The Way of Spiritual Journey

Chapter 69, The Elegant Lady

"Please sit down and have some tea to soothe your throat." With the general direction settled, Li Lang felt relieved. All that remained were the details. He sat down, had some tea, and they could talk things over slowly.

Hearing Li Lang's words, the madam felt relieved. She could boast about being able to drink tea and chat with a spiritual master for the rest of her life. So she sat down casually.

"In that case, how much silver do you think would be appropriate?" Li Lang asked gently, taking a sip of tea.

"Well, that's all negotiable. How about this amount?" The madam tentatively held up one finger.

"One thousand taels of silver, hmm, that's acceptable. What do you think, Master Ling?" Wu Youdao took over the conversation, looking at Li Lang in a fawning manner.

A thousand taels of silver is a lot of money, but in this kind of government-run brothel, it's impossible to redeem a top courtesan.

No matter what it is, even if it rots, it should not be sold cheaply.

Of course, there is another situation where, if the property of the government can bring additional benefits to those in power, then it is reasonable for pearls to be sold at the price of fermented black beans.

Wu Youdao is now in power, and he would never let go of such a convenient favor.

However, the favor was given, but the expected effect was not achieved. Li Lang did not nod in satisfaction; instead, he frowned slightly and shook his head.

Upon seeing this, the madam and Wu Youdao felt a chill in their hearts. A thousand taels of silver was indeed not much for this matter. Could it be that the Spirit Master was still not satisfied?

"One thousand taels of silver won't do," Li Lang said, as expected.

Cold sweat broke out on Wu Youdao's forehead. If he offended the spiritual master because of this, and if word got out, he would be known as a complete idiot in the officialdom of Dadu.

Just as Wu Youdao was about to explain, Li Lang's voice rang out again.

"Ten thousand taels, that's a fair amount to reflect Miss Mingyue's worth, and it won't diminish her reputation too much if word gets out." Li Lang pulled out a ten thousand tael silver note, which was the one given to him by Peachwood Taoist during the day, so it was a good use of the money.

Li Lang didn't care how much money he spent; he only sought peace of mind. Besides, the more money he spent, the more virtue he gained, which would help him grow—why not?

Upon seeing the ten thousand taels of silver, both the madam and Wu Youdao stared wide-eyed.

"The Spirit Master is mighty!" the madam blurted out.

"The Spirit Master is so domineering!" Wu Youdao followed closely behind.

"Stop!" Li Lang smiled knowingly and quickly called out to stop them.

"Is this amount satisfactory?" Li Lang asked the madam.

"Satisfied, extremely satisfied." The madam swallowed hard. Ten thousand taels of silver—that set a record for the redemption of a prostitute in the entire capital's brothels. Who could be dissatisfied? Who would dare to be dissatisfied?

"Alright, then please bring me Miss Mingyue's indenture." Li Lang smiled and nodded.

"Someone come here!" The madam called out without further ado.

No sooner had the madam finished speaking than a maid pushed open the door and entered.

"Go and fetch Miss Mingyue's indenture," the madam instructed her maid.

"Wait." At this moment, Li Lang spoke again.

The madam was taken aback and looked at Li Lang with confusion.

"Miss Mingyue can't be left unattended. Bring me the indenture of that Miss Rou'er as well," Li Lang said.

"Hehe, it was my oversight, that's only natural." The madam smiled awkwardly and quickly agreed, then turned to the maid and instructed again, "Did you hear that? Bring me Rou'er's indenture as well."

The maidservant responded and left, quickly returning with the indentures. With the money and goods settled, Li Lang tucked the two indentures into his pocket and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Master Lingzhe, please take care." Wu Youdao escorted Li Lang to the outside of Qifeng Tower, bowing and scraping.

"Lord Wu, you are very kind. Please come to my place for tea another day," Li Lang said politely to Wu Youdao.

"Definitely, definitely." Wu Youdao's smile widened.

On the other hand, just as Li Lang stepped out of the cooperative, Nalan Mingyue opened her eyes.

"Miss, you're awake," Rou'er said with delight.

"Yes, I've been awake the whole time." Nalan Mingyue nodded and sat up.

"You were awake the whole time? You weren't injured? You already knew that the playboy was an imposter?" Rou'er had many questions; she had no clue what the whole story was all about.

"Yes, I noticed it the moment you stepped out of the room. That person was an imposter." Nalan Mingyue nodded again.

"Why?" Rou'er asked, puzzled.

Nalan Mingyue removed the veil from her face, revealing a stunningly beautiful face, and then smiled sweetly, "Didn't you say that playboy liked to touch your hand?"

"Huh?" Rou'er was taken aback, then her pretty face flushed red, and she stammered, "Where? Did I say that?"

"Hehe, little girl, what's so embarrassing about this? If a man isn't even interested in touching you, how can he possibly look at you properly?" Nalan Mingyue pointed a finger at Rou'er's head and said irritably.

"Do you know why I was able to see through that person's impersonation so quickly?" Nalan Mingyue asked again.

"Could it be because of the hand-touching incident?" Rou'er shook her head at first, then seemed to suddenly realize something, and widened her eyes to ask back.

"Yes, from the moment that person entered, he didn't even glance at you. I sensed something was wrong then, but I didn't think much of it. But when you went out and passed by him, he acted just as gentlemanly, not even glancing at you out of the corner of his eye. That's very suspicious," Nalan Mingyue explained.

"What's wrong with that? Young Master Lang is elegant and has the demeanor of a gentleman." Rou'er was a little unconvinced. Li Lang had left a very good impression on her. Although he sometimes liked to touch her hand and tease her, it was all of her own free will and harmless.

"You don't understand yet. There's an old saying that sums it up perfectly: 'A fair maiden is the object of a gentleman's affections.' This saying has been proven over countless years and cannot be questioned," Nalan Mingyue continued to explain.

"You've met that playboy a few times. He's a gentleman, but he's also quite charming, so he should have a good impression of you. Therefore, when you stand in front of him, he shouldn't be completely unresponsive; that's the flaw."

"I see." After this explanation, Rou'er finally understood.

"And then what happened?" Rou'er asked.

"Sigh, what happened afterward wasn't complicated. I know that person was scheming, but he only wanted to take my spiritual essence. However, I was unwilling, and he didn't dare to force me because the risk was too great," Nalan Mingyue sighed and continued.

"If you insist on taking action, I am willing to fight to the death. Many powerful figures are wary of this and dare not come rashly. I really can't understand why this person is so reckless."