"This is an outrage, and I will not stand for it!" Outside of the Red Chamber, a group of four confronted a squad of six mansion guards, all fuming uncontrollably. Their leader, a burly middle-aged man, currently faced the matron that had greeted Huan Yi previously—his face red from a mixture of rage and shame.
After pooling together two years of savings, these four officers of the Yin army had managed to reserve the Red Chamber for one day, hoping to rely on the resources provided and the four girls they paid for to make a breakthrough to the third level of the Congenital Realm.
For this day, they also cashed in their annual leave. But barely had they gotten in the heat of their dual cultivation session that a matron broke into the Red Chamber, followed by six guards that directly kicked them out!
"Esteemed guests, I'm terribly sorry. However, the Red Chamber's formations are currently malfunctioning, and could potentially reduce you all into ashes. When I got the news, I had no choice but to hurry here with the guards to save you all from a horrible death! Please don't blame my humble self for my rash actions, it's for your own good." The matron sighed at the situation, bowing as if genuinely sorry for her crude interruption.
"Bullshit! Are you taking us for a gang of toddlers? As army officers, how could we not notice the energy fluctuations of a formation malfunctioning? You're clearly making excuses to kick us out!" The leader of the group barked in reply.
As evidenced by the girls and resources that it could provide, the Dream Mansion was no ordinary pleasure house. All mansion guards possessed at least a fourth-level Congenital realm cultivation base, making it impossible for those army officers to solve the situation by force.
However, recalling all the time and preparation that went into this moment, how could the four just give up?
"With your background and cultivation level, I'm afraid you've never seen a formation of this caliber. How then could you notice the problems it carries? Don't worry, you will be reimbursed, and once the formation is fixed, we will reserve you a spot for a three-hour session, free of charge," in a tone that mixed politeness and mockery, the matron said.
"IT'S NOT…"
"Esteemed guests, right now, this is an issue of a formation malfunctioning, and the fault lying with the Dream Mansion. However…should you fail to show magnanimity, this can easily become a matter of vandalism, with the four girls you went to bed with acting as the witnesses for your violent acts of destruction." Not giving the four the opportunity to waste more of Huan Yi's time, the matron cut them mid-speech, making shocking threats.
Others might fear army officers, but in the Dream Mansion, men of that status didn't have a right to feel wronged. It was already nice of the Dream Mansion to compensate and appease them. How dare they throw a fit?
"Humph!" The four never expected the matron to take such a sinister stance, and realizing that some VIP might be behind these actions, they swallowed their pride, walking off the scene.
"What a joke. Simply for getting the Red Chamber at nine times the rate for one week, I wouldn't have hesitated to kick you guys out for young master Di. But he's also reserving the Wine Lake and Meat Forest for one week, at nine times the rate? From that moment on, even if we had to offend King Zi Xian, we wouldn't have hesitated to get rid of anyone that stood in the way of young master Di's wishes." The matron scoffed at the four disgruntled officers.
Though the most notorious and widely known attraction of the Dream Mansion, the Wine Lake and Meat Forest had for a long time been a money-losing business.
Undoubtedly the most extravagant banquet venue of the Yin Dynasty, that cultural marvel cost 9,000 Blood Stones for a reservation. But as not many people could put out 9,000 Blood Stones for entertainment, and those who could had their image to consider, the Wine Lake and Meat Forest rarely saw customers.
So, to cut losses and maximize revenues, the Dream Mansion only opened it once a year for a one-week period—selling seats instead of the whole venue to make it more accessible to the Yin warriors.
Afterward, they closed it and didn't re-open unless a prominent patron made an irresistible offer. Huan Yi's offer happened to be just that, putting enough money in the Dream Mansion's coffers to justify the lengths to which they were going to please him.
"Gather all the Silver-grade girls, send the snakegirls and mermaids to fill the Wine Lake, have half the doe-girls take cover in the Meat Forest alongside the Silver-grade girls, and the rest of the doe-girls line up at the entrance of the Meat Forest.
Also, I want all the Silver Maidens to bring their A-game and meet the young master when he reaches the Deer Pavilion. I will ask the lord permission to send as many as we can spare! The Dream Mansion cannot afford to miss this opportunity to befriend young master Di!"
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Meanwhile, rumors spread across the Dream Mansion that, by using the excuse of sudden damages, the Dream Mansion had helped a mysterious young master reserve the Red Chamber for an entire week. At the same time, that boy would soon be entering the Wine Lake and Meat Forest, enjoying women and delicacies that even the elders of prominent clans dared not covet.
"We demand an explanation!"
One after the other, the patrons of the Dream Mansion stood up, united in their outrage for the mysterious young master that seemed to have appeared just to mess with their happiness. In droves, those men assembled around an aristocrat dressed in purple robes embroidered with golden flowers, and the character "Wen" inscribed on his back.
"Brother Wen, of all the men gathered here, only you possess the strength and background to coerce the Dream Mansion into putting an end to this farce! Brother Wen, please take control of the situation!"
"Brother Wen, please take control of the situation!" In tandem, the disgruntled patrons of prestigious families bowed at the aristocrat, pleading for him to lead them into challenging the Dream Mansion's "injustice."
Interestingly, when the Dream Mansion showed these men of influential families preferential treatment at the expense of the commoners, they didn't find anything wrong with its actions. But now that they had been snubbed in favor of some mysterious young master, fairness and justice became all they could think about.
"Brothers, things are even worse than you imagined. According to my intel, the so-called young master at the root of this commotion is not older than 12. What is a 12 years old doing in a place like this? His puberty has barely started, and he already wants to conquer the Yin Dynasty's number one pleasure house? Fuck! The laws of the state don't even allow him to be here! If we don't put an end to that kid's rampage, how can we preserve the prestige of this establishment?!
Come, brothers! In the name of virtue, morals, and ethics, I, Wen Tiewu, will lead you to put an end to that scourge!" Wen Tiewu, eldest son of the Wen clan master, declared, instantly causing the morale of the troops to skyrocket.
Despite what his looks might suggest, Wen Tiewu was already over 50 years old and had cultivated his body to the second level of the Congenital realm. Add to that his Golden blood and the martial skills of the Wen clan's main line, and his battle prowess became something that the average mansion guard couldn't resist.
Besides, assuming that he didn't have the strength to run amok, throughout the Yin Dynasty, who dared to disrespect the Wen clan? That family name alone was enough to bring the great dukes to their knees!
In high spirits, the disgruntled patrons followed Wen Tiewu's lead, marching toward the entrance of the Wine Lake and Meat Forest to stop Huan Yi and force the Dream Mansion to compensate them all for the distress they'd suffered!
However, as they approached destination, a tall middle-aged man dressed in the black and red robes of high-ranking court officials appeared, facing the aristocratic mob with his back.
"Bastard! Do you know whose path you're blocking? I am Wen Tiewu, the eldest young master of the Wen clan!" Though he looked somewhat familiar and wore high-ranking court official robes, Wen Tiewu didn't spare the newcomer a glance, directly motioning for him to get lost.
However…
"Really? But I am Wen Zhongshang, clan master of the Wen clan. So, what should we do?" The middle-aged man asked and turned toward Wen Tiewu, revealing a chiseled face that bore a striking resemblance to his.
From Wen Tiewu to the most random patron on the scene, all stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes stretching and their jaws dropping in a mixture of shock and horror.
"F-fath—" Barely had Wen Tiewu opened his mouth that a large hand backhanded him across the face, sending him spiraling into the air before crashing into an adjacent wall.