Gu Shaojiu

"Let's go. Leave this beast here to wait for death slowly on his own."

Cheng Yang rose to his feet and dusted off nonexistent dirt from his hands, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the fine weather.

"Brother Yang... is there any chance that old beast might come back to life?" Haozi swallowed, his racing heart not yet fully settled.

"He's not dead. I left him with one last breath."

"..."

At a loss for words, Haozi silently followed Cheng Yang out. Before leaving, he gently pulled the door shut.

The narrow alley was utterly deserted, without a single soul in sight. Only the two of them knew what had just happened.

It was Haozi's first time doing something so thrilling, and his heart was still pounding wildly in his chest.

He secretly glanced at Cheng Yang's expressionless face, then recalled the smooth, flowing sequence of techniques he had used to cripple a man. He could not help muttering inwardly, Brother Yang couldn't possibly be doing this for the first time... could he?

Magpie Jade House stood on Fortune Street, Qinglin County's most prosperous thoroughfare.

The moment they stepped onto the street, the clamor of carriages and horses washed over them. Taverns and teahouses stood row upon row, while gambling dens, wine shops, and song-and-dance houses lined up one after another, their lights blazing brightly.

It was Cheng Yang and Haozi's first time in a place like this. Without any directions, they could only ask people along the way, turning left and winding around before finally finding the storefront of Magpie Jade House after much trouble.

The moment they entered, a flamboyantly dressed madam immediately came forward, her face wreathed in smiles. "What kind of service would you two gentlemen like?"

"Service..." Haozi had never been to such a place before. His thoughts immediately began running wild, and his face flushed scarlet.

No, no! I'm here to redeem someone, I can't let my thoughts wander! He viciously pinched the flesh of his inner thigh, forcibly crushing those amorous thoughts.

"A few days ago, was there a girl named Xiao Ningxue sold here?" Cheng Yang asked without beating around the bush.

The madam nodded. "There was indeed such a girl."

"Call her over. I want to redeem her contract of sale."

A troubled expression immediately appeared on the madam's face. "Sir, this..."

Cheng Yang frowned slightly and, without another word, pulled out a tael of loose silver from his clothes and tossed it over.

When a road could not be walked, he would use the power of money to clear the way.

The moment the madam caught the silver, more than half the difficulty on her face melted away. "You two gentlemen have come at a most unfortunate time. Miss Xiaoxue was taken a fancy to by a young master two days ago and directly purchased into his residence."

"Which young master? Do you know his name?" Cheng Yang's heart tightened.

Xiaoxue had been rather pretty to begin with. After arriving at the jade house and being dressed up with makeup, she had become even more outstanding.

This was what he had feared most from the start.

Upon hearing that, Haozi also immediately put away his messy thoughts and stared nervously at the madam.

"That young master... his background is no small matter." The madam deliberately dragged out her words in feigned hesitation.

Cheng Yang handed over another tael of silver.

The madam deftly pocketed it and lowered her voice. "His name is Gu Shaojiu, the Gu Family's youngest young master."

"The Gu Family?!" Haozi's face went pale, and even his voice trembled. "Brother Yang, the Gu Family... they're one of Qinglin County's four great clans. What do we do?"

Xiaoxue had been bought by the Gu Family's young master. Who knew whether it was a blessing or a curse...

"How much do you know about that Young Master Gu's character?" Cheng Yang regretted asking as soon as the words left his mouth. What kind of character could a man have if he came to a place like this to buy girls?

The madam looked around, pulled them both into a corner, and lowered her voice even further. "That Young Master Gu comes here every few days to buy girls and take them home. But every girl who has served in his residence ends up suffering beyond all endurance, wishing they were dead."

"It's because that young master has a particular hobby. When he does such things, he likes using certain distasteful objects..." Disgust appeared on the madam's face. "They're terribly sharp, no different from instruments of torture."

Having said her piece, she immediately waved them away. "All right, gentlemen, I've told you everything. If you have no other needs, please leave."

Cheng Yang's expression darkened further.

He was already so vicious at the jade house. Once Xiaoxue was inside the Gu Residence, who knew what methods he would use to torment her?

Haozi's face alternated between green and white, and he wished he could slap himself twice.

Just moments ago, he had still harbored the fantasy that Xiaoxue might live a good life after entering the Gu Family. Now, however, it sounded as though she had merely escaped the wolf's den only to enter the tiger's maw.

The madam had already turned away to greet other guests, so there was naturally no reason for the two of them to remain.

When they left Magpie Jade House, the night wind struck them head-on, yet their moods were even heavier than when they had arrived.

"Brother Yang... can we still see Xiaoxue?" Haozi's voice carried a deep sense of helplessness. The ones who had bought Xiaoxue were the Gu Family. He was merely an escort agency apprentice—what could he use to contend with such a colossal force for a person?

"I don't know..." Cheng Yang's voice was low, and a trace of self-reproach surfaced in his eyes.

If he had awakened his past-life wisdom and golden finger earlier, perhaps Xiaoxue would not have been sold into the jade house by that scum of a father, nor would she have been bought by Gu Shaojiu.

That beast was the source of every disaster. Thinking of it this way, Cheng Yang had gone too easy on him earlier.

"But no matter what, we have to try." Cheng Yang clenched his fist. "Haozi, come with me to the Gu Family."

"Brother Yang, that's the Gu Family! If the two of us go there, I'm afraid we won't even get to see Gu Shaojiu." Haozi's words revealed his lack of confidence.

"In terms of status, my identity as a core disciple is not much inferior to that of a Gu Family young master." Cheng Yang paused, then added, "No matter how great the Gu Family is, it cannot surpass the City Guard."

The five great martial halls and four great clans were deeply entwined throughout Qinglin County, but the force that truly stood above all others was the City Guard. Commander Wei held heavy troops in his hands and had been appointed by the Five Elements Sect. His words carried more weight than official documents from the imperial court.

Only then did Haozi suddenly realize that Brother Yang's current status was completely different from before.

As a core disciple of the Chen Clan Martial Hall, Cheng Yang's background was not the least bit inferior to the Gu Family's.

"Let's go! Brother Yang, let's do it!" Haozi's courage immediately returned.

Gu Residence.

After Cheng Yang announced himself as a "core disciple of the Chen Clan Martial Hall," the gatekeeper did not dare slight him. Before long, he led the two into the main hall of the front courtyard and served them hot tea.

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I'll go inform Young Master Gu at once."

One cup of tea went cold. Then a second cup went cold. They waited a full quarter of an hour, yet Gu Shaojiu never appeared.

Haozi fidgeted restlessly, looking around in every direction as though thorns had grown beneath his backside.

"Wait a little longer." Cheng Yang raised a hand to calm him, his tone steady.

After another cup of tea's worth of time, the two finally saw people entering the main hall together.

The one walking in front was a young man, his brows carrying unconcealed arrogance. Behind him followed a middle-aged man in fitted martial attire, his aura restrained. At first glance, he looked like nothing more than an ordinary steward.

"My apologies for making you two wait so long." The middle-aged man spoke in apology, then looked toward the young man beside him. "Shaojiu, these two guests have been waiting for you for quite some time. Aren't you going to apologize?"

"I know, Third Uncle." Gu Shaojiu's tone was reluctant as he lazily cupped his hands. "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's all right, it's all right!" Haozi hurriedly waved his hands. The courage he had gathered earlier had already leaked away by more than half inside the Gu Residence's gates.

"No matter." Cheng Yang stood, his gaze fixed directly on Gu Shaojiu. "You must be Young Master Gu?"

"That's right." Gu Shaojiu looked Cheng Yang up and down, his attitude quite impatient. "You and I have never met. What business does an outstanding disciple of the Chen Clan Martial Hall have with me? Speak quickly. I have matters to attend to."

"Xiao Jiu, what did I just tell you?" Gu Taibao spoke. His tone was not heavy, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

"I know, Third Uncle..." Gu Shaojiu muttered, but he reined himself in somewhat.

Cheng Yang shook his head inwardly. This Gu Family young master wore every emotion on his face and could not even be bothered to maintain a superficial facade. He truly lacked the scheming depth a scion of a great clan ought to possess.

He did not dwell on it and went straight to the point. "Young Master Gu, two days ago, you took away a girl named Xiao Ningxue from Magpie Jade House, didn't you?"