Chapter 321 - 193: 2nd Raid on Jiangzhou City! Two-Person Dungeon Run! (Requesting Votes)_6
Entered the door.
Yuchi was an old acquaintance here, having often spent time eating and drinking with the Four Major Institutions at the Drunken Joy Tavern. As he looked around, Yuchi began to search for his prey for the evening.
A skilled hunter often disguises himself as prey. Then another hunter thinks the same way... and gets countered.
Yuchi set his eyes on a young man sitting alone, playing the zither with a Drunken Joy Tavern girl. He sat to her right, her head resting on his shoulder, one hand plucking the strings while he occasionally flashed a satisfied smile.
"Give me a peck, sis." He took the opportunity to sneak a feel.
Yuchi: "..."
He approached the young man directly, ignoring the other Tavern girls who came over. Initially, the girls were a little upset, thinking he wasn’t going to spend any money and was just there to listen to music—he might as well listen to an old monk drumming on a wooden fish at home.
But when they saw Yuchi in red approaching from behind the young man, their expressions changed to sudden realization.
Ah, so this was to join in.
Yuchi: "Join what?"
The reason Yuchi approached this young man was that he looked like a sect disciple, with a smooth, polished appearance, the kind who had seen a bit of the world, making it easy to inquire from him.
However, regarding certain unspoken rules of the Drunken Joy Tavern, Yuchi was clueless. Though he had been to the Tavern a few times before, he had never noticed because he was always in the company of significant figures. The girls dared not act out of line, only showing "elegance," and so Yuchi was unaware that this behavior was for joining in.
This could really work in pairs?
Joining was actually quite simple. The gold and silver required to spend the night with a Tavern girl were steep, as it transcended mere music and companionship, reaching a deeper level of interaction—costing two or three taels of silver per night.
Consider three taels akin to three thousand yuan from a previous life. Occasionally spending three thousand a night wasn’t an issue, but such things tend to spiral from zero to countless times.
Visiting once cost three taels, ten times translates to thirty taels, a hundred times amounts to three hundred taels—not everybody could consistently maintain such expenditures, unlike Yuchi with his wealth. Thus, the option was to split the cost with another.
Split fifty-fifty, one for half of the night, the other for the remaining half.
The girls saw this as routine; some money was better than none, and for the Drunken Joy Tavern girls, to be considered worth joining in expense was a badge of honor.
To be valued by one man might be luck, but to be valued by two men proved their excellence. They earned their money cleanly, without theft or robbery, nothing illegal—by their own activity, which was nothing to be ashamed of.
However, the pairing wasn’t simply two working together for the total sum—there were logistical arrangements.
For instance, if a girl played the role of a dungeon boss, the standard cost might be two taels of silver.
Going solo through the boss dungeon required the two taels, yet if a teammate joined, it necessitated a 20% increase—each would then pay more than one tael, specifically one tael and an additional hundred coins. More teammates needed additional charges.
Two equals a 20% increase, three a 50% increase, four a 100% increase, and five a 200% increase. The Tavern’s record was ten, an 800% increase—the original two taels per person surging to a shared total of 120 taels—one person ultimately paying twelve taels.
It made sense.
A few make satisfaction possible while more becomes a torment.
Notably, this record wasn’t accomplished by Tavern girls, but by a man leading ten partners—a legendary tale of the Drunken Joy Tavern.
Thus, in the current situation, Yuchi, only a few steps in, realized what he faced.
He was set to team up with the unfamiliar young man in front of him for the Drunken Joy Tavern’s "dungeon crawling."
Damn it!
Yuchi regretted it, thinking of Yinghan and Shanlan... but it was already too late.
The young man noticed Yuchi’s approach, casting a satisfied glance along with the proverbial assessing look from the girl, who seemed impressed despite not seeing Yuchi’s face, appreciating his attire.
"Don’t take off the mask later, I like the mystery," the girl bashfully said.
"..." Yuchi.
Ignoring the fact that Yuchi didn’t come for a "dungeon crawl," even if he did, why should he care for her "liking the mystery?" Clearly, he was paying—shouldn’t he be the one relishing the mystery?
The young man was quite complacent, casually saying:
"Great, Xiangxiang, your effectiveness is quite impressive today. We’ve barely sat down, and already a hero’s here to assist."
Finishing his sentence, he deftly produced a tael of silver and a small shard of silver from his sleeve, casting a look, joined by Xiangxiang, towards Yuchi.
Yuchi: "What the hell, Xiangxiang?"
Xiangxiang wasn’t she from Xufu Town? Could there be a Xiangxiang here at the Drunken Joy Tavern too? Or was Xiangxiang everywhere?
Despite his thoughts, Yuchi took out a tael of silver from his sleeve along with a hundred-coin piece of broken silver.
The young man was quite pleased, as was Xiangxiang.
Out came a dice from the young man: "Whoever rolls higher goes first, fair?"
Yuchi: "As you like."
The young man began his performance, placing the dice within a basket of chopsticks, a clattering display of skill.
A glance.
"Six points."
Yuchi: "...you go first."
The young man stood, clasping his hands: "I must concede, Xiangxiang, let’s go!"
Go... go where?
Yuchi rose to call out: "Wait, Xiangxiang, I have something to discuss with him."
Unhappily, the young man answered: "My time is short for the first half of the night—don’t dawdle."
Yuchi could sense the young man’s sincerity, understanding the limited chance to have fun, so he spoke considerately:
"No need to worry, speak to me and I’ll leave."
"Suddenly remembered I had something to resolve."
"Once dealt with swiftly, the whole night’s yours, on my treat."
"Alright!" The young man’s eyes brightened: "Xiangxiang, get the tools ready, I’ll be right there."
Xiangxiang patted his arm shyly, saying: "The usual three?"
The young man nodded.
What were the usual three? A wheel, cowhide, and tung oil...
Yuchi could never imagine how this related to a "dungeon crawl..."
Seeing the eager young man, Yuchi immediately began to speak.