Chapter 2495: That Girl Is Meant To Be With You

"Did you drink all that by yourself?" Lu Ye looked coldly at Fugui.

San Niang covered her mouth and giggled. "It wasn't just one person drinking..."

Lu Ye immediately understood that Fugui had been indulging in "flower wine," meaning he had patronized a brothel. There was nothing more to say. Lu Ye promptly counted out enough Dao Fish, placed them in a storage ring, and handed it to San Niang. Luckily, he had kept some Dao Fish in reserve, or he would have been in trouble at that moment.

"Can we leave now?" Lu Ye looked at San Niang.

San Niang smiled and said, "Guest, you exaggerate. As I said earlier, our establishment is open for business. As long as you have enough Dao Fish, you can do anything you wish. Now that payment has been made, whether you stay or leave is entirely up to you."

Lu Ye nodded and started to walk out. After a few steps, he turned back to Fugui. "What are you still standing there for?"

Fugui rubbed his hands, his face flushed, looking hesitant and as if he had something difficult to say.

"Just say what you want to say!" Lu Ye frowned, a little impatient. This guy was so troublesome; Lu Ye was starting to regret bringing him back.

"Brother, over here," Fugui quickly stepped forward, tugged at Lu Ye's sleeve, and led him aside, whispering a few words.

"What?" Lu Ye exclaimed. "You want to buy someone's freedom? Who?" He was truly baffled by Fugui.

Fugui's face reddened even more as he lowered his head. "It's the young lady who accompanied me drinking a few days ago."

Lu Ye looked him up and down, thinking this guy was truly out of his mind. He wanted to ask Fugui if he even knew what kind of place this was. What good could come from a woman in a brothel? Even if he was smitten, he could always come back and spend money if he had it later. Why would he want to buy her freedom? Clearly, he had lived in isolation for too long and had a pure heart.

Of course, Lu Ye wouldn't agree to such an absurd request. He decisively shook his head. "Forget it. It's easy to get into places like this but hard to get out. You probably can't buy her freedom. Just come back with me first."

San Niang, standing nearby, covered her mouth and giggled. "Guest, you're mistaken. At the Golden Pistil Pavilion, as long as you have enough Dao Fish, you can do anything. If a patron values a lady enough to buy her freedom, it's an honor for the girls. We welcome it; in fact, we can't wait!"

Lu Ye turned and gave her a look that clearly said, "Keep quiet!"

Fugui, however, seemed encouraged. His eyes lit up, and he looked at Lu Ye with an expectant expression.

"I don't have enough money!" Lu Ye said irritably. He didn't know who Fugui had set his sights on, but the price to buy someone's freedom in a place like this wouldn't be cheap. It would certainly be much more expensive than buying a slave. Yu Fen had purchased several slaves before, so Lu Ye had some idea of the costs involved.

If it had been a few days ago, when he had just received his share of profits from the gladiatorial arena, he would definitely have had the means to buy someone. But now, he truly didn't. Moreover, Lu Ye had no desire to do so.

"Let's go," Lu Ye urged.

Fugui grew anxious. He grabbed Lu Ye's sleeve, about to plead, but seeing Lu Ye's sharp gaze, he stopped short. Then, an idea sparked in his mind. "Brother, that young lady is fated to be with you!"

"What?" Lu Ye frowned. This guy comes here to drink flower wine, and now she's fated to be with *him*? He hadn't even met her!

He quickly realized that Fugui must be talking nonsense and his face instantly hardened. "How do you know she's fated to be with me? Don't tell me you specifically performed a divination!" If Fugui dared to say yes, Lu Ye would leave immediately and absolutely not take him back to Yu Fen City. Fugui had clearly stated earlier that he couldn't perform divinations for a while.

"Of course not," Fugui said, his mind racing with thoughts. His anxious tone slowly steadied. "Brother, you know our clan has a special talent. Sometimes, certain things don't require explicit divination. Why do you think I came straight here upon entering this world and didn't go anywhere else?"

"Why?" Lu Ye frowned.

"A sudden impulse!" Fugui's expression turned serious. "But this impulse wasn't a whim; it was a guide from destiny. Before coming in, I didn't know what I'd encounter, but now I understand: there are some karmic ties here for you, Brother!"

Lu Ye stared at him, unsure for a moment whether he was telling the truth or not.

"Brother, trust me just this once!" Fugui pleaded earnestly. "That young lady is absolutely vital to you, Brother. You must buy her freedom!" Shame filled his heart. This was his first time deceiving anyone, and it was Lu Ye no less. But he also rationalized it: from a certain perspective, his brother was his destiny, and if that young lady was important to him, then she was important to his brother too. So, it wasn't really a lie. Thinking this way, his expression became much more natural.

His words left Lu Ye undecided. He had already witnessed Fugui's abilities. During the last struggle for the treasure, he hadn't fully believed Fugui's divination at first, but everything had come true in the end. So this time, he really didn't dare disbelieve him.

After a moment of hesitation, Lu Ye finally looked at San Niang. "Bring the person over so I can see her."

San Niang smiled and nodded. "Alright!" Saying this, she took out a sound talisman and sent a message.

A short while later, in a pavilion next to the rock garden in the courtyard, Lu Ye and San Niang sat opposite each other. San Niang brewed fragrant tea, while Fugui stood behind Lu Ye like an attendant. After another wait, a figure walked in from outside. Lu Ye looked up and saw a face as beautiful as a flower, with a cool expression, fair skin, and a graceful figure. Dressed in blue, her skin appeared even whiter, like snow. She could be considered a rare beauty, but there seemed to be nothing particularly special about her. If there was anything special to note, it was that she appeared to be human.

In the Star Abyss, many races initially appeared similar to humans, but most of them had some distinct physical characteristics, making it easy to differentiate them from actual humans. However, there was one race, the Chi Clan, which was virtually indistinguishable from humans because, at its root, the Chi Clan originated from humanity. It was merely at a certain point in history that the Chi Clan split off from the human race to form a new one.

"San Niang!" The woman approached San Niang and bowed gracefully.

San Niang nodded slightly, took the woman's hand, and said gently, "I called you over because a patron wishes to buy your freedom, so I need to ask for your consent."

The woman kept her head down, showing no emotion, her tone as calm as still water. "San Niang, you may decide."

"My silly girl," San Niang chuckled. "This is your own affair. How can I decide for you? If you wish to leave, then agree to this. If not, the Golden Pistil Pavilion will always be your home. Your stay or departure rests entirely on your own will."

The woman remained silent, pondering. She wasn't in a hurry, but Fugui was. He quickly said, "Huan Qing, come with me. This isn't a place for you to stay permanently."

The woman still said nothing, not even lifting her head. Lu Ye observed from the side, easily realizing that Fugui had fallen for her, which explained his eagerness. But he couldn't understand why. The woman appeared so aloof; what could Fugui possibly see in her? This was clearly a one-sided infatuation. And what karmic ties could such a woman have with him? If these words hadn't come from Fugui, he would never have believed them.

"Have you forgotten what I told you earlier?" Fugui spoke again.

Huan Qing kept her head down, her voice softly reaching them. "I did not heed the guest's words."

Fugui was instantly thunderstruck, his face turning pale! Lu Ye couldn't bear to watch. He felt this guy was both pathetic and pitiful, having just emerged from the diviner clan's territory only to face a romantic tribulation, and with a woman from a brothel at that.

"If I want to buy her freedom, her consent doesn't matter, does it? San Niang, didn't you just say that anything is possible in the Golden Pistil Pavilion as long as there are enough Dao Fish?" Lu Ye asked, looking at San Niang.

San Niang nodded. "Naturally."

"Then give me a price," Lu Ye said, not wanting to waste any more time. He still had some Dao Fish, though probably not enough. But he could borrow some from Guan Mao at the gladiatorial arena and repay him later.

San Niang then quoted a price.

Lu Ye narrowed his eyes. "You can't just make up prices."

San Niang chuckled. "The Golden Pistil Pavilion has always conducted business fairly and honestly, without deceiving anyone. If the guest doesn't believe me, you can ask around and you'll find my price is quite reasonable."

"But I've bought several slaves before," Lu Ye said, "each of them skilled, and their prices were vastly different from this."

"The guest also said they were slaves," San Niang replied, "and they are different from the ladies of the Golden Pistil Pavilion."

"But it shouldn't be *that* different, should it?" Just one Huan Qing was enough to buy dozens of slaves that Yu Fen had purchased. Lu Ye absolutely did not believe San Niang wasn't quoting an exorbitant price.

San Niang thought for a moment and asked, "The slaves you bought before were at the Fusion Dao realm, right?"

"That's right."

"Then that's it!" San Niang chuckled lightly, covering her mouth. "Huan Qing, tell the guest your cultivation level."

Huan Qing's face remained calm. "Path Integration!"

Lu Ye froze, turning to look at Fugui. He wanted to ask him, *Why didn't you mention such an important detail earlier?* But he saw Fugui's expression, clearly just as surprised and clueless. This woman named Huan Qing was actually a Path Integration cultivator! This was something Lu Ye had never expected. But on second thought, there were also Path Integration cultivators sold as slaves, so it wasn't surprising to find one here at the Golden Pistil Pavilion. Conflicts were frequent in the Inner Realm, and some unlucky individuals were always getting caught up in them, only to be sold into various places.

If the other party was a Path Integration cultivator, then the price seemed very reasonable. So Lu Ye immediately stood up and called out to Fugui, "Let's go!" Karma or not, if Huan Qing had only been at the Fusion Dao realm, Lu Ye might have been able to buy her freedom. But a Path Integration cultivator? How could he possibly afford that?

He didn't know if Fugui was lucky or unlucky. It was his first time in a brothel, and he'd spent several days drinking flower wine with a Path Integration cultivator.

"Brother!" Fugui called out.

"Shut up!" Lu Ye replied without turning his head. "If you don't want to come, then stay here by yourself!"

Fugui grew desperate. He glanced at Huan Qing, gritted his teeth, and quickly followed Lu Ye. Before leaving, he didn't forget to tell Huan Qing, "Wait for me! I'll definitely buy your freedom!" His words were earnest, making him seem deeply in love. Lu Ye felt a shiver run down his spine.