Blocking the Way

"Do you know who the most famous courtesans in Jinling City are?"

"I've never heard of them!"

Following that, Su Changqing, like a storyteller, began to recount the stories of Jinling City's most renowned courtesans to Xia Qi'an.

From their backgrounds to their private romantic affairs, Su Changqing knew them all by heart.

"You know so much about these things... You weren't one of those noble sons entangled with the courtesans, were you?" Xia Qi'an teased.

Su Changqing awkwardly touched his nose upon hearing this and chuckled, "I was young and foolish back then... But fortunately, I didn't indulge myself and preserved my virginity. Otherwise, if I had ruined my martial path, I would have regretted it immensely..."

As they chatted, several maids flitted about like butterflies, serving a lavish spread of dishes and wine.

Su Changqing stood up, poured a cup of wine for Xia Qi'an, and said, "To celebrate you becoming a Bone Forging Realm martial artist, we brothers should have a good drink..."

Xia Qi'an gazed at the wine in his cup, a flash of red light in his eyes, followed by a fleeting, almost imperceptible coldness.

Xia Qi'an remained composed, feigning great interest in the wine's origin. "Brother Su! What's the story behind this wine?"

Su Changqing introduced, "This is thirty-year-old Green Ant wine, thirty taels a jar! It's the most prized liquor in Misty Rain Alley."

Xia Qi'an picked up the cup, sniffed it, and said calmly, "It's good wine! But what's been added has truly ruined this excellent Green Ant."

Su Changqing's expression changed drastically. "Brother Xia! What do you mean by that?"

"You put Soul-Bewitching Powder in the wine, didn't you? Tell me... why did you do it?" Xia Qi'an's expression was unchanged, but his gaze at Su Changqing was as if he were looking at a dead man.

Su Changqing was speechless for a long time, his expression shifting unpredictably like a chameleon, before he slumped back into his chair dejectedly.

After a while, Su Changqing resignedly said, "...Sometimes I can't help but wonder if you're really only sixteen years old..."

Xia Qi'an shook his head, disappointed. "I thought we were friends... I didn't expect you to use Soul-Bewitching Powder to ruin my martial foundation..."

Soul-Bewitching Powder was an aphrodisiac that stimulated a martial artist's Blood Essence. Its effects were potent, capable of causing intense arousal and loss of control. Even martial artists in the Spirit Condensation realm found it difficult to resist.

Furthermore, Xia Qi'an was currently in a brothel, and the consequences of losing control were unimaginable.

"Your talent is too high, and you're deeply favored by Lord Sinan! Do you know how many people you've obstructed? Even I, at times, wonder how much better the world would be without you! But I truly didn't want to kill you, so I thought of using Soul-Bewitching Powder to break your martial foundation. This way, your life would be spared, and I wouldn't have to live in jealousy every day, hating you to the point of madness..." Su Changqing finally revealed his reasons.

Upon hearing this, Xia Qi'an scoffed, "So what? How many martial geniuses are there in this world? Can you kill them all?"

"Besides, using such underhanded tactics won't make you a genius..."

Su Changqing was silent for a long time after hearing this, then let out a sigh of relief and exhaled, "Perhaps... my heart was too narrow..."

Xia Qi'an remained unmoved and continued, "Tell me... who else wants to scheme against me? Speak up... as we've known each other, I won't kill you. But don't appear before me again..."

"Brother Qi'an... I was pressured by my clan... I had no choice but to..."

"...That's not what I want to hear..." Xia Qi'an shook his head.

Seeing the killing intent radiating from Xia Qi'an's eyes, Su Changqing slowly revealed a few surnames: "Wei... Wang... Lin... Wen."

After speaking, Su Changqing gave Xia Qi'an a deep look, then dejectedly stood up and left, slowly disappearing into the bustling crowd of Misty Rain Alley.

After Su Changqing departed, Xia Qi'an also rose and walked alone towards a courtyard deep within Misty Rain Alley.

And interestingly enough.

Earlier, at the brothel, when the maids were serving the wine and dishes, one of them had secretly signaled Xia Qi'an that there was something wrong with the wine.

Although he had the cheat of Crimson Pupils and could clearly see the abnormality in the wine, it still made him curious as to who would secretly help him!

So, following the maid's hint, he went alone to this private residence to investigate.

The courtyard before him, though located in Misty Rain Alley, was remarkably quiet, separated by only a wall from the liveliness of the courtesan gathering.

It was clearly a private residence.

Then, led by a servant, Xia Qi'an met the owner of this courtyard.

And the owner turned out to be Hong Xian, the chief manager of the Treasure Pavilion.

She was dressed in a tight-fitting red dress with minimal fabric, seated on a chair.

Around her fair neck was a thin, circular collar, and the fabric below it hugged her ample chest precariously, making one worry it might fall.

Her long legs were crossed, facing the direction from which Xia Qi'an had entered.

The slits on either side of her skirt were perfectly placed, showcasing the elegant curve of her thighs without being overly revealing.

As the night deepened, Hong Xian's voluptuous and alluring snowy figure was enough to invigorate anyone.

On the table before Hong Xian were piled abundant dishes, her intentions clear.

"Manager Hong, what is the meaning of this?" Xia Qi'an asked, looking around with confusion.

Hong Xian gently fanned herself and chuckled charmingly, "We're business partners now, aren't we? It's not strange for me to invite you for a meal, is it?"

"Eating is fine... but this kind of setting can easily lead to wild imaginations!"

"I just wanted to invite you for a chat... As for wild imaginations... I can't control that..." Hong Xian's eyes were full of allure, looking as if she could devour him.

Seeing this, Xia Qi'an could only pretend to be at ease and sat down.

"Is this Misty Rain Alley also your property, Manager Hong?" Xia Qi'an asked after sitting down, boldly picking up a piece of beef and putting it in his mouth.

Hong Xian shook her head and explained, "Not entirely... The land deeds for Misty Rain Alley belong to the Treasure Pavilion, but each brothel operates independently and has nothing to do with the Treasure Pavilion!"

"So that's how it is..."

"You know that Su Changqing drugged me... What do you know about this?" Xia Qi'an pressed further.

Hearing this, Hong Xian's expression immediately turned displeased. She chided, "You're so heartless... I sent people to help you in secret, and now you're interrogating me..."

"Manager Hong, you worry too much... I know you're not involved in this matter... I just want to know who else is behind this so I can prepare myself in advance..." Xia Qi'an explained tactfully.

"This... I found out by accident... I have informants everywhere in Misty Rain Alley. If anyone tries to pull any stunts in Misty Rain Alley, it won't escape my notice! I know everything about you drugging the Snake Guards to capture the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang!"

"Impressive... Impressive! ...But Manager Hong, you still haven't answered my question..."

"Hmph... Such a boring fellow... I helped you, shouldn't you be grateful to me? Are you going to acknowledge this favor or not?"

Xia Qi'an knew perfectly well that if this woman approached him, she must have a motive. She wouldn't speak easily until she achieved her goal.

"I'll remember this favor, Xia Qi'an..." Xia Qi'an said helplessly.

"Mmm... That's good!" Hong Xian playfully rolled her eyes and replied with satisfaction.

Then she continued, "The Hound Guard Commander, Wang Yangshuo, Lord Wang, is being transferred to the You Province headquarters! Si Nanyue will soon take over from Lord Wang and officially become the Hound Guard Commander of Jinling's Wei Dao Si!"

"That's good news!... But what does that have to do with me?" Xia Qi'an said as if he were lost in a fog.

"Why are you in such a hurry? She hasn't finished speaking..." Hong Xian waved her feather fan, gently tapping Xia Qi'an's arm, and chided him.