Chapter 29

The atmosphere in the room froze.

Luo Qingchen looked at the woman behind Sun Ping and said calmly, "I did not do those things."

"You did!"

Qingmei stood behind Sun Ping and shouted an accusation.

Sun Ping spun around abruptly, slapped her across the face, and scolded, "Who told you to speak?"

Qingmei clutched her cheek, not daring to make another sound.

Sun Ping turned her gaze back to the young man before her, her face cold as she warned, "Remember, you are a guard here; you must understand the rules! If you want to play with the girls in this pavilion, as long as you pay the silver, no one will say anything. Or, as long as the other party is willing, no one will say anything either. But if you try to rely on being a cultivator..."

"Sister Sun!"

A voice suddenly came from the railing on the second floor: Zhao Yun.

"That night, I heard with my own ears that it was Qingmei who took the initiative to invite Guard Luo into her room. Guard Luo spoke a few words to her at the door and then left; he never went inside, let alone tried to force his way in to molest her."

Qingmei immediately looked up and cursed angrily, "Zhao Yun! You little slut, is it just because you've taken a fancy to his virgin body? Your father hasn't paid me the silver he owes yet! When are you going to pay me back?"

Zhao Yun was silent for a moment before saying, "In a few days."

Qingmei let out a cold snort. "So the money you earned before really all went to this little lover of yours? No wonder you're speaking up for him. He probably doesn't know that you previously..."

"Shut up!"

Sun Ping barked, raising her hand to deliver another loud slap.

"Are you all trying to revolt? Infighting at a time like this? Do you still have any respect for me?"

Sun Ping's face was livid, filled with rage.

Qingmei clutched her face, humming in defiance, but she stopped speaking, though her eyes glared upward.

Zhao Yun also watched her from the floor above.

Sun Ping's chest heaved violently for a while from anger before she waved her hand. "Everyone disperse, go back to your rooms and prepare to receive guests. No one is to mention today's events again!"

Qingmei clutched her cheek and turned to leave.

Zhao Yun also silently moved away from the second-floor railing.

Sun Ping looked back at the young man, her lingering anger still visible. "Guard Luo, be more careful in the future. This pavilion has its rules. As long as you follow them, no one will say anything."

"Sister Sun, what's going on?"

At that moment, Chen Ju walked in from the entrance, reached out to pat Luo Qingchen on the shoulder, and laughed, "What did my brother Luo do to make you angry? If he did something wrong, I'll apologize to you on his behalf. You know this kid hasn't been here long; he's surely still unfamiliar with some of the rules. Please, show some leniency."

Sun Ping said coldly, "It's nothing major."

With that, she turned and left.

Chen Ju looked at Luo Qingchen beside him with a puzzled expression. "What exactly happened? Tell your brother about it."

Luo Qingchen asked, "Brother Chen, do you have any silver on you? Could you lend me some?"

Chen Ju's expression stiffened instantly. He took his hand off Luo Qingchen's shoulder and gave a bitter laugh. "Didn't I show you last time, Brother Luo? I don't have any silver; I don't even have a single copper coin on me."

Seeming afraid that Luo Qingchen would ask about borrowing money again, he quickly added, "Brother Luo, the time has come; we should go on patrol. Let's do it like before: you take the upper floors, I'll take the lower. If anything happens, just shout."

Having said that, he walked away quickly.

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

As a cultivator, flesh wounds usually healed quickly, and if one had high-quality trauma medicine, the wounds would heal even faster.

Although he couldn't be certain it was the other man that night, he would never be careless with anyone here.

Arriving at the second floor, he first patrolled outside each room.

It was just past nightfall, so there were no guests yet. The girls were quietly dressing in their rooms, and the maids walked with very light footsteps.

There were no performances in the lobby downstairs either.

The entire Hundred Fragrance Pavilion was so quiet and desolate that it didn't feel like a brothel at all.

The atmosphere was very strange.

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

Just as he was deep in thought, the door of the adjacent room suddenly opened.

Qingmei appeared in the doorway draped in thin gauze, chest pushed out, looking at him with a sneer. "Guard Luo, if you submit to me now, I'll waive Zhao Yun's debt. If you need silver, I can give you that too. At the very least, I am cleaner than Zhao Yun, and I have more money than her."

Luo Qingchen ignored her, not even sparing her a second glance, and turned to walk away from the corridor.

Qingmei gritted her teeth behind him. "You just wait!"

Luo Qingchen stopped at the corner of the hallway, a look of contemplation on his face.

Was this woman really that desperate for a man?

Clearly not.

Then, she must have had another motive.

"Creak..."

At this moment, the door to the first guest room opened.

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

Luo Qingchen hesitated for a moment, then walked over and asked, "A-Yun, is something the matter?"

Zhao Yun did not concern herself with etiquette; she reached out, pulled him into the room, closed the door, and lowered her voice. "This afternoon, I saw Chen Ju enter Qingmei's room, and he didn't come out for an hour. Brother A-Chen, you must be careful of Chen Ju. I fear Qingmei slandering you this time was done at someone else's instigation."

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

Zhao Yun whispered again, "I've heard that for those of you who cultivate, it is best to avoid women, or it will hinder your progress. Qingmei has been seducing you, and I fear that is also at someone's instigation."

Luo Qingchen said, "I will be careful."

Zhao Yun hesitated, then lowered her voice further. "Brother A-Chen, everyone in this building is terrifying; it is best if you do not get close to them. They all have masters. Sometimes, when guests fall asleep in their rooms, they secretly draw the guests' blood. Their methods are very secretive; many guests never even notice."

Luo Qingchen felt a chill in his heart.

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

"I'm heading out now."

Luo Qingchen immediately opened the door and stepped out.

When Chen Ju saw him, he glanced into the room and smiled. "Don't take offense, Brother Luo. It's not that I meant to disturb you, but it's time for us to go out for a patrol. Once we finish patrolling the exterior, you can come back and catch up with Miss A-Yun. As long as she has no guests tonight, it doesn't matter if you spend the whole night in there, Brother Luo."

Luo Qingchen looked at him without saying a word.

The two went downstairs together, exited the courtyard, and began to patrol around the outer perimeter wall.

When their figures were swallowed by the darkness, Chen Ju suddenly spoke up: "Brother Luo, I just heard from the maids about Qingmei slandering you tonight. Do you want to take revenge, Brother Luo?"

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

Chen Ju gave a cold, sinister smile: "A mere lowly prostitute dares to slander us cultivators? Even if you had truly forced yourself upon her, so what? We cannot just swallow this insult, or everyone in this building will think we guards are easy to bully!"

As he said this, he reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, acting intimately. "Brother Luo, when dawn comes, let's pay to go to her room together and give her a good torment. As long as we pay the silver, we are guests. According to the rules of the house, not only can she not resist, but she must be subservient and kneel before you, letting you humiliate her as you please. You can take your revenge however you like then, how about it?"

Luo Qingchen heard this and a look of contemplation appeared in his eyes. He seemed to consider it very seriously before saying, "But I don't have any silver on me. Not a single copper."

He then stared at him and asked, "Brother Chen, do you have any?"

"I..."

Chen Ju was about to nod, but suddenly remembered the two times this guy had asked to borrow money earlier.

For a moment, he didn't know how to answer.

Luo Qingchen reached out his hand directly: "If you have any, Brother Chen, lend me a few taels first. As for the revenge, let's talk about it after I've paid off my debts."

Chen Ju: "..."