Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 306: "Caught in the Act"

Xia Chichi had not noticed Zhao Changhe as he had disguised himself. Furthermore, the chaotic street was filled with women soliciting customers. It would be difficult for her to recognize him at a glance. Lost in thought for a moment, Zhao Changhe saw Xia Chichi enter the brothel, vaguely hearing someone welcoming her from inside, “Oh, Mister Luo, you’re here again! We especially saved heaven room one for you.”

Damn, she’s a regular? How long has she been here?

Lady Three said that the Four Idols Cult had no influence here, and that was indeed the case. The brothel Xia Chichi had just entered was not under the Four Idols Cult’s control. Zhao Changhe could not fathom what Xia Chichi was planning by becoming a regular customer here.

With Xia Chichi here, there’s no need to play along anymore... Zhao Changhe unceremoniously pushed away the random prostitute he had grabbed and strode into the brothel Xia Chichi had entered.

Behind him, Yang Qianyuan hurriedly to catch up after him, utterly confused. “Sir, sir?”

“Oh.” Zhao Changhe turned, smiling, and tossed him a piece of silver. “This place looks good. Enjoy yourself. I don’t have the habit of visiting brothels with company.”

Yang Qianyuan took the money and looked at Zhao Changhe, who was eagerly heading into a brothel, with a strange expression.

Weird, he clearly wasn’t showing any interest in the brothels earlier. He even looked quite bored. But the moment he saw that handsome nobleman, his eyes lit up.

Oh, wait, of course! With him being someone of such a high position from the Wang Clan of Langya, he’s definitely seen plenty of beauties, so these common brothel girls definitely wouldn’t be able to interest him. After becoming bored with women, he must have developed a taste for men.

That makes perfect sense.

Yang Qianyuan weighed the silver in his hand, deciding against finding a brothel for himself. He pondered for a moment, then suddenly ran straight to a large mansion somewhere outside the street.

A burly man in a purple robe sat high in the hall, glaring coldly at him as he asked, “Are you certain that man is Wang Daozhong?”

“I can’t be sure... I know that Wang Daozhong is a middle-aged man, and I would have thought that he would have an elegant appearance and a beard. But beards can be shaved off. Although this yellow-faced man has a rather sallow complexion, he’s still quite handsome and speaks well. His demeanor has the air of an elderly master, and he doesn’t seem to be feigning it...”

Of course, Zhao Changhe was known for his ruggedly handsome looks that even a scar could not fully obscure. He had not mastered the kind of complete facial transformation that Sisi had, so his disguise was still based on his own features. Despite his efforts to look ordinary, he was still considered to be quite handsome. Some people had the rigid belief that one could not shave off their beard because it was part of the body given by their parents, but that was not widespread here. Furthermore, even if it was a common belief, martial artists would probably not adhere to something so rigid.

As for his bearing, having been undefeated in countless battles, his confidence was naturally not faked at all. Even when conversing with Xia Longyuan, he did not feel intimidated, and someone like Yang Qianyuan was far inferior to Xia Longyuan.

Yang Qianyuan hesitated for a moment before adding, “And he is quite strong. I’ve seen my clan’s head, Yang Zhixing, and this man is at least as strong as him... No, even stronger. Yang Zhixing could sense what I was doing behind him, but this man could even tell what was beneath my nails. It was as if he had eyes behind his head.”

Gang Leader Qian mused, “That’s the typical sign of someone who has reached the Profound Mysteries. Such detailed perception can’t be achieved by those who are still at the first layer of the Profound Mysteries. He must be someone high up on the Ranking of Earth. It seems that the rumors that He Lei was injured by him might have some truth to them.”

Yang Qianyuan lowered his head and said, “Indeed, and his Heavenly Sea-Suppressing Palm... from my limited understanding, it appeared genuine.”

“In that case, he might really be Wang Daozhong. Well, whether it really is him or not, he is definitely formidable. It’s best not to provoke him.” Gang Leader Qian pondered for a moment, then muttered, “If we could enlist his help, Tian Lingzi would be doomed...”

Yang Qianyuan remained silent, internally sneering.

Whether he’s Wang Daozhong or not, such a figure wouldn’t bother with minor gang conflicts in a small city like this. At the very least, he certainly wouldn’t move for a small gang in the eastern part of the city.

Isn’t it the best course of action to do nothing and wait for him to leave? Why possibly make things more complicated? But if you plan to complicate things, maybe I can use this to my advantage.

*

Leaving the scheming of the villains aside, Zhao Changhe followed Xia Chichi into the brothel. Xia Chichi, a “regular customer,” quickly embraced an “old flame” and entered a private room. Before Zhao Changhe could follow, a group of women swarmed around him. “Hey, handsome, is this your first time here?”

Zhao Changhe felt like he was trying to catch someone in the act. Amused, he grinned and slipped a piece of silver into the collar of the madam next to him. “Bring me your best girl.”

As a newcomer, he had no way of knowing who the brothel’s best girl was. Predictably, the madam picked an available one at random. “This is our top girl, Qianqian. Qianqian, take good care of this gentleman.”

Zhao Changhe could not be bothered to confirm if this truly was their top girl, nor did he care what she looked like. “Take me to heaven room one.”

Qianqian hesitated and said, “Heaven room one is already taken...”

“No big deal, then take me to room two.”

Qianqian brightened up, finding him very easy to talk to. She leaned closer to him and said in a sweet voice, “Right this way, sir...”

“Hey, wait a minute.” Zhao Changhe noticed that they were heading the opposite direction of where Xia Chichi had gone and was confused. “Why is heaven room two over there?”

Qianqian looked at him, puzzled. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Zhao Changhe decided to be straightforward. “Aren’t room one and room two supposed to be next to each other?”

“Who says that they have to be next to each other?” Qianqian’s eyes twinkled with realization, and she giggled. “Sir, you’re here for Young Master Luo, aren’t you?”

Feeling like a fool, Zhao Changhe silently slipped another piece of silver into her hand. “You guessed right. He’s exactly who I came here for.”

“Then be careful, sir. Someone else tried to go for him a few days ago, and their head was cut off by him and hung at the corner of the street,” whispered Qianqian. “Otherwise, how could he possibly secure heaven room one despite having only been here for such a short time? This is simply how heroes are respected here in Kunlun City.”

Respect for heroes? More like respect for the strong.

It seems that Chichi has integrated well and become quite well-known here. Is she planning to stay here for a while?

Zhao Changhe smiled and said, “Don’t worry about me. Just take me to the room next to his.”

Luckily, the room next to Chichi’s happened to be unoccupied. In fact, business at this brothel was not doing too great, and many rooms were empty. Qianqian led Zhao Changhe inside and cheerfully offered him some wine with a smile. “Would you like to drink and listen to music first or would you like to enjoy me?”

“You know what I’m here for, so just play some music. I’ll pay you well.”

Happy to earn money without having to whore herself out, Qianqian gladly started playing the guqin. Zhao Changhe pretended to drink but was actually listening to the activity next door.

Having the Back Eye not only enhanced his sight but all his senses. His hearing had long surpassed that of his peers, and after Yue Hongling’s guidance on the Profound Mysteries, his perception had improved dramatically, far beyond what Yue Hongling imagined he would be able to achieve with her guidance.

Despite the sound of the guqin right next to him, it felt like it flowed past his ears without disturbing him.

Instead, the faint sounds from the next room became clearer and clearer, gradually seeping into his ears.

“Oh, Young Master Luo, you’re so naughty~ Where did you learn how to handle people like this? It’s so rough...”

Luo Qi’s neutral voice could be faintly heard, “I learned it from a bandit. It’s not something you would know. Well, even if it’s quite rough, doesn’t it feel good?”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

“Young Master Luo, you’re so annoying.”

“Alright, alright. I still want to hear more of the story. Yesterday, you spoke of the volcanic eruption that burned the Kunlun Mountains, engulfing and destroying both stone and jade. What happened next?”

“There is nothing after that, really. An eruption just took place at Fiery Kun Ridge after so many years. Now there’s just colored mud all around. With the snow covering the peaks, it looks just like any other mountain range. If you’re thinking there might be some treasures there, forget it. Many have thought the same and found nothing.”

So Xia Chichi is gathering intelligence by chatting with brothel girls?

Zhao Changhe had initially assumed that since the west was associated with the attribute of metal, Chichi came here to find a path to advance. But from the discussion about a volcanic eruption, it seemed that she was either assisting Vermillion Bird in locating some treasure or seeking a specific place. Logically speaking, though, shouldn’t things that benefit Vermillion Bird be found in the south?

Then again, while Black Tortoise being in the north made sense, the Azure Dragon was not strictly in the east. The distribution of the four idols isn’t rigidly aligned to the traditional directions, especially since the ancient four idols didn’t die according to predetermined positions.

However, volcanic eruptions are normal. What kind of secrets could be hidden in such events that would be widely known?

But then Xia Chichi laughed and said, “If that’s the end of that story, then move on to the next story.”

“Oh, my dear Young Master Luo, you’ve listened to stories spanning from a hundred years ago to ten years ago. There’s really nothing new, just a lot of fighting.”

“Those also count as stories. For example, can you tell me about which notable figures have entered Kunlun recently?”

“They all hide their identities...”

“Those who try to enter the mountains need to prove their identities, don’t they? Hiding their identities is only something they do after settling in the city, right?”

“That’s true... I don’t know about further back, but in the past year or two, there’s the infamous Tarantula.”

“The one who poisoned an entire town? The one ranked fifty-eighth on the Ranking of Man?”

“Yes, he entered the mountains... And then there’s Yang Qianyuan. They say he didn’t manage to enter the mountains and stayed in the city, but no one knows who he is or if he’s even alive...”

Zhao Changhe suddenly had a hunch.

Chichi was not just hiding and training within the cult. She was a little witch causing chaos in the world. During the time he had been in the north, Chichi must have been carrying out various tasks for the Four Idols Cult.

For example, her initial conflict and subsequent small friendship with Yang Bugui might have laid the groundwork for her real mission, which could be targeting Yang Qianyuan for the Yang Clan of Hongnong.