“Refining the Life-Extending Pill is quite troublesome, and its requirements for medicinal materials are extremely strict. Prepare these common medicinal materials for me, then go back and wait for my news. I need to find a way to gather some rare medicinal materials before I can perform alchemy.”
Gu Yi stood by the lakeside with his hands behind his back. After answering several more questions and giving the old man much to ponder, he bid the three farewell and left.
He gave Liu Fang the list of medicinal materials needed to refine the Life-Extending Pill, but there was one material he needed to find personally: “Taisui.”
Taisui was an exceptionally nourishing substance, possessing the ability to extend one’s years and promote longevity.
However, Taisui was exceedingly rare, almost impossible to find even by chance. The Taisui needed to refine the Life-Extending Pill also had to meet two conditions: considerable age and freshness.
Without using a special cultivation method to search for it, even the imperial preceptor and Liu Fang, despite their high status and power, would be unable to obtain it.
Gu Yi did not go far. Instead, he followed the shore of Xuanyang Lake, found a secluded corner, and sat down cross-legged. Activating the Eastern Imperial Emperor Art, he lowered his voice and shouted, “heavenly materials and earthly treasures, seek!”
As a Primordial Chaos Technique, the Eastern Imperial Emperor Art was extraordinarily powerful. While others relied on luck to search for heavenly materials and earthly treasures, he could investigate directly through his cultivation method.
Gradually, Gu Yi raised his eyebrows, withdrew his cultivation method, and murmured, “There is actually a Taisui Spirit in Dinggong City?”
Once Taisui developed a spirit, a single drop of its blood was equivalent to the medicinal properties of a thousand-year-old Taisui!
“And that Taisui Spirit is actually inside the red flower pavilion?”
The Red Flower Pavilion was the largest brothel in Dinggong City. Back then, when Qin Huaichong had been instructed by Gu Feng to throw Gu Yi and Qin Murong onto the same bed, ultimately, it had all been for the sake of the brothel’s courtesan!
“It’s been a long time since I visited a brothel. I’m actually starting to miss it.”
Gu Yi smiled faintly and rose to his feet.
After taking only two steps, he suddenly stopped and muttered, “I’m penniless right now. It probably won’t be easy to do anything after going to the Red Flower Pavilion. Looks like I’ll have to find Xu Santong. He has one hundred thousand taels of gold there, which is more than enough to spend lavishly at a brothel.”
…
North of Dinggong City, along the banks of Xianliu River, night fires shone brightly and streams of people flowed like a woven cloth.
This was the sleepless district of Dinggong City, where gambling dens, brothels, and taverns stood side by side, making it difficult for people to tear themselves away.
Xu Santong walked down the street with a springlike smile, chuckling, “Gu Yi, I always thought that after Bai Jing hurt you, you had developed a psychological aversion to women. I didn’t expect you to still be quite normal!”
Gu Yi walked ahead with his hands behind his back, ignoring him.
Xu Santong patted his fat-covered chest and declared boldly, “Don’t worry. I’m familiar with the Red Flower Pavilion. Once we get there, I’ll arrange everything for you properly.”
“Besides, today is the day of the Great Families’ competitions. Quite a few family disciples who won the title of champion will come out to celebrate and have fun, so inside the red flower pavilion will certainly be lively.”
When the two arrived outside the Red Flower Pavilion, a brothel madam standing at the entrance and flaunting her charms immediately lured them inside. “Girls, hurry and come serve these two lords!”
The Red Flower Pavilion occupied a vast area and had three floors aboveground. Inside were countless beautiful courtesans, accompanying wealthy merchants and prominent figures in their pursuit of pleasure.
A group of girls without customers waved their handkerchiefs repeatedly at Gu Yi and Xu Santong, smiling coyly. Those nearby simply came over, hooked their arms around the two men, and rubbed their soft flesh against them. As they did so, they seated the two at a table and served tea and wine with utmost attentiveness.
At a seat beside the railing on the Second Floor, two handsome young masters simultaneously looked toward Gu Yi’s direction, both frowning.
One said, “How dare he come here?”
The other said, “Why has he come here too?”
The two glanced at each other, coughed lightly, and pretended that nothing had happened as they resumed their indifferent expressions.
If Gu Yi saw these two people, he would certainly recognize them at once.
They were not young masters at all, but eunuchs Disguised as Men.
They were clearly the sisters Qin Muwan and Qin Murong!
The lives of the sisters Qin Muwan and Qin Murong had undergone earth-shaking changes over the past two days.
First of all, Qin Murong was no longer a virgin.
Secondly, Qin Muwan’s hidden illness of four years had been cured. She had already begun cultivating again and was close to reaching the first layer of body tempering.
And all of this had been caused by Gu Yi.
Especially during these two days, whenever they had free time, both of them would involuntarily think of Gu Yi.
Even in their dreams, they had both somehow dreamed of Gu Yi’s naked body…
After all, when Gu Yi had risen from Qin Murong’s bed that day, he had wandered naked before the two of them for quite some time.
Such a thing was an enormous shock to a young girl’s heart!
Qin Murong in particular had just experienced intimacy for the first time and suffered even more torment.
Over the past two days, the sisters had both sensed the same distracted state in each other, yet neither had exposed it.
Today, Qin Murong had successfully won the champion title in the Qin Clan’s competition. To celebrate, the sisters had secretly come to the Red Flower Pavilion Disguised as Men to broaden their horizons. They never imagined that shortly after sitting down, they would encounter the Gu Yi they had been longing for day and night.
Yet seeing Gu Yi in this place made neither woman happy!
Qin Murong snorted, “A beast in human clothing! He actually came to a brothel to seek pleasure!”
Seeing the brothel girl sitting on Gu Yi’s leg, drawing circles on his chest with her hand and giggling, Qin Murong burned with jealousy. She wished she could leap down with her sword and finish them both with a single strike!
Qin Muwan, however, revealed a trace of joy that was difficult to notice and shook her head. “He’s a man. It’s perfectly normal for him to come here. Besides, look—the brothel girl may be sitting on him, but he doesn’t show the slightest hint of lust. He is clearly remaining unmoved even in the presence of temptation.”
Qin Murong snorted, “Unmoved, my foot. Shameless.”
Qin Muwan looked at Qin Murong. “Are you jealous?”
“No!”
Qin Murong widened her eyes and sneered, “I wish I could kill that good-for-nothing. How could I possibly be jealous of him!”
Qin Muwan sighed inwardly, then suddenly pointed below with a smile. “Look, he sent the brothel girl away.”
Qin Murong curled her lips. “What he does has nothing to do with me.”
Although she said this, her eyes involuntarily turned aside for a glance. Seeing that it was indeed as older sister had said, her expression immediately softened somewhat.
Gu Yi waved away the girl whose looks and figure were both merely third-rate. Seeing that Xu Santong was enjoying himself, he shook his head slightly and secretly activated his cultivation method, sensing again.
“Hmm, there!”
He could sense that the Taisui Spirit was in a room toward the back of the third floor.
Just then, a gorgeously dressed brothel madam came to the center of the room and began speaking loudly with a delighted smile.
“Young masters, lords, you certainly came on the right day! Today is the joyous occasion of the First-Night Auction for Miss Yingying, the Red Flower Pavilion’s top courtesan!”
“Many lords must already have known in advance and have been waiting here expectantly for a long time. However, there are also quite a few unfamiliar faces here for the first time. This old woman still needs to explain the rules to everyone.”
A handsome young man beside the Second Floor railing said, “Hurry up. How long have we been waiting? You’re wasting our time!”
The brothel madam raised her orchid-like finger, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and chuckled. “Miss Yingying is a courtesan who sells her talents but not her body. Everyone is already well aware of her beauty and skills, so I won’t boast about what is already in the melon patch.”
“However, the bidding method for this First-Night Auction is somewhat different from usual. It isn’t simply a matter of the highest bidder winning. Besides the price, another standard will be considered: literary talent.”
“Miss Yingying has said that the person who wins her First-Night Auction must be talented, able to compose eloquent verses on the spot, and capable of writing a poem in ten steps.”
“Therefore, these are the rules we have set. First, everyone will bid. Then, we will select the ten highest bidders as candidates, and from those ten candidates, we will choose the final winner based on literary talent.”
“We have to show literary talent too?”
Many people present furrowed their brows.