Chapter 42: The Long Journey to Find a Wife

Jiang Yang wandered aimlessly. Due to Spring’s dying instructions, Jiang Yang felt that everyone around her was a tiger, leopard, or wolf in human skin. She hardly dared to make eye contact with them, let alone approach them to ask for directions.

She only knew that Chi Mei’s family was in the Jiang clan of Lingnan, but she had no idea which city or street the Jiang clan was in. She was like a confused little beast that had mistakenly entered human society, frightened and at a loss, forcing herself to remain calm as she followed the crowd into the city.

The city was bustling and lively, with trees lit up like fire and streets lined with many small vendors selling gold and silver jewelry, cool summer fruits, various spices, and skilled performers showcasing their talents. Jiang Yang was overwhelmed by the sights, but amidst all this excitement, she felt even more dejected. How wonderful it would be if Chi Mei were by her side at this moment.

Jiang Yang walked forward with her head down, feeling lonely. Accidentally, she was bumped and fell to the ground.

“Oh my, which family does this young master belong to? He’s so incredibly handsome!” A frivolous, teasing voice sounded in Jiang Yang’s ear. The speaker was a woman in her early thirties, with an ordinary appearance, holding a folding fan in an attempt to appear refined. However, her eyes were full of amazement.

Jiang Yang covered her face, suppressing the nausea in her heart, and tried to get up from the ground to leave.

“Don’t go, young master. Are you angry? This young lady apologizes. May I ask where you live?” The woman blocked Jiang Yang’s path, persistently questioning.

Jiang Yang remained silent, turning to leave in another direction. She just wanted to find Chi Mei quickly and didn’t want to waste time with such people.

“Well, well, aren’t you stubborn!” The woman put away her fan, tilted her chin up, revealing a confident smile. “Go and stop him for me. Such a rare beauty, it would be a shame to let him go.”

The woman’s followers immediately chased after Jiang Yang. Although Jiang Yang had transformed her tail into human legs, the pearl was still inside her body, and her keen hearing and smell remained. She heard the dense, urgent footsteps behind her and quickened her pace, weaving through the narrow streets, soon losing the group of followers.

Jiang Yang breathed a sigh of relief, then clutched her stomach. Since coming ashore, she hadn’t eaten anything. The street vendors had many things on display, and Jiang Yang had boldly approached to ask for some, but they said she needed something called money.

Jiang Yang didn’t know what money was. She told the vendor she didn’t have any and was driven away after trying to take something. Already extremely weak from losing her tail, she had walked all day without a drop of water. Her strength was almost depleted, and she crouched powerlessly in a street corner.

“Lady, how was today? Did you enjoy yourself?” Jiang Yang was about to fall asleep against the wall when she heard the coquettish, affected voice of a middle-aged man nearby.

Then a woman replied, somewhat dissatisfied, “It’s always the same few. I’ve seen them all. Don’t you have anything new at your Red Sleeve Pavilion?”

The middle-aged man laughed and said, “Don’t worry, my lady. We have a new batch of fresh ones at Red Sleeve Pavilion. They’re not fully trained yet. Once they are, you’ll be the first to taste them.”

The woman adjusted her clothes, satisfied, and left.

The middle-aged man muttered softly, “These women are really insatiable, so hard to please. Fresh ones, where am I supposed to find fresh ones for you—”

He turned around and met Jiang Yang’s eyes.

Jiang Yang saw that he was just a man and didn’t feel as afraid as she did of women, but she still shrank back a bit uncomfortably.

The middle-aged man’s eyes almost lit up. Her beauty was like a cold plum blossom defiantly blooming in wind and snow, cold and otherworldly. Yet her eyes were pure and clear like pristine water without a trace of impurity. Such a beauty would not only captivate common people but even an emperor would want to build a golden house to hide her away.

Yet this exquisite beauty wore simple hemp clothes with patches, looking dusty and extremely shabby. It was clear she came from a poor family and had to toil daily for a living.

A look of greed appeared in the procurer’s eyes. He slowly crouched in front of Jiang Yang and, seeing her wary gaze, smiled kindly and asked, “Young master, why are you crouching alone in the corner? Are you hungry?”

Jiang Yang nodded.

The procurer’s smile deepened. “We have countless delicious foods where I’m from. Come with me, young master. Brother will make sure you eat your fill and dress warmly.”

“Alright.” Since coming ashore, Jiang Yang had only encountered women’s greedy desires and vendors’ rejections. Suddenly meeting a fellow man who was so kind, she couldn’t help but smile gratefully. In that moment, her beautiful radiance lit up the procurer’s eyes.

The procurer was overjoyed and quickly said, pulling Jiang Yang’s hand, “Then come with me quickly.”

“Wait—” Jiang Yang suddenly asked, “Where is ‘your place’?”

The procurer’s expression froze.

Jiang Yang continued, “I just heard you tell that woman that your place is called Red Sleeve Pavilion. Is Red Sleeve Pavilion a brothel?”

In Qing City, everyone knew what kind of place Red Sleeve Pavilion was.

“…Oh my, young master, you really know how to joke. How could our Red Sleeve Pavilion possibly be a brothel?”

“That’s true, you’re not called a brothel or a male courtesan house.” Jiang Yang murmured. She remembered Chi Mei telling her before that men in brothels had to constantly serve women and couldn’t refuse. She didn’t want to go to such a dirty place.

The procurer laughed heartily and agreed, “That’s right, our sign clearly says ‘Red Sleeve Pavilion’ in three characters. It’s definitely not a brothel.”

He thought to himself, not only is this man beautiful, but he’s also not very bright. This is truly heaven-sent.

Such a beauty could be lured to Red Sleeve Pavilion without spending a penny, just with one meal. Then they could slip some high-grade aphrodisiac into his food and drink. When he woke up again, even if he cried his heart out, he’d have no choice but to accept his fate. How could Red Sleeve Pavilion worry about business then?

With Jiang Yang’s face alone, it would secure his prosperity for life.

The procurer calculated in his heart, eagerly pulling Jiang Yang into the back courtyard of Red Sleeve Pavilion.

“Come, come, young master must be starving. Eat up quickly.” The procurer ordered servants to bring a large amount of food and dishes into the room. As he pushed open the door, he saw Jiang Yang sitting obediently with an upright posture, her clear and moist eyes like a misty water town in Jiangnan.

“Thank you, you’re so kind.” Jiang Yang ate the food and expressed her gratitude. This brother was truly a good person. When she found Chi Mei later, she would definitely bring him back to properly thank this man.

“It’s nothing, we men should help each other.” The procurer chuckled. What a beautiful fool, but such beauties were the easiest to control.

“Eat more, eat more. Here, drink some water so you don’t choke.” The procurer warmly coaxed Jiang Yang to eat the food and drink laced with potent drugs.

“Okay.” Jiang Yang wolfed down the food. Her unrefined eating manner somehow looked lively and interesting because of her exceptionally beautiful face.

The procurer smiled outwardly but was cruel at heart. Eat up, eat more, he thought. When you wake up tomorrow, you won’t be able to smile anymore. Even experienced male courtesans couldn’t resist this dosage.

‘The time is almost up.’ The procurer’s face showed triumph as he prepared to watch Jiang Yang’s face flush red and her clothes come off voluntarily.

However…

Jiang Yang ate mouthfuls of rice and dishes, like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds. In no time at all, she had actually eaten the entire table of food.

“Burp—” Jiang Yang patted her little belly, contentedly letting out a full belch. “Thank you, brother. You’re really kind. When I find Chi Mei, I’ll definitely come back to repay you.”

After thanking him, Jiang Yang prepared to get up and continue her journey. After leaving this kind brother, she didn’t know when she would meet such a good person again, so she had eaten her fill, storing up food to stave off hunger longer.