Volume 9 Extra 1. The Beginning of the Story: First Encounter in Luoyang (Part 2)
"Sir, please come in!"
Li Muchan went up to the tower and entered the pavilion. Suddenly he saw red candles and warm tents, and there were gusts of fragrant wind blowing in his face.
Looking closely, I saw a graceful figure looming behind the heavy curtains, graceful and charming, showing her alluring charm.
But Li Muchan not only did not show any appreciation, his face turned pale.
While forcing a smile, he had already seen clearly what was placed on the table.
There is a square tray on it, and on the tray are placed the five senses of a person, including eyes, mouth, ears, and nose.
Li Muchan suddenly remembered the corpse he had just seen downstairs. All seven orifices of the corpse were destroyed and the face was unrecognizable.
What’s even more horrifying is that there is a bloody knife on the plate.
"Did he cut it himself?" Li Muchan said in a lost voice.
The woman behind the tent smiled and said, "It won't hurt. There's a strange fragrance burning in this room that will only make you feel extremely comfortable, but there's no pain... Even if you cut him into pieces, he probably won't even cry out."
Li Muchan shuddered when he heard this, and felt a little regretful for coming in.
The woman behind the tent laughed sweetly and said, "Why? Are you regretting this?"
Li Muchan shook his head. "How could that be? I just traveled a long way and I'm hungry."
The mysterious woman smiled and said, "That's easy. In the past, Madam Liu might have been reluctant to spend the money, but today she has met the God of Wealth, who will give you whatever you ask for, guaranteed."
Li Muchan suppressed her fear and stopped looking at the pieces of flesh and blood, saying softly, "I still want to bathe."
The woman behind the tent laughed non-stop. "Bath? Haha, maybe you like the mandarin ducks playing in the water?"
Li Muchan hurriedly shook her head, "I'm dirty and smelly, I'm afraid I'll pollute the eyes of the fairy sister."
"Hehe," the woman laughed very crisply, "Your little mouth is so sweet, as if it were smeared with honey..."
Li Muchan saw the opportunity and asked again, "May I ask what your name is, Fairy Sister?"
Unexpectedly, the woman behind the tent said a surprising name, "My name is Ah Chou!"
Li Muchan secretly murmured in his heart, this woman is so beautiful that she must be very confident in her appearance, so why did she give herself such a strange name?
While he was thinking, Mother Liu pushed the door open again, and behind her were four eunuchs, each carrying a food box half the height of a person. In the blink of an eye, they had replaced the eyes and noses and set a table with exquisite food and wine.
Not only was there wine and food, but there was also a huge wooden barrel behind the curtain and beaded curtain, and someone had already added hot water for people to bathe.
Not long after, when everyone had left, the charming voice of the woman behind the tent rang out again, "Sir, you already know my name, but I still don't know yours."
"Li Muchan!"
Li Muchan responded while looking calmly at the incense burner in the corner.
He had just discovered that someone had quietly replaced the burning incense inside. At this moment, wisps of smoke were escaping from the mouth of the burner, and there was a really strange fragrance.
As for the table full of fine wine and delicious food, Li Muchan didn't even glance at it.
"This fragrance seems to be..."
Although Li Muchan resisted in his heart, he had no way to avoid it at this moment. He sniffed and suddenly felt that everything in front of him seemed to be changing and becoming unusual.
As he was speaking, a fragrant breeze suddenly blew by, the candles flickered, and Li Muchan felt a tingling sensation on the back of his neck. Unexpectedly, there was another person beside him.
He was startled and then shocked. He didn't expect that this woman had such ghostly movements.
I saw that the man was wearing a white shirt, with a white veil covering his face. He had a light body, bare feet and loose hair, and one hand was on his shoulder.
But Li Muchan suddenly smiled foolishly for no reason, and the woman in front of him suddenly danced around him in the air like a fairy, circling and turning. The beauty of her figure was unprecedented and indescribable.
Li Muchan chased the other person like a butterfly, searching for the scent and the person, laughing foolishly.
The woman walked lightly, her eyes sparkling as she teased Li Muchan. While giggling, she softly asked, "Little thing, do you think I don't know what you're thinking? How could a young man who has never experienced anything like sex come here? Tell me, okay?"
This person's breath was as fragrant as orchid, and his mouth blew out a sweet breeze. His charming expression was fully displayed in his frowns and smiles, which really made people's bones go soft when they heard him.
Although Li Muchan was frightened, the world before his eyes had already become bizarre. The woman in front of him seemed to have turned into a witch, as if she could capture people's souls. She made his hands and feet uncontrollable and he was willing to let her control him.
Hearing the other party's question, Li Muchan replied uncontrollably: "I just want to save those people downstairs."
The woman uttered an "Oh," not surprised or angry, but simply smiled and said, " Who do you think you are? They all volunteered. And you're already in a difficult situation. If you're willing to sacrifice yourself for others, you should be prepared to feed the tiger with your own body."
“Bang!”
But at this moment, a stone suddenly broke through the window.
There was a hole in the window paper, and a cold wind quietly squeezed in.
Li Muchan, who was at the mercy of others, suddenly felt his body go cold and shivered, and his eyes instantly regained some clarity.
At this moment, not only his heart was tightening, but also the corners of his eyes were tightening. He glanced at the incense burner in the corner and looked at the wisps of smoke emanating from it, his expression twitching uncontrollably.
poppy?
No wonder.
No wonder those people below were rushing to Cuifang Tower without caring about their own lives. It turned out that this person was not only proficient in the art of seduction, but also knew how to use such a deadly thing.
Although his consciousness had returned to normal, he didn't show it on his face.
This man is quite skilled, and it would be very easy to kill him.
But when the woman saw the hole in the window, she was stunned at first, then her eyes changed, and the charm on her body instantly shattered. Then she strode to the window, pushed it open, and faced the flying snow, she howled miserably.
"I know it's you, I know you've been here the whole time!!!"
Li Muchan slumped down in the chair, looking at the man who seemed like a madman, howling at the snow outside the window. There was pain, hatred, unwillingness, and regret in his eyes, and finally they all melted into flying tears, which were vented in bursts of unbridled laughter.
"I just want you to see it!"
"I know you saw it all!"
"Hehehe, I want to see how long you can endure!"
"Why won't you see me?"
The woman who called herself "Achou" cried and laughed, like a madman.
Li Muchan's hairs stood on end after hearing this, and he thought to himself, "Could this guy be a lunatic?"
He also looked out the window, but all he saw was flying snow and frost, not a single ghost.
Ah Chou walked over to Li Muchan again and asked, "Do you want to save him? Or do you want to save me?"
"I won't let you save me!" The man raised the pot to pour wine, and his laughter was really shrill and piercing. "Since you like to watch, then watch carefully."
"Come on, drink!" Ah Chou handed Li Muchan a glass, raised his own, and said with a smile: "Young Master, how about we have a toast?"
Although Li Muchan was already sober, he didn't dare show it. Hearing this, he laughed foolishly and said, "Cup-to-cup drinking? Cup-to-cup drinking isn't good. How about you feed me and I feed you?"
Ah Chou laughed so hard that his body shook. "Okay, then you feed me first!"
Li Muchan carefully held the wine glass and brought it to the other person's mouth.
Ah Chou was almost sticking to her, and she lifted her veil very charmingly, revealing a bright red mouth, as red as if it had drunk blood.
But Li Muchan's heart trembled, because the face under the veil was not a stunning beauty, but a pale face covered with rouge and powder, as white as wall dust.
He even smelled a faint stench from this person hidden under the makeup.
As expected, Ah Chou drank the whole glass of wine in one gulp.
But then her expression changed. She looked at Li Muchan in disbelief, then at the empty wine glass. Her brows furrowed, and she took several steps back and staggered to the ground.
"Boy, you..."
Li Muchan also retreated in panic and sat down on the ground.
He smiled bitterly, opened his five fingers, and found a crushed pill hidden between his fingers.
"This is called Ecstasy Powder. I bought it at a great price."
At this moment, Ah Chou collapsed to the ground with powerless strength, gasping for breath and staring at Li Muchan with vicious eyes.
Li Muchan quickly got up, extinguished the burning incense in the incense burner, and tore down a piece of curtain to wrap Achou tightly from head to toe.
After finishing all this, he took a few breaths towards the window and said calmly, "Although this substance can make people forget life and death and become addicted, long-term use will not only deplete one's vitality and accelerate aging, but will also cause a variety of serious diseases."
After hearing Li Muchan's words, Ah Chou, who had been struggling, suddenly froze, as if realizing something. He then looked at Li Muchan with horror and resentment, and said hoarsely, "Ah... did you see my face?"
She seemed to be very afraid of this, afraid that others would see her appearance.
Li Muchan sighed helplessly. Just now, under the light and smoke, this person was as beautiful as a fairy or a witch. But now that everything disappeared, when he looked at her again, he found that she was old and haggard.
If the people downstairs saw this scene and knew that they were willing to risk their lives for such a madman and be willing to lose their hands and feet just to have a taste of her beauty, I wonder what they would think.
But I think those people have been bewitched by the poppy and can hardly discern the truth.
Li Muchan shook his head and looked out the window again. After confirming that no one was around, he whispered, "I originally planned to save those people downstairs and expose your true identity, but I suddenly realized that there seems to be no cure. I can't save them, and I can't save you either."
"Save me?" Ah Chou was stunned when he heard it, but then he sneered again. His eyes were already bloodshot, and he said viciously: "Boy, it's hard to save people's hearts. How do you know that people like us don't know what is illusion and what is reality? But reality is full of pain and regret. Only in this upside-down illusion woven by poppies can we linger and survive... Who wants you to save us... Bah!"
Seeing the other person's hysterical appearance, Li Muchan smiled bitterly, with a hint of pity in his eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he said hesitantly: "Since you are also a person with martial arts skills, why don't you escape from the world..."
Ah Chou was furious when he heard this. "Where did you come from, you little beast? You think you deserve to pity me? When I get out of this predicament, I will tear you into pieces, pull out your tendons and skin you alive..."
The man kept cursing, using almost all the vicious words he could think of.
Li Muchan wanted to say more, but at this moment, his breath suddenly stagnated, and he retreated several steps as if struck by lightning, then looked at the table full of wine and food with extreme nervousness.
And under the hanging tablecloth, there was actually a petite figure hidden.
Li Muchan thought the man looked familiar and approached cautiously.
But then I saw a dirty little face sticking out, holding a piece of dessert in its hand.
This time, not only did Achou's expression change, but Li Muchan's eyes also changed.
Then Ah Chou's eyes turned red, and he cursed loudly: "You bastard, who let you in?"
Li Muchan had already remembered that he had seen this person before.
The girl holding a clay doll whom I met on the street just now.
Li Muchan suddenly raised his hand and knocked the snack out of the other person's hand, saying softly, "We don't know if this thing is poisonous or not, so you can't eat it."
The girl seemed to be frightened and said nothing. She just looked at the woman on the bed quietly, holding the clay doll tightly in her arms.
But suddenly, the man turned around and ran out of the door.
There were instant exclamations from all sides downstairs.
Then there was another series of footsteps.
Li Muchan smiled helplessly and had to push the door open and leave.
"Good boy, how dare you cause trouble here with your mother Liu?" Mother Liu said with a forced smile.
Li Muchan remained calm and said with a gentle smile, "Mother Liu, you're joking. I have a special quirk and never like anything sexual. Besides, I gave you the money."
Mother Liu had a blank expression on her face. She first glanced inside the house, then at Li Muchan. Then, she suddenly smiled, her fat body trembling. "Haha, you're calm in the face of danger. You're quite courageous... For the sake of your tens of thousands of taels of silver, I won't bother with you."
Li Muchan heaved a sigh of relief, "Thank you!"
Mother Liu sneered, "You won't be so lucky next time. Let me advise you, if you want to live long in the world, it's best not to meddle in other people's business."
Li Muchan smiled and said, "There won't be a next time."
Mother Liu narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Okay, Mother Liu, I like people who know what's good for them. I can still let that old cripple have fun in Cuifang Tower until he's satisfied."
Li Muchan smiled slightly, squeezed through the crowd and went downstairs.
Outside the building, the wind and snow were still strong. Instead of weakening, the snow was getting heavier and heavier, covering the sky and almost burying the entire world.
The wind and frost blew on Li Muchan's face, and he suddenly shivered. It turned out that a layer of cold sweat had already appeared under his clothes. Then his hands and feet became weak and he felt powerless.
He found a stone step to sit down, and shrunk his body as close to the eaves as possible, looking at the snow flying in front of him, as if thinking about what to do in the future.
As he was looking, Li Muchan suddenly caught a glimpse of several men with broken arms and legs surrounding a man on the snow outside Cuifang Tower. They were laughing strangely, kicking and spitting from time to time, as if they were teasing a cat or a dog.
Among them, the dirty girl was huddled in the snow, shivering, her ignorant eyes filled with fear and helplessness.
“Pah.”
A snowball suddenly hit someone in the face.
"Who is blind?"
Several men turned around cursing, only to see Li Muchan standing up with a wry smile, rolling up his sleeves, his eyes gradually becoming fierce, and rushing forward with gritted teeth.
But just before he rushed out far, Li Muchan suddenly felt a pain in his chest and fell to the ground.
"So it's you, kid!"
"Why did you come out so soon? Hehe, could it be that you were kicked out because you're not good in bed?"
"He's such a fool. He doesn't want the beauty in the building, but comes out to defend a fool."
…
Li Muchan lay on the snow, his hands protecting his head. He winked at the girl and said with a playful smile, "Don't hit me in the face."
But the punches and kicks on his body were even harder.
"Heh... what an idiot!"
At the end of the fight, seeing that Li Muchan didn't even make a sound and didn't beg for mercy, the few of them felt bored and left cursing.
“Hehe…hahaha!”
Li Muchan lay on the ground and laughed, his eyes moist with tears, not knowing whether it was falling frost or tears of pain.
"Why is it so difficult to be a hero?" He murmured almost like a groan.
At this moment, a dirty hand suddenly came over and wiped the corner of Li Muchan's eyes, coaxing her, "Don't cry, little bug, don't cry."
Li Muchan's eyes moved, and he saw the girl lying on the side, crying and laughing. She was sobbing at first, but suddenly she started giggling.
"My name is not Little Bug, my name is Li Muchan!"
The girl was startled when she heard this, then she said seriously, "Aren't cicadas just little bugs?"
"Whatever you say." Seeing that the other party was a little stupid, Li Muchan was too lazy to explain anymore. He stood up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "I have to go."
But after walking a few steps, Li Muchan saw that the girl was still sitting on the snow in a daze, as if she had no home. Her eyes were always looking at a window on the second floor of Cuifang Building, and he couldn't help but stop.
"What are you looking at?" Li Muchan asked.
But the girl whispered: "Did you hear? It seems like someone is crying."
Li Muchan also looked toward the window and remained silent for a moment. The smell of fireworks drifted in the cold wind, and then he seemed to remember something. He touched the corner of his sleeve, pulled out a few large coins, and said, "Would you like to eat dumplings? Today is the Winter Solstice."
The girl turned around when she heard that, and as their eyes met, she kept nodding her chin and replied foolishly, "Yes!"
Li Muchan smiled and waved.
The girl quickly got up and followed.
Snow was falling on the long street and frost was flying all over the sky. Two people, one tall and one short, were seen walking away side by side, one limping and the other jumping.
After a long time, a gentle voice was heard in the wind and snow.
"Boss, give me a bowl of dumplings!"
