Brothel

Same night.

Shen Gui led Zhao Yue through the streets of the city.

The further you go in, the more lively it becomes, with more lights and red lanterns that look pleasing to the eye.

The shops on both sides were still open, some selling rouge and face powder, others selling gold and silver jewelry. Several merchants, their faces flushed from drinking, walked side by side, followed by girls carrying zithers. Their playful laughter could be heard halfway down the street.

Zhaoyue looked up and gazed ahead.

A four-story vermilion building sits at the end of the long street.

The area in front of the gate was filled with horse-drawn carriages, and two rows of red lanterns hung from the eaves to the third floor, illuminating the entire street in red.

Someone was singing upstairs, and the song, carried by string and wind instruments, drifted out from the half-open window.

"Young master, you mean rats live in places like this?"

"Um."

"They really know how to manage their money."

Zhaoyue touched her belly.

Shen Gui walked towards the gate.

Two waiters stood outside the door to greet guests. When one of them saw Zhaoyue, his smile faltered for a moment.

"And who are you two?"

Zhaoyue immediately took out the guest advisor's certificate of Zhaoyezong.

The waiter examined the token and his smile returned: "So you are a guest of Teruno-museum. My apologies for my rudeness."

After saying that, he led Shen Gui inside.

Zhaoyue followed behind, observing the lively scene inside, and asked in a low voice, "Is the flower shop doing so well?"

Hearing this, the waiter in front turned around and laughed, "Sir, you are joking. The girls in the brothel have been learning to play the zither and dance since they were young. A single dress takes half a month to make. Gentlemen, you are enjoying this. You are not buying wine, you are buying a mood."

Zhaoyue thought for a moment: "Then they must earn a lot, right?"

The waiter's smile remained unchanged as he changed the subject: "Please come inside, sir."

The hall was already full of people.

The central platform was surrounded by a light gauze curtain, and a woman sat inside holding a pipa. Her face was not visible; only her fingers could be seen plucking the strings.

Dozens of low tables were set up below the stage.

Those sitting in the front row were mostly merchants in fine clothes, with jade hanging from their belts, and some attendants with swords behind them.

Shen Gui sat down near the stairs, and Zhao Yue climbed onto the stool next to him.

The waiter brought over a liquor license.

Zhao Yue glanced at it and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: "Two hundred coins for a plate of fruit?"

The waiter said, "These are fresh fruits transported from the south."

"Is this pot of wine worth three ounces?"

"Stored for ten years."

Zhaoyue pointed to the bottom line: "You charge for just saying a few words?"

"If the ladies were just sitting here for free, this establishment would have gone bankrupt long ago," the waiter said with a smile. "We also have un-transformed demonesses here, young sir, would you like to order one?"

Zhaoyue quickly pushed the wine card away.

Give me a bowl of water.

"Sir, even plain water costs ten coins."

"No, I don't want it."

Zhao Yue grumbled and cursed.

The waiter looked at Shen Gui.

Shen Gui said, "A pot of tea."

"Okay."

The waiter picked up the liquor card, but didn't leave immediately.

"May I ask where you two come from?"

"What's it to you?" Zhaoyue asked.

"Our shop is the best in the area. We often have customers from other countries or even other continents. Customers from the south like sweets, while those from the north like strong liquors. We need to find out where they come from so we can arrange their preferences accordingly."

As the waiter spoke, his gaze swept over Zhaoyue's guest token and then glanced at Shen Gui's clothes.

Just as Zhaoyue was about to speak, Shen Gui spoke first: "Serve tea."

The waiter chuckled dryly: "Alright~ Please have a seat."

He turned and left.

Shen Gui prompted, "Look at this building more closely. What can you see?"

Zhaoyue watched the waiter's retreating figure, then looked around.

Just now I thought the whole place was full of drinkers and girls, but now that the young master has reminded me, I see something else.

The waiter asks every customer who enters where they come from.

Those wearing official badges would have their badge designs noted down by the accountant behind the counter. When border merchants entered with guards, the shopkeeper would ask them a few more questions about where the goods came from and whether the journey was safe.

These questions were not very in-depth; they were more like casual conversation.

Next to me sat three merchants, each with a girl in his arms. One of them was so drunk he was practically delirious, still boasting that his caravan had just returned from the north with forty carts of goods, and that not a single bandit dared to stop them on the road.

The girl next to him poured him a drink.

"Sir, you're so capable. When will you be leaving next time? I'll come to see you off in advance."

"The day after tomorrow."

"Go through the north gate?"

"What do you know, woman? The customs duties at the North Gate are heavy; you have to go west."

The girl laughed and joked. A moment later, she excused herself to change her clothes and got up. As she passed the stairs, a tiny piece of paper slipped out of her sleeve and into the waiter's hand. The movement was swift.

"Young master, this place sells more than just wine?"

"What else can you discover?"

Upon hearing this, Zhaoyue looked elsewhere.

A local official entered the room and handed his waist token to the waiter. The accountant behind the counter then replaced it with another book.

Another young woman returned through the back door, carrying nothing, but she slipped a sealing note under the door frame as she entered.

The notes were quickly taken and sent upstairs.

Zhao Yue clicked her tongue: "Why would they do these things? Is it some kind of shady business?"

Shen Gui took a sip of the tea that had just been delivered; the tea wasn't worth half a tael of silver.

He put down his cup and stood up.

"Walk."

"Where to?"

"upstairs."

Zhaoyue quickly jumped off the stool.

Two guards stood at the top of the stairs. They were tall with calluses on their hands and their cultivation levels appeared to be Body Tempering, but they were actually both at the Observation Realm.

When the guards saw Shen Gui approaching, the one on the left reached out to stop him: "Honored guest, please wait."

Shen Gui continued forward.

The guard's hand was about to touch the gray-clad man when his left knee suddenly bent and slammed into the wooden board.

The guard next to him changed his expression, reached out and pressed his hand to his sword. Before the sword was even drawn, he also knelt down. Both of them turned red in the face, and they tried to stand up but could not.

Shen Gui walked through them.

Zhaoyue followed the guard and looked down at it, saying, "Your stairs are quite slippery."

The guard looked up and glared at it, and Zhaoyue quickly caught up with the gray-clad figure in front of her.

The second floor is quieter than the first floor.

There were people guarding the door, and occasionally laughter could be heard coming from the private room.

As Zhaoyue passed by a half-open door, she saw a waiter kneeling by a table, writing down what the customer had said in a book. The customer was so drunk that he had no idea that someone was writing behind him.

Zhaoyue looked towards the front of the corridor again.

Those who serve tea, those who carry wine, and those who guide guests.

Some of the guys had shadows under their feet, while others didn't.

ghost?

Zhaoyue quickened her pace and followed closely behind Shen Gui.

There were no guards on the stairs leading to the third floor; only a servant holding a wine jug stood there.

The servant's face was deathly pale, but his lips were strikingly red. When he saw Shen Gui, his eyes flickered slightly.

Shen Gui walked to the stairwell, and the servant was about to stand up to stop him, but before he could get up, he fell back to the ground and died.

As Zhaoyue passed by, she glanced under the servant, but there was still no shadow.

On the third floor, only a few lights were on, and the sounds of traditional Chinese string and wind instruments faded considerably by the time they reached this point.

The innermost door was not closed.

A man in his forties sat behind a wine table, wearing a dark red robe and with his hair neatly combed.

On his left, a young woman was warming his wine, while on his right stood an accountant, sorting the slips of paper into several stacks.

Something was still burning in the brazier, raising wisps of ash, like paper money burned for the dead.

When Shen Gui entered, Mr. Luo was picking up a piece of paper, preparing to throw it into the brazier.

Only half a line of text remained on the paper: "[North Third Battalion, the three incense sticks have been destroyed; the cause is under investigation.]"

A figure blocked out the light and loomed over them. Mr. Luo paused, turning back to look at the person behind him: "Have you two distinguished guests come to the wrong place?"

Shen Gui walked to the wine table and sat down.

Mr. Luo remained calm. He threw the paper in his hand into the brazier, and the flames quickly burned away the three characters "North Third Battalion".

"If the hospitality downstairs is inadequate, Mr. Luo will have someone change the food and drinks."

He had a smile on his face the whole time he was talking.

Shen Gui spread out his right hand, placing a section of unburnt incense stick on the wine table, on which half of a ghost face pattern could still be seen.

Mr. Luo's smile remained unchanged, but the girl who warmed the wine for him shivered.

"What is this?" Mr. Luo asked.

Shen Gui looked at him: "Have you heard of the Northern Third Battalion?"

"Luo is in the border trade business. I've heard from customers that something happened in the county down there."

"Who gave you permission to move?"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

Mr. Luo picked up his wine glass.

"Quack! Don't you understand?" Zhaoyue pointed to the brazier: "The paper just now also said 'Northern Third Battalion'."

Mr. Luo glanced at it: "We receive too many messages every day, some true and some false. Something major has happened at the border, and trade routes will have to change accordingly. Let me see if there's anything wrong with this."

Zhaoyue opened its mouth as if to speak, but Shen Gui raised his hand, and it immediately shut up.

Mr. Luo finished his drink: "Your ability to reach the third floor suggests you are no ordinary person."

He put down his wine glass: "But this is the city of the prefecture, where there is a curfew at night. The city patrol is just two streets away, and you look very much like the gray-clad man the government is helping to apprehend. If you cause a disturbance, I'm afraid it will be difficult to handle."

Shen Gui didn't look at him.

His gaze fell on the doorway.

The girl who had warmed the wine for Mr. Luo had already left.

Zhaoyue saw it too.

"Young master, that person has just left."

"Um."

"Should we go and fetch the soldiers?"

"Um."

Mr. Luo narrowed his eyes.

Zhaoyue then pointed to the servants by the door: "The rest of them are nowhere to be seen."

The room quieted down, and Mr. Luo's smile finally faded.

"Since you're not here for drinks, let's find another way to talk."

As soon as he finished speaking, the music outside the door suddenly stopped.

Someone on the first floor cursed, "What's going on?"

Immediately afterwards, the red lantern closest to the entrance in the building turned blue.

The second one.

The third one.

The green fire climbed up the long corridor.

The building was filled with red lanterns, which gradually turned green.

Mr. Luo put down the wine pot, and the last trace of a smile disappeared from his face.