Chapter 663: Sycamore Villa
As the sky grew darker, the entire Tailing Southwest District began to buzz with activity. For Sycamore Villa, the night had only just begun.
The dark night and crimson lanterns merged into vast patches of black and red, resembling congealed blood.
Qi Xuansu’s trip to the South City was not just to take a detour. He also took the opportunity to change his clothes. At this moment, judging by appearance alone, he looked no different from any other patron visiting a brothel.
In the Daoist Order, regardless of one’s true wealth, one was expected to maintain a humble outward appearance. Flamboyance was frowned upon. But anyone who could afford to visit a top-tier establishment like Sycamore Villa was either wealthy or noble. Naturally, they dressed accordingly.
Qi Xuansu’s outfit had cost him a whopping 93 Taiping coins, which further strained his already meager savings. Even with work-related expenses reimbursed, he had only 800 Taiping coins left.
Still, Qi Xuansu believed that if it helped him settle this grudge, then even 1,000 Taiping coins would be worth it. But he did not think monk Yan Xiu was worth 10,000 Taiping coins.
Qi Xuansu had initially considered purchasing a round of Grade-A Series Nine Dragon-Eye Bomb just in case. But considering that this ammunition was highly recognizable, someone might discover remnants of it on Yan Xiu’s corpse and trace it back to his recent purchase, which would be tantamount to confessing to murder. So, he gave up the idea.
After observing from the shadows for a while, Qi Xuansu took out his long-unused White Fox Mask from his magical receptacle and fitted it onto his face.
The most foolproof method would have been for Qi Xuansu to disguise himself as a woman by using the female disguise setting of the White Fox Mask. It was not entirely flawless, but by far the most reliable strategy.
Not only would it catch Monk Yan Xiu completely off guard, but it would also throw off the investigators afterward.
However, Qi Xuansu was not the type to resort to such extreme assassin-like measures. At heart, he was still a conservative man. So, he rejected the most secure option and settled for the second-best plan by disguising himself as an old man.