Myriad Phenomena Tower
Five tall buildings, one in each of the four directions and one in the center, are connected by flying bridges. Inside, there are three hundred elegant pavilions and more than a thousand wealthy guests, where revelry never stops day and night.
At midnight, the South Building's main hall was filled with wealthy young men and beautiful dancers.
In a luxurious room upstairs facing the street, assassin Zhang Jin sat examining a map of the imperial city.
Huang Guan, dressed as a scholar, sat beside him and advised:
"Whether this trip succeeds or fails, it's a one-way trip. To put it bluntly, you'll have to eat your last meal before you're beheaded. If you don't like the beauties here, I can find you a girl you like on Changle Street."
Qian Zhong was stabbed, and although he didn't die, he was seriously injured in the chest and abdomen. He was cursing and swearing.
"If he won't eat this last meal before his execution, I will. As for those red-haired Orangutans downstairs, the master has summoned them over; I haven't seen them yet."
Zhang Jin, burdened with a blood feud, never intended to return alive from the capital. His response to this was:
"Give him what he wants; all I need is a good weapon."
Huang Guan sighed upon seeing this:
"You have Third Rank military background, and now you're a renowned soldier. The Heaven-Observing Pavilion will verify your identity, and the weapon will be placed in the palace before your birthday. You can retrieve it yourself." "How do I enter the palace?"
Huang Guan was an advisor under the Duke Who Protects the State. The Duke Who Protects the State could easily bring someone into the palace, but this matter could only be discussed with Jiang Jinjiang. To prevent leaks, Qian Zhong and Zhang Jin were unaware of the scheme. Their response was as follows:
"I have my own ways to get into the palace, but this matter needs to be linked to the Cao Clan to kill two birds with one stone. I've already set up the scheme. Right now, Cao Xiong's grandson, Fan Zhe, is playing dominoes with some rich kids in the building. I'll take you there later. Your identity has been prepared. You'll deliberately lose a few hundred strings of cash to him to get acquainted with him..."
After hearing the general outline of the process, Zhang Jin stood up:
"Now that they're here, let's go straight over."
Huang Guan asked, "You really don't want food, drinks, or girls? Once you step out this Daoist School, you won't be yourself anymore; there's no turning back."
"Seventeen years ago, when the Emperor of Yan exterminated my entire family, I was already dead. Thank you, sir, for giving me this opportunity."
Huang Guan nodded without saying anything more, and then raised his hand to call a servant from outside the door.
Despite his anger, Qian Zhong couldn't say anything harsh at this moment, and simply cupped his hands in greeting:
Take care on your journey.
Zhang Jin said nothing, turned around and left.
Huang Guan watched them leave from inside the house, and after a moment of silence, turned back:
"This young man is more promising than Yang Tuyan. It would be a waste for him to be a suicide squad member, but he lacks the will and is not suited for this job."
After confirming that Zhang Jin was far away, Qian Zhong sat up straight.
"Did Mr. Huang really order him to assassinate the emperor, or was he just trying to sow discord among the Cao Clan?"
Huang Guan said, "According to the plan, this matter could be linked to the Cao Clan and the Crown Prince. If it succeeds, the Crown Prince will be suspected of regicide and patricide, which would make things much easier. But unfortunately, he can't even get a hundred paces to the palace. If he can get the Cao Clan, who are in charge of the palace, to neglect their duties and smear him, he will have already accomplished his task." Qian Zhong sighed, "The sect leader has ordered me to follow your instructions. What should I do next?"
Huang Guan stood up and said, "Things went smoothly, so there's no need for further arrangements. You've suffered a lot on this trip. I'll go and call those Hu women over. You should get some rest for the night. Qian Zhong was just saying he'd eat his 'last meal' in anger, but if they really make arrangements, he'll naturally accept."
"Sir, you are truly righteous."
"Of course..."
As night deepened, Chongren Street, adjacent to the Imperial City, remained bustling in the slightest. Strings of lanterns hung from the shops along the street, and late-night food Myriad Phenomena Tower, with its astonishing scale, stood right in the center of the district, its magnificent and resplendent architecture visible from two miles away.
Ye Xingge, dressed only in a gray-white robe, sat outside the carriage, gazing at the extravagant restaurant from afar; his follower, Xiao Si, sat beside him, his whole body tense and barely daring to breathe.
Inside the carriage, Chen Xiaobao, dressed in a young master's robe, dared not sit down and instead squatted by the carriage door, whispering:
"Lord Ye, how could I dare let you drive? Please come in and have a seat..."
"I'm just going to check things out, don't make a fuss. Just think of me as your bodyguard. Once we're inside, show me around and introduce me to anyone we meet."
"Well..."
Chen Xiaobao clearly had no right to refuse, so he could only nod and obediently squat down to look around.
Glug glug...
The luxurious carriage continued on its way and soon arrived outside the Myriad Phenomena Tower's entrance.
The porch is flanked by vermilion walls, and inside is the front hall leading to the east building. The area of the porch alone is comparable to that of the Wujian Inn.
Behind the porch are the East Building, the five-story Middle Building, and the West Building, with two more tall buildings on the left and right, all connected by two-story sky bridges, creating an astonishing scale.
As the carriage stopped at the side of the street, Ye Xingge did not get off immediately, but first checked his own combat readiness.
The Mountains and Rivers Pouch cannot be easily exposed, so he still wears the Ravine-Leaping Tiger, Wind-Traveling Talisman, and Heaven-Obscuring Arm on his body. As for the Water-Repelling Pearl and the Gold-Melting File, one yin and one yang, they are naturally used to make room for the Mountains and Rivers Pouch. In addition, there are soft armor, smoke bombs, and other items.
According to Great Beauty's intelligence, Qian Zhong is five feet five inches tall, wears a black robe and carries a sword, and appears at Myriad Phenomena Tower at night.
Qian Zhong is the head of the Black Dragon Island Wealth Hall, in charge of the black market at Forgetful River Mouth and the gang's money bag. He is not a thug, but he is quite powerful. He is ranked 340th on the Gold List, while Qian Zhong is ranked 358th, nearly 20 places higher than him.
Although the Blood Courses Through the Eight Meridians can offset the difference in skill level, or even give him an advantage, Qian Zhong comes from a major sect, practices the inner sect kung fu of Black Dragon Island, and definitely has powerful items on him.
If he wants to win, he can probably only rely on his nine-foot crescent blade to overcome its weakness and make up for the gap in skill by relying on the advantage of his Blood Courses Through the Eight Meridians.
Furthermore, it's unclear what Qian Zhong is here for, and if there are other experts present, the situation could be quite dangerous.
Therefore, this is likely to be a tough battle.
Fortunately, Great Beauty had already arrived in advance and was acting as an observation post at a high point outside the Myriad Phenomena Tower, so there was no problem with advancing or retreating.
Thinking of this, Ye Xingge jumped off the carriage, first glancing at a tall building in the distance, then placing the Ravine-Leaping Tiger, smoke bombs, and other items in a convenient location to prevent the Mountains and Rivers Pouch from accidentally leaking out.
Chen Xiaobao jumped off the carriage and saw Ye Grand Duke Jupiter reach for his manhood in his pants. He quickly raised his hand.
"Eh? Lord Ye, didn't we say we were going to check on the situation? Why are you pulling out a knife now?"
Better safe than sorry.
After packing his Ye Xingge tossed his bamboo hat onto the carriage and raised his hand, saying:
"Please, Young Master Chen."
Chen Xiaobao felt like a hostage being held by ruthless bandits. All he could do was straighten his clothes, take the fan from Xiao Si, and swagger towards the door.
Inside the Myriad Phenomena Tower's entrance hall, there were not only singing girls and dancers waiting for guests, but also managers to receive them.
Upon seeing Young Master Chen arrive with his entourage, a steward hurriedly ran down the white stone steps:
"Oh my! Young Master Chen! A rare guest indeed, you haven't been here for three or five days..."
For the past three to five days, Chen Xiaobao hadn't had a chance to relax because of Ye Grand Duke Jupiter. Tonight, he finally managed to set up a table, only to be caught red-handed. He was furious but dared not speak out. At this moment, he waved his hand and said:
"Just come and take a look around, treat me like any other guest."
"Hey? Young Master Chen, how could I possibly treat you as an ordinary guest?"
The steward bowed and led the way, while beckoning to the waiting songstresses:
"Aren't you going to come over and pay your respects?"
The forty or fifty girls who hadn't made a sale yet, of varying shapes and sizes, smiled and quickly stepped forward, bowing slightly.
"Young Master Chen~"
Ye Xingge followed behind, and the scene seemed quite familiar.
Chen Xiaobao, followed by the "supervisory team," turned pale upon seeing this and quickly waved his hands.
"No, no, this is inappropriate. I'm a government official now, don't make a fuss..."
The manager was taken aback, then quickly smiled apologetically:
"Understood. Young Master Chen prefers peace and quiet. I'll arrange the best private room immediately, even if it means shouting myself hoarse..."
"Stop!"
Chen Xiaobao's face turned green again: "According to the laws of the Great Yan Dynasty, forcing or humiliating a courtesan to commit adultery is punishable by one hundred strokes of the cane. This place is only for public banquets with singing and dancing and drinking. Watch your words!" "Alas, those regulations are for ordinary people. Young Master Chen comes from the Wuxi Chen Clan, and the law does not apply to officials..."
Holy crap...
Chen Xiaobao's face turned pale. "Don't make false accusations! What do you mean by 'doctors are above the law'? My Chen family is a scholarly family..."
Seeing that he was not being well-received, the manager quickly changed his tune:
"Which girl does Young Master Chen prefer today? We had a few Hu girls available, but they were just booked. If Young Master Chen needs one, I'll call them back right away..."
"What kind of talk is that? How could I possibly take a girl I've already chosen by force?"
"..."
The manager clearly still remembered the Jade Immortal House massacre, and hesitated to speak.
Ye Xingge couldn't stand it any longer and interjected:
"Young master, you just had some wine at Plucking Osmanthus Fragrance and came here simply to relax with a friend."
Chen Xiaobao nodded quickly. "Yes, I just came to take a look around."
The steward suddenly realized what was happening and led the way:
"Young Master Chen is truly well-informed. Today, Young Master Li from the Yong River Chamber of Commerce organized a gathering, and Young Master Fan, the grandson of General Cao, and Young Master Han from the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness's family are both there..."
Chen Xiaobao was worried that with so many nobles and wealthy young men gambling inside, he would be unable to maintain his place in the elite circles if he brought Ye Grand Duke Jupiter in. He quickly closed his eyes and said, "I won't go looking for them. You go and rest. I'll wander around by myself."
"This is probably..."
"Go! Go! Go..."
Worried that this jinx might say something else, Chen Xiaobao quickly chased the person away. Then, he led Ye Xingge into the East Building's main hall. Once they were some distance away, he slowed his pace and whispered:
"Lord Ye, please don't misunderstand. Everyone has been young and naive at times. I have already repented and reformed..."
Ye Xingge ultimately used Chen Xiaobao as a pawn, and didn't put too much pressure on him.
"I see. That Young Master Fan and his group are taking Five Blessings Powder together?"
Chen Xiaobao waved his hand. "No, it's just friends playing Pai Gow, a little gambling for fun."
"Oh..."
According to the intelligence, Ye Xingge learned that Qian Zhong had appeared at Myriad Phenomena Tower. He was five feet five inches tall, dressed in black robes and carrying a sword, and was accompanied by two people.
But he didn't know what it looked like, nor its exact location, so he slightly raised his chin:
"Take me around to see how many people are using Five Blessings Powder. If not many, then forget it."
"Don't worry, there aren't many people. You don't need to look at the regular areas; I'll take you directly to the third floor."
As Chen Xiaobao spoke, he led Ye Xingge to the third floor of the East Building.
The three floors are all private rooms for entertaining VIPs. The Myriad Phenomena Tower is a restaurant, mostly for dining and drinking; only a few people actually hire singing girls for entertainment. Ye Xingge walked along the corridor, carefully listening to the conversations in the rooms to assess the general situation inside...