“Welcome back, young master Ye Meng Yao!” Greeted the innkeeper as a young man and an older man entered the inn. Crowds bustled in the dining area as the night began to flourish with life. The inn was situated in the heart of Fuo Lan’s most notable and busy districts; thus, there was always a steady flow of people in and out of the inn.

The young man greeted the innkeeper amicably before heading up to his room with his guard following quietly after. The young man looked to be quite a handsome youth, still retaining his innocent looking face. However, the innkeeper shook his head with a sigh; it was a shame that the young man was ruining his innocence by visiting so many different brothels every night since checking into the inn. However, doing such a thing was not unheard of nor uncommon, so the innkeeper didn’t dwell too much on it.

At the same time, Ye Meng Yao’s guard closed the door as the young man settled into the chair and began pulling out new clothes they’d gotten earlier that day. Night was settling in, and today would be another evening of investigation.

“Da xia- I mean, young master…” started the guard, avoiding the itch on his chin as to prevent rubbing off the dark powder. A dark shadow created the illusion of a masculine jaw, and the hair was pulled back in a long ponytail; however, underneath the disguise, Mu Tan was the most uncomfortable with the cloth binding her chest together. She had been impressed by her xiaojie’s dedication to the disguise and also her ability to change her face, but the disguise was quite taxing at times. Mu Tan was not used to imitating a man; although she had a naturally lower voice and muscular build, to emulate a man’s mannerisms was something too unfamiliar.

“Be careful, Zian. One might catch the words you were just about to speak.” Su Jing Fei spoke in a low and soft voice. She had an easier time due to her appearance being able to pass as the youthful appearance of a young master; it was at this age that most men were androgynous with their beauty. With a little bit of powder to contour her face to be just a bit sharper and wider, she was able to pull it off. However, Su Jing Fei still had to be careful that she didn’t attract the wrong kind of attention from others who mistook her as a rich young master.

As the evening grew darker, the streets of the red light district would bustle with male vigor, and Su Jing Fei did not want to miss any opportunity to investigate the brothel houses of Fuo Lan in search of her sister. Carefully, Mu Tan helped Su Jing Fei put on the new clothes. Earlier that day, they had also bought a small sword in which Su Jing Fei could keep hidden in her inner robes for protection. Once properly equipped for the night, the two of them set out for the brothels of Fuo Lan. Mu Tan had informed Su Jing Fei of all the places she had searched previously, but they were mostly poorer and cheaper brothels. Luckily, they were able to rule out some places and had settled in looking at some higher class courtesan houses. While they were still unable to find her sister, Su Jing Fei rested easier with the thought that maybe her sister had ended up at a courtesan house as opposed to a regular brothel. With regular brothels, the prostitutes were basically forced to entertain many different men at all times. In courtesan houses, the courtesans were at least given some kind of respect in propriety and manners; most courtesans houses had women skilled in the arts, such as poetry, music, or painting. Some of them were even from noble families that had fallen on hard times. Thus, while the situation was not ideal, at least her sister would be better off in a courtesan house rather than a regular brothel. Tonight, Su Jing Fei and Mu Tan were headed to a courtesan house called Xia-Wu in the heart of the red light district. Upon entering, they were greeted kindly by a woman at the entrance.

“Welcome to Xia-Wu! How can I assist the two masters?” The older woman spoke with a chipper voice, bowing respectfully before them.

“My name is Ye Meng Yao, and I have just arrived in Fuo Lan,” Su Jing Fei spoke in a low tone as the lies rolled off her tongue effortlessly. “I am looking for pleasant entertainment and company tonight.” The shameless words had caused Mu Tan’s face to heat up terribly when she first heard them, but now, after a few nights of investigation, the sentence wasn’t so shocking to hear from the mouth of her innocent xiaojie.

“This lowly one thanks young master Ye Meng Yao for choosing to come to Xia-Wu tonight. However, this lowly one must also inform young master that there is a fee for entering Xia-Wu. It is forty silver taels to enter the common area where one can chat and mingle with many beautiful young women! Entertainment includes song and dance performed by our most talented courtesans!”

“And for a private room?” Su Jing Fei asked calmly, not even showing the faintest bit of embarrassment at the implication. The older woman was impressed at the young man’s forwardness that contrasted greatly with his handsome youthful face; his words had also been polite and gentle, and she could see the noble bearing he had.

“Of course, the private rooms are available if young master finds someone he likes. He must first inquire with the young woman of his liking, and if she accepts, a room shall be prepared for your private affairs,” The older woman spoke with a wide smile, her eyes glittering with the prospect of snagging another young rich nobleman. “The private rooms are fifty silver taels for the night. However, the services rendered within these rooms are an additional fee.”

Su Jing Fei nodded in understanding. “Money is no issue.” This was true, especially since they wouldn’t be using any of the ‘special’ services. With a bright smile, the older woman led them deeper into the building. Finally, the sounds of cheerful voices and laughter could be heard as they entered a large hall that opened up to reveal an open second floor. There were many men, young and old, in attendance, but the only kind of women she could see were the beautiful and young. Their bright faces showed a multitude of expressions; some were shy, and some were seductive. All were laughing, and it seemed like the most joyous celebration was taking place in this hall. Incredibly beautiful women danced and sang on stage; their warm colored robes fluttered loosely against their bodies, revealing seductive slender necks and pale unblemished skin. If Su Jing Fei had the inclination for females, she’d find herself thoroughly entranced at the sight. However, while she could appreciate a beautiful body, her purpose tonight was different than all the men looking for warm bodies to spend the night with; she was still desperately searching for her sister in the blissful chaos of the Fuo Lan red light district after all.

“We’ve arrived, young master Ye. If there’s anything you need, there are servants standing to the side who will be able to assist you.” The older woman gestured towards the lines of old women standing on the outskirts of the crowd with backs facing the walls.

“Thank you.” Su Jing Fei said, waving her arm to signal Mu Tan to pay the woman the fifty taels. Without wasting any time, she confidently stepped into the crowd. She walked slowly, observingly, before seating herself at an empty table in the middle of the room. Su Jing Fei settled into her chair comfortably with her legs splayed slightly and a strong straight back; she emulated the masculine seated posture of noblemen she had observed. Mu Tan followed suit, sitting close to her xiaojie and managing to keep a look of disgust off her face from seeing the men who openly leered and provocatively touched the beautiful women before them.

It wasn’t long before a woman plopped down on the seat next to Su Jing Fei, molding her soft and lithe body against Su Jing Fei’s side. “Hello there, young master,” purred the young woman as she laid a cheek gently on Su Jing Fei’s shoulder. “I’ve never seen you around here before.”

“Chanhua, no fair! I saw him first!” cried a young voice as another woman rushed over, plopping down on Su Jing Fei’s other side and tucking herself inside the crook of Su Jing Fei’s arm. “Young master seems to be very new to these kind of parts. This lowly one is willing to show young master a good time if he’d like.”

The young women fought a bit over Su Jing Fei, seeing him as a beautiful young nobleman who possibly wanted to learn the ropes of his newfound sexual inclinations. They rarely saw such a beautiful young man and wished to have a piece of that innocence for themselves. However, Su Jing Fei didn’t say anything and let the two women at her side bicker casually, remaining in her seat comfortably. Mu Tan watched on in slight amusement and horror; how was her xiaojie able to keep so calm?

Su Jing Fei was unfazed by the beautiful women, having seen plenty in her lifetime in the modern world. Her focus was instead aimed at the crowd around her while each face flickered past her watchful gaze. She didn’t even know what her sister looked like, so the search had been particularly harrowing. However, what she did know was that her sister should be around twelve years of age. From a modern mind, Su Jing Fei was terribly disgusted at the pedophilic inclinations of ancient society, but she also knew that for this time and age, one was considered already an adult at even her own tender age of sixteen. With a sigh, she knew her efforts would be fruitless unless she was actually able to somehow see the bare left shoulder of every courtesan in Xia-Wu. However, as she kept observing, an interesting thing caught her eye. A few men began disappearing into a side door connected to the large hall. While watching, she’d seen man after man approach the servant guarding the door; then they’d flash some sort of metal token and be allowed to enter. Was there some secret special service being held back there that was not being advertised to the public? Su Jing Fei had to find out.

“Forgive me, beautiful young misses,” spoke Su Jing Fei in a low and gentle voice. She smiled kindly as she untangled herself from the two women. “I see an acquaintance and must greet him. Please excuse this lowly one." She didn’t look back as she started walking towards a drunken man teetering on the edge of falling off his seat. While observing earlier, Su Jing Fei had saw that the man had been speaking and drinking with a group of men before the group left and entered the back door. But this man was clearly too drunk and occupied with the beautiful women at his side to leave.

“Please forgive this lowly one for interrupting,” Su Jing Fei bowed respectfully before the older man who playfully batted at the behind of one of the giggling young women on his lap. “I have just arrived in Fuo Lan and am unfamiliar with the customs of a courtesan house. This lowly one has seen that you seem familiar with Xia-Wu and wishes to ask for advice.”

“Ah, what a young lad! Still so young and handsome unlike an old man such as myself,” laughed the drunken older man as he continued to playfully tease the women on his lap. He looked up at Su Jing Fei with a hazy expression, but his smile was wide as his laughter loudly filled the air. “Where’d ya say ya were from, lad?”

Su Jing Fei took a seat across from the older man, smiling kindly at the drunken man. “From out of town.”

The older man leaned forward, squinting slightly at Su Jing Fei. Mu Tan moved forward protectively, quick to react in case any danger befell her xiaojie. The older man saw this and observed Mu Tan from head to toe, looking curiously intrigued. Then a wide smile crossed his face. “Ya must be from Xinyi! Ya got yaself a nice Shanzhe slave there!”

Su Jing Fei’s eyes sharpened, and she felt Mu Tan stiffen at her side. However, the smile on Su Jing Fei’s face didn’t diminish, and she let the lies roll off her tongue. “Elder master has sharp eyes! Yes, this lowly one is from Xinyi.” It seemed like the older man was quite amicable towards Xinyi, so she didn’t see any reason not to play along. “This lowly one came to Fuo Lan in search of a good time while helping my father do business in Chu.”

“Ahh, so yar an innocent young noble master lookin’ to learn da art of pleasure,” chuckled the drunken man as he grabbed a giggling girl onto his lap. She fluttered her long eyelashes shyly but proceeded to snuggle her behind against the front of his robes. “Young master has come to da right place!”

“Yes, this lowly one is glad to have found a nice place like Xia-Wu and has paid good money to seek out such pleasures. However, one is curious of something that this one has noticed.” Su Jing Fei started, lowering her voice a bit as she spoke and deliberately looked in the direction of the entrance where men had been disappearing behind. “It seems like Xia-Wu seems to have a private service. Is this a hospitality exclusively for Chu countrymen?”

“Pah!” The older man said with a wave of his head. “No such thing!” He gave a sly grin, leaning forward as if to whisper a dirty secret to Su Jing Fei. “Since young master is from Xinyi, it should be okay if I let you know what is behind that secret door!”

“Oh?” Su Jing Fei said, showing that her interest was piqued.

The drunken older man scooted closer, holding up a hand to whisper at Su Jing Fei. “It is a secret auction for rich and noble families for…” His toothy grin looked especially disgusting and vulgar as he spoke the next words. “A special service if one can afford.”

Su Jing Fei quirked an eyebrow. “This lowly one is intrigued. But how does one gain entry to such an event?”

Surprisingly, the older man pulled out a metal token, tossing it to Su Jing Fei who caught it. “Take this! This old one has no use for it and would much prefer to be out here with the beautiful young women who know how to pleasure a man. I have no such inclinations for the young and inexperienced.”

Su Jing Fei’s eyes darkened. The young and inexperienced… They couldn’t be auctioning off what she thought they were, could they? Mu Tan had also heard the words, and the older women’s body trembled in fear and disgust. “This lowly one thanks elder master! Please let me buy you another round of drinks!” Su Jing Fei said respectfully.

The drunken older man waved his hand dismissively, returning his attention to the young girl who was wriggling seductively in his lap. Su Jing Fei got up without another word, making her way to the line of servants at the outskirts of the crowd. “Please get another round of drinks for my friend there.” Su Jing Fei said with a smile, gesturing to where the drunken man was seated. She handed the servant a bit of money before making her way to the secret door where a servant stood quietly. He eyed her as she approached, and she gave a warm smile in response. Carefully, Su Jing Fei presented the metal token to the servant, and he stepped aside to let her in wordlessly. Su Jing Fei thanked the servant, stepping forwards to enter the door. However, the servant stopped Su Jing Fei just before she could enter. “Apologies young master, but your servant is not allowed to enter. Only token holders are permitted to go further.”

Mu Tan gave her xiaojie a worried expression, but Su Jing Fei shook her head. “Wait for me until I return. I’ll be back once my business is done.” Then she entered through the door, becoming suddenly engulfed in darkness. The loud chatter of the gathering hall was left behind as Su Jing Fei entered a long hallway; however, there was the low hum of voices that grew as she continued walking. 

At the end of the hallway, a male servant greeted her. “Please follow me this way, young master. The auctions are beginning.” She was then led through another hallway before reaching the center of all the quiet chatter, a large hall resembling a theater with rows of seats encircling an elevated stage. “Please present your token so that you may be seated accordingly.” The servant said with a respectful bow of his head. Su Jing Fei handed over her metal token, and the servant observed it accordingly before handing it back to her. Then he lead her through the rows of seats; surprising her as he took her to the middle rows with a rather good view of the stage. Then he seated her in an empty spot before quietly excusing himself.

Su Jing Fei observed the crowd, taking note of the faces and seating arrangements. Judging by the servant’s earlier actions, it seemed one might be seated according to one’s metal token which could possibly correspond to noble rank and wealth. It seemed she lucked out and had gotten a fairly good token. The auction began with three loud knocks at the front of the stage. There wasn’t much fanfare, and the auctioneer seemed to be a plump old man. His booming voice was strong, clear and concise however; and Su Jing Fei settled quietly into her seat to take a look at what this auction was really about.

The first couple of items seemed uncommon but not exactly rare; a few mysterious herbs, materials, jewelry, and paintings. There were a few bidders here and there. However, as the auction continued, the items became better and of higher quality. It wasn’t long before the auctioneer announced the end of the item auctions. Next was the real auction, the one that Su Jing Fei had specifically come to see.

A line of young girls filed in one after the other. They looked to be anywhere between ten to thirteen years of age. Su Jing Fei’s expression remained carefully neutral as she eyed the young girls, fighting back the bile building in the back of her throat. She wanted to throw up. The disgust settled deeply into the pit of her stomach, and she took a long breath to calm herself. She had an objective, and she had to make sure that she kept a clear mind to find her sister. Having calmed herself down, Su Jing Fei observed the girls on stage with sharp eyes. One by one, she took a good look at all of them. She didn’t know what she was looking for exactly. However, due to her previous job managing such a large inn, she had honed a skill that allowed her to remember a face once she’d seen it. It had made her job easier, and she used to be able to put names to faces of important individuals without having to struggle through the identities of every new person she met with. In this regard, there was a bit of hope in Su Jing Fei that she would be able to recognize similar features of her mother’s face in her sister… However, the lighting was a bit too dim, and she was too far from the stage to see the faces precisely. The young girls on the stage began to dance to music. Their synchronized movements were careful and disciplined, and their pale pink robes flowed loosely in motion with their swaying gestures. Su Jing Fei furrowed her brows, watching closely. The dancing ended after a few minutes, and the hall became abuzz with quiet whispers.

The bidding soon began, with many men fighting to bid over the young girls. Su Jing Fei knew that no matter how much her businesses thrived, she wouldn’t be able to amass the money necessary to purchase any one of the girls on stage. Luckily, however, she had another plan. Not waiting to see the bid to its ending, she got up as it neared the end, as some of the other men did as well who clearly knew they had no chances of purchasing any of the young girls on stage. Su Jing Fei returned to the initial large gathering hall along with a steady flow of men who left the auction. Mu Tan quickly came to her xiaojie’s side upon seeing her return. “Did you find what you were looking for, young master?” whispered Mu Tan carefully.

“Not exactly,” Su Jing Fei replied, moving to a less crowded part of the hall as she spoke calmly to Mu Tan. “I have a plan however. And it requires your help.”

Mu Tan nodded her head in understanding. Su Jing Fei made her way through the crowd, looking for a familiar face. It wasn’t long before she found it, and she made her way over to the young woman who sat laughing with a few other girls and a happy-looking man. She stepped forward quietly, speaking with a low and gentle voice. “Chanhua, was it?”

The young woman perked up at the sound of her name, turning to look at Su Jing Fei. Her bright eyes shined as she broke into a wide smile at the sight of Su Jing Fei. “Young master! You’ve returned!”

“Yes, I apologize for my rudeness earlier. If I may?” Su Jing Fei bowed her head slightly, extending a hand towards Chanhua.

The young woman blushed red, looking suddenly shy. But she took Su Jing Fei’s outstretched hand and stood up to follow her. Su Jing Fei smiled kindly, acting the part of a gentleman. Together, they made their way to a servant. “I’d like to request a private room.”

Mu Tan stared at her xiaojie in disbelief. What was her xiaojie thinking? Requesting a private room was obviously for the act of sexual pleasure, and they certainly weren’t here for that! However, the yatou could only follow quietly as the servant led the three of them up a flight of stairs and into the quieter halls of the second floor.