Longevity from Liao Zhai

Chapter 58 Human Traffickers

Nothing to do today, just listen to music.

Scar and Chen Erdan were waiting at the entrance of the brothel.

The three of them made an appointment to listen to music at a brothel, but Zhou Ping had not arrived yet.

When the mountain was pressing down on the city, neither of them was in Qinghe County.

These two are out on escort missions and will only come in the next few days.

"Scar, my spiritual energy has reached perfection and I am almost at the tenth level!"

Chen Erdan said proudly.

These days, Chen Erdan saved some money and received an initiation in a temple.

This initiation allowed Chen Erdan to reach the state of perfect Buddhist spiritual energy.

If he were just a little bit closer, Chen Erdan would be able to break through to the tenth level.

"Oh, now I am not afraid of walking at night, or going to the toilet alone at night."

Scar scoffed.

"Go away, go away, go away."

"What's your level of cultivation? You actually laughed at me!"

Chen Erdan was a little angry.

Scar chuckled and looked at Chen Erdan sideways.

"Tenth grade!"

These days, Scar has been escorting goods with the escort agency, and he is always the first to rush forward when danger comes.

Scar's fearless character is very suitable for martial arts.

So after a fight, Scar has become a tenth-grade warrior.

"Tenth rank?"

Chen Erdan felt jealous.

"Come on, Erdan, I'm already far ahead."

Scar said.

At this moment, Scar was thinking about giving Zhou Ping a lesson.

When the two of them competed before, I lost to Zhou Ping.

Scar didn't believe that he would lose to Zhou Ping.

Scar has a very good foundation. Even when he is not feeling the spiritual energy, he is comparable to a warrior who can feel the spiritual energy.

Before reaching the entry level, he was barely equivalent to a warrior who had reached the entry level.

Now that he has entered the tenth rank, Scar believes that his cultivation should be the best among those below the tenth rank.

"what's the topic?"

Zhou Ping arrived late.

"Of course, let's talk about why you came so late."

Scar stretched out his fist, exerted his strength secretly, and hit Zhou Ping in the chest.

Scar controlled the power of this punch just right, testing Zhou Ping's strength without hurting him.

Zhou Ping blocked Scar's fist with one palm.

Scar was a little surprised.

This punch was blocked by Zhou Ping so easily.

Scar wanted to increase his strength, but Zhou Ping was not ready to play with him.

"Let's go, there are too many people here today."

Some people have already started to take their seats in the brothel.

After Zhou Ping finished speaking, he stopped clasping his hands and pulled Chen Erdan inside.

Scar looked at his fist, then punched himself with equal force.

"Ouch."

Scar felt a piercing pain.

"How could he resolve it so easily?"

Scar could never figure it out.

"You are so far ahead. What are you thinking? Hurry up and move on."

Chen Erdan said with a wicked smile.

Chen Erdan was very happy that Scar was defeated.

Scar sighed and shook his head, feeling a little disappointed. It turned out that he was not the only one making progress.

Scar vaguely felt that he was no match for Zhou Ping.

This feeling is mysterious.

I can’t explain why, but I can feel it.

There are a lot of people in the brothel.

The three men skillfully took out peanuts and sunflower seeds from their pockets.

The people who sold tea and snacks in the brothel looked down on the three people.

Among the three people, Chen Erdan needs to support two younger brothers and save money to improve his cultivation.

As for Scar, he is a martial arts fanatic and prefers to use money to improve his skills.

Zhou Ping is indeed rich, and he has a few gold bricks at home.

Zhou Ping is already financially independent, but he keeps a low profile and doesn't talk about it.

Exposing your wealth will bring unnecessary trouble.

So Zhou Ping had to pretend to be poor.

"Hey, hey, hey, isn't this Miss Mingyue?"

"That's right, that's right, hasn't Miss Mingyue already gone to the capital?"

There was a commotion in the brothel.

Miss Mingyue, the former courtesan of the brothel, was promoted to the Kyoto headquarters because of a poem Quiet Night Thoughts written by Zhou Ping.

Half a year later, Miss Mingyue appeared in Qinghe County again.

Compared to forgetfulness, Miss Mingyue's dance is more graceful and seductive.

In the brothel, no one dared to breathe.

Zhou Ping couldn't help but sigh: It's worthy of being here for a training session at the headquarters.

Mingyue's every move was full of temptation, her level far surpassing any other girl in the brothels of Qinghe County.

Or it can be said that Miss Mingyue is not in the same dimension as other girls in brothels.

"Ms. Mingyue's legs, waist, and smile."

Scar only felt that Miss Mingyue danced well, but he couldn't describe it.

"A wild boar cannot taste fine bran. It cannot even speak a word."

Chen Erpan glanced at Scar.

After Miss Mingyue's performance, everyone felt that other people's performances pale in comparison.

Scar and Chen Erdan became more and more dissatisfied the more they looked at it.

Once people start eating meat, they will find that vegetarian food is not tasty.

"No, my mind is full of Miss Mingyue."

"Erdan, why don't we get some money and go to the backyard to look for Miss Mingyue."

Scar suggested.

"Okay."

Scar's proposal was agreed by Chen Erdan.

The two men searched their pockets and finally found six taels of silver.

The two looked at Zhou Ping.

Zhou Ping sighed helplessly, then took out four taels of silver from his pocket.

Miss Mingyue’s price is ten taels.

Moreover, these ten taels were only for selling her art, not her body.

With the ten taels of silver, the two men quickly went to find the brothel owner to make arrangements.

But after a while, the old man came back dejected.

It turned out that Miss Mingyue's previous price was ten taels, but now it has risen to twenty taels.

After Miss Mingyue danced, so many people came to see her.

So Miss Mingyue’s price has also increased.

Scar and Chen Erdan's faces were filled with disappointment.

“Love without substance is like sand, which is blown away by the wind.”

Zhou Ping comforted.

"What do you mean?"

Scar looked confused.

"The poor do not deserve love."

Chen Erdan explained.

Scar nodded woodenly.

Just as the three of them were sighing, a little ghost slave came over.

"Master Zhou Ping, Miss Mingyue invites you."

The little turtle slave said.

"Miss Mingyue invited me?"

Zhou Ping said in surprise.

On the other side, Scar and Chen Erdan’s teeth were almost broken.

Under the wildly jealous eyes of Scar and Chen Erdan, Zhou Ping followed the little eunuch to the backyard of the brothel.

The room was very warm and had a strong scent of rouge.

Miss Mingyue was only wearing a transparent thin shirt, and large areas of her snow-white skin were faintly visible.

"Teacher Mingyue."

Zhou Ping said modestly.

Miss Mingyue had learned some Confucian knowledge from Zhou Ping, so Zhou Ping respectfully called her teacher.

"Come, sit closer."

Mingyue said as she played the piano.

Zhou Ping hesitated for a moment and did not move forward.

Uncle Lame once said that being a boy helps in practicing martial arts.

Zhou Ping didn't want to lose the big picture for the small. He was afraid that if he sat too close, he would lose control.

"What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you."

Miss Mingyue raised her eyes seductively.

"I'm not afraid. I'm afraid that I'll get too close and bump into Teacher Mingyue."

Zhou Ping said honestly.

"What are you bumping into?"

After Mingyue finished speaking, she suddenly felt something was wrong. After thinking for a while, she figured out the key.

"Hahaha, Zhou Ping, you still talk in such an interesting way."

Miss Mingyue smiled.

Next, the two of them had a long conversation and had an in-depth exchange of ideas.

Miss Mingyue didn't come to Zhou Ping to eat boy chickens, but just wanted to see her benefactor after returning from the capital.

If it weren’t for Zhou Ping, Mingyue would never have had the chance to visit the capital.

What's more, there is the poem "Quiet Night Thoughts".

The bright moon will go down in history because of the poem "The bright moon shines before the window".

No matter what, Mingyue was very grateful to Zhou Ping. Zhou Ping was also curious about why Mingyue returned to Qinghe County from the headquarters in Beijing.

According to Mingyue, there were many hidden talents in the capital city, and she was not noticeable at all after arriving there.

At first, some people came to see Miss Mingyue because of Quiet Night Thoughts.

After the popularity of Quiet Night Thoughts faded, Mingyue's value dropped to the eighteenth tier.

After much deliberation, Mingyue decided to return to Qinghe County.

I'd rather be a chicken head than a phoenix tail!
"The capital is not a place for someone like me."

“Qinghe County is where I belong.”

Mingyue explained.

In fact, there is another meaning of Mingyue that has not been fully expressed.

Mingyue wants to go ashore in Qinghe County.

She is quite famous in Qinghe County. Perhaps she can use her fame to find a silly scholar to redeem herself and then marry her in a formal ceremony.

But in the capital, her best outcome would be to be a concubine kept in the outer courtyard and never seen in public.

Zhou Ping nodded. He more or less understood what Miss Mingyue was thinking.

"Oh, it's snowing."

"This should be the last snow of winter."

Spring is coming soon, and this snow will be the last one.

Miss Mingyue plays the piano softly.

Zhou Ping couldn't understand the music, but he could understand it.

“The tone is full and round.”

The next day, Zhou Ping left the brothel.

There was heavy snow outside the brothel.

Zhou Ping stretched.

The bed in the brothel was too soft and Zhou Ping's waist hurt from sleeping on it.

"My waist hurts."

Zhou Ping couldn't help but complain.

"How uncomfortable is it?"

"My waist hurts!"

Two snowmen suddenly appeared beside Zhou Ping.

Their eyes were red and they were shivering from the cold.

"Zhou Ping, how was last night?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, how is it?"

"How about what?"

"Tell me more about it."

"Yes, tell me in detail and we can pay for it."

"what?!"

Several people walked on the snow, leaving footprints in the snow.

The Jiaofangsi is closed during the day.

What's more, it was snowing.

There were few people on the streets.

An old woman was walking on the snow carrying a bamboo house on her back.

A yellow cat walked beside the old woman.

The old woman walked to the back door of the Jiaofangsi and knocked on it.

"What are you doing?"

A turtle slave opened the door and said impatiently.

The turtle slave had been busy all night and was about to go to sleep when he was disturbed by a knock on the door.

However, the moment he saw the old woman, the turtle slave immediately became cautious.

"Who was it I thought? Turns out it was Aunt Mei."

The turtle slave's tone was full of respect and caution.

The turtle slave carefully brought Aunt Mei to a cellar.

"Aunt Mei, wait a moment. I'll go find the madam."

After saying this, the turtle slave left in a hurry.

Aunt Mei nodded and put the bamboo basket down.

In the bamboo basket, more than a dozen cats were meowing non-stop.

"Meow meow meow"

A dozen cats meowed non-stop.

Aunt Mei poured the kittens out of the bamboo basket.

"Children, come out."

The ground was instantly covered with kittens.

The kittens huddled together, terrified of Aunt May.

Aunt Mei chanted a spell.

A dozen kittens turned into a dozen children aged seven or eight.

Among these children, there are more girls and only a few boys.

More than a dozen children burst into tears instantly.

"Why are you crying?"

Aunt Mei stared at the dozen children with her pale, withered face.

A dozen children stopped crying immediately.

"Grandma, I want to go home."

A little girl said.

Zhou Ping knew this little girl, she was Yuanyuan from Qingyuan County.

"Why go back home? Your parents don't want you anymore and sold you to me."

Aunt Mei said faintly.

After saying this, the children started crying again.

"Don't cry! I'm a kind-hearted grandma. I've found a good family for you. You won't have to worry about food and drink in the future."

Aunt Mei grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

The children were frightened by Aunt Mei's face and could only sob quietly.

After a while, the eunuch came with the madam.

The eunuch not only brought the madam, but also some food.

The madam's eyes lit up when she looked at the dozen or so children.

The madam pinched and looked at the dozen children again and again.

"This kid has a good foundation, big eyes, and is really smart."

"This kid has a good foundation. He's young, but his body has already started to develop. He will definitely be a popular guy in the future."

"This little kid is even better, his body is so soft."

The madam became happier the more she watched.

"Sister Mei, you have a good eye. These are all good stuff."

The madam smiled at Aunt Mei.

"You know my vision."

Aunt Mei forced a smile on her face.

The turtle slave put the food on the ground.

"Children, your parents don't want you anymore. Aunt Mei is kind enough to give you to me."

"Those who are willing to stay can have their meal. Those who are unwilling to stay can choose to go with Aunt Mei."

The madam smiled and said to the dozen children.

A dozen children had been hungry for several days, and when they saw the food on the ground, they started drooling.

"I'd like to stay."

The child had already starved to death, and she herself came from a poor family.

The food the madam brought included steamed buns and meat.

One child rushed over, and the remaining hesitant children also rushed over.

Two or three of the dozen children did not follow.

"Auntie, I want to go home."

Yuanyuan looked at the madam pitifully.

"Children, come and eat."

The madam had a big smile on her face and pulled Yuanyuan and the other two children to eat.

Finally, all the children except Yuanyuan ate.

"Auntie, I want to go home."

Yuan Yuan said while crying.

"Why go home? Your parents don't want you anymore. They sold you off."

The madam continued.

Yuanyuan didn't believe it. She didn't believe that her parents would sell her out.

"If she doesn't want to, forget it. I'll take her away."

Aunt Mei spoke up.

"Don't worry, Sister Mei, this girl is a beauty and will be a cash cow in the future."

The madam still couldn't bear to do it.

"Sister Mei, here's the money. Five taels of silver for each child."

The madam gave Aunt Mei dozens of taels of silver.

Aunt Mei was a little dissatisfied.

"This time, there are some good stuff in here."

Aunt Mei wants the price.

"Okay, since Sister Mei has asked, I'll add some more money."

The madam reluctantly took out another dozen pieces of silver.

Aunt Mei has been doing this job for a long time, but her business scope is not limited to Qinghe County.

The madam also asked Aunt Mei to bring her some good stuff, so she couldn't be offended.

Aunt Mei smiled and nodded.

The madam carefully sent Aunt Mei away.

When the madam came back, she arranged for the eunuchs to take away all the children except Yuanyuan.

"Come, lock her up here until she has her meal."

The madam arranged for the eunuch to lock Yuanyuan in the cellar.

Among these children, girls will be taught music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and when they are older they will start to receive clients.

As for boys, they will be trained to be little turtle slaves.

Of course, some guests have strange interests and hobbies.

If the little elf slave is good-looking, he will be arranged to receive customers.

As the cellar door closed, the cellar was plunged into darkness.

"Mom, mom, dad, dad"

Yuanyuan kept crying, but no one outside the cellar could hear her.

(End of this chapter)