Blossoming Delights

"You are that talented? And you want to perform here?", the elderly owner of the 'Blossoming Delights' asked, her thin eyebrow raised in doubt. Lei Mingxing just seriously nodded in response. Contemplating while staring at the unknown young girl that had arrived with two guards of the royal palace a moment longer, trying to perceive even the smallest changes of expression as she sucked in a deep breath from her tobacco pipe, the elderly owner finally breathed out, puffing the smoke directly into her opposite's face, but even, then the other didn't bat an eye. Amused by the other's peculiar and overly serious demeanor, the owner cracked a small mischievous smile, letting out a soft laugh.

"Ha, very well, but we won't go out of our way to protect you from unruly customers and I will pay you depending on your performance... so you better stay true to your claims."

Leaning back in her luxurious sandal wood chair, the smile still on her face, the owner casually pointed right as she said: "You can leave, when you go right, there will be a room with some instruments and other things. Take what you need. I'm expecting to hear some of your lovely tunes by the time I leave my office."

Lei Mingxing got up from her seat and thanked the owner, but the latter just took another puff of her pipe and waved her away, so she quickly left the room. Outside, the two guards accompanying her awaited, their expressions embarrassed and uneasy. This time, it was the bare-shaven guard who spoke up.

"Your Highness, please, let us return to the Palace, this is entirely inappropriate!"

In response to these words, Lei Mingxing only glanced briefly at the blushing man whose gaze stuck firmly to her face, else he would end up like his colleague whose eyes were desperately darting all around, unable to settle anywhere. It was her turn to roll her eyes, what were they making such a fuss about, had they never seen a human body before?

So she silently passed them by, walking toward the room the owner had pointed her to as they hurriedly followed her, their eyes glued to the ground. The room itself was very small and had no door, only a curtain separated it from the corridor and the remaining brothel. Looking around the room, she quickly found several instruments lying haphazardly on the ground. Picking them up one by one, she assessed which one was in the best condition and coincidentally settled on a guqin that had a few crude petals flowing in the wind carved into its side. Her instrument chosen, she surveyed the room once more, looking at a big chest overflowing with all kinds of clothing and cheap accessories, putting the instrument aside, she dug through the chest with both her hands to maybe find something that could conceal both her and her companions' identities a bit. Finally, she pulled out several face veils that were long enough to not only cover the lower half of the face, but its entirety, as well as a few long pieces of cloth that she could use to hide the guard's uniform. Satisfied with her harvest, Lei Mingxing stepped out of the room, guqin in hand.

"Here," she handed the guard closest to her the two white face veils that matched her own and the several pieces of cloth, "Put these on, or do you want someone to find out you were here?"

These words were enough to persuade the guards and they hurriedly followed her orders. They had long since realized that Lei Mingxing was determined to stay here, and they would be forced to stay with her the entire time. At the very least, they didn't want their colleagues to find out about their stay in a brothel...

Helmets removed, uniform covered and faces concealed, the three walked over to the main stage of the brothel that was situated in the very center of the ground floor and would allow the music or performance to be seen and heard from any floor of the brothel as it was essentially set up like a square zylinder, with three floors, not counting the ground floor, and small rooms on all sides, as well as open corridors that allowed you to look down to the stage regardless of floor. It was decorated with cloth flowers and lanterns, as well as some cheap but opulent-looking paintings of scantly-clad people.

Stepping onto the stage, Lei Mingxing gathered the several cushions, flowers and sashes that were strewn about the stage and arranged them neatly, before settling down on one of the cushions and putting down the guqin in front of her. The guards also each grabbed a cushion and sat down behind her right hand side and left hand side respectively. Lei Mingxing had already begun tuning the instrument in the meantime, allowing the crude and disharmonious guqin to reverberate clear and gentle sounds instead, as if a violently flowing river had suddenly transformed into fresh spring that gently quenched your thirst.

And then she began to play.

Her fingers slid unhurriedly over the strings, plucking them with unmatched finesse, weaving a scene of a starry night sky, as the silver moon shone, illuminating the world. For the customers of the brothel, it almost felt like they could directly feel the cooling night air brush by their heated skin as they threw themselves into the waves of passion, regardless if it were indulges of the flesh, alcohol or money splurging. Many of them, even the workers, came to a momentary halt, curiously throwing a glance in the direction of the stage, wondering just who was playing such delicate music in a brothel. But the one's that looked down only saw the three mysterious figures, that resembled spirits more than they did humans, with their covered bodies and faces, the only thing that could be gleamed was the fact that, although all of them were about the same height, the one in front playing the instrument was a slender woman.

Their curiosity sufficiently sated, most customers and workers returned to what they had been doing, but the music continued to linger in their minds and they felt refreshed from the inside out.

But there were a few whose gazes lingered for a bit longer.

Small theater:

Clean-shaven guard: Please, your Highness! Our innocence is being tainted!

Mustached guard: Yes, your Highness! We won't be able to get married!

Lei Mingxing: Tsk! Bunch of crybabies