Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 263, Section 262: A World of Flowers
How to do?
Staring at the tightly closed gate, Feng Xiuhu was dumbfounded.

Break in?

That doesn't seem appropriate. He's here to ask for help, not to cause trouble—besides, even if he barges in, it's uncertain whether the Empress will even be there. He might end up offending her instead of finding her.

Go to Fengyu Street?

Having made up his mind, Feng Xiuhu turned to leave.

"What are you going for?"

Shi called out to him.

Feng Xiuhu replied, "To the Empress's house."

Shi quickly stopped him: "Don't go anywhere! Just stay here."

Feng Xiuhu was skeptical: "Waiting for misfortune to come knocking on our door?"

Shi explained, "The purpose of that silver coin is to help you avoid bad luck; it has already told you what to do."

Feng Xiuhu was still skeptical: "It can't talk, so when did it tell me?"

Shi countered, "Think carefully, what were you holding in your hand when you tossed the silver coins?"

Feng Xiuhu's eyes lit up—it was a VIP card.

Seeing that Feng Xiuhu was persuaded, Shi added, "Trust in the guidance of good fortune; doing more will only lead to more mistakes."

Feng Xiuhu seemed to realize something: "Is this why the goddess of good fortune inevitably becomes a puppet of the power of good fortune in the end—that's what they all think?"

Shi chuckled softly: "There are many things that we can't choose... even gods can't."

Feng Xiuhu looked around. The streets were bustling with people, just like any other day. Everything seemed normal.

"So, as long as I stay here, the bad luck won't come?"

Erosion poured cold water on the idea: "The moment the rune of misfortune appears, misfortune is unavoidable, but good fortune will guide you to resolve it."

Feng Xiuhu raised the brim of his hat and looked at the teahouse across the street: "Then let's wait. I'm getting a little curious."

……

As night falls and the bright moon hangs high, the streets of the Upper City quietly transform.

In a private room on the second floor of the teahouse, Feng Xiuhu finished his cultivation, slowly opened his eyes, and looked out the window.

A light rain began to fall from the sky, adding a touch of hazy charm to the bustling streets.

The neon lights meandered through the night, forming the four large characters "风情雨韵" (Feng Qing Yu Yun, meaning "Charm and Charm in the Rain"), each stroke flowing with a honey-red hue, as if about to drip onto the asphalt road.

The gilded pillars in front of the nightclub gleamed luxuriously under the deliberately dimmed wall lights. The deep red carpet on the steps, though worn with countless shoes and high heels, stubbornly maintained its dignity.

The glass revolving door slowly rotated, drawing in groups of elegantly dressed people into the warm interior. The doormen wore white gloves and had gold-plated badges pinned to their uniform collars. Every time they bent over, you could hear the soft rustling of their starched clothes.

Occasionally, a car would stop in front of the gate, its tires rolling over the wet ground, splashing up tiny water droplets that would elicit gasps from the ladies in their mink coats.

A few cigarette vendors were squatting on a street corner not far away. They hunched their necks, but their eyes were always fixed on the cigarette butts that had fallen at the entrance of the nightclub.

The alley leading to the back door was piled with empty wine crates. Two cooks squatted on the steps smoking, and the pipes above their heads kept emitting kitchen fumes, the rising steam drifting into the rain.

At the alley entrance, wealthy ladies, chatting and laughing together, walked up the stone steps toward the carriage parked by the roadside, their high heels shattering the reflections of the neon lights on the ground.

As far as the eye could see and the ear could hear, Feng Xiuhu seemed to feel that the world had gained a touch of indescribable "brilliance".

"You're about to break through..." Shi said in a low voice, "This physical body is perfectly compatible with the rules, and its growth rate is also very fast. You need to work harder on your cultivation."

Feng Xiuhu put on his hat: "Let's resolve this matter first."

After paying the bill, Feng Xiuhu crossed the street and arrived at the entrance of the nightclub.

The doorman bowed and greeted Feng Xiuhu with a smile, then ushered him through the revolving door.

Upon entering the magnificent front hall, Feng Xiuhu unfortunately had no time to look around. He remained vigilant and followed the crowd further in until he pushed open the second carved wooden door, where a wave of sound rushed towards him like warm bathwater.

This is the dance hall.

The hall has a double-height ceiling, with a crystal chandelier hanging in the center. Thousands of prisms refract the light into a champagne-colored rain.

Laughter and cheerful voices filled the dance floor.

The men's suits fluttered with their dance steps, like a flock of restless swallowtail butterflies; the women wore cheongsams with slits that reached almost to their thighs, pearl necklaces swaying at their collarbones, each turn creating a gust of air mixed with perfume and cosmetics.

Feng Xiuhu stood motionless at the door, his aimless glances catching everyone's eye.

A waiter approached and politely asked, "Sir, do you need any assistance? If you made a reservation, I can take you there."

"Not decided yet."

Feng Xiuhu muttered something and pulled out a VIP card from his pocket: "But I have this."

The waiter looked closely and his expression immediately became serious: "Please wait a moment."

After saying that, he turned and quickly left.

A short while later, a man in a suit who looked like a supervisor jogged over, led by a waiter.

Upon arriving, he greeted Feng Xiuhu with a warm smile: "Hello, distinguished guest, please follow me."

Since Feng Xiuhu had no clue what to do, he simply followed the foreman inside.

The head waiter led the way and casually struck up a conversation: "You look unfamiliar, esteemed guest. This must be your first time here. My surname is Wang, and my given name is Boyu. I am the head manager of Fengqing Yuyun. You can just call me Xiao Wang."

Feng Xiuhu nodded, and he was quite blunt: "Xiao Wang, I've noticed that your nightclub doesn't seem to care enough about security. There's no security check at the entrance, and they let just anyone in. What if someone causes trouble?"

Wang Boyu's smile froze. This official tone was just too perfect. He forced a smile and said, "You flatter me, esteemed guest. We have lookouts outside and security guards patrolling inside, so safety is definitely not a problem. To put it bluntly, unless someone has a death wish, who would dare to cause trouble at our house?"

He blinked and then asked the question that had been bothering him: "Honorable guest, may I ask your question?"

Feng Xiuhu nodded and said, "Feng Xiuhu."

Upon hearing those three words, Wang Boyu's hand trembled slightly inside his sleeve—he had spoken too soon, letting in the person most likely to cause trouble.

But they couldn't refuse. Wang Boyu had only heard of that VIP card from the big boss, but had never even seen it. They had to treat it with utmost care.

Feng Xiuhu turned to him and asked, "Why are you shaking?"

Wang Boyu's heart pounded—how could Feng Xiuhu see clearly in such dim lighting? What kind of eyesight is that!
Fortunately, he reacted quickly, replying with a smile, "It's raining tonight, and the weather turned cold suddenly. I haven't had time to put on more clothes yet—I'll serve Mr. Feng a cup of hot tea later to warm him up."

During the conversation, Wang Boyu led Feng Xiuhu to the location.

This is a row of individual sofas closest to the stage. There are only three such seats in total, but they are all empty right now—even though there are quite a few guests in the hall, it seems that no one is qualified to sit here.

Wang Boyu bowed respectfully to Feng Xiuhu: "Please have a seat, Master Feng. Let me make the arrangements for you."

(End of this chapter)