The Secret of the Hua Pavilion

The air was thick with the scent of wine and heavy perfume.

Some wealthy young masters were throwing their weight around, tossing silver ingots to the women before them, while the women laughed until they trembled, busily tucking the silver into their sleeves for fear the noble young masters might change their minds.

Chen Mo cleared the unnecessary distractions from his field of vision and locked his gaze onto a man in black.

The man in black did not pause for a moment, heading straight for the second floor.

Chen Mo feigned interest in a songstress nearby, but his eyes remained fixed on the direction of the stairs, memorizing where the man in black had disappeared.

"Come on, young master, have a drink!"

A woman dressed in floral robes, her face caked in powder, held up a wine cup and batted her eyelashes at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo glanced at her, but having no time to spare, he withdrew his gaze and walked slowly toward the stairs, stepping lightly as he ascended.

He had seen similar scenes in his past life and knew well that these were businesses that could drain a man's entire fortune.

The woman feigned a look of annoyance, then twisted her body away to seek out other targets.

Chen Mo reached the second floor, pretending to wander aimlessly before heading toward the spot where the man in black had vanished.

On both sides were rows of tightly shut rooms, most of which emitted sounds that were better left undescribed.

Stopping in front of a slightly larger room, Chen Mo paused and pushed the window open just a crack to catch a glimpse of the scene inside.

One man sat while two others stood in attendance.

"You lost him two days in a row?" the man sitting down asked in a gloomy voice.

The man in black standing by trembled slightly. "Reporting to the Vice Leader, that brat is as slippery as an eel. I suspect he has already discovered me."

"You damn fool, you're still 'suspecting'? Don't make excuses for your own incompetence! It's bad enough you lost him, just don't bring a tail back to me."

Hearing this, Chen Mo's heart tightened.

Immediately after, the man in black patted his chest and said, "That is definitely not the case, I am confident of that."

The Vice Leader pondered for a moment, not digging any deeper, and asked the other person, "Are you certain the information you investigated is accurate? Is that Chen Mo truly just a beginner in Ming Jin?"

"Reporting to the Vice Leader, the information I reported to you the day before yesterday is true. I went to the Panshi Martial Hall first and couldn't find him, only later discovering that he is a newly recruited disciple of the Tianqing Martial Hall who broke through to Ming Jin after only half a month."

Looking closely, Chen Mo realized that this speaker was the same man with the sword strapped to his waist whom he had seen at the entrance of the flower pavilion.

"As I thought..."

He knew clearly that the Hansha Gang would see through his identity sooner or later, and since he had killed their assassin yesterday, the grudge was well and truly set.

"Broke through to Ming Jin in half a month..."

A look of surprise appeared on the Vice Leader's face. "That counts as outstanding talent. Since he has a name, it won't be hard to find his residence. By the way, reports came in this morning that one of the two brothers sent to intercept the Wu Family caravan was killed, and it is said that Chen Mo was the one who did it."

At these words, the wine cup in the Vice Leader's hand shattered instantly, splashing wine onto the man with the sword, but he dared not utter a word.

Worried about being exposed, Chen Mo retreated slowly to the stairwell, preparing to head back down, when an acquaintance appeared, heading straight toward him.

"Yin Shanshan?"

Chen Mo was suspicious. What is she doing at the flower pavilion?

Yin Shanshan's expression was grave as she brushed past him and headed toward the third floor.

Chen Mo pondered; he had no real connection with Yin Shanshan, but if this involved the Hansha Gang, and since Yin Shanshan was the daughter of the Hall Master, he feared that if a conflict broke out between the Hansha Gang and the Tianqing Martial Hall, he, as a disciple, would be caught in the crossfire.

Thinking of this, Chen Mo turned and followed her upstairs from a distance.

Yin Shanshan seemed to have some urgent business, her footsteps both fast and heavy.

"Tap, tap, tap!"

Soon, Yin Shanshan reached the third floor, but she did not stop, continuing along the corridor until she reached a door.

Chen Mo found an opportunity to hide in the shadows of a nearby utility room, faintly seeing the words "Shuixian Pavilion" written on the door.

At this moment, voices drifted from inside the room.

"Nephew Zhang Chong, you are one of the most outstanding young men in Black River Town, and my Zhao Family is the largest family in Black River Town, even ranking among the best in the entire Anyang County. We truly met too late."

A middle-aged man with a voice like thunder spoke loudly.

Next came the voice of Zhang Chong: "Uncle Zhao, although it is a bit late, I, Zhang Chong, will certainly serve the Zhao Family with all my heart and soul, even if it costs me my life!"

Chen Mo listened from afar and frowned. Although Zhang Chong's words sounded a bit like flattery, they weren't overly excessive; he wondered why Yin Shanshan was in such a hurry.

He saw Yin Shanshan standing silently at the door, her fingers gripping her dress tightly, as if waiting for something.

A moment later, the middle-aged man spoke again: "You don't understand what I mean. My daughter is about your age. If I were to propose you as my son-in-law, would you be willing?"

Chen Mo's heart jolted.

Yin Shanshan's fingers trembled, and her eyes turned red.

Inside the room, after a second of thought, Zhang Chong finally replied: "This junior is willing!"

His voice carried an undisguised excitement.

Zhang Chong's family background was not particularly good, but once he became the son-in-law of the Zhao Family, he would be on the path to success with countless resources at his disposal. Who could resist such a temptation?

Chen Mo noticed that Yin Shanshan was currently covering her mouth tightly with her hands, afraid of crying out loud, while two lines of tears had already ruined her makeup.

She turned and left, her footsteps somewhat unsteady.

Chen Mo was no longer interested in the conversation inside the room, so he followed her downstairs, preparing to head home.

As Yin Shanshan reached the entrance of the first floor, a man who looked like a young master picked up a glass of wine and held it out to her, "Miss, care for a drink?"

Yin Shanshan shouted angrily, "Get lost!"

The shout was like a clap of spring thunder.

She raised her hand and knocked the wine glass to the ground, splashing the man, but a hint of malice flashed in his eyes as he pulled a packet of powder from his person and threw it at Yin Shanshan.

"This is..." Chen Mo, standing behind, was startled.

In an instant, Yin Shanshan became delirious, her body swaying as she rushed out of the Hua Pavilion in a panic, while the man gave a sinister smile and followed closely behind.

Chen Mo's mind raced, weighing the two choices repeatedly: should he save her or not?

Usually, at the martial arts hall, Yin Shanshan had shown him no kindness at all, so there was no reason to save her.

However, Chen Mo had only been exempted from grain tributes and human sacrifices by joining the martial arts hall, and since Yin Shanshan was the daughter of the hall master, he could consider it repaying the hall master's favor.

After a moment of deliberation, he also walked quickly out of the Hua Pavilion; the streets were sparsely populated at this hour, and an unusual sound came from the entrance of an alley.

At the mouth of the alley, Yin Shanshan's legs went weak, and she barely managed to stand by leaning against the wall.

Although her consciousness was blurred, she knew what was about to happen...

The man quickly caught up and tore the clothing off Yin Shanshan's shoulder, "Yo, which delicate young lady is this, being so stubborn?"

Yin Shanshan used all her strength to slap the man's hand away, but she hadn't expected the drug to be so potent, especially since it was specifically designed to target women; this slap only caused her to sink further into a daze.

Seeing this, a look of greed appeared in the man's eyes, and he reached out to grab her body.

Just then, a fist shadow filled with force arrived with a boom, and the next moment, the man was sent flying over a zhang away.