The Brothel
Drifting Fragrance Courtyard had an illustrious reputation in the White Horse Constellation. Other than young ladies like Mu Fuping, almost everyone knew of it.
Red lanterns hung high, and willows drooped on both sides of the road. Drifting Fragrance Courtyard was very low-key, quiet and not ostentatious. There were not many people on the road, but the fragrance wafting from the courtyard was intoxicating.
Drifting Fragrance Courtyard was called Drifting Fragrance Courtyard precisely because it was filled with azaleas. The flowers never wilted, and their fragrance permeated the air.
Entering the courtyard was a large courtyard. Several dozen tables and chairs were arranged around it, and across from them was a stage. At night, there would be singing and dancing. It was still early, so there were only a few people in the hall. Several gorgeously dressed girls were attending to the guests, bringing with them bursts of laughter.
Xia Fei and Ludi found a quiet seat. Ludi threw out ten grade 4 Origin Crystals and said, "Pick up the best food and drinks. Don't try to save money for me."
These ladies had grown up in this big red door, so they had seen all sorts of rich guests. Neither servile nor overbearing, they served snacks and fruits and brewed tea. Two of the rather good-looking ladies were about to take a seat beside Xia Fei.
Xia Fei said nothing. Instead, it was Ludi who drove the two girls away, his eyes occasionally glancing toward the second floor for some reason.
"Strange. Normally, after failing three subjects, a normal person wouldn't be in the mood to seek pleasure, but today, you've followed me to Drifting Fragrance Courtyard," Ludi said with a smile.
Xia Fei mysteriously smiled. "I've been too depressed from these three days of exams. It's good to relax."
Ludi said nothing. He was a frequent customer of this sort of place, and the brothel was no different from his own home. He was rather happy to have Xia Fei accompany him to Drifting Fragrance Courtyard.
After a while, Ludi realized that something was strange. In a few moments, the courtyard was filled with people, and they were all very familiar. It was as if he had seen them all in the exam hall before.
"Strange. Today is truly strange. Could it really be that the exams are so depressing that so many examinees have gathered in Drifting Fragrance Courtyard?" Ludi muttered to himself.
Xia Fei casually said, "Who knows? Perhaps it's a coincidence."
What made Ludi feel even more strange was that there were so many examinees in the Drifting Fragrance Courtyard, but not many of them ordered girls. They just sat there, doing nothing. According to reason, this was a place to seek out beauties, but there were no girls in the Drifting Fragrance Courtyard. What was the reason for this?
Ludi frowned and said to Xia Fei, "This is bad. These fellows seem to be targeting Lady Yanqiu. We've met our match this time."
Xia Fei was confused, so he asked, "Is Lady Yanqiu very famous?"
Ludi sighed and said, "I'm not surprised that she's famous. Every night in the Drifting Fragrance Courtyard, there will be a girl who goes on stage to perform. Of course, I'm not talking about those young girls who sing and dance, but rather the last person to go on stage at night."
"The last one to appear tonight is Miss Yan Qiu. I accidentally found out a few days ago and immediately fell in love with her. It's just that today is Miss Yan Qiu's first time coming to Drifting Fragrance Courtyard, so why are there so many competitors?" Ludi seemed to be very vexed, thinking that everyone was his rival in love.
"Haaa, the last song is over. According to tradition, Miss Yan Qiu will bring the man she likes to her room to spend the night together. I wonder if she'll choose me?"
Xia Fei found this rather funny, but he did not say anything. He continued to drink his tea and munch on melon seeds.
More and more people came to Drifting Fragrance Courtyard, and one hundred percent of them were candidates for the Dragon Ascension Conclave. By nightfall, there were more than one hundred people. There were more than ten thousand candidates in the preliminary examination, and one percent of them had come to Drifting Fragrance Courtyard as if they had made an appointment.
At a place relatively far from Xia Fei, Mu Fuping, Mu Qingping, and those two muscular men had disguised themselves and snuck in. After learning what was going on in Drifting Fragrance Courtyard, Mu Fuping disregarded her status and insisted on coming. No one could dissuade her, so they disguised themselves as men and came.
As night fell, the lanterns were lit, and the dancers began to dance on the stage.
Xia Fei absent-mindedly watched, but Ludi was anxiously waiting for Lady Yanqiu to appear. Everyone around him was an opponent, making him feel very uneasy.
Mu Fuping observed Xia Fei for a long time, and when she saw that Xia Fei was really just watching the dance, her expression gradually softened.
'I just knew that Big Brother Xia Fei wasn't that sort of person,' Mu Fuping thought to herself.
Time passed quickly, and it was finally time for Lady Yanqiu to appear.
The moment the host announced Lady Yanqiu's name, Ludi stood up and began to clap.
* Whoosh! *
One hundred gazes turned to Ludi, full of confusion and disdain. No one except Ludi applauded.
Xia Fei found this funny and pulled Ludi back.
Ludi frowned. "What's going on? Aren't we in a brothel to pass the time? Why are they all so serious? Did I do something wrong? "
Xia Fei naughtily smiled. "In any case, relax. No one will fight with you over Lady Yanqiu."
A few moments later, a woman in her thirties coldly walked onto the stage. She wore no makeup, her eyes stern, and she looked just like a tigress.
Ludi was extremely excited. He was just about to stand up and call out Yanqiu's name when Xia Fei stopped him.
"If you want to embarrass yourself later, I won't stop you," Xia Fei sarcastically said.
Lady Yanqiu stood on the stage, her cold gaze sweeping over the crowd.
"Some of you might have already guessed that I am the chief proctor of this Dragon Ascension Conclave's preliminary examination, Lu Qiuyan! You are all intelligent examinees, able to see the true purpose of the first three examinations, possessing excellent observation and analytical skills! Let me first congratulate all of you. "
Ludi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he heard this.
It was no wonder all the examinees had come tonight. This was a hidden question!
The lady he admired was the chief proctor this time?!
He had just been wondering how he could get his hands on this chief proctor so that he could spend the night with her. What was he supposed to say?
"So you already knew?" Ludi said with a sobbing tone.
Xia Fei silently nodded.
Ludi felt a lingering fear in his heart. Fortunately, he had not done anything improper, or else he would have died without a grave!
In the distance, Mu Fuping and Mu Qingping were also stunned. Xia Fei had not come to a brothel to seek pleasure? Rather, this was the requirement of the question!
"Hmph! I didn't think that he would have guessed correctly, "Mu Qingping spat.
On the stage, the chief proctor, Lu Qiuyan, deliberately coughed and sternly said, "The first question is insight. Examinees who complete this question tonight will receive thirty extra points for each of the next four subjects as a reward for completing the hidden question."
Saying this, Lu Qiuyan glanced at Mu Fuping and said, "The people of your Mu family don't need to take the preliminary examination and can directly take the examination. Miss Fuping, since you were so concerned about the examination and cleverly guessed the answer to the hidden question, I will explain this to the chief proctor and give you a suitable reward."
Mu Fuping immediately blushed. She had no idea what the hidden question was. All she had done was follow Xia Fei. She had not imagined that she would receive extra points.
At this moment, Xia Fei happened to nod at Mu Fuping. It seemed that Xia Fei already knew that she was here and had just pretended not to see her.
"However." Lu Qiuyan changed the subject and viciously glared at Ludi. "There are also some examinees who should behave themselves in the future. If you do anything frivolous again, I will crush your dog leg!"
The crowd roared with laughter. They all knew that this was to enlighten Ludi.
Everyone who had come tonight had seen the hidden question. Only Ludi had foolishly believed that Lu Qiuyan was a prostitute and wanted to spend the night with her.
However, Ludi's luck was truly good. Even so, he had managed to solve the hidden question and obtain extra points.
…
The crowd dispersed. Xia Fei, Ludi, Mu Fuping, Mu Qingping, and the two bodyguards sent by the Mu family to protect Mu Fuping walked together.
Ludi's legs were constantly trembling as he grumbled, "Big bro, why didn't you tell me earlier? I ended up making a fool of myself tonight."
Xia Fei nonchalantly said, "Don't mind it too much. Though you didn't manage to guess the riddle, you'll still be at the Drifting Fragrance Courtyard tonight, and you'll still get bonus points. This is all about luck, and sometimes, good luck is very important to a warrior."
Ludi pursed his lips. Xia Fei had a point. From the first day he arrived at Drifting Fragrance Courtyard, Ludi had set his sights on Lu Qiuyan. Even if Xia Fei had not come with him, he would have come alone.
"However, I really can't agree with your sense of beauty," Xia Fei casually said.
Everyone laughed. Lu Qiuyan was a fierce woman, but for Ludi to fall in love with her at first sight, it could only be said that this bro's taste was truly heavy.
Mu Fuping blinked and said in admiration, "Big Brother Xia Fei, you're truly amazing. How did you guess that there was a hidden question?"
Ludi also asked, "That's right. It's also a reference, so why didn't I discover any hidden questions?"
Xia Fei smiled. "What was the question on the first day's test?"
"Concentric Circle Geometry."
"What about the second day?"
"Musical Instrument Test. Perform a song, Hundred Li Butterfly Fragrance."
"What was the question on the third day's test?"
"Landscape Painting, Drifting Azaleas."
Xia Fei nodded. "Take the first question's' circle ', the second question's' fragrance ', and the third question's' drift '. Combine them together …"
"I got it!" Before Xia Fei could finish, Ludi excitedly said, "Drifting Fragrance Courtyard! So this is the hidden question! Moreover, Drifting Fragrance Courtyard is most famous for its azaleas. The last question perfectly matches the scenery there! "
Xia Fei said, "That's not all. The booklet we received on the day of registration, if we put the first word of each line together, it will form one sentence. Examinees must pay attention to the hidden question."
"Are you talking about the examinee booklet? I didn't even look at it before throwing it away, "Ludi angrily said.
"The third day's question also has a hint at the end. There are three sentences in total, and when the last word of each sentence is' see, Yan, Qiu '." Xia Fei smiled. "This makes it very obvious. There's a hidden question in the test, and the question is' see, Yan, Qiu 'in the Drifting Fragrance Courtyard. And Yan Qiu is Lu Qiuyan. "
Mu Fuping's eyes were brimming with admiration. She had not expected Xia Fei to notice such a hidden question. Mu Qingping pouted. Although she was very unconvinced, she had to admit that Xia Fei's observation and analysis skills were superior.
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