changsha also because of these barbarians. Even though their clan was small, these barbarians were powerful. That was also why it was Huang Zu that went out to subjugate them.
Now they said that this was the princess of the Wuxi barbarians. Is that true?
“Let me go!” A tied up woman shouted as she was dragged onto the stage. Unlike the others, this woman had dark skin. However, she was so breathtakingly beautiful that one glance is enough to remember her for life. She was definitely from a barbarian clan but it is still not known as to whether she is an actual princess.
“Younger sister!” One man shouted. However, this man still acted calmly. If he were to move now, he had to deal with many guards. On the other hand, if he waited until after the woman was bought, he would only need to deal with one person.
The men who brought the woman over was also strong. They chased away those that caused trouble due to the fact that this woman was a barbarian
It was obvious that the woman had resisted but the brothel had somehow managed to clean her up and dressed her up such that her original barbarian messiness that the Han did not like was no longer there. On the other hand, they also highlighted a certain roughness that Han women did not have.
All men love conquering2. This has always been the case regardless of their profession. It was in their nature, just like how women love beautiful things. This barbarian woman could give men the feeling of having conquered something. Even Liu Mang had this feeling. On top of that, against all expectations, the barbarian princess looked extremely elegant and more beautiful than Han women.
“She really a barbarian princess!” Jia Xu suddenly spoke.
“Hm?” Liu Mang was puzzled. If she was a barbarian princess, wouldn’t the brothel invite the barbarians to attack them?
“Look at her neck. There is a flame symbol there.” Jia Xu pointed. Liu Mang could see the small flame symbol on the neck of the woman.
“Fire is very important to the barbarians. To us, water is the source of all living things. However, to the barbarians, fire is the source of all living things. To them, fire is sacred. They would not blaspheme against fire. That is why that woman is definitely the barbarian’s princess.”
“Is the owner of this brothel mad? Is he not afraid the barbarians would come after him?”
“He isn’t. Did you forget that the manager’s name is Liu?”
Liu Mang finally remembered about Manager Liu. He also remembered how accustomed Manager Liu seemed when handling Kuai Ran. As both the Kuai Family and the Huang Family were very powerful, a simple manager could not have stopped the fight without offending them. If he offended them, he would have lost his business. Now, Liu Mang understood that Manager Liu is from the Liu Family in Jingzhou. He definitely has relation to Liu Biao. This brothel must have been managed by Liu Biao.
“Not entirely correct.” Kuai Ran spoke up and corrected Liu Mang. While the owner was related to Liu Biao, the man himself did not care about the brothel. He was too old to have any interest in such things.
The brothel was really not afraid of the barbarians. This princess, who was born out of mixed blood between a barbarian father and Han mother did not have a large ass that is the preference of the barbarians. As a result, she did not obtain her father’s love. Even then, she was still a princess. However, she was a very active and mischievous person. One day, she extinguished a fire. That is serious crime to the barbarians that worshipped fire. It would have been alright if she had admitted her mistake but instead, she went and somehow managed to start another fire. It is very disdainful to start fires for the barbarians. This pissed them off so much that they kicked her out. The brothel somehow managed to obtain her after that.
“Release me! I will kill you for this!” Qian Yu struggled but in the end, she was still just a woman who could only feel the shame of being stared at by so many people.
Someone in the crowd then spoke up. “This woman is pretty. However, we cannot keep her tied up forever. What if she kills her after we unfasten her bind?”
That man spoke the thoughts of most of the people in the crowd. Men loved conquering but is it worth their lives?
“Do not worry. We will give you a docile barbarian princess!” The old woman replied with a laugh.
“Words are insufficient! Show us proof!”
At these words, the old woman simply smiled and clapped her hands. Immediately, someone came out and handed over a porcelain bottle to the old woman. The old woman then showed the bottle to the crowd and said, “I am sure all of you know of Zui Xian Si?3”
This Zui Xian Si is a liquid medicine that anyone could use. It would make one forget themselves. It had no smell and nobody would notice it being used unless they are attentive.
“Who knows if it is real?” Zui Xian Si was something hard to obtain. It was something hard to manufacture and if you wanted to buy a small bottle from the black market, it would cost hundreds of gold.
“Haha. This Zui Xian Si is manufactured by us here.” Another person replied. This brothel was one of the few places that consistently made Zui Xian Si.
They then forcefully fed the struggling Qian Yu the drug. A short while after that, she started to moan.
“Three thousand flowers!” One person shouted before the bidding even began.
________
1. Raw said three people. If Jia Xu magically appears later. It is not my fault. On second thought, the raws were right. Jia Xu is not a person. It is a Wild Pokemon.
2. Conquering? So much hassle. Guess me and the Legion of Really Lazy People will need to call ourselves women.
3. Left this alone since I can’t find any real life object example of what it is. Google Translate said Drunken Immortal but there is already an Immortal Drunken Wine from some other series, that also uses different Chinese characters. Also I doubt I can remember it being called Drunken Immortal if it comes up again many chapters later. Could be an aphrodisiac but it was never stated outright.
