Chapter 392

Ning Shuang wrote a note, then in front of Pan Yun, pressed a spot on the bookshelf pressed tight against the wall, opening a panel and sliding the note into a box.

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow as she watched.

Since waiting for a reply seemed to take time, Ning Shuang leaned against the bookshelf and chatted with Pan Yun: "Young Daoist, you're clearly visiting Jinan for the first time—how did the Wan Chun Tower manage to offend you?"

Pan Yun extended one finger. "One tael."

Ning Shuang paused, then burst into giggles. "Just idle chatter."

But she was still curious, wondering whether she should pay the tael herself, when the man at the table quietly spoke: "Five hundred wen—I'll tell you."

Ning Shuang turned to look. "You know?"

The man said nothing.

Ning Shuang rubbed her chin. "Did you just offend them?"

Before she got an answer, a dingling sound rang out—Ning Shuang reopened the panel, reached in, pulled out a box, and opened it to retrieve a scroll of parchment.

Ning Shuang glanced at it, confirmed its accuracy, then handed it to Pan Yun with a smile: "Cash and goods exchanged."

Pan Yun took it, unfolded it, and saw it was drawn in meticulous detail—even the kitchen and latrine were marked, not to mention the rooms where the flower girls were locked up, and even the madam's chamber.

After reading it, Pan Yun rolled it up and tucked it into her robe, bowing: "Farewell."

She turned to leave, then remembered something and tilted her head: "Are you still buying the reason?"

Ning Shuang waved her hand. "I'll ask the gatekeeper when I go out—no need to spend money."

Pan Yun smiled, took Seeing Miao Zhen's hand, and left.

Only after leaving the Flower Street did Seeing Miao Zhen ask: "Little Master, are we going to beat up the enforcers at Wan Chun Tower tonight?"

Pan Yun said: "Beating people is bad—it breeds viciousness. We must be good people, so tonight we'll do good deeds."

Pan Yun returned to the inn with the money, took out two silver ingots, and gave one to Hu Jing: "Payment for the information."

Hu Jing stared at the money, stunned. "Didn't you say you wouldn't give me any?"

"Am I that stingy? I was just joking," Pan Yun pulled over a chair and sat beside his bed, asking seriously: "Hu Daxia, I have a question: do the authorities ever intervene when girls are kidnapped or forcibly sold into brothels?"

Hu Jing stared at her for a moment before replying: "If the people don't report it, the officials won't investigate. And the girls in brothels rarely make it to the magistrate's door."

He said coldly: "Whether they sold themselves, were sold by family, or were trafficked, no girl can step outside the brothel gates for three years."

"And after three years, everyone accepts their fate—those who don't are already ghosts."

Pan Yun rubbed her chin. "So according to law, the authorities are supposed to intervene."

Hu Jing frowned slightly. "Pan Sanzhu Daoist, the people who run brothels in the city aren't ordinary folk—the magistrates won't risk angering them. You can't expect them to rescue the girls."

Pan Yun: "Who said I want them to go rescue them? I'll go myself!"

Hu Jing couldn't help laughing. "Pan Sanzhu Daoist, the enforcers in brothels aren't strong, but two legs can't fight four fists—especially when you have to drag someone out from inside. You won't pull this off."

Pan Yun: "Then let's make a bet. If I win, you stop thinking about leaving on your own and stay with us."

Hu Jing's gaze flickered. He forced a firm tone: "I never planned to leave."

Pan Yun snorted, stood up, and declared: "It's settled."

Seeing her truly leave, Hu Jing called out to stop her, sternly: "Pan Sanzhu, if you go, you won't achieve your goal—you'll bring fire upon yourself."

Pan Yun said: "Hu Daxia, just rest in the inn and wait for good news."

Pan Yun turned to find Wang Cong and the others.

They had eaten dinner and gone to bed early; when the third watch of the night arrived, they opened their eyes.

Everyone changed into civilian clothes; Pan Yun even wore a hat to hide her distinctive features.

Pan Yun told Wang Cong: "You watch the red one—we'll meet back at the inn."

"Understood."

The group slipped quietly to the Flower Street.

Most cities in Great Ming enforce curfews—Jinan was no exception. The streets were empty, dark, and silent.

But the Flower Street blazed with lanterns, echoing with music and laughter.

At this hour, anyone walking past the Flower Street—let alone a rat—would draw the gaze of the brothel's gatekeepers and girls.

So they didn't enter the street; instead, they climbed onto rooftops and crept carefully along the ridges.

Pan Xiaohei was best at this, so he ran ahead.

They leapt over several rooftops and finally reached the roof above Wan Chun Tower.

Pan Yun gestured to Wang Cong and Hong Yan, unfolded the map, and said: "Look again—memorize every detail."

Wang Cong nodded. "Little Master, rest assured—I've memorized it all."

Pan Yun rolled up the map, waved her hand: "Go—split up."

Wang Cong would steal the money; Pan Yun would find the girls.

The punishment rooms, training chambers, and lockups of Wan Chun Tower were all in the back row.

They were dark, heavily guarded, and nearly silent.

Wang Cong's target—the accounting room and madam's chamber—lay in the center of the bustling front courtyard.

Wang Cong and Hong Yan carefully slid down from the roof; Wang Cong shook his hair back, adjusted his robe, then bowed deeply to Hong Yan: "Miss Hong Yan, forgive me."

Hong Yan found him tedious—she pulled the sheer veil over her face, grabbed his hand, placed it on her shoulder, and pressed her head into his neck, snapping: "Hurry up—we can't fall behind them."

Wang Cong: "You don't need to be so competitive." "Hurry, hurry, don't dawdle."

Wang Cong silently wrapped his arms around her and climbed to the second floor.

Meanwhile, Pan Yun and the others had reached their position on the roof and peered down—below in the courtyard, six enforcers patrolled in pairs, and from a nearby room came the sound of a man snoring.

Pan Yun whispered to the floating Xiao Hong: "Go across and see who's inside, how many people."

Xiao Hong replied and floated directly across the air.

Pan Yun and Seeing Miao Zhen gently lifted the roof tiles to inspect the room below.

The people in the rooms were all different.

Wan Chun Lou not only kept the punishment rooms and confinement rooms here, the places where the thugs and pimps slept were also here, and although the training rooms were also here, the newly arrived Misses being trained did not seem to live here.

According to Xiao Hong, a flower house would generally lock the newly arrived Misses in the confinement room for a few days to scare them.

Those who were scared into submission and accepted their fate would be sent to the training room to be trained;

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Those who couldn't be scared and still wanted to resist would be sent to the punishment room.

Flower houses of any size all followed this pattern; unless it was a clandestine brothel, they were all the same.

Xiao Hong quickly returned and whispered, "That room has four girls in it, the room next door is empty, but there are two more by the rockery in the middle."

Pan Yun listened, then took out a talisman paper and said to Xiao Hong, "Xiao Hong, I'll stick a talisman on you. In a moment, take this packet of drug and blow it into their faces, make them pass out."

Xiao Hong happily agreed.

It had been a long time since she had stuck talismans, walking the mortal world in the flesh. Thinking about it, she really missed the days at Mount Sanqing when she would touch the pots, pans, bowls and ladles and cook for them.

Pan Yun said softly, "Tao Yanbai, Seeing Miao Zhen, Miao He, the three of you are responsible for the people in the room below, I'll handle the rest. Remember, just scattering the drug isn't enough—remember to give each one a finishing knife strike. If you don't want to slash, just seal their acupoints. Come find me once you're done."

The three softly agreed.

"Wait until this patrol walks to this side, Xiao Hong moves first to knock out the ones facing this side, then I'll move. Once they're all down, you come down."

Everyone indicated they understood.

So Xiao Hong flashed her figure and floated lightly onto the rockery, slipping down through the cracks without a sound.

The two people in the rockery had their backs to each other, yawning out of boredom.

She saw a patrol team walking under the rooftop where Pan Yun and the others were staying, just reaching a corner. Xiao Hong immediately appeared, hanging upside down—

A red-clothed woman suddenly appeared hanging upside down before their eyes. The thug's eyes instantly went wide, his mouth opening to shout, but Xiao Hong blew a breath at him, blowing all the drug powder in her palm into his face.

The man had just opened his mouth when powder covered his face. He inhaled, his head instantly went dizzy, and without a sound his eyes rolled back and he collapsed softly to the ground.

With a thud, the man with his back to him immediately turned around, only to come face to face with a female ghost, and was similarly smeared in the knockout drug.

At the same time, Pan Yun was already like a flying swallow, whooshing along the eaves, and with three quick kicks from behind gave the three-man patrol three strikes, and all three instantly rolled their eyes and fell.

When Pan Yun landed, she waved her hand, and primordial energy supported the three as they slowly descended to the ground, not making a single sound.

Pan Yun looked up, and Seeing Miao Zhen and the other two immediately flipped down from the rooftop, kicked the door open and rushed in—

The three had just entered the room when the people inside, before they could react, had drug powder slapped onto their faces.

Another patrol of thugs passing by heard the sound and shouted, "Who?"

They only got one word out before groaning and falling to the ground with a series of thuds.

That shout was hurried but brief, and no one in the courtyard answered. But Pan Yun didn't dare relax. Her figure flashed, and she rushed straight toward the previous courtyard, only to come face to face with someone at the door: "What's all the shouting about in the middle of the night?"

Before the words fell, he was struck on the neck by a knife-hand from Pan Yun and passed out.

Another gatehouse in the rear-covered courtyard heard something was wrong and poked its head over to look: "What—"

He was knocked out before he could finish a single word.

Pan Yun's gaze swept over the courtyard, confirming no one else was there, then she turned and went back.

Seeing Miao Zhen and the others were going room by room delivering finishing strikes, their hands aching from chopping. They came out rotating their wrists: "Little Xiao Shishu, we've chopped them all."

Pan Yun nodded.

Xiao Hong's task was also complete, and she had even frisked the patrolling thugs: "The keys aren't on them."

"No matter." Pan Yun stepped forward, grabbed the lock, took a look, pulled out a piece of iron wire, and picked the lock.

Seeing Miao He saw this and was eager to try: "Fourth Xiao Shishu has been teaching me for a long time, but I've never tried it outside."

Seeing Miao Zhen: "Me too."

The two immediately each took a room to work on, only to find they couldn't open them.

Pan Yun couldn't open it either, so she quickly gave up: "Your skills aren't fully learned yet, go back and keep practicing."

Having said that, she gave the lock a hard yank, and it opened.

Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He also wanted to learn, so they channeled their internal force together. The lock went bang with a sound, but it didn't open.

Pan Yun saw this and laughed, raised her hand, and with two crisp snaps used primordial energy to blast the lock open. She said, "Using brute force also takes technique, I'll teach you later."

The three pulled the locks open and simultaneously pushed the doors and went in.

The Misses inside were in varying degrees of misery—the youngest was only seven or eight, the oldest seventeen or eighteen.

(End of this chapter)