Chapter 29

The atmosphere in the hall froze.

Luo Qingchen looked at the woman behind Sun Ping and calmly said, "I didn't do any of that."

"You did!"

Standing behind Sun Ping, Qingmei pointed at him and shouted.

Sun Ping whirled around and slapped her across the face, scolding, "Who told you to speak?"

Qingmei covered her cheek and didn't dare say another word.

Sun Ping turned her gaze back to the young man before her and warned him coldly, "Remember, you're a guard here. You need to know the rules! If you want to play with one of the girls, just pay. No one will say anything. Or, if she's willing, no one will say anything either. But if you try to use your status as a cultivator..."

"Sister Sun!"

Zhao Yun's voice suddenly rang out from the second-floor railing.

"That night, I heard with my own ears that Qingmei was the one who invited Guard Luo into her room. Guard Luo went to the doorway and spoke with her for a few words, then left. He never went inside, let alone tried to force his way in and assault her."

Qingmei immediately looked up and cursed, "Zhao Yun! You little slut, aren't you just after his precious virgin body? Your father still hasn't paid back the silver he owes me! When are you going to pay me?"

Zhao Yun fell silent for a moment, then said, "In a few days."

Qingmei gave a cold laugh. "So all the silver you earned really did go to your little sweetheart? No wonder you're speaking up for him. He probably doesn't know that you used to..."

"Enough!"

Sun Ping shouted and raised her hand, delivering another sharp slap.

"Are you all trying to rebel? Picking fights among yourselves at a time like this? Do you have any respect for me?"

Sun Ping's face was livid with anger.

Qingmei covered her face and gave a resentful little snort. She said nothing more, but glared up at the second floor.

Zhao Yun was glaring down at her from above.

Sun Ping's chest heaved with anger for a while. Then she waved them off. "Break it up. Go back to your rooms and get ready to receive guests. No one is to mention what happened today again!"

Qingmei covered her cheek and turned to leave.

Zhao Yun also quietly stepped away from the second-floor railing.

Sun Ping turned her gaze back to the young man before her, her anger still simmering. "Guard Luo, be more careful from now on. This establishment has its rules. As long as you follow them, no one will say anything."

"Sister Sun, what happened?"

Just then, Chen Ju walked in through the doorway and rested a hand on Luo Qingchen's shoulder with a smile. "What did my brother Luo do to upset you? If he did something wrong, I'll apologize on his behalf. You know he's only been here a few days, so he probably hasn't learned all the rules yet. Please be patient with him."

Sun Ping's face remained cold. "It's nothing serious."

With that, she turned and left.

Chen Ju looked puzzled as he turned to Luo Qingchen. "So what happened? Come on, tell me."

"Brother Chen, do you have any silver on you? Could I borrow some?"

Chen Ju's face froze. He took his hand off Luo Qingchen's shoulder and gave a bitter smile. "Didn't I show you last time, Brother Luo? I don't have any silver. I haven't got a single coin on me."

As if afraid Luo Qingchen would ask to borrow money again, he hurriedly added, "Brother Luo, it's time. We should go on patrol. Let's do what we did before—you take the upper floor, and I'll take the lower. Just shout if anything happens."

Then he hurried off.

Luo Qingchen stared at his right leg for a few moments before heading toward the stairs.

As cultivators, they usually recovered quickly from flesh wounds. With good wound medicine, injuries would heal even faster.

He couldn't be certain that Chen Ju was the one from that night, but he would never let his guard down around anyone here.

On the second floor, he first made a round outside all the rooms.

It was just after nightfall, and there weren't any guests yet, so the girls were quietly getting ready in their rooms. Even the maids walked softly.

There was no entertainment in the hall downstairs either.

The entire Hundred Fragrance Pavilion was so quiet and deserted that it hardly seemed like a brothel.

The atmosphere was strange.

Luo Qingchen patrolled the corridor carefully. When he reached the window at the far end, he gazed out into the dark night.

As he pondered, the door of the adjoining room suddenly opened.

Qingmei appeared in the doorway, draped in a thin veil and thrusting out her chest. She watched him with a cold smile. "Guard Luo, if you give in to me now, I'll forgive Zhao Yun's debt. If you need silver, I can give you some too. At least I'm cleaner than Zhao Yun, and I'm richer than her."

Luo Qingchen ignored her. He didn't even spare her a glance before turning and walking down the corridor.

Behind him, Qingmei gritted her teeth. "Just you wait!"

Luo Qingchen stopped at the corner of the corridor, a thoughtful look on his face.

Was this woman really that desperate for a man?

Clearly not.

Then she must have some other motive.

"Creak..."

Just then, the door of the first room opened.

Zhao Yun appeared in the doorway and beckoned him over, whispering, "Brother A-Chen, come in for a moment."

Luo Qingchen hesitated, then walked over and asked, "A-Yun, what is it?"

Zhao Yun didn't bother with formalities. She reached out, pulled him into the room, and closed the door. In a low voice, she said, "This afternoon, I saw Chen Ju enter Qingmei's room. He didn't come out until an hour later. Brother A-Chen, be careful of Chen Ju. I'm afraid someone put Qingmei up to slandering you."

Luo Qingchen's gaze turned cold, and he nodded.

Zhao Yun continued in a low voice, "I've heard that cultivators shouldn't get involved with women, or it will hinder their cultivation. Qingmei keeps trying to seduce you. I'm afraid someone put her up to that too."

"I'll be careful," Luo Qingchen said.

Zhao Yun hesitated, then lowered her voice further. "Brother A-Chen, everyone in this place is dangerous. You'd better not get too close to them. They all have masters behind them, and sometimes, when a guest falls asleep in their room, they secretly take his blood. They're very discreet about it, and most guests never notice."

Luo Qingchen's heart tightened.

Just then, Chen Ju's voice came from the stairs outside. "Brother Luo, where are you?"

"I'll head out first."

Luo Qingchen immediately opened the door and stepped outside.

When Chen Ju saw him, he glanced into the room and smiled. "Don't take it the wrong way, Brother Luo. I'm not trying to interrupt you. It's time for us to make a round. Once we're done patrolling outside, you can come back and catch up with Miss A-Yun. As long as she doesn't have a guest tonight, you can spend the whole night in there."

Luo Qingchen looked at him without saying anything.

The two of them went downstairs, left the courtyard, and began patrolling along the outer wall.

When their figures disappeared into the darkness, Chen Ju suddenly spoke. "Brother Luo, I just heard the maids talking about how Qingmei slandered you tonight. Do you want revenge?"

Luo Qingchen turned to look at him. "How?"

Chen Ju gave a sinister smile. "A lowly prostitute dares to slander us cultivators. Even if Brother Luo really did force himself on her, so what? We can't just swallow this insult. Otherwise, everyone in the establishment will think we guards are easy to bully!"

As he spoke, he put a hand on Luo Qingchen's shoulder, his manner friendly. "Brother Luo, once it's light, we'll pay to go to her room together and teach her a good lesson. If we pay, we're guests. According to the rules here, she can't resist. She'll have to kneel before you and meekly let you do whatever you want. Then you can get your revenge however you like. What do you say?"

Luo Qingchen seemed to ponder this seriously for a moment, then said, "But I don't have any silver on me. Not a single coin."

He stared at Chen Ju. "Do you have any, Brother Chen?"

"I..."

Chen Ju was about to nod, but then he remembered the two times this fellow had asked to borrow money.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Luo Qingchen simply held out his hand. "If you have some, lend me a few taels first. We can talk about revenge after I've paid off my debts."

Chen Ju: "..."