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Shěn Táng looked at the young man expressionlessly.
[According to the usual tropes, people who look like they're about to kick the bucket any second often have a longer lifespan than those who are hale and hearty, after all, bad apples last a thousand years. Crap, I forgot this guy can read minds... Big brother, can you hear that too?]
The young man coughed several times: "...Xiǎo Láng Jūn is quite humorous."
Shěn Táng: "..."
The Zhǎng Guì, in "mute" mode: "..." He first stole a glance at Shěn Táng's deeply set, wild, but clearly feminine profile, convinced he hadn't misjudged the gender. He secretly grumbled, is the young man's eyesight not very good? Why can he even mistake genders?
The young man's brow moved slightly; he didn't offer an explanation.
The courtesan followed him out from behind the screen, his eyelids slightly lowered. He glanced at Shěn Táng and the Zhǎng Guì, then winked at the attending xiǎo sī. The xiǎo sī understood, handing a heavy money pouch filled with silver to the Zhǎng Guì. "Please count it."
The Zhǎng Guì had been in business for so many years, handling countless amounts of money. A quick feel of the weight confirmed the silver's quantity was correct. He then opened the money pouch and counted, a wide smile on his face. "No problem, no problem."
The courtesan said, "In that case, we're even."
According to protocol, it should now be time to "send the guests off." The Zhǎng Guì was also tactful, taking the money pouch and preparing to lead Shěn Táng away. But whether by coincidence or not, a third unfamiliar cough came from behind the screen, followed by a muffled groan of pain, as if biting back a cry, and something heavy rolled off the bed.
Shěn Táng's motion to stand up paused.
Ah, this—
That sound just now was clearly masculine? And seemed to be in poor health? She habitually assumed that those seeking pleasure in male brothels were the active party, but judging from the commotion just now, the person lying on the bed unwell was the actual client? This made her think of a xiē hòu yǔ, "toad mounts a frog, ugly on the outside, wild on the inside." She vaguely caught the scent of blood and the bitter aroma unique to herbs. She couldn't help but cast a look of admiration at the seemingly reserved courtesan.
Hearing the commotion, the courtesan's expression was no longer indifferent. He almost strode around the screen, and Shěn Táng only managed to catch a glimpse of the edge of his clothes. Faintly, she heard the courtesan say, "Yún Chí..."
Shěn Táng: "..."
Yún Chí? Which Yún, which Chí? What's the surname? She seemed to have heard that name somewhere...
As soon as Shěn Táng thought of this, something suddenly clicked, and her facial expression gradually stiffened and twisted. Her eyes shifted slowly upwards, finally meeting the gaze of the young man staring at her. Just by the profound look in his eyes, she knew she had been "eavesdropped" on again. Don't the GMs ever manage these cheating hackers?
Shěn Táng took half a step back, placing her right hand behind her. If the young man made any untoward moves, she would immediately manifest the Cí Mǔ Jiàn and teach this "filial son" how to behave. Given the distance between them, she was confident of a swift kill. After all, not every scholarly strategist was as cunning as Qí Yuán Liáng.
The young man asked with a faint smile, "Xiǎo Láng Jūn, why are you so nervous?"
Shěn Táng said, "About what? Don't you know in your heart?"
The young man, under the Zhǎng Guì's bewildered gaze, asked Shěn Táng without any evasion, "Xiǎo Láng Jūn, do you know Xiǎo Láng Jūn Gōng Yún Chí?"
Shěn Táng countered, "Is his surname Gōng?"
The young man nodded, "Yes."
Shěn Táng: "..."
It's actually Gōng Chěng, Gōng Yún Chí! How did he end up in Yuè Huá Lóu???
For a moment, Shěn Táng didn't know where to begin complaining. The Gōng clan had been exiled. According to the official decree, the men were sent to the frontier as forced laborers, and the women were sent to the Jiào Fāng in Xiào Chéng. She replayed this text in her mind, certain she hadn't misremembered. Shěn Táng's gaze fell towards the screen, as if trying to penetrate it to see the figures beyond: "How is he here?"
"The path of exile is arduous; ordinary people find it hard to endure, let alone someone whose Dān Fǔ has been crippled. More than half their life is wasted. Seeing that he was about to report to the King of Hell, I brought him here." The young man spoke these words frankly and sincerely.
"Xiǎo Láng Jūn still hasn't answered how you know Gōng Yún Chí." Without waiting for Shěn Táng's reply, he said in a playful tone, "If Xiǎo Láng Jūn refuses to answer, for the safety of myself and those involved, I'm afraid you won't be able to return unscathed." He was just short of saying he would kill her to silence her.
Shěn Táng muttered inwardly: [Tch, who doesn't know about the Gōng clan's exile? Just because I know the name, does that mean I know him?] Aloud she said, "I only heard of the Gōng clan's plight, and thus learned that Gōng Yún Chí, whom I had met once, was also among those exiled. Hearing a familiar name suddenly, I naturally wanted to confirm."
The young man smiled, narrowing his eyes slightly, and asked again, "Really?"
Shěn Táng said, "Absolutely no falsehood."
The young man frowned, pondering briefly, but it was unclear if he believed her. After all, Shěn Táng knew the young man could read minds. In such a situation, if her psychological activity was still lively, who was to say she wasn't deliberately misleading his judgment?
Just as the atmosphere reached an impasse, a hoarse young man's voice came from inside the room: "Mr. Gu, has someone arrived?"
The young man smiled, his hands clasped within his sleeves. Lazily, he said, "Someone claims to have met you once."
After a good while, following the rustling of clothes, the courtesan emerged, supporting a young man whose upper body was wrapped in pristine white bandages. Though called a young man, his appearance was actually two years younger than the courtesan, at most seventeen or eighteen. Perhaps due to the hardships of exile, his features had lost their childishness and naiveté, instead carrying a lingering, heavy melancholy and weakness.
Shěn Táng: "..."
This is truly exasperating! She absolutely dared not have any inner thoughts now. That cheating hacker who could peek into others' minds was still lurking threateningly nearby. She certainly didn't want to be silenced.
Gōng Chěng also clearly saw Shěn Táng's appearance, and was slightly taken aback. The young man, seeing his reaction, knew immediately that Gōng Chěng had indeed seen Shěn Táng's face—this Xiǎo Láng Jūn truly hadn't lied?
"Yún Chí, is this someone you know?" The courtesan spoke, breaking the silence.
Gōng Chěng shook his head: "Not an acquaintance, but I should have seen him before."
The courtesan became three parts wary, looking at Shěn Táng with sharp eyes. This gaze carried a killing intent that shouldn't belong to his profession. If it were an ordinary person, perhaps a single glance would have scared them. He then asked Gōng Chěng for confirmation: "Will this person harm you?"
Gōng Chěng thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Probably not."
The courtesan's curiosity was piqued: "Who is this person...?"
Gōng Chěng smiled bitterly and shook his head. He raised his hand and patted the courtesan's hand, signaling him that he didn't need to support him. The courtesan released his hand, and Gōng Chěng managed to stand steadily on his own. He bowed to Shěn Táng, saying, "I am Gōng Yún Chí, and I apologize to my wife's elder brother."
These words, once uttered, stunned everyone in the room.
The young man: "..."
The courtesan: "..."
The most shocked, however, was Shěn Táng herself. She almost lost control of her emotions, managing to ask him in a stiff, not-so-sarcastic tone, "What are you apologizing to me for?"
Gōng Chěng, a disciple of the exiled Gōng clan.
Earlier, Tián Shǒu Yì mentioned that Gōng Chěng was arrested and exiled on the day of his wedding to a daughter of the Shěn clan. Gōng Chěng had seen the bride, but because Táng Mèi (Shěn Táng) possessed a scholarly heart (wén xīn), everyone assumed she was the Shěn clan daughter's older/younger brother. Hence the address "wife's elder brother."
The young man's surname is Gù. He is currently chaotic neutral with a chaotic evil exterior.
The courtesan is in disguise.
The young man saved Gōng Chěng for certain purposes and is hiding in the male brothel where the courtesan resides to recuperate.
The two are temporarily unrelated to the protagonist's group.