Chapter 140: A Special Performance

Half a year later, the Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff finally came to a halt.

Lei Xiang pleasantly discovered a slightly larger island to the front-left. While insignificant in the mortal realm, it could be considered the largest island in this nameless expanse of ocean.

"Do you see the island below? I sense that the entrance to the Hanging Island is right there."

Receiving Tian Rui's telepathic transmission, Lei Xiang frowned. An island merely a hundred miles across could hardly have any connection to the Hanging Island or the headquarters of the Smiling Fang. However, having flown for over half a year, he was truly bored and exhausted, so he agreed to go down and inspect the situation. Tapping the Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff with his foot, he plummeted straight down like a goshawk.

The island was not large yet quite prosperous, featuring everything typical of the mortal realm. Walking down a rather narrow street, Lei Xiang decided to find a place to stay first; after all, taverns and inns were the best locations for gathering information. Not far ahead, he spotted a sizeable inn with two golden characters on a blue plaque: Rujia.

The name Rujia instantly reminded Lei Xiang of stories from his previous life, where a chain of hotels bore the same name. A sense of familiarity welled up within him, and he stepped inside. Behind a high wooden counter sat a gray-haired gentleman. Seeing a guest arrive, the man quickly stood up to greet him, "Is the honorable guest stopping for a meal or lodging?"

"How much for a superior room?"

"A superior room costs one thousand premium spirit stones. Today is our boss's birthday, so we are offering a five percent discount, making it nine hundred and fifty for the day."

Lei Xiang's nose was almost twisted in anger. "You might as well go rob someone. One thousand premium spirit stones are enough to sustain a major cultivation sect for half a year. I seriously doubt anyone would ever stay here."

The gray-haired man remained entirely unperturbed. "Esteemed guest, there is no need to worry. Our humble establishment is almost always fully booked. You see, this thousand spirit stones covers a full day, including dining, entertainment, and a special program—it is truly a bargain."

Before Lei Xiang could reply, Tian Rui's voice echoed in his sea of consciousness: "Stay right here. I feel the artifact fragment getting closer and closer; I can even sense it calling out to me." Feigning hesitation for a moment, Lei Xiang then asked with gleaming eyes, "What kind of special program? It must be very exciting, right?"

The gray-haired man smiled mysteriously. "That is guaranteed. After dinner, go to the rear hall, and you will witness an unexpected spectacle..."

As if deeply captivated and blushing, Lei Xiang pulled out a pouch of spirit stones. "Give me a superior room."

The room was small, and the furnishings were simple. Its sole virtue was immaculate cleanliness. In any nation of the Infinite Continent, such a superior room would cost at most one medium-grade spirit stone per night, but to uncover the secret of the Hanging Island, Lei Xiang had no choice but to bite the bullet. After resting in the room for a while, it was time for dinner, which was delivered straight to his quarters.

Although he had long since fasted, occasionally partaking in mortal delicacies was a pleasant pastime amidst arduous cultivation. After finishing his meal, Lei Xiang strolled alone toward the rear hall, bypassing winding paths and small bridges, until he reached a spacious chamber—the rear hall.

By now, the place was packed to capacity, with people even standing in the aisles. The small stage at the very front was empty, and the performance had yet to begin. Lei Xiang squeezed his way through, found the gray-haired man, and whispered a few words to him. The man then led Lei Xiang out through a side door, walked half a circle to a narrow entrance, and climbed a flight of stone steps to a private room. This was the advantage of paying a thousand premium spirit stones: one could view the performance from the absolute best vantage point. Lei Xiang sat there, closing his eyes to rest as he waited for the show to begin.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a sudden fragrance drifted into everyone's nostrils. Though very faint, it seemed to actively wind its way into people's noses. Then, the spirit stone array on the small stage lit up, and a slender woman in revealing attire appeared in the center. Swiveling her willow-like waist and speaking in a coquettish voice, she announced, "Good evening, esteemed guests! I have wonderful news to share: the performance we have all been eagerly awaiting is about to begin. Let me first introduce the show."

Cheers, whistles, and catcalls rose in waves.

Seeing that the crowd's emotions had been thoroughly ignited, the woman continued, "First, we have an exotic song and dance performance, followed by our most popular snatching game. Whomever you take a fancy to, you may step up and seize her—purely in terms of spirit stones, of course. Our Rujia Inn does not permit violence. Much like an auction, the highest bidder wins the woman..."

A commotion broke out in the audience, making it impossible to hear the rest of her words.

Lei Xiang remained unmoved by this, but chaos erupted inside his storage bag. The Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff was thrashing about frantically inside, one moment propping up the tent, the next doing a series of somersaults. Lei Xiang quickly opened a crack in his storage bag, and *swoop*, a streak of pitch-black light darted out, leaving a single sentence in Lei Xiang's mind: "I'll go back to the room and wait for you. You men are no good, humph!"

Lei Xiang was not particularly surprised by Tian Rui driving the Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff away. His main focus was now on the small stage, where the performance had already begun. Amidst a lively medley of drums and wind instruments, a group of women dressed in tight clothing danced on the stage. Their movements were expansive and exaggerated. What made it more interesting was that these women all possessed fair skin, blue eyes, and colorful hair, distinct from the people of the Infinite Continent. They were extremely open and uninhibited, exuding a wild passion.

Some men who could no longer restrain themselves rushed to the edge of the stage. The exotic women seemed not to mind at all, allowing those hands to roam over their bodies while maintaining sweet smiles on their faces. This only encouraged more people to step forward. Before long, the dancing ground to a halt as the women dispersed to the edges of the stage to flirt with the male patrons, leaving the center completely empty.

Suddenly, the spirit stone array on the small stage flickered out, then flashed back on. In the empty center stood a woman in white. With a slender waist and lotus steps, she danced with arms as supple as willow branches swaying in the wind. Her body seemed boneless, easily evoking thoughts of how intoxicating it would be if those slender legs beneath her white gauze skirt were to wrap around someone. Eighty percent of the audience was already losing self-control.

The music shifted, becoming fierce and wild, and the white-clad woman's dance grew equally primal and untamed. *Rip!* She tore off her left sleeve, shook it thrice in the air, and tossed it to the left side of the room, where the men scrambled for it. Like the wind, the white-clad woman darted to the right side of the stage and kicked her leg out, causing the white gauze skirt to part fully and reveal a nearly flawless jade leg, with black lace faintly visible beneath. The male patrons on the right swallowed involuntarily.

After tossing her other sleeve to the men as well, she actually tore away her own bodice. Two jade-like peaks were covered by mysterious attachments, making them vaguely indistinct. This tantalizing illusion further stirred the lust of the men, who surged forward. Had it not been for the defensive barrier, they would have crushed the small stage.

"Give it to me!"

"Nobody snatch this, it's mine, mine..."

"Damn it, I reserved her yesterday!"

...

The white-clad woman seemed well-used to the ugly behavior of these men. She kissed her chest wrap passionately, then flicked her wrist to send it flying straight toward the private room where Lei Xiang sat. A mysterious smile played on the corners of Lei Xiang's lips. He reached out and easily caught the chest wrap, examined it before his eyes, brought it to his nose to sniff, and began turning it over in his hands to toy with it.

Seeing that Lei Xiang had obtained the chest wrap, the male patrons glared with murderous intent and cursed foully. At that moment, the music abruptly cut off. The female host from earlier stepped back onto the stage, raised her voice, and shouted, "The performance concludes here! Next is the snatching segment. You have all seen the women; the price depends on your sincerity. Highest bidder takes the girl!"

"Five hundred!"

"One thousand, I want this one!"

"I've got my eye on her, twelve hundred!"

...

More than a dozen women were snatched up in a frenzy, and in three instances, multiple men fought over the same person. Only the white-clad woman remained on the small stage. Those who had failed to secure a woman began bidding even more aggressively, with some instigators deliberately driving up the price. Lei Xiang suspected these were shills planted by the Rujia Inn. Just as he hesitated whether to join the bidding, the price had already been inflated to one hundred and fifty thousand. Lei Xiang shook his head and turned to leave when the white-clad woman suddenly spoke, her voice carrying an absolute magnetic pull: "I bid twenty thousand to decide who I belong to today!"

Her declaration left everyone dumbfounded. Was she buying herself out, or was she choosing a favored companion for the day? "I have practiced my art here for a decade, and the money I've earned is enough to buy myself for a single night. So please, gentlemen, do not fight me for it. For just tonight, and tomorrow night I shall await your favors once more." Then, with a delicate finger, she pointed directly at Lei Xiang in the second-floor private room. "Tonight, I am yours—who told you to be the one who got the lady's undergarments?"

Lei Xiang suddenly felt an urge to vomit and hurriedly waved his hands. "No need, I don't..." As he channeled his spiritual energy to make his escape, he abruptly discovered that the air around him had frozen solid, rendering flight impossible.