The Overlord of Puluo

Zhou Yujuan, the owner of the Elysian Melody Dancehall, stood on the second-floor balcony in a dark purple cheongsam. She rested one arm on the railing and lightly fanned herself with a round fan in her other hand. Her gaze moved across the dance floor below and came to rest on Li Banfeng. After watching him for a while, her brows drew together in a faint frown.

On the dance floor, Li Banfeng had already danced six songs in a row and switched partners six times.

This guest doesn't know the rules too well, Zhou Yujuan thought.

In a dancehall like this, dancing was never the real purpose. The real objective was to find a partner. After two or three songs, once a match was made, the pair would usually head upstairs or step outside to find a more private spot for what came next.

However, Li Banfeng was only dancing and not picking anyone, which was not a suitable behavior in such a place.

Zhou Yujuan beckoned one of the girls over and whispered, "Tell that man it's eighty yuan per dance. Have him pay first."

A song lasted barely three minutes. Charging Li Banfeng eighty yuan was her way of telling him to leave and stop taking advantage of the girls.

The girl returned soon after, holding a thousand yuan in cash. "Sister, that customer said he's having a great time and wants to keep dancing."

Zhou Yujuan's frown deepened.

The Elysian Melody Dancehall was one of the finest establishments in Medicine King Gully, but its prices had never been that high. A thousand yuan was enough for a man to spend the entire night upstairs with two partners. So what is this man trying to do, spending all that just to dance? Zhou Yujuan thought. Her years of experience told her he was here to cause trouble.

She gave another instruction. "Tell Old Gu to change the record and play When Will You Return?"

Old Gu was the one operating the hand-cranked gramophone. When he heard his boss's order, he immediately understood what she meant and quickly changed the record.

「 Good flowers bloom, but not for long,Good times fade like an old love song.Smiles dissolve in sorrow's light,Tears stain her ribbon of longing tonight. ♪」

Every night, the Elysian Melody Dancehall ended with the song When Will You Come Again?[1] It was the closing song, and everyone knew what it meant. As soon as the melody began, people hurried to find a partner, for once it ended, the dancehall lights would dim and the doors would close.

All the gentlemen in the hall had already chosen their partners. Li Banfeng's partner held both his hands and pressed them to her heart as she asked softly and affectionately, "Sir, shall we go upstairs?"

With a serious look, Li Banfeng asked, "Why go upstairs? Isn't it nice enough just dancing here?"

The girl looked at Li Banfeng anxiously. "Sir, once this song ends, we'll be closing."

"What right do you have to close when I just paid?" Li Banfeng said indignantly.

The dancer whispered, "If you take me upstairs, you won't need to pay extra."

"Who said he doesn't have to pay!"

The voice came from the staircase. Zhou Yujuan, the owner of the Elysian Melody Dancehall, was walking down slowly. The girl's whisper had been soft, yet Zhou Yujuan had heard every word.

What sharp ears she has. She must be a Spycraft Cultivator.

The music stopped abruptly. Zhou Yujuan approached Li Banfeng with a polite smile. "Sir, we are closing. Please come again tomorrow."

Li Banfeng said, "I just gave you one thousand yuan, and you're closing? Does that seem right to you?"

Zhou Yujuan, pretending to be surprised, said, "Sir, you are dancing while holding our girls close. Do you really think you shouldn't pay for this?"

Li Banfeng looked straight at her. "I paid for dancing. Each dance cost eighty yuan, and I did seven dances. You are kicking me out when I have only spent half of my thousand?"

The other customers slowly drifted away from the center of the dance floor. Everyone knew that at the Elysian Melody Dancehall, dancing itself was free. The money was for the drinks and for spending the night with the girls.

They also knew that if the owner came out to demand payment for dancing, it meant someone was about to cause trouble.

Zhou Yujuan curled the corner of her mouth and said to Li Banfeng, "Eighty yuan is for the dance, but for a full song, there's an extra hundred in hands-on money."

Li Banfeng frowned. "Hands-on money? What's that supposed to mean?"

Zhou Yujuan smiled faintly. "It's still in your hands."

Li Banfeng froze. His hands were gripping the girl's bosom. It wasn't that he wanted to. She had grabbed his hands earlier and placed them there herself.

The girl was no longer warm and welcoming. Her face flushed with anger and embarrassment. She tore his hands away and snapped, "Sir, what are you doing?"

She acted as if he had insulted her. Yet anyone watching could tell she had gone up to dance with him on purpose, especially for this final song.

Li Banfeng didn't argue. He nodded earnestly. "I'll pay the one hundred yuan hands-on fee."

Zhou Yujuan's big eyes glittered as she looked at him pityingly. "Other customers don't have to pay because the girls are willing. If a girl is willing, you can touch wherever you like. But you're different. If the girl finds you disgusting and refuses, even brushing a fingernail means you must pay."

Li Banfeng was astonished. "I put my hands on all seven girls?"

Zhou Yujuan nodded seriously. "They are young women. If you touch their hands, that counts as a loss for them."

Li Banfeng thought it was unreasonable. "Is there any dancing that doesn't involve touching hands? Do all the customers here pay?"

Zhou Yujuan's big eyes glimmered with pity as she looked at him. "Other customers don't have to pay because the girls are willing. If a girl's willing, you can touch wherever you like. However, you are different. They find you disgusting. If they aren't willing, you will have to pay even if you only touched their fingernails!"