Listening to Melodies in the Pleasure Quarters

At the foot of Qingyun Mountain.

Lin Yan stood by the mountain path with his hands behind his back, looking at the exquisite ant grave.

With a bluestone foundation and a white jade tombstone, a line of text was carved upon it: "Tomb of the Tianyan Sect's Spirit Pet, Lord Ant Immortal," with the signature, "Respectfully erected by disciple Zhao Feng."

Looking at that line of words, Lin Yan couldn't help but shake his head.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. This Zhao Feng is really quite a character."

He understands the times, knows when to advance and retreat, and can bend or stand tall as needed.

When it was time to kneel, he knelt without hesitation; when it was time to handle matters, he handled them beautifully.

He observed mourning for an ant for seven days, neither noisy nor fussy, taking it completely seriously, and even built a neat and tidy grave before leaving.

A person like this could survive anywhere.

It was a pity that the other party was an elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Otherwise, bringing him in to be an outer sect deacon or something wouldn't be a bad idea.

After all, as the sect grew larger and larger, they would need people to handle various trivial matters. He couldn't possibly do everything himself as the Sect Master, right?

Lin Yan smiled, shook his head, and withdrew his gaze.

He took a deep breath and took a step forward.

With a single step, the mountains and rivers beneath his feet shrank backwards.

The wind howled, and his robes fluttered wildly.

In the next instant, he had already appeared on the mountain path hundreds of meters away.

Shrinking the Earth to an Inch!

He had tested this trait; it was indeed a hundred miles in a single step. Theoretically, he could reach Qingyun City in the blink of an eye.

However, taking too big of a step carried risks.

For example... if his direction was slightly off, he might step right into some woman's boudoir. That would be awkward.

Therefore, Lin Yan now kept his steps to a few hundred meters, keeping it within his line of sight. If he saw a tree ahead, he would step to the tree; if he saw an intersection ahead, he would step to the intersection.

Not to mention, this method of traveling hundreds of meters per step truly gave off the demeanor of a transcendent expert.

Before long, the dark grey city walls of Qingyun City appeared in his field of vision.

Lin Yan stopped in his tracks, ending his Shrinking the Earth to an Inch.

He was out for a stroll; why walk so fast?

He took out a folding fan from his robes, snapped it open with a swish, and slowly walked toward the city gate while fanning himself.

At the city gate, pedestrians came and went, and the cries of merchants rose and fell.

Lin Yan did not notice that behind him, at the base of the city wall, a beggar huddled in ragged cotton wadding suddenly raised his head.

A look of unbelievable radiance suddenly burst forth from those cloudy eyes.

...

Qingyun City.

The last time Lin Yan was here, it was to recruit disciples.

At that time, his mind was entirely focused on taking in a disciple within three days. He came and went in a hurry and had no mood to enjoy the scenery.

This time was different.

He had taken in a disciple, the system had upgraded, he had money in his pockets, and his heart was no longer panicked.

Naturally, he had to take a good stroll.

Qingyun City was very large. The main street, paved with bluestone slabs, was wide and flat, capable of fitting four horse-drawn carriages side by side.

Shops lined both sides of the street, and tavern banners fluttered in the wind.

It was easy to tell that this was a very prosperous city.

Lin Yan fanned himself and walked leisurely, his gaze sweeping past the shops one by one.

"Interesting."

He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

In front of him was a three-story building with flying eaves and upturned corners, featuring carved beams and painted rafters. Two large red lanterns hung in front of the door, bearing three large, gold-stamped characters:

Hehuan Pavilion.

Several young women stood at the door, dressed in sheer dresses. Some held round fans to half-cover their faces, while others leaned against the doorframes with smiling expressions.

Seeing Lin Yan stop, an attractive madam in her thirties immediately came forward to greet him.

"Oh my, this young master looks quite unfamiliar! Is it your first time here?"

The madam looked Lin Yan up and down. Seeing his white robes, handsome appearance, and otherworldly temperament, her eyes immediately lit up.

"Please come inside, young master! The girls of our Hehuan Pavilion are the absolute best in Qingyun City!"

Lin Yan thought about it. It had been nearly ten days since he transmigrated. He spent every day on the mountain with a little girl, without even a peer to talk to.

Going in to sit down, listen to some music, and have a few drinks wouldn't be too much, right?

It wasn't like he was going to do anything bad.

"Alright." Lin Yan nodded, folded his fan, and stepped into Hehuan Pavilion.

The madam smiled so widely she couldn't close her mouth, and she hurriedly followed.

...

Inside Hehuan Pavilion was a completely different world.

The hall was spacious and bright, with mahogany tables and chairs, red sandalwood folding screens, famous calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls, and celadon vases placed in the corners.

A faint incense filled the air. It wasn't that cheap, powdery scent, but an elegant floral fragrance that relaxed the mind.

The second and third floors housed private rooms. Sheer curtains hung down from above, swaying gently in the breeze, half-concealing what lay behind them.

Several young women leaned against the railings; some were whispering and laughing, some were playing the zither, and some were doing embroidery.

Seeing Lin Yan enter, a few bold girls cast curious glances and whispered among themselves.

"What a handsome young master..."

"It's my first time seeing him. He's probably not a local, right?"

"With that temperament, he looks like a disciple from some major sect..."

Lin Yan's expression remained unchanged as he fanned himself and followed the madam up to the second floor.

The madam led him into a private room. It wasn't large, but it was elegantly furnished.

There was a carved wooden table, two armchairs, and a tea set along with a plate of fruits on the table.

By the window was a soft couch covered with brocade bedding. Next to it stood a folding screen embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water.

"Please take a seat, young master. I'll go call the girls to serve you," the madam said with a beaming smile.

"Wait a moment."

Lin Yan took a small piece of gold from his robes and casually tossed it to the madam.

The madam caught the gold, her eyes instantly lighting up, and the smile on her face deepened.

"Serve me your best food and wine. Don't try to fool me with cheap stuff!"

"Understood, understood! Rest assured, young master, I guarantee you will be satisfied!" The madam nodded repeatedly and backed out of the room.

Before long, the food and wine arrived.

Four exquisite side dishes, a pot of warm yellow wine, and a plate of osmanthus cakes.

Lin Yan picked up a bite of food with his chopsticks. It tasted quite good. Although it couldn't compare to the various artificial flavorings of his past life, it had its own unique charm.

Just as he put down his chopsticks, light footsteps came from outside the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and a woman walked in.

Lin Yan looked up, his eyes brightening slightly.

The woman was about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a light pink sheer dress with a few orchids embroidered on the hem.

Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, loosely pinned up with a white jade hairpin, leaving a few stray strands hanging by her ears.

Her features weren't breathtakingly stunning, but they were very pleasing to the eye. She had willow-leaf eyebrows, almond eyes, a delicate nose, and full lips. The corners of her mouth naturally curved upward in a faint smile, making it seem as if she was always smiling.

Her figure was also top-notch. The curves faintly visible beneath the sheer fabric were perfectly proportioned—curvy where she should be curvy, and slender where she should be slender. An ounce more would be too fat, and an ounce less would be too thin.

If this were his past life, she would absolutely be top-tier influencer material; a casual photo of her could easily get tens of thousands of likes.

The woman walked up to the table and gave a graceful bow.

"Greetings, young master. This humble girl is Lian'er. A pleasure to meet you."

Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying the unique, gentle lilt of the southern water towns. Just hearing it made one's bones go soft.

Lin Yan nodded, gesturing for her to sit down.

"Have a seat."

Lian'er thanked him and sat down opposite Lin Yan. Her posture was elegant, neither overly humble nor arrogant.

She glanced at the food and wine on the table, then at Lin Yan, and the smile at the corners of her lips deepened.

"Is this the young master's first time here?"

Lin Yan picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and nodded.

"You could tell?"

"Mhm."

Lian'er smiled softly. "Young Master's gaze is unlike those who frequent this place. When they look at girls, they wish they could glue their eyeballs onto them. When you look at girls, it's as if you're looking at... the scenery."

Lin Yan smiled, set down his wine cup, leaned back in his chair, and waved his folding fan.

"Then tell me, what kind of person am I?"

Lian'er tilted her head, studied him seriously for a few breaths, and then smiled.

"Young Master is a good person."

"That's it?"

"Mhm, that's it."

Lin Yan was amused by her and stopped teasing her.

"Tell me, what is there that's fun and interesting in this Qingyun City?"

Lian'er's eyes lit up, as if a chatterbox had been opened.

"Is this Young Master's first time in Qingyun City?"

"You could say that. I came once before but didn't get a good look around."

"Then Young Master has come to the right place! Several interesting things have happened in the city recently, and people are talking about them in every street and alley."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"The first thing: outside the city, there is a mountain called Qingyun Mountain. At the foot of the mountain, someone built a tomb for an ant. The tombstone is engraved with something like 'Lord Ant Immortal', and there's even someone observing mourning for it!"

Lin Yan's mouth twitched slightly.

"I know about that one. What else?"

"The second thing is about Qingyun Mountain itself, though rogue cultivators now call it 'Kneeling Mountain'. That's because anyone who goes up the mountain has to kneel halfway up for a whole day!"

"Rumor has it that a senior expert on the mountain set this rule. Whoever comes must kneel, regardless of whether they are at the Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment realm."

"Kneeling Mountain?" Lin Yan raised an eyebrow. "That name is quite fitting."

He picked up his wine cup, hiding the smile playing at the corners of his lips.

So the reputation had already spread this far. No wonder no one had gone up the mountain these past few days.

They were all scared.

"And there is a third thing," Lian'er lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard. "It is also the biggest matter, an incident at the City Lord's Estate."

"The City Lord's Estate?"

"Young Master doesn't know? You must have heard of the City Lord of Qingyun City, Ye Boyong, right?"

"I've heard a little."

"It's about the City Lord. A few days ago, I heard that the City Lord's wife was caught red-handed having an illicit affair with a servant."

"In a fit of rage, the City Lord killed his wife, crippled his son's cultivation, and then took his own life."

Lian'er sighed, her tone carrying a hint of lament.

"That Young Master Ye is only nine years old. He used to be a famous genius in Qingyun City. I heard he had some special physique and was evaluated by a big shot from the capital as 'promising to reach the Nascent Soul realm'. Now that his cultivation is crippled, who knows if he's dead or alive..."

Lin Yan didn't speak. He just picked up his wine cup and took a slow sip.

He naturally knew the truth of the matter, but there was no need to say much to a brothel girl.

The two chatted and drank, and the atmosphere gradually became harmonious.

"Young Master, Lian'er has some talents. Would you like to appreciate them?"

"What kind of talents do you have?"

Lian'er's eyes curved into crescents as she looked at Lin Yan with a bright smile, her voice carrying a trace of seductive huskiness.

"I know how to play the flute, and I play it exceptionally well. Would Young Master like to hear?"

"Oh?" Lin Yan smiled.

"Then I really must hear just how well you play your flute."