Venerable Demon King & The Doting Immortal (QT)
Chapter 108: "How much?"

Chapter 108: "How much?"

With everyone gathered around the table, enjoying the large feast laid out before them, one would think that they were a big, happy family. It was like a wholesome family reunion dinner putting a smile on Xiang Yu’s face. For a moment he even forgot why he was in this world in the first place.

Han Zhan took a bite and remarked, "For this kind of place, the food is really good." When he found out that Peng Xiu only came here for the food, he didn’t believe it at first but now he understood. The meals were better than at the inns.

Yi Nuo nodded in agreement as she savoured the juicy duck meat. It wasn’t the best food they had ever eaten, but it was much better than anything they had had for days. Han Zhan noticed his cousin was barely eating. He offered him some steamed fish making sure it had no bones in it.

Han Xin thanked his cousin, trying to suppress the discomfort of being in a brothel. He appeared disinterested in Peng Xiu’s conversation with the young man serving them, but in reality, he was paying more attention to them than his food.

The way Peng Xiu was drinking, one would think she was a seasoned veteran. Han Xin had seen many women drink at festivals and in the army, but Peng Xiu was exceptional. It seemed as though her stomach was a bottomless pit and she wouldn’t get drunk at all. When she leaned in to whisper to the young man, Han Xin felt a pang in his chest. It was as though he was falling ill. Each time Peng Xiu was involved he would feel some type of way.

This feeling especially intensified when Peng Xiu placed some pork slices in the young man’s bowl and said, "Eat more, you are still growing." It felt like a blunt knife was slicing through the pit of his stomach. Maybe that was why his appetite was so bad.

Mei added a drumstick to Baihe’s bowl and smiled warmly. Lian, not to be outdone, added long beans to Baihe’s plate. Xiang Yu reprimanded her, "Don’t give him vegetables because you don’t want to eat them."

Lian denied it, but she had also put long beans in Yi Nuo’s and Mei’s bowls. Xiang Yu sighed, "Stop feeding others when you should be eating more vegetables yourself, Lian." He knew Lian was a full carnivore but she still needed to eat her vegetables. It was good for her but making her eat vegetables was like pulling at teeth.

Halfway through the meal, Xiang Yu whispered something to Baihe and stood up, straightening his lower skirt. He turned to Mei intending to make her supervise her sister. "Make sure Lian eats her vegetables before she leaves the table," she instructed firmly.

Han Xin watched her leave out of the corner of his eye, wondering where she was going, only to meet Han Zhan’s gaze. His cousin’s expression seemed to say, "And you say you don’t like her?" Han Xin’s face twisted into a silent "shut up."

He tried to sit patiently, waiting for Peng Xiu to return, but as the minutes ticked by, his restlessness grew. Han Zhan, who was also curious, finally asked Mei, "Where did your master go?"

Mei shrugged her shoulders. "I don’t know. But she wouldn’t leave unless it was important."

"She is like a mysterious shadow who goes and comes as she wants," chimed in Lian while poking the stir-fried long beans like they were an enemy.

They seemed unbothered about their master’s disappearance but Han Xin couldn’t wait any longer. What if she was meeting with someone from the enemy country? Even if she wasn’t colluding with the enemy, he should at least protect her and bring her back to the capital safely. Having given himself a valid reason to encroach upon her, he abruptly stood up and left the room leaving behind a startled Han Zhan. If he wasn’t worried before, he was definitely worried now. As he stepped into the hallway, a hostess approached him. "Do you need anything, young master?"

"No, thank you," Han Xin replied curtly, continuing down the narrow passageway. He had a feeling Peng Xiu had gone that way.

He stopped in front of a door that was slightly ajar. Reducing his presence, he peered inside. There, Peng Xiu sat on a table, her legs crossed, exuding an air of authority that intimidated the madam who ran the brothel. Han Xin could hear their conversation clearly.

Ten minutes earlier...

Xiang Yu left the private room, his mind set on finding the madam of the establishment to get Baihe out of there. He approached one of the courtesans and asked if she could lead him to the madam. At his words, the young woman’s smile grew gleeful. It was the kind of smile that irritated him. It seemed she thought that Baihe had messed up and she was rejoicing in his misery.

"If there’s anything wrong, I can attend to it," she offered, her smile unwavering. Xiang Yu’s gloomy expression said it all. She knew how to read people given where she worked. Without another word, she led him to the madam’s private room and knocked. From inside, a raspy voice yelled, "Someone better be dying for you to disturb me!"

When the door opened, the madam’s stern expression softened into a beaming smile when she saw the beautiful client standing behind the hostess.

Xiang Yu walked in, his aura cold and commanding. The hostess lingered at the door curious to know what Baihe had done this time but Xiang Yu snorted coldly and the hostess closed the door in a haste before scurrying away. She was so terrified by that look that she didn’t realise she hadn’t closed the door the entire way.

Xiang Yu moved around the room slowly, as if it were his own space leaving the madam in suspense. "How can I help you?... Are you dissatisfied with Baihe? I can make other arrangements," she said, her smile faltering as she watched her touch her things, especially her prized porcelain vase.

Xiang Yu interrupted her, "How much?"

The madam looked confused. "How much for what?"

He placed his hands behind his back, his figure imposing as he clarified, "How much to take Baihe out of this establishment? I know he is not here of his own choice. He is being forced to be here."

The madam chuckled softly, looking away. "Young Miss, it’s not my place to let Baihe go." Internally, she was cursing her for involving herself in these matters. She vowed to beat that brat up once his new backer was gone.

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