Chapter Twelve: The Pale Demon

Chen Hao accepted the five copper coins handed to him by the two men, snorted coldly, and said, "If I hadn't been so angered by you two blockheads, why would I have rewarded you with copper coins? Never mind! If word got out that I gave you copper coins, I'd lose all face. I'll just take them back! Remember to be more attentive in the future—there will be no shortage of benefits for you from me."

"Of course, of course, we'll do our best from now on," the two hired thugs replied, nodding and bowing obsequiously.

Chen Hao stepped through the main doors of Spring Fragrance House. His success at bluffing the two men gave him a sudden realization: many things, if approached with confidence, could change from impossible to possible. Had it not been for his ten years of memories, he would never have dared approach the two burly guards. Even though, in the game, dying to two thugs didn't cost much, his lack of confidence would always have led him to find another way into the brothel—perhaps by first changing into fancy clothes, which would have been far less risky, but also a waste of time and money. This first taste of confidence and bold action leading to success would be of great benefit to his growth; the next time he faced a similar situation, he likely wouldn't even hesitate before stepping forward. Little by little, such experiences would reshape his deeply ingrained nature, laying the foundation for future success.

Inside Spring Fragrance House, the air was alive with noise and laughter, courtesans flitting up and down the stairs, guests indulging themselves without restraint. Chen Hao made his way to the base of the stairs and found an NPC procuress. "Is Zhang Yuanyuan receiving guests today? If not, please call her down for me."

The procuress glanced at Chen Hao sideways, replying impatiently, "Miss Zhang is our most sought-after girl here. If you want to see her, you must first pay a ten silver coin powder fee."

Chen Hao only had seventeen copper coins on him—where was he supposed to get ten silver coins? Even if he had them, he’d hardly squander them on pleasure! The main hall was full of guests, many of whom were men of status and influence in Penglai County. He couldn't deal with the procuress as he had with the two hired thugs. Having made it into Spring Fragrance House, was he really going to leave with his tail between his legs?

As Chen Hao was wrestling with his dilemma, he caught sight of another player in the crowd, easily identified by his novice clothing. This player had fair skin, a face brimming with smiles, and shrewd eyes scanning the crowd. Soon, he approached a young gentleman holding a folding fan.

"Ah! Such a distinguished and handsome young master—this must be your first time at our Spring Fragrance House? Our resident beauty, Miss Zhao Wenyi, has skin as soft and fair as cream, and she’s a master of eighteen arts. Would you like me to call her for you?"

The young gentleman flourished his fan, his nose in the air. "Hmph! First time? I practically live here! Zhao Wenyi is average looking, her skills unremarkable—it's not as if I haven’t slept with her before. She’s nothing like what you claim!"

"Impossible!" The fair-skinned player eyed the young gentleman for ten seconds, then exclaimed dramatically, "Sir, I can be certain you have never been to our Spring Fragrance House before. A refined and outstanding young master like yourself—I would surely remember if you had!"

Hearing himself described as a refined and outstanding young master, the young gentleman beamed. He waved his fan again with a flourish. "As if I’d lie to you! I just didn’t happen to see you here before. When did you start working here, anyway?"

"Yesterday."

The young gentleman nodded, "Yesterday I had business elsewhere and didn’t come, so no wonder you haven’t seen me before."

The fair-skinned player clapped his hands in realization. "That explains it! I knew I’d remember someone as dashing and elegant as you. It’s an honor to run errands for you today. Which lady would you like to call for?"

The young gentleman tossed him a silver coin. "You’re quite the amusing lackey. What’s your name?"

"Fair Demon," the fair-skinned player replied, nimbly pocketing the coin and answering with utmost respect.

"Fair Demon, I like your style. Choose a girl for me today—I’ll leave it in your hands," the young gentleman said.

"Right away!"

Fair Demon quickly darted up the stairs and brought down a pretty girl, perhaps eighteen or nineteen. Once the young gentleman and the beauty had paired off, Fair Demon headed for the staircase, muttering under his breath, "That sucker is generous. To keep him coming back, I’ll give him a taste of the good stuff and arrange a real beauty this time!"

Because Chen Hao’s novice clothes were so conspicuous, he’d kept to an unnoticed corner near the stairs. Hearing Fair Demon’s words, he was certain this was another player. As Fair Demon reached the stairs, Chen Hao suddenly stepped forward. "Brother, could you do me a favor?"

Fair Demon was startled by Chen Hao’s sudden appearance, but seeing he was another player, his expression turned sly. "How did you manage to get in here?"

Chen Hao grinned. "A dragon has its path, a snake its wiles—that’s not the point. I have a quest that requires meeting Zhang Yuanyuan. Could you help me call her down, or take me to her?"

Fair Demon rolled his eyes. "What’s in it for me?"

Chen Hao produced ten copper coins and offered them. "If you can get me in to see Zhang Yuanyuan, these ten copper coins are yours as payment."

Fair Demon took out three silver coins from his pouch, blew on them, and said lazily, "In a place like this, people use silver coins—nobody comes in with copper coins. Zhang Yuanyuan is the hottest girl here. Just to get you in to see her, I’d have to spend at least fifty copper coins on trinkets to win her favor. What do you think? Is it worth it for me to help you?"

Seeing the three silver coins in Fair Demon’s hand, Chen Hao was green with envy. He wondered how this guy had managed to work his way into the brothel as a procuress. Three silver coins—that was three hundred copper coins, a fortune in the early days of the game. If he could, Chen Hao wouldn’t mind working as a procuress at Spring Fragrance House for a while himself.

He believed Fair Demon’s words—seeing Zhang Yuanyuan might really cost him fifty copper coins. This put Chen Hao in a bind. Even if he sold his opium pipe, he couldn’t scrape together fifty copper coins. And even if he managed to, what benefit would Fair Demon get? They were strangers; why would he help for nothing?

Fair Demon, seeing Chen Hao’s silence, suddenly smiled. "I’m just teasing you, brother! Wait here—I’ll go upstairs and see about Zhang Yuanyuan. Once I’ve sorted it out, you can follow me up. Calling her down to the main hall would attract too much attention..."

Chen Hao was deeply moved. "Brother, you’re a true hero of our era! I can never thank you enough..."

"Hero? You and your whole family are heroes," Fair Demon interrupted. "Don’t you want to know why I’d help you at a loss?"

Chen Hao was indeed curious, but since Fair Demon was willing to help, he wasn't about to ask and invite conditions. Now that Fair Demon had brought it up, he gave a sheepish smile. "I am a little curious, actually."

Fair Demon held up a finger. "First, I know this brothel is hard to get into. I got in due to a special opportunity, and for you to make it as well, you must be pretty capable. Second, I heard today that someone stole the mission item—the bronze bracelet—from the Butcher’s Knife gang. That quest requires finding Zhang Yuanyuan here at the brothel. I happen to be… working here, so I paid attention to the matter."

"Among the Butcher’s Knife gang, there are people with combat stats over seventeen, yet a single player managed to rob them. That means this player is formidable—worth investing in."

(P.S. Chen Hao is level 2, so his culture attribute should be 22 points. It was written as 20 in the last chapter and has been corrected.)