The churning mass of malevolent aura slowly solidified, transforming into a black serpent shadow several times larger than Hongjiao. It raised its head fiercely, ready to devour it in the next second.
Just as the black serpent formed of malevolent aura was about to strike, a flurry of footsteps approached from outside the door, mixed with the crisp, silvery laughter of girls.
Bang!
The door was pushed open forcefully.
The young man abruptly clenched his palm, and the malevolent aura instantly retracted into his body.
The speed was so fast that when the aura violently rushed back into his bones and blood, a dull pain struck, causing him to let out a muffled groan.
The ruthless, surging murderous intent in Wu Li's eyes receded like the tide. As he looked up, it was quietly replaced by a trace of unexpected helplessness and panic.
Chai Xiaomi ran at the forefront with a beaming smile, followed by a large group of courtesans of a similar age.
Dressed in blue, red, purple, and green, they were a vibrant and chattering flock. Their talking and laughing were as loud as a hundred birds chirping in a mountain forest!
Wu Li instantly felt a splitting headache. Without even having time to take off his shoes, he turned and darted behind the bed curtains.
Hongjiao had already shrunk into the corner of the bed in terror, coiled up rigidly into a lump, not daring to move a muscle.
Boohoo, that was so close—
It had almost gone to meet its maker.
Through the gap in the gauze curtains, Wu Li saw the courtesans holding various types of rouge, eyebrow powder, and lip color. They scrambled to surround Chai Xiaomi, chattering non-stop like a flock of sparrows:
Xiaomi, Xiaomi, how did you apply that orgasm blush on your face? Hurry and try it again with my color!
And the one you just demonstrated... it's called Korean-style plump lips, right? It looks so good! Do one for me too!
I want highlighter! I want aegyo sal! Xiaomi, do my makeup first, I've been waiting in line to watch the tutorial for so long!
Stop, stop, stop! Chai Xiaomi scrambled to the table, poured a cup of water, and gulped it down to moisten her throat. Then she turned around, raised her hands high, and made a gesture to halt.
Babies, we'll stop our lesson here for today. I'll hold another special class when I have time some other day! How about this, for the babies who haven't learned it yet, I'll give you a number in a bit. We'll take turns, so you won't have to wait around one by one next time!
These courtesans were used to hearing their patrons call them baby, beauty, sweetheart... Every word was so greasy it made them nauseous.
Now, hearing the crisp, soft, and sweet babies from the girl in front of them was like heavenly music pouring into their ears. Each and every one of them was coaxed into a state of absolute bliss, feeling dizzy with joy, their hearts bubbling with happiness.
What made them even more envious was the young girl's nimble hands. With just a few casual brushes and sweeps on the face, one's features instantly became picturesque, and their entire person lit up.
Working in this line of business, they relied on their figures and faces, and they usually spent a lot of effort on their makeup and attire.
But no matter how they painted, there were only a few styles back and forth. Aside from frequently changing the forehead floral adornments used to distinguish the ranks among the courtesans, the makeup on their faces was always much the same—thick and heavy, suffocating the skin.
But the makeup Xiaomi applied looked as if she hadn't put on any at all. There was clearly not a trace of powder to be seen, yet her complexion was instantly lifted, making her look radiant and glowing with health.
Take the orgasm blush she personally demonstrated, for example.
It was simply absolutely stunning!
Two strokes of rosy crimson softly blended out from her pale cheeks, like the rising tide washing over a sandy shore, rippling up softly layer by layer.
Her entire face was like a blooming rose in the rain, drenched over and over by the water, stunningly fragile, yet exuding an indescribable charm that made one's heart tingle and grow hot.
The courtesans understood this kind of charm best.
It was the flush that only appeared when a woman tasted ultimate bliss, the kind that could most easily drive patrons wild with infatuation. Who would have thought that this look could actually be brushed on by Xiaomi, stroke by stroke.
Chai Xiaomi dug out a brand new bamboo scroll from under the curio cabinet, untied the string, separated the bamboo slips one by one, fetched a writing brush, wrote a number on each slip, and finally distributed them to the courtesans in sequential order.
Next time we'll call numbers, and whoever is called will come learn from me first. Each person gets half an incense stick of time. Don't fight or snatch, everyone will get a turn.
The courtesans eagerly stretched out their hands, waiting for Xiaomi to pass them out piece by piece. Everyone who received a bamboo slip acted as if they had found a treasure, a delighted smile blooming on their faces.
Among them were sweet-talkers who immediately began to say flattering things: I've been in the Phantom Sound Pavilion for so long, and this is the first time I've seen a girl like Xiaomi with such top-notch looks and figure. Your husband is truly blessed!
Xiaomi is blessed too! Her husband's appearance was spread all over the pavilion the very first day he arrived. A courtesan beside her was full of envy. Unlike us. It's fine if we occasionally meet a young master from a noble family, but usually, it's just a bunch of crooked melons and cracked dates...
The phrase crooked melons and cracked dates made everyone burst into laughter.
Chattering over one another, they began to list the ugliest, the fattest, and the oldest patrons they had received, and even those who finished the fastest or had the smallest sizes.
The further they talked, the more explicit the topic became.
Chai Xiaomi stood there awkwardly, her toes curling in embarrassment, her face already unrecognizably red.
She considered herself to be a modern girl who had seen her fair share of adult videos, read smutty fanfiction, followed erotic manga, and could occasionally drop a dirty joke or two in 18+ chats with friends.
But in front of these battle-hardened soldiers who had truly inspected countless guns in real combat, she was like a clueless, fresh-faced recruit.
Her mind was blank, completely at a loss for what to do.
As if that wasn't enough, an older courtesan leaned in with a curious face, winking and asking, Xiaomi, based on your big sister's years of experience... tell me the truth, your husband isn't small, is he?
She naturally wasn't referring to his age.
Chai Xiaomi: !!!
Ahhhhhhhhh—
What in the world is all this!
How would she know! She had never seen it with her own eyes!
A very faint tremor came from the bedboards. Hongjiao, trembling with fear, quietly raised its eyes to take a peek, only to see its master leaning against the head of the bed with his knees bent. His breathing was already in complete disarray, yet he was suppressing it desperately. His thin lips were pressed into a straight line, and dark tides surged in the depths of his eyes, as if something was struggling to break out of its cage.
Blushing, Chai Xiaomi opened her arms and pushed the girls outward like she was shooing little chicks. I'm tired, I need to rest. We can chat another day, another day...
Seeing her flushed face, the courtesans dispersed with giggles.
It wasn't until the crowd had gone far away that Chai Xiaomi let out a long sigh of relief. Just as she was about to close the door, she saw a timid little girl standing all alone outside.
It was exactly the zither-playing musician, Xiangyun.
She had heard that the musicians in the pavilion only sold their art, not their bodies.
When she learned of this, Chai Xiaomi also silently breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
Can I... can I also take a number? Xiangyun kept her eyes lowered, her voice very soft.
Seeing a flash of surprise in Chai Xiaomi's eyes, she hurriedly explained, I'm not doing it to please patrons, I just...
She raised her face, a faint yet stubborn light reflecting in her eyes.
I just want that when my beloved sees my face clearly for the first time, he can see me looking my most beautiful. I believe that one day he will be able to see what this world looks like.
Chai Xiaomi blurted out, "Is your sweetheart named Xiaoman?"
"You know him." At the mention of Xiaoman, the timidity on Xiangyun's face faded a little, and a lively smile rippled in her eyes.
"Yeah, he is quite nice and very warm-hearted." Chai Xiaomi recalled how impeccably polite the young man was. He had even kindly reminded her not to wander around the Phantom Sound Pavilion at night, clearly worried she might run into lechers. He was a bright and considerate person.
Hearing someone praise Xiaoman, Xiangyun was overjoyed.
This was the first time someone genuinely appreciated her Xiaoman, instead of disdainfully calling him "that blind guy who washes chamber pots."
Xiangyun took the last bamboo slip Chai Xiaomi handed her. Seeing a circle drawn on it, she was slightly taken aback. "This is..."
Chai Xiaomi covered her mouth and leaned in, lowering her voice mysteriously. "This is number zero. It comes even before number one. I secretly bumped you to the front of the line, so do not tell anyone else. When I start my classes, I will teach you first."
"Thank you, Xiaomi!" Xiangyun happily clutched the bamboo slip and gave her a formal, meticulous bow, a posture she had clearly learned from Xiaoman, before running off into the distance.
Watching her retreating back, Chai Xiaomi sighed with emotion: Ah, a mutually devoted love is truly so beautiful!
