Chapter 6: Conditions

"Worthy brother, you just said that the courtesan of Luoyang, Miss Yin Ruiji, possesses excellent martial arts skills?"

That's right!

Yuan Zhen nodded and said, "Many people in Luoyang know about this. Brother Shao'ai, just a few days ago you said that if you also knew martial arts, you could have a common topic with Miss Yin Ruiji, and perhaps even win her heart. How come you've forgotten about it today?"

Wang Bo said, "I have indeed been rather busy these past few days and forgot about this matter. I say, my worthy younger brother, tell me about Yin Ruiji's martial arts skills."

Yuan Zhen did not suspect Wang Bo, and instead said, "I don't know the details very well, but I've heard that Miss Yin Ruiji, with a sharp sword in hand, defeated dozens of famous masters in the martial world in succession, and was even called the number one female swordswoman under heaven by the busybodies of the martial world."

"The number one swordswoman in the world?"

Wang Bo was completely thrown. If he remembered correctly, Yin Ruiji should have been a courtesan who couldn't even truss a chicken—utterly useless apart from her beauty and a modicum of talent.

How is it that now, with a sudden change of identity, she has become the number one female swordmaster under heaven?

This isn't the plot!

Wait... Wang Bo suddenly thought of a possibility.

This Yin Ruiji seems quite similar to me.

Wang Bo has replaced Wang Shao'ai. If he displays his full strength and wins the title of the number one master in the world, there should be no problem at all. After all, in the world of Di Renjie, the level of martial prowess is not high.

Could it be that Yin Ruiji has also been replaced by someone else.

Or perhaps, Yin Ruiji is also a host.

Wang Bo fell silent for a moment, calling upon the cheat artifact in his mind, wanting to ask whether there were other hosts in this world besides himself.

Impossible!

The cheat artifact quickly responded.

"Don't worry, Host. In this world, there are no other hosts besides you. You can act boldly and without fear. But why would you ask that, Host? Could it be that you already have a lead? Host, you're awesome (voice cracking)."

Wang Bo was already too lazy to bother with this joker. "You may withdraw now."

【Hey, Host, when you find the transmigrator, be sure to call for me】

Wang Bo chuckled coldly. Since he had already decided to live well in this world, he would not actively seek out transmigrators. Even if he knew that Yin Ruiji had issues, so what?

Did it have anything to do with oneself?

Wang Bo gently shook his head. Of course not.

After a short while, the pimp returned and said in a low voice, "Young Master Yuan, Miss Yushu was not receiving guests today, but when she heard it was you, she made an exception. She invites you to the private chamber in the back; she has been waiting there for some time."

A trace of a smile involuntarily surfaced on Yuan Zhen's face. He stood up, showed a hint of apology to Wang Bo, cupped his hands, and said, "Brother Shao'ai, this... I take my leave."

Wang Bo waved his hand dismissively. “Go on, don’t keep the fair lady waiting.”

Yuanzhen said with a beaming smile, “Many thanks for your understanding, Brother Shao’ai.”

After the pimp saw Yuan Zhen off, he returned and asked with a smile, "Young Master Wang, I wonder if you have made your choice—which young lady would you like to invite to drink with you?"

Wang Bo thought for a moment and said, “Find me someone gentle.”

The pimp said, “Young Master Wang, I don’t mean to boast, but the girls of my Jade Rinse Pavilion are each and every one gentle and lovely, considerate and understanding…”

Wang Bo didn't want to hear any more chatter and cut him off directly: "Then find me a girl who is gentle, pretty, has a good figure, is eloquent, and can sing and dance. I wonder if your Shuyu Pavilion has such a girl."

The pimp thought for a moment and said, "Very well, please wait a moment, Young Master Wang. The young lady will be here shortly."

After the pimp left, about fifteen minutes passed.

A woman with a high chignon, bare chest, and a red silk shawl draped over her shoulders, wearing a yellow narrow-sleeved short jacket, a green floor-length skirt, and a red waistband hanging at her waist, carrying a pot of wine, slowly walked over.

She knelt and sat at Wang Bo's side, set down the wine pot, and said softly, "This humble maiden, Hanyue, greets Master Wang."

Little maiden?

Wang Bo couldn't help but be taken aback. He remembered that in ancient pleasure quarters, women who called themselves 'little woman' were all those who sold their art but not their bodies.

And those who call themselves nujia are traditional prostitutes.

Wang Bo hadn't expected the pimp to bring him a woman who sells her art, not her body.

Logically, shouldn't it be more appropriate at this moment to find a woman who calls herself nüjia?

If it were Wang Shao'ai, he would probably be furious by now.

But Wang Bo didn't mind.

“Your name is Hanyue? A lovely name.”

"Young Master Wang flatters me," Hanyue said with a light laugh. Her beautiful eyes, large and bright, carried a hint of alluring charm, and her voice, soft and gentle, was yet very pleasant to the ear.

Hanyue lifted the wine pot, poured a cup for Wang Bo, raised it, and presented it to him. "Young Master Wang, this is a fine wine carefully brewed by our Shuyu Pavilion. Though it cannot compare to the wine from your Tai'an Tavern, it is still a rare delicacy. Why not give it a taste?"

Wang Bo took the wine cup, set it down on the table, and shook his head.

Hanyue looked astonished and said, "What do you mean by this, Master Wang? Could it be that you look down upon this cup of wine?"

Wang Bo nodded and said, "That's right, I'm really not too satisfied with the wine here."

Whether it was the fine wine of Shuyu Pavilion or the fine wine of Tai'an Tavern, Wang Bo was not satisfied with either.

After all, the wine of the Tang Dynasty was still just a pot of murky wine.

The fine liquor produced by distillation did not appear until the Yuan dynasty; the fine liquor of this time, more or less, all had some residue, which greatly affected the taste.

So Wang Bo truly looked down upon the fine wines of this era.

Even if this world is not an orthodox historical world but a martial arts world, the brewing techniques here have not yet leaped to the level of distillation.

So the fine wine here was still unfiltered. The color in the cup alone turned Wang Bo's stomach.

Besides, Wang Bo himself was not too fond of drinking; he was the legendary type who would collapse after a single cup.

Hanyue said softly, “The fine wine of Tai’an Tavern is renowned throughout Luoyang. I imagine you, Young Master Wang, are so accustomed to such fine wine that you would naturally disdain this ordinary brew.”

Wang Bo did not argue, and asked, "Besides wine, is there anything else to drink here?"

Hanyue couldn't help but laugh. 'Young Master Wang jests. At Shuyu Pavilion, apart from wine, there are only girls. If you won't drink wine, then what do you wish to consume? Could it be the girls?'

Wang Bo nodded and said, "That was my original thought, but who would have guessed—the pimp actually found me a young girl."

Hanyue was not angered; her gaze was alluring, like a pool of spring water. “Who can blame them, when Young Master Wang’s requirements are so exacting? Not only must she have a fine figure and eloquence, but she must also be able to sing and dance, be gentle and charming, and be understanding. Counting through the entire Shuyu Pavilion, there are only a handful who could meet such conditions.”