Chapter 281: Cynthia Sees Through Damian Again

Not long after making that declaration, Damian suddenly changed direction.

Cynthia followed beside him for several steps before noticing exactly where he was heading.

Her gentle expression slowly turned strange.

Ahead of them stood one of the largest courtesan houses in the city.

The building was several stories tall, decorated with elegant lanterns, flowing silk curtains, and beautifully carved wooden balconies.

Soft music drifted from inside while cultivators and wealthy merchants regularly entered through the front doors.

Cynthia looked at the building, then back at Madina, before turning her gaze toward the building again. "Master Damian..."

Damian stopped in front of the entrance. "Hmm?"

Cynthia pointed toward the courtesan house. "Why are we here?"

Damian looked genuinely confused by the question. "To establish our reputation as important guests, obviously."

Cynthia blinked.

Damian patiently explained, "If I want the Valeria and Valehart Families to notice Black Dragon as some mysterious wealthy cultivator worthy of a VIP seat, I need to spend money."

He gestured toward the brightly decorated building. "And where better to spend money than somewhere I can generously give beautiful women gifts?

Cynthia stared at him. "We could go to an auction house."

Damian’s expression stiffened slightly.

"Or a treasure pavilion," Cynthia added.

Damian frowned.

Cynthia added another jab, "A large restaurant would work too, Master Damian. Assuming subtlety was never part of the plan."

His frown deepened.

Cynthia’s gentle smile slowly became knowing. "Master Damian... you simply want to spend time with another woman, don’t you?"

Silence.

Damian stared at her, and Cynthia stared right back. In the end, after a long moment of silence, Damian shamelessly burst into laughter. "Heheheh... Oh, come on. Why can’t it be both?"

Cynthia released a helpless sigh. Naturally, that did absolutely nothing to stop him.

A short while later, Damian had already entered the courtesan house and comfortably settled into one of its private rooms.

Naturally, he did not randomly choose whoever approached him.

Damian had standards. More importantly, he had a fucking system.

His eyes casually swept across the available courtesans until a familiar translucent number finally caught his attention.

[Multiplier: 50x]

Damian immediately made his decision.

The woman he chose was a beautiful young courtesan with a gentle temperament and considerable talent in music.

Once they entered, Damian simply ordered expensive food and wine, settled comfortably beside the window, and asked her to play... and nothing more.

He never touched her, made any inappropriate requests, or tried anything with her. He simply relaxed, listening quietly to her music.

The courtesan herself seemed increasingly confused. Why had this masked cultist specifically requested her if he had no intention of doing anything? Especially after going out of his way to choose her.

Instead, Damian spent most of his time eating snacks, sipping his wine, and occasionally praising her performance.

Eventually, she stopped questioning it and simply continued playing. After all, a guest like this was far better than the perverts outside.

Once the performance ended, Damian suddenly reached into his storage ring, pulled out a jade bottle, and casually tossed it toward her.

The courtesan froze for a moment before hurriedly catching it, holding the jade bottle as though it were some precious treasure. The moment she opened it, her eyes widened in shock.

Damian grinned. "Your playing was quite good, so please take this as a gift, ten top-rank Noble Grade Qi Gathering Pills."

The woman stared at him as though he had completely lost his mind.

Damian, meanwhile, was already smiling beneath his mask.

A familiar system screen appeared.

---

[Gift Target: Unnamed Courtesan]

[Gift Item: 10x Top-Rank Noble Grade Qi Gathering Pills]

[Multiplier: 50x]

[Critical Multiplier Triggered]

[Reward Generated]

[One Top-Rank Royal Grade Qi Gathering Pill]

---

Damian stared at the reward, and his grin quickly widened. "Heheheh..."

Cynthia, sitting nearby, immediately gave him a suspicious look.

Damian ignored her completely.

"As expected, a new woman will always bring a critical reward. Just look at this, one Top-Rank Royal Grade Qi Gathering Pill, all for listening to music and showing off my wealth?"

Damian leaned comfortably back into his chair.

"Courtesan houses really are fucking wonderful places."

---

Damian remained comfortably seated for a little while longer before finally placing his wine cup down.

He looked toward the courtesan. "Alright. That’s enough for today."

The young woman immediately bowed politely, although the excitement in her eyes had not faded in the slightest. "Thank you for your generosity, Young Master."

Damian waved one hand casually. "No problem."

He paused before adding, "I might ask for you again sometime within the next few days."

The courtesan’s eyes immediately brightened. "Really?"

Damian nodded. "Of course."

His lips curled upward beneath his mask. "You can even bring a few of your friends next time."

The woman blinked.

Cynthia slowly turned her head toward Damian.

Damian raised one finger seriously. "Just make sure they’re all beautiful, alright?"

Silence.

The courtesan froze for half a second before quickly nodding, clearly delighted by the opportunity. "Yes, Young Master!"

Judging from how tightly she was holding that jade bottle, she would probably return with half the beautiful women in the building if Damian asked.

Damian nodded in satisfaction. "Good."

The courtesan bowed again before happily leaving the private room.

The moment the door closed... Cynthia rolled her eyes.

Damian glanced toward her. "What?"

Cynthia sighed helplessly. "Nothing, Master Damian."

Her tone made it painfully obvious that it was absolutely not nothing.

Damian shamelessly ignored her judgment and leaned back in his chair. "Alright."

He glanced around the luxurious private room. "We’ll stay here for today."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "Here?"

Damian nodded casually. "Why not? The rooms are good, the food is good, and apparently the music comes with treasures."

Cynthia had no idea what that last part meant.

Damian immediately waved it away. "Anyway, tomorrow we’ll visit one of the major treasure pavilions."

Cynthia finally gave a small nod. "That sounds much more reasonable."

Damian grinned beneath his mask. "Hehehe... don’t worry."

He lifted his wine cup again. "Tomorrow, Black Dragon starts spending real money."