Xian’er was beautiful, and her voice was sweet.

What she said meant to invite Yang Ning, while he still smiled faintly. “It’s still early now.”

Xian’er walked to the window and opened it a little to look out. Then she closed the window and looked back with a smile. “I will help you bathe and dress up, Marquis.”

Zhuo Xian’er’s every word and action wasn’t affected, but it showed an alluring posture.

Obviously, she had been educated in postures and manners for many years, which showed the imprinting.

At this time, he heard the sounds. A small door aside was opened, and two maids carried a big wooden bucket which was as tall as half a person. They put it in the room and glanced at Yang Ning. Then they covered their mouths and chuckled before going out.

“What are they doing?” Yang Ning was stunned and then understood something.

Soon, the two maids came in again with kettles and buckets and poured water into the bucket. It seemed that they wanted to see clearly what kind of man the lady’s first benefactor was, so when they poured water, they looked him up and down from time to time. Although Yang Ning was thick-skinned, he still felt embarrassed. He touched his chin and murmured, “I don’t want to have a bath yet.”

The two maids poured more than half a bucket of hot water and checked the temperature. Then they put down the washing tools and turned to walk out.

“Miss Zhuo, this…”

Before Yang Ning finished his words, he saw a little girl come in with a flower basket filled with petals of different colors in her hand. It was winter, and he was surprised at where the petals were from.

The girl reached out her hand and grabbed some petals, scattering them in the air. The petals fell everywhere, and most of them fell in the bucket, while few of them fell around it. It was colorful with secret fragrance flowing. The fallen flowers were scattering and flying around like snowflakes, which made him refreshed in spirit

With the vapor of the hot water in the bucket, there were a virgin’s fragrance and the petal’s aroma in the air, and he seemed to be in the dream.

The girl finished scattering the flowers and bowed. Then she went out and closed the door gently. Yang Ning saw everything and thought, “You get what you pay for. Jiang Cheng won Zhuo Xian’er at the price of five hundred taels of gold, while it seems that it deserves this price. It’s needless to measure such a beauty as Zhuo Xian’er with money, and the service and extravagance are rare indeed.”

He saw the girl leave. When he turned back, his expression changed suddenly and he almost jumped up.

He didn’t know when Zhuo Xian’er had taken off her clothes. She wore underwear, and her ruddy and fair skin was especially dazzling under the candlelight.

“Xian’er, you…” Yang Ning felt thirsty.

He was not a playboy, but he could promise with his honor that he was not a man who wouldn’t be aroused in front of a naked woman. Something hazy was most breath-taking. Love was the same, so was a woman.

Zhuo Xian’er only dressed in underwear stood there and could make any man feel sexually excited. Yang Ning thought that he couldn’t look away from her.

At the moment, he finally found that this woman was so beautiful and could strike the eye and rouse the mind.

When he saw Zhuo Xian’er for the first time just now, although he thought that she was extremely gorgeous indeed, he didn’t feel too excited, but somehow, this woman was like good wine which had been kept as treasure for many years. When he spent more time with her, he thought that she was more attractive. It seemed that every time he looked at her, she would quickly get more charming.

Yang Ning didn’t see Shen Jiaonu, while now he thought that Zhuo Xian’er didn’t become the beauty queen perhaps because nobody could feel her charm at a short distance.

She didn’t need to speak, while every part of the skin all over her body seemed to say the most pleasant honeyed words between lovers to a man.

Zhuo Xian’er’s expression was not vivid but even dull, yet when she stood there, every man including Yang Ning would want to own her.

“Marquis, you don’t want to listen to me playing zither or take a bath. Obviously, you think that the time in bed is extremely precious.” Xian’er walked gently to the bucket like clouds, and her voice was dreamy. “But before I serve you, I should be clean and spotless. Please wait a moment, okay?”

Her skin was fair with luster, and the smooth body like white jade was partly hidden and partly visible.

She had become a concubine in the election, yet from now on, she was bought by somebody and didn’t belong to herself.

Although she was beautiful and attractive with a graceful temperament, she was just a prostitute showing her talent in music on the Qinhuai River. After being trained for many years, she knew that even though she was selected as a beauty concubine and enjoyed glory in many common people’s eyes, she was just a money tree of some people and the men’s plaything.

With the water sound, Zhuo Xian’er entered the bucket with underwear. She held the water with petals and poured it over her head. Then she closed her eyes slightly.

The vapor filled the room and coiled up endlessly, looking vague.

Yang Ning’s throat moved, and he sighed. Zhuo Xian’er looked at him and asked, “Marquis, why didn’t you sigh? Did I do something wrong?”

“No!” Yang Ning sat in the chair and stared at Zhuo Xian’er like a lotus flower, asking, “Xian’er, can I ask where you are from?”

Zhuo Xian’er caught the sprays casually and smiled faintly. “Marquis, you look like…” She covered her teeth and chuckled, while she didn’t continue.

“Like what?” Yang Ning asked curiously.

Zhuo Xian’er smiled sweetly. “You are like a gentle scholar. They have said that when I receive a guest for the first time, at this hour, the ordinary man will rush to me in haste, but you remain unmoved all the time.”

Yang Ning asked with a smile, “Do you hope that I will rush to you?”

Zhuo Xian’er had a blush and lowered her head, saying in a soft voice, “From now on, I will make a living in this field. In the past, I always wondered who would get…my first time. Before seeing you, I was scared all the time, but after seeing you come in, I…didn’t feel scared anymore.”

Yang Ning was stunned and sighed with emotion.

“Marquis, do you know that this bucket is designed for two people? Don’t you like to bathe with a woman?” Zhuo Xian’er blinked. “If you…like, we can do it.”

Yang Ning really wanted to go into the bucket, yet he still restrained his urge. He pondered for a moment and then stated, “I heard your zither music today. You are really good at it.”

“Oh?” Zhuo Xian’er’s beautiful eyes lit up. “Marquis, do you like to listen to me playing zither? Do you think I play well?”

Yang Ning responded, “You are among the best. You must be the one who is the most superb in playing zither I have seen.”

Zhuo Xian’er showed a sweet smile and moved forward with water sounds. She seemed to be interested in this subject and bent over on the edge of the bucket. Her plump and elastic breasts pressed the edge, and her underwear was wet in water, while her breasts squeezed together. “Marquis, you said that you didn’t know the tonality. It turns out that you told a lie.”

Yang Ning smiled. “I know how to eat pork, but should I know how to kill a pig?” As soon as he finished his words, he thought that it was improper.

As expected, Zhuo Xian’er pretended to be angry. “Marquis, you are laughing at me. You said that I know how to kill a pig, yet I have never touched a knife.”

Yang Ning knew that Zhuo Xian’er looked pure and wasn’t like a whore, while after all, she had been trained in a brothel for a long time, so she knew the skills of playing the woman and pretending to be angry. Such tricks were familiar to such a woman, yet they made most men lose their head.

“Xian’er, you are skilled in playing zither, but…” Yang Ning hesitated for a moment and then finally added, “Your zither music showed loneliness and desolation as well as killing with military hardware on the battlefield. If I didn’t see that you were playing, perhaps I wouldn’t believe that you could play it in that way.”

“Marquis, are you praising me?” Zhuo Xian’er asked with a faint smile.

When Yang Ning entered the cabin, Zhuo Xian’er was nervous obviously, yet now she found that he was easy-going, so she loosened up.

Yang Ning giggled. “I am just surprised. If you didn’t experience it, how could you show the artistic conception so thoroughly? You are so young. I can hardly imagine that you have so many stories.”

Zhuo Xian’er was stunned, with a strange expression flashing in her pretty eyes, and it disappeared soon. She expressed gloomily, “I am just a woman and have no command over myself. Perhaps I have natural gift in tonality.”

Yang Ning nodded slightly but thought that it was not so simple.

In fact, he was always confused earlier. Music was from emotions. No matter how skilled in playing zither she was, if she didn’t play with her emotions, it would be difficult for others to have sympathetic responses.

Zhuo Xian’er showed her skill of playing zither, and there were boundless loneliness and forceful sounds on the battlefield in her tune, which made people think that they were riding horses in the rain at night. If she didn’t have a deep imprinting after seeing the scene and then mix it in the tune, it would be difficult for the audience to be absorbed in it.

Yang Ning didn’t know if others found it, but he sensitively noticed that it was queer.

Since Zhuo Xian’er seemed unwilling to talk about it anymore, he had to ask, “Xian’er, are you planning to work in this field all the time?”

Zhuo Xian’er sighed gloomily. “Marquis, do you think that I have other choices?”

Yang Ning was astonished.

“In fact, the ending of such a woman like me is destined,” Xian’er stated with a cynical attitude. “They have spent a lot of money on me, and of course they want to take the money and interest back. I am still intact today and can attend the election of the beauty queen, becoming a beauty concubine by luck, so my first time should be sold at a higher price. In the future, I will be devalued.” The water sounds appeared again, and Xian’er sat back in the water, saying in a gentle voice, “After I see many guests, I will be cheaper. In only a few years, I will be an old woman on the Qinhuai River. If a kind-hearted prominent official or eminent personage takes me back home as his concubine, maybe I can live a life…” While speaking, she glanced at Yang Ning intentionally. “If I am out of luck, I think that I may be homeless in the end.”

Yang Ning knew that what she said was cruel but true.

Zhuo Xian’er was obviously clear-headed and knew her road ahead and even her ending, so she said that peacefully.

Perhaps these girls like her were planning for the future except learning dancing and playing zither. However, in such an era, what could a weak woman do except expecting a good ending?

Yang Ning was gloomy. In this era, the ending of such a woman was bound to be a tragedy. No matter how excellent she was, she couldn’t escape from destiny.

He had a plan flashing in his brain to redeem her. After all, it was a pity that such a beautiful girl was reduced, but not to mention that he didn’t have extra fortune to redeem Zhuo Xian’er, even though he had the wealth, there were hundreds of such girls only on the Qinhuai River, and each of them was unlucky. Would he help everybody?

He sighed. Suddenly, he saw that Zhuo Xian’er stood up in the bucket and reached out a fair-skinned arm, whispering, “Marquis, please hug me out…”

Seeing Zhuo Xian’er’s soft body like jade with an exquisite curve, Yang Ning was tempted and stepped forward. Before he reached out his arms, he saw that Zhuo Xian’er’s pretty face with shyness suddenly turned pale, and something flew past his ear’s side and then hit her chest. Zhuo Xian’er grunted and fell.

Yang Ning knew that there was something wrong. He clenched his fists and planned to turn back, while he felt that breeze waved behind him and then that somebody knocked at the back side of his head. Afterward, his spine was numb as his acupuncture point was hit in an instant.

Yang Ning felt that everything before his eyes was dark and he weakened. Before he fell on the floor, he cursed in secret, “Duan Canghai, b**tard, are you watching the scenery outside? You don’t know that somebody has broken in?”