Plum Manor.
Ren Woxing sat beside a table, drinking medicinal wine sent by the Five Immortals Sect.
His strength was recovering faster than expected, and his body was no longer scrawny. Within a month at most, he would surpass his former self.
He knew all this was thanks to Lin Lang's arrangements, which allowed him to recover here in peace without having to hide from place to place.
It was not just Dongfang Bubai. Many people from the great orthodox sects wanted his head too.
What puzzled him, however, was that he had clearly passed the Star-Sucking Great Skill on to Lin Lang. With Lin Lang's strength, draining a few martial artists should have been no problem. Why had he heard nothing about it?
Lin Lang had not come looking for him either. Surely Lin Lang could not have failed to notice the problem of conflicting foreign true qi?
Xiang Wentian walked in. "Cult Leader, we've contacted some more people. They were all delighted to hear you were back."
"Lately, the Sun Moon Holy Cult has been locked in bloody fighting with the Five Mountains Sword Alliance. That steward Yang Lianting has sent a lot of people to their deaths. Zuo Lengchan even personally led men to wipe out several of the Holy Cult's Branch Altars, yet Dongfang Bubai hasn't lifted a finger. Quite a few people are grumbling."
"Lin Lang said he would keep Dongfang Bubai too busy to bother with us. He really did have a way."
"He also said he had a way to make it easier for us to return to Blackwood Cliff and kill Dongfang Bubai. I wonder what it is."
Xiang Wentian had racked his brains without coming up with a good plan. His idea was to lead a direct assault on Blackwood Cliff, have their old followers hold off everyone else there, and take on Dongfang Bubai themselves.
Once they killed Dongfang Bubai, the Cult Leader's strength and prestige would allow him to reclaim control of the Holy Cult.
But that would inevitably deal a heavy blow to the Holy Cult's strength. Neither of them wanted to see brothers in the cult slaughtering one another.
Ren Woxing set down his wine cup. "Next month, we'll return to Great Ming. We can find Lin Lang and ask him. I'll also see how much his strength has grown."
"By the way, do you know what he's been doing lately? Which martial experts has he fought?"
Xiang Wentian said, "...He's been going to the Fragrant Pavilion quite often lately."
"The Fragrant Pavilion? What sect is that? I've never heard of it." Ren Woxing looked puzzled. It sounded like a sect founded by a woman.
He did not look down on women. The Moving Flower Palace and the Emei Sect, among others, were women's sects, and all were very powerful.
Xiang Wentian said, "The Fragrant Pavilion isn't a martial sect... it's a place for drinking with courtesans."
Ren Woxing: "???"
My precious daughter has fallen for him, and he won't even respond, yet he goes drinking with courtesans?
No, wait. Doesn't that brat practice the Golden Body Child Skill? Perhaps there's some deeper purpose.
I'll have to test him when we meet. If his virginity skill is still intact, everything can be discussed. If he's broken it, he can't blame me for turning on him!
The Fragrant Pavilion.
Lin Lang was speaking to a woman in front of him. "Tone down that look in your eyes. You need to look innocent, understand?"
"And don't dress so revealingly. Go see how respectable girls from modest families dress. Keep your hair ornaments simpler too."
"Stand up and take a few steps. Stop swaying all over the place. Walk in a straight line."
"Madam Sun, wasn't I right? With me training these women for you, aren't you earning more?"
On his previous visits to the Fragrant Pavilion to listen to songs, he had noticed that its women were far too alike.
Every one of them wore skimpy clothes, a layer of scented powder, and gold and silver jewelry. They swayed as they walked and cast seductive glances.
None of them stood out. No wonder many customers stopped coming after one or two visits.
Since the Fragrant Pavilion now handed over seventy percent of its monthly profits to the Thousand-household Office, he needed to improve its business so that his own share would grow.
Madam Sun's face was all ingratiating smiles. "Thank you for all your hard work, Lord Lin. Since your training, the girls really have been getting more business. We've taken a great deal of business away from the other establishments."
When Liu Xiong had run the Thousand-household Office, Madam Sun had only needed to hand over fifty percent. As soon as Lin Lang arrived, that had become seventy percent.
At first, she had been extremely reluctant, but pressure had left her no choice but to agree.
Now, however, the Fragrant Pavilion's business had nearly doubled, and many of the girls commanded much higher prices. In the end, she was earning more too.
What she could not understand was that Lord Lin never stayed overnight when he visited, and never even touched the girls. She had heard it was because he practiced a virginity skill, but how did he know more than someone like her, who had spent decades in the trade?
Could it really be that men understood men better?
Lin Lang glanced at the madam. "This is only the beginning. Listen to me, and I guarantee the Fragrant Pavilion will become the most popular place among men in all of Great Ming."
Unfortunately, the prevailing social attitudes would not allow it. Otherwise, he could have made the Fragrant Pavilion the most popular place among women too.
He still had plenty of ideas he had not told the madam about. These would do for now.
He believed other establishments would soon start copying them. When that happened, he would introduce more innovations. That was how he would keep the Fragrant Pavilion earning him a fortune.
He was now running the Thousand-household Office and had sent everyone out to gather intelligence on the martial world. He had to pay them enough, or who would put their heart into the work?
Men traveled a thousand miles to take office only for wealth, and these Jinyiwei were no different. They risked their lives on duty because they wanted promotion and riches.
Promotion was harder. There were only so many seats, after all. With their predecessors occupying them, those below could not rise.
So paying them was the most direct solution, and it would also win him greater support from his men.
Before, some might have been too cowed by his tyrannical power to resist. Now, he had battered them into submission with silver.
He came here to train the women not merely to make money, but also to recruit some of them.
Just as Liu Wu had been able to have Xiao He drug him back in Bailing County, he could recruit people to work for him too.
They did not need to drug martial artists for him. Helping coax information out of them would be enough.
After all, once blood rushed to their heads, many men had no guard at the gates of their mouths.
This martial world was different from the one he remembered, especially now that his actions had changed so many things.
He therefore needed more people gathering more intelligence for him, so he could better carry out his plans.
The reason he did not touch the women here was that too many others already had. He was not interested.
He was continuing to teach the women techniques for handling men when Wang Wu's voice came from outside the door. "My lord, Liu Zhengfeng is back. He's brought in two wanted criminals."
Lin Lang's interest immediately stirred. After such a long wait, Liu Zhengfeng had better not disappoint him. He hoped the people brought back would qualify as experts.
When he returned to the Thousand-household Office, he found Liu Zhengfeng chatting with Jia Liu. At the sight of Lin Lang, both immediately bowed in greeting.
"All right, no need for formalities. Liu Zhengfeng, where are the people you caught? Once we've verified them, I guarantee you'll be promoted to Probationary Hundred-household, perhaps even Hundred-household. You'll have earned more promotions in a year than I have."
Liu Zhengfeng did not particularly care. Even if he became a Hundred-household, he would probably still be doing the same work.
"My lord, this one is called Sun Yu. He slaughtered a household of eighteen in the Capital City, then fled to our Pingyang Prefecture. He tried to resist when I found him, but he was only a second-rate martial artist. I subdued him in fewer than three moves."
"While escorting him back, I encountered a female thief listed on a wanted notice. She's killed several sons of wealthy families and is a late-stage Martial Arts Master. Capturing her took quite some effort."
Lin Lang looked the female thief over, his eyes shining.
"I'll leave Sun Yu to you. Have him confess whether he's hidden any money or anything else, then send him to the Capital City to await execution after autumn."
Lin Lang rubbed his hands, his face brimming with excitement. "Take this female thief to my office. I'll interrogate her myself."
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