"Ah, someone like me? I'm no cultivator. I just help the old man home, don't I?" And he didn't clarify which old man. Around here, they were as numerous as the medicines they had to take to stay with the prostitutes for as long as they did. "I'm Xue Yang. Nothing special. No one comes to see me on stage, gongzi."
He might as well let Jin Guangyao know that he knew him from the opera. He was cultured enough for that. Or else he just had to stand around there guarding the old man and doing some other jobs. Whatever. "Xiaojie!"
He called out to one of the women serving refreshments. "The gongzi wants a drink. And bring some of the sweet rice balls with the syrup. Thank you."
He smiled, quite politely, in his pursuit of a sweet treat. Then he looked back at Jin Guangyao. "Gongzi is generous. You are good company."
"I'm very generous, I know." Meng Yao would have protested but he supposed if he wanted to talk to him and learn things, he would have to find a way to keep him around and this honestly seemed ideal. He pulled some coins from his purse and slid them across the bar, smiling politely at the women.
"Come, find us somewhere to sit. It seems we will be dining together." Given he was also buying the strange thing rice balls and all.
This man knew him from the stage, so he must live in Lanling and he probably had some kind of a master. But he wasn't a cultivator? Strange. Then what was it about him that left people so unsettled. "Do you enjoy watching me perform?" He usually got a lot of compliments but not everyone could understand the arts.
With a nod, Xue Yang walked over to a table. He pulled a chair out for Meng Yao to sit down before he sat down himself, lounging in a relaxed way, while waiting for their order. He considered Meng Yao's question, as it had never occurred to him before to have an opinion on this. "It's not boring," he finally said. It was high praise, coming from him.
"You move like no human would and you sound strange. Good job." From what he gathered, that was the goal of that kind of performance. "Keep it going."
As their order arrived, he immediately pulled the rice balls over, taking one of them to claim ownership right away. He took a bite and chewed happily.
"Say thank you." Meng Yao scolded gently as he bowed in thanks and took his own drink, sipping it lightly. He moved weird and sounded strange - not the worst review he'd ever had. It was quite funny to see how someone like this thought of the opera house. His father always told him feedback as and when it came, he wasn't exactly a manager or anything but he often brought friends and colleagues to have drinks and enjoy the show.
"If you're not a cultivator, what do you do then?"
If he was hanging around Lanling then what was the goal? Did he have a master or something? The old man he was waiting for, was he in a trade of some kind?
"I do what's fun," Xue Yang said with a happy smile, taking his time with the rice balls so they'd not be gone too soon. "What do you do for fun, gongzi? It is strange, isn't it, for someone like you to be someplace like this. I wonder what you are looking for here. You haven't admired any of the young ladies."
He had taken note of that. Talked to them, now talking to him. He wasn't sure what the point of that was supposed to be. "Do you even like ladies? I don't know. People might get the wrong idea if you are at a place like this and the only one you're interested in is a nobody like me. I am handsome. Is that it?"
"I was talking recently with Chan Juan, actually. I know some of the ladies in town, I have an -- interest in how these brothels are run. I was raised in a brothel so for me, it is important that the ladies feel respected and heard. I can pass on anything to be reported." Meng Yao never went to brothels and had no desire to be involved but he knew he had to at least try and have a cover. And even as he said it, he realised it wasn't really the worst idea.
Maybe someone should do that.
"I would never use anyone from a brothel but I am allowed to be invested in all of my people, as a young master of the Jin clan." So there. He looked at Xue Yang and then raised an eyebrow. "You are nothing special, you just happened to come and talk to me. Not the other way around."
"They probably don't feel respected, gongzi." Xue Yang had to laugh, shaking his head. He felt someone was missing the obvious there. "They are whores." He had spent a lot more time in brothels than he'd have ever cared to and he hadn't come across a lot of respectful treatment here.
"I'm not even a whore and the only respect I get, I earn with my weapon. The whores aren't allowed to pull blades on the men." He assumed, anyway. "Otherwise there'd be so many dickless old masters running around. Crawling around."
"That's not always true. Problematic Jons get banned all the time. I used to help the brothel owner keep them out when I was a boy. Problem people can be reported. Even if nothing can be done, it's good to know." Meng Yao insisted with a stubborn frown. He didn't think it was fair but he supposed very little was. Especially when someone came from his kind of world.
"Respect can come from reputation, not just from a weapon." Though, often, it did indeed come with a weapon. Those too afraid to handle such things could never progress.
He finished up his drink and set the empty cup aside. "I've heard about you. They don't like you. Not from sex but how you are. They say you're creepy."
"They scare easily, then." Xue Yang was clearly not surprised or bothered by anyone, whore or otherwise, considering him creepy. "I've never been disrespectful to any whore. They work hard and they do work I'd not want to do. They should be paid more, looking at those wrinkly old farts and acting like they are young gods. They must be great actors, just like you."
He finished off the last of the rice balls, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't care what they think about me. Maybe I care what you think, gongzi." His smile was innocent enough. "Do you think I'm creepy? Because I've heard it said that I'm sweet and handsome. What do you feel?"
"You're selling your cuteness, I can tell. You play it up to try and get things. So not sweet because you're clearly devious." Meng Yao explained as he considered it entirely honestly. There was no sweetness to such a well created innocent smile like that. It was the sort of smile one used to con old ladies out of their money. "And I haven't really thought about you much, not in looks, I couldn't hardly say."
He supposed Xue Yang was attractive in a brash, irritating sort of way. "You don't care what I think. I bet you just want more rice balls."
"Ah, I don't know. They have little cakes here that are very nice too." If he had to make a choice of what he wanted. "Anyway, are your eyes just there to fill space in your face? Why would you not think about my looks, you keep watching me! I'll be handsome whether you think on it or not, you might as well think it. Isn't it a waste when a flower's blooming and no one admires it?"
Really seemed like a strange kind of avoidance. "I've been thinking on how beautiful you look the whole time now. Else I'd not want to sit so close. Best view in this house and it's free."
Was he actually being hit on? He assumed this was a teasing game but he was not so sure now. Xue Yang looked at him with such a sure expression and he felt himself start to panic a little. People didn't often have crushes on people like him. He didn't know what it was about him that made it so odd but he just knew he was not a handsome young master. He was short and he had exaggerated features. "You speak far too casually to this young master."
"Do I?" Xue Yang widened his eyes in mock-concern. He folded one hand and held it against his palm, bowing his head as he apologised with questionable sincerity but full commitment to the act. "Please, gongzi, forgive this unworthy worm. Don't punish me for my insolence."
It might have come across as more believable if the smile hadn't lurked on his lips the entire time and finally erupted with a giggle as he shook his head. "You see, the setting, the way you look, it has made me forget all those manners that I was never taught."
Luckily, there really hadn't been that much to forget there.
"You're quite the -- pest, aren't you?" He had stronger words but he wisely avoided them. He didn't want to offend this imp and then lose all contact. He had promised Jin Zixuan he would try and it would be unwise to entirely offend. Even if he found him a complete brat. That smirk, the giggles, it was very rude but somehow, he wasn't annoyed by it. Sure, a bit irritated, but mostly amused.
What was truly so funny? At least he could amuse himself. "Fine, you're forgiven."
He waved a dismissive hand and then leaned back in his chair. "However, you have to give me some information before I leave. If you're truly such an unworthy worm, you won't hesitate to answer me."
"Ah, too true. I would not dare keep anything from someone as radiant as you." Xue Yang leaned forward, elbows on the table, his expression happy enough. "Such an unworthy worm as me though, I likely won't know much. I have to avert my eyes when the young and old masters walk by, it means I miss most anything that'd be worth knowing."
He did wonder just what Meng Yao would dare to ask, now that they were dancing a little closer to the line. It could be interesting. Fun, even. He did hate boredom more than anything and this promised excitement. "What would you like to know, gonzi?"
"People talk of an evil presence. Monsters in the night, unexplained deaths, missing bodies of loved ones. Have you, perchance, seen any grave diggers or dark magic users around." Meng Yao felt they were both just dancing around it so he got to the point, knowing that they both knew something was up and that Meng Yao was suspecting Xue Yang. He had been watching him for a while now.
Sure, he'd never admit to anything but he could at least be blunt and see if being daring got him anything. Even a slight reaction. "I'm very concerned for the state of Lanling."
"That's quite the thing to be concerned over. Isn't it said that evil in Lanling will be over when pigs learn to climb?" Xue Yang himself, obviously, did not seem overly concerned. "I don't have any loved ones, so I haven't missed their bodies yet."
Shame about that. He tilted his head to the side as he considered. "It may be that I may have, gongzi, but how do I know? How do I recognise a grave digger or dark magic? I'm not educated like you. Do you think they'd be ugly? Or handsome, like me?"
Might as well fish for a compliment while things went unspoken.
"I suppose they could look like anyone." Clearly they could be handsome. Wait. No, he didn't -- whatever. He pushed that thought to the side and wondered if this one was a type of cultivator. He looked around the place curiously and then turned back to Xue Yang. "You said you are waiting for your master. Does he have a name? I would very much like to know."
Perhaps he would come out soon and clue him in on what was going on. Perhaps he had a foreign, strange master that practises the deadly arts.
"Ah, he has a lot of names. He's an old master, gongzi, he's a cultivator. You all have many names if you are that noble sort, don't you? I only have the two. Xue Yang, as you know. And then I used to be the demon of Kuizhou." His smile was radiant, intentionally, knowing that it'd show his canines. He knew the effect.
"But that's years ago now. When I was a youth." Not that he was that much older now, really. He had just learned a lot of new tricks. "Do you want to meet my master, gongzi? I'm sorry, he only cares to meet pretty women."
"I would like to meet you master so perhaps I will stick around until he comes out. You've been here a while, he wouldn't be much longer, I would assume." After all, there was a limited amount of time once could be with a whore. They weren't cheap and more than an hour would be excessive. He hoped it wouldn't be more than half an hour.
Perhaps he could sit somewhere away from Xue Yang as he waited, so he would be pestered less. "Of course, you could just give me one of his names. Perhaps his courtesy name."
"Ah, gongzi. You do not want to know how long my master can take. He has money for the good medicine that keeps it up and he can afford all the prettiest whores for hours on end." So he was stuck her quite a bit longer. Meng Yao's presence truly was an improvement of it all. "I could give you that. But I'm sure you know some tedious morality tales about being careful what you wish for. Won't you trust me, gongzi, and believe that you are better off not knowing?"
So his master was rich, powerful and had a good reputation or he never would have been able to get away with what he was doing. To come here, to use up a whore so long and not worry for consequences. He did pause for a moment, his mind drifting to his father. He sincerely hoped he wasn't here tonight but he knew his father had a fondness for the whore houses. And tended to spend a long time in them.
"You think I'm better off not knowing?" Why? Meng Yao frowned at the implications. "Is it something I would not want to know or is it just something I should not know because of how dangerous it is?"
"Little bit of this, little bit of that." Xue Yang lifted his shoulders in a shrug, then he leaned even further forward and tried to catch Meng Yao's gaze, holding it while he lowered his voice. "Gongzi, it will be so much harder for you to feel better than me once you know all I know. You'd be losing all that arrogance and what's your appeal then?"
He laughed quietly and shook his head. "Dangerous. Don't you know that anywhere Xue Yang is, there is danger?"
Meng Yao had a sinking feeling in his stomach, able to read between the lines. His heart was racing as he looked around the brothel, feeling hot under his collar. Who was it that came here? And why did he think he already knew who it was? He didn't want to make judgements but only one man he cared about, that he knew, came to brothels. Perhaps Xue Yang was attempting to deter him. To scare him off.
"Why would I not feel better than you? I have done nothing untoward."
"Why would I feel less than you? I've accomplished so many things." Xue Yang grinned and then he rose to his feet, deciding to be the one to leave the conversation. He didn't like being dismissed, really pissed him off. He preferred turning the table on that. "It's boring here, gongzi. I'm going on a walk. Maybe I'll see you again soon. You should keep your eyes open at night, especially when you are by yourself. All sorts of dangers are about in Lanling. I would know, don't you think?"
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He might as well let Jin Guangyao know that he knew him from the opera. He was cultured enough for that. Or else he just had to stand around there guarding the old man and doing some other jobs. Whatever. "Xiaojie!"
He called out to one of the women serving refreshments. "The gongzi wants a drink. And bring some of the sweet rice balls with the syrup. Thank you."
He smiled, quite politely, in his pursuit of a sweet treat. Then he looked back at Jin Guangyao. "Gongzi is generous. You are good company."
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"Come, find us somewhere to sit. It seems we will be dining together." Given he was also buying the strange thing rice balls and all.
This man knew him from the stage, so he must live in Lanling and he probably had some kind of a master. But he wasn't a cultivator? Strange. Then what was it about him that left people so unsettled. "Do you enjoy watching me perform?" He usually got a lot of compliments but not everyone could understand the arts.
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"You move like no human would and you sound strange. Good job." From what he gathered, that was the goal of that kind of performance. "Keep it going."
As their order arrived, he immediately pulled the rice balls over, taking one of them to claim ownership right away. He took a bite and chewed happily.
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"If you're not a cultivator, what do you do then?"
If he was hanging around Lanling then what was the goal? Did he have a master or something? The old man he was waiting for, was he in a trade of some kind?
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He had taken note of that. Talked to them, now talking to him. He wasn't sure what the point of that was supposed to be. "Do you even like ladies? I don't know. People might get the wrong idea if you are at a place like this and the only one you're interested in is a nobody like me. I am handsome. Is that it?"
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Maybe someone should do that.
"I would never use anyone from a brothel but I am allowed to be invested in all of my people, as a young master of the Jin clan." So there. He looked at Xue Yang and then raised an eyebrow. "You are nothing special, you just happened to come and talk to me. Not the other way around."
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"I'm not even a whore and the only respect I get, I earn with my weapon. The whores aren't allowed to pull blades on the men." He assumed, anyway. "Otherwise there'd be so many dickless old masters running around. Crawling around."
The mental image alone clearly amused him.
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"Respect can come from reputation, not just from a weapon." Though, often, it did indeed come with a weapon. Those too afraid to handle such things could never progress.
He finished up his drink and set the empty cup aside. "I've heard about you. They don't like you. Not from sex but how you are. They say you're creepy."
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He finished off the last of the rice balls, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't care what they think about me. Maybe I care what you think, gongzi." His smile was innocent enough. "Do you think I'm creepy? Because I've heard it said that I'm sweet and handsome. What do you feel?"
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He supposed Xue Yang was attractive in a brash, irritating sort of way. "You don't care what I think. I bet you just want more rice balls."
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Really seemed like a strange kind of avoidance. "I've been thinking on how beautiful you look the whole time now. Else I'd not want to sit so close. Best view in this house and it's free."
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Was he actually being hit on? He assumed this was a teasing game but he was not so sure now. Xue Yang looked at him with such a sure expression and he felt himself start to panic a little. People didn't often have crushes on people like him. He didn't know what it was about him that made it so odd but he just knew he was not a handsome young master. He was short and he had exaggerated features. "You speak far too casually to this young master."
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It might have come across as more believable if the smile hadn't lurked on his lips the entire time and finally erupted with a giggle as he shook his head. "You see, the setting, the way you look, it has made me forget all those manners that I was never taught."
Luckily, there really hadn't been that much to forget there.
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What was truly so funny? At least he could amuse himself. "Fine, you're forgiven."
He waved a dismissive hand and then leaned back in his chair. "However, you have to give me some information before I leave. If you're truly such an unworthy worm, you won't hesitate to answer me."
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He did wonder just what Meng Yao would dare to ask, now that they were dancing a little closer to the line. It could be interesting. Fun, even. He did hate boredom more than anything and this promised excitement. "What would you like to know, gonzi?"
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Sure, he'd never admit to anything but he could at least be blunt and see if being daring got him anything. Even a slight reaction. "I'm very concerned for the state of Lanling."
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Shame about that. He tilted his head to the side as he considered. "It may be that I may have, gongzi, but how do I know? How do I recognise a grave digger or dark magic? I'm not educated like you. Do you think they'd be ugly? Or handsome, like me?"
Might as well fish for a compliment while things went unspoken.
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Perhaps he would come out soon and clue him in on what was going on. Perhaps he had a foreign, strange master that practises the deadly arts.
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"But that's years ago now. When I was a youth." Not that he was that much older now, really. He had just learned a lot of new tricks. "Do you want to meet my master, gongzi? I'm sorry, he only cares to meet pretty women."
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Perhaps he could sit somewhere away from Xue Yang as he waited, so he would be pestered less. "Of course, you could just give me one of his names. Perhaps his courtesy name."
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"You think I'm better off not knowing?" Why? Meng Yao frowned at the implications. "Is it something I would not want to know or is it just something I should not know because of how dangerous it is?"
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He laughed quietly and shook his head. "Dangerous. Don't you know that anywhere Xue Yang is, there is danger?"
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Meng Yao had a sinking feeling in his stomach, able to read between the lines. His heart was racing as he looked around the brothel, feeling hot under his collar. Who was it that came here? And why did he think he already knew who it was? He didn't want to make judgements but only one man he cared about, that he knew, came to brothels. Perhaps Xue Yang was attempting to deter him. To scare him off.
"Why would I not feel better than you? I have done nothing untoward."
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