Chapter Fifty-Seven: The World Claims Courtesans Know No Loyalty

"Hmph, I am not joking with you."
Suddenly, Mr. Wang reached out and yanked Yutan’s undergarments down, not caring that others were present in the room. Instantly, a delightful sight was exposed to the air.
Yutan cried out in alarm, trying to pull the quilt to cover herself, but Mr. Wang pinned her hand down.
"You filthy whore, pretending to be pure in front of me? Aren’t you nothing but a prostitute, a woman who’s been with countless men? Now you’re shy in front of this pretty boy?" Mr. Wang snarled viciously, his lecherous gaze greedily lingering on Yutan’s slender, fair legs tinged with pink.
On the floor, Chen Dogzi kept his head bowed, clenching his teeth tightly; no one could see his expression.
Seeing the resistance and humiliation on Yutan’s face, Mr. Wang felt a bit annoyed and slapped her hard across the cheek.
Mr. Wang had no notion of pity; his slap was merciless, full of force, and Yutan’s face instantly swelled red.
"Be sensible and let me take you the dry way, or else your beloved pretty boy will keep tumbling till dawn. Then don’t expect any reward, I won’t even pay your fee!"
Yutan glanced at the bleeding youth on the floor, her face somber, peach blossom eyes reflecting complex emotions.
Slowly, she closed her eyes. In the end, she compromised, her voice trembling as she spoke, "Please, sir, be gentle when you take the dry path… it’s my first time."
So be it.
She was no maiden, only a courtesan whose purity had long been lost, a woman familiar with the ways of men. Whether it was the dry path or the wet, what difference did it make? If she could exchange her already lost innocence for Chen Dogzi’s life, it was worth it.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Wang grinned triumphantly, impatiently unbuckling his belt. He flipped Yutan over, making her lie prone on the bed.
His large hands gripped her slender waist, and with one thrust, he pushed himself inside, showing no gentleness whatsoever.
"Ah—"
Without any preparation or lubrication, the massive intrusion entered her untouched body. Yutan screamed in pain. Her once delicate face contorted, her whole being limp, lying lifelessly on the bedding, letting Mr. Wang move relentlessly behind her.
"Oh, oh, this feels incredible! No wonder Mr. Li said the dry way is far more exhilarating than the wet—so true, damn, it’s so tight…"
Hearing Mr. Wang’s triumphant, vulgar laughter above, Chen Dogzi felt the last string in his heart snap.
He could not endure any longer. He had never imagined that the courtesan he once despised, Yutan, would sacrifice her last dignity to save him. Rage swelled in his chest, desperate for release.
Clearly, the man indulging wildly on the bed, Mr. Wang, was that release.
Summoning all his strength, Chen Dogzi crawled up from the cold floor, grabbed the wine jug laced with aphrodisiac from the table, and smashed it against the back of Mr. Wang’s head.
Crash—
The sound of shattering porcelain and the man’s muffled groan were barely noticeable in the lively brothel, unheard by anyone.
Yutan could not hear it; she was already a walking corpse.
Chen Dogzi could not hear it; he was lost in the ecstasy of killing.
Mr. Wang could not hear it either; he was already dead, dead beyond any hope.

Rather than saying Mr. Wang was killed by the blow, it would be more accurate to say he died of excessive excitement—truly fulfilling the saying: "To die beneath the peony, even as a ghost one remains charming."
Whether Mr. Wang was charming or not, Chen Dogzi did not know; he only knew he was on the verge of madness.
He had always told himself to endure, to keep enduring; for if he didn’t, everything he had suffered would be in vain. But tonight, Mr. Wang’s actions made him reach the limits of his endurance!
It wasn’t Mr. Wang’s insults that broke him, but that Chen Dogzi finally saw how despicable and lowly he truly was.
The reason he looked down on the courtesans of the House of Moonlight was, in truth, because he looked down on himself. A man who relied on a prostitute for support—was he not even more wretched than a courtesan?
Yes, what Chen Dogzi wanted to escape from was never poverty, but a life stripped of dignity. He believed that with money, he could regain his dignity; so even when he was old enough to fend for himself, he chose to remain in the brothel.
The money earned from performing in the brothel far exceeded what could be made through hard labor outside. He thought, earn as much as possible, and leave when he had enough.
This idea had long taken root in Chen Dogzi’s mind, yet he refused to acknowledge it, convincing himself he was different from those who sold their bodies for a living.
Yutan’s sacrifice for him just now made him realize how disgraceful he truly was.
He was not even as loyal or righteous as a courtesan…