Chapter 661: In the Background

"Does this youth want to get Moonlight's attention and aroused her curiosity this way?"

However, this would be the wrong approach. Moonlight was of noble status, with rich experience. If she would fall for such a cheap trick, then wouldn't the painstaking efforts put in by "Miaoyu Bordello" over the years be all in vain? And although the youth's strength wasn't bad, his thinking was too simple.

"Young Master Ding, you'd better come along with me. The Moonlight Fairy isn't a very patient lady." Fangfei gave him a veiled reminder, saving his face.

Ding Hao smiled a little and said, "It doesn't matter. I have great patience. Once my friend comes out, I will leave."

A trace of displeasure finally appeared on Fangfei's countenance. She said with an expressionless face, "In that case, please wait here, Young Master Ding."

Golden Cicada guffawed.

With Fangfei leading them, the others disappeared into the hall.

"Why don't you go to the back hall with her, Young Master? The Moonlight Fairy is truly a matchless beauty. She also ranks as one of the top 10 female warriors of the Divine Central Continent. Besides, she has the Xuanyuan Divine Body. If you can marry her, you will not only get the powerful backing of Miaoyu Bordello, but also the opportunity to become a supreme master. It's rare for someone to win both a beauty and a great opportunity in this world."

Muying reminded him out of kindness.

"Young Master, are you playing hard to get?" Miaoyu asked tentatively.

Looking at the two gossipy faces before him, Ding Hao shook his head. "There are so many beautiful women in this world. Can you marry every one of them? To cultivate with your lady partner who has the Xuanyuan Divine Body is indeed wonderful, but still, that's relying on outside help. It's much better to put in hard work yourself. Besides..." As he said this, there was a gentle smile on Ding Hao's face that even he himself was unaware of. He said, "Besides, I already have someone I like."

The two girls looked at Ding Hao in a mesmerized daze.

They only felt that the young man's smile at that instant was as dazzling as the most beautiful eyes in the world.

This kind of warm smile could melt any girl's heart.

They suddenly envied the girl Ding Hao was in love with.

Being loved by such an outstanding young genius was already very fortunate—doubly so when, in face of temptation from a goddess like the Moonlight Fairy, with such alluring body and peerless looks, he was still able to resist very calmly. This steadfast faithfulness to the woman he loved was far more precious than matchless talent and martial strength.

For a brief moment, the entire Heaven Pavilion was quiet, with only the three of them left.

Ding Hao slowly got up and went to the window.

By this time, the golden boat was already floating high in the sky.

The boat was about four or five hundred meters above Chu River, scintillating with silvery light. Its view overlooked Chu City under the night sky, with prosperous, brightly illuminated scenes of a flourishing age everywhere. It was almost midnight. In many other cities of the Northern Region, the streets would be quiet at night. But here in the Divine Central Continent, nightlife seemed to have just begun.

From the distance came the faint, ethereal and tender voice of a female singer, sounding like vague mist or gauze.

The night scene was so lovely, it was impossible to absorb everything at once.

"No wonder it's called the central domain of the Land of Infinity—so prosperous that it seems like another world. However, if all the humans in the Central Region are addicted to this kind of idyllic life of song and dance, once war breaks out, how many people will have the steel to resist those trampling demons when another Holy War breaks out? This prosperous city is only a few centuries old. Once it falls, all its present prosperity will be of the past!"

Ding Hao had always found the people here too comfortable and profligate.

Although the conditions of the Northern Region were cold and harsh, its humans were not so proud and decadent. The hostile environment could better temper their will.

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps could be heard from behind him.

"Young Master Ding, how do you find the night scenery here?" It was Fangfei's voice.

Ding Hao did not look back. He nodded and said, "The scenery in the Central Region is indeed much lovelier than that in the Northern Region."

"Haha, the Central Region is known as the Land of the Divine. Naturally, it's the most beautiful place in the Land of Infinity, teeming with wonderful resources and talents, converging all the finest under heaven, with the essences of the sun and the moon." There was a hint of pride in Fangfei's tone.

This was a unique sense of superiority of the Human Clan in the Divine Central Continent. They regarded people from the other four regions as barbarians.

With a hint of arrogance and derision in her eyes, she said, "Young Master Ding, to tell you the truth, the Moonlight Fairy will not take the initiative to come to you. Numerous men have played hard to get to catch her attention, some more skillfully than you, and yet her curiosity has never been piqued. If you don't want to miss this opportunity, I can show you a way out of this awkwardness. You'd better come with me to the back hall to see her."

Ding Hao slowly turned around and looked at this beautiful woman. Suddenly, for some inexplicable reason, he felt a little disgusted.

"Maybe you still don't understand that I really have no interest in this so-called Moonlight Fairy. Her Form of the Chaos may be rare, but not everyone will run after her like a flock of geese," Ding Hao uttered each word distinctly, "A treasure to some people may appear like useless weeds in some others' eyes. The Moonlight Fairy is not the legal tender renminbi. Do you really think that everyone will like her?"

Fangfei was stunned.

She observed Ding Hao carefully.

In the eyes of this young man before her, there were no signs of hypocrisy. Instead, there was a kind of equable calm and even a touch of disdain.

Either this teal-robed young man had excellent acting skills, or he was really not at all interested in the Moonlight Fairy.

In this world, was there really a man who could resist the temptation of the "Xuanyuan Divine Body" and a peerless beauty?

Fangfei honestly admitted to seeing all sorts of men during her years in Miaoyu Bordello, yet this young man before her was truly a rare breed.

After staring at Ding Hao for some time, she nodded and said, "Alright, I understand now. I will go back and report to the Mistress." She turned around with lingering doubt and, after taking a few steps, suddenly thought of something and asked curiously, "Young Master Ding, what on earth is the renminbi?"

Ding Hao smiled slightly and said, "Oh, it's a legendary treasure that can be used to exchange for anything in the world."

Fangfei nodded but did not quite understand. Then she turned around and left.

"Did he really say that?" Behind the red curtain, a melodious, majestic voice seemed to be resounding from above the nine heavens.

"Yes, Mistress." Fang Fei quietly knelt on the cold floor paved with gold, her forehead touching the ground. She trembled with fear and did not even dare to breathe, relating to her everything Ding Hao had said.

"In your opinion, was he just acting, or is he really a gentleman insusceptible to women?" The voice drifted out again.

"Your servant is stupid. I can't see any signs of him acting," Fangfei answered hastily.

"You've been with me for five or six years. Your foresight, experience, and observation ability have been well formed and nurtured. I believe what you said." The voice was like a highly venerated queen who did not care for the desires of the mortal realm. There was a hint of a smile on her face and she said, "Well, it's a little interesting. I'm now a little interested in this young fellow."

Fangfei said hurriedly, "Then let your servant immediately send someone to the Northern Region to investigate his identity. But the Northern Region is not within the scope of our Miaoyu Bordello's influence, so it may take some time."

"Well, this is why I appreciate you so much. You are calm when it comes to doing things and never boast blindly. Alright, I'll give you a month to carefully investigate this young man named Ding Hao. If he really has come from the Northern Region, given his temperament and strength, it's impossible for him to be an unknown. You may go!" the voice said calmly.

"Thank you for your compliment, Mistress. I'm greatly honored. I shall take my leave."

This beautiful woman, who in the eyes of outsiders was someone authorized to make decisions for Miaoyu Bordello, knelt on the ground and edged backwards. She only rose slowly after getting out of the room. For some strange reason, her clear and fair forehead was already glistening with dense beads of sweat.

Fangfei breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.

Every time she went to see this mysterious mistress, she felt indescribable fear and pressure in her heart.

Ten years ago, there were more than 500 girl companions who had entered Miaoyu Bordello with her.

Among these girls, there was no lack of geniuses more talented, more beautiful, and more intelligent than her. Yet all of them were now dead. A few were killed during missions, but most were tortured to death because they violated their mistress's rules. Their execution, which was a hundred times more painful than death by a thousand cuts, was chillingly horrific.

For countless nights, Fangfei would wake up pale from nightmares, sweating profusely all over, whenever she recalled their execution.

When the sky started glimmering with the first rays of the sun, the Golden Boat of the Nine Heavens Mystic Fairies finally descended slowly and came back to the surface of Chu River, now cold.

Ding Hao slowly opened his eyes, and the sound of footsteps reached his ears.

Golden Cicada had walked into Heaven Pavilion with a calm face. He scrutinized Ding Hao from head to toes, as if looking at a monster.

"Meat-and-Wine Monk, so the Moonlight Fairy didn't pick you?" Ding Hao stood up and teased him.

Golden Cicada said nothing. He simply opened his palm slightly, and an exceedingly stealthy flash of energy streaked out and vanished.

Ding Hao was shocked and immediately understood. His complexion changed greatly and he said, "Could it be... "

Golden Cicada waved his hand and signaled for him to talk later. He came to Ding Hao's gold table, lifted up a jade flagon with the already cold wine, drank it up, and slammed the jade flagon heavily on the table with a loud thud.

"Monk, you've committed the unwholesome transgression of anger."

A crisp, clear voice was heard.

Ding Hao turned his head and saw that it was that last young genius who had qualified for the back hall the night before.

The young man was grasping a folding fan in his hand and had entered Heaven Pavilion with a smile on his face. He was about the same age as Ding Hao, and they were both as handsome as jade, but the man was a little shorter and thinner. He looked at Golden Cicada with a trace of disdain and ridicule in his eyes.

Golden Cicada turned around. The golden Sanskrit inscriptions in his eyes had extinguished, now replaced by a faint golden shimmer. He swept a cursory glance at the elegant young man, but did not say anything.