As the sky paled and the stars thinned, with night about to retreat, Xu Qing leaped from roof to roof and landed atop a high wall. He focused his mind and cast the Qi Gazing Technique, surveying the entire mill.
The mist of the five elements and five colors ranged from pale to deep, and no two places were the same.
He gathered his concentration and saw the calm, placid orange Human Vitality in the distant courtyards.
Clearly, the living people in the mill were still resting and had yet to wake.
Xu Qing lowered his head and glanced at the corpse workers scattered across the ground, their bodies thoroughly ruined. He had intended to leave just like that, but something still felt unsettled in his heart.
As he pondered, the corner of his eye caught something. He used the Qi Gazing Technique to survey the surroundings, finally fixing his gaze on a place brimming with fiery, dry energy.
That was the fire room where the kitchen staff started fires and lit stoves to cook and boil water for the mill's living workers.
Xu Qing thought that it was still February, the chill not yet gone, precisely the season when everyone craved warmth and stayed greedily in bed. He was kindhearted and could not bear to see anyone freeze, so he decided to stoke the fire for everyone in the black workshop before leaving, so they could warm themselves up!
At that thought, Xu Qing nearly moved himself to tears with his own virtue. He swiftly ran to the fire room and busied himself for a while. Then, while the sky was still early and following the principle of doing good without leaving his name behind, he vaulted over the high wall in a few leaps and vanished into the streets and alleys.
The fifth watch passed in the blink of an eye. The Watchman, carrying his copper gong and clapper, had finished his night shift and was strolling leisurely home.
On the way, he encountered a Night Soil Collector up early and hard at work. The two acquaintances began their customary greetings.
"Yo, dung hauler, you're up a little late today, huh? I've already finished the fifth watch, and you're only just setting out?"
"Ah, don't mention it. It's cold these days, and everyone's unwilling to leave their night-soil buckets outside. I can't knock on their doors to ask for them, either. Besides, even if I get up early, there's only that much work. I might as well sleep a little longer. I'll still finish it all."
As they spoke, the Night Soil Collector suddenly craned his neck and looked behind the Watchman, asking in confusion, "Why's the sky over there so red? Could there have been a fire?"
The Watchman instinctively replied, "How could that be? I just patrolled that way."
Before the words had even left their mouths, someone in the distance suddenly shouted, "Fire! Hurry, put it out!"
That single cry stirred a thousand waves. While the Watchman stood stunned, scattered barks and the cries of children began to ring out.
Moments later, the shouts of hundreds and thousands, the wails of hundreds and thousands of children, and the barking of hundreds and thousands of dogs awoke everyone along the entire street in a matter of moments.
The Night Soil Collector hurriedly reminded him, "You're supposed to patrol the streets, watching for fires and thieves! Now something's happened—aren't you going to start banging that gong?"
At his words, the Watchman instantly came to himself. He hurriedly raised the copper gong, and the copper mallet came crashing down like raindrops.
"Disaster from the Fire God—the fire's spread! Everyone, get up and prevent the fire! Help put it out!" The Watchman's professionalism needed no explanation; the moment he opened his mouth, the old familiar chant rolled out.
Two streets away from the mill, Xu Qing stood by the roadside, watching constables and soldiers carry water dragons and drive water carts toward the scene.
He was not the slightest bit worried that the flames would spread elsewhere. A whole ring of alleys separated the Cui Family Mill from its surroundings, originally built to prevent fires from other households from spreading to the Cui Family Mill.
Now that firebreak had become a fine assistant in their self-immolation.
Aside from the patrol house laborers, Xu Qing also saw Linhe Fang Constable Zhao Zhonghe hurrying toward the scene with a group of subordinates who had just gotten out of bed.
He had not expected this constable to be so dedicated!
Withdrawing his gaze, Xu Qing left the shadowy alley and looked toward Changdeng Street.
Changdeng Street was one of the liveliest places in Linhe Fang. Whether day or night, rain or thunder, as long as the sky did not collapse, one could see scholars and refined gentlemen or common folk coming and going everywhere.
Perhaps someone might ask what was so special about this place, and why other areas were not lively while this one was.
The answer was simple: because there were brothel girls here!
Xu Qing had been busy all night and was worrying about where to rest. Naturally, he had to come to this world of glittering lights and wine, warm himself up, and listen to a little music.
He could also take the opportunity to test whether the secret palace technique he had recently obtained was actually effective.
There really were plenty of pleasure houses and flower towers along Changdeng Street. Standing at the street entrance, Xu Qing saw brightly lit, colorful towers and lofty pavilions on both sides.
As he entered the street, lantern light reflected over his body, even melting away some of the cold clinging to him. It was enough to show how strong the Human Vitality here was!
In front of a flower tower, a Big Teapot wearing a green cap came forward to greet him.
He asked about Yichun Courtyard?
He had never heard of it. He was not going.
At the second place, Shuhuang Pavilion? And it was filled with talented ladies and beauties?
Then he was not going there either!
The scholarly, refined name alone sounded plain, and it was expensive to boot.
When he reached the third establishment, Xu Qing looked up. At the entrance of the tall building with carved beams, painted rafters, and upturned eaves, two large red lanterns hung high on either side, each bearing inscriptions.
The glare made Xu Qing squint. At a rough glance, the left one was inscribed with "wind and flowers," while the right bore "snow and moon."
A place of romance like this probably could not come up with words that were too pure.
Then he looked at the plaque in the center: Cuiyun Tower.
That name sounded familiar.
After a moment's thought, Xu Qing recalled the place.
Was it not the new establishment of Su Hongxiu after she had returned to her old profession?
The scandal at the Liu residence had spread through every street and alley. After Su Hongxiu was driven out of the Liu residence, she had ridden on the image of a widow whose husband had died before her, temporarily overwhelming all the other beauties and becoming Linhe Fang's hottest headliner.
With one person's strength, she had managed to raise the scandal's value several notches higher.
What a twist of fate. This was the place!
Xu Qing had little interest in the so-called widow. More importantly, he was a nostalgic person. Whenever he heard a familiar place or person's name, he felt an inexplicable sense of closeness.
It was still early spring in the second month, and the weather had yet to warm. A thick yet light warm curtain hung at the entrance of Cuiyun Tower to keep out the chill. The moment Xu Qing entered, he felt as if he had arrived in Jiangnan with lotus flowers just beginning to bloom; the warm air rushed straight against his face.
"Master, please come inside and sit!"
Unlike the green-capped Big Teapots at the previous establishments, this time the one welcoming him was the Big Teapot on duty inside.
In other words, he was an attendant in a brothel.
When Xu Qing had sent that brothel hanger-on beyond this world, he had learned quite a bit about this line of work.
For example, the reason the attendant before him was called a Big Teapot was not that he was rich and well-endowed, nor that serving and refilling tea with a teapot earned him the title Big Teapot.
Rather, it was because flower towers mostly consisted of private rooms, and when a girl and a guest were nestled together, what they were doing was usually an elegant affair.
The two of them might be drinking water, chatting, and cultivating feelings. The attendant could not possibly enter by sweeping aside the curtain like a tea boy or tea server; he would easily get beaten.
Who knew what a man and woman alone might be doing in the room? What would it mean for him to suddenly walk in?
But then another problem arose. If the attendant could not enter on his own, what happened when the water in the room ran out, or when something else was used up?
It was simple enough. At such times, the guest only had to lift the pot and tap the teapot with its lid. When the attendant outside heard the sound, he knew it was time to enter and refill the water.
Some brothels were even more considerate. To avoid interrupting the guests' performance, they would directly commission a large teapot with a spout three feet long and refill the water through the window.
That was a skill in itself. Over time, the attendants in brothels acquired this nickname: Big Teapot.
"Big Teapot, show me around first."
Xu Qing had never been here before, and everything looked fresh 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 was not a single building. It was formed by joining one main building and twenty-four smaller buildings together, with four courtyards in front and four behind. Each building had one headliner, and the rankings of those twenty-four headliners were reassessed at regular intervals.
Su Hongxiu, for instance, received guests in Building Twenty-Three.
Xu Qing asked about the prices and discovered that even the cheapest headliner cost at least three or four taels of silver for one night, nearly as much as he earned from collecting a corpse!
He weighed the matter against his money pouch and thought that this "Gilded Cage" truly lived up to its reputation.
The fragrance of top-grade osmanthus wax drifted into his nose from the surrounding rooms. Xu Qing's thoughts stirred, and he casually selected a girl whose spring chamber was vacant. Before heading upstairs, he did not forget to give the Big Teapot a few instructions:
"Prepare plenty of high-quality candles. The preserved fruits and pastries can be whatever you like, but remember to get more persimmons. I have a sweet tooth."
"Got it!" The attendant smiled knowingly and happily accepted the broken silver tip Xu Qing tossed over.
Once there was no one nearby, Xu Qing went upstairs alone. For some reason, ever since entering Cuiyun Tower, he had felt that the yin energy here was far denser than in other places.
Within the enclosed chambers and inner courtyards of the four-front-and-four-back compound, a familiar smell of incense and offerings drifted faintly out.
Xu Qing knew exactly what it was. Whether as a Corpse Driver or a zombie who often consumed Spirit Incense, he was more familiar with this scent than anyone.
Could it be that this pleasure house also had practitioners from the yin sects—or fellow travelers on the same path?
Before you continue