WBICDPH Chapter 21 Part 1

Chapter 21: A Night Encounter with Bright Moon

Inside Manting Spring, flickering candlelight and lanterns of all shapes and sizes swayed everywhere. Layer upon layer of light overlapped, illuminating the small building as brightly as day.

After hearing the scream in the back alley, Lin Jin and Han Ao no longer had the leisure to argue about horror movie tropes. The ghostly aura had vanished in an instant, and they failed to trace it to its source. All they could confirm was that the scream accompanying it had come from Manting Spring.

With that, the two of them hastily tidied themselves up, doing their best to look presentable, and then—steeling themselves—stepped through the doors of Manting Spring.

The first-floor hall was nearly packed with guests. The moment Lin Jin entered, he was hit with the strong smell of alcohol mixed with cloying cosmetic scents. Men—some youthful, some mature—sat at tables, flanked by slender courtesans dressed in alluring, revealing outfits.

Outside, the wind and snow still raged, but inside the building, there was song, laughter, and revelry—living up fully to the name “Manting Spring.”

As soon as Lin Jin and Han Ao entered, several courtesans leaning against the second-floor railing began throwing flirtatious glances their way. One even tossed a handkerchief straight into Lin Jin’s arms.

“You there in green, young master,” she called sweetly. “You’re quite handsome—care to share a few drinks with me?”

“…”
Lin Jin’s face remained calm and composed, but inside his heart was screaming at the top of its lungs.

Though he was a year or two older than Han Ao, the two of them were equally helpless in situations like this. Lin Jin felt his joints stiffen. He lifted the handkerchief from his chest and glanced up at the girl. He wanted to refuse politely, but he also didn’t want to be laughed at for acting like an inexperienced country bumpkin. In the end, he said nothing. He simply found a nearby empty chair, neatly folded the handkerchief, and draped it over the backrest.

Fortunately, the women upstairs weren’t offended. Instead, they laughed and teased among themselves.

“Look at that, Yaoniang—the young master doesn’t fancy you.”

“Indeed. Sigh, he must be here for Sister Zhuetang again. She’s so lucky.”

“She is the top courtesan. If you could outshine her, handsome young masters would come looking for you too.”

“Oh, please, you? Hahaha…”

“Hmph, say what you like. Even if a handsome young master did come, Zhuetang caused such a big mess today that Mama is furious. Who knows if she can even receive guests? If you ask me, Yaoniang might still have a chance…”

“Who permitted you to talk about Zhuetang like that? Careful—I’ll rip your mouth apart!”

Their laughter blended into the noisy hall, and before long, they moved on to entertaining other guests.

Lin Jin and Han Ao finally let out a breath of relief. Avoiding the liveliest part of the hall, they found an empty table in a corner and sat down.

“Did we mishear that scream?” Han Ao said, grabbing a small pastry and eating as he looked around. “This place is bustling—doesn’t look like anything happened. If a ghost cultivator were causing trouble, wouldn’t it be chaos by now?”

“What you see isn’t always the truth,” Lin Jin replied, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Whether something happened or not—we’ll know once we test it.”

“Test it? How?”

Han Ao had barely finished speaking when Lin Jin gave him a mysterious smile. Then, Lin Jin pulled out a silver ingot and slammed it onto the table with a loud bang.

That wasn’t all.

One after another, Lin Jin slapped gold ingots and broken silver onto the table—bang, bang, bang—until it was covered in gleaming metal. The spectacle immediately drew the attention of nearby guests and courtesans. Before long, the madam from earlier in the day came bustling over, drawn by the noise.

Her face was caked with a thick layer of white powder, her makeup exaggerated to the extreme. When she smiled, the folds in her face piled up, and the powder flaked off as it fell.

“Young masters, why sit here all alone?” she chirped. “At Manting Spring, we may not have everything, but we certainly have fine wine and beautiful girls. What sort do you like? I’ll bring a few over for you to choose.”

She rubbed her hands together, her eyes practically glowing as they reflected the gold and silver on the table.

“Sure,” Lin Jin said.

He cleared his throat theatrically and leaned back against the chair, striking the pose of a dissolute young rake. Even his tone changed as he spoke.

“I heard you took in a new girl this morning. There was quite a scene at the door, wasn’t there? I want her. Call her over to serve me.”

“Ah?”

Whether it was Lin Jin’s imagination or not, the madam’s smile seemed to freeze for a split second.

“Um… which girl might you mean, young master?”

Lin Jin raised an eyebrow and deliberately drew out his tone.

“The one her father sold here this morning. If I remember right, her name was Shuang’er—am I wrong?”

As expected, the moment Shuang’er’s name was spoken, the madam visibly panicked. She flicked at her sleeves nervously.

“Well, you see, young master, newcomers are always difficult—especially ones forced in. Too proud, too fierce. I really couldn’t discipline her. I was already planning to sell that ungrateful little thing off. If you enjoy breaking in a girl, then next time—next time, when I get a more obedient little plaything, I’ll be sure to save her for you.”

From her reaction alone, Lin Jin knew something was definitely wrong.

He didn’t respond directly. Instead, he waved his hand impatiently, acting as though his mood had been spoiled.

“Enough, enough. What a letdown. Fine, forget it. Just bring out the girls you have free right now. I’ll see if there’s anyone worth my attention.”

Hearing this, the madam visibly relaxed. Plastering a smile back on her face, she hurried off to summon the girls. Across the table, Han Ao stared at Lin Jin in disbelief.

“Wait—are you seriously picking one?!”

Lin Jin shot him a wink but didn’t explain, simply swinging his leg as he waited.

Before long, a row of brightly dressed young women stood beside the table, each one calling “Young Master” in sweet voices that made Lin Jin’s scalp tingle.

He glanced over them and suddenly frowned dramatically.