Chapter 78: Nightmare Cultivator

After dancing six consecutive dances, Li Banfeng had six different dance partners.

Zhou Yujuan, the owner of the Celestial Music Dance Hall, dressed in a deep purple qipao and holding a round fan, stood on the second-floor corridor. Fanning herself with her left hand, her right hand resting on the corridor railing, she gazed down at the dance floor in the hall below. After watching Li Banfeng for a moment, Zhou Yujuan subtly furrowed her brows. This customer didn't seem to understand the rules.

In a dance hall like this, dancing was never the main point; the focus was on choosing a partner. After two or three dances in the main hall and selecting a suitable partner, the next step was to go upstairs or leave, to a more appropriate place for appropriate activities. Li Banfeng only danced and didn't pick anyone, which was quite inappropriate.

Zhou Yujuan called over a woman and whispered, "Tell that man that a dance costs eighty yuan. Have him settle his bill first." Charging eighty yuan for a song that lasted less than three minutes was a way to tell Li Banfeng to leave quickly and stop taking advantage of the place for free.

The woman returned shortly, holding one thousand yuan in cash. "Sister," she reported, "that guest said he's enjoying the dancing here and wants to continue."

Zhou Yujuan's brows furrowed even deeper. The Celestial Music Dance Hall was considered a top-tier establishment in Yaowanggou, but its prices weren't exorbitant. One thousand yuan was enough for Li Banfeng to take two dance partners upstairs for a night. What exactly did he mean by just dancing all this time? Years of experience told her this person was here to cause trouble.

Zhou Yujuan gave another instruction: "Have Old Gu change the tune to 'When Will You Return!'" Old Gu was the operator of the hand-cranked gramophone. Hearing his boss's instruction, Old Gu understood the implication and immediately changed the record.

"Good flowers don't bloom often, good times don't last forever, sorrows pile up on smiling brows, tearful eyes carry the ribbons of longing~"

'When Will You Return' was a song played every night at the Celestial Music Dance Hall. This particular song was special; it served as a closing song. Upon hearing 'When Will You Return,' guests were expected to quickly choose a dance partner, because once the song ended, the dance hall would close.

All the gentlemen present had chosen their dance partners. Li Banfeng's partner tightly clasped his hands and, placing her hand over her heart, she asked tenderly, "Sir, shall we go upstairs?"

Li Banfeng replied with a serious expression, "What would we do upstairs? Isn't dancing here perfectly fine?"

The woman looked at Li Banfeng urgently. "Sir," she said, "after this song, we're closing."

"Why are you closing? I just paid!" Li Banfeng was very displeased.

The dancer whispered, "If you take me upstairs, you won't have to pay extra."

"Who said he doesn't have to pay!" Owner Zhou Yujuan slowly descended the stairs. Despite the woman's quiet voice, Zhou Yujuan had heard her. What sharp ears. She must be a sensory cultivator.

The music abruptly stopped. Zhou Yujuan approached Li Banfeng and said with a smile, "Sir, we're closing. Please come back tomorrow."

Li Banfeng asked, "I just gave you one thousand yuan. Is it appropriate for you to close now?"

Zhou Yujuan feigned surprise. "Sir," she said, "you were dancing with our girls. Shouldn't you pay for that?"

Li Banfeng looked at Zhou Yujuan. "I paid for the dancing. Eighty yuan per dance. I've danced seven dances, so I've only spent half of my one thousand yuan. Are you trying to kick me out already?"

The surrounding guests gradually moved away from the center of the dance floor. They knew that at the Celestial Music Dance Hall, dancing itself didn't cost money. What they paid for were the 'flower money' (tips for dancers) and drinks. They also knew that if the owner came to demand money for dancing, it meant someone was about to cause trouble.

Zhou Yujuan quirked the corner of her mouth and looked at Li Banfeng. "Sir," she said, "eighty yuan is for the dance, but for each song, we also charge an additional hundred for 'grease money.'"

"What 'grease money'?"

"The 'grease' is what you're holding in your hand."

Li Banfeng's hand was gripping the woman's breast. He hadn't intended to hold it there; the woman had guided his hand there earlier. However, the woman no longer showed her previous generous and enthusiastic demeanor. Her face flushed with shame and anger, she pulled away Li Banfeng's hand and angrily exclaimed, "Sir, what are you doing?" She seemed to have been insulted by Li Banfeng. This woman, who had voluntarily danced the last song with Li Banfeng, seemed to have been prepared for this.

Li Banfeng didn't argue. He nodded and said, "I'll pay this hundred yuan in 'grease money.'"

Zhou Yujuan raised an eyebrow, shook her head, and chuckled. "Just one hundred isn't enough. Our seven girls danced seven songs with you. Which one didn't let you 'benefit'? One hundred per girl, adding up to seven hundred yuan. Your one thousand yuan still isn't enough."

Li Banfeng was genuinely surprised. "All seven girls? I 'benefited' from all of them?"

Zhou Yujuan nodded seriously. "They are young women. Even letting you touch their hands counts as a loss for them."

Li Banfeng found this unreasonable. "Is there dancing without touching hands? Do all the guests here pay for that?"

Zhou Yujuan blinked her large eyes and looked at Li Banfeng with a sympathetic expression. "Other guests don't have to pay because the girls are willing. If a girl is willing, you can touch wherever you like. But you? No. The girls find you repulsive. If a girl isn't willing, you'd have to pay even for touching her fingernail!"

Li Banfeng was about to continue arguing with Zhou Yujuan when he suddenly sensed danger approaching. He looked up towards the second-floor corridor. Behind the railing stood a middle-aged man. The man was about 1.6 meters tall, bald with a full beard, dressed in a grey button-up cloth shirt. He held a pair of walnuts, constantly rolling them in his hands. At that moment, he was staring at Li Banfeng.

Many of the guests present recognized this man. Some took their dance partners to spend the night, while others left money for drinks and promptly departed. Such a lean man, yet he possessed such formidable deterrent power. Although Li Banfeng had never met him, he recognized his identity. Because in Li Banfeng's eyes, there wasn't just this one man standing on the second-floor corridor; there were also over a dozen people standing behind him. Fifteen, Li Banfeng counted.

These fifteen individuals were a mix of men and women, dressed in various attires. Their only commonality was the green flame emanating from their bodies. These were the ghostly servants of Nightmare Cultivators. And this lean man was Du Hongxi, the patrol leader of the second branch of the Yaowang Hall, under the Jiangxiang Gang.

With Du Hongxi's arrival, all the other guests departed. Zhou Yujuan's smile also lost its warmth. "For a few scattered coins, I don't want to haggle with you," she said. "Sir, just leave another one thousand yuan, and then you can go."

"Another one thousand yuan?"

Zhou Yujuan nodded. "Do you think I'm asking for too much?"

"Why another thousand? What's the reason for this?" Li Banfeng wanted to hear what other excuses the owner could come up with.

Zhou Yujuan laughed. "You want to talk reason with me? Do you deserve to? Go take a look in the mirror, see what kind of person you are. While I'm still in a good mood, quickly pay up and get out. In the future, keep your eyes open and don't barge into places you don't belong."

Li Banfeng glanced at Du Hongxi again. Behind Du Hongxi, two ghostly servants had passed through the railing and were slowly descending from the second floor. Li Banfeng raised his eyebrows, opened his wallet, took out one thousand in cash, and handed it to Zhou Yujuan. Zhou Yujuan took the banknotes and, with a tender expression, said, "Now get lost!"

Li Banfeng turned and left. Du Hongxi ordered his ghostly servants to follow. Li Banfeng quickly exited the main hall. The two ghostly servants phased directly through the wall and pursued him into the corridor, but they didn't see Li Banfeng. They only saw the open door at the end of the corridor.

He's gone? So fast? After searching for a while, they couldn't find Li Banfeng. The two ghostly servants sniffed around and detected no trace of a living person nearby. It seemed Li Banfeng had truly left.

The two ghostly servants returned to Du Hongxi's side, and Zhou Yujuan also returned to the second-floor corridor. Du Hongxi put his arm around Zhou Yujuan's waist and kissed her cheek. "If you run into ruffians like that again, don't waste your breath arguing with them. Just tell me, and I'll deal with them directly."

Zhou Yujuan pouted playfully. "My lord," she purred, "how could I trouble you with such a small matter?"

Du Hongxi chuckled. "My sweet heart, I'd willingly work myself to death for you."

Zhou Yujuan pursed her lips. "My lord, you said it yourself. You're not allowed to complain about being tired tonight."

The two entered a bedroom on the third floor. The fifteen ghostly servants split into three teams, guarding various corners of the third floor. With these ghostly servants guarding, even if a three-level martial cultivator charged up to the third floor, they wouldn't be able to harm Du Hongxi in the slightest. Du Hongxi didn't need to give them extra commands; they would constantly protect his safety. When battle was required, they were fearless; when it wasn't, they never relaxed their guard for a moment. They were immune to threats and indifferent to temptations. As long as their souls weren't scattered, they would never abandon their posts.

But tonight was an exception.

At 3:00 AM, a song suddenly started playing from the gramophone in the main hall on the first floor:

"I have a love story,who shall I tell it to?My confidant has left,and once he went, there's been no news~"

The ghostly servants all craned their heads, looking towards the first floor. This was the most beautiful song they had ever heard. They strained to listen, but the gramophone's sound was a bit faint. Two ghostly servants couldn't resist. They phased through the railing and left the third floor, flying down to the gramophone. The other ghostly servants hesitated for a moment, then followed. They all gathered around the gramophone, listening silently to the song.

Li Banfeng slowly cranked the gramophone, counting the number of ghostly servants.

All fifteen were present.