The Divide Between Elegant and Vulgar

South City Street · Witty Flower Pavilion

As evening drew near, South City Street, after the tragedy at the flower pavilion, was no longer as lively as before, yet green lanterns still shone everywhere.

Every now and then, horses pulling carriages drove past, leaving faint creases along the bluestone road.

"This flower pavilion is really tall. A full nine floors!"

Lin Heng looked up. Perhaps because dark clouds loomed overhead, he only felt that the roof seemed to pierce straight into the heavens.

"Immortal, this Witty Flower Pavilion is the industry Golden Horse City has invested the most in. Nowadays, never mind immortals, even ordinary people come here for a good time once they have money to spare."

As the two talked, they walked into the first floor of the pavilion.

Because arrangements had been made in advance, the madam did not make a grand show of things. She merely ordered two girls to follow at their sides and serve them well.

"Bureau Chief, young master, this way please!"

"May I ask whether you two prefer elegance or vulgarity?"

Seeing that Lin Heng had not understood, the Bureau Chief chuckled and explained, "At a glance, one can tell the Immortal has only just arrived here."

"So-called elegance refers to listening to songs in the pleasure quarters, where meaning rises as the heart pleases, and illusions fall into times long past.

"So-called vulgarity is to keep company with beauties who crane their necks in longing, while night dyes splendor and whispered thoughts fall quiet."

What a fine line, night dyes splendor and whispered thoughts fall quiet!

Lying by the bed and whispering sweet nothings could be made to sound so artistic. He could speak of vulgarity as elegance, and elegance as vulgarity.

"Bureau Chief truly knows a great deal, but this time, we need to combine elegance and vulgarity. I'll have to trouble you with the expense."

"Easy, easy. I'll pay for the Immortal's share!"

He knew how to handle things, he really knew how to handle things!

After the two reached the second floor, they dismissed the female attendants.

The nine-story pavilion occupied an extremely broad area, with each floor around five hundred square meters.

Moreover, every floor had carved railings and painted beams, extraordinarily luxurious, many times more high-class than an ordinary flower pavilion.

Within the flower pavilion, song and dance flourished, and beautiful attendants wove through the rooms.

This was the industry Golden Horse City had invested the most in, a place specially provided for high officials and nobles to amuse themselves.

There were dozens of elegant rooms in the flower pavilion. Aside from those, there were also quite a few private boxes, provided for guests with certain special preferences.

At this moment, many young men and women had their arms around gorgeous, dewy girls as they drank and made merry, some chatting and laughing, some composing poetry.

Lin Heng swept his gaze over the inside of the flower pavilion and found the hall filled with people, most of them dressed in bright, splendid clothes.

"Bureau Chief, why are all those people gathered together?"

"Haha, that?" The Bureau Chief glanced over, then explained, "That is an elegant literary gathering. These people are either famous young masters of Golden Horse City, or talented scholars brimming with ability. On this second floor, there is a talented woman named Xu Rong. She sells her art but not her body, and is quite beloved."

"Only those who can compose a poem according to an object pointed out as the topic will be received."

"She sells her art but not her body, and this many people still support her?" Lin Heng said in surprise.

"Ah! Immortal, we are all men here. How could you not understand? The more a woman has both talent and beauty, the more she wins people's favor. The harder she is to obtain, the more she stirs the desire to conquer."

"Ahem." Lin Heng coughed lightly twice.

It seemed that was indeed the logic.

What could not be obtained kept stirring restlessly, while what was easily obtained was instead not cherished.

"Haha!" Seeing this, the Bureau Chief immediately understood and hurriedly changed the topic. "Immortal, let us go straight to the third floor!"

"Good."

The two stepped onto the third floor. This was precisely where the three deaths had occurred.

The moment the two appeared, they immediately drew the gazes of many women.

Though the Bureau Chief was already nearly fifty, he remained handsome and spirited, hale and hearty in old age.

Lin Heng wore white robes, his brows and eyes handsome, his bearing extraordinary, carrying more than a little carefree elegance.

For a moment, everyone stared in a daze.

Only one woman's expression changed slightly after seeing the two of them, and she retreated into an elegant room in slight panic.

Lin Heng's heart trembled, his gaze fixed directly on the direction in which the woman had withdrawn!

She was a cultivator!

Three murders in a row, and still not satisfied. Evil Cultivators truly were as greedy as a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

He already had a conclusion in his heart. Even from ten steps away, he could sense the aura on the other party's body with perfect clarity.

Her cultivation should not differ much from his own.

"Bureau Chief, you can carry out the plan. After you choose a Private Room, I will stand watch next door. If there is any movement, I can rush over at the first moment."

"Good. Then this old man will go in first."

The Bureau Chief called over two women and walked straight into the Earth No. 3 Private Room.

Lin Heng pushed open the neighboring room. It happened to be sandwiched right between the Bureau Chief's room and the room of the purple-skirted woman from just now.

In other words, if there was any movement on either side, he could be alerted immediately.

The room was simple and plain in its arrangement. The tables, chairs, bed, and couch were all wooden.

The moment Lin Heng walked into the room, he sensed a faint, secluded fragrance rushing toward him.

He raised his head and looked around the room. In the end, his gaze settled on the tabletop.

On the table was a red sandalwood box, giving off that secluded fragrance. Its lid was tightly closed, and it was unknown what was inside.

He stretched out his index finger and lightly tapped the red sandalwood box.

"Dong! Dong!"

Three times in succession, crisp sounds slowly spread out. A moment later, the box slowly opened.

Inside, a jade pendant lay quietly.

"A jade pendant?" Lin Heng frowned slightly and looked around in puzzlement.

Could it be something left behind by the previous guest?

Lin Heng tested it by tossing the jade pendant into the System Space.

Sure enough.

Name: Wealth Grain Jade Key

Description: The key used to activate the City Lord's Mansion Granary. With the token, one may withdraw silver, and may also exchange it for Spirit Coins, Spirit Stones, and so on at any Money House in the city...

The system provided an introduction to the item.

After hearing it, Lin Heng was secretly startled. He picked up the jade pendant and examined it carefully.

The jade pendant was round, about two inches long.

The entire jade pendant was clear and emerald green from end to end, glittering and translucent, like fine jade. One glance was enough to tell it was no ordinary object.

"Why would the City Lord's Mansion's Granary Secret Key appear here?"

Such an important thing could be easily dropped outside? He did not believe that with the jade pendant placed on the table, no other guests had seen it.

The secluded fragrance in the room was enough to prove that this elegant chamber had absolutely not been vacant.

What he did not know was that his every movement was being watched by people from the City Lord's Mansion.

Killing required a reason.

Killing a cultivator naturally also required a justifiable name and proper cause.

If a disciple carrying out a mission relied on his status to give birth to greed and steal another person's treasure, then even if he died because of it, outsiders would not be able to find an excuse.

Although the trick was not brilliant, as long as it worked, everything would be easy.

This was only the plan targeting Lin Heng.

At the same time, on the other side, the plan targeting Yun Yao was also unfolding in an orderly manner.

Lin Heng was not polite and directly put the jade pendant away.

Once Ye Tian swept away the City Lord's Mansion in one nest, he would be able to sit back and reap the fisherman's profit.

This was the wealth of an entire city. Who would not be tempted?

While waiting for the prey to come to his door, he did not stay idle either. He sat on the floor and began circulating the "Azure Emperor Spirit Devouring Art," preparing to open his third Spirit Wheel.

Two Spirit Wheels certainly allowed him to continuously refine spiritual energy and increase his cultivation, but the speed was truly slow.

Wanting to lie there like a corpse, cheat activated, and level up automatically was currently unrealistic.

He took a Foundation Stabilizing Pill out of the System Space and swallowed it.

Buzz!

In an instant, the medicinal power digested at extreme speed, and dense spiritual power erupted from his dantian.

His cultivation continued all the way until the latter half of the night.

There was still no movement from the room of the Bureau Chief next door. Instead, from the elegant room on the other side, sounds of pounding and knocking came from time to time.

"Bastard! What exactly is that fellow next door doing? Why has the spiritual energy become so thin!"

The purple-skirted woman was also cultivating with focused concentration, preparing to recover some strength before making a move against Lin Heng next door.

Unexpectedly, the spiritual energy around her flowed away without end as if it had been drained off.

It harmed her so badly that she had no choice but to stop cultivating.

"A mere second-level Qi Refining cultivator actually has such methods. If I can plunder all of this person's Yang Essence, this young master will only need three days to complete my cultivation cycle and break through my realm!"

This thought flashed through the purple-skirted woman's mind. Originally, her goal tonight had been to wait for an ordinary person to take the bait.

Yet Lin Heng had just happened to take the initiative and go next door at this time, which moved her heart somewhat.

"This person is a disciple of the Green Pavilion Sect. It came without any effort at all. Simply wiping him out would be far too much of a pity!"