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Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Keep a Low Profile
Just then, a head peeked out from the neighboring seat, sneering at Lin Feng.
"Wang Niu?"
Ji Wuye’s expression changed the moment he saw this man.
This person was Wang Jie’s cousin and counted as someone significant within the Wang Family due to his cousin’s influence. Although his own strength was not weak, he was known to be a lecher and generally not serious.
"Oh-ho, and who do we have here? A fresh face. Could it be that you’re the reinforcement Gold Pearl hired from the Ji Family to compete in the Medicine Garden?"
Wang Niu looked at Lin Feng and scoffed.
"Such an audacious reinforcement you are, daring to board the Ji Family’s ship with merely the power of a Martial Master Third Layer. I fear you won’t even know how you died."
Swoosh!
As Wang Niu was still chattering away, Lin Feng’s wrist flicked and a wine cup flew towards him, startling Wang Niu. However, this man was no pushover, possessing the strength of a Martial Master Fourth Layer, and he immediately caught it. Even so, upon contact with the cup, his expression changed as he was forced back three or four steps by the power it contained.
"What noise."
Lin Feng glanced at him and said coldly.
"You..."
Wang Niu suddenly found himself at a loss for words, shocked in his heart. This fellow, though not high in cultivation, truly possessed great strength.
Lin Feng must have some skill; realizing that they were in Drunk Sky Pavilion, which was supposed to intoxicate people without alcohol, he suppressed the urge to vent his frustration.
"Wait and see, inside the Medicine Garden, don’t let me run into you. Then, I will humbly ask for your guidance on some outstanding moves! I hope you can still maintain your composure as you do today! Hmph!"
Saying this, Wang Niu harrumphed and returned directly to his own private seat.
Lin Feng withdrew his gaze with a snort, poured himself a cup of Bi Luo Chun tea, and acted as if nothing had happened. He saw Ji Wuye looking at him with admiration.
Just then, Miss Peach stopped playing the pipa, and the old madam pulled at Miss Peach’s pale hands, smiling and saying:
"Gentlemen, today Miss Peach has said she will offer half an hour of her personal time for a special performance for our honored guests. Those seated here who wish to appreciate Miss Peach’s pipa playing up close can start bidding now. Remember, you can only speak of poetry and scenery; absolutely no touching is allowed."
The old madam said with a smile beaming on her face.
This was the competition for the Oiran’s company. Whoever offered the highest price could invite the geishas, who would entertain without selling their bodies, to perform a solo piece for him.
This was a symbol of power and status.
On the first floor, Tian Fu was drinking floral wine, envying those participating in the bid for the Oiran. Although he had money, spending thousands of Gold Pearls was not an issue for him; but each Oiran bid often reached well over that, so he could only look on longingly.
"Brother Tian, this Drunk Sky Pavilion is truly a fine establishment. I’d heard of it before but never had the chance to enter. These seats mustn’t come cheap."
A young man said with an envious face.
He had come across Tian Fu by chance, and the latter had generously brought him along to the pavilion. Upon hearing this, Tian Fu immediately puffed out his chest, full of pride: "Of course, to enter the Drunk Sky Pavilion, one must first pay a hundred Gold Pearls as an entry fee. Moreover, while these seats on the first floor may not be as good as those on the second floor, they are classified into heavenly, earthly, and human levels. The front row, where we’re sitting now, is the Heavenly Position. It offers the best view aside from the private seats and has cost me a thousand Gold Pearls!"
"A thousand Gold Pearls? Good heavens, that’s pricey." At that, the youngster nearly jumped out of his seat in fright. Sitting here was like sitting on a pile of money to him; a thousand Gold Pearls was an amount he could never earn in his entire life.
"Alright, it’s just a meager thousand Gold Pearls, don’t act like a country bumpkin who’s never seen the world. Sit down. As long as you follow me, Tian Fu, will I ever shortchange you? Besides, this tea in your hands is not like the top-grade Bi Luo Chun, but it is still a high-quality Tieguanyin. A pot costs fifty Gold Pearls!" Tian Fu declared with a look of self-importance. He enjoyed seeing others’ unsophisticated reactions—it gave him a sense of vanity.
"Damn, that expensive? It’s like drinking liquid gold, isn’t it?"
The youth became visibly uneasy, his tongue tied, as he wished he could lick the remaining tea off his cup’s edge. "Then, Brother Tian, those private seats on the second floor, how exorbitant are they?"
"Not exorbitant, but it’s certainly more expensive than the first floor," Tian Fu replied. "Just to sit there costs five thousand Gold Pearls. Ordinary people can’t afford it, but your Brother Tian naturally doesn’t fall into that category. Five thousand Gold Pearls, it’s nothing. But you know, I’m a low-key person. In life and in dealings, I always keep a low profile." Tian Fu laughed it off, though truthfully, five thousand Gold Pearls were beyond his means to spend.
"That’s who my brother Tian is," the young boy said with a face full of admiration.
Just then, the local tycoons around started bidding for the Oiran.
"I bid one thousand!"
A rich man from the second floor quickly made a bid.
"One thousand three hundred!"
Someone immediately followed.
"Have these guys gone mad? Just to listen to that Peach Lady play the pipa for half an hour, they’re spending over a thousand Gold Pearls."
On the second floor, Ji Wuye couldn’t make sense of it. He was a dull person who only knew how to keep his head down and focus on Cultivation.
In his view, spending tens of thousands on Elixirs was nothing, but spending a thousand Gold Pearls on these trivial matters was absurd.
"You mean all my expenses for food, drink, and fun are counted as coming from your Ji Family’s purse, right?" Lin Feng suddenly spoke.
Ji Wuye nodded, then immediately looked at Lin Feng in disbelief.
"You... You’re not also going to..."
Lin Feng gave a slight smile, "Three thousand!"
Instantly, the noisy surroundings quieted down and all eyes turned in unison towards him.
Three thousand?
The others are at thirteen hundred, and you’re going straight to three thousand?
"Damn, there’s no point in competing anymore."
"Exactly, how can we even play?"
"Motherf*cker, even if you have money, you don’t just throw it away like that."
"Three thousand for half an hour, this guy must be a wastrel."
Many people were shocked.
"Bro, Brother Tian, some rich guy just bid three thousand."
Tian Fu naturally heard it, and he felt awful inside, damn it, where did these people get their money from, having more to spare than him.
"So what, it’s just three thousand, your Brother Tian can afford it too, but there’s no need to, we should keep a low profile."
Tian Fu said, quite disgruntled.
"Five thousand!"
Just then, another voice came.
"Bro, Brother Tian, that guy bid five thousand!"
Upon hearing this, Tian Fu thought, damn, who is this? Which family’s tycoon has so much money? Others are raising by hundreds, and this guy just adds so much all at once. Unconsciously looking over, he was so startled that he nearly fell off his seat.
"How, how is it him?"
Tian Fu couldn’t speak clearly, his eyes bulging with disbelief as he looked at the figure making the bid.
It was none other than Lin Feng, the same poor boy whom he had scorned outside the building earlier?
