Fountain Pavilion

The next morning.

Huang Shaojie got dressed, washed up with Xiao He attending him, and left his room.

After sitting cross-legged in the small courtyard and practicing the internal cultivation method of the Wind God Leg for a while, a tiger-striped parrot flew in from outside.

This parrot was Eight Lord, whom Huang Shaojie had sent to monitor Cao Renqi.

"Eight Lord, what did you discover last night?"

Huang Shaojie held out his palm, and Eight Lord landed on it.

Eight Lord shook his wings and cried, "Reporting to Young Master, last night that man fought with those two women all night long. They even took off all their clothes to fight, and he beat those two women until they cried and screamed!"

"What kind of man is that? Beating women so viciously—how detestable!"

Xiao He, standing nearby, could not help pouting and huffing.

She was only a girl of fifteen or sixteen, so naturally she would not think too deeply about it.

Huang Shaojie smiled and asked Eight Lord, "Other than fighting those two maidservants, did this Cao Renqi do anything else last night? For instance, did he go out?"

Eight Lord bobbed his head. "No. After the three of them finished fighting, they went to sleep. After sleeping, they continued fighting, then slept again. When they got up in the morning, they fought another round before finally getting up and dressing. Then I came to report to Young Master."

Damn, that old pervert Cao Renqi really was an animal!

Huang Shaojie cursed inwardly, then waved at Eight Lord. "Go on, keep watching Cao Renqi. Come back and report to me after he goes to sleep tonight."

"Yes, Young Master."

Eight Lord flapped his wings and flew away.

"Young Master, did you have Eight Lord help you investigate a case?"

Xiao He tilted her little head and asked curiously.

Huang Shaojie nodded and pinched the maid's rosy, fragrant cheek. "Don't tell anyone about this. Eight Lord is my secret detective."

"Mhm, I understand." Xiao He nodded. Her large eyes glanced at her handsome young master, her face full of shy sweetness.

Her young master had once been a thoroughgoing wastrel, but ever since joining the Imperial Guard, it was as though he had become a different person. Not only was his martial arts formidable, but he had also become mature and steady.

In just three months, he had gone from an ignorant wastrel young master to a Battalion Commander in the Imperial Guard.

They said that a successful man in his career was especially charming. In the past, whenever her young master pinched her chin or bottom, Xiao He would feel disgusted.

But now, whenever her young master pinched or caressed her, Xiao He felt an inexplicable fondness in her heart.

Still, she knew that she was merely a lowly maid. Though she was pretty, she did not dare harbor any improper thoughts toward her young master.

As long as she could serve by his side for the rest of her life, she would be content.

Huang Shaojie paid no mind to the lovestruck maid and strode out of the small courtyard to the dining hall for breakfast.

After breakfasting with his parents, Huang Shaojie left the residence.

Ah Gui had long since led out the yellow-maned horse and waited for him. Huang Shaojie mounted the horse and headed for the Imperial Guard office.

After arriving at the Imperial Guard office and checking in, he went to the main hall of the Third Guard Post.

When the three Squad Leaders and several dozen guards saw Huang Shaojie enter, they all clasped their hands and called out respectfully in unison:

"Greetings, Battalion Commander Huang!"

Huang Shaojie nodded slightly, held a brief morning meeting, then dismissed them to their respective duties.

Yesterday, he had originally intended to have the three Squad Leaders tail Cao Renqi, but now that he had Eight Lord as a secret agent, Huang Shaojie abandoned that plan.

Cao Renqi was, after all, a First Rank Grandmaster. The highest martial cultivation among those three Squad Leaders was merely the first level of the Innate Realm.

If he sent them to tail Cao Renqi, they would likely be discovered with ease.

Once Cao Renqi discovered them, it would startle the snake in the grass. After that, uncovering any evidence of his crimes would become even more difficult.

But if Eight Lord monitored Cao Renqi, there was no way Cao Renqi could discover him.

Who would notice that a bird was watching them?

Moreover, Eight Lord was nimble in flight, incredibly fast, and sharp of eye and ear. Even if Cao Renqi noticed something unusual about the bird, it would be difficult for him to catch it.

Every morning after Cao Renqi rose and every evening before he went to sleep, Eight Lord would fly back to report the day's events to Huang Shaojie.

Eight Lord's intelligence was no less than that of an ordinary human. He spoke clearly and observed every detail. Any unusual movement from Cao Renqi, he would report.

However, Eight Lord monitored Cao Renqi for three consecutive days without discovering anything unusual.

During the day, Cao Renqi generally worked at the Commandant's Residence, occasionally visiting the military camp for inspection.

After returning home at night, he did not go out either, instead drinking and dining in his residence.

There were many wives, concubines, and maidservants in the residence, so that Cao scoundrel had plenty to keep him busy every night.

That evening.

Cao Renqi left his residence in a small sedan chair.

Four household servants carried the sedan chair through twisting streets and alleys, arriving before a red-painted building.

Several lanterns hung from the red building, and above its entrance was a plaque bearing three large characters:

Fountain Pavilion.

"Sir, come up and have some fun!"

"Master, a moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold—don't waste such wonderful time!"

"Sir, hurry inside and have a cup of wine to warm yourself!"

A flock of gaudily dressed beauties called out sweetly from the red building to solicit customers. Each one struck alluring poses, swaying her hips and shaking her breasts in movements brimming with seduction.

Fountain Pavilion was the most famous brothel in Suzhou City. Its prostitutes were not only as beautiful as flowers, but proficient in every art of wind, strings, song, and dance.