Chapter 194 – War Breaks Out! The Gourd Spirit Weapon and the Crushing Might of a Fifth Rank Martial Artist - Part 2

Mu Hua smiled. “So, Mister Gold...are you here for pleasure, or to seek opportunity?”

Li Yuan’s voice rumbled, “Both.”

“Well then,” Mu Hua continued, “how would you like to serve as an enforcer for the Holy Tree Temple, Sacred Fire Palace, and Mountain Hall, just until we settle matters in this Northriver Prefecture? After that, you’re free to go on your way. We pay in blood gold, 20 taels each time you show up, 50 for every battle you fight.”

Li Yuan pretended to hesitate. After a long moment, he asked, “You want me to fight the undying husks, right?”

Mu Hua nodded. Then, he added with an inviting smile, “Since you came here to enjoy yourself, why not return with me? Women, wine, food...anything you want, and all of it on the house.”

Li Yuan said, “The undying husks fight in strange ways and strike lethally. It’s dangerous work.”

Mu Hua frowned slightly.

Li Yuan continued, “So add a little more to the pay.”

Mu Hua paused. “I’m not going to lie, Mister Gold. This is the same rate we offer other enforcers. It’s already quite generous.”

Yet Li Yuan had already learned from Yan Mu how fierce the conflict was becoming, and he could sense for himself that the violence was reaching a fever pitch. With war escalating, the martial world desperately needed fighters. They certainly wouldn’t skimp on payment.

He sighed and said, “I’ve tangled with undying husks before. I never want to face them again if I can help it.”

Mu Hua frowned. “All right, then. How about 25 taels of blood gold per appearance and 60 for each battle?”

Li Yuan abruptly changed his tone. “Then if I do run into them again, I’ll make sure they’re wiped out!”

Mu Hua’s mouth twitched. Finally, he said, “Mister Gold, let’s keep this pay arrangement quiet, all right? No need for the other enforcers to find out.”

Li Yuan grinned. “My thanks, brother.”

Mu Hua finally felt at ease. “In that case,” he said, “why not come stay at my estate? We’ll make sure you’re well cared for. Like I said before, women, wine, food, anything you want.”

“Sure, sounds good.” Li Yuan chuckled. Then he hugged the petite courtesan perched on his lap before glancing back and asking, “Your standing here must be pretty high, right? Mind if this lady comes along with me?”

Mu Hua glanced at the courtesan. He knew from his investigations that her name was Hua Yanmeng, a ninth rank martial artist affiliated with a local sect called Cleverseed Garden, which was itself under the Holy Tree Temple’s influence.

She’d only been stationed here for a month or so. But Mu Hua had little regard for a mere ninth rank underling, even if she was beautiful. Without bothering to consult anyone from her sect, he simply said, “She can follow you if you like.”

The courtesan looked a bit stunned, shock written all over her lovely face. She’d hoped to work her way up through the sect by doing intelligence work. But with just a few words, her fate was decided for her.

Li Yuan burst into laughter. “She doesn’t have to come permanently. I just like traveling as I please. But if I have a familiar beauty in this town, next time I visit, I’ll have someone to show me around.”

Mu Hua grinned and cupped his hands. “Mister Gold, it appears you have no shortage of romantic entanglements...wandering free like a wild crane, living a life of leisure. I envy you.”

He was an old hand at this sort of thing. A few flattering words cost him nothing. Whether Li Yuan was serious about the courtesan didn’t matter.

A shriek of surprise escaped Hua Yanmeng as Li Yuan slung her over his shoulder and strode out of the brothel behind Mu Hua.

Li Yuan had already guessed she was with a local sect; otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered spending two days getting close to her. And indeed, their two-day liaison had been enough to bring Mu Hua right to him, and earn him extra pay.

Late that night, Hua Yanmeng slipped off her gauzy robes, dipped her long legs into the warm water of a bath, and finally sank her entire fair-skinned body beneath the steam. Scooping up petals from a bowl of fragrant flowers, she poured them over herself, letting them trickle down her collarbone and over her chest.

She took a long breath. Although she was a recognized ninth rank martial artist and an outer disciple of Cleverseed Garden, she had never planned to marry or seek out a man. Taking on the role of courtesan was simply part of her sect’s increased demand for eyes and ears in the area, so she’d volunteered for the assignment. Ordinarily, she stayed behind a veil; only this sixth rank expert had actually made her play the courtesan’s part to the fullest.

She felt nervous, her breathing tight. She hadn’t been looking for a partner, but if the man was a sixth rank martial artist, that wasn’t the worst possibility. What really troubled her, though, was the idea he might take her away from her current cultivation.

She practiced a technique known as the Evergreen Art, which suited her perfectly. She had no interest in changing to something else. Besides, if a sixth rank fighter decided to bring her along, it wouldn’t be for the purpose of teaching her new skills.

Her thoughts swirling, she finished washing, perfumed her body with floral oils, pulled on a light wrap, and headed to Li Yuan’s room. At the door, she paused and composed herself before stepping inside. She curtsied gracefully, letting the man glimpse her bare shoulders and slender waist beneath the sheer fabric, the subtle arcs of her hips and chest.

“Senior,” she murmured, “Yanmeng is here to serve you.”

“Come on in.” A man’s voice came from the bed.

Hua Yanmeng lifted the room’s gauzy drapery, inhaled, and rolled onto the mattress. She was just about to make another move when she noticed that the burly sixth rank martial artist was staring calmly out the window.

Li Yuan said, “Just lie down over there.”

Hua Yanmeng paused in surprise, then recalled something and spoke softly, politely, “Senior, I’m...still a maiden.”

Li Yuan merely chuckled. “I already said I’m here to get acquainted with the locals. Next time I come by, I’ll have someone to show me around, right?”

Hua Yanmeng blinked in confusion. She remembered he’d indeed said something like that, but who would believe that, really?

She let out a tinkling laugh. “Surely you’re joking.”

Li Yuan waited until her laugh died on its own. “I’m not joking.”

That left her at a complete loss. After a long moment of awkward silence, she mustered the courage to adopt a coquettish tone. “Then, you’ve really put me in a tough spot.”

Li Yuan said, “I called for you but didn’t touch you. You’re worried that your sect might think you upset me, or worse, disobeyed me. Am I right?”

Her lips parted in a silent gasp. After a moment, she sighed. “Senior, you truly see everything.”

Li Yuan went on. “What if I don’t deny having slept with you? How would that affect things?”

Hua Yanmeng froze for an instant. Her eyes darted, then widened. A spark of delight lit her face as she trembled slightly. “Then... then my sect would think I was yours, and from then on... I’d never have to worry about lacking resources.”

Li Yuan gently patted her head. “Call it a little gift to an acquaintance.”

She looked as though she might be dreaming. After a few beats, she slipped her arm through Li Yuan’s in a show of understanding. “In that case, I’m yours.”

With that, her anxieties melted away. If people believed she was the woman of a sixth rank master, she could leverage it for significant advantage. Thoroughly relieved, she lay down on one side of the bed.

Li Yuan stretched out on the other side.

He had set a rule for himself long ago; he didn’t sleep with women outside his own circle. Put simply, it was too easy to get tangled up in complications. If he ever truly became involved with someone from another sect, would he feel obliged to help if that sect got into trouble? And in even simpler terms, what if this woman ended up with someone else later on? Would that count as betrayal or not? It was simpler to maintain a pure, mutually beneficial relationship.

That was why he was perfectly willing to spend nights with his four personal maids—Mei, Lan, Zhu, Ju—but not with a

tender little lamb

who had practically served herself up on a plate.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Of course, at the moment, Hua Yanmeng didn’t offer him any obvious benefit. But she was like a seed. By letting her borrow the reputation of a sixth rank expert’s woman, he might reap a favor down the line. And to Li Yuan, it cost nothing more than a few words.