Took the character, Franklin Warren exchanged a few pleasantries, and left, very satisfied.

　　He paced around the room, pondering for a while, but in the end, Jason Brooks still went out, heading to the tavern to look for any trace of that Laoshan Daoist. But how could he find him now? In such a short time, the man had already vanished, whereabouts unknown.

　　Jason Brooks felt a sense of loss, filled with melancholy.

　　……

　　Meanwhile, Franklin Warren, holding the “Fortune” character written by Jason Brooks, left in high spirits. Instead of going home, he headed into Jiangzhou’s city proper, arriving at his private villa within the city.

　　This villa was a Wang family property, always reserved for Franklin Warren’s exclusive use; now, with a beauty hidden away inside, it was the perfect place to put it to use.

　　Franklin Warren and Daisy could truly be called love at first sight, utterly infatuated with each other; these days, day and night, they indulged in pleasure together, their affection as close as glue.

　　For some reason, whenever Franklin Warren and Daisy made love, he would become incredibly vigorous, never faltering, moving from one position to another, seemingly never tiring or growing bored, always full of energy; and Daisy was even more obedient to him, yielding to his every desire.

　　With such a woman, what more could a man ask for?

　　It should be known that when facing his wife and concubines at home, Franklin Warren would often be defeated after just a few rounds—though he looked tall and strong, in reality he was just a paper tiger; being able to perform so well in front of Daisy greatly satisfied his male pride.

　　According to Franklin Warren’s plan, he intended to bring Daisy home to meet his parents in a few days, and then choose an auspicious date to hold the concubine-taking ceremony. He wasn’t at all worried that his parents would object to him suddenly taking in a woman of unknown origin as a concubine; as the only son of the family, Franklin Warren’s wishes were always given the utmost priority.

　　—Especially now that he had finally fulfilled his wish of passing the scholar’s exam.

　　As for his intentions, Daisy shyly nodded in agreement.

　　Franklin Warren was overjoyed; to have such a charming and beautiful concubine as a companion in the future—what a joy life would be!

　　Entering the courtyard, Daisy came out at the sound, greeting him with a proper curtsy, saying, “Young master, you’re back…”

　　She wore a well-fitted silk dress, with an embroidered fur jacket over it. Her whole being radiated with vitality, her bearing bright and noble—truly a courtesan of the highest caliber.

　　Hearing her sweet, delicate voice, a certain part of Franklin Warren immediately began to harden, swelling uncomfortably, making his heart itch. He grunted through his nose.

　　“Did you get the character?”

　　“I got it.”

　　Franklin Warren took out the “Fortune” character written by Jason Brooks and handed it over—he had learned from Daisy a few days ago that she had studied poetry and books for several years, but after her family fell on hard times and her parents died one after another, she had to drop out and seek refuge with relatives. Precisely because of this background, Franklin Warren felt she was the soulmate he had been searching for all these years, his true love. If she only had looks but no learning or manners, she would be lacking.

　　Daisy took it, her eyes full of anticipation. “Is this really written by that young master Mr. Brooks you always talk about, the one who ranked first in three exams and was so famous? Let me have a look and feast my eyes.”

　　She slowly unfolded the red paper.

　　Buzz!

　　A strange change suddenly occurred. The neatly written “Fortune” character on the red paper suddenly emitted faint rays of light between its strokes. The light was so weak that in daylight, an ordinary person wouldn’t even notice it.

　　But Daisy saw it.

　　Because, in her eyes, those rays of light were like sharp needles, suddenly flaring up, densely shooting straight at her, as if to pierce her full of holes and force her true form to be revealed.

　　Ah!

　　Daisy cried out in alarm, hurriedly let go, and dropped the scroll to the floor. Covering her face, she rushed back to her room and slammed the door shut.

　　This sudden turn of events happened in a flash; Franklin Warren didn’t even have time to react, having no idea what had just happened. He didn’t bother to pick up the scroll from the floor, but instead rushed into the house, knocking on the door, calling, “Daisy, Daisy, what’s wrong? What happened?”

　　Inside, there was only silence.

　　This made Franklin Warren even more anxious, as if his very heart was aching. “Daisy, Daisy, don’t scare me!”

　　After about a quarter of an hour, the door finally opened, and Daisy came out with her head lowered.

　　Franklin Warren immediately embraced her, asking, “Daisy, are you alright?”

　　Daisy’s face was a little pale, her head bowed, her voice soft and weak: “I don’t know what happened just now, I suddenly felt a palpitation and was terribly frightened.”

　　“Oh!”

　　Franklin Warren suspected nothing, and quickly patted her gently on the back, saying, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here for you.”

　　“You’re so good to me, young master…”

　　Daisy’s voice was dreamy and magnetic.

　　With her voice teasing him, that part of Franklin Warren that had just softened instantly stood tall and proud again. In such a state of passion and confusion, he naturally failed to notice the two glances in Daisy’s bright eyes—full of both resentment and fear—falling to the floor, landing on that “Fortune” character.

　　Her red lips pursed slightly, and with a sudden exhale, a breath of air turned into a gust of wind, blowing the scroll up and out of the courtyard.

　　“Daisy, let’s go inside, I want to…”

　　Franklin Warren murmured, his large hands already restlessly slipping under the woman’s dress.

Chapter Nine Belle

　　Buzz!