Li Meirong glanced nervously into the direction from where the new voice came. Searching, she finally noticed the man with the last bid. He stood apart from the crowd; his appearance resembled that of a huntsman. He wore a heavy black cloak, with thick pieces of fur covering his shoulders. His robes were woven from simple cloth, seemingly designed for battle. His face, stoic and hard, was most likely lined from hard work and age. A scar across his right cheek snaked all the way from his chin to the corner of his bushy eyebrow in a deep furrow. His hair, black with grey streaks, was tied back loosely with a clasp.
In addition to the bow and quiver of arrows strapped to his back, his overall demeanor didn't quite match that of the rest of the crowd. In fact, he seemed to be in a bit of a hurry to leave the place.
Everyone stared at the man in shock. Even the madam, who had been so eager and lively but a moment before, was rendered speechless. Fifty silver taels! That was a staggering sum! Not even their most highly sought after courtesans inspired such a price!
The madam hurried to wrap up the bid before the man could have a chance to retract his offer. But the Huntsman only remained silent, motionless at the back of the crowd.
"Heh, this honorable sir certainly knows what he wants! Going once… Going twice..."
The military man with the previous bid seemed disappointed, but clearly had no intention of outbidding fifty taels for a one night fling with a disfigured girl just for the sake of deflowering her. In his eyes, the prize just didn't fit the reward.
Most of the men in the area stared aghast at the final bidder, while others regarded him with outright mockery. What a waste of money!
"Sold!" exclaimed the madam after no one else spoke up.
Li Meirong was immediately taken off the stage and rushed to the second floor along with the other girls who were bought upstairs. Each of them were shoved into separate rooms. She found herself in a small, windowless space. The air was thick with the heady smell of incense.
There was only a large bed in the way of furniture, with the exception of a small stool on one side. A lone candle flickered atop of it. This room was clearly meant for one purpose and one purpose only.
At that moment, Li Meirong felt defeated. How could she escape when there wasn't even a window to climb out of? To top it off, she wasn't purchased by a young, slight man. No, her bidder looked to be someone who just came back from hunting a mammoth. She began to fully realize how trapped she was in this disgusting foreign place. She just wanted to scream; this was all so unreal.
She stood nervously by the side of the bed as one of the veteran courtesans barged into the room, the door slamming shut behind her.
The veteran courtesan was about the same age Li Meirong assumed she was, which was young. Far too young. Her overall appearance was petite, except for her large and shapely bosom, which gave her a rather youthful, desirable look. Her face was painted heavily with white powder, contrasting her lips. They were dyed a scarlet rouge, granting them the appearance of a freshly polished apple, ready to be bitten. Without even speaking, the sneer plastered on her face already gave away her disdain.
"I've been instructed by the madam to advise you on your upcoming duties, considering the huge sum that's been paid for you." The veteran courtesan took Li Meirong by the arm, bringing her to the bed then sitting down beside her.
She sighed, then explained, "I've heard a bit about your case. It's better for you not to consider attempting suicide again. Luckily, when you came here and tried to gulp down poison, the madam was able to extract it before you died. Life is hard here, but not impossible. If you can't use your face, then learn to use your body. Make sure you always appear happy, even when it hurts. I heard you can sing and dance. That's good. You can use that to your advantage." The courtesan clasped Li Meirong's hands and spoke quietly with a distinct tone of disinterest.
"Most importantly, don't bring shame to the establishment." With that final statement, the veteran courtesan felt she had covered all the necessary points. Once an unfortunate woman becomes a prostitute, she knew that woman should forget about living life as an honorable person. But it didn't necessarily mean that woman was destined to live a horrible life.
This particular point of view was still lost on Li Meirong. The more she heard, the more she felt like she was losing all control. Doomed. Even if it meant risking her life, she was resolved to find a way to escape this place.
She would not be reborn into a new world just to find herself surrendering to this kind of fate!
Li Meirong looked directly into the courtesan's eyes and boldly said, "Thank you for telling me all this, but I really cannot accept any of it. Is there any way for me to escape or buy my freedom? Maybe you and I can run off together?"
The courtesan paused a moment before bursting into laughter.
"You haven't even had your first night and you're already panicked? Whatever shall you do with yourself later on? Sweetie, the only way out of here is with money, which you earn by selling your body. The only other alternatives are being flogged to death or praying for an amazing miracle to save you. As for me? I now have good food, all the silk I want, and men lining up at my door to meet me. I have no intention of leaving." She regarded Li Meirong as nothing but a foolish little girl talking nonsense.
"Understood," Li Meirong said as she looked down dejectedly, now silenced. She wasn't an assassin or warrior who was able to bravely fight her way out of any given situation. Still unwilling to succumb to her fate but not yet knowing how to escape it, she did her best to internalize her struggle.
The courtesan, seeing no response coming from the young girl, patted her head in mild sympathy and left the room.
All was quiet now in the small room where Li Meirong waited anxiously for her first client. She could already hear the primal moans and grunts of both pleasure and pain from the neighboring quarters. The heavily incensed air in the room made her slightly dizzy and warm. She felt thirsty, but there were no drinks to be found.
It was only after the candle on the stool burnt out completely that the door to her room opened once more.
The Huntsman walked in with a slow, heavy stride.
Li Meirong stood up from the bed in a panic, clutching the sides of her skirt, ready to fight or flee if need be.