Princess. Yoshiwara, a popular tourist destination.
The streets were illuminated by lights, bustling with people.
Even before entering, the strong smell of perfume and the stench of worldly pleasures assaulted the senses.
Aoki, his expression unchanged, paused briefly at the entrance before stepping inside.
"I remember the Fallen Princess using the alias Warabi-hime, hiding in the Kyogoku-ya."
Of course, that was after the plot had begun.
The Fallen Princess changed her identity approximately every ten years.
There were still nearly four years until then, so the Fallen Princess might not be at the Kyogoku-ya.
However, it didn't matter.
The Fallen Princess's avatars were always extremely popular in Yoshiwara, and her aliases always contained the character "Princess." Even if she wasn't at the Kyogoku-ya, finding her wouldn't be difficult.
Aoki strolled through the streets of Yoshiwara, obtaining the information he wanted without even intentionally asking around.
The Fallen Princess was indeed at the Kyogoku-ya.
Her avatar, Warabi-hime, was extremely famous in Yoshiwara, and countless people on the streets were discussing her.
"Speaking of which, does Daki's Blood Demon Art also have some spatial properties?"
Aoki suddenly thought.
Daki's Blood Demon Art ribbons were as thin as ordinary ribbons, yet they could suck people into them.
Moreover, the people sucked in didn't die.
This seemed to be a spatial ability.
Right now, what he most wanted to encounter was a demon with a Blood Demon Art that possessed spatial properties.
Suddenly, Aoki stopped and turned to look at the building on his right.
The towering building was brightly lit, and beautiful women dressed in elegant clothes and with exquisite makeup were coming and going. The lanterns at the entrance all had the words "Kyogoku" written on them.
Kyogoku-ya, we've arrived!
He cleared his mind of distractions and went inside.
A middle-aged woman immediately greeted him: "Guest, welcome to our Kyogoku-ya, we are here…"
Aoki interrupted her directly: "Is Warabi-hime, the courtesan, available?"
The middle-aged woman hesitated, "Warabi-hime isn't feeling well today and can't see guests."
Aoki didn't waste any words and directly threw out a large wad of cash: "I came here specifically to see Warabi-hime today."
In this kind of place, money is the most useful.
He had acquired a large sum of money from the Night Princess Society and could squander it at will.
Aoki's money offensive was indeed effective.
The middle-aged woman secretly swallowed and quickly put the money away: "Alright then, since the guest is so enthusiastic, I'll try to persuade Warabi-hime to ask the guest to wait at the teahouse."
With that, she waved her hand, and a young girl came over and bowed to Aoki.
"Please come with me, guest!"
The teahouse was a separate building, exquisitely and elegantly decorated, without any of the vulgarity of a brothel.
Courtesans are not simply prostitutes.
Most courtesans are trained from a young age, receiving comprehensive training in calligraphy, tea ceremony, waka poetry, and even Go and chess.
A courtesan's service to guests is naturally not as simple as just sleeping with them.
To put it bluntly, it needs a sense of ceremony, a certain atmosphere.
After the young girl left, Aoki observed the teahouse and nodded in satisfaction.
So this is where the courtesan entertains her clients.
Perfect, he had been a little worried that taking action directly in Kyogoku-ya might accidentally injure others.
Meanwhile,
Mitsu, the proprietress of Kyogoku-ya, arrived at a room on the second floor.
She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
A moment later, the door opened.
An extremely beautiful woman stepped out, coldly scrutinizing her: "Proprietress, what do you need?"
Mitsu swallowed hard.
Every time she faced Warabi-hime's disapproving gaze, her heart would involuntarily race, as if she were being watched by a wild beast.
She hadn't intended to disturb Warabi-hime, but that guest had been too generous.
Swallowing hard, Mitsu said ingratiatingly, "Warabi-hime, a guest wishes to see you."
"No!"
The beautiful woman waved her hand, revealing a sliver of cherry-colored silk, and turned to return to her room.
Mitsu quickly said, "This guest is extremely handsome; he certainly won't disappoint you, Warabi-hime!"
She dared to boast, naturally having some confidence.
Based on her years of observation, Warabi-hime greatly favored handsome guests.
And that guest perfectly met that criterion.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed so easily.
"Handsome?"
Daki paused.
Her supplies were running low.
She also knew that although Mitsu was old and ugly, her judgment of character was still sound.
"Alright, then let's go see him!"
The door slammed shut, and Daki's voice rang out, "Wait until I'm done with my makeup!"
Mitsu waited patiently at the door.
This wasn't just because she harbored some fear of Warabi-hime; more importantly, Warabi-hime was the star of Kyogoku-ya.
Before Warabi-hime appeared, Kyogoku-ya was just an ordinary brothel. It was because of Warabi-hime's presence that they became the renowned brothel they are today in the entire Yoshiwara entertainment district.
Half an hour later,
Daki finally stepped out of the room.
Compared to before, her appearance had become even more refined, and she possessed an aura of haughtiness and unapproachability.
Wherever she went
, everyone, men and women alike, stared in disbelief.
A man who had just entered, so engrossed in watching that he bumped his head against the wall, wincing in pain, but still unwilling to look away, he urgently asked his companion, "Who was that? She's so beautiful! Can we choose her?"
His companion wiped his drool and looked at him disdainfully, "You don't even know the courtesan Warabi-hime?
Choosing her? You're dreaming!
The two of us combined don't even amount to a tenth of Warabi-hime's appearance fee! Besides, Warabi-hime doesn't entertain just anyone; you have to get her approval!"
"Damn! I wonder which man is so lucky?" the man muttered under his breath.
His companion shook his head, his face also full of envy and jealousy, "Not lucky, but rich and lucky!"
The man whom the two called rich and lucky, Aoki, sat impatiently in the teahouse.
It had been almost an hour, why hadn't she come yet?
He wasn't afraid of waiting.
However, he was worried that Daki had already sensed his presence.
Muzan Kibutsuji clearly intended to kill him.
If Daki were to directly notify Muzan Kibutsuji, it wouldn't just mean the hunt had failed, but also that Daki and Gyutaro would know they'd been exposed.
Once they hid, finding them would be difficult.
He would completely lose the chance to hunt Daki and Gyutaro.
A huge amount of experience, plus a third of the progress on "The Upper Moon's End," would slip through his fingers—a massive loss.
*Tap tap tap.
* Footsteps sounded.
Aoki perked up and turned to look.
Outside the teahouse.
"Boss lady, you stay outside!"
Daki waved her hand, walked towards the teahouse, and opened the door.
Instantly, their eyes met.
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(End of Chapter)