Chapter 48: Farewell, Mei Niang

  The number one wine in the world, the largest private wine house in Chang'an, now famous far and near as the first-class Golden Cave, a gathering place for the rich and noble, today triggered a not small stir.

  The three top courtesans of the wine shop, Bao Tian Huang, appeared collectively in front of a large number of guests for the first time.

  As the three women hastily walked through the second-floor corridor, the guests in the hall suddenly let out a not-so-small gasp of surprise. Many people stood up excitedly and rushed to catch a glimpse of their beauty.

  Those who can afford to consume the world's best wine are naturally either wealthy or noble. However, once inside, it's a different world with its own hierarchy system. People sitting in the main hall drinking may be wealthy patrons or famous scholars outside, but here they're just ordinary and low-ranking customers. Being able to see all three top brands at once is already a great honor.

  "Haha! It was worth it, really worth it! Today I actually saw three goddesses at the same time!"

  "Haha! Indeed, she's a national treasure... It's said that the most legendary one is that little demon. Although she's a blind girl, she's the most beautiful and popular among the three fairy girls. I heard that back then, Great Master Qin Mubai personally took her as his apprentice and taught her pipa skills. The little demon practiced day and night, often to the point where her fingers bled, and finally mastered an unparalleled pipa technique. Even the great musician Zeng Shouling from the Imperial Music Bureau said that this little blind girl's skills far surpass his own!"

  "It's not! I've heard that when she plays the pipa, even the weakest person can get excited and passionate, and even the coldest and most ruthless person will shed tears. The melody she plays is like a sharp blade that can pierce through people's hearts! It's truly played with heart and emotion!"

  "What's going on? In the past, the Three Sages' attitude was always so arrogant, but I've never heard of anyone inviting all three at once. Today, the number one wine in the world has arrived for what kind of noble guest?"

  ……

  In the hall, three women including Nian'er entered in a line and saw Qin Mu Bai sitting upright in the upper seat. They were all excited and quickly walked over to pay their respects to Qin Mu Bai in unison.

  "Young Master is so excited, he hasn't spoken yet and has already choked up, knocking his head against Qin Mu Bai while saying: 'Honorable Master above, disciple pays respects!'"

  "What's going on, no need for formalities, get up!" Qin Mubai stepped forward and helped You'er to a seat beside him, smiling as he said, "It seems that you haven't wasted the past three months. Now all of you are famous throughout the capital, even reaching the ears of the Emperor."

  The three women laughed happily, and the demon girl said: "This is all thanks to Master's guidance. The three of us found Zeng Shu Ling and followed him to study the pipa with our hearts focused. After Master accepted me as a disciple and called me his sister, he taught me all his skills without reservation. That's why we have today."

  Another woman said, "Thanks to Qin Gongzi's guidance, we have all benefited greatly and are truly grateful. From that day on, the young girl practiced the pipa day and night without rest. Her fingers were worn out, and she broke many pipas. Among the three of us, only her skills were exceptional. Even Zeng Shu said that the young girl's skills had surpassed his own. The two of us couldn't help but feel inferior."

  "There's nothing more successful than diligence, you're doing great, Yao'er." Qin Mu Bai nodded with a smile, "Although you've lost your sight, you have perseverance and determination that ordinary people don't. I really didn't misjudge you."

  "Thank you, Master, for the praise..." The little demon's face turned red as she lowered her head and muttered, "Master's voice is so nice to listen to... it's just a pity that I'm blind and can't see Master's appearance."

  The other two women covered their mouths and giggled, one of them said: "Yao'er, you always say that Qin Gongzi taught you that the pipa is played with heart and emotion. Although you've never seen Qin Gongzi before, do you have a clear image of him in your mind?"

  "Ah...... don't say that!" Yao'er suddenly blushed and hastily grabbed the collars of the two girls beside her.

  Pang Fei had been quietly watching from the side, already stunned and unsure of what to do. At this time, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva in shock and said: "Master, it turns out that one of the Three Wine Immortals, the demonic child... is your disciple?"

  "Not really. She's still your senior sister after all!" Qin Mu Bai smiled and said, "But actually, I didn't really teach her anything."

  "Master said she's our senior sister, so that's what she is." Pang Fei walked solemnly to the front of You'er and bowed his head: "Junior Brother Pang Fei greets Senior Sister."

  "Ah...... how embarrassing!" You'er's face turned red with embarrassment for a moment, and she hastily said: "Pang... uh, no need to be polite, younger brother."

  "Prince Qin, it's been three months since we last met. We've each made progress. Why don't we each play a piece for you right now and let you decide how we're doing?" said the other two girls.

  "Alright." Qin Mu Bai smiled, "I came here today to relax and listen to your wonderful music. It's not a bad way to spend the day."

  Then, the three women began to play the pipa one after another. The tunes were different, and Yao'er played "The Hegemon's Armor"!

  Even Qin Mu Bai had to admit that the little demon's pipa skills were indeed practiced to a high level, not much inferior to his own, and even had a hint of surpassing him. Especially when she played every note was full of emotion, either passionate or melancholic, as if piercing through the soul, able to deeply shock people's hearts!

  "Not bad, excellent! The reputation is well-deserved!" After listening to the song, Qin Mubai couldn't help but applaud and cheer. Next to him, Pang Fei was surprisingly moved to tears, clapping his hands and stomping his feet in excitement.

  The little demon hugged the pipa and bowed: "If it weren't for Master's guidance, I wouldn't have understood that playing the pipa also requires heart and emotion. Every time I pick up this pipa, I seem to hear Master's words in my ear. Every time I play this piece, it's like experiencing a lifetime. Each note is like experiencing joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. I often think that I will never be able to leave the pipa behind in this life. It's like the pillar of my life; as long as I live, it's for its sake."

  "Hmm." Qin Mubai nodded, thinking to herself that a blind girl who was once lonely and helpless, with a heart full of darkness, had finally found her footing in life and discovered the sunshine and colors of existence, making her feel the value of her own existence. No wonder she treated the pipa like it was her life.

  Another woman said, "Now that Yao'er has become the top courtesan in our brothel, her life is naturally worry-free. However, she never saves a single penny or buys even half an acre of land. All the wages and rewards she receives are used to help poor families. She has also adopted three orphan girls living in Chang'an City, hiring people to take care of them, teaching them to read, write, and learn needlework. Now, that place has become Yao'er's home."

  "This is good." Qin Mu Bai stood up, walked to the front of Yao Er, and gently patted her shoulder. "Yao Er, you are very kind and a good woman. I believe that in the future, you will definitely have a good home. Good people always have good rewards."

  "Thank you, Master..." The little demon's face turned red as she lowered her head and said in a voice that was almost too low to be heard, "I have no other wishes for this life, only that Master may live a long and peaceful life with wealth and good fortune..."

  "Huh?......" Qin Mubai was taken aback for a moment, and a thought flashed through his mind: What is this silly girl thinking in her heart?

  Just then, the door of the house was opened and a voice rang out: "Hey, I thought who would be such an important guest that I had to come and greet you in person! It's actually Master Qin, no wonder, no wonder!"

  Qin Mubai didn't need to look to understand, who else besides Wu Meiniang would say something like that?

  "The master of the house." The three women bowed in unison to welcome him.

  Pang Fei's mouth almost watered at the corners: "My heavens! Is this really the legendary...the master of the world's number one wine, the number one beauty of Chang'an - Wu Mei Niang? Wow! How can there be such a beautiful woman under the sky?"

  "Huh, where did this little rascal come from? He actually dares to judge me. Wu Meiniang was still wearing a golden white silk-trimmed Hu dress with silver threads, her hands clasped behind her back making her breasts stand out even more plump and full. She raised an eyebrow at Qin Mubai: "Qin young master, is this your servant?"

  Qin Mubai shook his head and smiled: "My disciple."

  "That's it, you're going to get a beating!" Wu Meiniang deliberately put on a stern face, pointed at Pang Fei with her finger and said, "You little brat, you don't even bow your head when you see your master's wife, and you dare to judge me? Are you asking for a whipping?"

  "Ah, ah?" Pang Fei was stunned, "En, Master, this..."

  The three girls, including Niao'er, were giggling together. Apparently, they also knew about the relationship between Qin Mu Bai and Wu Mei Niang after the fact.

  Qin Mubai just smiled and didn't speak, letting Wu Meiniang tease and play with Le Youzi, anyway he was also used to Wu Meiniang's mischievous personality.

  Seeing this scene, Pang Fei naturally understood what was going on. He immediately got up and came to the front of Wu Mei Niang, and really didn't hesitate to kneel down: "Greetings, Master's wife, disciple has committed a crime, please Master's wife punish me!" But in his heart he was muttering: This master's wife looks like she's still a few years younger than me, yet she calls me a little rascal...

  "Hehe, this little rascal is really interesting! Get up, I forgive you, Mistress. How can we mistreat such a lovely apprentice? You three, take him to another room and entertain him with good food, drink, and music." Wu Mei Niang said with a smile, putting on an air of authority.

  Pang Fei is overjoyed. Three immortals serving together... even the prime minister of the current dynasty doesn't receive such treatment, right? Haha!

  After the four of them left, Qin Mubai smiled and said: "You're not bad, Mei Niang. You're indeed a business genius! In just a few short months, Tianxia's First Wine has become Chang'an's number one wine shop, famous throughout the capital."

  "That's natural." Wu Meiniang smiled and walked around the room with a sense of pride, saying, "Don't you see what I'm running? That's the emperor's imperial wine, the emperor's favorite tune, and the great master who was personally appointed by the emperor is sitting here. So, it's easy for me to make those fox spirits into the most outstanding geishas in Chang'an City. Besides, with Zheng Fenghuo, the first rich man in Chang'an, as my backer and helping me plan strategies, and many big shots supporting me, I'm afraid it would be hard not to be popular!"

  .??，！