Taking Liu Xiaolou’s suggestion to visit a brothel, Liu Daoran couldn’t help but feel a little down. He said, “I already have a wife at home. I really can’t just go messing around.”
Liu Xiaolou brushed it off. “Is your wife that fierce? So what if you can’t handle her? Even if you go, how would she ever find out?”
Liu Daoran let out a sigh. “Xiaolou, you’ve probably never been married. It’s not about being afraid of her. It’s just trouble, nothing but trouble. She gets very jealous, and if she ever found out, even if she didn’t blow up at me, she’d make life difficult for me every single day. That kind of endless nagging and petty torment, I couldn’t stand it. Gives me a headache just thinking about it.”
“Brother Daoran,” Liu Xiaolou said. “I know an authentic Yin-Yang Harmonization technique. It cures all kinds of disobedience. If you’re interested, we could make an exchange. Once you’ve learned my family’s secret Yin-Yang technique, I guarantee your wife won’t give you nearly as much trouble.”
Liu Daoran didn’t quite catch what he was getting at, and replied, “My wife is the stiff, old-fashioned type. If I really learned some so-called Yin-Yang technique, she’d nag me to death as soon as I got home.”
Since the man clearly wasn’t interested in his secret technique, that was a problem. Liu Xiaolou began thinking: maybe he should take a trip to Yueyang Market, bring Sister Qing over, and have her give Liu Daoran a lesson. From his own experience, most people who scoff at the art of dual-cultivation are simply those who’ve never tried it. Once they experience it for themselves, they almost always change their minds and come to take this path of cultivation seriously.
But Yueyang Market was eight hundred li away. It would take at least five or six days for a round trip, and there was no telling if Tang Song would even grant leave.
Once the thought crossed his mind, Liu Xiaolou went straight to Tang Song to ask for time off. “Master Tang, I’ve been away from home for two months now and miss my wife dearly. I was wondering if I could take a few days’ leave to go visit her?”
Tang Song rejected him on the spot. “You’re talking about going back to Shenwu Mountain? That’s six hundred li away. You’d spend days going and coming back, and for what? A wasted effort. You can see how things are right now. Everyone’s busy rushing to make formation disks. If I approve your leave today, tomorrow everyone will be lining up to ask. What am I supposed to do then? Half a day, maybe a day, that I can allow. Any more than that, no.”
A single day would do. Liu Xiaolou headed back to the halfway terrace, grabbed Liu Daoran by the arm, and pulled him downhill. “Come on. I got Master Tang’s permission for one day off. Let’s go down the mountain and check out the courtesan house!”
Liu Daoran protested with his mouth, “This really isn’t proper. I already said I won’t be going to a brothel…” But his steps grew lighter, and Liu Xiaolou easily tugged him along.
When they reached the mountain gate, they found several stewards from the Zhao clan on duty. Liu Xiaolou immediately stepped forward to ask, “Gentlemen, may I ask if there’s a market nearby?”
The stewards clasped their hands in salute. “Are the two formation masters heading to the market for supplies?”
“Fifteen li to the northwest lies Taiping Lake. Our Jinting Sect runs the Taiping Lake market there.”
“It’s just a bit small, so I can’t say for sure if it’ll have what you need.”
Liu Xiaolou asked with interest, “Do they have a courtesan house? You know, a brothel. Do they?”
The stewards all broke into smiles, and one of them replied, “There’s a place called Phoenix Perch.”
“Is it good?” Liu Xiaolou quickly pressed. “How are the girls? Any who’ve trained in cultivation?”
When the stewards all shook their heads, he chased another question. “What about trained martial women, any female fighters?”
The stewards answered, “We wouldn’t know. If the two formation masters go and ask, you’ll find out.”
So Liu Xiaolou thanked them, then tugged Liu Daoran along. “Brother Daoran, come on… what are you covering your face for? Brother Daoran?”
Liu Daoran’s face was burning red. “Don’t call me by name!”
Liu Xiaolou was baffled. “What’s wrong, Brother Daoran?”
As they reached the foot of the mountain, Liu Daoran let out a heavy sigh. “If word of this ever got out, how could I face my wife?”
Liu Xiaolou was speechless. “What’s the big deal? Wine, women, a little romance.... it’s all part of a refined life. If people knew, they’d only envy you.”
Liu Daoran firmly refused. “No. This must never get out!”
Liu Xiaolou nodded over and over. “Alright, alright, I promise. I won’t breathe a word.”
Even so, Liu Daoran still hesitated. “But those Zhao stewards already know… Forget it. On the way back I’ll just tell them we didn’t find any girls to our liking… No, that sounds too deliberate… Maybe I’ll just pick up something at the market and bring it back for them…”
While he worked through his own excuses, Liu Xiaolou made the most of the time, pulling him along toward Taiping Lake. After asking directions once more on the road, they soon arrived at the Jinting Sect’s little market.
It really was small. Less than even Yueyang Market, let alone Tianmen Mountain’s grand one. Clearly, Jinting Sect hadn’t put much effort into it. Still, the essentials were there: a dozen or so shops, a gambling hall, and a courtesan house, this one called “Phoenix Perch.”
The building couldn’t compare with Green Serenity Courtyard, not by a long shot. The madam who came out to greet guests didn’t have half the charm of Sister Qing either, though she was a shade better than old Mama Zhang of Red Jade Courtyard. But Liu Xiaolou wasn’t here for himself. His purpose was Liu Daoran. So he asked the madam, “Do you have any girls here who’ve trained in cultivation?”
The madam clicked her tongue. “Good heavens! In all the thousand li around Jinting Mountain, I’ve never once heard of a female cultivator doing this kind of work. Truth be told, girls are all the same. And even if there really were a lady cultivator, what would she be able to offer that’s so different?” She leaned closer, covering her mouth as she whispered in his ear, “Young master, no offense, but between us, a real female cultivator might not be so good at all.”
Liu Xiaolou was surprised. “What do you mean by that?”
The madam lowered her voice and spoke with a touch of disdain. “If she were truly a female cultivator, she might look like she’s twenty, but who knows if she’s actually some old demoness who’s been cultivating for decades, even centuries? Here at Phoenix Perch, every one of our girls is eighteen!”
Now, Liu Xiaolou couldn’t exactly call himself a regular at courtesan houses, but he had spent time at Green Serenity before. He wasn’t about to be fooled by the madam’s slick talk. “Fine, but do you have any who’ve actually trained in martial or mystical arts? Even if they’ve only opened a single meridian, or not all of them.... just a few acupoints at least?”
The madam clearly knew a bit, and she covered her mouth with her handkerchief as she laughed. “Of course we do! Not just a few acupoints; some have a dozen, even dozens. Whatever acupoints you'd like opened, dear patron, just say the word. We absolutely deliver!”
Liu Xiaolou called out at once, “Then hurry and make arrangements! Brother Daoran…”
Liu Daoran covered his face. “Don’t call me by name!”
Liu Xiaolou quickly corrected himself. “Brother, let’s just go in. What are you staring around for?”
Liu Daoran was looking at the nearby shops. “Mm, little brother, look over there. They’re selling spirit materials… that old shop with the ‘Spring’ sign. I wonder if they have anything good. Should we take a look?”
Liu Xiaolou tugged him straight into Phoenix Perch. “That’s an aphrodisiac shop; we don’t need it. Come on, inside first!”
Before long, dishes and wine were set out in a private room, and sure enough, the madam sent in two girls to keep them company. Their looks were decent, not stunning, but when Liu Xiaolou tested them he found they really had trained a bit. Each had opened a few acupoints. Their skills weren’t deep, but knowing the meridians and acupoints was plenty. He immediately had them sit down and pour wine.
After several rounds of drinks and numerous dishes, Liu Xiaolou began steering Liu Daoran toward the private chambers in the back. His plan was to first introduce him to the pleasures of the flesh, then seize the opportunity to use dual cultivation techniques to entice him, all in an effort to find a way to exchange for his Heaven’s Origin, Beginning to End Method.