Chapter 99: Hongxiu Zhao

That night, after Wu Chengyu and A Ku finished dinner, A Ku was quite pleased with her performance today. She no longer ate with her head down, and for once remembered her mouth had more than one function, her little lips chattering nonstop. The aura of the Eldest Sister of Wu Family Slope grew stronger and stronger.

Wu Chengyu listened and made perfunctory replies, while in his mind he dwelled on Shi Tong's resentful gaze when he left. This fellow clearly bore a grudge against both him and A Ku; such a person had no scruples in his actions, and Wu Chengyu often thought it would be best to eliminate him sooner rather than later.

After A Ku cleared the bowls and chopsticks, Wu Chengyu called out to her, put on a set of clothes, and turned to leave his own courtyard. But he had taken only a few steps when he saw Wu Zhengliang waiting for him by the roadside.

"I knew you, kid, couldn't resist going to settle accounts with that Shi fellow, but this fellow truly cannot be killed right now. The family and several clans in Gusu City have already discussed it: this fellow is unimportant. The real contest of Dao is over in Hangzhou with Shi Miyuan. But if you kill him now, you'll ruin the family's plans."

"Fourth Uncle, I once told an Elder that I practice martial arts so I won't be bullied, and that I can dispose of anyone who displeases me at will."

"This Shi Tong will surely use some underhanded methods against us next. Are we supposed to just sit here and take it passively until Hangzhou decides a winner?"

"Fine. Go scout out the situation. Shi Tong acts in a sinister and underhanded manner, so some caution is good. But you can deal with him—just don't kill him for now."

Hearing Wu Zhengliang's words, Wu Chengyu pondered for a moment, then instead returned first to the Small Courtyard and took out something he had secretly hidden for a long time.

The night was not yet deep and people were not yet quiet; the nights of Gusu City had always been one of debauchery and extravagance.

Wu Chengyu deployed Crane Shadow Flowing Light, and in the time of Three Incense Sticks he arrived outside Gusu City. A city wall several zhang high could not stop him; with Wall-Gecko Wall-Swimming Skill, in just a few moves he entered the Gusu City district.

When he had left earlier, Wu Zhengliang had given him an address, saving him the trouble of groping around the Wujiang Association at night to investigate slowly. Not long after, Wu Chengyu found a courtyard. This place belonged to Dong Cheng in Gusu City, where high officials and nobles gathered.

According to Wu Zhengliang, this place was a residence given to Shi Tong by a Gusu merchant who had defected to the Shi Family. Not only was the courtyard given, but two concubines were given as well. Wu Chengyu felt quite envious in his heart: a house and women—indeed, a Traitorous Minister lived in comfort.

The courtyard covered no small area, about six or seven hundred square meters. It was now the Hour of the Pig, roughly after nine o'clock in the evening. Most of the servants in the courtyard had already gone to sleep, with only a few rooms still showing a glimmer of candlelight.

Wu Chengyu was now completely disguised: nightclothes, face covered, his figure entirely different from usual. After using Bone-Shrinking Art, he looked like an ordinary person of over 1.7 meters, his frame not so thick, but still a sturdy build.

There were still several guards in the courtyard. Wu Chengyu first constructed a partial three-dimensional image of the courtyard in his mind, then found an unoccupied courtyard wall to climb over.

His footsteps were extremely light. A cat, that animal, at night was the best assassin. After using Cat Step, every step was soundless. Wu Chengyu advanced without concealment, walking straight ahead. With the three-dimensional image, he could avoid people nearby in advance, with no risk of being discovered at all.

A fellow like Shi Tong surely wouldn't sleep so early, but Wu Chengyu seemingly did not hear Shi Tong's grating, arrogant voice.

Following a house with candlelight, he instead ran into an acquaintance. A scar-faced brawny man was lying on a couch, sighing and cursing from time to time. Wu Chengyu almost laughed out loud when he saw him—it was none other than Iron Palm Invincible, whom A Ku had slapped to the ground in broad daylight.

This fellow had fallen quite hard. The room smelled of decocted medicine; he would probably be bedridden for the next few days.

Yu Heihu was nothing more than cursing A Ku and the people of the Wu Family, then grumbling and complaining about Shi Tong. Obviously, he had been disgraced and roundly cursed by Shi Tong.

But since he was cursing A Ku, Wu Chengyu, who had originally been about to turn and leave, stopped. He gently pushed open the half-closed window and leapt inside.

After a while, Wu Chengyu jumped out of the window again and departed gracefully. There were no more curses in the room. Iron Palm Invincible showed no injuries on his body, but his eyes were wide open—clearly he had not died willingly.

This fellow's conduct and ruthless methods had taken not a few lives. Since in the jianghu it was either kill or be killed, Wu Chengyu felt no psychological burden in killing him.

Wu Chengyu did not linger in the courtyard. He had also interrogated him just now: Shi Tong was not at home tonight at all, but had gone early with bodyguards to Hongxiu Zhao in Changle Fang.

Changle Fang was in the west of Gusu City, full of theaters and pleasure quarters. At night it was brightly lit, filled either with the singsong of opera or the laughter and ribaldry of men and women carousing.

Suzhou Pingtan belonged to traditional narrative arts, truly formed in the late Ming and early Qing, but already had its rudiments in the Song Dynasty. At this time it could be heard everywhere in Changle Fang. Although the idiom "soft Wu speech" did not yet exist, the gentle Wu dialect added a touch of charm to this place of flowers and willows.

In the most prosperous and bustling center of Changle Fang stood a four-story tower, now the liveliest and noisiest place. Row upon row of red lanterns hung under the eaves, shadows moved in the windows, and there was discordant music of strings and flutes. The scent of wine and rouge rushed into Wu Chengyu's nose as if free.

This tower was called Hongxiu Zhao, the first brothel of Gusu City, an absolute den of dissipation. Wu Chengyu had long heard of it and had been itching to go several times; today was his first chance to see it for himself.

He could accept going to a brothel to observe and learn after he turned twenty. After all, all men have curiosity. Which modern man had not longed for an ancient brothel? Talented scholars and beauties, romantic poets—through thousands of years, how many tales of rouge and powder have been passed down?

But Wu Chengyu could not accept going to a brothel before he was sixteen; he always felt it was a bit strange. But tonight the situation was special, and Wu Chengyu now had a very good reason to persuade himself.

This time he changed into a set of brocade robes, still using Bone-Shrinking Art to alter his figure, and had also applied Disguise Technique to his face. He didn't know where he had gotten a Folding Fan, and he swaggered to the entrance.

Hongxiu Zhao—a good name. It was indeed more suitable for a brothel than names like Lichun Courtyard or Wan Hua Lou.

"A tortoiseshell feast, grape wine, the ardent red sleeves—do not begrudge offering the golden cup."

"Red sleeves, flowers about to burn; silver lamps like the day."

The two words "red sleeves" carried a fragrance and sensuality without vulgarity, stirring the imagination. And that character "zhao"—turning a verb into a noun—made it immediately vivid.

This name always made Wu Chengyu think of several young ladies in gauze, standing gracefully on a balcony, smiling charmingly, with beautiful eyes gazing longingly. Add the soft Wu speech, and them calling out on their lips: "Come, come," waving handkerchiefs in their hands. How many men could resist?

Well, now on the second-floor terrace of Hongxiu Zhao, there really were several young ladies leaning, shaking handkerchiefs in their hands, calling "Master" in drawn-out tones, tender and amorous. Who knew whom they were summoning.

Wu Chengyu felt his pocket; he had silver. Now, after Disguise Technique, he was no longer a pretty-boy face. Before he could step forward, a pair of arms embraced his arm.

"This young master, why don't you come in? The girls have been waiting for you for a long time."

(Chapter End)