Xu Qi An took a sip of wine, set down his cup, and looked around at the beautiful woman. With a casual and carefree tone, he said, “That day, when I accompanied Princess Huaiqing to the banquet, I was inspired and composed half of a seven-syllable poem.”
His tone was relaxed and easy-going as if it were just a trivial matter. However, the courtesans listened with pounding hearts.
It was him… As Aya’s guess was confirmed, she felt a sense of inevitability at this moment, as if it should have been this way all along.
The Great Feng Dynasty had long been without poetic talent, and Princess Huaiqing had no well-known works before. Suddenly having an excellent piece was unusual in itself.
When they first heard the news, it was impossible to connect it with Xu Qi An. But after hearing his words just now, considering his status as a night watchman and his transcendent poetic talent, they boldly probed and unexpectedly guessed correctly.
The authorship of this poem was still unknown to the Jiaofang Si, while countless people outside were curious. This information alone was a highly intriguing topic of conversation.
“Young Master Xu…” Fuxiang gazed at him with deep affection, her eyes alluring. For her, who loved poetry, this was more attractive than any sweet words.
The other courtesans, besides being amazed by Xu Qi An’s poetic talent, felt their hearts flutter for another reason that subtly surpassed the poetry itself.
… He could enter the imperial city and attend banquets with princes and princesses.
This meant that Xu Qi An was a confidant of some prince or princess; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been brought to the banquet. As such, his value was not just in his poetry.
Fairly handsome, a night watchman with power in his hands… Of course, the courtesans were used to seeing high officials and nobles. The power of a night watchman wasn’t much, but what if this night watchman had talent that surpassed the literati? What if this night watchman was highly valued by a prince or princess?
These halos combined made him much more attractive than becoming a concubine to some old man.
“We can’t let Fuxiang have him all to herself. We must snatch him away… Now that Fuxiang is already the top courtesan in Jiaofang Si, if she gets another poem, we sisters will never have a chance to rise…”
Thinking of this, the courtesans’ smiles became increasingly genuine, each with a look of having more to say, their affectionate gazes trying to hook Xu Qi An.
The atmosphere in the reception hall instantly became heated.
After the drinking game ended, under the influence of alcohol, the courtesans boldly played finger-guessing games, rolling up their sleeves to reveal slender, fair arms and delicate fists.
It was mainly because Xu Qi An didn’t mind, which gave them courage.
…
As night fell, more guests arrived at Jiaofang Si, and they noticed something strange.
Today, many courtesans had closed their doors and weren’t receiving guests.
Some disgruntled people went to find the madam, who thought to herself, “Are these young mistresses rebelling? How can we earn money if they don’t work?”
She sent someone to inquire, and only then did they learn that those courtesans who weren’t receiving guests had all gone to Qingchi Yuan. There were eight of them in total, which meant that there were a full nine courtesans in Qingchi Yuan.
“What’s going on?”
“From the sound of it… they seem to be having a great time. Who are they entertaining that’s so important?”
“How is that possible? During the imperial examination period, which important figure would dare to play like this? Who would be stupid enough to hand over a weakness to their enemies?”
“Perhaps they’re just gathered together for fun.”
“Why guess? Let’s go ask and see.”
A guest knocked on the gate of Qingchi Yuan. The young maid who was guarding the door opened it and was startled by the scene before her.
There were more than a dozen guests gathered at the entrance of Qingchi Yuan.
“What are the ladies inside doing?” a young man in luxurious clothing asked sternly, his gaze peering into the courtyard.
“Entertaining a guest,” the young maid said.
The entrance fell silent for a moment. After a few seconds, someone with an odd expression said, “Which… which important person is inside… If it’s not convenient to disclose, just forget it.”
The young maid thought for a moment. The guest inside was Young Master Xu, not the important figure that the guests were imagining. He didn’t think there was anything to hide, so he said frankly:
“It’s not what you gentlemen are thinking. The guest inside is Young Master Xu.”
Young Master Xu?
The crowd looked at each other, each searching their memories, but unable to match the name to anyone.
Were there any nobles or high officials in this dynasty with the surname Xu?
The young man who had knocked on the door frowned and asked, “Which Young Master Xu?”
“Xu Qi An, the Young Master Xu who wrote the poem for Fuxiang,” the young servant said. He had been tipped three silver coins and was in a good mood. This was all thanks to Young Master Xu, so he was happy to spread his fame.
It’s him?
Among those present, several scholars’ eyes lit up.
“Let’s wait here. Perhaps we’ll witness the birth of an immortal poem.”
With these words, even those who were angry and jealous suppressed their emotions. Everyone present was of some status; even the merchants had a heart that yearned to be refined and cultured.
“Nine courtesans attending to him, what an extraordinary scene. Even top scholars of past imperial examinations didn’t receive such treatment.”
“Top scholars wouldn’t dare to be so extravagant and ostentatious.”
…
“Ting ting ting…”
In the clear sound, several arrowless shafts accurately fell into a vase three zhang away.
Xu Qi An, who had been blindfolded and had his back turned, removed the cloth strip and laughed heartily as he embraced the two courtesans, Xiao Ya and Ming Yan, planting wild kisses on their faces.
After the kisses, Xu Qi An patted their buttocks: “A bet’s a bet, drink up, drink up.”
The two courtesans swayed their waists, coyly calling him naughty while obediently raising their cups to drink.
“No more games, no more. It’s too lonely being invincible,” Xu Qi An pushed away the two courtesans. “Ladies, wait here. I’ll go out for a bit and come back to battle with you three hundred rounds.”
He rubbed his stomach, indicating he needed to use the toilet.
The group of courtesans called out behind him: Young Master, hurry back!
Leaving the room, the door closed, and the biting cold wind hit his face. Xu Qi An reined in his exaggerated expression and softly exhaled a breath.
Looking around and seeing no one paying attention to him, he lightly leaped onto the wall and tore off a page of the Qi Watching Technique, igniting it with his qi.
Whoosh~~
He looked up at the sky, two clear beams of light breaking through the night from his eyes, then converging inward, the clear light concealed within his pupils.
Xu Qi An had another purpose for coming to Jiaofang Si: to observe the qi here up close and search for demonic energy.
Henghuì had already appeared, wreaking havoc in the inner city twice. He didn’t believe any demons were lurking in the city.
“Henghuì is a tool of the demon race, being used to achieve some purpose. The demon race went to great lengths to release the sealed object, they definitely wouldn’t let Henghuì run amok… If it were me, I would keep an eye on Henghuì… Last time I detected demonic energy at Jiaofang Si, if that was just a coincidence, so be it. If not, then Jiaofang Si is very likely one of the hideouts of the demon race.”
Clear qi flowed in Xu Qi An’s eyes as he slowly scanned every corner of Jiaofang Si, seeing various types of qi, but finding nothing unusual.
Finally, he cast his gaze towards the nearby Qingchi Yuan, towards the room where the courtesans were.
A wisp of emerald demonic energy swayed gracefully like green smoke.
Damn… Xu Qi An almost couldn’t hold back from cursing out loud. His heart suddenly chilled, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.
The demon was in the room?
Just drinking with me?
He felt the horrifying sensation of a protagonist in a horror story who stays the night in the wilderness, receives warm hospitality, but wakes up the next day to find himself in a desolate graveyard.
“Which one is the demon… One of the courtesans, or a maid? It can’t be Fuxiang, right? I’ve slept with her so many times, she can’t be a demon… Besides, I checked her that day when I was observing demonic energy.”
Xu Qi An silently leaped down from the wall and stealthily approached the room. The door wasn’t fully closed, and he peered inside through the gap.
He saw the woman emitting the emerald demonic energy. It wasn’t one of the courtesans, but the personal maid of courtesan Ming Yan.
It’s her… Xu Qi An immediately began to speculate. Why didn’t he detect the demonic energy when he was observing it last time, leading Song Tingfeng and others in their group activity?
Did she use some method to conceal the demonic energy then… What purpose does she have for lurking by Ming Yan’s side… Hmm, Ming Yan might not be innocent either, she might be an accomplice of the demon race… Thinking about it this way, it wasn’t just simple flattery when she sent someone to invite me as soon as I entered Jiaofang Si.
Xu Qi An immediately made a decision. He climbed over the wall again to leave Qingchi Yuan and headed straight for the small courtyard where Song Tingfeng was staying.
When he used the Qi Qi-watching technique to observe earlier, he noted the positions of Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao.
Leaping over the wall, he ignored the surprised questioning of the maids and barged straight in, hearing the sounds of Old Song’s vigorous activity at the door of the main bedroom.
The sound inside suddenly stopped, followed by Song Tingfeng’s vigilant voice: “Who’s there?”
“It’s me,” Xu Qi An patted the door. “Come out, there’s an urgent matter.”
Song Tingfeng cursed, followed by the rustling sound of dressing. Shortly after, he opened the door, his clothes in disarray.
“Old Song, go back to the yamen immediately and notify the golden gong on duty. Tell him to come to Jiaofang Si in person. Tell him there’s a demon in Qingchi Yuan,” Xu Qi An said briefly. “Remember, you must get the golden gong to come. I’m not very skilled in the Qi Watching Technique and can’t gauge the opponent’s strength. There are nine courtesans in Qingchi Yuan, they’re all sheep and can’t protect themselves. Oh, and if the one on duty is surnamed Zhu, change course and go to the Sitian Jian to find Sir Song.”
He didn’t say anything extra, trusting that as long as Song Tingfeng reported the situation accurately, with the golden gong’s rich experience, he would know what to do.
Song Tingfeng’s expression grew increasingly solemn. The dissatisfaction and anger from earlier had vanished. He went back to the room to get his sword and bronze gong, tying on his magical tools as he rushed out of the courtyard.
Xu Qi An quickly returned to Qingchi Yuan, a frivolous smile on his lips, wearing an expression of someone who had been having a great time. He pushed open the door and said with a smile:
“Beautiful ladies, I’m back.”
He only glanced at the female demon who was lowering her eyes and pouring wine for her mistress with his peripheral vision, then immediately shifted his gaze.
Unable to gauge the opponent’s strength, Xu Qi An didn’t dare to act rashly. Letting the demon escape was secondary; harming the innocent courtesans was something he was unwilling to see.
Next, he had to eat, drink, and touch as appropriate.
Xu Qi An played drinking games, finger-guessing games, and dice with the courtesans, having a great time.
Whose buttocks were rounder, whose breasts were softer, whose waist was the slimmest, who was made of water… He knew it all.
But Xu Qi An wasn’t happy. Instead, he was a bit anxious. He waited and waited, an hour passed, and Song Tingfeng still hadn’t returned.
At this moment, the female demon looked up, glanced at Xu Qi An, and said softly, “It’s getting late. Ladies, you should return early. Young Master Xu, will you be staying with my mistress tonight?”