Batang was a city located in the western part of Sichuan Province and served as a gateway to the Western Highlands.
In front of the city, a large river more than twenty meters flowed, and the western highland was spread out like a folding screen in the back.
In the paddy fields surrounding the village, rice was swept away by the wind, creating blue waves.
Batang was the largest city in the vicinity which was around a hundred li1 close. Indigenous people from Kang County were the predominant, but there were also many Han Chinese.
Although the city was located in a remote place, there was a lot of rice and various specialty products, so merchants did not stop visiting throughout the year. Thanks to this, entertainment facilities such as inns and brothels were well established.
“Ho-ho! Come here.”
“How about having a drink here today?”
The courtesans lured passersby by sticking their upper body out the window.
“Heheh! Good!”
“These guys! Wash up and wait. This old man will come running to you after today’s deal is over.”
Merchants who were not unfamiliar with this atmosphere looked at the courtesans with a sinister smile, and young men who were unfamiliar with the situation turned their heads away and fled.
“Ho-ho-ho!”
The high courtesans burst out laughing.
As darkness descended on the street, the atmosphere became even more lively. The courtesans lit up red lanterns and seduced customers by acting coquettish. However, because it was still early, there were not many customers coming to the brothels.
Red Sky Pavilion 2 was one of the largest and most splendid among the inns in Batang.
There were also many high-level courtesans. The origins of the courtesans also varied. There were women who came from Kang County or Han as well as women from Yunnan or Xijiang.
For this reason, people who’s visiting Batang for the first time usually find and stay in the Red Sky Pavilion and unwound.
Seolhyang 3 was the most popular courtesan in the Red Sky Pavilion..
Her beautiful features and her snow-white skin was what attracted the people’s attention. But the most impressive thing about her the most were her eyes.
Seolhyang had eyes that were commonly called as three white eyes.4
The white color surrounding the three sides of her eyes gave off a strange atmosphere.
Many men fell in love with Seolhyang’s unique atmosphere and visited her. However, it was almost impossible to sleep with her even if she kept a customer by her side throughout the drinking party.
Because Seolhyang didn’t allow it.
No matter how wealthy the customer was, she would not allow access to her body if she did not like it. Still, many men were willing to pay a lot of money to join her.
Seolhyang looked at the street with a bored expression.
Red Sky Pavilion was still quiet, just like any other tower. But after a while, all the rooms will be full of guests.
‘This is boring.’
Seolhyang yawned lightly.
Even for today, she adorned herself beautifully and wore colorful clothes. The ornaments made by a famous craftsman hung all over her body like a fruit.
She was a flower.
And it was the duty of a flower to lure in butterflies and bees.
Seolhyang looked out the window, exuding her happiness to the fullest.
She saw people walking down the street.
Batang natives do not come here. Most of the people in the streets were foreigners. Among them, those who boasted that they made a lot of money usually come to this place.
Even those who casually passed through the street could not take their eyes off of Seolhyang whenever they managed to take a glimpse of her. Seolhyang did not blush even once, despite their gazes which were full of desire.
She was used to this look.
Most of the men who saw Seolhyang looked at her with eyes full of desire. Seolhyang thought that men were the same because she had been treated like that since childhood.
If she shows even a little bit of her smile to indicate that she’s fond of something, many would be willing to give her all of their fortune. In that way, there were already more than ten people who have been financially ruined.
Seolhyang thought that men who she could put on her toes were not really great. However, as always, she thoroughly concealed her inner feelings and seduced every man she saw with a bright smile.
Then, a strange sight entered Seolhyang’s eyes.
Among the many people walking down the street, one person clearly caught her eye.
Most of the people walking on this street were wearing high-quality silk or fancy clothes, but he was wearing very shabby clothes.
So he stood out even more.
In a sense, it was something that was not often seen here. But what stood out more than his clothing was the man’s appearance.
“Ah!”
The moment she saw him, a burst of laughter came out of her mouth without realizing it.
A beautiful face with whiter skin than any woman and a decadent beauty. His deep, shadowed eyes were so beautiful that anyone who would see them, exclamations of admiration would burst out from them.
Seolhyang lost her mind as she looked at the man’s face.
She had seen a lot of men before, but this was the first time she’s seen a man like this.
He couldn’t take my eyes off him.
It was the same with other courtesans.
“Oh!”
“How can a man have a face like that…”
The prostitutes who were sticking out their faces through the window could not take their eyes off the man’s face.
That man had the power to catch the people’s attention.
In particular, the women looked at the man with a weak pulse.
The man looked around with a curious expression as if it was his first time being to a place like this.
He then met Seolhyang’s eyes.
For a moment, Seolhyang found herself lightheaded.
The man looked at Seolhyang half-heartedly with his bright red eyes. Seolhyang could not remove her gaze.
Seolhyang unknowingly told the man.
“Come in here.”
A lot of men have visited so far, but this man was the first one to make her tell them to come in first.
The man did not refuse and entered the Red Sky Pavilion.
Seolhyang hurriedly went down to the first floor to meet the man. There she saw a man coming into the Red Sky Pavilion.
“Oh–!”
The man she saw up close was more beautiful.
As if he had never been in the sun, his pure white skin was shining under the light of red lanterns.
“Above…!” (“상…공!)
Seolhyang approached the man.
In an instant, Seolhyang inhaled the strong body scent from the man. A strange scent was emanating from the man.
The scent that seemed to shed people made Seolhyang unable to find reason.
What made her mind dizzy more than anything else were his eyes that had a subtle tinge of red. Seolhyang was mesmerized by his eyes that seemed to sucked her in the more she stares at him.
The man asked Seolhyang.
“This is a brothel right?”
“Yes, that’s right! Above!”
Seolhyang shook her head and replied. Unknowingly, she was treating the man with a humble attitude.
“Can I stay a few days even without any money?”
“O-Of course….”
Had another guest here said they have no money, she would have looked at them with contempt. But when the man in front of her said that he doesn’t have any money, there was no contempt, only regret.
“I’ll take care of you, so don’t worry about anything and come inside.”
Seolhyang pulled the man’s hand.
The man entered her residence as naturally as if he had entered his own house.
* * *
Geum Si-yeon, the owner of Red Sky Pavilion, looked at the Chongwan with a frown.
“Why aren’t we making a profit? Haven’t our sales been below average for the past few days?”
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