*FEATURED* Ao is a wrathful, ravenous former god trapped in a human body and sentenced to roam the Inner Empire for all eternity.
Eternity is rather dull, until she meets a green-eyed prince and his friends.
The prince offers her a deal; help him a...
可望而不可即 kě wàng ér bùkě jí Can see but can not approach. Within sight but beyond reach-unattainable.
*~*~*~*~*~*
The Garden District was awake and bustling, despite the heat.
Everything within the pleasure district was lit by glowing lanterns, that cast all beneath them into shades of red and gold. The press of humanity was everywhere. Almost all of the crowd was male, old men with a guilty look escaping their wives, young men in packs calling out to the pretty girls in windows like wolves. There were rich men, and when their carriages stopped before the pleasure houses, flocks of flowers flowed from the gates to greet them. And there were poor men, who wandered and looked, but didn't touch, what they wanted in sight but out of reach.
Of the girls themselves there was little variation. Most were young, pretty, made up and dressed up to resemble dolls, all so similar that it was hard to tell one apart from the other. Zakhar knew it was because most men liked the lack of individuality. They want to see the women they paid for as objects, not people.
A few brothels and their inhabitants did stand out. One establishment, The Fabulous Whatever, boasted all mu'ren girls. Another, The Eight Distinguished Phoenixes, consisted of older, more matronly women, which judging from the line of men outside was surprisingly popular. A third brothel, The Dueling Flames, was filled with men, some bare chested and muscular, some dressed in silks and painted as pretty as any lady.
The buildings themselves were as painted and dressed like their inhabitants. Besides the elegantly carved and painted signboards, strings of lanterns were hung along the front of the buildings, illuminating walls brightly painted in reds and greens and blues, and accented in golds.
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Through the courtyard gates, one could catch glimpses of even more enchanted fairytale like lands. Contrived gardens, filled with plants and trees and small flowing rivers, waited for patrons to explore. Over the rivers small bridges arched, and in secluded locations tiny gazebos were placed, perfect for quiet encounters with customers.
At last, after passing by many other brothels in the Garden District, the three men reached Tianshi Sheng and stopped outside. Ao stopped beside them.
"Is this the one you frequent?" she asked, surveying the building, which, though well maintained, did look rather drab in comparison with its gawdy neighbors. "I'm surprised, I expected something more... princely."
"I try to be discreet," said Sanli. Ao snorted.
"I have friends here," said Zakhar defensively, immediately wishing he hadn't.
"I'm sure you do," said Ao over her shoulder as she walked through the gateway.
Zakhar followed, flinching as a chorus of voices greeted him. "Welcome Zakhar!" "It's Zakhar, someone fetch Mei!" "Welcome back, Lord Zakhar."
