Chapter 19

Rustle...

The wind blowing through bamboo leaves made a soft rustling sound; the conversation in the alley had fallen completely silent.

Perhaps noon was suitable for sleep; the fluffy Meiqiu sat quietly by the bedhead, motionless for a long time.

Lin Wanyi sat cross-legged on the tea-colored bedsheet; as the blood-coagulating poison gradually dissolved, her cheeks regained their rosy luster.

"Haa~"

Gently exhaling a breath, Lin Wanyi opened her eyes and looked at the room she was in.

The room had just been rented; although furniture like wardrobes and dressing tables was complete, nothing was placed inside, making the whole place look somewhat empty; the bed had no bedding either, just bare wooden planks, leaving one to wonder how anyone could sleep there at night...

Lin Wanyi stood up; because she had been circulating her cultivation technique, she was covered in sweat, her underwear soaked through and stuck into the cleft of her buttocks, feeling quite uncomfortable against her skin.

Seeing that Xie Jinhuan had not yet returned, she did not wish to leave without a word, so she went to the adjacent bathroom, drew water from the cloud pool, poured it into the bath tub, and prepared to wash herself first.

Perhaps fearing Xie Jinhuan might suddenly return, she still took the Zhenglun Sword for self-defense; after bolting the door, she removed her dudou and small underpants, and soaked naked in the bath tub.

Splash-splash~

Clear water splashed onto her white, mutton-fat-jade-like, plump chest; the scenery was boundless, but Lin Wanyi clearly did not admire herself out of vanity; she only wanted to finish quickly to avoid being caught by Xie Jinhuan.

However, after washing a couple of times, her gaze fell again on the Zhenglun Sword beside the bath tub.

Mount Zihui is the largest sect near Danyang City; its standard-issue magic swords are very common in Danyang, differing only in grade.

Mount Zihui's entry-level apprentices are usually equipped with Grade Seven magic swords; inner sect members are rewarded with Grade Four magic swords; thereafter it depends on achievement; Linghu Qingmo, as a direct disciple, wields the sword 'Bamboo Shadow', a Grade One magic sword.

As for auxiliary magical artifacts like magical undergarments and the Bagua Disc, cultivators of high cultivation levels can all use them; they are not divided by grade, but judged solely by function and cost.

Lin Wanyi was unsure what grade of magic sword Xie Jinhuan's sword belonged to, so she picked it up to examine it.

Click~

The sword emerged three inches; the ink-green blade and the two characters 'Zhenglun' came into view.

Lin Wanyi examined it carefully; originally she found nothing special, but as she kept looking, she suddenly noticed that the reflection of 'her' eyebrows and eyes appeared on the smooth blade.

Lin Wanyi originally had almond-shaped eyes, with intellectual inner charm at their base, but at this moment she suddenly discovered that 'her' eyes possessed a few more traces of demonic charm, and the aura was somewhat stronger.

"Hmm?"

Lin Wanyi felt confused in her heart; she blinked her eyes, and the reflection made the same reaction.

She thought she was dozing off and seeing things, so she leaned closer to inspect carefully.

The result was that the pair of eyes in the reflection seemed to carry magic; after a moment of eye contact, her eyelids began to fight, and drowsiness surged in her mind.

Ding~

The Zhenglun Sword tapped the ground, making a faint, slight sound.

Lin Wanyi leaned back in the bath tub, her right hand gripping the sword hilt resting on the tub's edge, and lost consciousness.

But only an instant later, the stunning beauty in the bath tub sat up again.

Her originally dignified and gentle eyes now held a few traces of demonic intent, looking just like a mountain-top succubus residing nine heavens above.

Splash-splash~

The beauty stood up from the bath tub; jet-black long hair cascaded down from behind her head; her perfectly curved figure was fully visible, even revealing her plump...

"A wealthy family..."

After the beautiful woman looked down at her water-of-disaster-like figure, she stepped over the bath tub, picked up a dress and wrapped it around herself, went to the window, gazed northward at Mount Zihui, and a few traces of trance slowly appeared in her eyes.

"It feels so familiar..."

"Xie the boy too; it's like he was my lover I lived with day and night for many years. Could it be that these three years he was with me..."

"He was outside the grave, I was inside the grave; that shouldn't be right..."

After pondering thus for a long time, the beautiful woman, carrying deep confusion, returned to the small couch to sit cross-legged, and raised her right hand to activate the cultivation technique within her body.

Haa~

In an instant, a wisp of eerie green flame floated out from her right palm, hovering silently and swaying in her palm, yet possessing not a shred of warmth, like ghost fire drifting in her palm.

"The inheritance is quite good..."

The beautiful woman examined the ghost flame capable of scorching the essence and soul; then she interlaced her fingers and changed gestures; the ghost flame immediately vanished, turning into black-green mist swirling around her fingers, clearly carrying strong poison.

"The poison technique is also quite orthodox; I wonder how the curse technique is..."

After studying the cultivation technique for a while, the beautiful woman overlapped her hands up and down; mist surged between her palms, and her body began to show wisps of dark-blue patterns spreading along her meridians until they converged at her brow:

"Such heavy yin-cold qi; where is the problem..."

Her muttering echoed in the bathroom, then dissipated into the shivering autumn wind...

—

Sanhe Lou is located in the west city, quite far from Taoxian Fang; the surrounding area consists mostly of workshops and dye houses.

Although the residents are mostly the city's lower class, Sanhe Lou's gambling house business is extremely booming; at noon, the noise even reached the main street:

"Big big big..."

"Damn it, steward, advance me another half string of cash..."

Xie Jinhuan, holding an oil-paper umbrella, stood at the mouth of an alley, gazing at the three-story high building in the distance; two thugs could be seen standing at the entrance, and guards were posted in the left and right alleys; he asked:

"How do you plan to investigate?"

Linghu Qingmo, Yang Dabiao, and others stood in the alley to avoid being spotted by the gambling house's spies and alerting the snake.

Linghu Qingmo, holding an oil-paper umbrella, surveyed the surroundings of the gambling house:

"Who is the master of Sanhe Lou?"

Liu Qingzhi replied: "It's Li Zixian, the eldest young master of the Li family. However, Young Master Li has many enterprises and is usually not here; the one managing the place is his clan relative Li Shizhong, who has some martial arts foundation."

Yang Dabiao crossed his arms over his chest, showing slight hesitation:

"I also heard from street ruffians that they sell Deng Xian San here, but the specifics are unclear. If we raid the place directly and find nothing, it will be hard to explain afterward."

Linghu Qingmo was merely a personal guard of the Wang Fu; though his background was impressive, he held no actual power. After a moment's thought, he said:

"One of you disguise yourselves and go to Sanhe Lou to buy Deng Xian San. Once we confirm it exists, we can raid the place. If the Li family causes trouble afterward, we will have an explanation."

"Disguise?"

Yang Dabiao and Liu Qingzhi glanced at each other's armor and Constable robes, feeling that such a disguise would likely be too conspicuous.

Thus, their gazes fell once more on the enthusiastic bystander, Xie Jinhuan.

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan shrugged slightly: "With my thick eyebrows and big eyes, could I possibly look like a drug-addicted fiend?"

"Deng Xian San is said to boost virility, and many wealthy young men buy it to spice things up."

"Do I need to boost my virility?!"

Liu Qingzhi sighed: "We are both officials of the government. Even if we change into plain clothes, Sanhe Lou might still recognize us."

Yang Dabiao nodded as well: "Lord Linghu's name is known to everyone in Danyang. Not to mention cross-dressing, even if you turned to ash, Sanhe Lou would recognize you... Ahem—"

Before he could finish, Linghu Qingmo cast a cold glance and cut in:

"You look unfamiliar and resemble a scion of a high family, making you the most suitable candidate. The government will reimburse the silver. How much silver do the two of you have?"

He turned to look at the two men.

Liu Qingzhi looked embarrassed: "My wife, Lord Linghu knows, is very strict. I only have two taels of silver on me, and that is my hidden private money; it might not be enough."

Yang Dabiao, however, was generous. He took out a few fragments of silver and a handful of copper coins from his waist and slapped them squarely into Xie Jinhuan's hand:

"Here. Just say you were referred by Young Master Han from Wencheng Street. As long as they have it, they will definitely sell."

Xie Jinhuan weighed it slightly—three mace and two candareens plus more than ten copper coins...

Linghu Qingmo did not expect these two grown men to be unable to scrape together even three taels of silver. He immediately took a small purse from his robe and slapped it into Xie Jinhuan's palm:

"Buy more. Best to have the henchmen fetch it from the warehouse so we don't get lost looking for the place later."

Xie Jinhuan found it hard to refuse such hospitality. Seeing the situation, he stopped nagging, turned, and walked toward the street.

Linghu Qingmo and the others hid in the alley, observing secretly.

Inside Sanhe Lou, it was bustling and noisy, with clamor coming in waves:

"Four, five, six! Small bets lose, big bets win!"

"Sigh! How did I lose again..."

Xie Jinhuan arrived before Sanhe Lou. The servant waiting at the door to greet guests hurriedly approached with great eagerness:

"Is this Young Master's first time? We have private rooms upstairs..."

Xie Jinhuan did not enter but instead made a gesture as if buying small yellow discs, hooking his hand to beckon the servant to lean in close:

"Young Master Han from Wencheng Street sent me. I heard you sell Deng Xian San here?"

The servant froze, sized up Xie Jinhuan, and then looked left and right:

"The street is crowded with eyes and ears. Young Master, come inside to speak."

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan understood this trip was not in vain. He followed the servant into the gambling den, arriving at a corner of the main hall corridor. Along the way, the servant continued to ask:

"Young Master looks unfamiliar; have you never been here before?"

"I just arrived in Danyang yesterday for the Mid-Autumn gathering. I heard Young Master Han say they have Deng Xian San here, so I came to take a look."

"No wonder. Young Master Han often comes here to play; he knows everyone. I'll give Young Master a special price of five mace of silver. How many bottles does Young Master want?"

While the servant spoke, he pulled two small black bottles from his sleeve, identical to the bottle found on Fu Dongping's person.

Xie Jinhuan glanced at the bottles and pulled out a banknote for three hundred taels donated by Fu Dongping from his sleeve:

"A few bottles are probably not enough. I am hosting friends tonight, over a dozen people, plus more than thirty young ladies. How many do you have?"

Whoa, could this be a silver orgy?!

The servant saw that Xie Jinhuan seemed like a wealthy young master but did not expect him to be so rich, carrying hundreds of taels in banknotes. Realizing this was a big client, he quickly put the bottles away:

"The government investigates this strictly, and the master won't allow selling by the crate. How about I get Young Master a box? One box holds forty bottles, enough for over a dozen people to enjoy themselves. I'll also gift Young Master a box of Golden Spear Pills; they are very potent."

"Fine, go get them."

"Young Master, please wait a moment."

After speaking, the servant quickly ran toward the back.

Xie Jinhuan could not follow directly to the warehouse. Only after the servant lifted the curtain and left the main hall did he pretend to be strolling, approaching the corridor behind the main hall to listen to the servant's movements and judge the approximate location of the warehouse.

But after listening for a moment, a barely audible sound suddenly came from the depths of the rear building complex:

"Ah..."

The scream was very short and the voice low, not even drawing the attention of the henchmen guarding the place.

?

Xie Jinhuan frowned, sensing something was wrong, and quietly entered the courtyard behind...

Meanwhile, on the main street.

The trio peeked out from the alley entrance, waiting for Xie Jinhuan to return with a report. But after Xie Jinhuan followed the servant through the door, he vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, with no further movement.

Linghu Qingmo waited a long time without seeing Xie Jinhuan emerge, growing puzzled:

"Why has he been gone so long? Could he really have taken my silver to gamble? That was my private money."

Yang Dabiao stuck his head out to look: "It shouldn't be that. Perhaps he went with the servant to fetch the medicine from the warehouse."

After descending the mountain, all of Linghu Qingmo's belongings were in the purse, and he felt uneasy:

"Let's go check."

——

The new book chart has high traffic, but it drops off after two hundred thousand words, so I dare not keep exploding with updates during the new book period; everyone, please understand. or2

(End of Chapter)