Chương 88: Miss Qing Zhu

Nighttime, Lingjiang Commandery City. Leaving Xiong Ba in the room, Song Que disguised himself thoroughly and slipped out. This time, his target was clear: the premier entertainment district in Lingjiang Commandery, Jinli Street! The last time he came to the Commandery Capital, he was unfamiliar with the place and had business to attend to, so he couldn't wander around. He only found a few casinos near the inn to play a few hands. Having investigated thoroughly this time, how could he miss out on such a hotspot?!

Stepping onto Jinli Street, Song Que couldn't help but sigh in admiration. The bluestone-paved street was wide enough for eight horse-drawn carriages to run side by side! The long street was lined with tightly packed shops and multi-story restaurants, every single one adorned with hanging lanterns. Brilliant lights illuminated the area, and the crowds were as thick as weaving shuttles. Wealthy young ladies, accompanied by their maids, strolled the street in high spirits.

Scholars in the nearby restaurants loudly recited poetry and posed couplets. Peddlers selling candied hawthorns and snacks weaved through the crowd. It was incredibly bustling! It was an absolute, perfect night market! It wasn't much different from the ones he frequented in his past life, yet it possessed a unique and novel charm. Brothels, casinos, restaurants, fighting arenas, beast-baiting pits... anything that offered stimulation, this place had it all!

Furthermore, based on Song Que's observation, every shop and building had at least two guards standing outside. Their bodies radiated vibrant blood and Qi; they were clearly all martial artists! Among them, nearly ten people triggered Song Que's warning senses! The aura they exuded made him feel threatened—at least Fourth-Grade martial artists! This shocked Song Que. Just the guards in this tiny corner of the Commandery Capital would be enough to sweep through the entirety of Qinghe County!

It just went to show how deep the waters were in the Commandery Capital! Expending the strength of nine bulls and two tigers to finally escape the aggressive solicitation of the brothel women, Song Que found a casino, glanced at the signboard, and casually strolled in. On this street alone, there were four brothels and no fewer than six casinos! Tonight, he could gamble to his heart's content!... Busy until nearly dawn, Grandee Song finally returned to his room satisfied to catch up on sleep.

In just this one night, he had raked in nearly 5, 000 taels from the various casinos! For the next four days, having nothing else to do, Song Que took Xiong Ba everywhere to stroll around and taste the local delicacies during the day. At night, he disguised himself and visited gambling tables all over the city. Every day, he pocketed at least a thousand taels, sometimes three or four thousand! It was truly faster than robbery! However, this couldn't go on long-term.

He could already sense the gangs backing the casinos beginning to investigate. Furthermore, his tall and robust physique was easy to spot. Even with a disguise, it wasn't 100% safe. Therefore, he decisively cashed out. With over 15, 000 taels of silver, he had enough to spend for quite a while! Silver in the pocket is the courage of a man! This saying was absolutely true! With money, Song Que's confidence was overflowing.

Thus, today he went to the Sea of Clouds Pavilion to commission them to purchase medicinal herbs.

"I wish to purchase a large quantity of medicinal herbs and tonics. Does the Sea of Clouds Pavilion currently have stock?" Entering the Sea of Clouds Pavilion, Song Que found the front desk and stated his request to the female receptionist.

"I wonder how much the guest requires?"

"Around 10, 000 taels worth. I'll take as much as you have." Hearing such a massive order, the female receptionist stammered:"Guest, I... I cannot make a decision on an order of this magnitude. Let me go invite a manager."

"Oh, then I will trouble you, Miss." The receptionist led him to a waiting table, poured him water, and hurried inside. Before long, she returned leading a young woman. Seeing the familiar face, Song Que smiled and greeted her: Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"Miss Qing Zhu, we meet again." Seeing that the person ordering a massive amount of herbs was actually Song Que, Qing Zhu was quite surprised. But having honed her composure over the years, she quickly concealed it and smiled in return:"So it is Young Master Song! Why did you travel all the way here to order herbs? If you needed them, you could have just informed Chief Manager Yun Shan, and we would have prepared them for you immediately."

"Haha, I already troubled Senior Yun previously. Since I was taking a stroll through Lingjiang City today, I thought I'd conveniently place the order myself."

"I see." At this point, the female receptionist beside them, seeing that the two knew each other, tactfully excused herself.

"Sister Qing Zhu, if there's nothing else, I will take my leave."

"Mm, you did well." Smiling and nodding to encourage her, Qing Zhu turned to Song Que and gestured:"Young Master Song, please follow me. If our Pavilion Master knew you were here, she would likely be very pleased to converse with you." Little did she know that Grandee Song's current wariness toward women—especially beautiful women—was incredibly deep! An ultimate beauty like Yun Xi was absolutely a top-tier hazard!

Even ignoring whether anything would actually happen between them, he couldn't guarantee that if he constantly interacted closely with women, he wouldn't end up having a wet dream at night! He didn't know if that counted as breaking his 'virgin boy kung fu'! It was best to strangle the danger in its crib! He hurriedly refused:"There's no need for a meeting. I am simply here to buy some herbs. Once I've purchased them, I will leave. There's no need to trouble Pavilion Master Yun."

Hearing his refusal, Qing Zhu, who was leading the way, stopped in her tracks, stunned. Thinking of her Young Miss—whose reputation, talent, and beauty were top-tier throughout the entire Yangnan Circuit! Countless young talents lined up just trying to find a way to get close to the beauty! This was the first time she had seen a man refuse a meeting with her Young Miss so bluntly! Is he playing hard to get? But that doesn't make sense! What's the point of playing hard to get with a maid like me?

Thinking this, Qing Zhu grew even more intrigued. A radiant smile bloomed on her face:"It is no trouble at all! Since your last meeting, my Young Miss has retained a deep impression of you, Young Master! She very much wishes to meet you again. You can discuss the business transaction directly with her as well."

"There's no need. I have matters to attend to shortly and wouldn't want to intrude upon Pavilion Master Yun. Miss Qing Zhu, could you please just help me see if you can gather the herbs?" Seeing him shake his head like a rattle-drum, Qing Zhu found it amusing. Her eyes darted around, and she formulated a countermeasure. Putting on a conflicted and hesitant expression, she said:"But a transaction of 10, 000 taels is not a small amount. Only the Young Miss can make a decision on this.

It would be best for Young Master Song to come with me to see her."

"No need, if 10, 000 is impossible, just helping me gather 5, 000 taels worth is fine."

"Young Master Song, it's not an issue of the quantity of goods. If the Young Miss knows you came here and I didn't bring you to see her, she will be angry and punish me! Young Master, you wouldn't want to see Qing Zhu punished, would you?" Watching her put on a pitiful, delicate expression, Song Que was utterly speechless. What does this woman want?! First she says she can't authorize a large amount. Now I'm ordering a smaller amount, and she says it's not about the quantity!

Why is she so determined to make me meet that woman Yun Xi?! Could it be a trap?! Is someone scheming against my pure, innocent body?! Thinking of his handsome face and robust physique, Song Que felt this theory was highly credible! His guard immediately went up, and he wanted to bolt! There are plenty of pharmacies in the city anyway; I can just take my time and gather it shop by shop!

"I would very much like to converse with Pavilion Master Yun, but I have pressing matters today. If this transaction is difficult, then I shall take my leave first and return another time to discuss it. Miss Qing Zhu, just report the truth; I'm sure your Young Miss won't blame you." This kid actually wants to run?! Is my Young Miss a man-eating prehistoric beast?! Is she that terrifying?! Qing Zhu's curiosity deepened even further.

She hurriedly grabbed his arm:"It won't take much time, Young Master Song, why are you in such a hurry? Why do you keep trying to avoid my Young Miss? Are you afraid of her?"

"Afraid of her? Ridiculous! I don't owe anyone anything, nor have I done anything underhanded; why would I avoid her? It's just that there's an emergency at home, and I need to return immediately!" Song Que calmly tried to pull his arm back, but the girl's grip only tightened! The skin-to-skin contact caused his body to begin reacting strangely! He hurriedly used the Tesseract's electrical current to suppress it! This damn woman!

Ever since he started cultivating the Glass Immaculate Body, he felt like he was constantly high on powerful aphrodisiacs, ready to explode at any moment! If you were slightly ugly, I could control my heart! But you're this pretty, and you're holding my arm and acting cute?! Do you know this could cause a fatality?! Song Que cursed inwardly while repeatedly chanting'Pink flesh over a dry skeleton, pink flesh over a dry skeleton... the thing in front of me is just a medical skeleton model...' in his mind!

"I wonder what urgent matter the Young Master has at home?"

"Didn't I come to buy herbs? Someone at home is critically ill; I cannot delay! Miss Qing Zhu, I really must go! Let us part ways for now!" Hearing Song Que's clumsy excuse, Qing Zhu smiled smugly, her hands gripping even tighter, refusing to let go:"The Young Master is lying to me! How can tonics cure a critical illness? Besides, the Sea of Clouds Pavilion has doctors! Would you like me to send someone to help examine the patient, Young Master?"

Seeing this girl acting like she had him completely figured out, Song Que felt a toothache coming on. He wanted to forcefully pull away but was afraid of hurting her. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and concede defeat. Whatever. With the Tesseract, whichever part of my body tries to rebel, I'll just zap it with electricity! I'm sure no moth will fly into the flame! It's just a meeting and a chat; what's the worst that could happen?

"Alright, alright! Miss Qing Zhu, please let go first! I'll go with you to see your Young Miss, alright?!"

"Hehe! Young Master Song, a word spoken cannot be taken back! If you try to run, I will scream that you are assaulting me! You better watch out then!" Song Que's mouth twitched. How come I didn't realize this girl was so mischievous last time?! Utterly defeated, he could only resign himself to his fate and follow her up to the 7th floor.