Chapter 119 – Song Zhi’ang’s Beautiful Melodies

Lin Dong and Zhong Lin were shocked to their cores. “Cultivating Amongst Mortal Distractions” was actually a euphemism for the brothel! And they had been looking forward to learning about Li Guanqi and Ye Feng’s cultivation methods.

Lin Dong stood frozen, at a complete loss. Zhong Lin gave a wry smile. “Whatever. It’s New Year’s Day, and we’re already here. Let’s just go in.”

Lin Dong scratched his head awkwardly. “Uh... isn’t it going to cost a lot? Forget this, you guys go ahead. I’m heading back to rest.”

Li Guanqi stood at the entrance and saw Lin Dong’s conflicted expression. He transmitted,

“Don’t overthink this. One spirit stone is equivalent to a hundred taels of gold in the mortal world. We’re only going to drink wine and listen to music there anyway. It’s not going to be as complicated as you think.”

Lin Dong paused, then muttered, “One spirit stone is a hundred taels of gold?”

Zhong Lin smiled. “What did you think it was worth?”

Lin Dong gave a pained expression. “Does that mean we’ve been spending tens of thousands of taels during our daily cultivation?”

Li Guanqi fell silent. He understood what Lin Dong meant, as he had also spent his childhood worrying about making ends meet.

However, his perspective on money had changed after eight years with his grandfather, Su Xuan. Whether rich or poor, he knew he could survive. Li Guanqi smiled. “Forget it. Let’s just stroll around and get to know Heavenly Tiger City.”

Lin Dong sighed, visibly relieved. The others exchanged glances but said nothing.

They wandered the streets of Heavenly Tiger City, browsing the shops and stopping to buy interesting street food they came across.

Li Guanqi wrinkled his nose, picking up on a fragrance. Closing his eyes, he made many turns through the city until he arrived in front of a stall selling osmanthus cakes.

The young lady sitting on a stool behind the stall stood up and smiled. “Do you want to try some osmanthus cake, Sir?”

Li Guanqi was astonished. He had never encountered such an ethereal and innocent-looking girl. She resembled a lotus—pure and beautiful, despite emerging from the mud.

Unlike the other rowdy mortals, she had a warm and gentle aura. Her hair was tucked beneath a green silk scarf, and she wore simple gray robes. Her eyes were as clear as still water, and her fair face was red due to the cold.

She looked at him questioningly, “Sir?”

Looking at the steaming osmanthus cakes, he smiled. “Four. We’ll eat them now.”

“Guanqi? What did you find?”

Ye Feng and the others finally found him. When they saw the girl, they all froze. They had never met a mortal girl with such otherworldly qualities. While they stood in a daze, Li Guanqi paid and called for them to leave.

Ye Feng tugged at Li Guanqi’s sleeve and said, “What a beautiful girl! I didn’t think such an elegant girl could exist in the mortal world!”

Even Zhong Lin, who had met countless beauties, nodded in agreement. “She’s truly something else.”

As for Lin Dong, his face was red. No one knew what he was thinking about.

Li Guanqi took a bite from his osmanthus cake. “Delicious.”

They found a random restaurant, ordered some wine and food, and relaxed. Lin Dong looked at their dejected faces, then smiled after they finished their meal. “You know what? Why don’t we go anyway?”

Ye Feng burst into laughter and grabbed him by his shoulders. “That’s more like it! You’re a cultivator on the journey to immortality! There’s no need to worry about money! It’s definitely a place to cultivate the mind!”

Li Guanqi said nothing. It was good that Lin Dong had come to the realization on his own. An overly calculative mindset would only become an obstacle in the path of cultivation.

However, he made a mental note to keep an eye on Lin Dong so that he could rouse him if he became too immersed in those things.

They only visited the place to listen to music, so “cultivating amongst mortal distractions” was true to its name. It was a method of training self-control, though no one would believe him if he told them.

When they arrived at Azure Cloud Brothel once more, it was already bursting with people.

Several dolled-up women stood at the entrance, their strong perfume filling the air. As the four young men approached, the women immediately swarmed around them, but the group politely turned them away.

Lin Dong’s face was burning red. He hurriedly circulated his vital force to steady himself.

There were no empty seats in the main hall, so Li Guanqi said, “Are there any private rooms with a good view?”

The brothel keeper took one look at them and recognized they were no ordinary mortals. Flashing a bright smile, she said, “You all came just in time! There’s one room left on the second floor. Please, come with me.”

She then turned and barked, “Kick the guests in room number three out this instant! Hurry!”

The waiter looked conflicted. “Uh... But Mr. Zhou from the city is in room number three...”

The brothel keeper waved him off impatiently. “I don’t care who’s in there—just kick them out! Tell them cultivators are here! They’re welcome to stay if they don’t fear a cultivator’s revenge!”

She muttered to herself as she bustled around, “I know cultivators have been visiting the city lately, but I didn’t hear that any of them were visiting brothels... Hurry up! Serve them well! Ah, Zhi’ang, you’re finally here! Hurry and change clothes!”

She hurried to the back rooms along with another girl.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

When Li Guanqi and the others arrived upstairs, they saw many servants cleaning up the tables. Though they clearly knew what had happened, no one dared complain. The group stood outside, looking down at the main hall below.

Six curvy dancers twirled gracefully on a tall stage below. The music was gentle, and the dancers moved like flowing water, their silk ribbons fluttering through the air, earning enthusiastic applause from the crowd.

Zhong Lin leaned on the railings and smiled. “These girls must have trained hard in dance. They’re really good.”

Lin Dong kept his eyes tightly shut, silently circulating his vital force to calm his emotions. When he opened them again, he muttered, “This really is cultivating amongst mortal distractions...”

They entered the room, took their seats, and ordered local delicacies.

Ye Feng tossed a spirit stone onto the table and said, “Bring us your best wine. Keep the change.”

The waiter took the spirit stone with a bright smile, then bowed and left.

Soon after, a line of girls entered the room. Li Guanqi smiled and waved a hand. “It’s alright. You may all leave. We’re just here to listen to the music.”

The waiter did not dare disobey him and quickly asked the girls to leave.

Just then, the notes of a guqin drifted up from the stage below, clear and melodious.