Betrayal

Have you found a host for the dragon's energy?

Overjoyed, Xu Qi'an braced himself on the railing and lightly leaped down from the fourth floor.

Where is that kid?

As he spoke, he waved his hand behind him, and a light blue robe flew out and covered him.

Li Lingsu was initially unconcerned, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luo Yuheng also flying down from the watchtower.

The Imperial Preceptor wore no makeup, her hair neatly tied up with a Daoist hairpin. Her demeanor was drastically different from a few days ago, and a faint sorrow lingered between her brows.

Her cheeks were still flushed, and her eyes and brows were charming and graceful.

The beautiful Li Lingsu sighed inwardly, forcing herself to look away from her, and straightened her expression, saying:

"In a brothel called 'Springtime'."

Spring is in full bloom?

Xu Qi'an frowned and pondered, "This isn't a proper name for a brothel."

The suffixes for brothels are usually "lou," "guan," or "ge," depending on their size or status.

"It wasn't a proper brothel to begin with; to be precise, it was a book club," Li Lingsu said, referring to the information provided by the Gongsun Lineage. "It was originally founded by a wealthy young lady who loved poetry and literature, specifically to entertain scholars and hold literary gatherings."

Later, his family suffered a misfortune and he fell into despair. He then turned his bookstore into a brothel, hiring talented women from similarly impoverished backgrounds to entertain the scholars.

After saying that, Li Lingsu thought in confusion: Xu Qian seems to know a lot about brothels.

Xu Qi'an immediately understood, and four words flashed through his mind: Theme Club!

This type of place is very common in Great Feng, the most famous of which is the brothel.

The main themes of brothels were opera, acrobatics, and the like, but they also engaged in prostitution.

In addition, there are some Daoist temples of this kind, full of fair-skinned and beautiful nuns who pretend to preach and expound scriptures to worshippers, and then, as they talk, they start having sex.

From the perspective of the pilgrims, they were not sleeping with prostitutes, but with Daoist nuns.

The style is completely different.

The same principle applies to the phrase "springtime is in full bloom".

Xu Qi'an turned to look at Luo Yuheng: "Imperial Preceptor, let's go together."

To be on the safe side, we'll bring Luo Yuheng along, ensuring we have sufficient combat power to counter uncertain risks.

Dajiaochang, barracks.

Chen, the secret agent, reached out and grabbed the carrier pigeon that flew into the courtyard, pulling out the thin bamboo tube tied to its claw.

After he finished reading it, he said to Ji Xuan and the others behind him:

"We've found a host for the dragon's energy."

Ji Xuan's team, who had originally planned to go out to search after breakfast, were overjoyed upon hearing this.

Where?

The White Tiger, one of the constellations, pressed for an answer.

Chen, the secret agent, chuckled:

In a brothel called "Springtime Splendor".

"Last night, a woman got into a fight with a client, which caused quite a stir. News of the incident spread, and that's how our hideout was exposed."

The old Daoist priest shook his head and chuckled, "No wonder we couldn't find him anywhere in the inn; it turns out the kid was hiding in a brothel."

Xu Yuanshuang corrected, "This isn't hiding; it's fate the Unseen in the dark, guiding him away from the inn."

Liu Hongmian and Xu Yuanshuang didn't get along, and she said with a coquettish laugh:

"According to you, he shouldn't have gotten into a conflict with the client; instead, he should have stayed hidden until we found him."

Xu Yuanshuang's pretty face was cool and aloof as she said indifferently:

"He may have already left, once again avoiding us. Or perhaps, someone with even greater fortune is searching for him. Don't forget, Xu Qian is accompanied by two dragon energies."

In her interpretation, the reason the dragon energy host was exposed was because Xu Qian was looking for him.

"There's no time to lose, let's get there quickly." Ji Xuan looked at the secret agent Chen, speaking rapidly, "With the Gongsun family's network of informants in Yongzhou, their intelligence gathering speed is probably no slower than ours."

Chen, the secret agent, nodded. "I will immediately inform the Buddhist School monks. The other side has Luo Yuheng backing them up; we can't handle them on our own."

The old Daoist priest with banana leaves suddenly said, "It's best not to show yourself. Stay in ambush nearby to avoid scaring them away."

Spring is in full bloom.

In the elegantly furnished, antique-style study, a graceful woman draped in a light gauze sat behind her desk reading.

The golden beast on the table emitted wisps of sandalwood incense.

This young lady was beautiful, and when she held a book in her hands, she exuded the refined and knowledgeable air of a well-bred lady.

But her attire subtly conveyed lust, enticing men.

The combination of these two qualities creates an indescribable allure.

Miao Youfang stood by the window, admiring the snow scene outside as heavy snowflakes fell.

After a while, he glanced back at the beautiful woman at the table and scratched his head.

After killing the owner of the Liubo gambling den with a single sword strike that day, feeling vindicated, Miao Youfang originally planned to find an inn to stay in.

On his journey, he happened to witness a thief snatching a young woman's purse. Seeing the injustice, he stepped in to help, retrieved the purse for the girl, and chased the thief away.

Unexpectedly, the beautiful young woman was one of the top courtesans at this "Springtime Delight" brothel, named Zi Yuan.

The girl Ziyuan was very fond of him and invited him to stay overnight at "Springtime". Miao Youfang was a Qi and Blood young man and could not resist the temptation. He said "no, no" while taking off his pants.

Last night, a young man dressed as a scholar insisted that Miss Ziyuan accompany him in his studies. He was very forceful, and when Miss Ziyuan refused, he forced himself on her.

He was reprimanded by Miao Youfang and kicked out of "Springtime Splendor".

Miao Youfang, Miao Youfang, you are destined to become a great hero, you can no longer indulge in lust. Miao Youfang coughed and said:

"Miss Ziyuan, I'm leaving today."

The girl behind the desk looked up and said softly:

"Young Master Miao wishes to challenge the strong and hone his Martial Dao at the martial arts tournament. Rather than staying in the barracks, why not stay at my humble abode?"

This is to prevent him from leaving.

Miao Youfang was speechless for a moment. His intuition urged him to leave. Miao Youfang believed that he felt guilty because he had been infatuated with Ziyuan's beauty for the past two days.

"It is precisely because I need to challenge masters and hone my Martial Dao that I cannot afford to be distracted and must concentrate on my training."

The girl named Ziyuan pursed her red lips, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes, and said softly:

"Young master, would it be alright if you left tomorrow?"

Miao Youfang tried to correct him, but his face showed difficulty. As someone with little experience, he couldn't bring himself to say things to deceive a woman without blushing or skipping a beat.

Just then, a sparrow fluttered in and landed on the windowsill, its black button-like eyes quietly watching the two of them.

In a small alley a hundred meters away from "Springtime", three people wearing veiled hats stood quietly, their shoulders and hat brims covered with a thin layer of snow.

"Senior, how is it?"

One of the men asked in a low voice.

"The person in the portrait is inside."

While sharing the sparrow's view, Xu Qi'an was distracted in answering Li Lingsu's question.

He was cautious, considering that a night had passed and the Buddhist School and Tianji Palace were likely aware of the news, so he did not rush in.

Choose to control a sparrow to scout ahead first.

"Imperial Preceptor, please bring her out. We'll meet at Qingxing Garden." Xu Qi'an turned his head, reached out and grasped Luo Yuheng's soft hand, which was tucked into her sleeve, and squeezed it in her palm.

Disgusting! Li Lingsu noticed this detail and cursed inwardly.

He felt offended.

Luo Yuheng gave a soft "hmm" and was about to fly away when he suddenly paused, looking down at the large hand that had been clenched tightly.

Bang!

As Miao Youfang was pondering how to refuse, the door was violently kicked open, and a group of people barged in.

The leader was a gentle and handsome young man with a slight smile on his lips, giving the impression that he was easy to talk to.

Behind him stood a cool and aloof young girl, a stern-looking young man carrying a long spear, a charming and mature woman, an old man in a worn-out Daoist robe, a tall and burly man, and a man from Southern Frontier wrapped in a colorful robe.

These were the enemies he inexplicably made while he was in Qingzhou.

Besides this group, there were two young monks, one with gentle features and the other with a strong presence.

What are they doing here?

Are they coming for me?

Why?

A series of questions flashed through Miao Youfang's mind, but his reaction was not slowed down. He immediately jumped up and was about to jump out of the window to escape.

"Amitabha Buddha, turning back is the shore."

Suddenly, a gentle, mellow voice rang in my ears.

Miao Youfang's body stiffened, his movements faltered, and he turned around uncontrollably.

Baihu and Jingyuan acted simultaneously, pressing down on Miao Youfang's shoulders from both sides and pulling him towards themselves.

"Snort!"

Jingyuan snorted coldly and punched Baihu in the face.

The latter retaliated with a sinister grin, their fists colliding and exploding with a deafening roar.

In the study, the paintings, incense burner, porcelain vases, and other furnishings were all shattered.

The terrified girl, Ziyuan, felt a thud in her chest, her face turned deathly pale, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood. She slumped limply onto the table, her fate unknown.

"Purple Iris Girl!"

Miao Youfang's eyes were practically popping out of their sockets.

Ji Xuan turned his head, looked at Jing Xin, and said calmly, "It was agreed beforehand that the dragon energy host belongs to us."

Jingxin clasped her hands together and scolded, "Jingyuan!"

The monk Jingyuan frowned, displeased, and released Miao Youfang, ceasing his attempt to snatch the item.

Miao Youfang's eyes were bloodshot, and he gritted his teeth, saying:

"I don't know why you're targeting me, but since I'm powerless to resist, why do you still want to harm the innocent?"

No one paid him any attention; it seemed that this insignificant person wasn't worth wasting words on.

"Take her away, let her go for a stroll outside, let that latecomer see her." Ji Xuan looked at his cousin Xu Yuanshuang, "This young lady is somewhat injured."

Xu Yuanshuang said expressionlessly, "Xu Qian stole my things."

Ji Xuan slapped his forehead, took off the brocade pouch from his waist, and handed it over.

After Xu Yuanshuang fed the prostitute some medicine, the group left Chunyinong.

"No need!"

Xu Qi'an sighed, "They've already taken him away."

Upon hearing this, Li Lingsu felt a wave of fear. "If the Daoist leader had stepped forward just now, he might have been ambushed by a combined force of Buddhist School Arhats and Vajras."

Beneath the draped veil, Luo Yuheng's brows were furrowed with sorrow as she sighed softly:

"I wish I had been promoted to the first rank sooner."

The "sorrowful" personality has three treasures: sighing and lamenting are all my fault.

"Senior, this is difficult. It seems we have no choice but to abandon this person and find the next target."

Since it wasn't her own business, Li Lingsu wasn't too anxious despite her disappointment.

"For me, all nine dragon energies must be collected, "Xu Qi'an pondered.

"I had anticipated this possibility, so I prepared another plan."

Li Lingsu asked instinctively, "What plan?"

No sooner had he asked than Xu Qi'an removed his veil.

Li Lingsu was puzzled by this, but before he could ask any questions, he saw Xu Qian, that old geezer, raise his foot and kick him hard out of the alley.

At the same time, he heard Xu Qian gather his qi in his Dantian, his voice like thunder:

"The Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect, Li Lingsu, is here!"

???

Li Lingsu never expected that Senior Xu, whom she had always trusted, would do such a heinous thing.

Even more depraved, he saw Xu Qian calmly take out a round jade pendant after shouting, and calmly crush it.

With a "click," a beam of clear light enveloped Xu Qian and Luo Yuheng, and they disappeared.

The next moment, a giant golden hand descended from the sky, enveloping the area.

The Arhat made his move.

Li Lingsu was filled with despair.