"Young Master." Cao Zhengchun, having changed into a new set of clothes, immediately ran over from the side, holding a wooden stool in his hand.
The carriages used by the Qin family had a considerable distance from the ground. If one were to leap down directly, it would inevitably result in a loss of dignity, thus requiring a stool as a step to gracefully walk down.
"Has Du Beilun arrived?" Qin Yuesheng asked as he stepped onto the ground.
"I'll go in and check." Cao Zhengchun quickly ran into the Celestial Immortal Pavilion and soon dashed back out again.
"Young Master, Young Master Du and the others are waiting for you in the VIP room of the Celestial Immortal Pavilion."
Qin Yuesheng nodded: "Lead the way."
In a place like the Celestial Immortal Pavilion, wanting to have fun naturally means not bringing a large group of followers inside, so Qin Yuesheng ordered the other hospital guards to stay with the carriage outside and only brought Cao Zhengchun with him.
Watching Cao Zhengchun's retreating figure, the accompanying hospital guards all showed envious expressions on their faces.
"That kid Cao Zhengchun really hit the jackpot this time, getting promoted to Young Master's personal guard."
"Isn't it just, Young Master enjoys all the good things, and following him around, there's definitely more than some soup to be had. Tonight seems promising for him."
Upon entering the Celestial Immortal Pavilion, the place was bustling; the large first-floor hall was exceptionally spacious, filled with people sitting around the silk-draped round wooden tables, all frivolous young masters hugging and playing with ladies.
Above the hall hung an octagonal glass lamp, about the size of two people, providing illumination bright enough for the entire hall.
At the very center of the hall, several women in colorful dresses were singing and dancing, accompanied by a pipa, erhu, flute, zither, and other instruments, which initially excited Qin Yuesheng a little, but as he listened longer, his mood gradually calmed down.
"Oh! Young Master Qin."
Before Qin Yuesheng could ascend the stairs, a woman walked over immediately. She had a long braid that went from the back of her head to her chest, exuding the allure of a mature woman.
"Who are you?" Seeing this person intimately close to him, Qin Yuesheng couldn't help but ask.
"Hey, Young Master Qin, it has only been a few days, and you already forgot me! You heartless rascal, you called me precious baby before..."
"Alright, alright, alright, don't go saying such things outside casually. I need to keep some face." Qin Yuesheng put his hand on the woman's shoulder: "I'm here to find Young Master Du from the Du family, do you know where his room is? Take me there."
"I know, Young Master Qin, follow me." The woman took Qin Yuesheng's hand, leading him upstairs like a lover.
Qin Yuesheng certainly didn't believe this woman truly had feelings for him. In a place like the Celestial Immortal Pavilion, the women possess small tricks to seduce men to varying degrees. Under the Great Tang Dynasty, virtuous women follow the 'Three Obediences and Four Virtues,' being well-read, courteous, and polite.
Though the mainstream demands these virtues, unconventional women, opposing the mainstream, stir men's curiosity severely.
Following the woman's lead, Qin Yuesheng quickly arrived before a room larger than usual rooms, not needing to knock to enter, he already heard Du Beilun's rather lascivious laughter from inside.
Not long ago, he was injured, wounds yet to heal, and already, pushing through the pain, he came to play. Qin Yuesheng admired Du Beilun's perseverance.
"Young Master Qin, want me to accompany you tonight?" The woman asked flirtatiously, tracing circles with her fingers.
"No, no, you take this money and enjoy yourself; I won't choose you tonight, alright?" Qin Yuesheng placed a silver note in the woman's hand and quickly pushed open the room door.
River View Residence, as the Celestial Immortal Pavilion's room with the best view, is often reserved for those with lucrative or noble status in the city.
And when Du Beilun plans an event, this room must belong to him as boys from Cyan Yang City's elite support him.
As Qin Yuesheng pushed open the door, he saw seven or eight young men in fine clothes already seated in the room, among them Du Beilun holding two girls on his thighs.
"Ooh! Yuesheng finally arrived." Seeing Qin Yuesheng, Du Beilun immediately stood up and shouted to everyone: "Stop drinking and touching, everyone, I don't need to explain the rule for the last person to arrive, right? Shall we have Yuesheng drink three penalty cups?"
"Absolutely." A youth, already radiant from drinking, immediately replied.
This person was named Lu Juncheng, the Lu family's second son; his brother, the poor soul who disappeared after a night excursion in Fuan Alley.
Indeed, he was a true brother. Though his younger brother's life or death remains unknown—neither living nor dead—he still had the leisure to come to the brothel for a drink and enjoyment.
"Don't rush; I set this rule initially, can I skip it?" Qin Yuesheng grabbed a wine pot on the table, poured a bit into his mouth, confirmed the alcohol level wasn't enough to get him drunk, and then guzzled down the delicious liquor in the pot.
"Good!" Du Beilun immediately applauded: "Yuesheng, come, sit, tonight you still haven't chosen your girl yet, decide, tell us what kind of girl you like."
"Whatever, whatever, you pick one for me." Young Master Qin sat down in the empty seat next to Du Beilun, picked up his chopsticks, and began eating the delicious dishes on the table.
"Then..." Du Beilun thought for a moment and said to the girl sitting on his left leg, "Go find a virgin for Young Master Qin. There's no need for me to say how beautiful she should be, Young Master Qin is pickier than I am."
"Don't worry, Young Master Du, when have I ever let you down?" The girl flirted with a wink and then left the private room.
"Yuesheng, take a guess at what kind of show I prepared for tonight."
Seeing Du Beilun acting all mysterious and eager, Qin Yuesheng popped a piece of fatty sausage into his mouth: "Spit it out, I don't read minds. How am I supposed to guess what's on your mind?"
"Heh heh." Du Beilun patted the woman sitting on his other leg, signaling her to move away for a moment.
"Tonight is the Celestial Immortal Pavilion's selection night for a new Courtesan. Anyone from the former Courtesan to the top class and all ladies can be candidates, but a guest must sponsor them with ten silver taels as a flower name. The ultimate winner becomes the Courtesan, and the highest sponsor can spend a night with her as a reward."
Du Beilun nudged Qin Yuesheng's shoulder: "Yuesheng, how could I not invite you to such an event? When the time comes, we each rely on our own judgment to see who can pick the winner, wouldn't that be fun?"
"Mm, that sounds pretty interesting." Qin Yuesheng suddenly put down his chopsticks and pulled Du Beilun closer: "But, I'm more interested in what happened that day at Nanyan Treasure Studio. Beilun, you haven't forgotten about what happened at Nanyan Treasure Studio, have you?"
Hearing Qin Yuesheng mention this, Du Beilun's smile froze: "Of course not."
"Du Tankang has been all over for months and has seen things the mere mortals in Cyan Yang City have never heard of. Does he know the origin of that thing?"
Du Beilun's expression was a bit awkward: "Yuesheng, let's not bring up the past, after all, we came out unharmed, didn't we?"
Qin Yuesheng tilted his head: "Can't say?"
"Not exactly..."
"Then tell me, it's not like talking about it would cost you anything."
"Well, fine, but you have to promise me that after I tell you, you won't be interested in this matter or tell anyone else, otherwise there will be big trouble."
Hearing Du Beilun speak so seriously, Qin Yuesheng became even more curious.
"Okay, I'll forget about it once I hear it."
"Come closer." Du Beilun said mysteriously, leaning towards Qin Yuesheng's ear before speaking softly.
"This is something my second brother mentioned to me after that day. About half a month ago, my brother was returning to Cyan Yang City along Baoying Road from White Lotus County. Late at night, unable to find a suitable place to stay, he spent some silver taels to persuade an official at the government inn to rent a few rooms for a night.
Around midnight, my brother vaguely heard noises outside the window. He got up to check, and upon opening the window slightly, he saw an inky black coffin had somehow appeared in the courtyard, with four men in white mourning robes bowing their heads and carrying it. Finding it odd, my brother refrained from making a sound, instead watching from behind the window.
Soon, the official came out of the room holding a candlestick, loudly reprimanding the men for trespassing on government property, threatening them with imprisonment if they didn't leave at once.
But everything happened in the blink of an eye. All four bearers tilted their heads up, and under the moonlight, my brother was terrified by the sight of their faces."
"What do you mean? Were those four bearers hideous?" Qin Yuesheng asked.
Du Beilun shook his head repeatedly, his confidence shaky: "No, if it were just their appearance, it would be fine. But my brother said... Those four coffin bearers had no faces. Their faces were just empty, completely blank."
Qin Yuesheng's eyes widened instantly.
"And then?"
"One of the bearers took a bloody face from his pocket and pressed it onto the official's face; immediately, just like we saw at Nanyan Treasure Studio, the official went mad, crazily opened the coffin lid, and climbed inside himself. At that moment, a white human face flew out of the coffin and directly entered one of the bearers.
After doing all this, the four coffin bearers put down the black coffin and intended to enter the inn. My brother, scared out of his wits, hid under the bed. Later, someone walked in, paced around the room, and left when they saw no one around.
Only when he heard the street vendors hawking their wares outside at noon the next day did my brother dare to crawl out from under the bed. He found that everyone in the inn had disappeared, and not a drop of blood was to be seen anywhere, neither the inn staff nor his companions. Not a living soul, nor a dead body could be found."
Qin Yuesheng rested his chin on his hand: "Then that white face that Du Tankang saw flying out of the black coffin, was it the one we saw at Nanyan Treasure Studio?"
"Besides the different look, it's mostly the same."
"So, it's possible those four faceless men have already brought the black coffin to Cyan Yang City, and the recent madness and killings are their doing?"
"Baoying Road leads straight to Cyan Yang City and Yangzhou Prefecture, with no side roads or mountain paths. My brother and I believe this is very likely the case." Du Beilun said gloomily, "Those four faceless coffin bearers are clearly not good people. Now that these beings we can't possibly handle are hiding in Cyan Yang City, Yuesheng, that's why I'm advising you to forget this matter. As long as we avoid deserted places and stay indoors, we should be fine. In a month or so, those folks might leave Cyan Yang City."