Chapter 47 He Might Be in Love
Although Nanling Yaohua still has many things she cannot understand about the world outside Jade Gate Desert,
for example, why “drink more hot water” is so versatile…
However, she has heard a bit about what a strip club is like.
It’s a place with indecent performances, where only indecent people would go.
Although she knows that Luxianbei went there to retrieve Zhipianxian and that it’s not because Luxianbei is indecent, the key question is, when they arrive, should she go in with Luxianbei or wait outside for him?
If she goes in and sees something she shouldn’t, what should she do?
If she waits outside and Luxianbei goes in alone, what if he can’t resist temptation?
After thinking it over, the simplest solution is to not let Luxianbei enter [Angel Rose].
It isn’t necessary to go inside to catch Zhipianxian.
Wouldn’t it be fine to wait outside until Zhipianxian comes out by himself?
However, soon Nanling Yaohua realized that her worries were somewhat unnecessary.
Because there was no need for her to stop him; [Angel Rose] didn’t even require Miss “Lan Yi” to enter.
————.
At [Angel Rose] theater, with a colorful neon sign hanging outside, two muscular men dressed in black suits, resembling iron towers, crossed their arms in front of Luxianbei, blocking him outside the door.
“Good day, ma’am. Do you have proof of a reservation?”
“Uh, no.”
“I’m sorry, but today is a special event on Friday and is not open to female customers.” One of the muscular men explained in a somewhat mechanical tone.
“That’s not… ” Luxianbei tilted his head, looking at the two indifferent muscular men, then peered over their crossed arms to the tightly shut soundproof curtain behind them, placing her hands on her hips, “How dare you assume my gender?”
“Am I not allowed to look stunningly beautiful as a woman, but identify as male, have a female preference, be a hard-core vegetarian, suffer from severe depression and autism, and be diagnosed with an intolerance to striptease, only feeling pleasure when watching a strip show?”
Once those words came out, the corners of Nanling Yaohua’s mouth and the two muscular men’s mouths twitched in unison.
However, a few seconds later, one of the muscular men adjusted his mindset and turned to point at the advertisement board behind him.
“I’m very sorry, but please don’t do something that would make us all uncomfortable.”
Though it was called an advertisement board, the densely packed text resembled more of a disclaimer. The general idea was to respect everyone, recognizing that everyone’s choices are their freedom, but for the good experience of other customers, it is also the theater’s freedom to refuse certain specific customers at particular times.
“…”
After reading the contents of the advertisement board, Luxianbei was momentarily speechless.
She didn’t expect that even with her buffs almost maxed out, they would be completely ineffective at [Angel Rose].
She was just relieved that at a critical moment, her body underwent a transformation, evaded the trademark monstrosity’s prying eyes, and now it had suddenly become such an inconvenience.
What should she do now? She couldn’t just barge in, right?
As soon as she arrived near [Angel Rose], Luxianbei had used her spiritual sense to detect that the entire building was emitting faint yet vast spiritual energy fluctuations, clearly set up with a large number of defensive solidified spell formulas.
In fact, this was only to be expected.
A strip club with Mafia gang members, Siye Association operatives, suspected members of the Solar Eclipse Society, as well as various spiritual ability users and urban legends from Free City, would be suspicious if it didn’t have enough defensive solidified spell formulas.
In such a situation, not to mention barging in would potentially trigger those solidified spell formulas, possibly alerting Zhipianxian, allowing that wayward fellow to get wind of it and slip away early. Triggering a disturbance and drawing attention from the ever-present strange trademark would also be troublesome.
Luxianbei secretly thought, retreating from in front of [Angel Rose] to the street, her eyes stealthily scanning around as she lurked along the deserted street.
Watching Luxianbei struggle, Nanling Yaohua felt secretly pleased and raised her little notebook.
[If it really doesn’t work, then let’s just wait outside? Once that guy comes out, we can grab him.]
“While waiting for him to come out is an option, our situation in Free City isn’t very optimistic. It would be best to find him early and leave this hellish place…”
Luxianbei said, pausing slightly, “Moreover, I’m still a bit curious about what exactly is inside [Angel Rose] that can attract so many people.”
Nanling Yaohua, “…” What could it be? Just those, those things that, just thinking about them, make people blush?
Luxianbei’s gaze continued to wander on the street.
Before long, her attention was drawn to a scene at the entrance of a dim alley around the corner.
Three boys, appearing to be about seventeen or eighteen, like high school students, stealthily approached a black man leaning against the wall at the alley entrance, who was holding a cigarette, and the leading boy in a red hoodie glanced around and pulled out a small roll of cash, which he handed to the black man.
From the amount and thickness of the cash, it looked like it exceeded five hundred US dollars.
For three high school students, this was definitely a large sum of money.
After receiving the cash, the boy in the red hoodie instinctively licked his lips, a strange desire flickering in his eyes.
What’s going on? Is it a common occurrence for minors to buy prohibited substances from street peddlers in Free City? Luxianbei tilted her head.
Just as she pondered this, the black man counted the cash but did not pull out a small sealed bag as she had imagined; instead, he revealed a knowing, meaningful smile and beckoned the boys, leading them deeper into the dark alley.
Seeing this, Luxianbei contemplated for two seconds and her eyes lit up.
“Xiao Hua, I think I’ve found a way to sneak into [Angel Rose]!”
Without waiting for Nanling Yaohua to raise her little notebook, Luxianbei quickly followed after the black man.
After the three boys completed their “transaction” with the black man, the smile on his face was all too familiar to her.
Thinking about it, wasn’t that the same smile the older students had when she “bribed” them as a child to guide her to the hidden internet café in the residential building?
Although the “transaction” was slightly different, the smile shared a sense of camaraderie, guiding the novice and allowing them to experience the places that only adults could step into.
————.
At the same time Luxianbei was trying to blend into [Angel Rose], Vivienne, who had arrived ahead of her, had already locked onto her target and found “Yu Yinchuan.”
However, she didn’t approach him immediately but instead frowned at Yu Yinchuan, who seemed somewhat off.
The [Angel Rose] theater was divided into four levels: three floors above ground and one basement level.
The first floor was the bustling night performance stage, the second floor consisted of private rooms for customers with special needs, and the third floor was where the dancers rested and prepared, as well as a special area for the owner, Nimo, to receive important guests.
As for the underground level, Vivienne only knew of a private elevator that went straight from the third floor down and was heavily guarded; she wasn’t quite sure what it was for.
At this moment, Yu Yinchuan was sitting at the front VIP booth on the first floor, surrounded by Mafia gang members, with the stage and the scantily-clad dancers almost within arm’s reach.
Colorful lights spun rapidly, slicing through the world in all directions.
Accompanied by adrenaline-pumping music, the dancers on stage, unconcerned about their seductive bodies being exposed or perhaps purposefully displaying themselves, constantly twisted their waists, teasingly removing garments decorated with luxurious feathers, gradually revealing bare skin that was either white or glistening black.
The audience, including numerous Mafia members, danced along with the rhythm of the dancers, wriggling excitedly like giant earthworms, occasionally taking out special tickets purchased with cash and waving them in their hands.
As the dancers were drawn closer, they would seize the moment when they could stuff tickets into the gaps on the dancers’ chests or the straps so thin that only a line remained, to grope the tantalizing areas they had longed to touch.
The scene seemed quite seductive but also left an indescribable feeling… as if they were at a zoo, attracting little animals with grass to take advantage of them while they grazed.
However, the joys and sorrows of humanity are not shared. The pleasure was all theirs, seemingly unrelated to “Yu Yinchuan.”
He merely sat dazed at the front VIP booth, chin resting on his hands, staring blankly at the half-full champagne glass on the table, lost in thought as if pondering life.
Vivienne, “…”
What on earth is he doing here?
Nimo had mentioned he used to be generous and enjoy himself, hadn’t he?
Now he’s…
At first, Vivienne thought maybe “Yu Yinchuan” was playing too much and had some issues in that regard. Then she wondered if he was being coerced by the Mafia members, being made to watch but not touch, as a form of torture. Ultimately, she felt the Mafia didn’t seem to be that twisted.
So, only confusion remained in her heart.
————.
Vivienne’s guesses were all wrong.
Zhipianxian had no issues in that regard and was under no coercion.
When he first arrived, Bu Qi had instructed him to have fun and play freely, to just say the word if he had an interest in a dancer and they would arrange it immediately…
He just found it all very dull and even a bit nauseating, with the air filled with the scent of hormones and a physiological desire that contradicted his own powers, completely devoid of the pure emotions he sought.
Indeed, Zhipianxian initially thought this way until a blonde, blue-eyed dancer dressed as a bunny girl and stunningly beautiful stepped onto the stage, breaking into his view.
The moment he noticed that dancer, she seemed to also recognize him, who was out of place amidst the noisy crowd.
Their eyes met, and the dancer’s lips curled into a faint, somewhat shy smile.
In that instant, the roaring music suddenly “stopped,” leaving only the thunderous sound of his heartbeat in his ears; Zhipianxian felt as if he had seen a light…
He felt that he might be in love.
