The next day, in the afternoon.
At the field headquarters.
Lin Zhao, clad in white, sat at a desk in the headquarters, holding a bowl of white rice. Before him were two small dishes of stir-fried food from the military. He ate while reviewing troop rosters. That morning, he had selected over 8,000 men. With the maximum capacity of the Jiao Long boats being over 2,000 people per trip, it would take at least three round trips. The progress was decent. In the Snow Territory Heavenly Lake, Chu Yu and Mu Ya were receiving the new recruits, immediately forming them into regiments and battalions of the Snow Territory Army, and distributing armor, weapons, and warhorses. Training was imminent, and all arrangements were proceeding in an orderly fashion.
After finishing his meal, he pushed the empty bowl aside. It was time to start selecting new recruits for the afternoon. However, as Lin Zhao looked up, he felt something was missing. He frowned and asked, "Where's Old Huang?"
"Oh dear..."
A young personal guard scratched his head. "Commander Lin, that..."
"Don't stutter, just say it. Where did Old Huang go?"
"Well..."
The guard said, "Vice Commander Huang said he was too tired this morning and decided to relax this afternoon. So, he rode his sword to the city, saying he was going to a brothel called Yunxiang Lou to enjoy some music and singing."
"What?!"
Lin Zhao's mind was filled with dark lines. "I brought him out to recruit new soldiers, and he went to a brothel for music and singing?!"
"Yes..."
"This is infuriating! Go and check!"
"Yes!"
...
In the afternoon, at Yunxiang Lou in Tianji City.
It was the time when men, after a full meal, felt a void in their hearts. The main hall of Yunxiang Lou was filled with the sons of noble lords and high officials. Dressed in fine silks and brocades, they sat below the stage, listening to the songs and dances of the women performing. Amidst the crowd, Huang Tingyu ordered a plate of salted peanuts and a pot of old wine. His eyes were fixed on the stage, on the woman in red playing the pipa and singing a graceful melody.
Damn, she's beautiful!
Old Huang's eyes were practically glued to her.
Shortly after, the sound of horseshoes echoed from outside, and a group of people entered. To avoid attracting attention, Lin Zhao had changed into a dark blue outfit, with a bamboo hat slung behind his back, appearing like a wandering swordsman. He ordered his retinue to wait a short distance away, then entered the hall alone and glared at Old Huang. "I told you to gather provisions, but you're here listening to music in a brothel. Old Huang, Old Huang, when will you ever improve?"
"Ah!?"
Huang Tingyu plastered a smile on his face. "Mountain Master, don't get angry first. Sit down and listen if it's good. The performer on stage is the number one beauty in Dashang, the top courtesan of Yunzhou, Miss Shi Hanyin. If you think it's not good, we'll leave immediately, and I won't even pay for the music!"
"Hmph!"
Lin Zhao sat down indignantly and looked up at the woman on stage. She was beautiful and ethereal. Despite being a courtesan in Yunxiang Lou, she possessed an aura of celestial grace. Her figure was slender, and her beautiful eyes conveyed a hint of vulnerability. She played the pipa skillfully, and her voice was exceptionally clear and melodious. She was indeed extraordinary.
"What do you think?" Old Huang asked.
Lin Zhao coughed. "It's… alright..."
"Exactly!"
Old Huang ate peanuts. "You know, we've come all the way to Yunzhou. Let the subordinates handle the recruitment. Does a dignified Commander Lin need to personally oversee every detail? If you have free time, wouldn't it be better to practice martial arts or listen to music?"
"Are you actually trying to justify this?" Lin Zhao glared.
"Even if we have no reason, we must stand firm. We must maintain the dignity of our Mountain Peak Villa."
"Alright, alright. Listen quietly, and then we'll attend to business!"
"Attend to business?"
Upon hearing these words, Huang Tingyu's blood boiled with excitement. He slowly reached for his sword hilt. "Mountain Master has excellent taste. You just arrived and you've already set your sights on Miss Shi, and you want to 'handle' her? No problem. Old Huang is the most loyal man in the Snow Territory Heavenly Lake. With your word, Old Huang will go through fire and water to snatch Miss Shi back and throw her onto the bed in Tian Ran Ju."
"???"
Lin Zhao raised his fist. "Do you have any shame, Old Huang? Believe it or not, I'll beat you to death!"
Old Huang lowered his hand and repeatedly apologized with a smile. "I misunderstood, Old Huang? Tsk tsk, Mountain Master, you're really too unfeeling. If I had Mountain Master's handsome face and Chen Xi's connections, I would definitely summon Shi Hanyin to serve me tonight!"
"Get lost!"
The two were almost arguing while listening to the music.
On stage, Shi Hanyin played and sang. Her beautiful eyes swept over the audience, and she had already noticed the two of them. Ever since the elder appeared, his eyes had not left Shi Hanyin, his gaze lecherous and annoying. The young sword cultivator seemed to be the elder's superior. Although he carried a sword behind him, he had an air of scholarly refinement. And when he looked at Shi Hanyin, a flicker of astonishment clearly crossed his eyes, but unlike the other spectators, his gaze was not filled with greed. Instead, after the astonishment, his eyes quickly returned to their former clarity.
She didn't pay much attention to them. They were just part of the passing crowd.
...
Shortly after, a patron in the front row stood up. He was already drunk, holding a jade pot, and walked to the edge of the stage. He smiled and said, "Miss Shi, what's different about singing like this compared to before?"
As he spoke, he took out a stack of gold notes from his embrace and placed them by the stage. He smiled and said, "I, Young Master Lü, am willing to spend two hundred thousand taels of silver to buy Miss Shi to remove her outer garment and reveal her arm to sing a song. Is that acceptable?"
"..."
Shi Hanyin frowned.
"Esteemed young master."
A manager of Yunxiang Lou, accompanied by several escorts, stepped forward and blocked Lü Shaoyan. He smiled and said, "You are drunk, young master. Have you forgotten our rules? Miss Shi never performs with her arms exposed. This has always been the rule."
"I don't care!"
Lü Shaoyan's eyes flashed with ferocity. He suddenly grabbbed the manager's neck with his fingers, channeling his martial intent. He laughed and said, "What are you, to dare to obstruct this young master? Are you looking to die??"
The escorts of Yunxiang Lou quickly intervened, but Lü Shaoyan sent them flying with a few punches, spitting blood. These escorts were clearly no match for Lü Shaoyan, a martial artist at the Hai Realm.
"Old Huang, Old Huang!"
Lin Zhao held the plate of salted peanuts in his arms, eating as he chuckled. "Tsk tsk, killing two birds with one stone. I was worried about not finding Lü Shaoyan, but now he's delivered himself to our doorstep. And there's an opportunity to play the hero and save the beauty. Hurry up and attend to business! Capture Lü Shaoyan and Hu Qi who's with him. You like that Miss Shi so much, perhaps she's blind today and will fall for you!"
"Really!?"
Huang Tingyu was greatly invigorated. He stood up and drew his sword. "Let go of that woman!"
"En?"
Lü Shaoyan looked bewildered. He really wanted to touch the delicate hand of the Yunzhou courtesan, but he hadn't even touched it yet. A glance at the swordsman who clearly had no money... what did he mean?
"Get lost!"
Hu Qi, eager to protect his master, thrust out a punch. Immediately, bursts of fist energy exploded around him. A starving camel is still bigger than a horse. When Hu Qi, a martial artist at the Tian Yuan Realm, made his move, the entire Yunxiang Lou building trembled. If he were to exert his full strength and punch here several times, the entire Yunxiang Lou might collapse.
Huang Tingyu's heart ached. Such a beautiful place, even if a single beam were shattered, he would feel pained. It would have been one thing if he hadn't been here before, but now that he had seen it, this was Old Huang's second home! Whoever dared to smash my home, I would fight them to the death!
The next moment, a surge of powerful sword intent rose. Huang Tingyu directly unleashed a peak twelfth-level sword dao restraint, immobilizing Hu Qi. Fine sword qi infiltrated his flesh. Hu Qi spat out a mouthful of blood, already suffering internal injuries. His meridians were filled with traces of sword qi invasion. In just an instant, he, the mighty Tian Yuan martial artist, lost his combat effectiveness.
Huang Tingyu strode forward, his fingers parting. Streams of powerful sword qi coiled around his fingertips, and he directly grabbed Lü Shaoyan's neck. Old Huang's physique was already imposing, and his nearly two-meter-tall body easily lifted Lü Shaoyan into the air. His eyes held a smile. "You're the one named Lü Shaoyan?"
"You... you..."
Lü Shaoyan struggled desperately, but he, a mighty tenth-level martial artist, could not break free from Old Huang's iron-like grip. Lü Shaoyan's face turned a shade of liver color. He angrily asked, "Who exactly are you?"
"Me?"
Old Huang raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled. "I am Huang Tingyu, the chief twelfth-level demon immortal under Lin Baiyi of Mountain Peak Villa. Hehehe..."
"!!!"
Lü Shaoyan was greatly shocked.
And it wasn't just him. Shi Hanyin, who was on stage holding her pipa and preparing to avoid the ensuing battle, suddenly stopped. She turned around, her beautiful eyes looking at Huang Tingyu. She could hardly believe that this old man before her was the Huang Tingyu who had appeared multiple times in "The Legend of Bai Yi," the demon immortal who dared to draw his sword against the demon ancestor and betray his master?!
Then, was the young sword cultivator who had berated Huang Tingyu's nose his companion?
In an instant, Shi Hanyin felt her heart skip a beat. The person she never expected to meet in this lifetime had appeared today. For a moment, Shi Hanyin recalled the lyrics she had composed –
"I met Bai Yi without wishing to meet him, and fell into the mortal world without intending to. Since this is so, why are there others?"
She never dared to hope to meet him, but now, she had truly met him. That person was holding a plate of salted peanuts, watching the show while eating, a brilliant smile on his handsome face.
...
Just then, there was a commotion outside. A group of officers rushed in. Then, a group of generals clad in armor followed. Finally, a female general in dark blue armor and a white cloak entered. It was Chen Xi, the ruler of Yunzhou. Lin Zhao had not expected that this matter would even alarm Chen Xi.
He quickly put down the salted peanuts and stepped forward, smiling. "Chen Xi, why are you here too?"
"??"
Chen Xi's face was full of question marks. She actually wanted to ask, why is the dignified Lin Baiyi coming to a place like this for music and singing? Impossible. With the beauty of the women in your Mountain Peak Villa, like Wu Zhi, Dong Cang, Chu Yu, and the peerless beauty Zhe Shan Shen Nü Liu Li Ying, why would you stoop to this? Thinking of this, Chen Xi felt a pang of regret and sorrow. Men, none of them are good!
Seeing Chen Xi's expression, Lin Zhao knew something bad was about to happen. He pointed at Huang Tingyu and said, "It's all this damned Old Huang! It's not my fault..."