This Brother, Your Little Lady Is Quite Pretty!

Four days later, the three of them arrived outside Golden Horse City by carriage.

Golden Horse City was one of the most prosperous ancient cities among the Thirteen Cities of the Western Continent of the Tianxuan Dynasty.

It was located in the central region of the Western Continent, its overall layout broad from north to south and narrow from east to west.

To the south, it led straight to the Three Prefectures of Kaiyang in the Northern Continent.

To the north, it connected with Polar Ink Valley.

Stepping inside, from the six Sky-Supporting Pillars on either side of the city gate onward, towers and pavilions rose in rows along the way, and the streets were wide.

The hundred-chi-tall buildings lining both sides carried an air as if one could pluck the stars with a single hand.

If Lin Heng had to describe it himself, it would be one sentence:

At a glance, damn, it was huge!

For the next division of action, Ye Tian was responsible for investigating the City Lord's Mansion, while Lin Heng was responsible for going to the Justice Bureau to negotiate.

As for Yun Yao...

She planned to slack off for a few days first. It was rare to get a trip outside, so of course she had to wander around.

Little did she know, she would pay the price for her carelessness.

Lin Heng shrugged, and following directions from passersby, he quickly arrived at the Justice Bureau office.

He directly showed an Identity Token, stating his identity and purpose.

Every disciple participating in a sect mission would have a token as proof of identity, and likewise, it could also serve as a communication signal.

After encountering danger, once the token was activated, the other fellow disciples traveling with them would be able to discern the location within a radius of ten li.

This made it convenient for timely support.

"Aiya! Immortal, please, quickly have a seat. What are you standing there for? Bring the tea over."

The Middle-aged Man, dressed in a black robe with a brown cloth pouch tied at his waist, gave the order.

He was the Bureau Chief of the Justice Bureau, the highest official here.

The Justice Bureau could be understood as a government office, responsible for maintaining public order within the city and arresting the vicious.

Lin Heng did not stand on ceremony either, and said directly, "Since Bureau Chief already knows why I have come, why not speak of the situation directly? The sooner the villain is caught, the sooner you can be at ease."

"Good, good, good!"

The Bureau Chief stopped being polite. "Then Immortal, please follow me to the Morgue. Some things cannot be described with words."

The Morgue was inside the Justice Bureau. One could reach it by passing through two long corridors.

It was called a Morgue, but in reality, it was only a storeroom used to collect miscellaneous items.

The weather was gradually growing hot. Logically speaking, if corpses were stored for so long, they should definitely have developed a strange smell.

"Immortal, please look. It is those three."

The Bureau Chief stood at the doorway and pointed at the corpses covered with white cloth, without any intention of approaching.

Lin Heng could only walk forward alone to examine them.

He pulled away the white cloth and nearly dry-heaved.

It was not because there was a pungent smell, but because of the corpse's own miserable appearance.

The skin was shriveled and lusterless, the hair like deadwood, the cheeks sunken and the eyes swollen. It looked as if he had literally been rewarded to death.

He pulled away the other two white cloths as well. The deaths of the three were practically identical.

Seeing that Lin Heng did not even blink, the Bureau Chief and the two subordinates beside him could not help feeling reverence in their hearts. "As expected of an Immortal. When we first saw these corpses, we were so frightened our souls almost flew out, yet Immortal can actually remain so calm."

Lin Heng knew the original plot and had already prepared himself mentally in advance, so naturally he knew roughly what the corpses would look like.

"Does Immortal know what caused the deaths of these three? The coroner's examination result was that all three died from dried-up qi and blood... But there isn't a single wound on their bodies."

Lin Heng turned around and shook his head slightly. "They were drained of their Yang Essence. Yang Essence can also be understood as vital essence. Losing it damages one's lifespan, and having one's vital essence completely drained means there is no life force left at all."

"What I'm curious about is, why would someone like to search for prey in the Flower Pavilion?"

There was no need to say much about the concept of patrons of prostitutes. They spent all day buying spring and seeking pleasure; how good could their essence, qi, and spirit possibly be?

Since it was extracting Yang Essence for cultivation, why not find those strong, robust men in the prime of their lives?

The three lying on the wooden boards were all around fifty years old. According to the average lifespan of ordinary people, they already had more than half a foot in the grave.

How much could be gained by wringing them dry?

"All right, let's leave it at that for now. I more or less have a clue. I suggest that Bureau Chief compile a list," Lin Heng said.

"What list?"

"People who have visited the Flower Pavilion in these two months, especially those between forty and fifty-five years old."

Hearing this, the Bureau Chief's expression became somewhat restrained, but he still nodded and agreed.

"Immortal, wait a moment. I will send someone at once."

After waiting for about half an hour.

An attendant returned with the register. The Flower Pavilion itself had a name register, so sorting it out was very quick.

Lin Heng held the register and scanned through it. There were seventeen people between forty and fifty-five years old, including the three dead.

It was not difficult to discover that aside from the shared trait of age, the deceased also had something in common in status.

That was, all three were wealthy merchants of Golden Horse City and quite financially powerful.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed—he had actually seen the Bureau Chief's name.

The Bureau Chief's old face reddened, and seeing this, he hurriedly explained.

"I went there to investigate the culprit... absolutely not..."

"All right, all right!" Lin Heng waved his hand. "I understand, I understand it all. Bureau Chief, don't be so nervous. We're all men, what is there to be unable to show your face over?"

"I do have a plan, and I hope Bureau Chief can help with one thing."

"Immortal, please speak. Everyone in the Justice Bureau will do their utmost."

"It's not that troublesome. Tonight, you and I..." Lin Heng took the initiative to lean closer and whispered in his ear.

"This..." The Bureau Chief's eyes widened. "Wouldn't this be too risky?"

"What are you afraid of? With me there, just go ahead and perform."

After explaining the matter, Lin Heng directly left the Justice Bureau.

It was right around noon.

The small stalls lining both sides of Golden Horse City's streets had almost all withdrawn, leaving the storefronts to the towers and pavilions behind them.

The business model here was like this. Small merchants and peddlers were only allowed to hawk goods by the street in the morning and evening.

Lin Heng strolled leisurely west along the ancient street, and the fragrance of wine spreading through the air grew increasingly heavy.

Before long, he found Yun Yao in a restaurant.

"Yo, finished with your business?"

Lin Heng pulled out a long chair, sat at the table, and poured himself a bowl of wine. Only after moistening his throat did he reply, "I figured it out. An Evil Cultivator draining people's Yang Essence is a bit tricky... Tonight, I plan to take the Bureau Chief of the Justice Bureau to the Flower Pavilion and lure the snake out of its hole."

Lin Heng briefly explained his plan.

That Evil Cultivator's target was wealthy middle-aged men. He planned to have the Bureau Chief serve as bait and draw the person out, then he would make his move and suppress them.

The only worry was that if he could not beat the other party, the Bureau Chief would have to die there for nothing.

"Mm... Your method of ensuring someone else's safety is truly inappropriate. You are only at the Qi Refining Second Layer, so you really are not much to look at."

"But! I think there's no need to be too anxious yet. It's only a B-Class Mission, so just stay a few more days. In any case, there's still no news from your Senior Brother Ye."

Yun Yao tore off a duck leg and gnawed on it in big bites.

She had not taken the mission to heart in the slightest.

Good grief! You've turned a sect mission into publicly funded tourism, and you're not willing to put in the slightest effort for the mission!

Once something happens to you, the D-Class Mission will be set aside too, and in the end, even this simple mission won't be completed.

Counting the time, the Young Master of the City Lord's Mansion should be coming to deliver his head.

This was how that dog author arranged the plot.

Every time they arrived somewhere, there would inevitably be some lecherous young master coveting the female lead's beauty.

Either the original protagonist would kill him, or the original female lead would kill him.

After that, the young master's Dad would come in another wave of impotent fury, turn around, and deliver another wave of heads.

Then mix in a little hero-saves-the-beauty plot, and wouldn't the original protagonist get to act all impressive?

Although this scene transition was not novel, it was very good at helping Ye Tian farm favorability.

"The Young Master of the City Lord's Mansion?"

Yun Yao was slightly stunned.

Just as she was puzzled, three men in extraordinary clothing suddenly surged in through the door.

"Young Master, Young Master, we came to the wrong place!"

"This is a restaurant. Lady Yu's Dyeing Workshop is next door... Let's go next door now, hm? Let Lady Yu sober you up."

Two men dressed as servants supported the young man in the middle from left and right.

The young man reeked of alcohol, as if he was already drunk.

"Hold it!" The young man shoved him away, then propped his right hand against the wall and walked toward the seat by the window.

The corner of Lin Heng's mouth hooked into a smile. Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrived!

"This brother, your little lady is quite pretty!"