"Ah,"
Madam Wang steeled herself and pushed open the door to the Di Zi Room.
Her steps were heavy as she walked to the windowsill, a fawning smile on her face. "Sirs, how about you just tip a few taels of silver?"
A trace of helplessness colored her voice.
She had no choice. Jiaofang Si fell under the Ministry of Rites.
Once assigned to a county, it came under the County Office's jurisdiction.
Put simply, she answered to the County Office. Lü Xiu had ordered her to come, and she couldn't disobey.
Onstage, Du Juan looked up at Liu Wei and Chen Bin.
Her gaze was pitiful, and she spoke in a woeful voice. "Sirs, please don't laugh.
"The gentlemen of the Demon Suppression Division just killed twenty Tiger Demons today, risking their lives for us all. They came here to unwind, and I should have kept them company to show my gratitude.
"But this happened so suddenly, and I can't be in two places at once. I can only apologize.
"Since the gentlemen of the Demon Suppression Division have no money, I'll cover the Division's expenses tonight.
"I hope the guests won't laugh at them.
"I'm deeply grateful."
Her voice was gentle yet resolute, echoing through Jiaofang Si.
Yet her words only made the situation more humiliating.
If word got out that the Demon Suppression Division had a courtesan pay their bill, wouldn't people tear into the Division's reputation?
"Well said!" someone cheered.
"Oh, you spendthrift girl."
Madam Wang looked troubled, her brows knitting into the character for "river." "That's the money you've been saving to buy your freedom!"
Her voice held a trace of heartache.
Everyone in the room could hear her.
"Madam Wang, please stop. I've made up my mind."
Du Juan's expression was tender, but her eyes brimmed with stubborn resolve.
Madam Wang sighed, her face full of exasperation.
"Miss Du Juan is so righteous!" someone cheered. "I'll chip in one tael toward the Demon Suppression Division's bill tonight!"
"I'll put in three mace."
"I'll—"
In an instant, all of Jiaofang Si turned into an auction hall, with everyone scrambling to raise money for the Demon Suppression Division's bill.
The clamor rose and fell, the place buzzing with excitement.
That was how a den of pleasure worked. You could have no face, no shame, and no backbone, but you couldn't be without money.
What was this?
Faced with the scene, the Martial Artists of the Demon Suppression Division standing by the Di Zi Room's window dug their toes into the floor without thinking. Their faces turned red, then pale, so embarrassed they could have scraped out an entire County Town.
The Captains all looked at the floor, not daring to meet anyone's eyes. They thought, If we speak, we'll have to pay; even one more look will cost us. How much money do I even have? I'm not the one treating everyone.
Chen Bin looked at Liu Wei. It was his treat today.
Liu Wei's face had turned red, then pale. He was clearly furious.
For a Martial Artist to lose face was a serious matter.
"Since Miss Du Juan has said that, I, Qian Du, can't stay silent."
Qian Du burst into laughter by the Tian Zi Room door, his voice echoing through Jiaofang Si. "The Demon Suppression Division's bill tonight is on me.
"I, Qian Du, keep my word."
A smug smile spread across his face.
"Excellent!" Cheers and thunderous applause filled the room.
"All right," Qian Du said, clearly delighted, satisfaction written all over his face. "Let the music play! Let the dancing continue!"
"Haha!"
"Broke losers!"
"The Demon Suppression Division's broke losers!"
Someone started it, and the room erupted in laughter. The jeers rang out without end.
Sure enough, after tonight, word that the Demon Suppression Division had gone to Jiaofang Si without paying would probably spread all the way to Dongyang Prefecture.
Liu Wei's hand drifted toward his sword, trembling slightly.
He had a hundred taels on him. He'd been about to take it out.
"Hold it!" Chen Bin leaned forward, his gaze sharp as a torch as he looked down at the crowd, then at Miss Du Juan onstage.
In the moonlight, Du Juan looked especially captivating.
The twenty Merit points above her head made him eager to see what would happen.
"Who says the Demon Suppression Division has no reward money?"
Chen Bin's voice rang out, firm and powerful, echoing through Jiaofang Si.
Everyone turned to look at him.
The people below stared back, their eyes asking the same question: Who was this guy?
"Brother Chen?" Liu Wei looked at him with gratitude, his eyes full of hope.
The others from the Demon Suppression Division turned to Chen Bin as well, their eyes glimmering with curiosity and anticipation.
They looked at him like he was their savior.
Madam Wang, too, looked at him with expectation, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"Oh?" Qian Du's voice came from next door, tinged with surprise. "Then I'd like to see how much you can tip."
"Get ready to catch it!"
Chen Bin's lips curled into a smile. Between his gleaming white teeth, he spat out a few words: "The Demon Suppression Division will reward you with two heads."
His voice was cold as ice, brimming with a bone-deep chill.
As soon as the words left his mouth, a cold glint flashed in Chen Bin's eyes.
He shot out his left hand like an iron clamp, seized the head of the little demon accompanying him, and yanked it toward himself.
The move was sudden, swift, and dangerous.
The little demon erupted into a desperate struggle at this brush with death, its slender waist twisting like a snake. It was strong enough to nearly break free.
But Chen Bin's right hand had already flashed to his sword. The Demon Suppression Blade left its sheath in a streak of icy light.
The blade skimmed lightly across the little demon's head. Chen Bin's arm surged with strength, and with a wet thup, he tore the head clean off.
[Killed Qi Gathering Realm Fox Demon, Merit +11, remaining Merit: 572]
His gaze was ruthless as he hurled the still-warm head from his hand. It traced a dark-red arc through the air and slammed toward the stage.
At the same time, his ink-black blade flashed across Madam Wang's neck. Blood sprayed into the air.
[Killed Qi Gathering Realm Fox Demon Madam Wang, Merit +13, remaining Merit: 585]
Madam Wang's body crumpled lifelessly. He sent her head flying toward the stage along with it.
The two heads flew one after the other, like a pair of deadly cannonballs, hurtling toward Du Juan.
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Bin drove a kick forward with the force of a thousand jun. With a sharp crack, the wooden wall beside the window shattered into pieces, splinters raining everywhere.
Nimble as a leopard, he used the momentum to dive straight from the second floor toward Du Juan onstage. The Demon Suppression Blade in his hand gleamed with a dark, eerie light as he swung it straight at her head.
"Two heads!"
The cry exploded through the crowd, echoing like a thunderclap.
Before anyone had recovered from the shock, the pretty serving girl and the graceful Madam Wang had already become two headless corpses.
Scalding blood gushed from their necks like water from a spring. The jets arced high and sprayed out the window, forming one horrifying red fountain after another in the dim Jiaofang Si.
"What the hell!" Liu Wei and the Captains beside him finally snapped out of it, their faces stricken with terror.
But before they could react, Chen Bin had already smashed through the window wall and charged down like a tiger descending the mountain.
"An assassin!" someone shouted. Jiaofang Si instantly descended into chaos.
Someone had really been killed.
The guests scattered in every direction.
It was the perfect chance to skip the bill.
Run!!!
Du Juan stood rooted to the spot, watching as her two sisters' throats were brutally cut. Their heads rolled into her arms with a thunk, and warm blood splashed across her face.
Then she saw Chen Bin charge at her with his blade raised. Its flashing edge came down hard on her palm.
She had raised her hand without thinking.
The sight struck everyone with tremendous force.
A man had drawn his blade against a helpless young woman.
How could he bring himself to do that?
At that very moment, a sudden twist arose!
Before you continue