Nine Star Hegemon Body Art c1-2048
Page 374
“That Immortal Intoxication Pavilion isn’t some brothel of prostitutes. It’s a place to listen to music and cultivate your mind. Furthermore, the background of the Immortal Intoxication Pavilion is very frightening. Even I don’t know the specifics. In any case, my old man severely warned me not to cause any trouble at the Immortal Intoxication Pavilion,” said Mo Nian.
“Listen to music? There are no other items on the program? Then isn’t that a bit boring?” asked Long Chen.
“Hehe, the Immortal Intoxication Pavilion is the place to listen to music. But the Immortal Intoxication Building isn’t. There are a lot of pretty girls who will accompany you.” A wretched expression appeared on Mo Nian’s face. That meaning was evident.
“Now you’ve confused me. Aren’t the Immortal Intoxication Pavilion and the Immortal Intoxication Building the same place?”
“The building refers to the whole building, but the pavilion is the top floor of the building. The difference between the two of them is immense.
“The Immortal Intoxication Pavilion has master musicians whose musical skills are incredibly profound. It’s not just music; it has reached the realm of the Music Dao. Aiya, well, you wouldn’t understand even if I said those things. Let’s talk more about the Immortal Intoxication Building.
“There, you can eat and drink as much as you want, and there will be places where you can get some girls to accompany you. However, it’ll cost a bit more.
“Furthermore, if you want a girl to accompany you, it’s not as simple as paying some money. They have to have a favorable opinion of you, or they won’t accompany you to discuss the Dao while you eat.” Just talking about the Immortal Intoxication Building made Mo Nian’s heart itch.
“How curious. Just which party is the guest?” Long Chen was a bit speechless. It was the girls who decided who they went with?
“Hehe, you just don’t understand. This Immortal Intoxication Building isn’t somewhere just anyone can enter. The first requirement is that you have to reach at least the Bone Forging realm.
“Furthermore, you must have extraordinary talent and outstanding combat abilities. It’s best if you have a specialized skill in some area. That way you’ll have something to say when discussing the Dao with those beauties.
“If your strength is too low and you have no eloquence, even if you went, you’d just have to sit by yourself the entire time, because all of them will ignore you.
“Think about it. If you went in with a group and all of them had beauties accompanying them, but you were just foolishly sitting there by yourself, how difficult would that have to be?
“So, anyone who enters the Immortal Intoxication Building has to have at least some status. Otherwise, they’re people who are spending a great deal of money just to watch. Those people spend money just to get in on the fun,” laughed Mo Nian.
Long Chen now realized that his brothers from the Muxue Mercenary Unit were most likely only going to watch the fun. Just that would raise their status.
After all, mercenaries were considered the lowest rung of society. In truth, they all wished to climb to a higher level.
“Hurry up and change into some more elegant clothes.” Mo Nian randomly threw out a pile of clothes for him to choose from. There were all sorts of colors and designs. They were all made of the best kind of materials.
Mo Nian was different from Long Chen in that he paid particular attention to his clothes. Their builds were similar, so in the end, Long Chen chose some traditional black robes.
“Seriously? You’re going to wear black at night? Are you thinking of committing murder?” asked Mo Nian upon seeing the color Long Chen had chosen.
“I like black. Maybe because it doesn’t get dirty so easily, so it’s more comfortable.” Long Chen ignored Mo Nian’s criticism and put it on.
“You know, you really are suited to wearing black. It looks quite tough. The outside matches the inside,” praised Mo Nian.
Wearing the black robes, Long Chen possessed another kind of charisma. Perhaps it was a kind of mysterious sense of danger. The feeling was hard to describe.
“Tch, are you cursing me for having a black heart?”
In any case, this was Long Chen’s first time wearing such fine material. It was extremely comfortable to wear, and it was also very durable. It wouldn’t easily tear even if someone attacked him.
After changing clothes, the two of them left Mo Gate. The higher-ups didn’t even ask where they were going, simply letting them do whatever they wanted.
The Immortal Intoxication Building was located on the west side of the city. Long Chen and Mo Nian saw that the sun had only just started falling to the west. By the time they walked to the Immortal Intoxication Building, the sky would have darkened and it would coincide with dinnertime.
“Long Chen, once we get to the Immortal Intoxication Pavilion, you should match the kind of eloquence I use. You have to act more refined and elegant. Don’t lose face,” warned Mo Nian.
Long Chen looked at Mo Nian with a somewhat suspicious expression. “How come I feel like you’re a bit nervous? This couldn’t be your first time going, right?”
“What nonsense, how could it be my first time?” raged Mo Nian. But seeing Long Chen’s untrusting expression, his confidence faltered and he admitted, “In truth, I’ve gone over ten times, but… it’s my first time entering the Immortal Intoxication Building.”
“Tch, so those times you went you just watched from a distance?” said Long Chen disdainfully.
“We’re both brothers, so stop exposing me. It’s not like you don’t know about that person. I don’t have the confidence.
“But this time is different! Now I’m a Celestial. Although I didn’t awaken innately, with the energy you gave me, I definitely won’t be any weaker than her!
“So now I don’t need to be afraid of her. I’ll go all-out, using my actions to prove that I, Mo Nian, am… rising!” Mo Nian clenched his fists.
“Eating with female entertainers counts as rising? How amazing.” Long Chen raised his thumb in ‘praise’.
“Are you even my brother? Why do you have to keep undermining me? This is just my first step! My next step will be to…”
“Don’t think about your next step for now. It’s not like you can beat your fiancée yet. Aren’t you afraid she’ll come to give you a beating?” asked Long Chen.
Although Mo Nian had absorbed two Heavenly Dao seeds, he was still in the process of merging with them. He would need some time before being able to use the strength of a Celestial.
“What would I be afraid of? The power is within me and can’t run away. Furthermore, she’s not present for the next few days. If I didn’t take advantage of this opportunity to live freely, hehe, that would be too wasteful! Haha, we’ve arrived!”
Mo Nian suddenly stopped. At some point, the sky had already darkened, and a brightly lit building appeared in front of them.
[1] Sister: Yao Ni Qian. Sounds like , literally Want Your Money.
Brother: Yao Ni Ming. Sounds the same as , literally Want Your Life. This doesn’t exactly mean to take lives, and it’s kind of a hard expression to translate, but in this case, it’s more like that his parents named him to be someone who would take a person’s everything that they ever had in their life. So not just their money, but every single possession they had. Although, their life is also one of their possessions.
Chapter 566 Mysterious Paintings
This towering building soared high into the sky. It was brightly lit, like a lantern in the night. Inside, there was a man-made lake. Lotus flowers were in full bloom on the lakeside, their fragrance pouring over them.
As soon as Long Chen and Mo Nian had arrived, a pretty, green-robed maiden received them.
“Do you two have an appointment?”
“Ninth floor, first rank Heaven table,” said Long Chen. That was what had been written on the invitation card Mu Xue had sent.
“Follow me.”
The maide
n bowed slightly and began to lead Long Chen and Mo Nian. This gave Long Chen an extremely odd feeling.
It seemed they didn’t get much of a differential treatment here. This maiden hadn’t smiled once for them.
Passing by the small lake, a long corridor appeared in front of them. The ceiling of the corridor had been painted over, depicting all kinds of women. They were all playing musical instruments such as the zither or flute. Their bearings were all different, but they were vivid and lifelike.
This one corridor was very long, stretching several miles. There were thousands of paintings on the ceiling, and each one depicted a different woman.
“Oh?”
Long Chen suddenly paused, looking at one particular painting. That painting depicted a woman standing proudly high in the clouds, her jade hands playing the zither. Her long black hair seemed to flutter, and she seemed just like a fairy.
“What is it, Long Chen?” Mo Nian followed Long Chen’s gaze, but all he saw was an ordinary painting.
“This woman possesses a terrifying killing intent.” Long Chen was staring into the woman’s eyes, slightly bewildered.
“Killing intent? What are you talking about? I don’t see anything. Don’t bother acting profound here. If you want to act, wait until we get inside. There’s no one to see your acting here.” Mo Nian thought Long Chen was doing this intentionally and started to pull him away.
“Wait a moment. I want to look at it a bit longer.”
Long Chen stared deeply into that woman’s eyes. He could sense an extremely profound killing intent that was exceptionally icy.
On the outside, that woman didn’t seem to have an expression. She seemed calm, looking like she was just playing the zither normally. But Long Chen could sense her intense killing intent. He vainly tried to see something more.
Even after a long time, he was unable to sense anything else other than killing intent. It seemed as if it was just an ordinary painting.
“Let’s go. Don’t make everyone wait.” Mo Nian pulled on Long Chen, forcibly pulling him away.
The two of them didn’t notice that when Long Chen said there was strong killing intent in the painting, the green-robed maiden leading them had shaken ever so slightly, an expression of disbelief flashing over her eyes. However, her back was facing them, so they didn’t notice.
“Just walk up nine flights and you’ll be there.” When they reached the end of the corridor, the maiden waved her hand, her meaning that the two of them could walk on their own. Then she left.
Long Chen and Mo Nian looked at each other. This Immortal Intoxication Building’s treatment of its guests was truly lacking. They only led them halfway to their seats before leaving?
They supposed that they were truly gaining experience of the world today. The two of them reached the first floor of the main building and saw that there wasn’t a single person.
On the second floor, there was also no one. On the third floor, it was still incredibly quiet, not a single person present. Long Chen laughed. “This is definitely on the same level as your Cloudless Sky.”
“Fool, if you don’t know anything, then don’t speak. These three floors don’t have guests because there aren’t any girls to accompany you. Furthermore, the price is not discounted at all. Who would come here to eat?
“The cheapest table here costs over ten thousand spirit stones. And that’s just these three lowest floors. For the fourth to sixth floors, the cheapest table costs fifty thousand spirit stones.
“As for the ninth floor, it costs at least several hundred thousand spirit stones. The first rank Heaven table Mu Xue has ordered is the most expensive table on that floor, and it probably costs several million spirit stones!” said Mo Nian.
“What?! How is it that expensive? Then I think I’ll just not go. Tell Mu Xue to give me the money she would save from not having me eat. My heart won’t be able to bear the cost,” joked Long Chen.
“Tch, isn’t it just a few million spirit stones? It’s not like I need her to pay the bill. Brother will treat you.” Mo Nian patted himself on the chest, his meaning that his chest was bulging and that his purse was also bulging.
Long Chen had only been joking anyway. After killing Luo Zhongsheng, the Xiantian experts, and robbing the Ironblood Mercenary Unit, Long Chen was certain Mu Xue was definitely a wealthy woman now.
On the fourth floor, guests started to appear. Over half this large floor was occupied.
Long Chen swept his gaze over it and noticed an extremely odd thing. He saw an empty space beside almost every one of these guests.
He then suddenly realized that those should be prepared for the Immortal Intoxication Building’s ladies. Sweeping his gaze over the floor, he found a few ladies sitting in those spots, chatting with whom they sat beside. However, the thing that amazed him was that those men didn’t seem at all excited. In fact, they seemed to be sitting on pins and needles, and some were even sweating.
Long Chen couldn’t help laughing. Just what kind of game was this? You had to pay money to torment yourself? His laughter immediately drew everyone’s furious glares.
The majority of the people here had no one to accompany them. They thought Long Chen’s laughter was a jeer at them, so naturally they became furious. However, none of them said anything.
“Sorry, sorry, please continue.” Long Chen hastily apologized and rushed onto the next floor.
On the fifth floor, there were slightly more people, and there were also more ladies. However, compared to the number of guests, they were still very few.
As for the guests with no one beside them, they were quietly enjoying the fine wine. Just looking at that made Long Chen want to laugh. If the ladies didn’t want you, then even if you waited until the sky brightened again, would it have any use? They had essentially paid money just to be ignored. That really was an incredibly high realm of stupidity.
Continuing higher, Long Chen noticed that the people on the higher floors had higher cultivation bases. By the time they reached the eighth floor, he noticed several late Meridian Opening experts.
Furthermore, those people were all young and had definitely not surpassed twenty-five years of age. There were also many more ladies here.
However, the people those ladies sat next to were all rigid and solemn. Let alone getting a touch, they didn’t even dare to look at them.
Once they arrived on the ninth floor, they immediately saw Mu Xue waving to them in the distance.
“Haha, leader Mu Xue, it’s been a while,” called out Long Chen.
However, this caused countless disdainful gazes to fall on him. But when those people saw Mo Nian by his side, they were shocked, obviously recognizing him.
“Long Chen, you can’t shout in here.” Mu Xue quickly ran over and whispered.
“But I didn’t shout? It was just an ordinary greeting.” Long Chen felt a bit wronged.
“That’s also not good enough. When you talk here, you have to do it quietly.” Mu Xue brought them over to her table. Every member of the Muxue Mercenary Unit was already waiting for them.
When Long Chen and Mo Nian passed by a table, one of the people there glared at Long Chen and sneered, “Where did this fool who doesn’t know the rules come from? Uncouth to the peak.”
Long Chen was completely infuriated. Today, he had repeatedly run into these garbage rules. Since when did eating a meal require so many rules?! He coldly snorted towards this person’s provocation. “Where did such a dog-like person come from? Do people think that if a country bumpkin changes its shell, it wouldn’t be a bastard[1]? After waiting for so long, you see no one bothers with you, so you take your anger out on others? If I were such a person, I would have long since thrown my head into that bowl of soup and drowned myself.”
“You…!” That person stood up in fury.
Long Chen didn’t give that person a second glance and continued forward. Mo Nian couldn’t help smiling bitterly. Long Chen’s temper had immediately offended the majority of
people here. That was because most people didn’t have anyone accompanying them.
Anyone who could come here possessed an illustrious status and strength. They all had their own honor, and Long Chen’s words were a slap in the face.
However, Long Chen hadn’t named anyone, so they couldn’t say anything. Otherwise, that would be saying they were the kind of person Long Chen had cursed, and that would be even more embarrassing.
Their first rank Heaven table was semi-private. Several beautiful screens veiled them from the rest of the room. That made it appear even more prominent and dignified.
Furthermore, this table was next to the window, and it was possible to look over Qingzhou City’s nightscape. From behind the screens, as long as you didn’t shout, you wouldn’t affect anyone else in the room.
“Long Chen, hehe, we finally meet again!” Zhang Wu looked at Long Chen with excitement.
When Long Chen had blocked a Xiantian weapon’s full strength attack, that shocking majesty had made him appear like a god, and it had completely shaken all of them. These men now thought of Long Chen as a hero, so they were incomparably excited upon seeing him arrive.
“It’s been a while, brothers.” Long Chen cupped his fists towards them. Long Chen also very much liked this group of straightforward men.
However, he complained, “Leader Mu Xue, why did you have to choose this kind of place to invite me to a meal? It’s so irritating.”
Long Chen would rather set up a few tables outside the city. Then they could eat and drink to their hearts’ content, letting out their emotions as much as they wanted. That would be truly satisfying. Sitting here with a bunch of idiots, he didn’t even have an appetite.
“Long Chen, be happy. This place is Qingzhou City’s peak location. There are so many people who want to come, but they can’t. Don’t complain,” said Mo Nian disdainfully.
“We didn’t just come here because of you, Long Chen. Everyone just wanted to experience another aspect of the world. Right now, our Muxue Mercenary Unit is rising within the mercenary world. We came here to make our name resound even louder. I spent eight million spirit stones for this spot. That kind of financial power is something only we have in the mercenary world. This will be good for getting new recruits.” Mu Xue smiled.