Chapter 38: Lin Jiangnian's Two Conditions

Wind-Facing Pavilion!

Judging by the name alone, one could easily tell it was a brothel.

Since ancient times, refined and romantic establishments like brothels always bore poetic, slightly delicate, and meaningful names to cater to the romantic ideals and artistic pursuits deeply hidden within the hearts of scholars and poets.

Names such as Breezy Pavilion, Wind-Facing Pavilion, Fragrant Red Pavilion, Hundred Flowers Courtyard, and so on...

After all, they always convinced themselves that they visited brothels not simply to sleep with women, but to compose poetry, seek spiritual soulmates, and liberate their fettered souls.

Of course, they couldn't *not* sleep with them either!

Since they had already paid the money, they couldn't pay restaurant prices for mere vegetable dishes and play the fool, could they?

Naturally, there were exceptions—fools willing to do just that. Take the Heir of Prince Lin, for instance!

Back when the Breeze Pavilion was still standing, rumors abounded that the Heir of Prince Lin had spent a massive fortune to win the first night of Chen Yingying, the premier courtesan.

Word had it that the brothel's madam had initially expected around two thousand silver taels at most, but the Heir of Prince Lin had grandly tossed out tens of thousands of silver taels directly to secure Chen Yingying.

He had severely disrupted the market rate!

Inflating the... well, you know!

As for whether anything had actually transpired between the Heir of Prince Lin and Chen Yingying, or if that single night had truly been worth tens of thousands of silver taels, there was no way of knowing.

After all, Chen Yingying was already dead!

The entire Breeze Pavilion had been raided and confiscated, with no one spared. And that astronomical sum of tens of thousands of silver taels had ultimately found its way back into the pockets of the Heir of Prince Lin.

Consequently, many ordinary folk whispered among themselves: could this have been a premeditated scheme masterminded by the Heir of Prince Lin all along?

That scoundrel of an heir had wanted to sleep with the top courtesan, yet refused to part with his money.

So, he orchestrated a raid on the Breeze Pavilion under the pretext of apprehending assassins, thereby reclaiming every single coin he had spent?

...

Inside the Wind-Facing Pavilion.

A private pavilion room on the third floor.

Lin Jiangnian looked around with amused interest, finally letting his gaze fall upon the person opposite him—a 'young gentleman' dressed in men's attire.

Xu Lan!

Today, Xu Lan's style of dress remained unchanged from usual. Beneath her bound hair lay a delicate and pretty face, paired with a gender-neutral long robe and a completely flat chest. At a casual glance, one truly could not tell she was a woman.

Anyone else seeing her would probably sigh and wonder why this 'brother' looked somewhat effeminate.

"So, for no good reason, why did you bring me to a brothel?"

Lin Jiangnian tapped his fingers on the tabletop, deep in thought.

Xu Lan glanced at Lin Jiangnian and raised an eyebrow. "Isn't this your absolute favorite place?"

"Not really."

Lin Jiangnian shook his head. "This young master has no interest in these common and vulgar women."

In terms of appearance, the maidservants and attendants of Prince Lin's Mansion were all far more attractive than the women in the Wind-Facing Pavilion; he simply couldn't muster any interest.

"Is that so?"

Xu Lan rested her chin in her hands and narrowed her eyes. "Yet the Heir of Prince Lin used to be utterly obsessed with places like brothels, constantly indulging in wild pleasures and scattering fortunes. He was practically a regular at every single brothel of any size in Linjiang City."

"So, that's why you called me to a place like this today?"

"Of course not entirely..."

Xu Lan cast a sidelong glance at Lin Jiangnian. "A profligate wastrel infatuated with dens of pleasure suddenly stays home to cultivate his character—don't you think there's something suspicious about that?"

Lin Jiangnian recalled that he indeed hadn't stepped out over the past couple of days, entirely consumed by figuring out how to gain entry into the Ruyi Tower. Now, with Xu Lan's reminder, he thought... does this mean in the future he would have to frequent brothels more often just to have heart-to-hearts with the maidens?

"Hmph! Although this young lady hasn't exposed your identity, your maidservant has been suspicious of you the whole time."

Xu Lan emitted a soft huff and continued, "She came to find me that night!"

"Found you?!"

Lin Jiangnian's gaze sharpened. "Which night?"

"That night, of course!"

Xu Lan bit her lower lip slightly and glared at him with resentment.

Seeing her expression, Lin Jiangnian quickly realized—two days ago?

Zhiyuan had gone to find her?

...Was it that little traitor Xiaozhu?

Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes. "What did she want with you?"

Mentioning this, Xu Lan's expression turned slightly unnatural. She turned her head away and gave a cold huff. "She suspected your identity... and asked me if I noticed anything unusual about you!"

"Although she hasn't figured out that you're a fake, she definitely senses something is wrong with you!"

Lin Jiangnian remained silent, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Ever since their very first encounter, Zhiyuan had harbored doubts about Lin Jiangnian's identity, and up until now, those suspicions had never been completely dispelled.

"And how did you answer her?"

Xu Lan glared at him resentfully and retorted, "I told her you were an impostor and urged her to arrest you immediately... Hmph!"

Seeing her indignant expression, Lin Jiangnian could easily tell she was just saying angry words. Indeed, had she truly betrayed him, he wouldn't be sitting here so peacefully right now.

"Aside from that, nothing else?"

"Nothing else!"

Lin Jiangnian glanced at her thoughtfully.

Did Zhiyuan make a special trip just to ask about that?

Hardly likely.

There was probably another reason, right?

However, since Xu Lan didn't mention it, Lin Jiangnian didn't press further.

"So, should I thank you for helping me conceal my identity?" Lin Jiangnian raised his eyes to look at Xu Lan before him.

Just two days ago, Lin Jiangnian had been plotting how to get rid of her; the tension between them had been explosive and perilous.

Yet now, the two of them were sitting together again, and their relationship seemed to have eased considerably.

Hearing Lin Jiangnian's words, Xu Lan was momentarily dazed...

Just two days ago, the fierce glare and threatening aura of this guy trying to kill her were still vivid in her memory, weren't they?

Looking now at Lin Jiangnian's calm, gentle tone and mild demeanor, he was entirely different from the brutal fellow who had choked her neck a couple of days prior!

The stark contrast left her dazed.

For some reason, Xu Lan felt a strange sensation stirring within her.

Her face felt slightly warm, and she instinctively turned her head away, giving a soft huff. "Think nothing of it... Besides, you currently have leverage over me anyway, so we're even. From now on, well water won't interfere with river water, and neither of us will betray the other. How about that?"

"That won't do." Lin Jiangnian shook his head.

Xu Lan's heart sank. She snapped her head back to stare at him, her voice tinged with tension, "Wh-why?"

"Our secrets might be squared away, but..."

Lin Jiangnian pointed at his chest, which still ached faintly. "How are we going to settle the score for those two palm strikes you delivered to me?"

Xu Lan: "..."

Her heart dropped with a sudden sense of relief, but then, recalling something else, her face flushed red and she quickly put on an indignant expression. "You deserved that! Who told you to... who told you to..."

Thinking back to what had happened between the two of them that day, she found herself unable to continue.

In the end, she could only glare at him. "You asked for it!"

"Weren't you the one who threatened me first?"

Lin Jiangnian sneered. "If you hadn't threatened me, would I have resorted to such desperate measures? Do you think I wanted to?"

Xu Lan fell silent.

It seemed... that was indeed the case?

"Then what do you want?"

After a moment of silence, Xu Lan gave a soft huff.

"What do you think?" Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes. "You literally beat me until I vomited blood. How are you going to compensate me?"

He remembered the healing medicine Xu Lan had given him that day. He wondered if she had any left and if he could extort a bit more...

Xu Lan curled her lips, puffed out her chest, and assumed a posture of utter resignation. "Fine, if worst comes to worst, I'll let you hit me with two palm strikes as well!"

Lin Jiangnian cast a sidelong glance downward.

Xu Lan instantly realized what he was looking at. Like someone touching a live wire, she quickly hunched her shoulders, her face turning crimson red as she gritted her teeth and scolded, "Pervert!"

Lin Jiangnian: "?"

She was the one who had puffed out her chest, yet she was calling *him* a pervert?

Was she out of her mind?

Lin Jiangnian glanced at her and sneered, "In your dreams! Do you really think hitting you twice settles it? With your... what if I hurt my hand on you?"

Xu Lan didn't react immediately, but when the implication finally dawned on her, her face flared bright red.

She glared at him furiously. "Pervert, shameless scoundrel... In your dreams!"

"..."

Whether it was his imagination or not, Lin Jiangnian always felt that today's Xu Lan was somewhat different.

She was still the same person as before, yet somehow not quite the same.

It seemed that ever since they had acquired mutual leverage over each other, the dynamic between them had changed.

Previously, Lin Jiangnian had been extremely cautious and guarded when facing her. Now, with his identity exposed, he acted rather casual and uninhibited around her.

As for her... was she the same way?

"Then tell me, what do you want?"

With a flushed face, Xu Lan glared fiercely at him, grumbling discontentedly.

"Two conditions!"

Lin Jiangnian raised two fingers and narrowed his eyes. "First, you injured me, and my injuries haven't fully healed yet, so you are responsible for curing me. Do you still have that healing medicine from last time?"

Xu Lan retrieved a porcelain bottle from inside her robe and tossed it to him. "I only brought two pills today, take them both!"

Lin Jiangnian didn't stand on ceremony. He caught the bottle, shook out a pill, and swallowed it. Soon, a refreshing and clear sensation washed over his chest, and the lingering ache seemed to vanish.

He carefully tucked away the remaining pill, looked at Xu Lan, and stated his second condition.

"I want you to..."

"Teach me martial arts!"