Soon enough, these demons dragged him up the stairs of a particularly refined brothel. It was painted a deep red and decorated with gold, its roof tiles well-built and shining blue. Qiu Yunru flopped around uselessly.
"Should I hit him on the head again?" the tall demon asked.
"Nah," said the other. "We're almost here anyways. We don't want to make him too stupid. Madam Red won't take him if he's too stupid."
In the elaborately carved golden doors they went. All around, men sat at low tables as women and young men fawned over them, pouring wine and telling stories. Qiu Yunru felt a well of disgust make its way up his throat.
These men--what disgusting expressions they had on!
Even in his past life, he hadn't been very interested in sex. After all, he'd never understood the way some men behaved, acting as though having women was the best thing in the world. But he'd known that there were working men and wealthy men alike who flocked to illegal brothels and websites to use women like toys. The idea had always been an incredibly uncomfortable one.
And now, he was surrounded by this type of man!
Leering, chuckling, and drunk out of their minds, men sat all around, grabbing at women without a second thought. Qiu Yunru closed his eyes.
Truly, this is the worst place to be!
Before he knew it, those demons had dragged him to a back room, where they were arguing with a secretary.
"Just let us see her!" The short demon insisted, hefting Qiu Yunru higher onto his shoulder. "She'll take this one for sure."
"This one for sure, that one for sure," the demon secretary snapped, looking at Qiu Yunru's limp form over her glasses. "You always bring the worst crap and beg to get paid! Just get out!"
"Qing, just look here for a second!" The tall demon begged. "This is really a good one, we swear!"
Qiu Yunru found himself being hefted up and placed in a pseudo-standing position, with his feet barely touching the ground. His head lolled, seeing as he still couldn't properly move his body, as the tall demon held him up by the armpits. "Just look at his figure!"
The secretary opened her mouth to shout, but stopped short. She raised an eyebrow, giving Qiu Yunru a thorough look up and down.
"Huh," she said thoughtfully. "Are you sure he isn't a noble demon? That figure is rather humanoid. If you've kidnapped a noble demon, you'll get us all killed."
"What noble demon would wear a lowly demon's mask?" the short demon snorted. "We're like vermin to them! Plus, he doesn't smell like the noble district at all."
The secretary, Qing, sighed. She removed her red mask in order to rub the bridge of her nose.
Qiu Yunru choked a little upon seeing her face.
It was--really ugly!
Immediately, he felt bad for thinking such a thing. But what else could he say? It was a face that made him wince to look at! Of course this was standard for all low-ranking demons, but as they all wore masks when out and about, he hadn't really gotten used to it. Thus, seeing this face--warped, hairy, and covered in warts--really gave him a shock!
Thankfully, he was too limp for anyone to really notice his horror. Qing beckoned to the demons.
"Bring him up the stairs. We'll see what Madame Red thinks."
And so he was dragged up the stairs to a brightly lit room. In fact, it was so brightly lit that Qiu Yunru's eyes began to water a bit. How could a room be so brightly lit in the demon realm?! Lanterns hung from every inch of the ceiling, and even hung all down the walls.
This was a fire hazard waiting to happen!
Sitting primly at a mirror vanity was a female demon.
It was obvious immediately that she was of a noble ranking. Or, at least, she had once been part of a noble demon family. Her figure was that of a beautiful human woman, and she wore no mask. Her face was symmetrical and blemishless, with long lashes and red lips. She was busy patting white powder heavily onto her cheeks when they entered.
"Who is it?" She snapped. "I'm busy!"
What a whiplash! In contrast to her demure and lovely looks, this female demon's voice was as harsh and angry as that of a beaten-down and exhausted palace matron!
"Madame," Qing said, bowing her head. "Xin and Jing have brought a...potential purchase."
Madame Red whirled around, sending the box of powder flying. It hit the wall, exploding into a cloud of thick white powder. She ignored it entirely, standing abruptly from her seat and reaching a full height of what must have been seven feet.
Terrifying!
"Qing," She said softly. A shiver ran down Qiu Yunru's back. Despite the softness in her tone, there was something utterly terrifying about it! "Did I not tell you to stop accepting offers from these two pieces of shit?"
With disgust, she looked down her nose at the short and tall demon who had brought Qiu Yunru. They both bowed their heads at once.
"Madame!" the short demon said quickly. "Please, this time is different. Just take a look at his figure! He's not even nobility!"
Madame Red looked like she was about to take her powdering cushion and bash Xin and Jing to death with it and her bare hands. However, her eyes briefly flitted over Qiu Yunru's form.
Raising a painted eyebrow, she stepped forward and crossed her arms.