Keep the Music Playing, Keep on Dancing!

"Uh..."

"What you said does seem to make some sense."

Lu Xuenning blinked, then nodded.

"But there are so many people here. How are we supposed to get to the top floor?"

Lu Xuenning asked again.

She felt like her head was already starting to spin, so she turned to Chen Fan for answers.

"Obviously, we just walk up there in broad daylight."

"That courtesan said the first floor of Spring View Pavilion is the brothel, the second is the tavern, the third is the gambling house, the fourth is where the red courtesans live, the fifth is where the green courtesans live, and the sixth is where the courtesan queen lives."

"All six floors should be open to the public. At the very least, the first four floors ought to be unrestricted. There may be guards on the fifth and sixth floors, since ordinary people aren't allowed up there."

"So we can take a look around the fourth floor first and see if we can find a chance to sneak up to the fifth or sixth floor, then make our way to the top floor."

Chen Fan thought it over, then explained.

"If only I'd brought my Flying Tiger Claw."

Lu Xuenning sighed and shook her head.

"Are you really sure the hidden owner of Spring View Pavilion is a demonic creature?"

Chen Fan asked again.

"I'm sure."

"But I don't know whether he's actually hiding on the top floor of Spring View Pavilion. If we barge in and find nothing there, we'll only alert him."

"Besides, you and I would probably both be punished. After all, as government officers, we can't just break into someone's home for no reason. That would violate the Great Zhou Law."

Lu Xuenning replied.

"Let's eat first. Afterward, take the two girls to the fourth floor. Knock them out, then come out and meet me. We'll figure out how to reach the top floor together."

Hearing Lu Xuenning's answer, Chen Fan nodded.

He urgently needed Demonic Creature Lifespan to improve his strength. In this world overrun by demonic creatures, strength was the only thing he could truly rely on.

The two of them wolfed down their food. Then each called over one of the two red courtesans from earlier, put an arm around her, and headed straight for the fourth floor.

They followed the two red courtesans into a room, promptly knocked them out, then left and met up at the stairs leading from the fourth floor to the fifth.

"There are no guards at the entrance to the fifth floor. Let's go straight up."

They glanced up the staircase, then quickly made their way to the fifth floor.

"There are two people guarding the entrance to the sixth floor," Lu Xuenning whispered.

"We've come this far. We might as well knock them out and take a look at the top floor."

Chen Fan spoke up.

"Just what I was thinking!"

With that, Lu Xuenning's figure flickered. Like a Spirit Cat, she shifted her steps and reached the sixth floor in an instant.

Thud! Thud!

The two guards at the entrance to the sixth floor were knocked unconscious before they could even make a sound.

"If I'd known you were this fast and skilled, we wouldn't have had to skulk around like thieves. We could've just knocked out the guards from the start."

Chen Fan said enviously.

Although he had reached the Blood Martial Saint level of the Spirit Concealment Realm Fourth Stage and mastered the Great Perfection Level Draw Sword Slash, speed was still his weakness.

Even if he ran with all his might, he was nowhere near as fast as Lu Xuenning.

It was clear that Lu Xuenning had mastered a movement-based Cultivation Method Martial Skill.

"Let's hide these two first. Someone will probably notice they're missing soon, so we don't have much time."

Lu Xuenning glanced at Chen Fan helplessly as she spoke.

If she had fought her way up from the first floor to the top, then even if the guards at the stairwell hadn't sent out a distress signal, the other people in Spring View Pavilion would have spotted them long ago.

Grabbing one of the guards by a leg in each hand, Chen Fan dragged them off like dead dogs and tossed them into an empty room, then shut the door.

The two of them climbed the stairs to the sixth floor and headed straight for the top floor of Spring View Pavilion!

There were guards on the top floor too: four burly martial artists stood there, weapons in hand, glaring fiercely. From the floor above came a woman's anguished screams.

"Attack!"

Hearing the obscene curses and lewd sounds from the top floor, along with the woman's increasingly anguished cries, Chen Fan furrowed his brow. He gripped the Hundred Refinements Embroidered Spring Blade and charged up to the top floor.

"Kid, what are you doing here?"

"This is private property. Get out of here!"

Seeing Chen Fan stride up with swagger, the four guards barked at him angrily.

"The Jinyiwei are on the case! Anyone who isn't involved, get out of my way!"

Chen Fan's voice rang out, low and sharp.

The four men's faces changed. They exchanged glances, then, as if acting in concert, drew their blades and lunged at Chen Fan!

"You're asking for death!"

A murderous glint flashed in Chen Fan's eyes. He drew the Hundred Refinements Embroidered Spring Blade and unleashed the Great Perfection Level Draw Sword Slash. A terrifying blade flash streaked across the sky like a bolt of silver lightning, severing the four men's weapons in a single stroke!

"Get out of the way, or you won't be so lucky next time!"

Chen Fan said, staring at the guards.

They were nothing but four martial artists at the Spirit Concealment Realm First Pass. If he'd wanted to kill them, his last slash could have cut them in half along with their weapons.

"What are you waiting for? Get out!"

Lu Xuenning shouted too. At once, the four men fled, rushing toward the top floor.

It looked like they were going to summon reinforcements.

Chen Fan and Lu Xuenning exchanged a glance, then headed for the top floor. As they entered, the stench of blood filled their nostrils. The entire floor was a lavish den of wine and flesh, decorated in extravagant style.

But the wine pool reeked of blood, and the flesh hanging along both sides of the corridor was made up of the boiled bodies of women.

"Human blood for wine, human flesh steamed for food. It can only be a demonic creature!"

Looking at the horrifying scene before her, Lu Xuenning wasn't afraid. Her whole body trembled violently as killing intent surged from her.

"This is ironclad proof!"

"No more hesitation. We kill our way through!"

Chen Fan's gaze was ice-cold. Clearly, he too was consumed by murderous intent.

The terror and cruelty of demonic creatures were beyond the pale!

He hadn't imagined that the top floor of Ping'an County's most famous brothel would really be hiding a creature that ate human flesh, drank human blood, and violated women!

In the top-floor hall.

The songstresses sang and danced while a White Ape, nearly one zhang tall, pinned a slender, beautiful courtesan queen beneath him.

The courtesan queen screamed in agony, but the White Ape only grew more excited. He clamped a hand around her neck and thrust wildly.

The courtesan queen pounded at the White Ape's chest, struggling with her arms and legs, but her movements grew slower and weaker.

The choking sensation grew worse and worse. At last, her hands fell limp and her eyes bulged as she left this world, humiliated and filled with resentment.

"Ha!"

"A courtesan queen really is something else!"

"Too bad you're so frail. I wasn't even finished, and you're already dead!"

"Someone!"

"Wash her clean, drain her blood, and steam her. We'll have an extra course tonight!"

"Hahaha!"

The White Ape laughed brazenly. Chen Fan and Lu Xuenning saw the whole thing and heard every word.

Boom!

Chen Fan kicked open the hall's half-shut main doors. The fine solid-wood doors shattered into splinters beneath his foot.

The sudden noise startled the White Ape. The songstresses, dressed in revealing clothes and working hard at their instruments, singing, and dancing, froze in fright and turned to stare at the doorway.

A handsome, dashing young man in black strode in, the Hundred Refinements Embroidered Spring Blade in hand. Behind him followed a young nobleman with a feminine face, carrying a sharp Longsword.

"What are you stopping for?"

"Keep the music playing, keep on dancing!"

The White Ape looked at the two who had entered, his face calm and disdainful. He glanced toward the songstresses and spoke without expression.