Mass Grave.
This was a graveyard outside Nanli City.
Most of those buried here came from poor families. After they died, someone dug a hole and hastily buried them here, leaving little mounds of earth scattered across the place.
"Peach Blossom..."
Lin Fei lay sprawled in front of an excavated mound, tears streaming down his face as he wept in anguish.
He had found the place by following the directions Ding Tiechui and the other two had given him.
The bodies inside the mound were Peach Blossom and Xinghua.
They had been dead for many days. Their bodies had changed color and were giving off the stench of decay.
The clothes they wore were ones Lin Fei had bought for them back on Earth.
According to Ding Tiechui, it was the clothes' novel style that had drawn the attention of the Young Master of the Blood Wolf Gang.
"Peach Blossom, I'm taking you home!"
Lin Fei lifted Peach Blossom's body and laid it in the coffin he had prepared, then hauled it away in a horse-drawn cart.
As for Xinghua's body, Lin Fei did not bury it.
Xinghua bore much of the blame for Peach Blossom's death.
If Xinghua's father hadn't owed gambling debts, and if Xinghua hadn't taken Peach Blossom to the casino, Peach Blossom would never have suffered such a fate.
Lin Fei hated her. Leaving her body exposed in the wilderness was what she deserved.
Peach Blossom had died carrying their child. Her death filled Lin Fei with unbearable pain.
Lin Fei took Peach Blossom's body back to the South City Large Residence and washed it himself.
But her body had already begun to decay. Her skin tore at the slightest touch.
Silently shedding tears, Lin Fei changed her into fresh clothes.
As he looked at Peach Blossom's still-rounded belly, the pain inside him reached its limit.
"Child... I'll avenge you and your mother. I swear it!"
He and Peach Blossom had met by chance.
They had become husband and wife without a proper wedding ceremony.
But even a single day as husband and wife was worth a hundred days of affection.
His love for Peach Blossom had been sincere.
He had also been filled with anticipation for their unborn child.
They could have been a happy family of three. Now they were separated by life and death, never to meet again.
Lin Fei had wanted to share the joy of the child's birth with his parents. Now, all that remained was an agony carved into his heart.
"Blood Wolf Gang... Situ Ye, the Young Master..."
"I'll make you pay in blood!"
Lin Fei turned to look at Ding Tiechui and the other two, lying in the corner. His revenge would begin with them.
Lin Fei gave the three of them quick deaths, ending their lives with a hammer.
But he would make the entire Blood Wolf Gang pay this blood debt!
Lin Fei handed Ding Tiechui and the other two's bodies over to Bai Yansong. Bai Yansong was shocked to see three corpses appear out of nowhere, but he asked no questions.
Bai Yansong had a pit dug in the hills behind the residence. Under the cover of night, he buried the three men.
Lin Fei did not bury Peach Blossom's body. Instead, he laid her on the Millennium Cold Jade Bed.
The cold air rising from the bed could keep a corpse from decaying.
Lin Fei decided he would bury Peach Blossom and her child after avenging them.
To take revenge, he first had to understand his enemy's strength.
Lin Fei went to Li Ruxue again and asked her to help him find out the Blood Wolf Gang's strength and the whereabouts of its Young Master, Situ Ye.
But this time, Li Ruxue refused.
She said that investigating the Blood Wolf Gang in detail would require mobilizing many of the Li Family's senior informants.
The Blood Wolf Gang was one of Nanli City's five major powers. An investigation into such a force would inevitably alert the Li Family elders, and she would not be able to bear the consequences.
Lin Fei understood her predicament and did not press her.
If Xunmei hadn't stepped in, he would have had to go to considerable trouble to capture Ding Tiechui. He already owed Li Ruxue for that favor.
Although Li Ruxue did not help Lin Fei herself, she did point him in the right direction.
She told him that Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion, one of the five major powers, was no ordinary brothel. It was an organization that traded in intelligence.
The brothels in Nanli City were either controlled by Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion or had its informants planted inside.
Most of Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion's intelligence was gathered in bed or overheard at drinking tables. It had plenty of secret information, and its reports were highly accurate.
The star courtesan of Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion was Jade Hibiscus.
To buy information, he first had to meet her.
And to meet Jade Hibiscus, he had to present a gift of ten thousand gold.
Lin Fei had long since spent the more than ten thousand gold coins he had earned from the Thousand Gold Pavilion.
If he hadn't found the gold and silver treasures in the secret chamber, he really wouldn't have been able to come up with ten thousand gold.
Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion was in North City District.
The building had an unusual design, consisting of five interconnected towers.
Viewed from above, they formed the shape of a flower.
At the center of the five towers was a garden.
All kinds of rare flowers and plants grew there, vivid and beautiful—a one-of-a-kind sight in Nanli City.
With plenty of gold notes on hand, Lin Fei arrived at Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion.
As soon as he entered, several beautiful women dressed to the nines gathered around him.
"Sir, you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time at our pavilion?"
"Sir, my name is Rain Lotus. How would you like my sisters and me to take care of you tonight?"
"I'm Green Ivy..."
The women were not only good-looking; each of them gave off a strange fragrance.
After breathing it in, a person felt lightheaded and couldn't help but feel fond of them—even overcome by desire.
Lin Fei blushed. This was the first time so many women had taken the initiative to fawn over him.
"I'd like to meet the star courtesan, Jade Hibiscus. Please let her know!"
The woman called Rain Lotus giggled and breathed softly into Lin Fei's ear.
"Sir, our star courtesan doesn't entertain guests lightly."
Lin Fei took out the ten thousand gold notes he had prepared and handed them to her.
"I know the rules. This is the gift for meeting her!"
"Take this guest to a room to wait. I'll go let her know."
Lin Fei was taken to a room, where two women attended to him with painstaking care.
One massaged his shoulders and back. The other poured tea and served it to him, even trying to feed it to him.
But Lin Fei's heart was filled with hatred. He was in no mood to enjoy himself.
"Ladies, I don't need anyone to wait on me. Please give me some space."
They didn't pester him. Instead, they became much more restrained.
After waiting for more than half an hour, Rain Lotus finally returned.
"Sir, our star courtesan is free now. Please follow me!"
Lin Fei followed her to a room on the top floor.
"The star courtesan is waiting inside. Please go in!"
Lin Fei pushed open the door. A faint, delicate fragrance drifted through the room.
A woman dressed in pink, with a white gauzy robe over it, stood with her back to him.
When she turned around, Lin Fei's eyes lit up.
What a beautiful woman!
Lin Fei marveled inwardly. Her beauty was rare in this world. No wonder she was the star courtesan.
Her skin was as smooth as cream, just like the flower in her name.
Her eyes shone like bright stars. A single glance into them seemed enough to make a person lose himself.
Jade Hibiscus—a hibiscus flower as beautiful as white jade.
At that moment, Lin Fei felt as though beauty itself had been elevated.
His mind was entirely free of improper thoughts. The woman before him seemed graceful and otherworldly, beyond reproach.
"I'm Lin Fei..."
Without thinking, Lin Fei gave her his real name. It felt as though lying to her would be a sin.
"This humble girl is Jade Hibiscus!"
Jade Hibiscus bowed slightly in greeting. Her posture was graceful, and her voice was clear and melodious.
"May I ask what brings you here to see me, sir?"
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