Longevity Martial Arts: Obtain Golden Affixes at the Start

Walking along the road, Hong Lang asked Jin Niang, "What's the most unique place in Yingtian City?"

She thought for a moment and replied, "There will be a lantern festival soon, where the most beautiful courtesans from all the brothels will make an appearance. It will be incredibly lively. I heard that the governor will also make an appearance this year."

Hong Lang's heart stirred slightly. The highest-ranking person he had ever met was Mo Wentian. He had come here to broaden his horizons, and now that he had the opportunity to see the governor, he naturally couldn't miss it.

Hong Lang nodded: "Okay, let's take a look."

The two hadn't gone far when three yamen runners approached them, the leader being a thin, old man.

He spotted Jinniang and stopped in his tracks: "Oh, isn't this Jinniang? It's time to pay your monthly fees in a few days. Have you prepared the money?"

Jinniang's expression changed slightly, and she quickly lowered her head: "Master Liu, I will definitely collect them all..."

The old man chuckled, his gaze darting down her neckline: "If you serve me all night and make me comfortable, I'll cover your pay for this month, how about it?"

Jinniang's cheeks flushed red, but she dared not utter a single word of rebuttal.

A bailiff behind the old man said with a smirk, "Master Liu, why are you focusing on this one? There are plenty of teenage girls in the city, why bother with a middle-aged woman?"

The old man glanced at him sideways and sneered, "What do you know? I'm only interested in young and beautiful women. When I was young, I wanted to marry her, but she pretended to be high and mighty and rejected me more than ten times! Now that she's on my turf, I won't be able to vent my anger without having my way with her a few times!"

He lowered his voice, revealing an even more lewd smile: "Then the three of us will go at her together and give her a good time!"

Upon hearing this, the two henchmen exchanged a glance and chuckled.

Hong Lang remained silent, his purple robe fluttering slightly in the night breeze.

He kicked out suddenly, a kick that was both fast and powerful.

When the sole of the foot landed on the old man's chest, it made a dull cracking sound.

The old man didn't even have time to scream before he was sent flying backward, crashing into the alley wall, bouncing back, and slumping limply to the ground, already dead.

The remaining two constables were stunned. Just as their hands touched the hilts of their swords, Hong Lang had already closed in.

He kicked each of them in the chest with one foot on each side.

The sound of bones breaking rang out almost simultaneously, and the two bodies flew to the sides, already lifeless when they landed.

It took no more than two breaths.

Jinniang froze on the spot. Who exactly was this young master who dared to kill government officials in the city?

Hong Lang remained calm, as if he had just stepped on three ants. He took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and poured a few drops of liquid onto each corpse.

laugh!

White smoke rose, and the corpse melted at a visible speed, like a snowball thrown into boiling oil.

Clothes, flesh, and bones dissolved layer by layer, until even the bloodstains evaporated completely, leaving only a shallow puddle of water on the ground, which dried with a gust of wind.

The Corpse Dissolving Water, produced by the system, costs twenty martial arts points per bottle. He always carried it with him, and today was the first time he put it to use.

Jinniang's pupils contracted slightly as she watched the three puddles of water disappear rapidly.

These were the governor's men; killing three of them at once—if this were to be exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Seeing her like this, Hong Lang said indifferently, "It's nothing serious. It's just killing three small fry. Heaven, earth, you, and I know about it."

That's pretty clear. As long as you don't betray me, no one will know that I was the one who did it.

Having survived so many years of hardship, Jinniang instantly understood Honglang's meaning and shook her head repeatedly: "After we finished our meal, we returned to the inn, and nothing happened."

Back at the inn, the staff of Tianxianglou had already prepared hot water and lit a burner of agarwood in each of the two top-class rooms.

This was the first time Jinniang had ever stayed in such a fine house. There was a gold-woven carpet under her feet, the bed curtains were made of fine brocade, and fresh fruits and vegetables were laid out on the table.

She stood in the middle of the room, somewhat at a loss, afraid of breaking something.

After a while, she gently sat on the edge of the bed, reached out and touched the brocade quilt, and sighed softly, "It's so good to be rich."

……

Three days later, at dusk.

The entire city of Yingtian was in an uproar.

Before it was completely dark, both sides of the long street were already covered with lanterns.

Hong Lang changed into a clean purple robe, and Jin Niang also changed her clothes today, buttoning her collar tightly.

"Young master, you've come at just the right time," Jinniang said, pointing ahead. "The main venue for the Lantern Festival is on both banks of the Yong'an River. This year, the governor has specially ordered the river to be widened by several feet, saying that it will be the grandest Lantern Festival in Jinzhou in the past ten years."

Hong Lang looked up and saw crowds of people thronging both banks of the Yong'an River.

Dozens of flower boats floated on the river, each decorated like a celestial palace, with gauze curtains fluttering and lights shining brightly.

At the bow of the boat stood courtesans from various brothels, each heavily made up and adorned with jewels, casting flirtatious glances and scattering flower petals at the crowd on the shore.

Cheers erupted from the crowd from time to time, with some shouting the courtesan's name and others throwing silver ingots onto the boat.

Jinniang pointed to the largest pleasure boat and said, "That's the pleasure boat of Dafeng Tower. This year's top courtesan is called Gao Yun'er. It is said that she is so beautiful that she can melt a man's bones with just one pipa tune."

Hong Lang looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a woman in red standing at the bow of the ship, her hair piled high and her face covered with a thin veil.

She held a pipa in her arms, and with her slender fingers, she plucked the strings, producing a melodious tune that could be clearly heard amidst the noise.

"The Yong'an River is ablaze with lights, painted boats stretch for miles, beaded curtains are half-rolled up and jade hooks hang idly, and where the sound of the pipa fades, people are amidst colorful clouds."

A red sleeve lightly gathers, fragrance fills the road; a glance back, a smile worth a thousand coins; whose young man tosses a golden whip? The spring breeze, oblivious to my feelings, blows my dreams to the boat's edge.

The people on the shore listened with rapt attention, and the noise subsided somewhat.

"There is indeed some trick to it." Hong Lang nodded slightly.

The sound of the pipa carried a faint, strange fluctuation, not strong, but enough to disturb the mind of ordinary people, drawing them in involuntarily.

Hong Lang possessed the attribute "invulnerable to evil spirits" and was completely unaffected, but those nearby who lacked strong will were already bewitched and lost their minds.

This Gao Yun'er is probably more than just a courtesan.

Flower boats sailed by one after another, each with a different design.

Some danced with swords, some sang songs, and some set up a swing at the bow of the boat, letting the courtesan swing in mid-air, her skirt fluttering and revealing her snow-white thighs, causing a chorus of howls from the shore.

Hong Lang watched for a while, then found it boring.

These things are nothing more than a different kind of sensual pleasures, far removed from what he truly desired.

He transmigrated to this martial arts world, his heart filled with a higher realm of martial arts, and what he cared about was the view from the mountaintop.

Jinniang, observing his expression, noticed his lack of interest and whispered, "Young master, don't be impatient. The governor hasn't shown up yet. According to past practice, after the courtesan parades on the river, the governor will personally come to Yong'an Bridge to give his name to this year's lantern festival."