Chapter 47: The Music Bureau

Chapter 47: The Teaching Workshop

Li Jun followed behind a guiding maid into the Teaching Workshop, his gaze never falling on the deliberately swaying waist before him, but constantly scrutinizing the surroundings along the way.

In the Qianyang District, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, the Teaching Workshop’s footprint could be called a grand gesture. Within the cleverly arranged gardens hid one detached villa after another, lanterns burning dimly, the atmosphere exceptionally quiet.

The variety of cars parked before the courtyards, and their staggering prices, were enough to make one’s jaw drop.

There were many models Li Jun had only ever seen in the underground black market catalogs of the Chicken-and-Goose District; they were all out-of-print collectibles capable of fetching astronomical sums.

Some guards standing at the courtyard gates sensed Li Jun’s gaze and immediately shot back warning looks. Judging by the dangerous aura emanating from them, quite a few were actually Sequence Nine experts.

Although he had yet to see a single Qing official of the Teaching Workshop, just the pomp and circumstance displayed on the surface was already shocking enough.

Compared to this place, those so-called nightclubs, bars, and Kabukichos on the streets of Chengdu Prefecture were merely playgrounds for the poor.

The Teaching Workshop was the true gilded flesh-pot, the undisputed number one pleasure quarter of Chengdu Prefecture.

The guiding maid ahead unobtrusively massaged her aching, swaying waist. Seeing the guest behind her still hadn't made a move, she could only reluctantly abandon the restless thoughts in her heart and obediently lead Li Jun to a detached courtyard.

"Spring River, Flowers, Moon, Night"—this was the nameplate hanging before the courtyard.

The moment Li Jun stepped into the yard, he saw a young scholar in a black, cloud-patterned long robe leisurely half-reclining on a couch.

A virtual chessboard was projected before him, engaged in a remote match with someone.

A stunningly beautiful woman in palace attire stood behind the scholar, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowing and relaxing with the progress of the game.

At the sight of a critical moment, she would occasionally clutch her heart and cry out in alarm, causing the mountains on her chest to undulate; one could tell they were all original equipment.

"Boss Gu."

Li Jun halted at the doorway, his expression neither servile nor overbearing, handing the prepared Chongzhen Edict to the maid who had come forward bearing a tray.

"Yo, our protagonist of the day has finally arrived. Come in, quick."

Gu Yong flung his wide sleeve, dispersing the chessboard's projection. He didn't even glance at the bright yellow silk scroll lying on the tray, turning to the beauty behind him with a smile: "Thirteenth Lady, this is our Group's new Head of Security. How is he?"

The Teaching Workshop's top courtesan, her eyes like autumn water, swept over Li Jun once, pursing her lips with a smile: "Indeed, heroic and extraordinary."

"Then you're in for a treat tonight."

Gu Yong teased with a laugh, then looked at Li Jun sitting upright, smiling: "Although this is our first meeting today, for some reason I feel as if we are old friends at first sight, Li Jun."

Li Jun likewise smiled: "I also feel as if I have known you for a long time, Boss."

"Is this not fate?"

"It should be my honor."

Gu Yong laughed heartily, "Spoken beautifully, and the job done beautifully too."

"Originally, I sent you to handle that deal just to test your capability. Now it seems I worried too much; putting you in Gu Ding's position is simply a waste of talent."

"But rest assured, the Fourth Supervisor post is just a transition. When the time is ripe, I will promote you immediately."

A trace of shame appeared on Li Jun's face. "You flatter me, Boss. I am already very satisfied to join the Security Department. And this time I was just lucky; it was the sudden appearance of Tianfu Heavy Industry that muddied the waters, allowing me to fish in troubled waters."

"Don't be too modest. Having the guts to wade into muddy waters is already quite something."

"Now the White Dragon Temple has pinned all the hatred on Tianfu Heavy Industry, releasing word they'll uproot all their arms deals in Songpan Wei. Just thinking about making Wu Jinfeng eat dirt makes me feel refreshed all over."

Gu Yong clapped his hands and laughed loudly, his face radiant with high spirits.

Du Thirteenth Lady, standing behind him, suddenly cast a subtle glance outside. Immediately, a maid hurried in bearing an injector.

The injector's casing displayed five colors: azure, red, yellow, white, and black, looking quite mysterious.

Du Thirteenth Lady gently undid the topknot on Gu Yong's head, her soft hands cradling the scholar's chin. She picked up the injector and dripped a few drops into the neural port at the back of his neck.

Gu Yong's body trembled lightly; he let out a soft moan, an expression of unsatisfied bliss appearing on his face.

"More today!"

"The Young Master is in high spirits today."

Du Thirteenth Lady chuckled softly, depressing the injector plunger. The liquid inside the chamber instantly pushed out by more than half.

Gu Yong's body instantly tensed. Beneath tightly shut eyelids, his eyeballs trembled constantly. Blue veins bulged at his temples, his twisted features filled with ultimate ecstasy.

"Hah."

After a long while, Gu Yong slowly exhaled a breath of hot air. He picked up the five-colored injector, half-narrowing his eyes to look at Li Jun.

"Refined Five-Stone Powder, the pinnacle of chemical bliss. Want to try?"

These scholars really play fucking wild!

"No need. I don't really like this way of enjoying myself."

Li Jun's mouth tightened, his voice a bit dry.

Gu Yong didn't insist, sighing regretfully: "If you martial types learned to enjoy life earlier, you wouldn't have made so many enemies."

Having said this, Gu Yong pinched a black card from his sleeve and casually tossed it to Li Jun.

"You killed two Buddhist Nines and one Buddhist Eight this time; you should have advanced to Martial Eight by now, right? Then that 'Vernal Equinox' chip I prepared for you is useless."

"I've deposited five hundred thousand Treasure Notes in this card, with an attached one million interest-free overdraft limit. Consider it a personal joining gift from me."

"It's not a huge sum. I suggest you check the Internal Staff Trading Platform. We are a logistics company, after all; many things unavailable on the market are sold internally by the Group." "Even those shoddy, mass-produced Six Arts Chips meant to fool people only cost a few hundred thousand Treasure Notes a piece."

Li Jun didn't stand on ceremony and pocketed the card.

Gu Yong seemed feverishly hot at the moment, face flushed, sweat continuously trickling down his temples.

He casually pulled open his collar, letting his long hair loose as he stood from the couch, pacing back and forth in the hall, his brows brimming with excitement.

"The Recommendation is imminent. This is a rare opportunity. If I handle it well, perhaps the Master will be pleased and bestow upon me a Promotion Rank recorded in the Rituals."

"The key lies in how to suppress Tianfu Heavy Industry, how to drive that old dog Wu Jinfeng to a dead end!"

Gu Yong muttered to himself, his expression alternating between excitement and cold severity, looking somewhat deranged.

He suddenly stopped before Li Jun, reached out to grip Li Jun's shoulder, and said in a deep voice: "The Group's business will be busy for a while. If there's nothing important, try not to leave the Chengdu Prefecture area. And watch out for Tianfu Heavy Industry's people; that old dog Wu might jump the wall in a panic."

"Stay here and have a good time today. All expenses on me."

Without waiting for Li Jun to answer, Gu Yong spread his arms and strode out of the courtyard against the cold wind.

"I'm going into office, I'm going into office..."

Gu Yong's maddened monologue left Li Jun dumbfounded. Indeed, no matter the world, there are some things one must never touch.

Just as he stood there in a daze, a fragrant breeze suddenly drifted into his nose.

A fiery, voluptuous body leaned over. Du Thirteenth Lady's peach-blossom eyes scanned up and down Li Jun's robust frame.

She propped her chin with one hand, while the other pinched a neural fiber bundle disguised as a strand of hair, twining it around her fingertip.

"Boss, do you want to play the spiritual, or the flesh?"

Li Jun curled a finger and flicked that neural fiber bundle lightly, his expression solemn: "This grandpa only plays for real."