Chapter 367: Whispered Secrets of the Whistle

Over the past three years, the owners of major businesses in Xiangu County—pawnshops, dye houses, pharmacies, weapon shops, gambling dens, fur shops, inns, and restaurants—had all either left, died, or retired. Even Hu Huanhuan of Huaying Pavilion had retreated to the second line, becoming a nominal manager.

The Huaying Pavilion she had founded no longer belonged to her; she was merely allowed to continue managing its operations there.

Three years ago, Ximen Yong's business had already established connections with the Prefecture City. Therefore, when Duan Rong first heard that Ximen Yong had relocated all of his Ximen Family's businesses to the Prefecture City, he did not find it strange at all.

But thinking about it carefully now, there was likely more to it than met the eye. Even if one had established connections in the Prefecture City, there was no reason to abandon one's home base entirely; at the very least, one would leave a shop behind.

Yet the Ximen Family had moved everything, from their shops to their staff, to the Prefecture City.

It seemed Ximen Yong was indeed shrewd. He must have seen that the wind was blowing in the wrong direction and moved away immediately, which was why he did not end up being usurped and cleaned out.

However, this new County Magistrate was truly fierce.

Every one of these business owners had deep roots and formidable strength, and some of them even had more or less of a background.

Yet they had all been taken down!

It seemed that in the three years he had been away, Xiangu County must have been quite spectacular! The major powers had been completely reshuffled.

But there was an exception. The only power in Xiangu County that had not been touched was the Yuanshun Escort Agency.

Duan Rong recalled once more what Yang Zhen had mentioned: half a month ago, Xiao Zongting had incited a group of Escorts to challenge Ruan Fengshan. Many masked experts had entered the Escort Agency to help Ruan Fengshan hold the line, and even the government officials had mobilized to assist him.

At this moment, a bird's-eye view of the entire Xiangu County seemed to rotate in Duan Rong's mind, and within it were two black-hole-like figures that, the more Duan Rong pondered, the more he felt he could not see through.

One was the owner of the Yuanshun Escort Agency, Ruan Fengshan, and the other was the County Magistrate of Xiangu County, Sun Qian!

In fact, Duan Rong had met this Sun Qian once three years ago. But three years had passed, and Sun Qian's appearance in his mind had become very blurred.

At that time, it was after they had encountered an ambush by the Filthy Blood Sect following the Talent Selection Assembly, and Zhu Qunxiang had brought them back to the County Government Office.

When they returned to the County Government Office, the new County Magistrate, Sun Qian, had already taken office.

In the back hall of the Back Courtyard, Sun Qian had personally spoken with them about the details of the Filthy Blood Sect ambush case, and at the time, they had all left their testimonies and fingerprints.

However, the next morning, their group had left Xiangu County to report to the Sect.

Although Duan Rong's memory of Sun Qian's appearance had become somewhat blurred, he still vaguely remembered that the new County Magistrate seemed quick-witted and modest, and certainly did not look like a tyrannical or greedy fellow.

How did he dare to swallow the world whole within this Xiangu County? Was he not afraid that the major powers would unite and make things difficult for him?

"Unless...?" Duan Rong thought to this point, his gaze flickering incessantly.

Unless this County Magistrate had a greater power behind him, and the capability of this great power was sufficient to suppress the various bigwigs within Xiangu County.

As Duan Rong thought of this, an answer immediately welled up in his heart—was it the Filthy Blood Sect?

This answer was also related to Ruan Fengshan's identity! When Xiao Yu showed him the letter her father had left for her, Duan Rong had already guessed that the attack Ruan Fengshan had orchestrated back then, which was actually aimed at the Old Shopkeeper, had likely utilized experts from the Filthy Blood Sect.

This County Magistrate Sun Qian might have used the same method, only his ambitions were greater.

What Ruan Fengshan wanted back then was merely the Yuanshun Escort Agency, while what County Magistrate Sun Qian wanted was the entire Xiangu County.

Duan Rong could not help but walk to the street corner, standing there, staring blankly at the gate of the County Office.

"If the Filthy Blood Sect is behind County Magistrate Sun Qian... then, wouldn't the new leaders of the major powers in Xiangu County also be people from the Filthy Blood Sect..."

"Then, in that case, this entire Xiangu County..."

Duan Rong stood there, and although the sun was shining on him, he could not help but shiver, breaking out in goosebumps all over.

Just then, a middle-aged woman carrying a basket walked past the alley entrance. Seeing that Duan Rong was short, dressed in rags, and had suddenly shuddered as if he had been frozen, she paused.

The woman sighed with pity, fished a sesame flatbread out of her basket, stuffed it into Duan Rong's arms, and then hurried away.

Duan Rong held the flatbread, which seemed to be fresh out of the oven and still hot to the touch. He turned around, but the woman had already turned from the alley into another side path.

Duan Rong had been a bit dazed just now; he hadn't seen the woman's face and hadn't had time to thank her.

Disguised as a little beggar, the only thing Duan Rong felt very regretful about was not being able to properly eat the delicacies in these streets and alleys that he had been away from for three years.

At this moment, looking at the flatbread in his hand, Duan Rong immediately drooled. Looking at the flatbread's oval shape and the densely sprinkled sesame seeds on the surface, he knew it must be Lu's flatbread. This flatbread was also filled with scallions and Sichuan peppercorn salt; one bite, and it was incredibly flavorful.

Duan Rong took a bite immediately, and hot steam puffed out, scalding his nose.

Chewing the crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside flatbread, a sensation of crispy, salty, and fragrant pleasure exploded on his taste buds. Just then, Duan Rong's gaze shifted.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a tall beggar rushing toward him from the alley entrance.

Seeing that Duan Rong was short and coveting the steaming flatbread in Duan Rong's hand, the man was clearly coming to snatch the food.

Just as the rather tall beggar was about to pounce on Duan Rong, Duan Rong suddenly turned around and gave him a mischievous grin.

In that instant, a spark of firefly light suddenly appeared before the tall beggar's eyes.

The firefly light flickered, like the tail light trailing behind a firefly in the dark night.

As soon as the firefly light appeared, it drilled into the center of his brow.

The next moment, a stunning beauty appeared not far before the tall beggar's eyes.

In his entire life, he had never seen such a beautiful woman; her brows and eyes were like insects, drilling straight into his heart.

The beauty looked at him with a charming smile, beckoning to him incessantly.

Those soft hands she extended were as supple as if they had no bones, white and flawless.

The beggar laughed foolishly, following the stunning beauty toward the side of the street. Drool dripped from the corner of his mouth, his eyes fixed on the beauty without even blinking, having long forgotten the little beggar and the flatbread he had seen just moments ago.

The stunning beauty stood by the street, suddenly placing a hand as white and tender as a lotus root before his eyes.

The beggar immediately cupped those hands and began kissing them frantically.

The beggar kissed wildly for a while, when suddenly, loud, boisterous laughter erupted all around him.

Then, the stunning beauty before his eyes vanished abruptly like a bubble, and the white, tender hand he was cupping disappeared almost simultaneously.

And what he was cupping in his hands, which he had been kissing wildly just a moment ago, was actually a piece of black, hard, shriveled dog feces that had been sitting on the side of the street for several days.

By this time, Duan Rong had long since left the scene, munching on his flatbread.

Because it was already nearing dusk.

Although the teahouses at dusk were still bustling with noise and very lively.

But at this hour, Duan Rong wanted to change locations to listen for information.

He had been listening in the teahouse for several hours in a row, and at this hour, Huaying Pavilion was already opening its doors to welcome guests.

The people inside Huaying Pavilion were naturally not as dense as those in the teahouse, but those who could enter Huaying Pavilion were generally children of wealthy families; Duan Rong very much wanted to go there to scout for news about them.

Furthermore, Duan Rong had heard from those guests in the teahouse that the current big boss of Huaying Pavilion was a fellow named Bai Rong; although Hu Huanhuan was still at Huaying Pavilion, she was merely managing operations, and she had to look to this person named Bai Rong for everything.

This Hu Huanhuan and Duan Rong could be considered to have had some dealings. She was the old lover of the wicked doctor Shen Ping, and Shen Ping had done him a favor. Therefore, Duan Rong was truly worried about Hu Huanhuan's current situation.

Duan Rong had already finished eating his sesame flatbread while on the way.

As he passed a beef soup stall on the street, the aroma rushed straight into his nose; he barely managed to suppress the gluttony in his stomach and walked past with quick steps.

Duan Rong curled up under the eaves of the courtyard gate of an abandoned residential house not far from Huaying Pavilion.

He hugged his shoulders with both hands and pretended to doze there; almost simultaneously, his Divine Sense projected outward, completely shrouding the surroundings. He focused his Divine Sense even further, passing through the inside and outside of Huaying Pavilion, seeing it through and through.

As night fell, the guests at Huaying Pavilion gradually increased.

No matter what earth-shattering changes had occurred in this Xiangu County, it could not stop people from seeking pleasure!

They squeezed out a rotten joy, like dregs, from these prostitutes whose souls had already rotted, to comfort their own already numb hearts.

Duan Rong directly ignored those decadent scenes and only picked out useful information to listen to.

And just as the sounds of wine, meat, and singing were heard everywhere throughout Huaying Pavilion, a room in a remote corner on the second floor was exceptionally quiet.

Inside this room, bright candles hung high; sitting at a desk was a youth wearing white clothes, looking no more than twenty-something. His face was fair and clean, and his hair and fingernails were all neatly groomed, but there was a hint of evil between his brows.

This person was Bai Rong, the boss of Huaying Pavilion; at this moment, he was flipping through the monthly accounts of Huaying Pavilion.

And Hu Huanhuan was standing not far from the desk, her expression quite nervous.

As Bai Rong watched, his expression became increasingly pleased.

"Not bad, last month's turnover has risen quite a bit," Bai Rong smiled faintly. "Manager Hu is indeed skilled at management."

Hu Huanhuan said, "This servant dares not take the credit. This is all because of you, Boss Bai, for the Four Great Demon Concubines you have cultivated over the past two years; they have gradually surpassed the Four Great Flower Shadows."

Bai Rong said, "Each has its own strengths."

Hu Huanhuan's face was cold; although she praised him with her mouth, she felt very uncomfortable inside. The work of those Four Great Demon Concubines was even more base than the flesh trade in Jinmao Lane; she truly felt that doing such lowly business lowered the status of Huaying Pavilion.

But she was currently under someone else's control; how could it be her turn to speak on how to manage Huaying Pavilion?

Bai Rong looked at Hu Huanhuan's expression and knew what she was thinking.

Bai Rong closed the ledger, stood up from the desk, walked in front of Hu Huanhuan, and grabbed her chin.

Hu Huanhuan's jaw ached from his grip, her neck was held high, and the veins on her forehead and neck bulged.

Hu Huanhuan gritted her teeth and endured the pain, refusing to let out a single sound.

Bai Rong looked at Hu Huanhuan's stubborn appearance, his anger growing even more intense; he spat a mouthful of saliva onto Hu Huanhuan's face and cursed, "You yourself are a whore, so what are you pretending to be noble for? I know you look down on my methods in your heart. But I'm telling you, from now on, I'm the one who calls the shots here. You had better work honestly for me; if you dare to play any tricks, I wouldn't mind killing you!"

Hu Huanhuan remained silent, refusing to utter a word.

Bai Rong looked at Hu Huanhuan's state and felt ruthless, but he still let go. Through the past two years of being together, he had come to know the temperament of this old brothel woman before him, yet he happened to want to use her management ability; as long as she was here, there were many things he didn't need to worry about.

"Get lost!" Bai Rong cursed.

Hu Huanhuan turned and left the room.

The moment she turned to leave the room, two large tears dripped from her eyes.

This Huaying Pavilion was created by her own hands, yet it had been snatched away by others, and she herself was under someone else's control, unable to resist. She had sometimes thought about just leaving it all behind, but firstly, she couldn't bear to part with her hard work, and secondly, with the world being so vast, where could she go?

Just at this moment, Shen Ping's ugly face suddenly flashed before Hu Huanhuan's eyes.

"Old thing, where did you go? You really know how to be carefree! This old lady is being bullied right now, hurry up and come back for me. Poison all these goddamn bastards to death..."

Hu Huanhuan cursed in her heart while heading back to her own room.

In the darkness, Duan Rong's body moved noticeably. He had "seen" with his Divine Sense that Bai Rong had spat saliva onto Hu Huanhuan's face; Duan Rong knew very well that although Hu Huanhuan was an old brothel woman who ran a brothel, she was very strong-willed inside, and in terms of character, she would rather break than bend.

For Bai Rong to humiliate her like that was more unbearable for her than killing her.

Duan Rong could not bear to look at Hu Huanhuan with his Divine Sense anymore. He focused his Divine Sense on Bai Rong.

This person was the current boss of Huaying Pavilion; if his deduction was correct, this Bai Rong should be a member of the Filthy Blood Sect.

Duan Rong's Divine Sense penetrated Bai Rong's body and saw the mass of True Qi entrenched in his dantian.

"It is the First Layer of the True Qi Realm."

Duan Rong guessed that this person must also have practiced the Filthy Blood Divine Art, but regarding this point, he could not investigate it with his Divine Sense.

The Filthy Blood Divine Art was quite miraculous; as long as it was not being activated, the body was no different from an ordinary person, and the only difference was the Tainted Blood core within the Spirit Sea.

But Divine Sense investigation could not penetrate a person's Spirit Sea.

Inside the room, Bai Rong wiped his hand carefully on a towel with some disgust.

It was only because this hand was stained with the face powder from Hu Huanhuan's face; he had always loathed women, especially those whores who painted their faces, and if it weren't for the fact that these whores could earn him money, he would really wish to kill them all.

As for why he could cultivate the Four Great Demon Concubines who could suck bones and marrow, he had served as a male favorite for four years starting at the age of sixteen; what kind of scenes had he not seen?

He had originally been drifting among the commoners in Shenyun Prefecture; if he hadn't killed that fat pig who almost crushed him to death and fled,

he wouldn't have ended up in this backwater, nor would he have joined the Filthy Blood Sect.

Just as Bai Rong had finished cleaning the powder off his hand, a whistling sound suddenly rang out by the window of the room.

Upon hearing that whistle, Bai Rong's spirit was suddenly jolted.

Because that whistle was the secret whistling code used by members of their Filthy Blood Sect to pass information.

This thing had been invented and compiled by Sun Qian and taught to those secret agents to use.

At first, he felt that this thing was too troublesome to memorize, but over the past two years, as he slowly became familiar with it, he began to see its benefits.

This secret whistling code was not only confidential but also fast. Sun Qian was indeed a person of considerable talent.

Bai Rong listened to the information from the whistle, but his brows suddenly furrowed.

"Why is tonight's banquet supposed to be at that old courtyard of Wei Yutian's?"

Something had happened at Wei Yutian's place. That old courtyard had also been sealed off by the County Government Office. Why, besides the Sealed Treasury at Ruan Fengshan's Escort Agency, wasn't there a ready-made Mandala? Why not use that place, and instead go to Wei Yutian's?

"I wonder what kind of abacus this Ruan Fengshan is playing again?!"

(End of chapter)