Chapter 39: The Old Woman and Prince Kai

Before him lay paradise for men……

"I can't take this body……" Chen Yi He, though unwilling in words, was in fact a definite shorty in action. Half-coaxed, half-compelled, he was pushed into Green Smoke Pavilion by the Dragon King.

"Don't think too much, it's just drinking, tomorrow we still have big things to do! Can't waste energy here……"

"We should also call two girls to sing and keep us company with drinks…… Otherwise, facing you, I can't drink……"

The Dragon King nodded in agreement, "I think the same."

The madam, like usual in a brothel, was a heavily made-up middle-aged woman, "Yo, two young masters, please come inside……"

"Call me the best girls, the best wine!" Having come, Chen Yi He intended to drink himself into oblivion.

"Got it, please wait a moment!"

The furnishings inside Green Smoke Pavilion were upper-class for a brothel; the hall held only the finest precious fragrant wood tables, beside the account desk stacked jar after jar of the finest daughter's red liquor, the stair steps were made of premium uncarved jade, the luxury imaginable…… Private rooms were upstairs, from time to time emitting sounds both stimulating and soul‑swaying……

Upstairs and downstairs were full of guests; Green Smoke Pavilion's business was booming…… demands for wine came nonstop…… apologetic laughter rose and fell……

"No wrongdoing, just drinking……"

"Right, no wrongdoing, just drinking……" Chen Yi He and the Dragon King agreed, they found a table in the hall and sat down, waiting for fine wine to be served, waiting for beautiful companions to drink with them.

"Sirs, your wine." The waiter brought up ten jars of fine wine. Then he also served soy‑sauce‑exploded wind‑dried beef and oil‑exploded crisp peanuts, etc., as drinking snacks.

"Bottoms up!"

"Bottoms up!" Chen Yi He and the Dragon King raised their cups and drank together…… a big gulp of spicy, icy liquor went down, then a bite of fatty beef—how refreshing!

"Refreshing! Good wine!" The Dragon King gulped jar after jar, yet still felt unsatisfied……

"Alas, what a pity Xu Jia isn't here." Chen Yi He gazed at his cup and sighed, "With such fine wine, how could we be missing a brother?" He didn't know whether this lament would spoil their mood.

"Yeah, I also don't know how he's doing on Tiger Mountain." The Dragon King indeed sank his face, after all, the next time they meet will be in ten years.

"Forget it, let's not mention that. If I fail to enter the Thousandfold Gate and still manage to keep my life, we'll wait for you on Tiger Mountain! Hehe, besides, even without Xu Jia we still have beauties!" Chen Yi He summoned the waiter and asked, "Where are the drinking companions we ordered? They've been missing half a day—quickly call seven or eight to come sing, drink, I'm not short on money!"

"Right, I'm not short on money!" The Dragon King also echoed.

"This……" the waiter seemed to have something hard to say.

"Where are the drinking companions we ordered?" Chen Yi He asked again.

The waiter nervously pointed elsewhere, and Chen Yi He and the Dragon King followed his gaze.

Over a dozen beauties surrounded a table, covering the surface completely, vying to show off their charms, afraid that a moment's delay would see them outshone by their companions.

"Is it him?" The Dragon King felt both surprised and thought it was only natural.

"Huh……" Chen Yi He instantly understood.

"That, that young master, has bought out the place…… he's bought all the beauties in our pavilion……" The person the waiter pointed to turned out to be Zhou Kai!

"Why did you pull us in here, just to watch them perform?" Chen Yi He slammed the table in anger.

Chen Yi He's anger quickly spread to that side of the hall; Zhou Kai slowly rose, clasped his hands from afar, and said, "Yo, I haven't seen you yet—turns out you're Brother Chen Yi He!"

Inside the noisy hall, it suddenly fell silent, becoming calm. The waiters hid in the corners, trembling, while the beauties ducked under the tables, shivering……

"Hahaha! Turns out you're my defeated subordinate!" In the forest tea pavilion, Chen Yi He had actually won back his losses, beating Zhou Kai in one go for 250,000 taels of silver notes……

"Pat pat pat……" hurried, rapid footsteps sounded outside Green Smoke Pavilion, wave after wave, accompanied by the clashing of blades striking the ground. Soon, a black‑crowd of people surrounded the pavilion, just as the brothers of Eternal Joy Gate once surrounded their own gate, but this time Chen Yi He and the Dragon King had no subordinates to help.

"Damn, here we go again……" The Dragon King was practically speechless; all he wanted was to drink in peace—could it really be this hard?

"Hahaha! Truly, after searching high and low with no success, it comes without effort! I actually managed to meet you here." Li Lan's laughter came from outside to inside, he strode in with great steps, a soft whip tied at his waist.

The Dragon King silently drew his Azure Dragon Blade from his back; it looked like another fierce battle was coming, this lot of court lackeys simply never quit! "This is Southern Border City, you Embroidered Uniform Guard have no authority here."

"Hahaha! Ridiculous! Our Great Zhou Dynasty rules the entire Tian'an Continent; Southern Border City must submit!" Li Lan's tone was wild, yet speaking thus in Southern Border City left him uneasy…… "You plotted to kill the chief of Eternal Joy Gate, kidnapped the West Factory's Embroidered Uniform Guard, secretly altered imperial orders—by law, death without pardon; if you don't lay down your weapons and surrender……"

Zhou Kai stood where he was, sneering, "So you've done all these wicked deeds……"

"Pah!" Chen Yi He didn't want to argue; fortunately, last night he had entered the Third Heaven, and today he wanted to test how much his level had grown!

"\"Prince Kai, \" what do you say?" Li Lan directly used Zhou Kai's nickname, "Prince Kai."

"Kill." The chill on Zhou Kai's face deepened another layer, as if a sheet of frost had been laid. Actually, killing these two had nothing to do with seeking entry into the Thousandfold Gate; he had other plans.

That other plan naturally concerned Dongfang Xing.

This exactly suited Li Lan's wishes; their intentions coincided without prior discussion.

A fierce battle was about to begin; at that moment Green Smoke Pavilion displayed a tranquility unseen for over a decade—perhaps it was the hairpin falling from a beauty's bun, sounding a soft "ding"……

"Give me……" Li Lan's "kill" died in his throat, unspoken, as he clutched his neck and collapsed.

Everyone looked and saw, on the corridor of the top floor of Green Smoke Pavilion, an aged, stooped old woman standing alone, with no one beside her; her distance from Li Lan was the greatest in the pavilion.

"Sir, sir!" The foremost Embroidered Uniform Guard hurriedly surrounded Li Lan to protect his safety.

"You!" Zhou Kai pointed at the old woman and roared angrily.

"When has it ever been the court's turn to meddle in the safety of Southern Border City? To make Southern Border City submit?" The old woman spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, walking down on her aged legs. Strangely, though she took small, slow steps, she descended the building in just two or three strides.

The top floor of Green Smoke Pavilion is the sixth floor; descending six floors in just two or three steps.

Clearly a leisurely stroll, yet no one could see her footwork! She was practically a phantom! What realm of martial arts is this? How many years of training would it take?

The old woman is such a terrifying presence! She stood before Zhou Kai and said solemnly, "Within the city, this is my first warning—I haven't killed him, but next time it could be everyone who dies."

"Who…… who are you?" Prince Kai felt a bit flustered……

"Who I am doesn't matter; what matters is that you'd better get lost right now!"

Zhou Kai is the Grand Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the future heir! To be told "get lost" by an old woman!? His face darkened; even with a host of Embroidered Uniform Guard outside, the old woman's strength could crush him with a flick of a finger! He flushed with rage, his face distorting, he raised a trembling yet firm finger and snarled, "You wait for me—we're leaving."

Chen Yi He stepped forward and politely thanked the old woman, "Thank you, ma'am."

Who knew the old woman wouldn't buy it—not even a grunt—she didn't even glance at Chen Yi He, only telling everyone, "This Green Smoke Pavilion is my turf; whoever dares block my profit, I will kill." Having said that, she turned and left, leaving an embarrassed Chen Yi He.

Zhou Kai walked to the door, then turned back, knocked on the door panel, pointed at Chen Yi He and taunted, "Consider yourself lucky, but your Miss Dongfang probably isn't that lucky, huh?"

Chen Yi He and the Dragon King stared at each other; after a brief stunned pause, they unleashed astonishing explosive power! Throwing down a gold ingot, they burst out of Green Smoke Pavilion and sprinted madly toward the inn.

Now they have no mood for drinking or chatting! They only hope Dongfang Xing can wait for their reinforcements.