Chapter 295 - 291: The Brothel
Jiangkou.
It was situated at the border of Liyang and Linjiang Counties.
Three rivers converged here, creating a web of waterways and sprawling marshes.
Such a landscape naturally gave rise to a lawless zone.
For this very reason, traveling merchants, Jianghu Travelers, and all sorts of vagrants and vagabonds loved to gather here.
It was a chaotic mix of the good and the bad, but this chaos also brought prosperity.
As commerce flourished, the theaters and brothels that depended on it naturally blossomed everywhere.
Yangliu Street.
Xingyun Garden.
This was a rather famous pleasure house in Jiangkou.
Unlike the brothels in the Commandery Cities and prefectural capitals, which emphasized the refined arts, poetry, and song.
The patrons here were either traveling merchants or Jianghu Travelers who lived by the blade; they had no time for the leisurely pursuit of composing poetry.
The business here was the most straightforward flesh trade.
The girls in the courtyard may not have been stunning beauties, but each possessed unique skills. They were masters of their craft, proficient in all the ways to please a man.
Qixia Courtyard.
Bai San was sprawled out on a chaise longue covered with a thick, soft brocade mattress.
He squinted, humming a tuneless, vulgar ditty, a look of pure bliss on his face as he enjoyed the four grapes being peeled for him by two attractive young women in flimsy gauze dresses, his hands roaming inappropriately.
"So damn comfortable... This is the fucking life!"
Bai San felt like he was melting into this paradise of pleasure.
"Tonight, I’m taking on two of ’em!"
Slightly drunk and feeling bold, he made his grand announcement, earning a chorus of giggles from the women beside him.
But just at that crucial moment...
BANG!
The door, which had been securely latched from the inside, was pushed open from the outside without any warning, then quickly shut again.
A gray-clad figure appeared in the room as silently as a ghost.
"Who is it?"
Furious at being interrupted, Bai San whipped his head around and barked the question.
But when he saw the intruder’s face, the anger on his own froze. The color drained from his cheeks in an instant, leaving him deathly pale.
The newcomer wore unremarkable gray clothes and had a placid expression.
It was Chen Li.
"Master?!"
Bai San’s voice cracked. His earlier arrogance vanished without a trace, replaced by a cautiousness so extreme he hardly dared to breathe.
He scrambled off the chaise longue in a panic, not even bothering to fix his disheveled clothes. He forced a smile that was uglier than a grimace. "You... What brings you here?"
Chen Li said nothing. His gaze swept over the two terrified women on the chaise longue. He raised his right hand and casually flicked his fingers twice in the air.
Two blasts of condensed finger-wind shot through the air.
The women didn’t even have time to whimper before their bodies went limp and they collapsed onto the brocade mattress, unconscious.
Only then did Chen Li’s gaze return to Bai San. His tone was flat. "Master Bai San, you certainly have refined tastes."
It turned out that after Chen Li had finished his business outside Hidden Emperor Castle and confirmed there were no loose ends, he had immediately returned to Jiangkou County Town.
By the time he got back, night had already fallen.
With a single leap, he silently vaulted over the city wall and headed straight for the Oolong Tea House.
In the tea house’s back courtyard, only Linglong, Gossip, and the unconscious Beautiful Lady Cao were present.
When he didn’t see Bai San, Chen Li’s heart sank.
This was a critical time; he absolutely couldn’t afford for anything to happen to Bai San.
If he had an "accident" like Shu Qi, it would be a major problem.
He immediately questioned the two of them.
Gossip hesitated, but Linglong gave him an address: Xingyun Garden.
Upon hearing this, Chen Li’s face immediately darkened.
He knew exactly what Bai San was doing there.
He just never expected this Gou Dongxi to be so audacious.
He had just ordered them a few days ago not to act alone. The man had clearly let his words go in one ear and out the other.
The flatter Chen Li’s tone, the colder Bai San’s heart grew.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead in an instant, trickling down his temples.
He knew Chen Li’s temperament: the calmer he appeared, the angrier he usually was.
"Master! It’s a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding!"
With a THUD, Bai San dropped to his knees. "Master, you’ve misunderstood. I didn’t come here for my own pleasure. I was forced to come here for your business, Master!"
Seeing Bai San’s self-righteous act, Chen Li’s expression darkened further. "For my business? In a brothel? I’d love to hear what kind of business for me you could possibly have here."
Seeing that Chen Li was willing to listen, Bai San’s heart settled slightly. He knew he had an opening and quickly spilled the beans. "Master, it’s like this. This morning, Old Bao and I came back and decided to take the carriage for a spin around the pier to see if we had a tail."
"And what do you know, we saw Officials from the Liyang Martial Bureau and the Commandery Magistrate’s Office over by the warehouses on the pier. I thought to myself, ’What are they doing all the way over here in Jiangkou, crossing county lines to inspect warehouses? What are they looking for? I bet they’re here for our shipment of silk...’"
He furtively glanced at Chen Li and saw him frown. Greatly relieved, he continued, "So, I secretly followed them here afterward. Old Bao doesn’t know about this, and Miss Linglong has to watch that woman, so I had to come alone. It’s not that I intentionally disobeyed your orders."
His story was half-truth, half-lie.
It was true he’d seen the Officials inspecting the warehouses that morning, but he hadn’t paid it much mind at the time, figuring he’d just mention it to Chen Li when he got back.
When evening came and Chen Li still hadn’t returned, he remembered Chen Li’s order to pack up and head back to Lingxi.
The itch became unbearable. He decided he had to treat himself one last time before leaving, so he snuck off to Xingyun Garden.
He never imagined his luck would be so bad as to be caught red-handed by Chen Li himself.
Now, thinking on his feet, he had combined what he’d seen that morning with his current predicament to weave a rather plausible-sounding tale.
’The Jingwu Bureau and the Liyang Commandery Magistrate’s Office?’
’And they traced it to the warehouses at Jiangkou Pier?’
Chen Li knew this had to be the work of Governor He Mingyun.
Jiangkou County was under the jurisdiction of Linjiang County, not Liyang. While it was common for Government Offices to conduct cross-jurisdictional investigations, for He Mingyun to send his people over was, strictly speaking, an overreach of his authority.
This only went to show that He Mingyun had become almost crazed in his efforts to deal with his family.
"What are they doing here at Xingyun Garden?"
Chen Li asked in a low voice, temporarily setting aside the matter of Bai San sneaking off.
Seeing Chen Li’s focus shift, Bai San felt a great weight lift from his shoulders. He gave a dry laugh. "Heh, Master, you don’t know? After a long day of official business, a man’s gotta unwind, right? Their counterparts from the neighboring county are visiting for an ’exchange,’ so the local officials have to show them a good time. Feasting, drinking, and entertainment—it’s the whole package. An old, unspoken rule of officialdom."
"And have you learned anything while you’ve been here?"
Chen Li cut his rambling short.
"Well..."
Bai San rubbed his hands together, forcing another smile. "Master, I can’t get too close to eavesdrop on their conversation. Too many eyes and ears around; it would be bad if I was discovered. But... whatever they talked about, the girls serving them would definitely know."
"Once they’re done, I just need to keep an eye on which girls served them. Afterward, I can find a chance to loosen their tongues with some silver. Whores have no heart, and actors have no loyalty. As long as the price is right, there’s nothing they won’t say. I know the drill!"
Chen Li stared at him for a moment, making Bai San’s skin crawl again, before dropping the line of questioning. "Which courtyard are they in?"
"Right next door, in the private courtyard of Tingyu Pavilion."
Bai San replied hastily.
Chen Li nodded and said no more.
Concentrating and Calming the Mind, he quietly extended his Divine Sense.
In an instant, all the surrounding sounds were magnified a thousandfold, flooding into his perception like a tidal wave.
The clinking of cups, the flirtatious banter of men and women, the accompaniment of strings and bamboo flutes... the cacophony of noises all mixed together, making it difficult even for someone of his ability to discern any clear and useful conversation.
However, one voice—not loud, but carrying a hint of competence and composure—made Chen Li’s heart stir.
Chen Li’s eyes snapped open, a flicker of genuine surprise in them.
He was all too familiar with that voice.
Not long ago, when he had seen the name register in the secret chamber of Hidden Emperor Castle, he had even spent a moment thinking about this person.
Jingwu Bureau Hundred Households, Zhou Chengkai.
’He’s here too.’
Chen Li couldn’t help but be taken aback. What a coincidence.
’Then again, it makes sense.’
The thousand households of the Liyang Martial Bureau was seriously injured and recuperating, so for most cases involving the Liyang Martial Bureau, Zhou Chengkai was the one running around handling things.
Seeing Chen Li fall silent, Bai San assumed he had been fooled and would no longer be pursued over the matter. He let out a long sigh of relief, secretly patting himself on the back for his quick thinking.
Seeing Chen Li lost in thought, he didn’t dare to disturb him. He just stood there awkwardly, waiting eagerly for his next order.
After a long moment, Chen Li suddenly spoke, asking a question that caught Bai San completely off guard. "Did you bring that medicine?"
"Uh... No, no. Master, we don’t need that."
Bai San froze, his expression turning strange. His eyes darted furtively over Chen Li’s body.
’Why is the Master suddenly asking about this?’
’Could it be... he wants to try one of the girls here too?’
’With the Master’s skills, would he even need that stuff?’
’Or maybe... the Master’s getting on in years and isn’t as vigorous as he used to be? He needs some medicinal help to get in the mood?’
’What an earth-shattering discovery!’
While the flames of gossip burned brightly in his heart, his mouth didn’t dare be slow. He quickly added, "Don’t you worry, Master. In a brothel, that stuff is the easiest thing to find. Heh, especially the madam. She’s got all kinds of drugs, specially for dealing with the girls who are too shy at first."
Chen Li ignored his strange expression and just gave his order. "Go find a dose. Make it a strong one. Don’t show your face; use your old skills. Keep it clean."
"You got it! Don’t you worry, Master. You can leave a small thing like this to me!"
Although Bai San was full of questions, he was eager for a chance to redeem himself, so he immediately puffed out his chest and gave his assurance.
Chen Li stood up, walked to the window, and glanced at the dark night outside. He then looked back at Bai San. "I’ll be gone for a moment. Go do what you have to do. When you’re done, wait here and keep a close watch on the courtyard next door. If anything goes wrong... I’m holding you responsible."
"It won’t, it won’t! Master, when Bai San does something, you can be one hundred and twenty percent sure there won’t be any mistakes!"
Bai San swore up and down.
Chen Li said no more. With a slight movement, he drifted out the window and instantly melted into the darkness outside.
Only when he was sure Chen Li was truly gone did Bai San dare to let out a long breath. The cold sweat on his back had already soaked his undershirt.
"Damn it... Scared the hell out of me... This year is just not my year. Even drinking cold water gets stuck in my teeth!"
Still shaken, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, cursing his terrible luck under his breath.
After the scare from Chen Li, he looked at the two unconscious, half-dressed girls on the chaise longue, and any lustful thoughts he’d had were long gone.
"Such rotten luck!"
He muttered another curse, straightened his clothes, and tiptoed out of the room.