Celebrating at Dark Fragrance Pavilion—Was He the Only One Left Out?

Dark Fragrance Pavilion.

Early that morning, the madam heard people discussing how Constable Li had slain demons outside the city the previous night, perishing together with a whole group of demons. Her face went pale with shock.

Those demons had been gathered by her master, Peony. She did not know exactly how many there had been, but her master had yet to return. Something had most likely happened.

She could not make sense of it. Constable Li and her master had clearly been in the same camp, so why had things turned out this way?

Could it be that the prefectural yamen had truly sent people to investigate, and Constable Li had wanted to wipe out all the demons to whitewash himself?

If her master was already dead, would those people come to silence her too?

She did not dare gamble on it. While no one had noticed her, she needed to run.

In Peony's room, the madam gathered up quite a few valuable pieces of jewelry. She then dug out some banknotes from her own room and packed them into a simple bundle. Turning to the maid at her side, she instructed, "I'm going out to buy a few girls. Tell everyone to serve the customers properly. Whoever leaves a customer dissatisfied, I'll skin her alive when I get back!"

She hurried to the back door and was just about to board her carriage when she saw a familiar figure standing beside it, smiling as he waved at her.

"Constable, what are you doing here? If you need to borrow the privy, just go straight in. No one will stop you." The madam forced a smile, thinking how unlucky she was. How had she run into Cui Lang even while slipping out the back door?

"I'm not here to borrow the privy. I came to talk to you. Let's go inside." Cui Lang handed the reins in his hand directly to the madam's driver and headed into the building.

Hearing the undeniable tone in Cui Lang's voice, the madam quickly swallowed all her excuses and obediently followed him back inside.

She had to get rid of Cui Lang quickly, so she could flee for her life.

"Constable, have some tea. Whatever it is, just say it. Or shall I arrange two girls for you first?"

If she found someone to keep Cui Lang occupied, she could make her escape all the sooner.

Even if Cui Lang asked for money now, she would hand it over without a moment's hesitation.

Cui Lang said directly, "Drop the empty pleasantries. Yesterday, Constable Li and I went outside the city to slay demons. One of them was Peony from your Dark Fragrance Pavilion."

The madam's heart lurched. "Constable, there must be some mistake. How could Miss Peony possibly be a demon?"

Cui Lang crossed one leg over the other. "Whether she was or not, we both know perfectly well. We also know what Peony did. From now on, everything Constable Li had is under my control."

"Do you think you can stay alive if you run now?"

Seeing that Cui Lang knew everything, the madam dropped to her knees before him with a thump. "Constable, please spare my life. I was forced into it."

"I-I'm still useful. I can run Dark Fragrance Pavilion. Even without Peony, I can raise up another courtesan queen. From now on, all the silver we earn will go to you. I won't hide a single coin."

Cui Lang snorted coldly. "It had better be that way."

"Tell me, who did Peony usually associate with? Do you know where she got that skin of hers?"

The madam shook her head blankly. "Constable, Peony rarely left Dark Fragrance Pavilion. I don't know who she met, and I never dared ask. Whenever there was something to report, I would place the message beneath the stone lion at the yamen's back gate."

"Eighty percent of the monthly income was delivered to the yamen's back gate after the curfew at the end of each month. I would leave it there and go. I never saw who took it, nor did I dare look."

"When I first met Peony, she already looked like this. I don't understand what you mean by that skin."

Cui Lang was somewhat disappointed. It seemed this madam truly knew nothing. Could Peony's skin not have come from Cloud Mountain County?

"Fine. Keep delivering the income as before. And don't tell anyone that I came here!"

The silver from Dark Fragrance Pavilion could not possibly have been split between only Zheng Fengyun and Constable Li, could it?

Were the others merely greedy for money, or did they also know that Peony was a demon?

In a few more days, once he "fortunately" broke through to the Essence Gathering Realm, he should be able to find out.

Perhaps it would not even take that long. If people from the prefectural yamen came, they could also bring everything to light.

"If anyone asks about Peony's whereabouts, you know what to say, right?"

The madam nodded. "I'll say she redeemed herself and left Cloud Mountain County."

Only after seeing Cui Lang nod did she rise to her feet and take several gold ornaments from her bundle. "Constable, these are what I've saved up. They're not in Dark Fragrance Pavilion's accounts. Please accept them as my tribute to you."

Cui Lang gladly tucked them into his robes. This trip had not been for nothing after all.

Leaving through the back door, Cui Lang rode back to the yamen and happened to run into Zhao Changshan, who was patrolling the streets.

When Zhao Changshan saw Cui Lang, he hurried over. Then his nose twitched twice, and he looked at Cui Lang with wounded resentment. "Chief Constable Cui, did you go to Dark Fragrance Pavilion? Did you see Miss Peony?"

Cui Lang had been promoted and gone to Dark Fragrance Pavilion to celebrate. The madam surely would not dare charge him silver, right? Had they really left only him out of something like this?

Cui Lang sniffed himself. The scent of Dark Fragrance Pavilion's powder was indeed far too strong. He should have gone home to change clothes first.

"I only stopped by for a cup of tea. Stop thinking about it too. The madam said Peony has redeemed herself and left Cloud Mountain County."

Zhao Changshan was stunned. "The madam was actually willing to let Miss Peony redeem herself and leave? Looks like I'll never have the chance to taste her fragrance in this lifetime."

Cui Lang looked at Zhao Changshan with a strange expression. An image rose in his mind of Zhao Changshan hugging a huge female monkey, and a chill ran down his spine.

"Old Zhao, you're still young. Train hard in martial arts. Don't wait until you're old to regret it," Cui Lang could not help advising.

Zhao Changshan was the first friend Cui Lang had made in the yamen. Though he was greedy for money and lustful, at least he had not colluded with demons. Cui Lang still hoped Zhao Changshan could go further in the future.

Zhao Changshan gave an embarrassed smile. "I was just saying it. From now on, I'll definitely train hard and won't disappoint Chief Constable Cui."

Cui Lang turned his horse around. "Find somewhere to rest on your own. I'm going home to change clothes."

Since Zhao Changshan could smell it on him, others definitely could too. He did not want Zheng Fengyun to know he had gone to Dark Fragrance Pavilion yet.

"Big Brother, why are you back so early? Where did this horse come from?"

Cui Ling stared at her elder brother in surprise when she saw him return. Did he not usually come home only when the sun was slanting west?

"I borrowed this horse from the yamen. Just give it some water."

It could eat fodder after he returned it to the yamen. Even if he had money now, he could not waste it.

"I'm going to change clothes. I'll leave again in a moment."

Returning to his room, Cui Lang changed out of his clothes. While the scent dispersed from his body, he sat cross-legged on the bed and continued cultivating.

The true essence in his body slowly fused into his muscles, bones, and skin, soon consuming more than half of itself.

Just as he was preparing to stop cultivating, the little pot in his mind suddenly stirred, and dense essence blood sprayed from its spout.

Without time to think about why the essence blood had refined so quickly this time, Cui Lang hurriedly followed the path of his body-tempering technique to refine it.

The muscles throughout his body trembled, and he could feel the strength contained within him rising at a furious pace.