Amnesiac General and Infatuated Brothel Keeper 3

Su Jinzhi had been tormented by No. 1 for a long time. At this moment, hearing No. 0's soft electronic voice and hearing that it had won him new welfare benefits, he was so moved that he was almost crying bitterly: "Baby 0, you've finally come."

No. 0 asked, "Huh? What's wrong, Lord Host?"

Su Jinzhi complained, "I'm being tortured to death by No. 1."

"Eh? Brother No. 1 is very gentle." No. 0 actually spoke up for No. 1. "But Lord Host, don't worry, No. 0 will help you complete your mission!"

"Baby 0, you're the cutest."

Su Jinzhi praised No. 0. The incense burning in the room was making him a bit dizzy, so he walked to the south side of the room and opened the tightly shut window.

It seemed to have just rained outside; raindrops occasionally fell from the eaves. Not far outside the building, the peach blossoms were in full bloom, spreading like a pink mist. Only through a few empty gaps could he catch a glimpse of the gentle ripples left behind by passing painted pleasure boats.

It was already early spring, but the spring chill was still piercing. In an instant, the cold wind poured in and brushed against his cheeks. Su Jinzhi took a breath and immediately started coughing uncontrollably from the cold.

A muffled sound of a door being pushed open came from the entrance. Su Jinzhi covered his mouth and turned around, only to see Li Feng wearing a rouge-colored long gown, followed by a delicate and pretty youth carrying a golden basin into the room.

"You're awake?" Li Feng asked. Then, seeing Su Jinzhi standing in front of the window in thin clothes without socks, he raised an eyebrow. "You cost me a lot of silver. If you get sick again, I'll have to pawn that jade of yours to buy you medicine."

The youth who came with Li Feng chuckled upon hearing this. He hurriedly put down the golden basin, took a fox-fur cloak from the folding screen, walked over to Su Jinzhi, draped it over him, and coaxed, "Madam is just saying that casually. Don't worry, Young Master, please put some clothes on first."

Li Feng snorted, walked over to the soft couch in the room, and lay down as if he had no bones. "Who's joking with him?"

Seeing this, Ping'an immediately nudged him with his elbow. Li Feng was also one of his branch salvation targets; he couldn't let Li Feng feel displeased. He could only pull the fox-fur cloak tighter around himself and yield softly, "Yes..."

Li Feng noticed that Su Jinzhi was no longer as stubborn as he had been the past few days, and his mood indeed improved. "Not going to argue with me anymore?"

Su Jinzhi lowered his head and didn't speak. Li Feng didn't pay much attention to his current attitude either. He got up from the soft couch, pulled Su Jinzhi to his side, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Alright, Madam knows you've never suffered any grievances before and don't want to receive guests. Madam doesn't want to punish you either, but with your current status, you can't call the shots anymore. Just be good, and Madam will return that jade to you. Once your reputation grows, someone might want to redeem you, or you can save up enough silver yourself. When that time comes, whether you want to leave or stay, Madam absolutely won't force you."

This was the typical stick-and-carrot approach. However, in the original body's memories, Li Feng was indeed a good Madam. Unlike the brothel keepers of other pavilions who only cared about ruthlessly squeezing every bit of silver from the young male escorts, he had also been one himself. He naturally knew their grievances and pain. So later, when Li Feng died of illness, Jun Changle agreed to his dying wish and stayed in Huaqi Pavilion to be the brothel keeper, protecting the other escorts in the pavilion.

Listening to his words, Su Jinzhi nodded. He looked up at Li Feng's progress bar. Counting the previous 10 points, it had surprisingly already risen to 30 points.

Su Jinzhi asked No. 0, "How did his progress rise so quickly?"

No. 0 replied, "He thinks Lord Host is pretty and obedient, and will be able to earn him a lot of silver."

Su Jinzhi: "..." Sure enough, even the best brothel keeper is still focused on making money.

Seeing that Su Jinzhi was willing to listen to him, Li Feng smiled and raised his hand to beckon Ping'an over to help him wash up and change clothes.

The tattoo on Su Jinzhi's body was a peony, so the pinkish-red long gown Li Feng had someone make for him naturally featured embroidered peonies as well. Deep red Shou'an peonies bloomed across the sleeves and hem, swaying gently with every raise of his hand and step he took. Paired with his face, it made it impossible for people to look away.

Li Feng looked at him, feeling extremely satisfied. He smiled brightly and took his hand to lead him downstairs. "You've been sick for the past few days. Since you can get out of bed today, come downstairs for a walk with me, and take the opportunity to meet your older and younger brothers in the pavilion."

Huaqi Pavilion was filled with a whole row of fresh, tender youths who were so coquettish they practically dripped water. The older ones were called older brothers, and the younger ones were called younger brothers. Su Jinzhi walked among them with stiff limbs. Every now and then, someone would touch his face or pinch his buttocks. Some even came over to pinch his waist, exclaiming "So thin and soft!" before collapsing into a fit of laughter with the others. Their laughter and voices were soft and flirtatious; just hearing them could inexplicably stir up a wicked fire in someone.

However, among these people, there was a young man dressed in frost-blue who stood far away from them. There were no flowers embroidered on his clothes, and his expression was as cold as frost. It was as if he had isolated a freezing, snowy world around himself, where cold winds howled and chilled people to the bone.

The moment Li Feng saw him, the smile vanished from his face. He rolled his eyes and pulled Su Jinzhi in another direction, muttering as they walked, "That's Qiu Yi. He's even more stubborn than you. Don't you dare learn from him, or else Madam won't dote on you anymore..."

Listening to Li Feng's words, Su Jinzhi turned his head and glanced at Qiu Yi, just happening to meet his gaze. His eyes were cold, yes, but they held not a trace of malice. He simply looked over faintly and lightly, as if looking at a stranger.

The original host, Jun Changle, had become good friends with him. The reason was probably that both were young masters from prestigious families, and they always carried a kind of noble and aloof air that the other escorts lacked. Neither was very willing to receive guests, but both ended up with rather miserable fates.

Jun Changle died of sorrow and regret, unable to wait for Jiang Lishan's return. As for Qiu Yi, he was tortured to death one night by a group of patrons with special fetishes. It was said that when he died, his eyes were wide open, staring straight at the ceiling beams while weeping tears of blood, an exceptionally tragic sight.

Su Jinzhi followed Li Feng around Huaqi Pavilion for a lap, which was enough to recognize about half the people there. Seeing how well-behaved he was, Li Feng's mood improved even more. He took him out early to stroll through the outside slave market, letting him personally pick a servant to wait on him.

Jun Changle had a close attendant named Xile. He was bought for a small sum of money from a slave trader right after Jun Changle first entered Huaqi Pavilion. It was only because he was from Chongluo Kingdom and knew how to cook Chongluo Kingdom dishes. Jun Changle missed his homeland and his family, but he was too ashamed and afraid to return. He could only comfort himself through this method.

But right now, the timeline hadn't arrived yet. If he went, Xile probably wouldn't be there. Therefore, Su Jinzhi declined Li Feng's good intentions using "feeling unwell" as an excuse.

The moment Su Jinzhi spoke, he realized that this body's voice was exceedingly beautiful. Although it still carried a bit of hoarseness from just recovering from a serious illness, it was cold and clear like the striking of pearls and jade, warm and gentle as rain. The ending notes carried an alluring, soul-hooking hint of charm that slightly pitched up, making people unable to resist getting addicted and indulging in it. It made Su Jinzhi himself wish he could talk to himself for hours just to listen to it.

If he himself liked hearing it this much, it was no wonder that so many people across the Five Kingdoms were helplessly infatuated with Jun Changle.

"Your voice is quite nice, why were you holding it in all day and refusing to speak?" Hearing that he was willing to open his mouth, Li Feng cast a sideways glance with his alluring, silk-like peach blossom eyes. Seeing Su Jinzhi looking completely obedient, not at all like he was planning to run away the moment he left, he said, "Alright then, but let me tell you, if I catch you trying to run away one more time, you can forget about ever getting that jade back."

Su Jinzhi lowered his eyes and concealed his gaze, his face full of docility. "Yes."

After Li Feng left, Su Jinzhi walked toward his room. As he passed a corner, he actually heard someone discussing him—

"The moment that Hua Wuyan arrived, Madam let him stay in such a good room. Madam is truly biased."

"Stop being jealous. Look at what you look like, and look at what he looks like. I heard that for this year's Lantern Festival, Madam plans to have him run for Flower Lord."

"Ah? Then what about Qiu Yi? He hasn't reached the age of retirement yet."

"What else? Heh, his temper is just like that, and Madam doesn't like him. He's bound to be replaced sooner or later. If it wasn't for the fact that there was no one else in the pavilion last year, Madam wouldn't have let him run for Flower Lord. With that cold face of his from beginning to end, he almost wasn't selected. Madam was nearly angered to death by him..."

Su Jinzhi was just returning to his room, but he hadn't expected to hear such a good show. He was listening to the gossip with great relish when No. 0 suddenly reminded him: "Lord Host, the branch salvation target Qiu Yi has appeared."

"Where?" Su Jinzhi looked around.

No. 0 paused for a moment: "Behind you..."

Su Jinzhi: "..."

Su Jinzhi coughed dryly twice. He didn't intend to turn around, pretending not to know that Qiu Yi was behind him as he walked straight away.

Seven days later, it was the Zhuhua Kingdom's Lantern Festival.

In Ye City, the capital of Zhuhua Kingdom, the decadent sounds of reed pipes and flutes lingered endlessly. Peach Blossom Street was decorated with lanterns and colored banners, while the moat was filled with floating lanterns and peach petals. The pedestrians wore pink and red garments, and the tall buildings were adorned with lanterns and festoons, giving the entire Zhuhua Kingdom a scene of extreme, decadent gorgeousness.

And Jun Changle's predestined trajectory had not been altered much either. Su Jinzhi handed over control of his body to No. 0, completed the talent performance, and seized the position of Flower Lord. After tonight, the name Hua Wuyan would spread to every inch of land across the Five Kingdoms, whereas Jun Changle could only die silently on the night that Jiang Lishan forgot him.

Su Jinzhi was dressed up splendidly by Li Feng and seated on the highest floral seat in Huaqi Pavilion. Sitting around below him were the patrons waiting to bid for his first night tonight. Those men held bank notes in their hands, looking at him with drooling desire. Their naked stares made Su Jinzhi feel somewhat disgusted.

"Jun Changle must have really liked Jiang Lishan. Even after being tortured by others like this, he still continued to wait for his return, refusing to let go until death." Su Jinzhi turned his head to look at the bright moon outside the building. "If I were really Jun Changle, I might want to jump down from here."

No. 0 said, "But Jiang Lishan didn't forget Jun Changle on purpose. It was all a strange combination of circumstances."

"He even forgot the person he loved the most. Jiang Lishan is too much of a scumbag." Su Jinzhi shook his head and clicked his tongue in a sigh.

No. 1: "Heh."

Su Jinzhi asked No. 0, "No. 0, did No. 1 just laugh?"

No. 0 was extremely innocent: "No, Lord Host, did you mishear?"

Su Jinzhi frowned. "Could it be my imagination?"

During the time he was chatting with No. 0, the right to his first night had already been successfully bid on. The person was a wealthy merchant from Chongluo Kingdom, who immediately offered ten thousand taels of gold. Li Feng stroked the banknotes he was given, smiling so much that the peach blossom branches at the corners of his eyes crinkled—he was already thirty years old, which could be considered the age of a fading beauty among male escorts.

Su Jinzhi looked at Li Feng and asked No. 0, "How much money did Li Feng spend to buy me?"

No. 0 said, "Three thousand taels of silver."

"...Human trafficking sure is profitable."

"Lord Host, this is not human trafficking. Brother No. 1 says this is a dirty transaction."

"..."