Chapter 91: Business at the Captain’s Mansion
Meanwhile, as the people on the third floor were talking, Lu Yuan had already led Zhou He to the entrance of the Baihua Courtyard.
He looked up at the gilded plaque and the luxurious facade.
He could tell at a glance that the Baihua Courtyard was definitely connected to the Wanhua Courtyard in the State City.
They both exuded the same eye-catching, bewitching allure.
The feeling they gave off was almost the same.
Zhou He, oblivious to all this, was busy looking around.
His eyes were glued to the silhouettes of the women on the floors above.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but shake his head. "Let’s go in," he said.
As he spoke, he headed inside. Although the establishment had just opened, the main hall was already filled with patrons. On a high stage bathed in the red glow of candlelight, several scantily clad women danced gracefully.
Lu Yuan’s gaze was electric as he scanned the scene.
He eventually chose a private room on the second floor by a window, as it provided a good vantage point to observe the situation outside.
It would also be easy to signal Zhou Xiong.
Once the food and wine were served, the women began to file in.
Lu Yuan accepted all of them, letting every one stay.
A dozen or so women sat with him and Zhou He, pouring them drinks.
Zhou He was already a bit dazed, simply laughing as he continuously downed cup after cup of wine.
His hands also started to wander, getting extremely restless.
Lu Yuan, however, simply drank.
His face was expressionless.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he glanced out the window. A figure walked by below and made a hand gesture. ’Zhou Xiong’s men are in position,’ he realized.
He wasted no more time. Looking at a woman in red beside him, he asked, "I hear you can stay the night here. Is that true?"
"Of course, sir," the woman in red replied in a soft, alluring voice. "Here, you are the master. You can do whatever you please."
Lu Yuan faintly felt his vision blur and his Heart Spirit waver, but he cleared his head in the next instant.
’Clearly, the woman had just used a Charm Skill on me. There’s no other explanation.’
He then smiled and said, "You’re not playing fair, are you?"
Despite his words, his right hand shot out and grabbed the woman’s arm.
His tone turned grim. "You dare use a Charm Skill on me? Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Sir, you’re hurting me!" the woman in red said, her face filled with terror. "What are you talking about? I don’t understand."
"Heh, it’s better if you don’t know," Lu Yuan said arrogantly. "Come with me to the Government Office. Seducing me like this... I can’t just let it slide. Let’s go have the Lord Captain sort this out."
’With everything in place, it was time to stir the nest and see how they’d react.’
Sure enough, the women’s expressions didn’t change much at first. But when he mentioned the Captain’s Mansion, their smiles froze.
A cold glint flashed in the woman’s eyes, but she maintained her composure. "Sir, I was just having a drink with you. There’s no need to go to the Captain’s Mansion, is there?"
She was a little bewildered, unsure of Lu Yuan’s intentions.
She had no idea he was bluffing to test her.
’Back in the State City, I wouldn’t have dared to test my theory so recklessly. There were too many superiors, too many factions intertwined, and I was just a minor figure. But this is my territory. My men are in position. What’s there to be afraid of?’
’Even if this Baihua Courtyard has nothing to do with the Charm Demon Sect, a routine inspection of a brothel is well within my jurisdiction.’
So, he said coldly, "The game is up. You’re from the Charm Demon Sect, aren’t you? I’m here today to arrest you all!"
The moment Lu Yuan finished speaking, the women around him dropped their facades.
They lunged at him, their fair hands looking dazzling under the lamplight.
Lu Yuan’s face remained impassive. He could now be certain of his suspicions. ’These people are from the Charm Demon Sect.’
BANG!
He first sent a woman approaching Zhou He flying with a kick.
The wall of the private room shattered. In the adjacent room, a half-dressed man and woman stared in horror.
SHING!
Lu Yuan drew the long saber from his waist. With a single sweep, he sliced the throats of the women who had surrounded him, and they collapsed to the floor.
Then, he looked at Zhou He and barked, "What are you spacing out for? Move! Arrest the members of the Charm Demon Sect in this courtyard!"
That snapped Zhou He out of his stupor.
He immediately shot to his feet and charged toward the woman in the adjacent room.
These were ordinary disciples of the Charm Demon Sect, their cultivation only at the Entry Level and Bone-Breaking realms.
With Zhou He’s strength, they were no match for him.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan picked up a wine jug and hurled it straight out the window.
BANG!
CRASH!
The instant the jug shattered on the ground, large troops of armored City Guard Army soldiers converged in the alleys surrounding the Baihua Courtyard.
CREEEAK!
A grating, mechanical groan echoed out—the Siege Crossbows were adjusting their aim, ready to fire at a moment’s notice.
The Baihua Courtyard was now surrounded, with massive crossbows aimed at it from all sides.
Now, anyone who dared to escape would be met with a volley of cold steel bolts.
BOOM!
Zhou Xiong kicked the main doors to splinters.
Clad in Profound Armor and wielding a long saber, he led a hundred men charging into the Baihua Courtyard, bellowing, "Official business of the Captain’s Mansion! Everyone, kneel where you are! Anyone who moves will be executed without mercy!"
His icy voice instantly silenced the chaotic hall.
A man stood up and began to speak, "I am—"
CRACK!
Before he could finish, Wei Yong stepped forward, raised his Armor-Breaking Hammer, and brought it down on the man’s head.
The next moment, his head exploded like a watermelon.
Bits of red and white splattered everywhere.
By now, Lu Yuan had stepped out of the private room onto the second-floor landing and was looking down at the hall below.
All the male patrons, terrified by the brutal display, were kneeling to one side, not daring to utter a word. In stark contrast, every one of the women remained standing.
They all assumed offensive stances.
At the same time, their eyes were filled with confusion, unable to understand how this had happened.
Lu Yuan’s cold voice echoed through the hall. "The Baihua Courtyard is suspected of being a branch of the Charm Demon Sect! All who surrender will be shown leniency. Those who resist will be executed without mercy!"
His words, however, sent the women below into an uproar. Since they were already exposed, there was nothing more to be said.
They surged forward, attempting to break through the encirclement, and began clashing with the City Guard Army.
At some point, the door to a private room on the third floor had opened.
Meiniang, the Shopkeeper of the Baihua Courtyard, stood on the landing above, her expression grim.
Thousand Men Commander Wang Sen was drenched in a cold sweat.
Sun Qian, however, glared down coldly at Lu Yuan on the second floor. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Lord Captain, you have only just taken office, and you’re already attacking a local merchant. I will see to it that you are impeached."
As his voice rang out, Lu Yuan looked up, a smirk playing on his lips. ’So my worries were justified. Sun Qian and Wang Sen... both guests of honor at the Baihua Courtyard.’
He then replied, his voice devoid of emotion, "Imperial Censor Sun, have you ever seen women from a respectable brothel fight so fiercely against the City Guard Army? Forget about impeaching me.
If you manage to walk out of here alive today, I’ll consider it my loss."
After speaking, he turned to Zhou He beside him and ordered, "Go to the General’s Mansion at once! Inform the Garrison General that we’ve found a gathering place of Charm Demon Sect fiends. Request that the General dispatch reinforcements immediately!"
"As you command!"
After acknowledging the order, Zhou He leaped out of the window and sped off in the direction of the General’s Mansion.
Seeing this, the thoroughly panicked Wang Sen tried to follow suit and escape through the window as well.
But just as he reached the window and prepared to leap...
THWIP!
A sharp crossbow bolt pierced through his chest in an instant, pinning him to the floorboards.
The fletching of the bolt still quivered from the immense force of the impact.
Sun Qian’s face changed, the color draining from it completely.
In that moment, he finally understood the true nature of the young Captain standing before him.