Playing the Spoiled Young Master

Night fell.

Cao Jinxing was in the kitchen, cooking noodles for himself.

Xuan Yuan Fourteen sat on a little stool beside the stove, tending the fire. Whenever the wood had nearly burned down, he would send another burning stick inside.

But he still had trouble controlling his strength. Sometimes he failed to light the wood; sometimes he used too much force and burned it straight to ash.

Whenever that happened, he would look pitifully at Cao Jinxing and let out soft, plaintive meows.

"It's all right, it's all right."

Cao Jinxing freed one hand to stroke his head in reassurance, while holding a soup ladle in the other to taste the broth. "Seems a little salty... damn this salt!"

It tasted far worse than the salt of later centuries. His cooking skills were lacking, and he knew none of the techniques used by chefs at famous restaurants, so he could only make do.

"Not bad, I suppose."

After slurping down a bowl of egg noodles, Cao Jinxing gave it a passing grade against his conscience and asked Fourteen, "Tastes pretty good. Want some?"

Xuan Yuan Fourteen hurriedly shook his head and hugged his precious natural treasures. He had secretly tried a mouthful. It was unbearably salty!

Had it been even a little less salty, he would have humored his master.

But he simply couldn't...

"Get me a bowl."

Lu Kunlun's voice came from the courtyard. Cao Jinxing waved a hand, opening the door, and asked, "Found a lead?"

"Yes."

Lu Kunlun made himself right at home. He strode inside, planted himself on a stool with his legs spread, and ladled out a bowl of noodle broth. The moment he took a sip, his expression changed, and he turned to spray it onto the ground!

"Holy shit! This is way too salty!"

"It's not that bad."

Cao Jinxing's expression never changed as he steered the conversation back. "What lead?"

Lu Kunlun put down the bowl and poured himself some tea. "I followed Old Zhou all day. I found out that the wine seller often visits a place called the Red Sleeve House."

Cao Jinxing thought for a moment. "The brothel in the west of the city?"

"Yes. They seemed to have arranged to meet at noon, but Old Zhou waited all day and only received a letter. After reading it, he raced into the city. Most likely, something happened to the wine seller, and he went to rescue him."

Cao Jinxing nodded. "A reasonable deduction."

"But just now, he disappeared too..."

Lu Kunlun gave him a meaningful look. "He was in a hurry, so this time he changed only his face, not his clothes. One of my brothers in the gang happened to spot him. The place he went was none other than the Red Sleeve House!"

The Beggar Gang's ability to gather information was unrivaled.

Lu Kunlun said, "I've confirmed that the wine seller hasn't left the brothel since yesterday. And after Old Zhou went inside in disguise, he never came out either... Looks like we're not the only ones after the jade flat peaches. More importantly, they've already made their move!"

Cao Jinxing frowned. "Old Zhou is no weakling. Wasn't there even the slightest sound of fighting?"

"That's the strange part!"

Lu Kunlun was baffled. "Yesterday and just now, the singing and dancing at the Red Sleeve House never stopped. Everything seemed perfectly normal! And that's exactly what makes it so suspicious. Never mind the wine seller, but Old Zhou is no paper tiger. He should at least have managed a shout or two."

"Singing and dancing..."

Cao Jinxing lowered his head in thought.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. He remembered the "Sixteen Heavenly Demon Dance" he had encountered at the Four Seas Escort Agency!

"Wait. Tell me everything again." Cao Jinxing's voice grew serious. "Don't leave out a single detail!"

Seeing that he seemed to have made a connection, Lu Kunlun hurriedly recounted everything he had witnessed and everything he had learned from the messenger.

"There's something wrong with that performance."

Cao Jinxing declared, "Poison is the most likely way to deal with an opponent without a sound. But Old Zhou comes from the Starry Sea. He's an expert in poison himself, and his movement skills are excellent. Even if he couldn't escape, he shouldn't have gone down without making a sound. Apart from that..."

"Soul-Seizing Zither Music!"

Lu Kunlun slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That bullshit 'celestial music'! If someone played the zither to disrupt him while an expert ambushed him from behind, they really could take him down in an instant! That must be it!"

Lu Kunlun grew more excited as he spoke. "That wine seller is short, ugly, and smelly. He doesn't look wealthy, yet he has plenty of money to spend on women in a brothel. That's probably what caught their attention..."

"No secret stays hidden forever."

Cao Jinxing said, "Especially when he flaunts it like that... Old Zhou was cautious enough. Unfortunately, the other man was so caught up in wine and women that he left openings everywhere and drew attention... But there's one problem. If theirs was merely a business relationship, Old Zhou shouldn't have risked his life for him..."

"Maybe he's his illegitimate son!"

Lu Kunlun wasn't interested in that. All he wanted now was to find the legendary Peach Blossom Spring, obtain the jade flat peaches, and increase his power!

"We can't waste any more time. They might already have forced the location out of them and set off to find it." Lu Kunlun rose and paced back and forth, growing anxious.

After all the time they had spent on this, were they going to end up empty-handed?

"Calm down first."

Cao Jinxing said, "They might have left, or they might still be interrogating them. We'll have to get inside to find out. Looks like we need to pay the Red Sleeve House a visit."

"That won't be easy."

Lu Kunlun shook his head. "We know nothing about the layout inside. We could easily walk into an ambush."

"So..."

Cao Jinxing smiled. "I need you to draw their attention out in the open while I sneak inside and see whether I can find any clues."

Lu Kunlun's eyes lit up.

Cao Jinxing asked, "Can you play a spoiled young master?"

Lu Kunlun understood at once and grinned. "Of course. I may never have been one, but I've seen enough of them! Just watch! I'll turn the place upside down!"

A quarter of an hour later.

Lu Kunlun changed into the clothes of a rich wastrel, with slicked-back hair and a powdered face, and arrived at the Red Sleeve House. He snapped open a folding fan and strutted inside with his toes turned out.

"Oh, sir, are you here to enjoy some music, or..."

A middle-aged woman approached him, her face wreathed in smiles. Customers who looked stupid and rich were their favorites.

"Who the fuck comes to a brothel to listen to music?"

Lu Kunlun looked utterly scornful. "I don't go in for that pretentious cultured nonsense. I'm here for the real thing! I hear you have a girl named Su Miaoyun who's supposedly unmatched in beauty and talent? Talent's secondary. She'd better be a beauty!"

"..."

The madam's smile immediately stiffened. "Sir, Miaoyun doesn't sell her body..."

"Filthy whore!"

Lu Kunlun cursed without the slightest restraint. "Who are you trying to act precious for? You just want money, don't you? I've got money!"

He took out two banknotes and stuffed them into the older woman's hand. "Tell her to wash herself and come see me. I want to find out whether she's still such a beauty in bed."

He walked farther inside with a lecherous grin.

Hidden in the shadows, Cao Jinxing's mouth twitched. He suspected this bastard had visited places like this plenty of times. His performance was flawless, down to every gesture and expression!

"..."

The madam's face darkened. "You must be from out of town, sir, to dare cause trouble at the Red Sleeve House!"

"What?"

Lu Kunlun showed no fear. He looked askance at her and demanded loudly, "You're going to hit me? Do you know who I am? Zhao Wenhua is my cousin! Grand Secretary Yan is his adoptive father! I'm standing right here! Go on, hit me!"

The entire hall fell silent.

Customers, prostitutes, and brothel attendants alike froze. He was actually Zhao Wenhua's cousin, someone with family ties to Grand Secretary Yan.

This...!

The madam was dumbfounded, overwhelmed by the headache she now faced.

"Hurry up and bring her here!"

Lu Kunlun planted himself in a seat with his legs spread and snapped open his folding fan. Chin raised, he looked down his nose at everyone. "I'm bedding her today, no matter what! Not even the King of Heaven himself can stop me!"

That single declaration was all it took.

The entire Red Sleeve House erupted like a pot of boiling water.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Cao Jinxing slipped into the building and vanished like a ghost...