119. Red Flower Pavilion (2)
Red Flower Pavilion (2)
119. Red Flower Pavilion (2)
Beijing itself was supposed to be a high-class city, but the truly dazzling, majestic pleasure house made us Yeongsan Sect disciples look like complete country folk.
"Reverend, have you ever been to Beijing?"
"No. This is my first time."
"Reverend. In a pleasure house, no one uses polite speech toward a courtesan. Please, treat me comfortably."
"Fine. But let me ask you one thing. Are you genuinely a courtesan? You don't look like one at all."
"If the Red Flower Pavilion Mistress is not a courtesan, then who could be called one? It's simply that this is my first time personally attending to a guest, so I've never been touched by a man. You must have sensed that."
"Huh? Your first time? Then you were a virgin?"
"I have already broken my own hymen. Even if a courtesan does not serve guests, she must not neglect her training. I have been touched a little, by women's hands. So I'm somewhat uncertain whether this body can be called virgin."
I understood. That explained why I hadn't sensed any sexual allure from her even with that gorgeous face.
"Reverend, you seem to possess a bold heart. Everyone who visits Red Flower Pavilion for the first time in Beijing is astonished. Yet you appear quite unimpressed."
Sure, it was an impressive building, but how could it compare to a twenty-first-century high-rise? A neighborhood where even hundred-story buildings were just there, taken for granted?
"I am quite astonished. Still, it'll be hard for you, moving to Yeongsan. Just the construction costs for this pleasure house alone must be absurd, and unlike Beijing, Yeongsan will have trouble finding guests."
"For now, yes. The moving and construction costs are regrettable, but that's the price of failure. We are members of the martial world, but not a combat organization. This is the price of my mistake in choosing whom we should seek protection from. And even if business is difficult at first, Yeongsan will soon become an entirely different place. The White Tiger Sect struck Jeokseong Association and advanced into the Seongsan region, did it not? And Yeongsan Sect acquired Seungdeok Manor. A vast commercial route from Yeongsan to Seungdeok will open. When that time comes, Yeongsan, still unclaimed territory with no established master, will be far more attractive than already-developed Beijing."
As expected of the clever Mistress. No, I was the blockhead for not realizing it sooner.
"And though Beijing has a large transient population, Red Flower Pavilion must ultimately compete with countless other pleasure houses. There are also guests who shy away from Red Flower Pavilion due to whispered rumors of us being an unorthodox sect. But in Yeongsan, there are no rival pleasure houses, and the taxes paid to the government office will be drastically reduced. Of course, even accounting for that, we'll have to scale down from our current size. But our Red Flower Pavilion members, composed of cooks and courtesans, will be well-positioned to step into the White Tiger Sect and Seungdeok Manor's enterprises."
That was right. Ban Ho-jeong was planning to build ten new taverns. Taverns provided discreet prostitution services, and cooks were welcomed with open arms because they were known for high-quality cuisine. This was a good arrangement for all three parties—the White Tiger Sect, Seungdeok Manor, and Red Flower Pavilion. The very survival of the pleasure house was at stake. The Mistress had truly carefully selected the most advantageous path for their survival.
Ban Ho-jeong and Peng Gang. And perhaps the Red Flower Pavilion Mistress. With clever people like these under our command, I wasn't sure whether Yeongsan Sect would be all right.
"Now then, which floor do you wish to visit?"
The Red Flower Pavilion Mistress looked at us and asked at the pleasure house entrance.
"No one wants the fourth floor, right? Shall we go to the third floor?"
"Yes. I shall escort you."
The Mistress smiled radiantly at Master's words and guided us. At that moment, Lee Eun-ha stepped forward and spoke.
"Just a moment. Mistress."
"Medicine Immortal. You are a woman, but you are unmistakably a guest of this pleasure house. Please, lower your speech."
"We didn't pay to enter. And if I'm a guest, I'd like to choose my own manner of speech."
"I see. My apologies."
Wow. Lee Eun-ha. She didn't lose a single verbal exchange even against the Mistress. Right. Why did we, the guests, have to conform to their rules?
"Since we've come to see Red Flower Pavilion, might we tour not only the third floor but also the kitchen and the courtesans' preparation rooms—all of it?"
"Ah... I see! I hadn't considered that. I'll guide you there first."
As Lee Eun-ha requested, the Mistress led us first to the kitchen. Countless cooks were meticulously preparing top-class dishes and plating them at incredible speed. We, who were normally forbidden from entering the kitchen, simply stared, entranced. But Lee Eun-ha, having entered her own battlefield, carefully scrutinized each dish the many cooks were making.
"What's this? A wine with a unique fragrance?"
"Be careful, Medicine Immortal! That is a special wine made at Red Flower Pavilion. It boasts a remarkable flavor, but I cannot let you taste it."
"Why is that?"
"Because it contains a bewitching drug."
A bewitching drug. A staple substance that appears in porn-adjacent martial arts novels. Be it a Myriad Poison Body or a peak master, for some reason, one sip and you were done. I remembered scoffing at that absurd trope, but astonishingly, the same rule applied in this world as well. Of course, you wouldn't die from twisted qi and blood if you didn't have sex, but it fully functioned as an exceptionally potent stimulant.
I'd once been genuinely curious and asked the Medicine Immortal why internal energy could expel poison but not a bewitching drug. According to her, poison harmed the body, so internal energy circulated instinctively to protect it. A bewitching drug, however, brought pleasure, so internal energy didn't circulate automatically. The drug therefore spread in an instant, and after it spread, the intense desire made deliberate qi circulation difficult.
Simply put, the bewitching drug was not a toxicant from the start. It was best viewed as a psychoactive substance that did not trigger the body's immune system. If internal energy automatically activated against anything harmful as a result, one could not even get drunk from alcohol in the first place.
Lee Eun-ha tilted her head, then poured a little wine and handed it to me.
"Junior Brother should be fine, right? Even if he succumbs to the bewitching drug, he can solve it here."
"That's right."
Come to think of it, seeing how this incredibly dangerous bewitching drug hadn't particularly caused issues, there had to be an extremely simple solution.
Just one round of masturbation, and it was over.
I took the cup and sipped. A truly fragrant aroma rose. And... I didn't get particularly aroused. Was it too little? Lee Eun-ha poured wine again and this time gulped it down herself. The Mistress was startled by the sight.
"Just as my master said. The bewitching drug doesn't work on us. If you've learned Yeongsan Sect's signature internal art, the moment the drug enters, qi circulation begins naturally and absorbs it."
The Yin-Yang Art was an internal art that defied common sense by circulating qi through sexual arousal. That made it a perfect counter to the bewitching drug. Master didn't reveal the art's name, but she took a sip herself with an immensely proud expression, while Cho-ryeong tilted her head and watched us.
"So an internal art capable of overcoming a bewitching drug existed in the world as well. Thank you for broadening my knowledge."
The Mistress spoke quickly while watching Master's serene face. It was the first time I'd seen her flustered.
"Pavilion Mistress, why does a pleasure house need a bewitching drug?"
"The guests who visit us are not all accustomed to women. Sometimes it's easier for them to enjoy themselves lightly by borrowing the drug's power. Our girls also find it easier to serve guests proactively after drinking this wine."
"If Red Flower Pavilion comes to Yeongsan, I will ban the bewitching drug. Didn't you mention it earlier? There are guests who bring women from outside. Someone with dark intentions could lure an unsuspecting woman with cuisine and music, bring her here, and, borrowing the drug's power, rape her by force."
At Master's clear voice, the Mistress flinched. Her poker face crumbled. Judging by her expression, she seemed to have known about it for a while. Indeed. For a pleasure house to seat an outside woman who wasn't a courtesan was a huge loss for the house. Yet the fact that such a service existed meant those things had been quietly happening in the shadows. When the gentle Master pointed this out accurately, the Mistress hurriedly bowed to Master.
"Even if we are not accepted into Yeongsan, from this very moment onward, I shall eliminate the bewitching drug."
"A woman is happy only when held in the arms of a man she loves. But a courtesan, unlike me, must smile a feigned happiness even in the arms of a man who isn't so. For such courtesans, the bewitching drug might be one means. Still, in the end, I believe this drug is an unsavory thing that falsifies human nature. Even if its use is permitted only for courtesans, it will inevitably spread in secret."
"I will engrave it in my heart. Sect Leader."
Lee Eun-ha made one round of the kitchen, then returned to Master and spoke.
"Everything is good except for this wine. They don't neglect cleanliness, and each dish is filled with immense care."
"The cooks are also women who have learned martial arts."
"Courtesanship is a time-bound trade. You can't sell your smile forever. Since we aren't an ordinary pleasure house, retirement is impossible, but we opened a path from courtesan to cook, so women can do work they wish to do while living here."
"That's a fine idea. Mistress."
At Master's bright praise, the Mistress swept her chest in relief. Her expression changed with each word of Master, whom she'd slightly underestimated.
The next place the Mistress guided us to was something like a courtesan training center where young girls around Cho-ryeong's age practiced instruments and songs.
"Mistress!"
Six girls surrounded the Mistress just as Cho-ryeong would approach Master. Stroking the girls' heads, the Mistress smiled kindly.
"Have you all been training diligently?"
"Yes! I practiced the geomungo."
"I sang the Vermilion Phoenix Song."
"I did the Crimson Pearl Art."
"I danced the Water Moon Dance."
The girls eagerly told the Mistress what they'd trained in, hoping to earn her praise.
"You've all worked hard. Today, I intend to give you a great task. The fate of Red Flower Pavilion hangs upon it, so you must do your very best with the resolve to leave this place if you fail."
At the Mistress's words, the girls' eyes suddenly turned as composed as the Mistress's own.
"Though you are still apprentices, you must serve an important guest today. If I were to assign a grade, this guest would be a five-gold special-class guest. You can do it, yes?"
"Yes, Mistress. You mean that old gentleman, right? Since he sought us out, he must be fond of young girls. The virginities of all six of us. We shall offer them to the old gentleman."
The little brats suddenly burned with solemn resolve while looking at me. No, I hadn't said a single word—why were they turning me into a lolicon bastard? I couldn't exactly confront the kids over this absurd talk, so I looked at the Mistress. Master also looked at the Mistress and spoke.
"Mistress. I won't interfere in the lives of courtesans, but aren't they far too young to sell their bodies?"
"Sect Leader. You misunderstand. Absolutely not. These children are merely imitating their seniors. Of course, guests who seek young children do visit occasionally, but if they serve guests at a young age, their bodies and hearts will be ruined. The children are Red Flower Pavilion's greatest asset. Raising a single child costs enormous sums of money. Guests who seek young children are directed to the Fire-Phoenix Pavilion over there."
The Mistress hurriedly defended herself. But suspicion didn't fade from Master's face.
"I intended to speak honestly. Not all of these children become courtesans. Red Flower Pavilion is not an ordinary pleasure house but a martial-world organization that handles information, so there is a great deal for them to learn, including martial arts. Even the quickest among them cannot become a courtesan until the age of eighteen, much later than in other pleasure houses. And when that time comes, they are allowed to choose for themselves. Whether to become someone's wife and marry out, or to remain as a courtesan. They decide on their own."
"Marry?"
"To speak honestly, we select the men and receive a large bride price from them. If we did business with children, no one would take a disciple of Red Flower Pavilion as a wife."
Master's face grew subtle at the Mistress's desperate explanation. Marrying off disciples and receiving a dowry was a system our own Yeongsan Sect had as well. It must not have felt like someone else's affair. Besides, according to the original plan, she'd possessed a mindset that women were only happy when married off—to the point of closing Yeongsan Sect after marrying off all the disciples.
"That's also a good idea. Mistress."
At Master's words, the Mistress swept her chest in relief and spoke to the children.
"Your rash words nearly cost me my neck. A courtesan must be prudent in speech."
"We know. The upper mouth is heavy, the lower mouth is light, right? But, Mistress, I don't have a mouth down there."
When the youngest-looking girl said this with an innocent face, the Mistress now seemed genuinely mortified.
Even if this place was a haven for girls with nowhere to go, it definitely wasn't a good place for a child's upbringing.
"Now, stop saying strange things. The guest you will serve today is this young lady Cho-ryeong here. Though she's around your age, you must remember that she's stronger than I am and a five-gold special-class guest who holds the lifeline of Red Flower Pavilion."
At the Mistress's words, the six children made a deep bow to Cho-ryeong and chorused like orioles.
"Old gentleman. It is an honor to serve you. Please, enjoy the virginities of the six of us without burden."
Cho-ryeong, who'd abruptly become an old gentleman, looked up at Master with an expression that showed she had no idea how she was supposed to enjoy the virginities of girls her own age.
This really seemed bad for our Senior Sister's education. Was it really okay to let her play with them?