The three people who came in earlier sat calmly on they table as they occasionally glance around the hall.
"Waiter....Three bowls of noodles and one pot of wine"..... one of them ordered.
"Coming!!!" the waiter screamed over the counter. His voice was loud and clear.
Not long after, the waiter came running with three bowls of noodles and wine on a wooden tray as he moved swiftly through the bustling hall. He calmly placed the tray on the wooden table. As he was laying down the dishes one after the other in front of them, he secretly scanned the one sitting close to him. His gaze finally landed on a token on his waist, and his eyes suddenly narrowed at the letters on the token:
"Baishu Sect."
"What are you looking at?" one of them asked the waiter, as he seemed to have gone into a daze.
"Ahhh..." the waiter snapped back.... "Nothing, please enjoy your meal"...he said and bowed before retreating to the counter. He kept the wooden tray on the counter and looked over his shoulder, giving them one last look before focusing back on his work.
This waiter was Xu Min, one of the Xu Twin brothers, and a member of the Mask Pavilion.
The three people who came in earlier were from the investigation department of Baishu Sect, and they were here to investigate the mysterious people behind Zhang Qian's death. The person in lead was Zhu Ying, the son of the current leader of Baishu Sect, Zhu Wancheng.
Though he wasn't involved in his father's evil schemes against the Wang family back then, but he was fully aware of it. He has always hated Wang Xiaoyu for taking Mo Qinglan away from him.
Zhu Ying has always had feelings for Mo Qinglan, but sadly for him, he wasn't chosen. He had always thought that the reason behind this was because he wasn't strong enough and famous, just like Wang Xiaoyu back then. So Zhu Ying had trained tirelessly, day and night, just to fill in the gap, but alas, he was still with the short end of the stick, and this has fueled his hatred for Wang Xiaoyu.
After Wang Xiaoyu died, Zhu Ying began to make his advances towards Mo Qinglan and hoped one day he would be able to hold her in his arms.
============
At the corner of the Hall, a man was spotted wearing a black mask covering half of his face, a hood, and a long black robe covering all his features. He sat quietly, almost unnoticeable, as he drank calmly from his plate.
He was soon spotted by the trio from Baishu Sect, and Zhu Ying suddenly stood up from his seat and began to walk towards him. The man soon noticed someone walking towards him slowly with a sword. He narrowed his eyes to the side as he caught the shadow of the person from the corner of his eyes. He unintentionally began to tap his finger at the corner of his plate. He seemed to be calculating his next move.
Once the person was a few meters away from him, he stood up and suddenly waved his sleeve towards the person. His movement was swift and unexpected.
"Whoosh!!"
A dagger flew out of his sleeve and shot towards Zhu Ying as It whistled through the air. Zhu Ying instinctively ducked to the side, and the sword zoomed past his neck, missing him by a small margin, and struck the wooden pillar behind him.
Clang!
The dagger vibrated from the impact but didn't fall, it stuck to the wooden pillar.
The gambling hall descended into chaos immediately. People began to scramble away as they screamed in horror after seeing people throwing weapons at each other.
With the commotion as a cover, the man quickly jumped through the window, making his exit.
"After him!!" Zhu Ying yelled at his subordinate and jumped through the window in pursuit. His subordinate soon sprang into action as they took another route, trying to corner the man.
Not long after, Xu Min sneaked out of the gambling house unnoticed.
Outside, the man flew through the rooftops as Zhu Ying continued to chase after him relentlessly. Zhu Ying suddenly unsheathed his sword and slashed diagonally.
Whoosh!!
A beam of sword energy shot towards the man in the black hood. The man, feeling the danger approaching, ducked to the side.
Bang!!
The sword energy struck a nearby roof, sending the roof tiles flying all around. Debris scattered in all directions.
The man in the black hood soon descended to the ground. Immediately his feet touched the ground, he rolled on the floor, stabilizing himself.
Zhu Ying followed suit and descended after him, but before he could land safely, the man instantly lunged himself towards him with a sword piercing straight towards his chest. His attack was fast and direct.
But Zhu Ying was fast enough; he quickly lowered his upper body backwards, allowing the man in the black hood to fly past above him. narrowly avoiding the blade. He twisted his body in the air and landed perfectly on his feet.
He continuously clashed with the man again, and the sound of their blades continued to ring out across the place.
Clang!!!
Clang!!!
The man began to panic. He knew that with such commotion they had caused, more people would likely be arriving there soon after hearing the commotion. He slashed his sword several times towards Zhu Ying, trying to slow him down so he could have a chance to escape.
Whoosh!!
Whoosh!!
But Zhu Ying was quick on his feet, as he avoided all the incoming attacks. He ducked, bent, jumped, and twisted his body in a quick and fast motion, avoiding all the attacks with ease.
Immediately his feet touched the ground, using the momentum, he jumped and tapped his feet on the nearby wall and flew past him and delivered a devastating kick as His leg moved with incredible force, accompanied by a gust of energy.
Bang!!
His feet struck the man who was already retreating right on his chest, and blood splashed out of his mouth as he flew through the air.
Crash!!
He broke through the nearby wall and crashed into the building... and lay beneath the debris as he groaned in pains.
Not long after, Zhu Ying's subordinates arrived and quickly surrounded the injured man.
"Go and get him," he commanded.
"Yes," they responded before approaching the man and lifting him out of the mess, before tying him up and dragging him out of the place.
Zhu Ying took a few steps and suddenly paused. He turned around as his gaze pierced into the distance. He seemed to have felt a presence there for a second, but couldn't really tell where the person was. He stood there for some seconds before turning and leaving the place.
As soon as he left, Xu Min slowly appeared from the shadows. His eyes followed Zhu Ying's retreating form.
* Fragrant Moon Brothel, Southern District *
The sky soon turned dark, with stars scattering across the sky... as a gentle wind blew through the bustling crowds. This place is one of the most crowded areas in the capital.
Even at night, it's still bustling, same as the daytime. Several beautiful and delicate-looking young women, wearing slit-revealing clothes, were standing outside the Brothel, enticing and convincing men into coming to the Brothel. Some were holding hand fans, while some were with handkerchiefs. Their laughter and calls filled the air.
"Mister, you look so handsome!" A woman's voice purred seductively.
"Mister, why don't you come in and relax?" Another beckoned with a wave of her hand.
"Mister, I promise to serve you to your satisfaction!"
Their beautiful but seductive voices continued to ring across the place. They would occasionally block some men as they displayed themselves in front of them with a beautiful smile on their faces while they waved their handkerchiefs in front of them. Some usually fell for it and ended up spending all their money in there, while some just stepped aside from them and continued going to their business.
=======
Inside the brothel, music continued to play as the courtesan sang and danced with her group and their melodic voices filled the air.
They swayed their hips left and right, throwing their arms in the air as they continued to move in unison, Their movements were graceful and captivating.
Several men were sitting with young women serving them by their side as Laughter and whispers resounded across the hall.
"Good! Good!"....a man at the front seat shouted as he coiled his left hand around the delicate waist of the serving girl beside him, as he continued to point at the group dancing on the stage.
"Mister, take it easy..... people are watching," the serving girl beside him said with a flirting smile, and handed over a cup of wine to him as she ran her delicate finger across his chest. The man was drunk and kept rubbing himself against her.
Another man seating at the end pressed down on the butt of the serving girl beside him as his hand pierced deep into her soft skin. A muffled gasp escaped her lips.
"Ahhh~~~
Mister, you are naughty"... the serving girl said with a seductive smile on her face, Her voice was playful and teasing.
"Come, let's go up, I can't hold it anymore"...the slightly drunk man said as he tried to get up, but the girl beside him pulled him back to his seat and held him firmly by the arm.
"Mister... you need to eat to have the strength to do it".... the girl said in a seductive tone as she leaned towards him,..."I am not boasting, Mister... but I am not easy to handle"....her voice was sweet and suductive.
"Hahaha.... hahaha!"
The man burst into laughter. "Good!!! Good! I like it.
Fragrant Moon Brothel is the biggest and the most famous Brothel in Dongling where rich and powerful figures come to enjoy and squander their money. It has a total of twelve different floors, making it the highest and tallest building across the capital. It is owned by the Su family and run by the eldest daughter of the Su family, Su Yuling, a member of the "Mask Pavilion."