Chapter 430 I'm leaving, don't miss me (2)
r, Daoxuan's fist directly connected with his face. With a loud bang, Dong Gongzhi was knocked down and he took a while to react. He was slightly dazed, as he couldn't believe that Daoxuan would actua...Chapter 430 I'm Leaving, Don't Miss Me Too Much
"Leaving This good-for-nothing brat wouldn’t even wait until night to personally bid me farewell Even if he couldn’t wait, why didn’t he write a heartfelt letter instead of this nonsense!!"
“What do you mean by ‘I’m leaving, don’t miss me too much’! I’ll be damned if I won’t miss you!”
The Immortal Rain was quite unhappy. She wasn't pleased with the Carefree Wanderer leaving before her, but more so at how simple his farewell message was—five words without even a name.
"If I ever see you again, I’ll definitely teach you a lesson! Alright, let’s finish up here as soon as possible. Where should I go next" The Immortal Rain looked into the night sky and thought of several options before randomly selecting one of them.
“Alright, that’s it!!”
In such an arbitrary manner, the Immortal Rain left Qinglong City. When they would meet again was anyone's guess—it could be a long time or sooner than expected...
...
Tianyuan Kingdom—a nation that came into being after an empire split apart, yet still remained a powerful state which even the Azure Dragon Empire wouldn’t easily provoke.
Two other nations shared similar circumstances. They were three major powers that emerged from one great empire’s division, along with several minor states that could be disregarded entirely.
Silverheart City was the provincial capital of a state in Tianyuan Kingdom. Though not as impressive as some imperial capitals or mega cities, it boasted a unique industry known throughout the world—one capable of making people instantly wealthy or destitute overnight.
This is something children and well-behaved individuals shouldn't be exposed to; there are risks involved in entering this field, so one must approach with caution. Ordinary folks generally should avoid it altogether, especially those with families. Those lacking self-control or resilience should steer clear as well.
That’s gambling for you—one hand leads to heaven and the other to hell!
Silverheart City was a gambling metropolis renowned worldwide; countless gambling dens had set up shop here, all of them having considerable power—weak ones were simply pushed out.
In this city, everyone playing games of chance must abide by the rules. No one is allowed to cheat or default on debts, and bets are only accepted in cash or items of equal value that can be immediately presented. Unless both parties agree otherwise, all stakes must be placed on the table.
This includes even the house; gambling dens must follow the rules too!
Of course they do—there are plenty of powerful individuals among gamblers. If a gambling den were to break the rules, it would get wiped out directly. Even without such figures, a united front of gamblers could certainly bring down any violator.
The world has many martial artists, some of whom enjoy gambling. The most famous is the World’s Number One Gambling God—possessing formidable strength and incredible skills in games of chance, he frequently visited Silverheart City but usually managed to stay incognito. He mastered an advanced disguise technique which he employed daily.
Passion This isn't a passion; it's forced upon him!
He never would have learned disguising techniques if not out of necessity, and from using them every day, he became proficient.
Why
No need to ask—various gambling dens outright refused his entry unless he disguised himself. Their skills couldn’t compete with him, nor could they cheat; admitting him would be akin to giving him money freely.
Hence, he honed this previously unknown advanced disguise technique!
Of course, the above about the Gambling God had no immediate connection to Carefree Wanderer. His current location wasn't a gambling den but rather an establishment related to gambling—brothels!
Why was Carefree Wanderer in brothels instead of Qi Family That's obvious—the Qi Family isn’t easy to infiltrate; entering without reason would draw suspicion, making any investigation troublesome.
After arriving at Silverheart City, the Carefree Wanderer began gathering information about the Qi Family while creating opportunities for casual conversations with their members—typically servants who were easier to approach.
Soon enough, he learned some details. The person he sought was Qi Dongqiang, a typical idle rich second generation—the master of three wives and four concubines who often frequented brothels; this explained his choice of location.
This was an unavoidable situation—no matter how much the Carefree Wanderer inquired, he couldn't determine the woman depicted in Qi Dongqiang’s painting. Even those aware of it didn’t recall much.
Those who did remember mentioned that this happened over twenty years ago, fitting what the Carefree Wanderer was looking for since it indeed took place two decades back—unclear how she looked now.
Though martial artists age more slowly, twenty years isn’t a short period. Assuming good health maintenance, she should appear around thirty by now under normal circumstances.
In fact, Xiaoyao had also received information from Wang Yan Yu. Although she only took a glance, she was certain that the painting's condition was quite old, around twenty to thirty years ago. She couldn't pinpoint an exact timeframe since she merely glanced at it.
If Qi Dongqiang hadn’t mentioned anything about this painting, then Xiaoyao would have to seek someone from twenty years ago for information. People from that era are hard to find and even if found, they might not remember the details. Therefore, Xiaoyao could only attempt to get more information from Qi Dongqiang.
Currently, Xiaoyao was trying to figure out how to interact with this Qi Dongqiang. He followed him into a very luxurious brothel called Yihong Pavilion.
"Hey sir, do you have any preference for a lady here" A slightly revealingly dressed courtesan approached and said in a flirtatious manner while fanning herself.
"Sorry, I just want to take a look!" Xiaoyao replied. He wondered if it was free since the place seemed quite luxurious; he didn’t dare ask for anything out of fear that it might cost him everything.
"Looking around You must be choosing your lady! There are all kinds here, what type do you like" The courtesan leaned into Xiaoyao provocatively.
"May I know who that lady is over there" Xiaoyao asked as he noticed Qi Dongqiang with a woman. He thought it might help him get more information about Qi Dongqiang from this woman in the future.
"Sir, she’s one of the ten most famous courtesans here at Yihong Pavilion. She doesn’t serve just anyone. If you want her, you must offer something she desires! It can be money but it might be quite a sum!" The courtesan said beside Xiaoyao without any hint of disdain despite her implication that he may not have enough.
"Just asking for her name, is there an issue with that" Xiaoyao smiled back nonchalantly. This made the woman believe he was well acquainted with such places.
“No problem at all, she’s called Peony.” The courtesan replied with a smile. “This isn’t any big deal; we wouldn’t want to offend guests for such trivial matters,” thought this woman wisely as she continued serving Xiaoyao without hesitation.
Xiaoyao understood that ‘Peony’ must be a stage name, as women in such places usually have one. But it was enough for him to identify her. Names are just identifiers anyway.
"How much would an upstairs suite cost" Xiaoyao asked, looking upwards with the intention of getting closer to Qi Dongqiang if possible.
"The suites don’t actually require money to enter but you need to make a reservation or be a regular client who spends quite a bit here." The courtesan said as she leaned in and smiled.
"How much would 'quite a bit' be" Xiaoyao continued asking.
"Asking for a sister’s company is considered spending money. A bottle of wine isn’t too expensive, just one tael of silver." The courtesan replied with a smile, "I can offer you a discount if you go with me, my name’s Azalea."
One tael of silver was quite significant; common brothels only charged several mace of silver for wine. Some cheaper ones would even charge just hundreds or tens of cash coins.
This place being one of the best in Silverheart City, naturally everything here was priced higher. This wasn’t including overnight stays either, it was merely the price for drinking.
"Azalea Alright then, let’s go upstairs." Xiaoyao said decisively and went up with her. One tael of silver wouldn't be a problem, especially since she offered a discount; he had to spend this money to find clues.
"Very well sir, shall we head for the Chrysanthemum Pavilion" Azalea followed Xiaoyao with a smile despite a small sense of dissatisfaction that they weren’t going together as implied by her being asked to accompany him.
“Chrysanthemum Pavilion” Xiaoyao asked; he wanted to go next to where Qi Dongqiang was.
"It’s over there!" Azalea pointed in one direction while Xiaoyao seemed interested in a different area.
Xiaoyao shook his head slightly, "I don’t feel like being on that side of the building, how about this room here" He indicated the room adjacent to where Qi Dongqiang had entered.
"Is there anyone inside" Xiaoyao asked again.
“Nobody’s in there yet, it’s empty. Shall we” Azalea smiled while suspecting that Xiaoyao must have some interest in the room next to Peony’s.
Sighs, so what if he does As long as he spends money here, I don’t mind! Maybe this will even make him a regular customer!
In such places, as long as guests spend money, they won't ask about their motives. Since it seems Xiaoyao is interested in Peony, there’s no need to pry further.
Azalea had seen many admirers of Peony do similar things before; this seemed quite normal compared to those cases!
"Not bad," Xiaoyao said when he entered the room and found it well furnished with a decent atmosphere. There was no hint that this place was a brothel, which is what distinguished high-end brothels from ordinary ones.
Most patrons here were either aloof or literati who expected elegance to satisfy their tastes.
(To be continued); the expectation in her eyes made it hard to refuse her request.“I live in Third Brother’s courtyard—the one called Lo Yunyi.” Xianyao said with a smile."So that's where Bell sister is. Bell sister i...