Chapter 306: Catching an Affair

Chapter 306: "Catching the Affair"

Over there, Xia Chichi hadn't noticed Zhao Changhe at all—after all, the bastard was disguised, and the whole street was a mess of touts and hawkers, how could she spot him in a glance? Before Zhao Changhe could even react, she had already stepped inside, and he faintly heard a greeting from within: "Oh, Master Luo, you're here again... The Celestial Number One booth is kept for you."

Damn, she's a regular. How long has she been coming here?

San Niang had said the Four Symbols Sect's reach didn't extend here—that much was certainly true. So this brothel definitely wasn't run by the Four Symbols Sect. What scheme was Chichi hatching by being a regular here?

Anyway, with Chichi around, why bother playing games with you lot? Without a second thought, Zhao Changhe shook off the madam clinging to him and strode after Luo Qi into that establishment.

Behind him, Yang Qianyuan hurriedly followed, utterly bewildered: "Master? Master?"

"Oh." Zhao Changhe cheerfully tossed him a small silver ingot: "This place is decent. Go enjoy yourself. This lord has no habit of visiting brothels with others."

Yang Qianyuan caught the money, staring oddly at Zhao Changhe's eager expression as he charged inside.

Strange. Earlier, he'd shown no interest in the brothels here, his face all gloomy and bored. But the moment he spotted a handsome young gentleman, his eyes lit up.

Ah, I see. The Langya Wang clan had seen every beauty imaginable—no wonder the cheap trinkets here didn't interest him. Once you've tired of the usual, you develop a taste for the love of boys...

Perfectly normal.

Yang Qianyuan weighed the silver in his hand. Instead of finding his own brothel to enjoy, he pondered for a moment, then suddenly dashed straight toward a large mansion outside the street.

Inside, a burly man in purple robes sat high in the hall, staring coldly at him: "Is that man really Wang Daozhong?"

"I'm not certain... I know Wang Daozhong is middle-aged, with a rather refined appearance and a beard. But beards can be shaved. This sallow-faced man, though his complexion isn't great, has fairly regular features and speaks with dignity—his air of a senior expert doesn't seem fake..."

Of course, his features were regular. Zhao Changhe was known for his handsome, heroic looks that even scars couldn't hide. He hadn't learned Sisi's technique of completely altering one's face; he still used his own contours as a base. No matter how hard he tried to make himself ordinary, he could still be called "regular." And in this era, there was no rule about "body, hair, and skin received from parents, not to be damaged"—martial artists didn't have such nonsense.

As for his demeanor, even more so. Since he started training in martial arts, he had won battle after battle. That kind of confident aura was hard to fake; it came naturally. He hadn't even felt intimidated talking to Xia Longyuan. Who was Yang Qianyuan to him?

Yang Qianyuan hesitated, then added: "And he's truly strong. I've sensed the perception of Yang Zhixing, the head of the Yang family, and it's about the same as his—no, maybe not even as good. Yang Zhixing might at most know what I'm doing behind his back, but this man even knew the thing was 'red-crowned crane's crest,' as if he had eyes watching..."

The Money Gang Leader said: "A classic sign of a Secret Treasury. That level of perception, like seeing with his own eyes, is definitely beyond the first layer of the Secret Treasury. It might even require being on the Earth Ranking or higher. It seems the rumors that He Lei was injured by him have some truth."

Yang Qianyuan lowered his head: "Yes. And his 'Pai Tian Zhen Hai Palm'... from my crude judgment, seems genuine."

"Looking at it this way, he really is Wang Daozhong. Regardless, this man is a true dragon crossing the river—we must not act rashly." The Money Gang Leader pondered for a moment, muttering to himself: "If he were willing to make a move, Tian Lingzi would be dead for sure..."

Yang Qianyuan said nothing, but inwardly sneered.

Whether he was Wang Daozhong or not, would someone like that be swayed to meddle in a mere city district gang conflict? And just a small gang in the east of the city?

The best plan was to do nothing, wait for him to leave, and avoid stirring up trouble.

But since you want to stir up trouble, can I use this to do something?

...

Leaving the villains to their schemes, Zhao Changhe followed Xia Chichi into the brothel. The "regular" Xia Chichi quickly wrapped her arm around her "old flame" and entered a private booth. Before Zhao Changhe could follow, a swarm of prostitutes surrounded him: "Oh, sir, you look new—first time here?"

Zhao Changhe felt like he was catching an affair. The thought amused him, and he grinned, stuffing a small silver ingot into the madam's collar: "Call your top courtesan."

A stranger couldn't possibly know who the top courtesan was. Without hesitation, the madam picked a random idle girl: "This is our top courtesan, Qianqian. Qianqian, serve this gentleman well."

Zhao Changhe couldn't care less if she was really the top courtesan; he didn't even bother to look at her face: "Take me to the Celestial Number One booth."

Qianqian hesitated: "But the Celestial Number One booth already has a guest..."

"No big deal. Then Number Two."

Qianqian brightened up—this gentleman was easy to please. She cozied up to Zhao Changhe: "This way, sir..."

"Hey, wait." Zhao Changhe stared at the staircase, which was in the opposite direction from where Xia Chichi had gone, dumbfounded: "Why is Celestial Number Two over here?"

Qianqian was baffled: "Why wouldn't it be here?"

Zhao Changhe decided to come clean: "Aren't Number One and Number Two next to each other?"

"Who said they have to be next to each other?" Qianqian's eyes twinkled as she suddenly understood, and she giggled: "Sir is here for Master Luo, aren't you?"

Zhao Changhe felt like an idiot. He stuffed another silver ingot into her cleavage: "You're right. I have a taste for that."

"Then sir, be careful. Someone with that taste came a few days ago, but his head was already cut off by Master Luo and hung at the street corner." Qianqian lowered her voice: "Otherwise, he hasn't been here long—why does he get to keep the Celestial Number One booth? Because the people of Kunlun City honor heroes."

Honor heroes? More like honor fists.

It seemed Chichi was thriving here, already fitting in. Was she planning to stay long?

Zhao Changhe laughed: "Don't worry about that. Just take me to the booth next to his."

The booth next to Chichi's happened to be empty—the brothel's business wasn't great anyway, with plenty of vacant rooms. Qianqian led Zhao Changhe inside, cheerfully pouring him wine: "Would sir like to drink and listen to music first, or start with me?"

"You already know my taste. Just play the zither over there. I won't short you on the money."

No need to serve a guest, just play the zither for money—who wouldn't be happy? Qianqian gleefully sat down and began to play. Zhao Changhe drank on his own, secretly listening to the sounds from next door.

The "Eyes Behind" ability had never been just about seeing behind; it enhanced all five senses. Long ago, his hearing far surpassed others at his level. After Yue Hongling guided him toward the gate of the Secret Treasury, this ability had improved even further, far beyond what Yue Hongling had imagined when teaching him.

Qianqian's zither music seemed noisy right next to his ear, but it flowed around him like a stream, not disturbing him at all.

The faint sounds from next door grew clearer, gradually seeping into his ears.

"Master Luo, you're so bad~ Where did you learn that groping technique? So rough..."

Luo Qi's voice, now disguised as androgynous, drifted over: "It's a bandit's trick, not something you'd know. Rough, maybe, but doesn't it feel good?"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

"Master Luo, you're so annoying."

"Alright, alright. I still want you to tell me stories. Yesterday you got to 'Fire burns the Kunlun, jade and stone perish together.' What happened after that?"

"There's nothing after that. It was just a volcanic eruption. It hasn't erupted in years, just left some colored mud around. Now the mountain is covered in snow, no different from any other peak. If Master Luo thinks there's some treasure there, forget it. Many have guessed that, but searching turned up nothing."

So Xia Chichi was chatting up a prostitute to gather information?

Originally, Zhao Changhe thought the west belonged to Metal, and Chichi was here to find her own path to advancement. But from this talk of fire, it seemed she was helping the Vermilion Bird investigate some treasure or find a place. Shouldn't the Vermilion Bird's things be sought in the south?

Come to think of it, although the Black Tortoise was in the north, the Azure Dragon's position was hardly east. It seemed the Four Symbols weren't rigidly fixed to their cardinal directions—after all, the ancient Four Symbols wouldn't have died in predetermined positions...

But a volcanic eruption was a normal occurrence. What answer could she get from such common knowledge?

Then Xia Chichi laughed: "No sequel? Then tell me the next one."

"My dear Master Luo, you've already heard stories from a hundred years ago to ten years ago. There's really nothing from the last ten years—just endless fighting..."

"Fighting is still a story. Tell me about famous people who entered Kunlun."

"They all came incognito..."

"People trying to enter the mountains always need to prove their identity. Going incognito is something they do after settling in the city, right?"

"That's true... I don't know about before, but in the last year or two, the most famous was the Poison Spider."

"The one who poisoned an entire town? Ranked fifty-eighth on the Human Ranking."

"Yes... He entered the mountains. Hmm... And that Yang Qianyuan, they say he couldn't enter the mountains and lives in the city, but no one knows which one he is, or if he's dead..."

Zhao Changhe suddenly had an intuition.

Chichi wasn't always hiding in the sect training; she was a little demoness stirring up trouble in the world. During his long journey north, Chichi, representing the Four Symbols Sect, had likely done many things—not just in martial arts, but also in the rebels' grand plan.

For instance, she had crossed paths with Yang Bugui before, establishing a small connection. Through all her twists and turns, could her real mission be aimed at Yang Qianyuan? For the sake of the Hongnong Yang clan?