My Body Had Been Ravaged by Wine and Women

For five days straight, Su Chen made no move. Instead, he hid in the shadows and watched Chu Ming.

Chu Ming really did have eight hundred tricks up his sleeve. He was extremely cautious in everything he did.

His daily routine was practically a straight line between two points: home and Fragrant Flower Brothel.

On the rare occasions he went out, he always had guards at his side, shielding him from front, back, left, and right—even though the Chu residence and Fragrant Flower Brothel were only a street apart.

Su Chen had accidentally discovered that two of the guards were formidable, quite possibly martial artists at Practice Strength Perfection.

Besides that, Chu Ming rarely ate out. He either went home to eat or ate at Fragrant Flower Brothel.

When he ate at Fragrant Flower Brothel, he tested the food for poison with a silver needle and only took a few bites after confirming it was safe.

Su Chen had met all sorts of people, but this was his first time seeing someone as cautious as Chu Ming.

As a result, five days of observation yielded little, and Su Chen still hadn't found a good opportunity to strike.

Still, those days of watching hadn't been entirely fruitless.

Chu Ming's daily routine was absurdly predictable, but he had one inevitable flaw that came with being a man: he was lustful.

Every night, he came to Fragrant Flower Brothel to indulge himself, then went home the next morning. There were few exceptions.

Today, the sun sank in the west, its afterglow spreading across the world and washing away the day's restlessness.

As the lingering heat in the air faded, Fragrant Flower Brothel, situated in the town's bustling district, gradually came to life.

Su Chen had arrived early. Going with the flow, he'd ordered three women and sat in a corner, enjoying their attentions.

But his eyes kept darting toward the entrance, as if he were waiting for someone.

After some time, a familiar figure came into view. Chu Ming strode inside, light on his feet, with several guards behind him.

As though he'd come home, a crowd of women immediately gathered around him.

He expertly picked two women, then went upstairs with one on each arm.

Only after the food had been served in Chu Ming's room did Su Chen put an arm around one of the women and enter the room next door. He shut the door, then knocked her unconscious.

The rooms weren't very well soundproofed. Even while the people next door were eating, occasional sounds drifted over, stirring the heart with desire.

"Master Chu, how come you aren't drinking tonight?"

"I've been ravaged by wine and women lately, so I'm giving it up."

"Ah? Then what are we supposed to do?"

"Hahaha, don't worry. I'm only giving up drinking. Master Chu could never leave you all alone in an empty room."

"Hee-hee, Master Chu, you're so wicked. Cui'er will feed you."

"Sure. Chew it up for me first, then feed it to me."

"..."

Su Chen could hardly bear to listen. His body gave an involuntary shudder.

He didn't know if Chu Ming had developed this particular taste out of fear of being poisoned, but there was no denying it disgusted him.

The meal lasted about the time it took to drink a cup of tea. Then waves of rising and falling sounds filled the entire room.

Su Chen paid them no mind. When the woman who'd just woken up came around, he knocked her out again, then sat at the table and took out a medical text to read in silence.

As night deepened, a symphony rang out through the whole brothel.

Su Chen put down his book and listened. No strange sounds came from next door. He wondered if Chu Ming had gone to sleep.

This Chu Ming had a wife and concubines at home, yet insisted on fooling around outside.

You could call him debauched, but he was also attached to home, waking before dawn every morning to hurry back. But call him attached to home, and he spent every night at Fragrant Flower Brothel, singing and reveling till dawn.

Shaking his head, Su Chen put those thoughts aside and moved the unconscious woman on the bed onto a chair.

This time, he didn't knock her out. Instead, he gave her a little Soul Confusion Powder, then stretched out on the bed to rest.

Time slipped by amid the clamor, then flowed on through the silence.

Suddenly, Su Chen's eyes snapped open. He glanced outside. A faint light was gathering along the horizon.

"About time."

He stood behind the door and cracked the window open to peer outside. The two guards posted there were sleeping like dead pigs, snoring like thunder.

To be safe, he used Soul Confusion Powder to knock them both out.

Then he released the drug into Chu Ming's room. Only after waiting a few minutes did he enter.

As soon as he entered Chu Ming's room, Su Chen frowned. A wave of debauchery washed over him, and clothes were scattered everywhere across the floor.

Su Chen quietly shut the door. Before he could turn around to look for Chu Ming, a gust of wind suddenly struck from behind.

He jerked to the side. A glimpse from the corner of his eye made his pupils contract: Chu Ming was staring at him with a cold smile, one palm swinging toward him.

"Hm?"

A note of surprise came from Chu Ming's throat. He seemed astonished that Su Chen had dodged his sneak attack.

"No wonder you dared come after me. You've got some skill!" Chu Ming said icily as Su Chen put some distance between them.

Su Chen said nothing. He looked at Chu Ming, puzzled. Chu Ming seemed to guess what was on his mind, so he said:

"Plenty of people want me dead, and you're not the first to try poisoning me. But you're the first to use such a cheap poison, hoping to knock me out. Did you think I've survived this long by thinking with the lower half of my body?"

Su Chen: "..."

It was one thing for Chu Ming to discover the poison. But he'd also dismissed the Soul Confusion Powder Su Chen had worked so hard to prepare as completely worthless. Su Chen was speechless, and couldn't help feeling a little stung.

But he didn't reply. Instead, he let his displeasure show in his moves. Seeing Su Chen rush at him, Chu Ming snorted, stepped forward, and struck with his palm.

Bang!

The low sound rippled outward like waves the instant the two clashed.

Thud, thud, thud.

Su Chen stood rooted to the spot, unmoving, while Chu Ming staggered back several steps. His arm trembled slightly as he stared at Su Chen in shock.

"Who are you, exactly? Why do you want to kill me? If I've wronged you in some way, just say so. I'm willing to compensate you."

Chu Ming glanced toward the window. The noise of their fight should have been enough to alert his guards, yet no sound came from outside the door. His expression darkened.

Su Chen didn't waste words in response to Chu Ming's stalling. He moved to attack again.

Just then, faint footsteps sounded outside the door. Chu Ming heard them and immediately said, "My men are here. You'd better surrender now. Once they arrive, you won't be able to escape!"

If Su Chen hadn't known how cunning Chu Ming was, he might have been fooled. But unfortunately for Chu Ming, Su Chen didn't believe a word he said.

When Su Chen attacked again, Chu Ming's expression shifted. He retreated rapidly, widening the distance between them.

He kept his eyes fixed on Su Chen. As Su Chen was about to close in, the arm hidden behind Chu Ming's back trembled slightly, then suddenly whipped out. He flung the lime powder in his palm.

In an instant, everything before them turned white. The lime powder burst open like fireworks, blurring the entire room.

"Die!"

The moment Chu Ming scattered the lime powder, he twisted to the side and struck as fast as lightning. A sharp whistle split the air.