10 The Bachelors of Zhan

The burly man eyed Yun Da Xia, who gave a tight-lipped smile at his scrutinization.

Life Long Noodles did not appear to be anything other than a well-furnished restaurant that served above average noodles. The atmosphere was like a family diner of her past; evoking a sense of warmth and comfort. Customers from all walks of life occupied the seats; boisterous laughter and the sound of clinking of glass filled the air.

It had only been when she approached the greeter, did anything seem a little out of the ordinary. "Excuse me," She had said, jostling the parcels in her arms to get a better grip. "I'm looking for a Jiayi. This lord was told to go here by a merchant who sold fabrics."

That had led to the current situation. She had caused the already unsmiling man to release a concentrated aura, pressing down on her. It's impact made her stumble a little. There was a small childish part of her that wanted to stomp her feet; being at a disadvantaged position because of her current inability to cultivate was getting old— fast.

Scratching his chin, the man hummed. He looked closely at her face. Before she could react, he patted her around the waist and legs. She froze, hoping he wouldn't attempt to check the front of her pelvis. "Door on that left." He gestured to the back. At that, he ignored her presence.

Yun Da Xia quickly followed his instructions; eager to return to the general's manor as soon as possible and get our of this situation. Her stomach loudly protested as the scent of noodles beckoned them as they passed through the tables.

The space narrowed into a corridor, with three doors in. On the right, she could hear the sounds of people chattering and plates clanking; the two doors being rushed open by uniformed people holding large bowls. On the other hand, there was nothing audible from the left. Although she couldn't sense anything malicious from that fabric vendor, choosing to trust him was a questionable decision. She could at least tell, he didn't have a high cultivation. So taking him on if need be was much preferable compared to those hardened guards of the Wolfsbane pavilion.

Before entering, she took a quick look back; scanning the restaurant for any trace of her pursuers. Seeing their absence, she let out a sigh of relief and knocked on the door; briefly admiring the beautiful workmanship of flowers and vines that ran across its grain.

"Who is it?" The center of a wooden cherry blossom recessed, and an eyeball took its place. Her guard went up, and she wearily debated leaving. She sighed, "I'm looking for a Jiayi; a man selling fabrics sent me." They wouldn't know anything about the incident at Wolfsbane Pavilion, so they wouldn't have much motive to move against her.

She fidgeted with her robes, moving into an angle where the person behind the door couldn't see the actions of her hand. She quickly slipped her inter spacial ring into her chest band; making sure to take out a pouch full of coins. If they were to rob her, at least they would only get the money and not any of her and her master's valuables.

The thought of her master's things caused her to grow impatient; adding on to her restlessness. Although master had imprinted his possessions to be inherited by her, these spiritual items could not recognize her while she couldn't practice cultivation. Bonds were formed from the exchange of energy, and only after that was established could a person freely use such artifacts.

Looking through his things should give her a clue as to why he brought her into this world—what her purpose here was.

A click resounded; the gold doorknob twisting and revealing a pair of beautiful eyes. The man that opened the door had a set of neat features; a dignified set in his jaw and high nose bridge. Freckles were smattered across his cheeks, causing Yun Da Xia to find him fairly cute despite his hard expression.

"Quickly, come in." He opened the door wider; immediately throwing it shut when she walked in. The room was lavishly decorated; earthy tones acting as the color scheme. But she ignored the wonderful interior decorating; attention falling to the lavish couches and male figures that lounged on them.

There were four men in the room, including the doorman; the other three were lazing about with their clothes in varying states of dishevelment. They all took up a single divans that were spaced decently apart from each other, so that eliminated one of Yun Da Xia's conjectures of what this place was. Partaking in such activities with only a wall for separation to the number of children slurping noodles outside was a little questionable, to say the least.

One of the relaxing men lifted a head up; looking towards her. "Eh, you're a new face. You've got a fairly nice face—how unlucky. You're probably here to enjoy your visit to Zhan, and you've already been a victim of the wonderful leech club, eh?" He sighed, a childish expression on his face. "Ah, it's hard to be so handsome."

Leech club?

He continued to ramble on; seemingly content to not have anyone respond to his prattling. The two other men seemed used to it, only groaning and burying their faces into the cushion of the divans.

Yun Da Xia felt a little less uneasy at his words. She looked to the man who opened the door for her, "What exactly is this place?" He eyed her in a similar way to how the greeter up front of the restaurant did; focusing on the face and neck. "You really don't know?" He asked, gaze finally settling on hers.

Instead of retorting like she wanted too, she calmly answered. "This lord asked that merchant friend of yours to help me escape from a certain situation. He said to go here and look for Jiayi." The man scratched his head, muttering under his breath.Although Yun Da Xia didn't have her cultivation, her senses were still a little bit above average. She could easily make out the curses directed towards a Yang Niu.

The boy who had spoken to her awhile ago butted in after her words, "Ah, situation? So you're not here because of the leech club?"

Yun Da Xia blinked. "The leech club?"

He nodded, "You asked about what all this is, yeah? Er, so the leech club is basically the group of Zhan young misses that have no idea how personal space works. Notable members are Zhou Ah Kum and Long Dandan. Those girls sink their claws in real deep." He wiped a non-existent tear from his eye.

She wasn't quite sure if she should be amused or not. In any case, she wasn't.

"So, brother Duyi decided to set all this up— this is his family's restaurant, by the way. A place of escape from boring responsibilities, but mainly from those girls. It's so exhausting to be so good looking. Plus, services include wine all the time and sometimes a pretty dancer lady. Eh, pretty cool isn't it? His business partner people know this place exists. Sometimes they'll take pity on a young lad and tell them about this place." He gestured towards her.

The other man pursed his lips, perhaps debating whether it was alright for her to know this information or not. He glanced at her, "You just want a means of escape, right? Come with me through the back, the alleyway is a decent route."

She wondered if this was truly as simple as having an area for men to escape to. This was a nearly ideal setup for an information hub. However, thinking back to the fact that she had been let in, that could easily counter her theory.

She shook her head, "Where's Jiayi? That person should be able to help this lord."

"I'm Jiayi. Let's go." The man deadpanned.

Still, she shook her head, "Your merchant friend is going to be here soon. This lord can't easily leave just like that. It needs to be foolproof."

He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips again. "Don't worry about it. I can get you out." He turned to the three lounging men, a slight scowl gracing his lips. "Don't touch anything; don't breathe on anything. I swear, if I return and anything is out of place—"

"You'll skin us alive." The three chorused in a bored tone. The talkative man winked at her, "Come back if you've got the time."

She flashed a smile that likely looked more like a grimace. Although they had been decent, it wouldn't make any sense for her to return to look for them. Trusting others increased risks. She couldn't afford that. Her hand lifted to greet them goodbye, and then Yun Da Xia followed Jiayi out the door.

Su Bojing watched her leave, then turned to Peng Chung and Du Liang. "Not bad, eh? If we hadn't been told in advance, I think I really would have been tricked into believing she was a boy."