Chapter 158: Top Courtesan Zhao Zhao Wanfang

Jin Bao Gambling House was also in Pingkang Ward.

"Yo, Young Master Li!"

Before they even entered the door, someone cupped their hands in greeting.

Li Yan turned his head to look, and it was a tall, sturdy man with a full beard, a lion's nose and a wide mouth, and muscles all over his body.

He looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was.

"Hahaha..."

The man cupped his hands and said: "Young Master Li, don't blame me. I am Tie Feng, Tie Tie Shigu is my father. That night I was mixed in the crowd; Young Master's kung fu really opened my eyes."

"Oh, my apologies, my apologies."

Li Yan raised his hands and cupped them, looking apologetic.

That night, the Foot Guild leader Tie Tie Shigu personally went to help, and although it was a favor of the Five Elements, it was also helping them, so naturally, he had to be polite.

This man, Tie Feng, was also an old hand in the martial world. Seeing Li Yan coming aggressively, he immediately guessed that something was wrong.

Li Yan had been in the limelight recently, and he wanted to make friends, so he frowned and said in a deep voice: "Young Master Li is not an outsider. Has something happened? Just say the word, all the brothers in our Foot Guild are here."

Seeing him just coming out of the gambling house, Li Yan was a bit unsure. He glanced at Jin Bao Gambling House and said in a low voice: "Brother Tie has a relationship with this place?"

"No."

Tie Feng shook his head and laughed: "Approaching the end of the year, the snow is heavy, and the official roads and docks are blocked, so I'm free, coming over to play a few rounds."

"Why, did this place offend Brother Li?"

He also knew how to climb the pole; in the blink of an eye, "Young Master" became "Brother."

Li Yan laughed: "Small matter, a fellow villager was set up, helping them catch a few scammers from the Bee Sect to get things back. What's the background of this place?"

"Rest assured, they are our own people!"

Tie Feng laughed: "This Jin Bao Gambling House was originally the property of a kid named Lu Jin Bao, whose father was the original Shanzhou Administration Commissioner Lu Qing."

"This kid was originally very arrogant in Chang'an and offended many people. Lu Qing was imprisoned for corruption, and he didn't escape either, being forced to hang himself."

"Now this gambling house has long changed hands, and you also know the new owner; it is Hall Bai Tangzhu of the Tooth Guild, who was mentioning you just a while ago."

"Hall Bai Tangzhu?"

Li Yan instantly remembered this person's appearance.

If he remembered correctly, the other party was dressed as a Confucian scholar, used to wearing a pair of white gloves, and his weapon was an iron fan.

Thinking of this, Li Yan frowned slightly, "People from the Tooth Guild, why are they also doing the business of the Bee Sect?"

"It must be a misunderstanding."

Tie Feng shook his head and laughed: "Hall Bai Tangzhu is very wealthy, with many businesses in Changancheng. Why would he rob a craftsman's shop?"

"Go, go, go, Hall Bai Tangzhu happens to be in the gambling house. Whoever did this will definitely give Brother Li an explanation."

After saying that, he took Li Yan and the three of them into the gambling house.

Just as Tie Feng said, as soon as they entered the door, a waiter respectfully welcomed them and invited them to a private room on the second floor.

"Young Master Li, long time no see."

A Confucian scholar stood up and cupped his hands in greeting; it was Hall Bai Tangzhu of the Tooth Guild.

The Chang'an Tooth Guild was divided into five halls by southeast, west, north, and center, each occupying territory to operate business, and they were not allowed to cross boundaries.

This Hall Bai Tangzhu was named Bai Bai Ruoxu. Being able to occupy the most prosperous and wealthy North Hall, his status was only below the Guild Leader, and his methods were superb. It had been confirmed that he was the next Guild Leader of the Tooth Guild.

"Hall Bai Tangzhu, you've caused trouble!"

Tie Feng and Bai Bai Ruoxu were clearly very familiar, first shouting, and then telling the story.

Li Yan looked calmly at the shadow puppetry troupe leader beside him.

The old man shook his head slightly, signaling it wasn't this person.

"There's actually such a thing!"

After listening, Bai Bai Ruoxu was also a bit surprised, shook his head and cursed: "These idiots, actually letting people from the Bee Sect enter the venue to do business, isn't that smashing my signboard!"

After saying that, he cupped his hands with an apologetic face: "Young Master Li, my apologies. The incident happened at my place, I will definitely give you an explanation."

"I probably know who that group of people is. Due to the rules of the martial world, I can't say, but if Young Master Li trusts me, leave this matter to me."

"Before tomorrow, I will definitely make them spit out the things!"

"Besides, compensation will definitely not be lacking!"

Li Yan pondered for a moment and smiled: "That's fine, I'll trouble Hall Bai Tangzhu. Later, I'll be the host, you must give me face."

Since the other party had said so much, he could only agree.

"Easy to say."

Hall Bai Tangzhu laughed: "Young Master Li is famous in the Hua'e Pavilion. Whatever I say, I have to bask in your glory and see for myself."

Li Yan: "..."

With a clue to the matter, everyone said goodbye and left.

Bai Bai Ruoxu watched them leave, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared. When he returned to the room, his expression was as cold as water.

He locked the door tightly, turned and went to the corner of the wall, entered the huge lacquered wooden wardrobe, and pulled the rope beside it lightly.

Clatter!

The wooden board under the wardrobe opened instantly.

His body fell directly, and the wooden board closed quickly.

This was also a secret passage in the corner, built in a blind spot of the first floor, a long secret passage leading directly underground.

The secret passage went straight up and down, without any ladders.

At such a distance, ordinary people falling would definitely break their legs.

But Bai Bai Ruoxu simply borrowed force from left and right, and after a few back-and-forths, he landed steadily on the ground and looked ahead.

Below, there was actually a secret passage, the bricks and stones mottled and covered in moss; it looked quite old.

Changancheng had been the capital for several dynasties and had experienced countless wars. To avoid disaster, the wealthy families in the city had secretly spent heavy gold to build secret passages—dense, layer upon layer, with no way of knowing how many there were.

To the left of the secret passage ahead was a stone chamber with faint candlelight.

A flash of murderous intent crossed Bai Bai Ruoxu's eyes. He walked with long strides and soon arrived beside the stone chamber.

Inside the stone chamber, candles were lit. Several people were lying or sitting; some were focused on sharpening their blades by the bed, while others were drinking and eating meat.

"Greetings, Hall Bai Tangzhu!"

Seeing him arrive, everyone stood up one after another.

Bai Bai Ruoxu's expression was calm, and he said indifferently, "Everyone, are you getting used to staying here?"

"Used to it, used to it!"

A disheveled man with a fierce face joked, "Hall Bai Tangzhu treats us to good wine and meat; of course we're comfortable."

As he spoke, a lewd smile appeared on his face. "It's just, hehe... you know, we've been on the mountain for too long, and we're really stifled."

"This is Pingkang Ward; there are plenty of women. Look..."

"Easy to say!"

A smile appeared on Bai Bai Ruoxu's face. He shook his head and said, "Didn't you all go out early? You even got a large sum of money. If you want to do something, why do you need to tell me?"

"Don't you think so, Brother Yang?"

Behind the crowd, there was also a man who looked like a scholar.

If Li Yan were here, he would discover that this person was exactly the "Sign-Plugging Pillar" responsible for scouting information among the Four Pillars and Eight Beams of the White Tiger Stronghold at Niubei Ridge.

He was also the one who had killed Lu Kang at the time.

"Hall Bai Tangzhu is joking."

Hearing Bai Bai Ruoxu's inquiry, the scholar gave a sinister smile, touched the scar on his neck, and sneered, "We were sent by the Sect Leader to lurk in this Changancheng."

"Hall Bai Tangzhu is something else, keeping our brothers locked up here, making it hard to even get a breath of air, and not even arranging identities for us. Since that's the case, our brothers have to find other ways."

Speaking of this, his eyes had turned cold. "Don't think that you're the only one who can play around in this Changancheng. I may be untalented, but I have plenty of brothers on the road!"

The others looked at each other, their expressions equally ferocious, each placing their hands on their weapons.

"Sigh~ Brothers, you've misunderstood."

Bai Bai Ruoxu shook his head and sighed slightly. "The Changancheng before our eyes is calm on the surface, but in reality, the undercurrents are surging. It's not as simple as you imagine."

"Cut the crap!"

The scholar said coldly, "The Sect Leader is still playing hide-and-seek with the people of the Tai Da Xuan Orthodox Sect in the Qin Ling Mountains to open the treasure."

"We were ordered to come to Changancheng to stir up trouble, but you've locked us up here. Could it be that you have ulterior motives and want to rebel?!"

Bai Bai Ruoxu gave a bitter smile. "Let me show you all something."

As he spoke, he pulled off the white gloves he had been wearing the whole time.

!.

Seeing this, the several bandits were secretly shocked.

They saw that this hand had completely rotted; in some places, pustules had grown, and in others, strange insects were twisting and turning.

The scholar gave a cold laugh. "What? Whose trick did you fall for? What's the meaning of showing us this..."

Before he could finish speaking, his expression changed.

"Poison!"

However, he had discovered it too late.

The several bandits only felt dizzy, their chests tight, unable to catch their breath. They collapsed to the ground all at once, coughing incessantly.

Their necks swelled bright red, and they sprayed mouthfuls of fresh blood.

Only then did Bai Bai Ruoxu, with a calm face, put his gloves back on and shake his head. "Showing you this is to let you know that with your meager skills, you can't stir up any waves in Changancheng."

"Hmph, a thief's nature is hard to change; you'll only ruin things!"

As he spoke, he turned and left the secret passage.

In the dark chamber behind him, the skin of the several bandits had turned a sauce-red color, their heads swollen to a massive size, their eyes bloodshot, and gradually, they stopped breathing...

Inside the small courtyard of the Prince's Mansion, Hei Dan looked at his surroundings with eyes full of shock.

"Brother Yan, you're truly amazing!"

His admiration for Li Yan had reached an extreme.

When they were in the village, he had felt that Li Yan would definitely be a good swordsman, but what he saw today had completely exceeded his imagination.

"How could I afford to buy this?"

Li Yan gave a dumbfounded laugh. "We're just looking after the house for someone, and even that took quite a few connections."

"That's true, that's true!"

Sha Sha Li Fei also laughed from the side. "We're all poor wretches; we just have a few more friends."

"Busy all day, you must be hungry, right? Let's go, let's go. Let's tidy up the rooms first, then find a restaurant to treat you two to a meal."

"Hei Dan, I never thought you'd have such a great uncle..."

Seeing Li Yan give him a wink, he knew the other party still had things to do, so he took the initiative to arrange things for Hei Dan and his nephew.

And Li Yan looked at the sky, seeing that the sun had already set, so he turned and left the small courtyard, turning here and there in the dark alleys of the hutong.

Before long, he arrived at the dark alley near the Qingyuan Pavilion.

He looked around, and seeing no one, he unleashed internal strength in his legs, soared into the air with a 'whoosh', and grabbed the eaves to climb up.

As he approached Zhao Zhao Wanfang's room, he hung from the eaves with one hand, pinched a spell with the other, and chanted a mantra, giving his little finger a light flick.

Clatter!

A paper spirit flew out from the leather pouch at his waist, slid along the wall, and silently drilled into the window.

He naturally wouldn't easily believe the words of the Qingyuan Pavilion's top courtesan, so at the time, he had only said that a sorcerer was causing trouble and that he knew who the murderer was.

The time he had set was after nightfall.

Arriving early just as dusk fell was to see if this woman would play any tricks, or if she had any other accomplices.

Inside the room, there was only Zhao Zhao Wanfang.

She sat in front of the dressing table, holding a tattered comb, lost and dejected, not knowing what she was thinking...

Li Yan's heart stirred. After putting away the paper spirit, he exerted force with both arms, his body suddenly soared into the air, and he jumped directly onto the window and leaped inside.

"Who?!"

Zhao Zhao Wanfang was startled and turned around in a hurry. When she saw it was Li Yan, she understood immediately and snorted coldly, "As expected, there wasn't a word of truth!"

"The martial world is treacherous; one must be on guard."

Li Yan didn't care at all. He looked around and said thoughtfully, "Tell me, what exactly did you see back then?"

Zhao Zhao Wanfang gritted her teeth. "You tell me who the murderer is first!"

Li Yan didn't reply, just looked at her coldly.

The two stood in a stalemate for a while. Zhao Zhao Wanfang had no choice but to lower her head and come to the table. She sighed and said in a low voice, "I was still small then. My mother gave birth to me without knowing who my father was, and I just worked in the pavilion, boiling water for the young ladies."

"Although it was bitter, I was already very grateful, because if the young ladies in other pavilions gave birth to bastards, they would be drowned by the procuress or sold to human traffickers."

"At least, I was still alive..."

"That night, I was lying in the kitchen sleeping. I only remember that the middle of the night was terrifyingly quiet, and then I heard the sound of a cat."

"That cat's meow was very eerie. After hearing it, I felt like I was under a ghost's pressure—my head was clear, but my body couldn't move."

"Then the fire started. The fire spread shockingly fast. Whether it was the young ladies or those patrons, they didn't react at all and were swallowed by the fire in the blink of an eye."

"Fortunately, at the last moment, I woke up, struggled, and drilled into a water vat, escaping the disaster."

"I was terrified. I disguised myself as a little beggar and watched from the street. I saw the yamen officials come, look around casually for a few turns, and then leave in a hurry, finally ruling it an accidental fire."

"But I knew someone had acted to kill!"

"I suffered a lot on the streets, wandered around, and returned to the brothel, sleeping with those martial artists and begging them to teach me martial arts..."

"Outsiders see me as a top courtesan, wearing gold and silver, but my heart died long ago. I only want to find the enemy and die together..."

As she spoke, her eyes were already vacant, and she scratched her arms desperately, her fingernails tearing out streaks of blood.

Li Yan pressed her hand down and said coldly, "Wake up, I haven't finished asking my questions yet!"

Zhao Zhao Wanfang took a deep breath. "What else do you want to know?"

Li Yan was thoughtful. "In the original Jin Cui Pavilion, who kept cats?"

Zhao Zhao Wanfang replied, "Aunt Liu, Hua Qing, and Cui Lan."

"Hua Qing and Cui Lan were the two young ladies who accompanied your father. Not long after the incident, Hua Qing hanged herself. Aunt Liu was afraid of getting involved in a lawsuit, so she had someone secretly bury the body."

"A few days later, the Jin Cui Pavilion had its incident."

Li Yan was thoughtful and said in a low voice, "You boiled water for those young ladies. Did you notice who was always carrying a sachet of perilla?"

"Also, who was from Jiangzhe?"

Zhao Zhao Wanfang thought for a while. "Aunt Liu, Hua Qing, and Cui Lan all carried sachets of perilla."

"And, Aunt Liu was from Jiangzhe!"

Speaking of this, she was already filled with shock. "You mean..."

Li Yan said in a low voice, "I've heard people say that among the heterodox sects in Jiangzhe, there are women of the Yan Sect who are skilled in raising a type of monster called the 'Jinhua Cat'."

"This monster is skilled at bewitching people. During the Song Dynasty, a court lady used witchcraft to raise this monster to bewitch the Emperor. After it was discovered, her entire clan was executed, and this technique subsequently spread to the common people."

"Those who raise this monster must carry a sachet of perilla at all times; otherwise, they will be devoured by the Jinhua Cat monster..."

Speaking of this, he already understood the cause of his father's death...

(End of chapter)