Chapter 240: “Handkerchief” Invites One to a Spring Night

At the entrance, two lightly dressed women stood side by side, welcoming guests. Their garments, in a seductive rose-red color, accentuated their fair and rosy skin.

With delicate faces and graceful figures, every movement they made exuded an alluring fragrance of rouge.

Zhou Zhongtian stumbled forward after being pushed, stopping just short of a woman’s face.

“My lord, you’ve startled me!” The woman covered her mouth with a light chuckle, her jade-like fingers gently flicking a floral handkerchief, making Zhou Zhongtian’s throat go dry.

“S-Sorry! My apologies!” As a novice in such matters, Zhou Zhongtian’s face turned awkwardly red. He hurriedly stepped back, but before he could retreat far, Feng Wei’s voice rang in his ears again.

“Enough of that! Look at you, so spineless. Get inside!”

And just like that, Zhou Zhongtian was pushed into the pleasure house by Feng Wei.

Inside the first-floor hall, the atmosphere was lively. Many people had formed a semicircle, their attention focused on a flower-covered platform at the center.

“Oh, you came too?” Liu Feng looked at the slightly flustered Zhou Zhongtian and the eye-rolling Feng Wei with mild surprise.

“Heh, I was worried about you guys,” Zhou Zhongtian had just spoken when Feng Wei cut in, “This brat couldn’t resist the temptation but was too embarrassed to come in, so I dragged him in myself.”

Liu Feng clicked his tongue. “Sister Wei, you sure went through a lot for this newbie…”

Feng Wei scoffed but said nothing, while Zhou Zhongtian quickly changed the subject. “So, anything unusual here?”

“Unusual? We just got here, so nothing odd for now. But all these men staying up late are here just to see the new courtesan on stage.”

Following Liu Feng’s gaze, they saw a voluptuous woman in a long, flowing dress dancing on the platform. The hem of her dress was embroidered with exquisite golden and silver winter jasmine flowers.

Her attire was actually more conservative than the receptionists outside, yet the way her shoulders peeked through the fabric, her fair skin faintly visible, and the glimpses of her ankles as she twirled made the spectators restless.

Zhou Zhongtian, entranced by the sight, felt as if the woman on stage was beckoning him in the nude.

Smack!

Feeling a sudden weight on his shoulder, Zhou Zhongtian blinked and snapped back to reality. Turning around, he saw Gu Ning’an smiling at him.

“Don’t stare too much—getting too drawn in won’t end well,” Gu Ning’an warned.

Zhou Zhongtian chuckled awkwardly. “You’re right, sir… Have you noticed anything strange about this place?”

“Strange?” Gu Ning’an smirked. “Haven’t you already seen it? The woman on stage.”

“What?” Zhou Zhongtian was puzzled. “Isn’t she just dancing? How is that—”

Gu Ning’an gestured for him to stay quiet and listen to the people around them.

Nearby, two middle-aged men—one tall, one short—were fixated on the woman on stage. The tall man kept groping his own body as if ants were crawling all over him, while the short man continuously crossed and shook his legs as if holding back a full bladder.

The tall man tore open his shirt, exposing his chest. “Damn it, I can’t hold it any longer. You think five taels of silver is enough to sleep with that woman?”

The short man sneered, “Hell no! Someone just offered fifty taels, and she didn’t even bat an eye!”

“Then what the hell am I supposed to do? If I keep holding this in, something’s gonna break!” The tall man was practically squirming.

The short man trembled slightly, his breathing uneven. “What else… can you do… Your wife’s at home, isn’t she? I’m gonna do what everyone else is doing—memorize the courtesan’s face, then go home, cover my wife’s face, and imagine it’s her!”

“Guess that’s the only way!” The tall man muttered, then pushed through the crowd and hurried outside, panting.

The short man didn’t last much longer either. Letting out a low grunt, he spun around and sprinted out of the pleasure district.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhongtian finally understood. His face filled with shock. “So the reason West Corner Village is so lively at night… is because the men can’t have her, so they go home and take it out on their wives?”

Gu Ning’an nodded. “Exactly. She’s the source of the disorder in West Corner Village.”

Disorder?

Wasn’t that an exaggeration?

After all, they were just looking at a woman, then going home to have more frequent bedroom activities. It wasn’t like they were committing any major crimes like arson or murder.

Although he thought this, Zhou Zhongtian kept his opinion to himself. His gaze kept drifting back to the voluptuous woman on stage.

Suddenly, the music in the hall came to an abrupt stop. The woman on stage froze mid-dance, then gracefully bowed to the audience. From her crimson lips, a mesmerizing voice flowed forth.

“My lords, I am feeling a little weary. Tonight’s performance will end here.”

As soon as those words were spoken, a collective wail erupted from the audience below. Some flung silver onto the stage, begging the voluptuous woman to dance one more time. Others pulled out property deeds, willing to trade them just for a single night as her lover. Some even revealed expressions of deep satisfaction, tightening their belts as if reliving a pleasurable moment.

The voluptuous woman covered her mouth with a playful laugh. “Gentlemen~ please don’t make things difficult for me… However, since you’ve all shown such enthusiasm, it would be rude of me to turn you down completely.”

“If my handkerchief lands on any gentleman’s head, then I shall share a night of passion with him…”

Whoosh!

Her words were like a potent stimulant, sending the crowd into a frenzy. A deafening cheer erupted, and countless men rolled up their sleeves, determined to seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance to taste her beauty.

“Gentlemen, here comes the handkerchief!” The woman gracefully lifted her delicate hand, releasing a pale pink silk handkerchief into the air.

It soared high but drifted down ever so slowly, swaying unpredictably from side to side. Below, the crowd surged like a school of fish chasing after a floating morsel, shoving and scrambling to catch it.

Gu Ning’an and his group stepped back toward the edge of the crowd to avoid being trampled.

Yet, as if guided by an invisible hand, the silk handkerchief floated, swayed, and drifted directly above Gu Ning’an’s head.

In an instant, the crowd turned rabid, their reddened eyes locking onto him as they charged forward, their frenzied expressions utterly terrifying.

Seeing the situation, Zhou Zhongtian was the first to draw his blade, swinging it horizontally in front of Gu Ning’an as he bellowed, “Who the hell dares come closer?!”

Crack!

Feng Wei’s whip lashed through the air, producing a sharp, explosive crack in the open space.

At the same time, two sturdy men instantly raised their iron shields, positioning themselves to guard Gu Ning’an.

Just like that, Gu Ning’an was surrounded by four fierce protectors. The men who had lost their senses to lust saw the drawn weapons and immediately froze, stopping dead in their tracks, unwilling to advance any further.

With the crowd held at bay and the silk handkerchief still drifting as if it had a will of its own, Gu Ning’an simply extended his hand ever so slightly—

And the delicate handkerchief landed precisely in his palm.