"Today's new arrival, young master!" Gu Yitong could no longer bear it, clenching her fists, her teeth gritting.
"He, he's receiving guests on the second floor." The madam finished speaking and fainted, it was unclear if it was real or feigned.
This statement was like a bomb thrown into Gu Yitong's heart, making her tremble all over and her mind go blank.
"You all stay here!" After handing over the people on the first floor to the soldiers she brought, Gu Yitong ran upstairs like a madwoman.
Reaching the upper floor and hearing the sounds from within the rooms, Gu Yitong disregarded everything else, kicking open rooms one by one.
None! None of them! Where could he be?
After kicking open several rooms and not finding Afu, Gu Yitong was going mad with anxiety.
"Ah! Ahhhhhh!" A scream came from the innermost room on the second floor. Gu Yitong quickly ran to the door and kicked it open. What met her eyes was a woman with a large, round head and ears, a hairpin stuck in her shoulder.
Her gaze shifted to the bed behind her, and Gu Yitong's eyes widened in shock. Afu's thin inner garment was precariously hanging on his shoulder, the collar wide open, and he was naked from the waist down. In his hand, he held another hairpin, about to stab it into his neck.
Seeing Afu about to commit suicide, Gu Yitong was terrified and couldn't breathe. Instinctively, she lunged towards Afu on the bed. Just before the hairpin could pierce his skin, Gu Yitong, with quick eyes and hands, placed her own hand in front of Afu's neck, cupping the hairpin in her palm.
"Drip, drip." Blood flowed from Gu Yitong's hand, dripping onto Afu's shoulder.
This series of actions happened in an instant. By the time the plump woman reacted, Gu Yitong had already covered Afu tightly with the quilt from the bed.
"You, someone! Madam! Madam!" The woman, already plump with flesh, was also timid. Seeing Gu Yitong like this, she was so frightened that she wet herself.
"Someone! Take her out!" The soldiers downstairs heard Gu Yitong's shout and quickly went upstairs, dragging out the woman who was frozen in fear.
"Afu, it's alright, it's alright." The door was closed, and Gu Yitong immediately turned to comfort Afu.
But Afu had not yet recovered from what had just happened. He was still in a defensive posture. When Gu Yitong touched him, he flinched back as if startled, his face flushed red.
Gu Yitong didn't notice anything unusual, thinking Afu was just scared.
Why is this room so hot?
After a while, Gu Yitong also sensed something was wrong. It was winter, and even with a charcoal fire in the room, it shouldn't be this hot.
Could it be... incense! There's something wrong with this incense!
Although Gu Yitong discovered it, it was too late. A large portion of the incense's fumes had already been inhaled by Gu Yitong, and she was now disoriented and feeling hot all over.
In fact, the incense had only been lit for a short time when Gu Yitong broke in, which is why Afu still had his senses and the strength to wound the woman. However, Afu was now extremely uncomfortable, his eyes hazy.
Seeing Gu Yitong, he couldn't control himself from getting closer. He was so hot, he felt like he was burning to death. Gu Yitong should be cool.
But unexpectedly, Gu Yitong's body was even hotter than his. This incense worked on both men and women, but women, due to the differences in their bodies compared to men, were more affected by it.
However, Gu Yitong had a strong will and had not completely lost her senses. She still had a sliver of clarity and knew that the person in front of her was Afu. But Afu had inhaled the incense earlier and had completely lost consciousness, only approaching out of instinct.
But Afu's mouth kept mumbling, "Don't touch me, go away!"
"Wuwuwu... Gu Yitong, Gu Yitong."
Hearing his own name from Afu's mouth, Gu Yitong's heart trembled. Was this?
"I'm uncomfortable, Gu Yitong, so uncomfortable..." Afu lay on the bed, pulling off the quilt wrapped around him, constantly moaning in discomfort, and repeatedly calling out Gu Yitong's name.
"Afu, you're disoriented right now. Let go, and I'll take you to find Lu Yu." Gu Yitong didn't want to get involved with Afu in this state. She wanted Afu to agree to her when he was clear-headed.
But Gu Yitong was also becoming increasingly uncomfortable due to the effects of the drug, and Afu wouldn't let go of her, crying out in distress.
"Do, do you know I'm Gu Yitong?" Gu Yitong's mouth was dry. She wanted to confirm one last time, but Afu kept mumbling, "Gu Yitong."
Fine, I'll take you to find Lu Yu.
Just as Gu Yitong was about to get up, she heard Afu mumble again, "I know, I know you're Gu Yitong, Gu Yitong."
The taut string in Gu Yitong's mind snapped at that moment. Her mind went blank, and she stood there, staring blankly at Afu on the bed.
Afu's repeated calls of "Gu Yitong" relentlessly destroyed Gu Yitong's reason. She could no longer control herself and leaned forward.
...
By this time, two hours had passed since Afu was brought over and first woke up.
When Afu had first woken up, he was alone in the room. Hearing the faint sounds from next door, Afu knew what kind of place this was and wanted to escape. However, the room had been continuously filled with incense that made one weak. Even if he could get out of bed, he wouldn't be able to walk.
Afu found the location of the incense on the bed. After half an hour, having finally mustered all his strength to get out of bed and crawl towards where the incense was placed, he heard a creak. Several men entered the doorway. The leader was a man in his thirties, the madam of this brothel.
"Quick, quick, help him onto the bed." The madam ordered the men behind her and then sat by the window, watching Afu.
"He's quite good-looking, with fair skin and tender flesh. Judging by his clothes, he must be a young servant from a wealthy family?" The madam tidied Afu's disheveled clothes.
Afu kept a straight face, turned his head to the side, and did not reply.
"Oh! He's quite spirited." The madam turned to the men behind her, who all covered their mouths and chuckled.
"Let me tell you! No matter who you were before, now that you've entered Zui Yiren, you belong here!" The madam stood up and instructed the other men, "You all try to persuade him, think positively, don't end up like the last person, causing a life."
After the madam left, several men gathered around Afu, constantly trying to persuade him. Some used their own experiences of resistance as examples, others spoke of the benefits of this place, and some advised him to accept his fate.
But they all had the same message: they hoped Afu would adapt to his current situation and stop causing trouble.