The Secret of Hua Pavilion

The air was thick with the smell of wine and cosmetics.

Some wealthy young masters were lavish with their money, tossing a few ingots of silver to the women before them. The women laughed so hard their branches trembled as they hurriedly stuffed the silver into their sleeves, afraid the young masters might change their minds.

Chen Mo cleared away the distractions in his field of vision and fixed his gaze on a man in black.

The man didn't pause at all. He went straight up to the second floor.

Chen Mo pretended to be captivated by a songstress nearby, but kept his eyes on the stairs, noting where the man in black had disappeared.

"Come on, young master, have a couple of drinks with me!"

A woman in a flowered dress, her face caked in makeup, held a wine cup and flirtatiously winked at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo glanced at her. He didn't have time to linger, so he looked away and slowly made for the stairs, then went lightly up to the second floor.

He had seen similar places in his previous life and knew full well that these were businesses capable of making a man lose his entire fortune.

The woman put on an indignant look, then turned and went to seek another target.

Chen Mo went upstairs, pretending to wander around before heading toward the place where the man in black had disappeared.

A row of tightly shut rooms lined both sides of the corridor. From most of them came sounds best left undescribed.

When he reached a slightly larger room, Chen Mo stopped and nudged the window open a crack to look inside.

One man sat, while two others stood at his side.

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

The man in black standing beside him trembled slightly. "Reporting to the deputy gang leader, that brat is as slippery as a loach. I suspect he's already spotted me."

"Do you even need to suspect? Don't make excuses for your incompetence! You lost him, and on top of that, you'd better not have led anyone back here."

Chen Mo's heart tightened at those words.

The man in black immediately patted his chest. "That definitely didn't happen. I'm certain of it."

The deputy gang leader pondered for a moment and let it go. Then he asked the other man, "Are you sure the information you secretly gathered is accurate? Chen Mo really only just entered Ming Jin?"

"Reporting to the deputy gang leader, the information I reported to you the day before yesterday was true. I went to Panshi Martial Hall first, but couldn't find him. Later, I learned he was a new disciple at Tianqing Martial Hall and had broken through to Ming Jin after only half a month."

Looking closely, Chen Mo recognized the speaker as the burly man with a saber who had been at the entrance of Hua Pavilion that day.

"So it's true..."

He knew full well the Hansha Gang would sooner or later discover his identity. And after killing one of their assassins yesterday, he had sealed his enmity with them.

"Half a month to break through to Ming Jin..."

The deputy gang leader looked surprised. "He's certainly gifted. Since he has a name and a face, finding out where he lives won't be difficult. By the way, word came in from below this morning: one of the two brothers sent to intercept the Wu Family caravan is dead. They say Chen Mo did it, too."

As he spoke, the wine cup in the deputy gang leader's hand suddenly shattered. Wine splashed onto the burly man with the saber, but he didn't dare say a word.

Worried he might be discovered, Chen Mo slowly backed away to the stairs. Just as he was about to go down, a familiar figure came up toward him.

"Yin Shanshan?"

Chen Mo wondered, What is she doing at Hua Pavilion?

Yin Shanshan looked grave as she passed him and headed for the third floor.

Chen Mo considered the matter. He had little to do with Yin Shanshan, but if she was involved with the Hansha Gang, and something happened between them and Tianqing Martial Hall, he—a disciple of the hall—might be caught in the crossfire. Yin Shanshan was the hall master's daughter, after all.

With that thought, Chen Mo turned and followed her from a distance.

Yin Shanshan seemed to be in a hurry; her steps were quick and heavy.

"Thud, thud, thud!"

Yin Shanshan soon reached the third floor, but didn't stop. She continued down the corridor and came to a door.

Chen Mo took the chance to hide in the shadows of a nearby storage room. He could just make out the words "Shuixian Pavilion" on the door.

Just then, voices came from inside.

"Zhang Chong, you're one of the finest young men in Black River Town, while my Zhao Family is the largest lineage in town—and one of the most prominent in all of Anyang County. It's a pity we didn't meet sooner."

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

Zhang Chong replied, "Uncle Zhao, though it's a little late, I, Zhang Chong, will surely devote myself to the Zhao Family, even if it costs me my life!"

Chen Mo listened from afar and frowned. Zhang Chong's words were a little flattering, but not unreasonable. Why was Yin Shanshan so distressed?

Yin Shanshan stood silently by the door, her fingers tightly clutching her skirt, as if waiting for something.

After a moment, the middle-aged man spoke again. "You haven't understood what I mean. My daughter is about your age. If I said I wanted you as my son-in-law, would you be willing?"

Chen Mo's heart jolted.

Yin Shanshan's fingers trembled, and her eyes reddened.

Inside the room, Zhang Chong thought for a moment before finally answering, "I'm willing!"

His voice was impossible to hide his excitement.

Zhang Chong's family wasn't particularly well-off, but if he became the Zhao Family's son-in-law, he'd rise to the top and gain access to countless resources. Who could resist such temptation?

Chen Mo noticed Yin Shanshan had clamped a hand over her mouth, afraid she might sob aloud. Two trails of tears had already ruined her makeup.

She turned and walked away, her steps unsteady.

Chen Mo had lost interest in the conversation inside the room, so he followed her downstairs, intending to go home.

When Yin Shanshan reached the entrance on the first floor, a young man who looked like a young master beside her held out a cup of wine. "Miss, have a drink?"

Yin Shanshan snapped, "Get lost!"

Her shout cracked like spring thunder.

She raised her hand and knocked the cup to the ground, splashing wine all over him. A sinister glint flashed in his eyes, and he pulled a packet of powder from his clothes and flung it at Yin Shanshan.

"What was that...?" Chen Mo froze behind her.

In an instant, Yin Shanshan became somewhat delirious. She staggered and hurried out of Hua Pavilion, while the man smiled darkly and followed close behind.

Chen Mo's mind raced as he weighed the two choices over and over: should he save her or not?

At the martial hall, Yin Shanshan had never shown him the slightest kindness. He had no reason to save her.

But Chen Mo had only avoided the grain levy and human sacrifice because he'd entered the martial hall. Yin Shanshan was the hall master's daughter. Could he consider this repayment for the hall master's kindness?

After a moment's thought, he hurried out of Hua Pavilion too. Few people were on the street, and strange sounds came from an alley.

At the alley entrance, Yin Shanshan's legs gave way, and she barely managed to brace herself against the wall.

Though her mind was clouded, she knew what was about to happen...

The man quickly caught up and yanked at the clothes on Yin Shanshan's shoulder. "Well, well, what a lush young beauty—and so stubborn, too?"

Yin Shanshan gathered all her strength and slapped his hand away. But the drug was potent, made specifically to target women, and the blow only left her more dazed.

Seeing this, greed flared in the man's eyes. He reached out to grab her.

Just then, a fist wreathed in powerful force hurtled toward him. The next moment, the man was sent flying ten feet away.