Brothel Battle (Part 2)

Though Dugu Sheng looked coarse and rugged on the outside, he had already made up his mind. He immediately began making thorough arrangements, summoning the best girls from Drunken Fragrance Tower to Li Feng's side. At the same time, he kept asking Li Feng what sort of tea he liked, what wine he preferred, and what dishes he enjoyed with his drinks. His flattery was seamless, his attentiveness meticulous.

Li Feng accepted Dugu Sheng's fawning without the slightest concern. Squinting, he held a wine cup in his right hand while his left hand stroked a girl's thigh, pondering, Eh, so this kid has something to ask of me? Otherwise, he's the chief and I'm the deputy. Even if he's the host, there's no need to be this polite, right?... Wait, didn't they say Zhu Xi was short of money? Why doesn't he use such a fine opportunity? He could secretly become the owner of a brothel, snatch away all the top courtesans here, then buy a batch of young girls from the south. Gold and silver would flow in without end. Tsk, tsk. I, Li Feng, really am a genius. Without me, Zhu Xi would have died poor.

Li Feng smugly narrowed his eyes and laughed for a while, then tipped back his head and drained the wine with a "slurp." By then, the guards from Zhu Xi's residence had all taken their seats. Drunken Fragrance Tower's main hall was quite spacious; setting out more than thirty tables still left plenty of room. Northern architecture differed from southern architecture. The north had vast land, and its halls were generally broad and open. The earlier guests in the hall had been invited upstairs into private rooms, leaving the entire main hall for Li Feng's party to raise hell in.

Dugu Sheng laughed heartily and gestured around. "We can only set out thirty-odd tables. The place is still a little too small, and there isn't even room for the girls to sit. But brothers, having the girls sit on your laps is exactly what you want, isn't it? Heh heh. With soft, delicate girls in your arms, don't tell me you'll complain that they're too tiring to hold."

The hall erupted with laughter, while the girls began to scold them in sweet, coquettish voices. More than a hundred pretty girls had already nestled into these gentlemen's laps. Those who had not been chosen could only stand nearby, pouring wine and serving drinks.

No sooner had Dugu Sheng finished speaking, while the guards were still shouting and laughing, than the madam entered in a hurry with the madams from several neighboring brothels, leading a long string of girls behind them. The entire hall instantly descended into chaos once more. Those without girls in hand rushed to grab the lovely newcomers, while those who already had girls but found the new arrivals prettier than the ones in their arms immediately cast aside their former companions and rushed over to seize one more pleasing to the eye. The hall filled with cries and shouts, accompanied by the low curses of the discarded girls. Smoke and miasma swirled everywhere, and all manner of demons danced wildly.

Standing atop a Grand Tutor's Chair, Li Feng watched the lively spectacle and felt immense delight. He cheered inwardly, This is it. Back when I stole steamed buns to eat on the streets, my greatest dream was to learn peerless martial arts, have gold and silver I could never spend up, and hire out the entire Chunyi Tower to enjoy myself. Today really does fit that dream. Li Feng smiled as he grabbed a wine jug and took a drink. Yet suddenly, scenes of green mountains and clear waters whirled through his mind. His heart immediately clenched in fierce pain, and his face turned deathly pale.

Li Feng kept his face grim and dark as he seized the wine jug and gulped down a great deal. The Profound Stone on his chest once again emitted threads of cool air, suppressing the fire in his heart. Regaining his senses, Li Feng roared, "Brothers, I, Li Feng, have only just arrived in Yanjing City. There will be many places where I'll need your support in the future. Today, consider it my treat for everyone to have some fun. From now on, we're brothers of our own. We'll make fortunes together, rise in office together, and if there are women, we'll take them together... If you're real men, cut the useless nonsense. Drink more wine, play with more girls, kill more people. A true man doesn't waste words... Bottoms up!"

Dugu Sheng's brow furrowed tightly as he listened. Why did Li Feng's speech sound like the kind of bewitching talk used by underworld gangs when recruiting new lackeys? Yet every guard in the hall came from a martial background. Who among them understood anything refined? Which of them did not casually call themselves "your father" and "your mother" every day? Hearing Li Feng's blunt roar, they immediately burst into thunderous cheers. Every guard in the hall leaped to his feet, loudly proclaiming his loyalty to Li Feng before emptying the wine jugs in their hands.

The main hall doors opened again, and a blast of cold wind swept inside. Several guards seated near the entrance drew partway out their sabers, ready to curse someone out, but suddenly began cheering instead. Servants carried in blazing charcoal braziers, brass pots gleaming golden, and huge platters of thinly sliced mutton. The guards' excitement climbed to another peak. With nimble hands, they took the braziers and the full set of implements for swishing mutton, set the large platters of meat on the tables, and immediately began clamoring for strong liquor.

Li Feng's table was the first to have the whole set prepared. A dainty, dexterous little girl swiftly picked up several slices of mutton, swished them once in the boiling broth, coated them with seasoning in a dipping saucer, and fed them into Li Feng's mouth. Chewing the fragrant, tender mutton that nearly melted upon entering his mouth, Li Feng loudly praised it. Yet inwardly, he cursed, What kind of rubbish is this? Is meat sliced this thin meant for men? A real man should be clutching a whole lamb leg and gnawing on it. Damn it, they're all fake scholars. Do they think slicing mutton thinner gives them status and face?

Though that was what he thought, it was not what he said. Li Feng racked his brains and searched through every scrap of learning he possessed, cobbling together a torrent of praise. He described the swished mutton as something rare in heaven and nonexistent on earth, claiming that eating one slice could practically make a man immortal. To escape the violent pain in his heart, Li Feng began spouting nonsense, but everyone around him thought he was in high spirits. They all eagerly echoed his sentiments, and for a time the atmosphere was exuberant, with everyone gathered in joyous celebration.

The minor leaders among the guards, those holding positions in the Imperial Guard commonly called Strongmen and Fanzi, along with those whose martial skills were relatively superior, came forward one after another to toast Li Feng in turns. With the incomparably deep True Essence within him shielding him, why would Li Feng fear mere wine? A cup came, and he drained the cup; a jug came, and he emptied the jug; a jar came, and he finished the jar. The guards around him were left staring in stunned disbelief. Dugu Sheng howled madly, "Good! You've got guts! Deputy Commander Li truly is bold and heroic. Look at that drinking capacity—you're a true man indeed..."

In the time it took to finish a meal, Li Feng had downed a full forty jin of aged liquor, yet his stomach had not even bloated. Dugu Sheng had sharp eyes and could see wisps of faint white vapor rising from Li Feng's head. He was instantly shaken. Three Flowers Gather at the Crown, Five Qi Return to the Origin. One further step in this cultivation and he'll reach the innate realm... Heavens, Brother Li has already reached such a level? What does Murong Tian amount to? Brother Li could cripple Murong Tian with one palm. But using such profound skill to drink wine, that really is... Dugu Sheng gave a bitter laugh, lifted a jug of wine, and poured it down his throat. Muttering, he said, "When people are compared, it can drive one mad with anger. I cultivated internal arts bitterly for twenty years and have only barely opened all my meridians, with my qi flowing like pearls. Li Feng hasn't even lived as long as I've practiced Qi Refining, yet he has already reached such a realm. Heh, it seems that following him will definitely bring no shortage of benefits."

Li Feng had no idea that because of this wild drinking spree, coupled with cheating through his internal strength, Dugu Sheng would obey his every word for the rest of his life and never dare harbor the slightest disloyal thought.

The atmosphere in the hall had reached a blazing peak. Some guards had already begun pawing and nuzzling the girls in their arms. Several girls had drunk too much themselves, and amid the cheering of that pack of lechers, simply shed their outer garments and began dancing in nothing but close-fitting dudou. The entire hall immediately filled with wolfish howls and ghostly shrieks. The guards formed a circle, clapping and shouting their approval, while great black-haired hands groped the girls inside from top to bottom. Everyone was having the time of his life.

With an earth-shaking bang, and amid the madam's repeated cries, the main hall doors were smashed into fragments by a single punch. The shattered doors were swept inward by a fierce gale. Several gluttonous guards seated near the entrance were caught off guard by the force of the fist wind, knocked from their seats, and sent sprawling onto the floor with groans.

Seeing the hall fall into disorder, and feeling a cold wind carrying huge snowflakes rush inside and ruin his mood—especially interrupting his drinking when his heart was aching—Li Feng felt a surge of Killing Intent shoot straight to his head. He leaped onto the table, kicked the hot pot before him flying, and roared, "Damn it, which blind bastard dares spoil my fun? Damn it, brothers, beat them to death!"

The guards were already burning with desire, their vital essence rushing to their heads. When the cold wind suddenly struck them full in the face, the fire in their bellies all turned into cold sweat. Relying on their status as Imperial Guards, they had always strutted tyrannically through Yanjing City. Who would dare interrupt them while they were enjoying themselves? At Li Feng's roar, they exploded like a kicked hornet's nest, drawing their weapons and preparing to charge toward the entrance.

The towering man standing at the door was more than ten feet tall, like an iron tower, and wore a suit of iron armor. He laughed wildly. "Hahaha, greetings, everyone. What fine spirits you're in." He drew a thirty-six-jin, thirteen-section commander's whip from his waist, viciously flourished it, and stood blocking the doorway. Behind him, more than thirty burly men in the same iron armor gave a tiger's roar, drew standard military broadswords, and arranged themselves in a small Mandarin Duck formation, brimming with murderous intent.

Dugu Sheng shouted and stopped the impulsive guards. "Lei Zhenyuan, what do you mean by this? Can't you see we gentlemen are enjoying ourselves here? What does it mean to smash down the door and charge in? Are you deliberately looking for trouble?"

Lei Zhenyuan gave a cold snort, his eyes widening like bronze bells as he roared, "Damn it, I just returned from training at Fragrant Hill with a guard unit of soldiers. I brought a few brothers here to enjoy ourselves, but you bastards actually booked out Drunken Fragrance Tower. Aren't you making me lose face? I don't care whose man you, Dugu Sheng, belong to. Give me a hundred girls to take away, and everything else can be discussed. Otherwise, don't blame my iron whip for showing no mercy... Hah! If you're men, come up and let this lord whip you three hundred times!"

Li Feng saw that the guards near the entrance were already showing some hesitation, and rage instantly flared within him. He had just been thinking of the miserable sight at Qingyun Flat, with a bellyful of evil fire and nowhere to vent it, when this muddleheaded brute appeared to spoil the scene. Li Feng had already formed murderous intent. But seeing the guards' fearful expressions, he immediately realized something was amiss and quietly asked Dugu Sheng, "Who is this Lei Zhenyuan? Damn it, he's even more arrogant than I am?"

Dugu Sheng answered in a low voice, "He's a fierce general under the Second Prince. He came from the greenwood bandits and ran rampant through the southwestern regions for more than ten years, with no one daring to oppose him. His Thirteen Guardians Horizontal Training and Golden Bell Shield techniques cannot be cut through by blades. He was born with divine strength and can lift a thousand-jin cauldron. Damn it, he's a troublesome fellow. It looks like Murong Tian deliberately sent him to cause us trouble. Brother Li, you toyed with the Second Prince today, so everyone at the Second Prince's residence likely feels they've lost face."

The moment Li Feng heard that, he exploded in a roar. "Damn it, he's just some greenwood rat! When I was in Suzhou Prefecture, what passing rat dared not show me a little respect? Damn it, brothers, beat them to death! If there are consequences, I'll take responsibility!" Li Feng thought viciously, I don't dare hit the Second Prince. Murong Tian has deep cultivation, and I don't want to reveal my strength too early, nor do I wish to fight him. But beating this brute to establish my authority is exactly what I could ask for.

Li Feng's body traced an arc as the Little Heavenly Star Palm let out a ghostly howl. A white wave of wind tore through the air with crackling explosions and cleaved toward Lei Zhenyuan's chest. Li Feng roared wildly, "Brothers, we have numbers! Beat these bastards to death! The more we kill, the fewer there'll be! I'll take down this Lei Zhenyuan, and you deal with the bastards behind him... You there, we are the Imperial Guard! It is our duty to investigate the people's conditions. These bastards visited a brothel without paying, and even injured the madam and the girls. That is a capital crime!"

The guards understood at once and shouted in unison, "What kind of man visits a brothel without paying? Arrest them and take the case before the prince—we're certain to win!" With a clattering rush, more than two hundred and sixty men drew their weapons at once and charged into Drunken Fragrance Tower's courtyard.

Lei Zhenyuan gave a tiger's roar. The commander's whip in his hand lashed out over a hundred black shadows, accompanied by whistling wind. Only with great difficulty did he dissipate Li Feng's palm force into nothingness. He had barely let out a sigh of relief when he saw several hundred men charging from the hall and surrounding his subordinates in a mad slaughter. He was immediately horrified. Oh no, that Murong Tian is a bastard! He only told me that this scoundrel who insulted His Highness was at Drunken Fragrance Tower. Why didn't he tell me this man had more than two hundred subordinates? Lei Zhenyuan had believed that the thirty-odd men he brought would be more than enough to crush Li Feng's men. Who could have known that Li Feng was a hoodlum born to love bustle and grandeur? For one round of wine and women, he had brought along every idle guard in Zhu Xi's residence. Lei Zhenyuan's men immediately fell into encirclement and fought bitterly.

Before Lei Zhenyuan could devise a response, Li Feng's face had turned iron-blue. Swinging the Dragon Spring Sword, he brought it down in a frenzied Cleave Mount Hua. When the sword force was still several feet from Lei Zhenyuan, Li Feng followed with the Successive Cleaves of Mount Hua he had used outside Hangzhou, bringing it down in a relentless, dragging cascade. Sword light like a waterfall instantly shrouded Lei Zhenyuan's entire body. Amid hissing sounds, Li Feng's face twisted with savage fury as he employed thirty percent of his internal strength and sent out Sword Qi more than a zhang long, slicing Lei Zhenyuan's iron whip into more than ten pieces of scrap metal.

With a miserable scream, Lei Zhenyuan was struck in both shoulders and at the roots of his thighs. The fierce Sword Qi hurled his body through the air along with a fountain of blood, sending him flying more than three zhang away. Li Feng was already consumed by Killing Intent. The true qi within him circulated madly as he leaped up and struck down with a palm toward Lei Zhenyuan's chest.

Dugu Sheng had been following behind Li Feng the entire time. Seeing him suddenly move to kill, he was startled. A private brawl that merely injured Lei Zhenyuan was not a serious matter. Lei Zhenyuan had brought the trouble upon himself, after all, and such things were all too common in Yanjing City. But if Lei Zhenyuan were killed, that would become a major affair. He was, after all, one of Prince of Yan's generals. If Li Feng killed him just like that, even Prince of Yan would likely be enraged.

Dugu Sheng shouted, "Brother, absolutely not!" He took two steps forward and made an empty guiding motion with his palm, intending to divert Li Feng's palm force elsewhere. But the instant his palm wind touched Li Feng's force, he felt an immense, surging power like rolling ocean waves rush toward him. In shock, Dugu Sheng was forced back more than a zhang. Terror filled his heart. Just how strong is this kid's internal power? Where did His Highness find him?

But Li Feng had already heard Dugu Sheng's shout. He suddenly realized, Forget it. What would killing him accomplish? He isn't the Right Saint. He's merely a dog under the Second Prince, egged on by others to come here and bite people. Killing him would only bring trouble upon myself. With that thought, Li Feng crossed his palms, and the ocean-wave power of his internal strength was instantly drawn back completely and dissolved into nothingness. This move gave Dugu Sheng another fright. He could withdraw a palm force that had already been unleashed whenever he wished—what kind of martial art was that?

Li Feng walked over and planted a foot on Dugu Sheng's face, laughing wildly. "Brothers, seize those bastards! Strip them naked, take all the money on them, and throw them out. Damn it, visiting a brothel without paying—do you think you're the emperor? Beat them hard... And what the hell are you, Lei Zhenyuan? You dare fight me? This young master is Li Feng. From now on, whenever you see me in the street, kowtow properly and get the hell out of my way. Otherwise, every time I see you, I'll beat you."

Lei Zhenyuan flew into a fury. A bellyful of rage surged upward, and he violently spat out a mouthful of blood before fainting on the spot.

Li Feng sneered and viciously stomped Lei Zhenyuan's lower abdomen several times, then kicked several soft parts of his body, ensuring he would be unable to get out of bed for three months. Only then did he stop.

The guards from Zhu Xi's residence were as excited as if they had swallowed aphrodisiacs. They went into battle one after another, tormenting the surrounded soldiers until every one of them was drenched in sweat. These guards had long suffered enough at the hands of the Second Prince's residence. Now that they suddenly had a formidable master like Li Feng to rely on, how could they possibly pass up the chance to settle old scores? More than two hundred men cheered as they fought for a full half hour before finally tying up the soldiers, who were soaked through and nearly too exhausted to move.

Li Feng sneered. "Damn, they're weak. There wasn't even a hint of challenge. It seems Murong Tian is nothing much either. He doesn't even know this young master's strength, yet he dared send men here to die. Madam, Madam? Why the hell are you hiding in the back? Listen carefully. If anyone from the army comes to ask questions, tell them these military gentlemen visited girls for pleasure and refused to pay. Then, while they were drunk, you tied them up. Do you understand?"

Seeing the madam trembling like a cicada in winter, the fire in Li Feng's belly was finally vented. From less than a foot away, he roared wildly into her face, "Didn't you hear me? Here is a ten-thousand-tael silver note. If you do well, it will be yours. Say everything exactly as I instructed. Later, once other customers have finished their business, smear the filthy stuff they leave behind onto these military gentlemen's lower bodies. Do you understand? Hm?"

The madam was sprayed across the face with saliva and frightened out of her wits. She hurriedly cried, "I understand, I understand! I-I-I'll arrange it immediately."

Li Feng gave a wicked, savage grin, staring at the proprietor like a venomous snake watching a little mouse. He laughed softly. "That's better. This young master won't treat you poorly, understand? But if you dare leak even the slightest trace of what happened, I'll wipe out your whole household and burn this Drunken Fragrance Tower to the ground."

The madam gave a shriek and collapsed to the floor. Hugging Li Feng's leg, she wailed, "Oh, sir, whatever you say goes! How would I dare ruin your affairs? I guarantee I won't speak any nonsense..."

Li Feng smiled in satisfaction and gave a signal. The guards eagerly took advantage of their drunken courage, stripped the soldiers clean, tied them up naked, and threw them into the woodshed behind Drunken Fragrance Tower.

The group laughed uproariously for a while, casually cleaned up the courtyard littered with debris and bloodstains, and paid no heed to whether the injured Lei Zhenyuan lived or died before charging back into the hall to continue drinking. Only Dugu Sheng still had enough sense to understand the situation. Afraid that things would become difficult to smooth over if Dugu Sheng died, he ordered two guards to apply wound medicine and bandage him, then brought over a cotton quilt and tied him up in it...