Chapter 67 – Beauty Over Life

There was no curfew in the Great Qian Empire. Nearing midnight, the streets were still dotted with drunkards, stumbling left and right as they tried to find their way home.

After feeding Heitan with wild grass from her courtyard, Mu Nanjin brought her people to the outside of Dengxing Pavilion.

From the rooftop, Feng Sinan spotted her arrival. With a graceful leap, he landed in front of them.

“Dog Daoist!” Heitan’s eyes flared red the moment he saw Feng Sinan. A black whip appeared in his hand as he lashed it toward the man. “Give me your life!”

Feng Sinan flicked a talisman into the air.

The talisman struck the whip; instantly, Heitan froze mid-motion, unable to move or even make a sound. His eyes bulged with silent frustration.

【As expected, the National Preceptor has been hiding his true strength.】

“…”

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Wldt Fkdyd vwadle vs Yw Lydfkd. “Zsw esd’v xkde xl kxxsckzkgkdt bkx, es usw?”

Yw Lydfkd pyke nyzxzu, “Tl’p pkxrzu dsv yp pjkzzle. Tl nyd’v czyxl ydusdl lzpl.”

Tlkvyd: “…”

【Rd vlaxp sq zssjp, R pvkzz vbkdj vbl Lyvksdyz Valnlrvsa kp xsal bydepsxl. Fs, alyzzu, nyd usw czyxl xl qsa clkdt ckyple?】

Wldt Fkdyd: “…”

Yw Lydfkd ypjle bkx, “R osdela, Nsae Lyvksdyz Valnlrvsa, obu eke usw pwxxsd xl blal yv xkedktbv?”

【Xd pwnb y eyaj, okdeu dktbv, obs jdsop obyv vbakzzkdt vbkdtp xktbv byrrld clvolld y zsdlzu xyd yde osxyd, blblbl.】

Wldt Fkdyd pktble kdoyaezu. “Kwpv oykv y zkvvzl zsdtla.”

“Oh.”

Just then, the sound of galloping hooves echoed outside the gates.

Moments later, Superintendent Ji arrived with five hundred men from the Six Gates organization, all armed and ready.

Mu Nanjin: “…”

【Weren’t we supposed to be alone?】

【Why are there suddenly so many glowing ‘lanterns’ here?】

【Do they have any idea how much they’re ruining the mood?】

The crowd: “…”

Sorry.

They honestly didn’t.

Superintendent Ji bowed to Feng Sinan. “Greetings, National Preceptor.”

Feng Sinan nodded slightly, then turned toward Yuxia inside the building. “Hand out the talismans.”

“Yes.”

Yuxia distributed the talismans that Feng Sinan had drawn to Superintendent Ji and his men.

Feng Sinan instructed, “Keep the talisman close to your chest. It will protect you when the monster attacks.”

Mu Nanjin frowned as she held hers.

【These talismans are so powerful. How am I supposed to pretend to be overwhelmed and ‘accidentally’ fall into his arms now?】

【Honestly, what good are you to me? Maybe I should ‘accidentally’ destroy it later, hehe.】

Superintendent Ji and his men: “…”

This girl really valued beauty over life!

Feng Sinan mounted the horse that Yuxia had led over. “Move out.”

Mu Nanjin blinked. “I don’t have a horse.”

【Because mine is frozen solid.】

Superintendent Ji quickly ordered one of his men to lend her a horse.

Originally, Mu Nanjin had been hoping to share a horse with Feng Sinan. With her hopes dashed, she resigned herself and climbed onto the spare one.

【So, we’re really going monster hunting? Why am I the only Jinyiwei here?】

【Where did that persistent Captain Liu disappear to? How could he bear to leave me alone, surrounded by all these Six Gates men?】

【The Six Gates may appear friendly with the Jinyiwei, but everyone knows their people don’t actually like us. If an argument breaks out, I’ll be outnumbered before I can blink.】

【Better keep an eye on them first. Maybe I can find some dirt. Then, if anyone picks a fight with me, I’ll expose their scandals one by one until they’re speechless.】

The corners of the Six Gates men’s mouths twitched.

They hadn’t even done anything, and she’d already conjured up a whole soap opera in her head.

【Start with the leader, always take down the king first. Let’s see what secrets Superintendent Ji has.】

All of a sudden, the Six Gates men stiffened and pricked up their ears.

Superintendent Ji hurriedly raised his voice, cutting her off mid-thought. “National Preceptor, Mu Nanjin is a defenseless young lady. I believe she should stay by your side for safety. If anything happens, you can protect her. Don’t you agree?”

National Preceptor: “…”

To protect his own secrets, this man even dared to sell him out!

【Oh my, who would’ve thought? Even the unromantic Superintendent Ji can understand a young girl’s heart, hehe. Fine, I won’t reveal that you fancy the top courtesan of Yixin Courtyard.】

The Six Gates men stared at their leader in shock.

Their boss… liked a brothel girl?

Superintendent Ji shut his eyes in despair.

Girl, I’m begging you, please stop.

【Keep it up, Lord Ji. If you behave, maybe I’ll even gift you Yixin Courtyard’s top courtesan’s deed of sale.】

What?!

Mu Nanjin had the deed to Yixin Courtyard’s top courtesan?

Surely he’d misheard!

Superintendent Ji couldn’t believe his ears.

He had once tried to redeem that very courtesan himself, but the madam of Yixin Courtyard refused to release her. Even when he exerted pressure through connections, the mysterious boss behind Yixin Courtyard ignored him completely. In the end, he’d found himself rich but powerless, unable to act without exposing his own interest, a dangerous weakness for someone in his position.

After all, he’d offended more officials than he could count. The number of people waiting for him to fall could fill a banquet hall.

Feng Sinan ordered, “Guard Mu, you’ll patrol the inner city’s pleasure district. The rest of you, come with me.”

Mu Nanjin blinked. “Just me alone?”

【What happened to spending time alone with the handsome National Preceptor?】

Feng Sinan: “…”

Who ever promised that?

“You won’t be alone. There are other patrols from the Six Gates and the magistrate’s office in the area.”

Without another glance, Feng Sinan rode off with his men.

【He’s just leaving me here? Next time I’ll dump him in Xiaoqing Tower and see how he likes being surrounded by admirers.】

Everyone: “…”

Mu Nanjin turned her horse toward the pleasure district.

The brothels and taverns were livelier than during the day. Laughter, chatter, and the sounds of song and dance filled the streets.

As she rode past Yixin Courtyard, she noticed it was packed, so crowded that some men couldn’t even squeeze through the door.

The customers were shouting excitedly, “Xijin! Xijin!”

“We want to see Xijin!”

The madam stood on the second floor, waving her hands to quiet the crowd. “Everyone, calm down! Please, calm down and listen to me!”

Her throat was hoarse by the time the noise began to subside.

After a sip of water, she cleared her voice and announced, “In two days, all the courtesans will compete for the title of Flower Queen. When that time comes, I hope all you fine gentlemen will vote for our Xijin and give her your golden flower. Once she becomes Flower Queen, she’ll appear before you all in person! So please, wait just two more days!”

But the men, lovesick for Xijin, couldn’t wait that long. “We can’t wait anymore! Let us see Xijin now!”

Seeing the unrest rise again, the madam quickly changed her tone. “It’s impossible for Xijin to come out now, but we can offer a compromise. I’ll have Xijin play a tune for you all to soothe your hearts. How about that?”

The men, realizing they couldn’t win, reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Moments later, a melodious tune drifted down from the upper floor, gentle and soulful.

The crowd looked up. They could see only her shadow behind the silk curtains, but even that faint glimpse was enough to leave them utterly enchanted.

Outside the gates, Mu Nanjin watched the scene unfold. Seeing how madly these men adored Xijin, she felt thoroughly pleased.

When the Flower Queen parade took place, the festivities would be a hundred times livelier than tonight.

Hehe. In just two days, her brothel business was going to make a fortune.