Chapter 6

6. Jokes and Sincerity

Unbidden dishes lined up one after another, and finally, a bottle of wine sealed with a red ribbon appeared.

"What's that?"

A woman in her late twenties, whom I had never seen before, replied with a bright smile.

"It's a special Doujiang wine."

"Special? Really?"

"Of course. I'll pour you a glass."

As I received the Doujiang wine she had opened, I replied.

"Surely you're not playing a trick on me with this wine? It smells too strong."

The woman's face stiffened slightly at the word "waitress." She maintained her composure and said,

"Why would we play tricks with the wine? Absolutely not. Are you looking for a particular girl?"

"Yes, I am. Chai Xiang. Is she here?"

She probably is.

"Yes, but Chai Xiang has many prior engagements. I'll check and come back."

"She's busy. It won't take long."

"Yes, she's very busy. If Chai Xiang isn't available, would another girl be okay?"

"No, she won't do."

"I'll have her attend to you with drinks, and when she's free, I'll bring her to you. Many guests want to hear her sing, even just one song."

"I don't want to hear her sing; I just want her to come for a moment. By the way, don't you know who I am?"

"Who are you? I'm usually here."

I pointed to my eyes.

"Can't you see?"

"You must be joking?"

"The famous waiter from Zixia Guesthouse, who's been saving money like a miser to sleep with Chai Xiang. That's me."

"Oh... So that's why there was a commotion downstairs."

The woman's expression changed rapidly. Her eyes narrowed, and a mocking emotion flickered in them.

"So today is the day. But do you really want to see Chai Xiang?"

"Why? Can't I?"

"I'm afraid the owner will be angry. Didn't you get beaten up a few days ago? When you came to Meihualou and were told not to look for Chai Xiang, didn't you think about that?"

The woman spoke in a gentle tone, handling the situation with great skill.

"I didn't think about that. Anyway, you, middle-aged lady, sure can talk."

"Middle-aged? I'm not even thirty. And it wasn't a joke, was it? I thought it was. I'll go and tell her. Please wait a moment."

"Wait! You thought it was a joke?"

The woman stared at me and nodded.

"Yes."

"Then why did I get beaten up?"

"Maybe you got beaten up for the joke."

The woman smiled, and a dimple appeared on her cheek.

I pointed at her.

"You're a really annoying lady, pretending to be middle-aged."

"Please be kind. It was a joke."

The joke was taken seriously, and then I heard that it wasn't a joke after all.

The meaning of words changes arbitrarily.

That's why words are scary.

* * *

After the talkative woman left, I smelled the Doujiang wine.

It was supposed to be a special Doujiang wine, but it was of a quality that didn't even reach third grade. Yet, they intended to charge the price of a first-grade wine.

Jokes being taken seriously, and fakes being treated as genuine.

That's what these people, who always act in their own interest, usually do.

"Playing tricks from the first drink?"

This is definitely not a first-grade Doujiang wine.

How dare you play tricks with a waiter... The code of the martial world has fallen this low.

I filled my glass with the third-grade Doujiang wine, which made a gurgling sound as it poured. When I had drunk three glasses, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor.

The rumor that the waiter from Zixia Guesthouse had come to Meihualou had finally reached the ears of those who had participated in the beating.

The footsteps carried a rough emotion.

Creak!

The door opened, and as soon as someone saw me, they started cursing.

"Hey, you bastard. Do you know where you are? Are you crazy?"

I couldn't help but sigh.

Isn't it wrong for a waiter to come to a brothel?

Why do I keep being called a bastard instead of a good name?

At least they didn't curse my parents, so they seemed to be better than the monkeys of the Devil Sect.

I recognized the man's face and name. I had always kept track of the identities of those who had beaten me, both in the past and now.

I gestured for Dong Guo to come in and said,

"Why are you all acting like this? I just want to drink some wine with my own money. Come in. I'll give you a glass."

The man was at a loss for words.

It was understandable.

A few days ago, he had been beaten up, and now he was being addressed casually, with a dismissive gesture, and even offered a drink. It was absurd.

Dong Guo came in and sat down opposite me.

"Is this kid not eating well today?"

"I had bibimbap."

"What?"

As I poured the Doujiang wine, Dong Guo grabbed the glass and said,

"Just drink this and leave quietly. Before things get worse."

After pouring the wine, I said to Dong Guo,

"Dong Guo, you bastard."

Mixing casual talk and curses, I called him, and Dong Guo, who was sitting there, swung his right hand to slap my face.

I caught his hand with my left hand, placed it on the table, and simultaneously stabbed a chopstick into his palm.

Thud!

"Ouch."

"Oops, sorry. Why are the chopsticks so sharp?"

I didn't intend to go that far.

It was an instinctive reaction from years of being a martial artist.

Dong Guo needed some time to understand the situation. Despite his distorted expression, he tried to figure out what had happened.

I then took out a sickle and tapped the chopstick embedded in his palm.

Tap, tap.

"A punctured palm can heal, but a severed wrist can't. I'll cut it off."

"No, don't."

"Don't?"

"Don't do it."

I pointed at Dong Guo with the sickle.

"I was just drinking quietly and wanted to see Chai Xiang for a moment. Why are you acting like a mad dog? Will Meihualou collapse if I see Chai Xiang?"

At that moment, the door burst open again, and Chai Xiang appeared, looking at what was happening around the table.

"Dong Guo, go out. I'm here."

I looked at Chai Xiang.

"It's been a while."

She was known to be quite beautiful, but after seeing all the most beautiful women in the Central Plains, she now seemed like a girl from the countryside who relied on her looks to be arrogant.

Her angry expression suggested that she had been ordered to come in and collect the money for the drinks.

However, Dong Guo couldn't move, so I kindly pulled out the chopstick.

"Ouch."

As blood spurted from his palm, I held out my glass and caught the blood precisely.

It was a meaningless act.

But it meant something to Dong Guo.

He left without a word, covering his injured palm, and Chai Xiang sat down opposite me, as if changing shifts.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw Chai Xiang.

"Why are you smiling?"

Chai Xiang's irritated question.

I found myself repeating the same words I had said to the Left Envoy of the Devil Sect.

"You should laugh when you want to. Why? Does a waiter have to manage their expression even in a place like this?"

"Is the current situation funny?"

"Yes, it is."

"Why did you make Dong Guo's hand look like that? Won't Seon Tai and the owner be angry?"

"Will the men of Yiliang County just sit by? They won't."

"I'm saying this for your own good. I've already made more money since I came in. The wine is expensive, and you'll have to pay for Dong Guo's medical expenses too. Just pay the money and leave. It's for your own good."

Why was she so angry?

"Don't shout. Do you know how much money I have?"

"Not much. The rumor that the noodles are bad has spread."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't understand why you're so popular. Your face is average, but your thoughts, tone, expression, and eyes... they're all..."

"..."

I didn't intend to threaten this fragile woman, but I spoke in a calm tone.

"Don't act so arrogantly just because you have an average face. You're not worth it."

Chai Xiang's eyes widened, and she flared up like a master of the Ami Sect.

"Value? Did you just say I have value?"

"Your tone is worse than any ugly woman's, no matter how bad their reputation. Ha ha."

To my surprise, Chai Xiang burst out laughing.

"No, was getting beaten up a few days ago that unfair? Just to say this, you wasted the money you saved as a waiter? Why would I sleep with you? Even if you brought a bag of gold, I wouldn't. Do you think I sleep with just anyone? I've never done that here. Do you think I'm like that?"

Chai Xiang shouted.

Ah, that's why she was so angry at me. It seems there was a reason from her perspective too.

"Selling skills, not the body."

I asked if she meant she sold her skills but not her body, and she shook her head.

"Don't write that."

"Sorry."

"Anyway, that's how I've lived. Not all performers sell their bodies."

I offered her a glass of Doujiang wine, despite her anger.

"Right. I never thought you slept with just anyone. I'll give you this glass as an apology."

As she held out her glass, I poured the wine and said,

"Let me be clear. I never said I was saving money to sleep with you. I only wanted to hear one song. You're a performer, after all. Even that was a joke, and it was a clear joke. I never intended to, and I couldn't afford it."

"Really? What I heard..."

"Don't interrupt. The joke spread, and everyone found it funny, except you. The funnier it was, the more it spread. But the joke became a serious matter that I couldn't change. The power of words, I guess. And I couldn't change it back to a joke. Words can kill, and this is a case in point. Look at my eyes; I almost went blind because of it."

I wasn't really talking to Chai Xiang but reflecting on my past.

Chai Xiang's expression changed to one of confusion when I said this. She must have felt I had changed.

"Drink."

I shared a glass of Doujiang wine with her, showing no emotion.

"But selling skills, not the body, is a joke. You shouldn't have come to a brothel. This is the end, so leave."

"Excuse me?"

This time, I poured the wine only into my glass and repeated,

"Leave. Before I drag you out by the hair."

Chai Xiang suddenly noticed the sickle on the table and looked at my expression and eyes.

She was a perceptive woman.

"Yes, I understand. But coming to the brothel wasn't my choice."

"Stop barking."

"Really."

At that moment, the sound of Chai Xiang's footsteps and the heavy footsteps of men overlapped. Hearing about the punctured palm of their comrade, the other participants in the beating were excited. Chai Xiang, sensing an impending fight, fled the room.

Three men arrived and roughly opened the door again.

Why are they so angry?

They seemed so happy when they were beating me.

Yuan Hanre, one of them, asked me,

"Zixia, will one sickle do? It seems you came here to die. Why didn't you bring a longer sword? Oh, didn't you have the money for a sword?"

Another man chimed in,

"Let's go outside. It's hard to clean up blood here."

Without responding, I poured the third-grade Doujiang wine and smelled it. It suddenly felt like a first-grade wine.

The taste of wine changes with the atmosphere.

If the waiter doesn't respond and just drinks, they'll probably start with fists like yesterday.

As I swallowed the Doujiang wine, I kept my eyes on the three men.

Their expressions suggested they were debating whether to kill me or not.

I spoke calmly to the agitated men.

"You all have the confidence to kill me, right? Let's finish the drinks and go outside."

Ladies and gentlemen, there's no need to rush.

'Please calm down...'

Actually, I thought it would be less cruel to beat them calmly.

Killing these local thugs would only dirty my hands.