Fellow Daoists? Fellow Daoists.

As the sky grew pale and the stars thinned, signaling the imminent retreat of night, Xu Qing leaped onto the high wall. Focusing his mind, he cast his Qi Gazing Technique over the entire mill.

Wisps of five-colored mist, varying in depth and intensity, appeared everywhere.

He concentrated his spirit and saw the steady, undisturbed orange-red Human Vitality in the distant courtyards.

Clearly, the living people in the mill were still resting and had not yet woken up.

Xu Qing looked down at the ruined Corpse Laborers scattered everywhere. He had intended to leave then, but something still felt unclear to him.

As he pondered, his eyes flickered. He used the Qi Gazing Technique to scan his surroundings, finally settling his gaze on a spot filled with intense Fire element energy.

This was originally the kitchen's fire pit, used to cook and heat water for the mill's living workers.

Xu Qing felt that in the February weather, with the cold still lingering, everyone would want to stay warm in bed. Being a kind-hearted person, he couldn't stand seeing others freeze. So, before leaving, he decided to start a good fire for everyone in the black workshop to warm them up!

Thinking this, Xu Qing was deeply moved by his own kindness. He quickly ran to the fire room and, after a flurry of activity, took advantage of the early hour. Adhering to the principle of doing good deeds without seeking recognition, he leaped over the high wall a few times and disappeared into the streets and alleys.

The fifth watch passed in a blink. The night watchman, carrying his gong and clapper, finished his shift and was leisurely walking home.

He encountered a Night Soil Collector who was starting his early morning work. The two acquaintances began their usual greeting.

"Hey, you with the dung buckets, you're a bit late today, huh? I've already finished the fifth watch, and you're just setting up shop?"

"Ah, don't even mention it. It's cold these days, and nobody wants their night soil buckets left outside. I can't exactly knock on doors to ask for them. Anyway, it's the same amount of work whether I start early or late, so I figured I'd just start later. I'll get it all done eventually."

As they were talking, the Night Soil Collector suddenly stretched his neck and looked past the night watchman, asking, "Why is the sky over there so red? Is there a fire?"

The night watchman instinctively replied, "How could there be? I just patrolled over there..."

Before they could finish speaking, a loud shout came from the distance: "Fire! Quick, put it out!"

One shout stirred a thousand ripples. While the night watchman was still stunned, sporadic sounds of barking dogs and crying children began to erupt.

This was quickly followed by thousands of shouts, thousands of cries, and thousands of barks, waking up everyone on the entire street in a short time.

The Night Soil Collector quickly reminded him, "I told you to patrol the streets, watch for fires and thieves! Now that something's happened, why aren't you ringing your gong?"

The night watchman snapped back to attention. He quickly grabbed his gong, and the hammer struck like raindrops.

"Fire! A blaze has broken out! Everyone get up and fight the fire!" The night watchman's professionalism was evident; he used the old-fashioned alarm.

Two streets away from the mill, Xu Qing stood by the roadside, watching the yamen runners and soldiers carrying water dragons and rushing water carts towards the scene.

He wasn't worried about the fire spreading elsewhere. The Cui Family Mill was surrounded by a whole ring of alleys as a firebreak, originally designed to prevent fires from other places from spreading to the Cui Family Mill.

Now, that firebreak had become a helpful tool for their self-immolation.

Besides the patrolling servants, Xu Qing also saw the Linhe Fang constable, Zhao Zhonghe, frantically leading a group of his subordinates, who had just woken up, towards the scene.

He's quite dedicated for a constable!

He withdrew his gaze, stepped out of the dark alley, and looked towards Changdeng Street.

Changdeng Street was one of the liveliest places in Linhe Fang. Day or night, rain or shine, as long as the sky didn't fall, you could see scholars, gentlemen, and common folk coming and going.

Some might wonder why this place was so lively while others weren't.

The answer was simple: it had courtesans!

Xu Qing had been busy all night and was looking for a place to rest. Where else but this place of bright lights and revelry to warm himself up and listen to some music.

He could also test out the palace secret technique he had recently acquired to see if it was effective.

There were quite a few brothels and pleasure houses on Changdeng Street. Xu Qing stood at the street entrance, with brightly lit colorful buildings and high pavilions on both sides.

As he walked into the street, the lanterns illuminated him, melting away some of his chill and showing the vibrant Human Vitality of the place!

In front of a pleasure house, a pimp wearing a green hat stepped forward to greet him.

He asked, "Yichun Courtyard?"

Never heard of it, not going.

He went to the second one, "Shuhuang Pavilion? Full of talented women and beauties inside?"

Not going!

Such a scholarly name sounded bland, and it was probably expensive too.

When he reached the third place, Xu Qing looked up. He saw a tall building with carved beams and painted rafters, and upturned eaves. Two large red lanterns hung high at the entrance, with words inscribed on them.

Xu Qing's eyes blurred. At a quick glance, the left lantern was inscribed with "Wind Flower," and the right with "Snow Moon."

For a place like this, they probably wouldn't come up with purely virtuous words.

Looking at the plaque in the middle, it read: Cuiyun Tower.

This name sounded familiar.

Xu Qing pondered for a moment and recalled the place.

Isn't this the new owner Su Hongxiu found after she resumed her old profession!

The scandal at the Liu Mansion had spread through every alley and street. After being kicked out of the Liu Mansion, Su Hongxiu, using her persona as a widow, had become the most sought-after courtesan in Linhe Fang, eclipsing all others.

She single-handedly managed to increase the perceived value of that scandal.

Fate! This is the place!

Xu Qing wasn't particularly interested in the so-called "undead," mainly because he was sentimental and felt a sense of familiarity hearing familiar place names and people's names.

It was the second month of spring, and the weather hadn't warmed up yet. A thick yet light warm curtain hung at the entrance of Cuiyun Tower to block out the chill. The moment Xu Qing stepped inside, he felt as if he'd arrived in Jiangnan just as the lotus flowers were blooming, the warm air rushing towards his face.

"Sir, please come in and have a seat!"

Unlike the usual pimps wearing green hats at the previous establishments, this time he was greeted by the "Big Teapot" on duty.

That is to say, a staff member at a brothel.

When Xu Qing had helped the brothel's hangers-on pass on, he had learned quite a bit about these matters.

For example, the reason the attendant before him was called a "Big Teapot" wasn't because the man was wealthy and well-endowed, nor was it because he served guests by refilling their teacups.

It was because in these pleasure houses, most rooms were private chambers, and whatever the girls and guests were doing inside was likely a private matter.

If a couple was drinking water and chatting intimately, the attendant couldn't just barge in like a tea boy or servant lifting the curtain – they'd likely get beaten.

What were they doing with a man and woman alone in a room? What was the point of you suddenly entering?

But then another question arose: if the attendant couldn't go in privately, what should they do if the water in the room ran out or was used up?

It was actually quite simple. At this point, the guest only needed to pick up the teapot and tap the lid on the teapot. The attendant outside would hear the sound and know it was time to come in and refill the water.

Some brothels, even more attentive to service, would even custom-order a large teapot with a spout three feet long, refilling the water from outside the window.

This was also a skill. Over time, the attendants in the brothels earned this nickname, "Big Teapot."

"Big Teapot, show me around first."

Xu Qing had never been to this place before, and everything looked new and interesting to him.

After chatting with the Big Teapot for a while, he learned some of the rules of the establishment.

It turned out that Cuiyun Tower wasn't just one building, but a main tower combined with twenty-four smaller towers, totaling four courtyards with four exits each. Each tower had a top courtesan, and the rankings of these twenty-four top courtesans were updated periodically.

Su Hongxiu, for instance, entertained guests in the twenty-third tower.

Xu Qing inquired about the prices and found that even the cheapest top courtesan cost at least three to four taels of silver for a night, which was almost as much as he charged for a corpse!

He pondered his money pouch, thinking that this "Gilded Cage" truly lived up to its name.

The scent of high-quality laurel wax wafted from the surrounding private rooms. Xu Qing's mind stirred, and he casually requested a girl from an available spring pavilion. Before heading upstairs, he didn't forget to give the Big Teapot a few instructions:

"Prepare plenty of good quality candles, and assorted dried fruits and snacks. Remember to get extra dried persimmons; I have a sweet tooth."

"Got it!" The attendant smiled knowingly and happily accepted the small silver Xu Qing tossed him as a tip.

Once he was alone, Xu Qing walked up to the pavilion. For some reason, ever since he entered Cuiyun Tower, he felt that the Yin energy here was much denser than in other places.

From the deep courtyards of the four-courtyard, four-exit enclosed buildings, a familiar scent of incense faintly drifted out.

Xu Qing knew what that was. Whether as a Corpse Driver or a Zombie who frequently consumed Spirit Incense, he was all too familiar with this smell.

Could it be that there were members of the Yinmen or fellow practitioners cultivating in this place of pleasure?