Chapter 31: Chapter 31
Deep autumn had settled over the land.
The trees along both banks had turned yellow and begun to shed their leaves.
Li Suifeng and Yuan Hai stood at the prow. Li Suifeng gazed at the amber and rust lining the riverbanks and smiled:
“Since ancient times, all have mourned autumn’s desolation — but I say autumn days surpass the spring!”
“Tonight, let’s see what the pleasure houses of Nanzhou’s greatest city have to offer. Find out how they compare to Nanyang’s.”
“Bravo!”
A cheer rang out from a large ship not far away.
Li Suifeng hadn’t spoken loudly, but the man on the neighboring vessel clearly possessed considerable cultivation. Even across a dozen meters of open water, over the sound of waves slapping against hulls, the young gentleman had caught every word.
The man looked about Li Suifeng’s age.
He wore fine brocade robes. Two elderly men trailed behind him, their internal energy so deep and seamless it seemed woven into their very bones.
Clearly not a simple background.
“Those lines of yours are worth a jar of good wine.” A smile played on the young lord’s lips.
A handmaid passed him a sealed wine jar. He gave it a light tap, and the jar sailed across the gap between ships.
Li Suifeng reached out. The jar landed neatly in his palm.
“Fine wine!”
Yuan Hai exclaimed from Li Suifeng’s side. “That’s been aging at least thirty years!”
He was something of a connoisseur himself.
The jar was still sealed, yet even from several feet away, the rich fragrance of aged spirits had already reached his nose.
His cravings stirred instantly.
“My thanks!”
Li Suifeng handed the jar to Yuan Hai and clasped his fists toward the young lord.
“It’s only what they deserve.”
With that, the young lord turned and disappeared into his ship’s cabin.
Once his vessel had pulled away, Yuan Hai murmured:
“Boss Li, I don’t know who that man is, but he’s no ordinary person.”
“A jar of wine worth several hundred taels, tossed out like it was nothing.”
He shook his head in wonder.
His annual salary was two hundred taels. That one jar of wine cost more than he made in a year.
“We’ll drink it tonight.”
Li Suifeng shook his head with a quiet laugh.
Before long, their ship reached the wharf. Flying the Canal Gang’s banner, they were immediately directed to a designated berth.
“Which branch?”
A steward-looking middle-aged man stood on the dock, eyeing Li Suifeng and his crew.
Yuan Hai didn’t need to be told — he hopped down and began handling the paperwork.
“All set, Boss Li!”
“Just need to offload.”
Yuan Hai returned to Li Suifeng’s side and spoke quietly.
“Unload!”
At Li Suifeng’s signal, the Nanyang Branch disciples began hauling cargo off the ship.
Half an hour later, every crate had been moved.
Li Suifeng gave the brothers some spending money and told them to explore the city.
He and Yuan Hai grabbed a meal, then waited for dusk to fall before setting out for the pleasure house Yuan Hai had been talking about since the moment they’d arrived.
…
“Almost there, Boss Li!”
“I guarantee your eyes will be opened!”
Excitement radiated from Yuan Hai’s every pore.
Boss Li had given the ship’s crew a hundred taels to split. Tonight’s outing to the pleasure district — surely Boss Li wouldn’t expect him to pay?
“Oh?”
They crossed a stone bridge.
Li Suifeng found himself staring at a structure in the middle of a lake — a towering wooden building, dozens of meters high, ablaze with lantern light. The entire edifice was built directly on the water’s surface.
Countless small boats ferried guests to and from its entrance.
“Lakeheart Pavilion.”
Li Suifeng read the four bold characters aloud.
The passersby didn’t bat an eye — they’d seen this reaction before.
Every newcomer to Tianhe Prefecture stopped and stared the first time they laid eyes on the Lakeheart Pavilion.
“Well — fancy meeting you here!”
A familiar voice reached them.
They turned to see the young lord from the ship, accompanied by the same two bodyguards — plus one addition: a black-robed elder whose very presence radiated authority without a trace of anger.
“My thanks again for the wine. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Li Suifeng clasped his fists.
The people around this man — their cultivation was bottomless. His identity was anything but simple.
“The name’s Wen San. And you are…?” The young lord fell into step beside Li Suifeng, smiling. “Looks like you’re heading for the Lakeheart Pavilion too. Care to join me?”
Li Suifeng answered directly: “Li Suifeng. And this is my friend, Elder Yuan Hai.”
“Wen San” was obviously a pseudonym. But Li Suifeng gave his real name regardless.
The man’s background was clearly formidable, and Li Suifeng was showing his true face. Anyone with the will to investigate could uncover his identity. No point in pretending.
“A pleasure, Young Master Wen!”
Yuan Hai hastily offered a respectful bow.
Wen San didn’t acknowledge Yuan Hai. Instead, he turned to Li Suifeng:
“Those two lines of poetry on the ship seemed to be only the first half. Is there more?”
Li Suifeng laughed and shook his head.
“Fine writing is born of nature itself — a skilled hand merely captures the moment. It was just something that came to me.”
He could hardly admit he’d only remembered those two lines from the original poem.
At his words, even the three men behind Wen San looked at Li Suifeng with fresh eyes.
“Splendid!”
“‘Fine writing is born of nature itself — a skilled hand merely captures the moment.’ What a line!”
Wen San’s eyes lit up.
“Dinner’s on me tonight. I insist — please, do me the honor.”
“I wouldn’t dare refuse such generosity.”
…
The Lakeheart Pavilion. A massive, gilded private room.
Dish after exquisite dish was carried in by the Pavilion’s attendants.
Even fruits that could only be found in the northern provinces graced the table.
“Mm.”
Wen San sampled a dish and nodded approvingly.
“Nanzhou may not be the most prosperous province, but this food is genuinely excellent.”
Wen San’s two bodyguards had remained outside. Inside the room sat only Wen San and the black-robed elder, along with Li Suifeng and Yuan Hai.
The elder at Wen San’s side chuckled:
“This is what happens when the Lakeheart Pavilion spends a fortune poaching a chef from Dongzhou. Without that kind of investment, you’d never taste dishes like these.”
Li Suifeng sampled a few bites himself.
The Lakeheart Pavilion lived up to its reputation as Tianhe Prefecture’s premier establishment. Every dish had clearly been prepared with extraordinary care.
“Elder Liu — you bring me to a place like this and think a single meal will satisfy me?” Wen San set down his chopsticks with a grin.
“Ha ha!” Elder Liu laughed. “The Lakeheart Pavilion’s performances are also legendary…”
He clapped his hands.
A side door opened, and a procession of women filed in, each carrying a different instrument.
THUM THUM!
Drums sounded first. Then strings and winds joined in, layering into something that seemed to carry a power beyond mere music — something that tugged at the heart.
Four young women in veils, their bodices cut low enough to quicken any man’s pulse, began to dance through the room.
Yuan Hai, seated at the far edge, had downed two cups of wine. Between the alcohol and the music’s pull, his body had begun swaying of its own accord.
Li Suifeng’s heartbeat quickened. His brow furrowed.
This feels like… some kind of sonic martial art.