“Jianzhou is truly propserous. Who would have expected that for such a little county town, the brothels would be this lively.”
On the bustling street, Miao Youfang sat on horseback, turning his head to look to the left.
To his left stood a three-storey brothel. On the second floor, beauties rested against the balustrade, each one a glamorous and dazzling woman.
They smiled radiantly. In the midst of winter, some wore low-cut dresses, others were draped in gauzy robes. They twisted their waists and waved their sleeve handkerchiefs, luring in the passing customers.
“Sir, sir, come and have some fun!”
“Young master, this young lady is waiting for you inside, do hurry in.”
“Young master, give me a chance to serve you…”
Amid chirping sweet voices, Xu Qi’an sighed. The girls had to dress like this to attract customers even in winter, which showed how poor their earnings must be.
Li Lingsu said sympathetically,
“They are all pitiable people. Life is so hard. Those who could afford to visit brothels for pleasure have either reduced how often they come, or stopped altogether.
“If brothels aren’t making money, naturally the girls inside are squeezed even more. In this bitter cold, catching a chill is no small matter, they would have to spend silver to see a doctor, and if they have no money…”
Li Lingsu shook his head. As a sentimental man, he could not bear to see girls suffer.
Miao Youfang said anxiously,
“Do you think the brothels might go out of business and close their doors?”
“They will.” Li Lingsu gave a definite answer, sighing,
“By then, most of these girls will be sold off, to become slaves or servants, or even beasts of burden.”
Miao Youfang swore,
“This godforsaken world, we’ve come to the point where even courtesans can’t survive. Aye, I don’t have much money on me either, if I still had Dragon Qi, I’d lead an uprising right now.”
“Being too poor to save fallen women, I have no choice but to rebel”. That’s just like one of those novels… Xu Qi’an grumbled inwardly.
Li Lingsu grinned,
“What uprising? Why look at us as you say that? Don’t talk to me about it.”
The group found a place to stay, fed their horses, and after a meal, Miao Youfang awkwardly borrowed ten taels of silver from Xu Qi’an in private.
Then he scampered off to rescue the struggling girls.
Li Lingsu, meanwhile, returned to his room to meditate. He had high standards for lovers; ordinary pretty girls did not catch his eye, much less courtesans, unless it was a famous courtesan of great renown.
However, with a face as peerlessly handsome as Li Lingsu’s, when he visited brothels, it was hard to say just who got the better deal.
Xu Qi’an thought so because, back in the capital, he had occasionally heard Jiaofangsi women say that bedding Silver Gong Xu, Xu Erlang, or Second Uncle Xu was counted an honour.
“I’ve slept with all three Xu men!”
It was, indeed, something to brag about.
Hmm, Second Uncle was just an extra.
Another reason Xu Qi’an lent Miao Youfang the money was this:
He quietly entered Miao Youfang’s room, closed the door, and, in the silent room, crawled under the bed.
The side effects of the Sevenfold Gu were a real nuisance. Each day, he had to make time to satisfy the Gu’s ‘desires’, consuming toxins, spending time under the bed, interacting with Baiji and with the little mare, and eating regularly, huge amounts, too.
Often he would find a frozen corpse by the roadside, then use Corpse Gu to manipulate them, making the body dig a grave and bury itself.
Only the Desire Gu he temporarily suppressed, awaiting his Daoist companion to come for dual cultivation.
It’s been more than half a month, the National Teacher’s anger should’ve cooled by now… Xu Qi’an prayed that his little Aunt would be a broad-minded person. As for social death, one gets used to it after the first time.
Best not to dwell on it.
In this quiet atmosphere, he drifted into a half-asleep state, peaceful and content, almost reluctant to leave. The outside world was a sea of suffering, beneath the bed was pure bliss.
Just then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a pair of white shoes appear by the bed.
“Who?”
Xu Qi’an instinctively tensed. In an instant, he melted into the shadows, no preparation needed, a benefit since the Dark Gu evolved.
The next moment, he emerged from the shadow by the table and saw, it was Sun Xuanji.
“Phew…”
He let out a breath of relief as he grumbled, “Brother Sun, why didn’t you announce yourself?”
He had guessed it was likely Sun Xuanji, but Xu Pingfeng had left such lingering dread, and with the Jianzheng’s influence, he had a deep-rooted wariness of white-robed arcanists.
Normally he was fine, but when at his calmest, most relaxed, a shock like this instantly triggered his core anxieties.
Sun Xuanji glanced about, walked over to the desk, poured water, and ground the ink.
He’s not even trying to speak? Xu Qi’an’s expression turned serious and he hurried over.
Once ink was ready, Sun Xuanji picked up the brush and wrote:
“The Wulin Alliance possesses two strands of Dragon Qi, two of the nine crucial ones. They reside in Cao Qingyang’s children…”
So the Dragon Qi in Jianzhou was indeed with the Wulin Alliance. Xu Qi’an was not surprised, as he had already considered this. Now his guesses were confirmed, but he was not shocked.
“The Tianjigong spies have already sent this intel out.”
The Tianjigong’s agents truly are everywhere in the Central Plains. The Nightwatchers’ informants should be even stronger, but who did Duke Wei pass them on to? Also, Sun Xuanji’s intelligence network is too good… Xu Qi’an nodded slightly:
“I understand. Let’s go to the Wulin Alliance now and extract the Dragon Qi, ahead of the Tianjigong’s people.”
Sun Xuanji didn’t reply, but kept writing:
“And after extracting the Dragon Qi?
“The Buddhists and Tianjigong have formed an alliance. Sooner or later, they will come to the Wulin Alliance. The old alliance leader is ailing, the Wulin Alliance cannot stand against both Tianjigong and the Buddhists, and maybe even the Church of the Warlock God.
“Once they learn the Dragon Qi is gone, who can say they won’t seize the chance to destroy the Wulin Alliance to vent their wrath?
“Teacher Jianzheng instructed me to bring you the Sovereign Sword.”
“Hmm?” Xu Qi’an stared at Sun Xuanji, probing,
“So the Wulin Alliance has always been a pawn of the Jianzheng?”
To this, Sun Xuanji answered, “I do not know.”
Xu Qi’an set aside his contempt and began thinking keenly. In his memory, the Jianzheng was always the mastermind behind the scenes, nudging events onward, hidden from view, sometimes completely imperceptible, requiring constant review and guesses to see.
Such was both the terror and the limitation of the Master of Heaven’s Secrets.
Seldom did the Jianzheng bestow benefits so directly.
What did that mean?
This coming storm involving the Wulin Alliance might be extremely dangerous, and as he had no trump card for it, the Jianzheng had no choice but to send him a token in person.
“Wait a moment, I’ll check.”
Xu Qi’an took out the Earth Book fragment and the protective talisman given by the National Teacher, focused his consciousness into it, and sent a message over a thousand miles.
“National Teacher, this is Xu Qi’an. There is an urgent matter.”
The transmission seemed to sink into the sea, with no response.
It’s your sweet Xu Qi’an… say something… The National Teacher should be in seclusion, her tribulation could come in as little as three months or as long as half a year. She should now be making the final preparations for it.
Xu Qi’an put away the talisman and reviewed his list of helpers in his mind.
Dean Zhao Shou is someone I can ask for help. I could let Huaiqing forward a message through the Earth Book.
The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox has only just made contact. Asking her to act as muscle straight away… putting aside whether it would work, the vixen is still overseas and clearly won’t be able to help.
The two Yang Spirits of the Heaven Sect are nowhere to be found. Last time was a stroke of luck and can’t be repeated. Besides, they’re more likely to draw their swords against me than help.
After this assessment, he realised that his teammates were Sun Xuanji and Zhao Shou.
There’s no telling what condition the old man from the Wulin Alliance is in. The nine-coloured lotus root is ready, but there’s no way he could get it and level up at the speed of light, he probably won’t be able to help at all.
Zhao Shou hasn’t left Qingyun Mountain in decades. He agreed to come last time because it was a matter of life and death, but this time is different. It’s hard to say if he’ll be willing to come.
In the worst case, Sun Xuanji might be my only teammate. And who are we up against?
Two Vajras, the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations, Nalan Tianlu… No wonder the Jianzheng wanted Sun Xuanji to bring the Sovereign Sword. But even so, it still doesn’t feel all that secure.
Xu Qi’an drew back from these thoughts and asked:
“Both Dragon Qi are with the Wulin Alliance? Why is that?”
Sun Xuanji wrote: “The Dragon Qi see more potential in the Wulin Alliance. There’s a future in rebellion.”
Xu Qi’an narrowed his eyes at once:
“If rebellion is so promising and they need to save the Wulin Alliance, then the Jianzheng and the old bastard must have some kind of agreement. Hmm, if that’s the case, Xu Pingfeng certainly won’t stand by and watch. He’ll want to eliminate all potential threats before the rebellion starts.”
Sun Xuanji wrote: “You’re very clever. That was my thought too when I received the Sovereign Sword.”
Damn, my white-robed arcanist’s stress disorder and all those fatherly issues are flaring up again… Xu Qi’an cursed to himself.
“But it’s rather interesting!”
He added, as if a chessboard appeared before his eyes, and on the other side of the board sat Xu Pingfeng.
Xu Qi’an used to be a chess piece, moved at will on the board. Now he was still a chess piece, but unlike before, he could already act outside the chess player’s control, choosing his own moves.
He was still on the chessboard, but now he could play against the chess player.
Let’s play another round with him. Hmm, I mustn’t underestimate Xu Pingfeng, I need to think carefully and leave a few words of my own…
…
Quanrong Mountain.
The Soul-Stealing Hand Rongrong followed her sect’s party, riding swift horses to the gigantic ceremonial arch at the foot of the mountain.
After arriving at the Wulin Alliance headquarters, the mood of the group, composed of beautiful women, lightened considerably and became much less tense.
Rongrong glanced at the tower master at the front and quietly asked her master beside her:
“Master, what’s the reason for this Red Banner Order this time?”
The Wulin Alliance had three levels of orders for summoning affiliated factions, from low to high: the Green Wood Order, Black Water Order, and Red Banner Order.
The Green Wood Order was usually to instruct the sects and gangs to hunt down some fugitive or notorious bandit.
The Black Water Order typically involved conflicts between the various factions, a much more serious matter.
The Red Banner Order was very rarely used, only when the Alliance Leader summoned all the major groups to resist a common enemy.
In layman’s terms, the Red Banner Order was the field marshal’s seal, calling the troops to arms.
The last time a Red Banner Order was issued was during the struggle for the lotus seed.
The beautiful woman shook her head, her tone grave:
“A major event has definitely occurred.”
She flicked her whip, caught up with Xiao Yuenu at the front, and softly said:
“Tower Master, in recent days, refugees have poured into Jianzhou, overwhelming the officials. Those with no relief have turned to banditry, and the whole of Jianzhou has been affected.
“Do you think the Alliance Leader has called us together to discuss the refugees?”
No other faction in the jianghu would have such self-motivation.
But in Jianzhou, the jianghu still retained the tradition of upholding order.
“It’s not about the refugees.”
Xiao Yuenu shook her head slightly, half her face covered by a silk scarf, her proud nose and delicate cheeks tracing beautiful lines.
Her eyes were bright and spirited, like autumn water. Her fair skin could well rival the white silk scarf.
“When we passed the military town just now, the defensive forces outside the town had increased by thirty per cent, and there were more patrol scouts.”
Xiao Yuenu’s voice held the magnetic charm of a mature woman, gentle and pleasant: “Refugees wouldn’t make headquarters react like this. There must be outside enemies encircling us.”
Outside enemies… The beautiful woman felt a chill inside.
She found it hard to believe. The Wulin Alliance had stood strong in Jianzhou for centuries, it had been many years since anyone had dared challenge this giant.
Across the Central Plains, only the court could threaten the Wulin Alliance.
Could it be that the new emperor, having ascended, wanted to make an example of them? But why? The Wulin Alliance and the young emperor had always kept to their own spheres, making an example of them wouldn’t serve any purpose…
She glanced at Xiao Yuenu, whose clear, beautiful eyes were entirely unruffled, which settled her heart.
She had watched her tower master grow up, clever and spirited from childhood, a uniquely gifted and independent-minded girl.
While other girls her age played with dolls and ate candied fruit, she had already been pondering her future, the sect’s future, displaying uncommon intelligence and maturity.
It was just that her beauty often caused others to overlook her cleverness.
The beautiful woman felt it was hard to blame men for being so superficial, since her tower master had long hidden her face with a scarf, precisely because her looks were too stunning to go uncovered.
She remembered when Xiao Yuenu was only eleven, already graceful and elegant, her figure just beginning to mature, holding both a girl’s purity and a woman’s charm.
Even the then-deputy leader of the Wulin Alliance, already past fifty and able to have any woman, could not resist her beauty and did everything he could to take Xiao Yuenu as a concubine.
In the end, thanks to the intervention of the previous alliance leader, the Wanhua Tower kept her safe.
“Have the young girls of our sect prepare themselves. If the Wulin Alliance truly faces a formidable foe, have them return to the sect immediately.”
Xiao Yuenu said softly.
“Yes!”
The beautiful woman understood she meant to preserve the sect’s legacy, after all, the young disciples’ power was limited. If the enemy was too strong, better to keep the fire burning than let them die as cannon fodder.
Very soon, the ladies of the Wanhua Tower climbed Quanrong Mountain, followed the steps, and arrived at the square outside the city lord’s mansion.
Already, over a thousand people had gathered there.
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