A Flower Immortal’s Devotion, Three Hundred Years in the Mortal Realm

According to the Mystic Records of Qi Men, there exists a flower in the Netherworld known as the Crimson Gown. Red as fresh blood, it can manifest before mortals in exquisite beauty. Dropping its petals once every century, it blooms in seven colors to ascend as an immortal.

Zi Qingyan was precisely such a flower.

A spider lily, born upon the paths of the Netherworld.

For every color that dropped, a leaf would sprout. Once it fully bloomed seven leaves, she could shed her mortal constraints and achieve immortality.

However, each time a leaf sprouted, she was required to slaughter hundreds of living beings, claiming and consuming their seven mortal souls. While this was undeniably the swiftest method, it possessed one fatal flaw.

She must never lose her heart. If she ever fell in love, she would completely strip that person of their three hun and seven po, erasing even their very chance at reincarnation.

This was the nature of Zi Qingyan. By now, she had already grown six leaves. The final leaf, it seemed, would not take much longer.

Her reason for opening this Zui Xiang Brothel was precisely for this purpose. The men who frequented this establishment were, for the most part, guilty of various sins. After all, within the archives of the Underworld’s souls, there was no worldly hierarchy of men over women. If she harmed an innocent soul, her impending tribulation of ascension would become infinitely harder to cross. But for these wicked scoundrels who spent their days merely seeking carnal pleasures, the karmic punishment would be relatively lighter.

A land intoxicated by gold and silk; a time to sever souls and seize spirits.

In truth, Zi Qingyan had simply felt a bit stifled today. She had stood by the second-floor railing, looking down at the crowd below, when her eyes fell upon Lin Lan.

Up until now, Zi Qingyan had encountered countless men. The way they looked at her, the way they looked at this brothel—it was always laced with all manners of filthy, secular desires.

But this was perhaps the very first time Zi Qingyan had ever seen someone like Lin Lan.

There was no crude, worldly lust in his eyes. Instead, they carried a touch of innocence and a sliver of earnest anticipation. He was dressed neatly, presenting a rather scholarly and refined appearance.

How strange. Why would a person like this come to a place like this?

Filled with curiosity, and seeing the girl at the door pulling him inside, Zi Qingyan had naturally called out that command to the floor below.

“So… so beautiful…”

This was the solitary thought echoing in Lin Lan’s mind at this very moment.

Even though he couldn’t see her full countenance, those eyes alone looked exactly like the immortal fairy sister of his dreams. No—perhaps she was even more beautiful than his fairy sister. After all, the fairy sister was a mere figment of his imagination, largely limited by his own narrow experiences. But the Zi Qingyan before him possessed a beauty he had never before witnessed in the mortal realm.

Zi Qingyan knitted her brows slightly. To be frank, she didn’t particularly care for Lin Lan’s reaction; it was identical to every other man she had ever seen.

However, Lin Lan’s very next action instantly amused her.

After freezing for a brief moment, Lin Lan suddenly panicked and clumsily offered a formal bow of greeting.

Why, he’s practically still a child.

Lin Lan wasn’t sure if his ears were playing tricks on him, but he thought he heard the peerless beauty above let out a soft, melodious chuckle. Before he could verify it, Zi Qingyan turned around and glided back into her chamber.

Watching the maiden depart, Lin Lan’s heart suddenly felt a bit empty.

The girl beside him let out a soft laugh. “Is this young master’s first time visiting?”

Lin Lan’s face flushed red. Though he desperately wanted to deny it, he had no choice but to accept the truth. “Yes.”

“For those of us in this trade, there’s no need for you to offer such formal bows upon meeting,” the girl explained.

“Ah… oh, I see.” Though curious as to why, Lin Lan obediently nodded his head.

The girl then guided Lin Lan, leading him from the first floor to the second. Under the astonished gazes of nearly everyone on the second floor, they continued all the way up to the third.

Instantly, the guests below erupted into a frenzy of whispers.

“Which family’s young master is that? To think he actually has the honor of receiving an invitation from Fairy Zi herself!”

“You must know that Fairy Zi has never once invited a guest up there until today,” someone in the crowd remarked.

“I only wonder if this little brother will have the fortune to become Fairy Zi’s intimate guest tonight,” another voice rang out, causing the entire second floor to instantly fall silent.

These men had all, to some degree, caught glimpses of the brothel’s proprietress. She was indeed an unmatched beauty under heaven, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that within this pavilion, the ultimate taboo was to gossip about the boss, Zi Qingyan.

Hearing the chatter of the guests below, Lin Lan gradually began to understand. So the maiden from just now was the proprietress of the Zui Xiang Brothel. Truly, her title of “Fairy” was well-deserved.

Thus, with a heart hammering with excitement, Lin Lan stepped onto the third floor.

However, the reality left him slightly disappointed. The third floor lacked the opulence of the lower levels; the decor was remarkably simple. Along both sides of the corridor sat rows of small flowers. They looked like common wildflowers from the countryside, bearing nothing extraordinary about them.

“Young master, right this way.”

The girl quickly led Lin Lan to the entrance of a chamber. Frankly, for a floor as vast as the third level, there was surprisingly only this single room.

“Only Sister Zi resides on the third floor. The rest of us live in the backyard,” the girl explained with a smile, as if sensing Lin Lan’s bewilderment.

Lin Lan nodded, still feeling a bit overwhelmed.

The chamber door swung open, revealing a somewhat dimly lit interior. Once Lin Lan stepped inside, the girl closed the door behind him. Lin Lan looked back at the door alertly, then began to carefully scan the layout of the room.

His movements remained stiff and restrained. He had heard that he was the very first person to have the honor of entering this room, and this profound privilege left him utterly at a loss.

“Sit wherever you like,” a voice drifted out casually from behind a screen. Hearing this, Lin Lan obediently settled himself into a seat.

For some reason, he felt incredibly nervous.

“This is your first time visiting a place like this, isn’t it?” The person behind the screen seemed to be smiling, her voice carrying a soft, gentle lilt.

Lin Lan didn’t dare to be discourteous and quickly replied, “This humble scholar is indeed visiting for the first time.”

“And why would a scholar come to a place like this?” the voice behind the screen echoed again, tinged with a hint of curiosity.

“This humble scholar was originally a candidate who came to the provincial capital for the examinations. However… because I lacked the funds to pay the customary fee, I was driven out of the venue.” At this point, Lin Lan’s face turned slightly red. “Having heard rumors of a maiden with the beauty of a celestial being residing here, this humble scholar was deeply curious, and thus came to visit.”

In one breath, he had laid bare the absolute truth—including the fact that he was a completely penniless wretch.

The figure behind the screen paused for a moment, and then, unable to contain herself, burst into a ringing, joyous laugh.

Lin Lan grew even more self-conscious.

“Yours is truly a rare reason to visit a brothel.”

“Every word this humble scholar speaks is the absolute truth,” Lin Lan promised frantically, worried that his previous words had made him seem frivolous.

“Then, have you seen your celestial being?”

“No.” Speaking of this question, Lin Lan’s expression suddenly turned earnest.

“Oh? Why is that? Could it be that the girls in my pavilion are not beautiful enough?”

“No, no. They are beautiful, but… they seem to lack a certain… immortal aura,” Lin Lan said, knitting his brows.

“Is that so?”

The voice behind the screen sounded somewhat surprised, evidently not expecting such an answer from him.

Suddenly, Zi Qingyan said with a playful note in her voice: “In that case, why don’t you step around the screen and see if I fit the part?”