Falling Dreams Playing Games 1
When Huaiwen woke up, she found herself lying in an unfamiliar place. She turned over and sat up. She looked around and felt that everything around her was luxurious.
She had been to the palace and knew it to be magnificent, but seeing the inner chambers today, she felt they were even more impressive.
The floor was covered with a cloud-patterned velvet carpet, and there was a bed and tea table made of golden nanmu wood. Two celadon plum vases were placed on either side, with a few cherry blossom branches inserted diagonally inside. The main hall was separated by a sandalwood screen made of white jade and jadeite with a hundred birds facing the wind.
Huaiwen went outside and saw that the window lattice with ice plum pattern was inlaid with glass, clear and pure. On the incense table next to it was a beast head Boshan incense burner, which was emitting a faint fragrance that was spreading in the air.
Everything here is incredibly expensive, luxurious and extravagant.
"Creak"—the door was pushed open.
Five people walked in. The leader of the group, dressed in a light blue robe, had a gentle face and asked with a smile, "You're awake?"
Huaiwen nodded warily.
The leader laughed again: "My name is Qingye. You were poisoned and were brought back by the city lord. We have prepared an outer garment for you. After you change, we will take you to see the city lord."
Huaiwen glanced at the clothes; they were indeed magnificent and luxurious. She thought to herself, "Could it be that I've been tricked by that demon into becoming his mountain bandit wife?"
So Huaiwen waved his hand: "No need, take me to see your..."
"Lord of the City," Qingye added for Huaiwen.
"Yes, take me to see him."
Qingye then led Huaiwen out of the room. In that instant, Huaiwen was once again shocked by the house's opulence and beauty. Her memories flooded back, and as she walked through another door, she remembered where she was.
This is Luofu, the territory of Lingshan Xuanye.
Huaiwen's mind grew heavy. According to rumors, if one did not enter this place as a guest, one would only become a slave here.
To this day, no one has ever been heard of breaking free from slavery; they remained trapped there until their death.
Qingye led Huaiwen through door after door, and finally they arrived at their destination behind a gold-inlaid nanmu door.
Through the gauze curtain, they could only see the city lord's back. Qingye and the others bowed respectfully to Xuan Ye's back and said, "City Lord, the person has been brought."
After a soft "okay" was said, Qingye and the others left.
The gauze curtain was lifted, and Xuan Ye slowly walked out. He first glanced at Huai Wen, who hadn't changed her clothes, and asked, "Don't you like the clothes I prepared for you?"
Huaiwen raised an eyebrow, rolled her eyes, and asked, "Where is this? Why did you capture me? What kind of poison have I been given?"
Xuan Ye scrutinized Huai Wen, but instead of answering, he said, "Wear my clothes, and you will naturally understand."
“Your clothes don’t look good.” Huaiwen replied casually when he didn’t answer.
Xuan Ye chuckled: "You're not dressed yet."
Huaiwen's expression was calm, but his tone was terrifyingly cold: "Just because you put it on, does that make you your slave, Lingshan Xuanye?"
Xuan Ye wasn't angry at all; in fact, he unconsciously smiled and said, "Is that so...?"
Judging from his tone, Huaiwen had new doubts. But everything here was still unknown to her. She couldn't act rashly; for now, remaining calm and observing was the best strategy.
Huaiwen took a deep breath and forced a smile: "That's a question for you to answer."
"Your temperament is not suited to be a servant."
Huaiwen's eyes lit up. Just as the rumors said, he wanted people to be his slaves! But Huaiwen wasn't the type to sit and wait for death. She wouldn't act blindly; she would escape.
Huaiwen crossed her arms and jokingly asked, "If you're not suited to be a servant, then what are you suited to be?"
Before Xuan Ye could answer, she stepped forward, tilted her head back, stared at him, and emphasized, "Could it be that I'm the right person to be your master?"
The two were so close that their faces would touch if Xuan Ye bent down. Of course, Xuan Ye was aware of this, but he did not step back; he simply looked down at Huai Wen, who was looking up at him.
Xuan Ye's deep eyes seemed to devour Huai Wen as he lowered his voice and said, "You really are—incredibly audacious."
His tone was cold, yet not unpleasant. Huaiwen didn't feel threatened by his words; rather, she felt something else entirely.
Huaiwen remained standing in place, staring at Xuan Ye. She couldn't ignore the aggressive look in his eyes, but she refused to give in and stared straight at Xuan Ye.
Finally, she spoke up: "Let's make a deal."
"What transaction?"
"Let me ask you first, are you in cahoots with Yao Ri Ce Mie?"
Xuan Ye retorted coldly with utter disdain: "Does he deserve it?"
Seeing Xuan Ye like this, Huai Wen chuckled. She took a few steps back because she didn't want Xuan Ye to be able to grab her with a simple hand later because of a problem.
Huaiwen cleared his throat: "Then... he is our common enemy."
Xuan Ye remained silent, so Huai Wen continued, "Then we're friends. You know, I didn't intentionally encroach on your territory; you should settle accounts with him. And I'll settle accounts with him too, because he did something wrong."
“My deal is simple: we’ll find Yao Ri Ce Mie together and take care of him. Then you can get your revenge, and I can have him take me to find someone.” Huai Wen said, trying to decipher Xuan Ye’s meaning. “He made my entire team of demons disappear. I can’t possibly let him get away with this.”
Xuan Ye's expression remained unchanged, so Huai Wen could only add, "How do you plan to settle this transaction?"
After these words, Xuan Ye finally reacted. He looked at Huai Wen and said without changing his expression, "Be my dancer, dance for me."
Huaiwen fell silent.
Xuan Ye, however, was overjoyed: "I'm not in a hurry, I'll wait for your agreement."
The tide rises and falls, the moon rises over the vast sea.
The Drunken Dream Pavilion welcomed a new night of revelry, and everyone who came was captivated by the fine wine. After the wine, perhaps they would compose poems, engage in card games, face off with swords, or perhaps lament their impending enslavement...
Anything is possible here.
Huaiwen stood upstairs, looking down. She sighed first; she would never agree to become a dancer for Xuan Ye. But for now, that was the only thing the other party was adamant about.
Soon, Huaiwen detached herself from the matter. She looked around and fell into thought. The things done here were more comprehensive and ruthless than what the transvestites did.
Typically, when a ladyboy agency receives a request from a person, a ladyboy, or a party, they first negotiate a price, and then the agency provides the services after receiving payment. Later, in order to expand their business, the ladyboy agency independently opens up more services.
Many shops were set up to sell protective artifacts for crossing the human and demon realms, including demon-revealing mirrors, nightlights, mind-altering drugs, human or demon disguise clothing, and scent-changing sachets...
Later, Liu Min furthered his studies in Qimen Dunjia and other arts, and the Temple of Humans and Demons continued to expand its territory, adding divination, fortune telling, and answering questions. Many people even came to become his disciples, which made the Temple of Humans and Demons famous throughout the world.
But great success breeds envy, and Liu Min is now quite old. Outsiders are eyeing the lucrative territory of the transgender community, while those within are vying for his leadership. Even the Ruan family sent a letter reminding Liu Min not to become arrogant because of his wealth, nor to assume the king is unaware of his abilities, nor to believe the king will not act on his behalf.
Huaiwen was unaware of these things at first. She devoted herself entirely to cultivation, hoping to slay demons and monsters and bring peace to the world. It was precisely for this reason that she had been cultivating in the mountains for five years without hearing any bad news about humans and demons.
She only learned of the situation when Uncle Li sent her a letter carrying Liu Min's back. Forced to temporarily leave her master and return home, she received another letter from Uncle Li before she even reached the Human and Demon Bureau, asking her to go to Qimin Mountain to provide support.
That led to everything that followed. Huaiwen couldn't just stand by and watch the transvestite organization collapse; she had to find a way to help it.
The Drunken Dream Pavilion seems to be a good example to use for reference. But Huaiwen is also clear that there are still big differences between the transvestite brothel and the Drunken Dream Pavilion.
The transvestite shop operates in a legitimate and aboveboard manner, while the Drunken Dream Pavilion engages in both legitimate and shady activities. Perhaps this is the difference between humans and transvestites.
In short, a transvestite will give you a legitimate reason for killing someone, but Zui Meng Lou will kill you without any reason.
Someone passing by bumped into Huaiwen, pulling her back from her thoughts. Huaiwen once again looked down at the bustling wine pool below, and she began to wonder if the transvestite community could be rebuilt.
If that's the case, why doesn't she go and explore the Drunken Dream Pavilion herself?
She went down the stairs and changed her clothes, as the Taoist robe was too conspicuous.
A little demon came up to Huaiwen and asked if he wanted to choose a private room and play some fun games. Huaiwen thought for a moment and agreed. The little demon smiled and led the way, introducing the place to Huaiwen as he went.
"Is this your first time here? Let me introduce the games. If you want to drink, you can go to the first floor. As for what games you can play, it all depends on what the city lord draws today. But if you're not just here to drink, then beginners can start on the second floor."
As they spoke, they reached the center of the second floor, where the door was tightly shut. The little demon smiled and extended her hand, inviting Huaiwen inside: "Guest, open the door and welcome your challenge."
Huaiwen nodded, glancing down with the corner of his eye, and with lightning speed, left his spirit butterfly outside in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
The door was pushed open, and Huaiwen walked in calmly, chest out. Inside, however, it wasn't as Huaiwen had expected—a large group of people gathered together, doing something.
Instead, there were individual cubicles, each with a glass lamp hanging above it. The light would turn on in any cubicle where someone was present.
"Creak—" A door opened, guiding Huaiwen inside. Huaiwen followed the directions and went in. As the light from the doorway came on, the light outside the private room turned on.
At first, Huaiwen thought the private room was small and could only accommodate one person. But after she entered, she realized that the so-called private room was not small at all; it just looked small and narrow from the outside.
The room was dimly lit, but it gradually brightened. Huaiwen saw the murals covering the walls. Then a small demon emerged; judging from its clothing, it was clearly more beautiful.
He said, "Hello, sir, I am your game inspector in this room. Please pay twenty coins before starting the challenge."
Huaiwen took the money out of his purse and placed it on the designated container. After counting it, the demon smiled and said, "Sir, now please allow me to introduce the game in this room to you. You only need to pick a fresh peach for me to successfully complete the challenge. After succeeding, you can choose to continue the game or claim your reward."
Huaiwen first asked what the reward was.
The demon replied, "You gave me twenty coins just now. If you win, you can get double that, which is forty coins."
"So if I keep playing after winning, the prize money will automatically double, right?"
"Yes. But our rewards aren't just money. The higher you go, the more you can get what you want."
Huaiwen chuckled. She thought it was no wonder that Xuan Ye's Drunken Dream Pavilion had been so successful for so long. This game was not only fun, but it was also much more profitable than dice games in gambling houses.
Huaiwen thinks he can learn from this.
"Good luck, sir. See you in a bit."
After saying this, the little demon disappeared from the room.
At the same time, everything in the mural seemed to come alive. The trees in the mural moved, and the people in the mural gathered in twos and threes under the peach trees, chatting or looking at Huaiwen.
Huaiwen reached out and touched the wall, but half of his hand was swallowed up. Without hesitation, Huaiwen walked straight in.
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