eurekapd Chapter 513 The Story of the Courtesan: I Want to See You Kill
Chapter 513 The Story of the Courtesan: I Want to See You Kill
Su Wan'er stood beside Qin Mu with a wine glass in her hand, her gaze fixed on his profile, her heart churning like a river.
She's seen too many men.
During her three years at Zuiyue Tower, she met countless young nobles, wealthy merchants, and chivalrous figures from the martial arts world.
They all looked at her the same way.
Greedy, burning, wanting to devour her alive.
But the person in front of me is different.
His eyes were too calm, as calm as a stagnant pool, devoid of desire, greed, or even appreciation.
He simply looked at her as if she were a flower, a cloud, or a landscape unrelated to him.
A feeling of inexplicable resentment welled up in her heart.
She was unwilling to accept being ignored by him like this, unwilling to let him leave like this.
She didn't know who he was or where he came from, but she had a gut feeling.
This person can take her away from here.
She bit her lip, her voice soft and tinged with a hint of probing. "Young master, there is something I do not understand."
Qin Mu held his wine glass, his gaze fixed on the deep night outside the window. "Speak."
Su Wan'er's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her fingers slowly clenched inside her sleeve. "Young master, your talent is unparalleled, and your demeanor is extraordinary; it's clear at a glance that you are no ordinary person. May I be so bold as to ask, young master... are you from the capital?"
Qin Mu turned his head to look at her, the smile on his lips deepening. "What makes you say that?"
Su Wan'er lowered her head, her voice even softer. "Although I work in a brothel, I have seen many people. The bearing you possess, sir, cannot be cultivated in the Northern Border. Only the capital, only the most prosperous place in the world, can produce someone like you."
Qin Mu smiled, neither denying nor admitting it.
He picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and then looked back out the window.
Su Wan'er's heart skipped a beat.
She knew she had guessed right.
This man must be from the capital; he must be someone important.
If she could get close to him, if she could get him to take her away, she could escape this Drunken Moon Pavilion and regain her freedom.
A resolute glint flashed in her eyes. She gritted her teeth, took another step forward, and moved even closer to Qin Mu.
She reached out and gently placed her hand on Qin Mu's arm, her fingertips trembling slightly.
"My lord, I... I don't want to stay here forever. I want to leave, I want to go to the capital, I want to see the outside world. My lord, could you... take me with you?"
Her voice was soft, with a hint of pleading and a desperate resolve.
Qin Mu looked down at the hand resting on his arm; it was slender and fair, with slightly reddish fingertips.
He neither pushed me away nor held on; he simply smiled faintly.
What can you do?
Su Wan'er was stunned for a moment. "Wh...what?"
Qin Mu's gaze fell on her face, calm as still water. "This young master doesn't bring useless people. What are your skills?"
Su Wan'er's mind raced.
She is skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, singing, dancing, and pleasing men.
But would any of this be of any use to him?
she does not know.
All she knew was that she had to seize this opportunity and make him see her worth.
A glint flashed in her eyes, and her voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"I can dance. I have been dancing since I was a child. I learned to walk at the age of three, to dance at the age of five, and by the age of ten I was already performing on stage at Zuiyue Tower. No one in the entire Yanmen City can compare to my dancing."
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening. "Oh? Then show me how to dance."
Su Wan'er's heart skipped a beat, like a drum being struck.
She stepped back a few paces, walked to the open space in the center of the room, took a deep breath, and slowly raised her hands.
Starting stance.
Her fingers were slender as scallions, drawing a graceful arc in the air, like a butterfly dancing among flowers.
Her waist was as supple as a willow, swaying gently with the movement of her arms, and the orchid pattern on her dress was faintly visible in the candlelight.
Her toes touched the ground, and her skirt bloomed like a lotus flower.
Her steps were as light as a swallow, and she stepped on the gold bricks without making a sound. The only sounds were the rustling of her clothes and the clinking of the jade pendant at her waist.
She jumped faster and faster, her skirt swirling like a blooming flower.
Her long hair fluttered gently as she danced, with a few stray strands falling across her forehead, adding a touch of allure to her cool and aloof face.
A faint smile played on her lips, her gaze fixed on Qin Mu's face, her eyes sparkling with captivating charm.
Each time she turned around, she would flick her sleeves towards Qin Mu, the wind from her sleeves brushing against his cheeks, carrying a faint scent of perfume.
Each time she turned her head, she would cast a seductive glance, a look like a hook, trying to capture his heart.
Qin Mu simply leaned against the window, resting his chin on his hand, watching her dance as if he were looking at a painting that had nothing to do with him.
A faint, ambiguous smile played on his lips, devoid of any infatuation, intoxication, or even the slightest ripple of emotion.
Su Wan'er's heart sank again.
She has danced this dance countless times, and each time she has captivated the men in the audience, making them yearn to rush up and embrace her.
But this man didn't even blink.
A huge sense of frustration welled up in her heart, like punching cotton, unable to exert any force or achieve any real effect.
But she was not reconciled.
She gritted her teeth and made her dance moves bolder and more alluring.
Her waist swayed more dramatically, her skirt flew higher, revealing a section of snow-white skin on her wrist.
Her fingers slid slowly across her shoulders, down her collarbone to her chest, and down to her waist, each movement a tease, a test.
She turned around and stood in front of Qin Mu, reached out her hand, and gently touched his shoulder with her fingertips, then slowly slid down his arm and landed on the back of his hand.
Her fingertips were slightly cool and trembling, like a dragonfly skimming the water or a feather brushing against the surface.
Her voice was very soft, almost a moan. "My lord... how did I dance?"
Qin Mu lowered his head and looked at her.
His gaze swept across her face, then he smiled.
"You jumped well. However, this young master doesn't like being touched."
Su Wan'er's fingers suddenly stiffened, and she withdrew them as if she had been burned.
She lowered her head, not daring to look at him, not daring to look into his eyes, not daring to look at his face.
A huge sense of shame welled up in her heart, as if she had been stripped naked and thrown into the street, with every gaze like a knife.
But she did not back down.
She bit her lip, swallowing back the surging shame bit by bit.
She looked up, tears welling in her eyes, but a faint smile on her lips.
"Young master is right. I...I was rude."
She stepped back a few paces and stood in the center of the room again.
She didn't stop; she continued dancing.
This time, she stopped teasing and testing the waters; she simply danced quietly.
She poured her heart into the dance, infusing all the bitterness, tears, resentment, and struggles of the past years into every movement.
After finishing the last move, Su Wan'er stood there, panting heavily.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, her long hair was somewhat disheveled, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were filled with tears.
She stood there, like a flower that had been battered by wind and rain, yet was still desperately trying to bloom.
She looked up at Qin Mu, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"Young master, I...have made a fool of myself."
Qin Mu looked at her for a long time, then smiled and said:
"Not bad. Even better than I expected."
Su Wan'er's heart skipped a beat, as if a lamp had suddenly been lit in the darkness.
She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but it felt like something was blocking her throat, and she couldn't squeeze out a single word.
Qin Mu turned around, walked back to the window, and stood with his hands behind his back.
The night breeze rushed in, stirring his moon-white robes.
"What's your name?"
Su Wan'er was taken aback. "This concubine... Su Wan'er."
Qin Mu nodded, his gaze falling on the deep night outside the window. "Su Wan'er. A good name."
Qin Mu turned around, walked back to the window, and stood with his hands behind his back.
The night breeze swept in, stirring his moon-white robes and the stray hairs at his temples.
"That's not enough talent."
Su Wan'er paused for a moment, her fingers clenching slightly inside her sleeve.
She bit her lip, a resolute glint in her eyes.
She stepped forward and stood in front of Qin Mu again, her voice hoarse, carrying a sense of resignation.
"I know other things too. Whatever you wish to see, young master, is at your disposal."
She lowered her head, her fingers resting on the ribbon at her waist, and gently pulled it.
The ribbon came undone, and the moon-white outer garment slipped off her shoulders, revealing a snow-white inner garment and delicate collarbones.
She looked up at Qin Mu, her eyes filled with tears, but a smile played on her lips.
That smile contained flattery, pleading, and a deep-seated, inescapable despair.
Qin Mu looked at her, his gaze calm as still water.
He didn't stop her, nor did he move; he simply watched her quietly, as if watching a play that had nothing to do with him.
"I want to see you kill someone. How about it?"
Su Wan'er's movements suddenly froze.
Her pupils suddenly contracted, her lips trembled violently, her fingers slipped from the ribbon, and her outer garment slid off her shoulders and piled up at her feet.
She didn't pick it up; she just stood there, like a stone statue that had been immobilized.
"Young...Young Master...What did you say? I...I don't understand."
Her voice trembled, from the first word to the last.
Qin Mu looked at her, the smile still on his lips, revealing no emotion.
"Speak. Who's behind you?"
Su Wan'er's body jolted violently, and the color drained from her face instantly, turning her ashen white.
A storm raged within her.
Only one thought was in her mind—he figured it out.
He saw through everything.
She bit her lip, her voice hoarse, as if squeezed from deep in her throat.
"This concubine...this concubine does not know what you are talking about, young master."
Qin Mu smiled, reached out, and gently lifted her chin, forcing her to raise her head and meet his gaze.
"If you don't confess, how can I take you away?"
Su Wan'er's pupils suddenly contracted, as if she had been pricked by a needle.
Her lips trembled violently, and tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back tightly.
She was torn between two conflicting voices within her.
One said, "Don't say it, or you'll be dead," while the other said, "If you say it, there might still be a chance of survival."
Countless images flashed through her mind.
Those people she met in this Drunken Moon Pavilion over the years, those Northern Mang spies in plain clothes, those mysterious people who sneaked into her room at night, those messages she was forced to pass on, and those blood and tears she could never forget.
She couldn't remember when she had been targeted by the Northern Barbarians.
Perhaps it was the year she first entered Zuiyue Tower, perhaps it was the night she first took the stage, or perhaps it was even earlier.
All she knew was that from the moment she was chosen to become a member of the Northern Mang intelligence network, she had never been free again.
She hated this place, hated the Drunken Moon Pavilion, and hated the people who made her do these things.
But what good is her hatred?
She was just a weak woman with no strength to even kill a chicken; she couldn't even get out of this door.
She looked up at Qin Mu, her eyes filled with pleading.
Her tears finally fell, silently streaming down her pale cheeks.
"Young master...you...you really can take me away?"