Qin Lan had witnessed firsthand the Qin Huai River in all its storied glory — lanterns blazing across the water, painted pleasure barges stretching to the horizon on a perfect night. But she had also heard the stories: how nearly every single day, the constables dragged pale, waterlogged women's bodies from the ice-cold river.
She still remembered the courtesan her second uncle had purchased from the Perching Phoenix Pavilion — lips like cherries, teeth like pearls, a devastating beauty. One glance from the Thirteenth Prince, and her uncle had dispatched servants to deliver the girl to the prince's manor without a second thought.
The great capital was thick with powerful clans, and the pleasure women along the Qin Huai River changed with every season — flock after flock flying with bright smiles into the estates of nobles and princes. Yet fewer than one in ten ever came to a good end. Most met wretched fates, dying unmourned and left unburied. This had taught Qin Lan a lesson she never forgot: no matter how charming those women of the floating world might be, they were nothing more than playthings of the lowest order. The powerful men who dallied with them enjoyed the game well enough — but not one of them would ever take seriously a woman whose arms had pillowed ten thousand heads and whose lips had been shared by ten thousand mouths.
And so, even though Qin Lan knew something of the Golden Kumquat Tavern's background, the only person who had ever truly given her pause was Lady Gneia — that deeply inscrutable woman lurking behind the scenes. Even then, it was merely a reluctance to provoke her without cause. If things came to open war, Qin Lan didn't believe for a moment that any of these wealthy clients would stick their necks out for a handful of common entertainers — not enough to make an enemy of the Qin family, whose name carried weight even across the Continent of Enlos.
As for top courtesans? The Qin family estate had seventeen dry wells. They had all been perfectly good wells once — but the redeemed courtesans and star entertainers the family had acquired over the years had a habit of throwing themselves in on quiet nights, spoiling the sweet, clear water. What a waste.
But in this moment, the pride she had built on the foundation of the Qin family's name had been shattered, blow by blow.
These pampered, high-born women — making such a spectacle of themselves over a pack of lowly entertainers. Weren't they afraid of becoming a laughingstock?
Qin Lan slumped to the ground, the world spinning around her, fear and bitter resentment written plainly across her face.
Something this enormous could not be kept quiet. When the family's fury came down, it wouldn't just be Qin Zhihua who suffered — she herself would be dragged into the wreckage.
"Is that all there is to it."
Li Fei snorted inwardly, with no intention of offering Qin Lan any comfort. Straight women, she reflected, would never understand the true worth of the Continent's foremost expert in the art of orange-flavored public relations.
They might say Loxibrook belongs to the Bai family — though there's some room for debate there, given that a certain someone's best friend once got thrown in a jail cell.
But if they said Loxibrook belongs to Li Fei? I doubt a single soul in this crowd would argue. When this top courtesan stamps her foot, every woman of name and standing in this city wonders if my foot is hurting.
Qin Zhihua, meanwhile, looked at Qin Lan's dazed, hollowed-out expression — and her brow furrowed, something complicated stirring in her chest.
She knew perfectly well that Qin Lan had already been showing considerable restraint. The fact that a daughter of the Qin family was breaking her betrothal to the Kong family over a woman of the pleasure quarters was an act of staggering, almost unimaginable impropriety. It would be public knowledge before long, and the Qin family's face would be ground into the dirt.
But she glanced at Li Fei — and hardened her heart.
With a clean stroke, she cut a lock of her own hair and laid it before Qin Lan.
"Tell them that Qin Zhihua died in Viranean."
"The family's inherited art — I swear I will never pass it to another."
The words had barely left her lips when her long hair billowed outward. Pure, refined True Qi surged free of her body, forming an aura so dense it was almost tangible, threaded through with flashes of light.
Several dozen heartbeats later, it all dissolved into nothing. Qin Zhihua's lips ran with a trace of blood, her face gone pale — but her eyes were brighter than they had ever been. "From this day forward, I have no ties to the Qin family."
Huh?
My generous bride-price. My formidable personal bodyguard. Gone?
Zhihua, darling — you're going to fall out of favor doing things like this…
Li Fei stared, wide-eyed, words failing her entirely.
"I only hope you won't regret this someday."
Qin Lan looked up at her, eyes dark and distant, and felt an inexplicable thread of envy — even jealousy — rise unbidden in her chest.
"And you?" Qin Zhihua turned the question back on her.
"Me? What do I have to regret? You were the ones who broke the engagement first—" Qin Lan gave a cold laugh.
"You obeyed your parents and married your cousin, yet you never received so much as a crumb of warmth or affection. Do you not regret that? You devoted yourself body and soul to this family — and now that I've broken my betrothal, they'll punish you for it. Do you not regret that? Think about yourself for once."
With that, Qin Zhihua turned toward Li Fei without looking back — without a single shred of lingering attachment.
Qin Lan fell silent. She seemed to deflate all at once, as though every last ounce of spirit had been drained from her body.
"Zhihua, are you all right?"
Li Fei swallowed down the tangle of complicated feelings and let concern show on her face.
But then the weight of the gazes converging on her from all sides made her acutely aware of how precarious her position was — and she stopped herself, mid-reach, from wiping the blood from Zhihua's lips.
"I'm fine."
Qin Zhihua accepted the handkerchief Su Ling'er held out, dabbed the blood from the corner of her mouth, and walked to Li Fei's side with perfect composure. She swept the gathering with a calm glance — as though entirely unaware of the hostility lurking in certain pairs of eyes — and said with unhurried grace:
"My deepest gratitude to everyone who came tonight. Zhihua will remember this always."
"No need."
Hathaway's voice was low and velvety, carrying that rich, magnetic quality of a commanding older woman. "She invited me here. What does it have to do with you?"
At the same moment, Li Fei felt the grip on her hand tighten.
Oh no.
The smile on the top courtesan's face froze solid. A voice in her head began screaming.
Ugh — I should have just gone straight to my best friend for backup! Why all the drama? Why make such a production of it?
And now look what I've done.
One crooked mouth, and the whole funeral pyre is lit.
Against her will, her mind flashed back to that moment when Hathaway and Chloe Melodia's auras had clashed — and she had nearly been reduced to courtesan paste in the crossfire.
Cold sweat trickled down her spine.
"I'll be heading off first — see you at school tomorrow."
Irena — who was clearly a veteran at reading a room — had already sensed the dangerous undercurrent in the air. She made her decisive exit the moment things turned sour: she hopped onto her broomstick and bolted, sisterly solidarity be damned.
Asuna, having completed her assigned task, departed without a word — she flipped onto her griffin's back and vanished into the night.
Hold steady. Hold steady.
Li Fei chanted it inwardly, quickly pulling herself from the edge of panic and back to a place of calm. Her gaze steadied. An elegant smile settled across her face.
A true master of the art could look jealousy in the eye without blinking, and stand unshaken in the middle of the worst possible disaster.
If she couldn't even handle a scene like this — what business did she have calling herself the top courtesan? She might as well find some sensible, uncomplicated woman to settle down with.
She turned, affecting a trace of wounded vulnerability. "Hathaway, did I upset you? Zhihua is truly a wonderful person — I really don't want the two of you arguing because of me."
The top courtesan deployed Honeyed Words, Level 5. Critical hit. Hathaway's breath hitched.
But inwardly, Li Fei felt a flicker of dissatisfaction. That kind of obvious, low-level technique was too heavy-handed… True artistry should be invisible — a killing blow delivered without the target ever noticing the blade.
She adjusted her approach, lifted her face, let a warmly open smile bloom across her features, and gave a little wave of one pale, soft hand. "Chloe, why are you standing so far away? Come on, come on — drinks are on me."
...
The night had grown deep, but the Golden Kumquat Tavern blazed with light.
Li Fei held court at the bar, all smiles and easy laughter — pouring wine for Hathaway one moment, leaning close to whisper something in Qin Zhihua's ear the next, then draping herself languidly across Chloe Melodia's luminous white wings while simultaneously casting all three women a look that said, wordlessly, I have ten thousand things I want to say to you, though I couldn't begin to name a single one.
As the mood warmed, Li Fei took her boldest step yet: she talked them into playing a few parlor games.
"If you're smitten with a girl," the slightly flushed top courtesan mused, tilting her head with an expression of absolute innocence, "why be jealous? Shouldn't you want her to be happy?"
"Loving someone means wanting to possess them. Truly loving someone means embracing everything that comes with them."
"Hathaway — if you like me, and Zhihua also likes me... doesn't that make you two natural allies? Shouldn't you be on the same team?"
"Chloe, I don't want to hurt anyone. Please don't be cross with Hathaway anymore... I'll drink a penalty cup — will you two make up for me~?"
At some point — no one could say exactly when — all one hundred and twelve female staff of the Golden Kumquat Tavern had quietly taken their seats in the main hall.
They had each found excuses to bid their clients farewell early that evening, gathering in the hall by unspoken agreement, two and three at a time, sharing drinks with their sisters — all while their ears were pricked sharp, absorbing every word from the Empress's honeyed repertoire. When she said something particularly brilliant, they couldn't help but slap their neighbors' thighs in delighted amazement.
The eyes of the assembled beauties — a thousand charms, a hundred elegances — shone with a light that was equal parts reverence and joy, like devoted Confucian disciples seated before a sage's sermon, minds utterly cleared of distraction, feeling great bells toll and thunder resound in the chambers of their souls, epiphany after epiphany cracking them open.
"Transcendent technique. Truly transcendent technique," breathed a Blood Clan hostess, eyes glittering with unshed tears. If I possessed half this artistry, would certain clients still dare treat me so crudely?
"Magnificent…" An elven hostess shook her head slowly, wonder filling her eyes. "I used to think the top courtesan was nothing but a beautiful vase — a pretty face deployed to please clients. Now I understand. The depth of her mastery is something I could never hope to reach."
"Hearing the top courtesan speak for one evening is worth more than ten years of taking clients. Especially those few inspired little games — I've learned so much. Whenever I had multiple clients at once, I never knew how to ease the awkwardness. Today the top courtesan has shown me the way to break through it."
A voluptuously charming human hostess chimed in with fervent agreement.
"'Werewolf' to break the ice, 'Truth or Dare' to liven the mood, and finally 'King's Game' to guide things to the main event… I'd never heard of any of these games before tonight. Having seen them now, I begin to glimpse the great wisdom — the true artistry — hidden within the top courtesan's methods."
The sister beside her picked up the thread. "Such ingenuity. I am nowhere near her level."
"Watch more. Learn more! The top courtesan's eyes, her expressions, her gestures, her command of physical distance — every detail is worked to perfection. Memorizing the words alone is just painting a cat from a tiger — you'll miss the spirit entirely!"
One mother spoke in earnest tones to her daughter: "Look at that move where she cups someone's face — and the way she tucks her hair aside! Watching it makes me want to have another daughter just so I'd have someone to teach. My girl, you and I don't have the top courtesan's heaven-defying natural talent. We'll have to make up for it with ten thousand hours of practice."
It is worth noting that the Golden Kumquat Tavern had always taken its privacy seriously. Every table was set with an intricate lattice of lines forming a ritual array — speak the incantation, and a barrier activated, capable of blocking the light and sound around the table in one or both directions. The hostesses had naturally all engaged their barriers: they could hear everything outside, while their own voices were sealed within their small pocket of space — so as not to disturb the Empress's live masterclass.
Lady Gneia leaned in the doorway, pipe in hand, watching her wholeheartedly devoted employees with a look of deep satisfaction.
The tavern's profits would surely climb even higher after tonight.
"We really did strike gold when she walked in here…"
The words, carrying the faintest undercurrent of something bittersweet, dissolved into the night air along with the smoke.
...
All gatherings must end. Li Fei saw off Hathaway and Chloe in turn — and finally leaned her head against Qin Zhihua's shoulder, cheeks flushed a soft, warm pink.
"Zhihua, my place is a little cramped… What if we found a room at an inn for a while, just until I move somewhere bigger? Then we could live together."
Li Fei's gaze slid sideways, a smile playing at her lips. "Ling'er, you're welcome to join us too~"
"Actually…" Su Ling'er's face went red. She fumbled with her words. "My place is pretty spacious. I live there alone most of the time. If you don't mind, Miss, you could stay with me for now."
"Deal." Li Fei made the call on the spot. "Wait for me outside a moment — I need to say a few words to my sisters. I'll see you home after."
"Thank you, Ling'er." Qin Zhihua answered with gentle warmth, then took the pleasantly dazed Su Ling'er's hand and walked toward the door.
Lady Gneia herself — carrying the faint scent of tobacco — came to receive the two of them at the entrance, chatting amicably. As they stepped outside, she snapped her fingers.
In an instant, the one-way soundproofing barriers that had filled the hall dissolved — but a curtain of light now shimmered across the doors and windows, sealing the tavern away from the outside world.
Li Fei turned. The warmth of wine had retreated from her eyes, leaving them cool and clear. She crossed one leg over the other and spoke with unhurried ease:
"Sisters — did you learn something tonight?"
The room fell dead silent, as though struck dumb by the presence of the number-one hostess on the continent.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Aurora — the tavern's former reigning queen — began to applaud first, heartfelt admiration plain in her voice. "Had Heaven not given us the top courtesan, the path of our craft would have groped through endless night since time immemorial."
Whoooosh—
The next moment, applause crashed over the room like a wave. The eyes of the assembled hostesses overflowed with reverence:
"She stands at the pinnacle of the art, proud above all the world."
"Hear the truth in the morning — and one can die content that evening."
"Who stands alone at the summit of the craft? One meeting with the top courtesan — and all others fade to nothing."
"Top courtesan, might you offer personal instruction? My daughter and I would be honored to share your table — and your bed…"
The corner of Li Fei's mouth twitched. She forced the words I wouldn't mind back down her throat, raised both hands in a calming gesture, and waited until the hall had quieted before speaking:
"Tonight, my sisters stood up for me — and I, Li, will carry that debt in my heart for the rest of my days. Even if I were to share every last technique I have, it would barely begin to repay what you've given me."
"The road we walk is full of hardship. I'm sure every one of you knows its coldness and its thorns. From now on, I walk it with you — we'll lean on each other and keep each other warm."
She raised her cup and drank it in one clean swallow.
The sisters raised their cups toward her from across the room and drank as one.
Li Fei swept her gaze across the full hall — and felt a restless, hungry ambition stir to life in her chest.
I love this tavern. I really, truly love it. Is there any way — any way at all — to make it mine?
Her gaze drifted to Lady Gneia standing in the doorway.
...
The night was cool as water.
Li Fei looked around at the charming little courtyard home with curious delight. "Ling'er! Your place is so much bigger than mine — I'm absolutely dying of envy."
"It's exhausting to clean, though." Su Ling'er laughed and led them both inside.
Li Fei, for her part, quietly let the subject of the house drop. She knew Su Ling'er's income well enough — a place this spacious and well-located, lived in by just one person, almost certainly meant an inheritance. The top courtesan had far too much sense to blunder into that obvious minefield.
"Miss, you take this room — let me tidy it up…"
Su Ling'er stepped into the largest bedroom, and came back out a moment later carrying a pile of clothes, looking sheepish.
She was clearly intending to give up her own room for Qin Zhihua.
"Thank you, Ling'er." Qin Zhihua looked at her with quiet warmth and made no move to stop her.
Though she had declared her break from the Qin family, certain deeply ingrained habits of mind were not so easily undone. For those raised in great clans, infighting and betrayal among siblings were nothing unusual — and the bond between a personal maidservant and her mistress was, more often than not, more steadfast and reliable than ties of blood. Even Qin Zhihua harbored, somewhere beneath her conscious thought, the unexamined assumption that Su Ling'er's service was natural, and that her own protection and indulgence of the girl was equally natural — the same way some people took multiple wives as simply the order of things.
"Zhihua and I can take a different room."
Li Fei — a product of a rather more egalitarian society — stepped forward quickly to intervene, and neatly settled the question of which room she and Qin Zhihua would be sharing.
"That won't do at all…" Su Ling'er shook her head stubbornly.
"All right, all right." Li Fei made a token show of further protest, then smiled. "In that case — let me help."
Once the top courtesan was helping, how could the young mistress of the Qin family sit still and do nothing?
It had to be said — though Qin Zhihua had never once dirtied her hands with common chores in her daily life, when she actually put her mind to something practical, she was faster and tidier than Su Ling'er. Two bedrooms were sorted out in short order.
The top courtesan's greatest contribution throughout the entire process was convincing them there was no need to change the bedsheets — saving them some small measure of time.
Qin Zhihua produced a translucent, glistening Transcendent item shaped like a willow branch, and swept it gently over the three of them. Their skin and clothes were instantly refreshed — spotless and clean, every trace of grime gone — the effect no less thorough than a dedicated Cleanse spell, sparing them the trouble of washing up.
"Goodnight, Ling'er."
Li Fei let a breathtaking, heart-stopping warmth and the faintest thread of coy shyness drift into her eyes. Su Ling'er hadn't even recovered her senses before the light was extinguished.
With her heart hammering, Li Fei took Qin Zhihua's hand and walked into the room.
____
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