Outside the five-story tall Moonlit Haven, all sorts of carriages and pedestrians came and went. The interior of the Moonlit Haven emanated a warm glow, and music and laughter wafted through the entrance each time it was opened.
Wu Yuan walked straight in.
"Sir, please come in." the two sharp-eyed doormen perked up, their gaze brightening as they warmly welcomed him.
Patrons like Wu Yuan, clad in cavalier attire and armed with weapons, were known to be generous spenders.
"I am in high spirits today, bring forth some beauties." Wu Yuan laughed heartily and casually tossed a few ten-tael silver notes to the doormen.
The doormen's eyes gleamed, ready to accept the tip, but a skilled old madam swiftly snatched them away, her warm voice soothing, "Sir, please come inside."
With resentful looks, the doormen reluctantly backed down.
"Girls, why aren't you attending to our guest?" The old madam shouted as she deftly pocketed the silver notes.
"Sir, it's a pleasure to meet you for the first time." A group of courtesans originally soliciting customers rushed to surround Wu Yuan, their demeanor warm and servile.
The Moonlit Haven was no ordinary establishment, and its patrons were expected to spend lavishly. Merely occupying a table on the first or second floor required a table fee of two silver taels, a sum beyond the reach of most commoners.
But to witness Wu Yuan casually tossing dozens of silver taels, despite having yet to enter the premises, was a rare sight indeed.
"Haha, splendid! Splendid!" Wu Yuan laughed heartily, pulling the girls close as if he were a simple-minded pervert. Flocked by the courtesans, Wu Yuan ascended to the third floor.
The first and second floors were lined with individual tables, each requiring a table fee of two taels. Most solitary guests frequented these areas, some content with enjoying the shows and drinks, while others called for a courtesan or two to accompany them.
The private rooms, however, were exclusively found on the third floor. Merely stepping foot in these luxurious chambers cost one no less than ten silver taels.
Where did this country bumpkin come from? On the first floor, the madam's smile faded as her eyes followed Wu Yuan up the stairs, a hint of disdain flickering within.
With the sharp eyes she prided herself on, she deemed Wu Yuan to be nothing more than a brutish martial artist. Perhaps he had received a windfall and came to the Moonlit Haven to indulge himself, oblivious to the ways of the world. Anyone who patronized a brothel before would know that those soliciting customers were the ones in the bottom ranks. In the Moonlit Haven, the truly breathtaking and charming ladies would hardly show themselves up front. One had to spend hefty amounts of silver taels to get a glimpse of them.
Two men, inconspicuously situated on the second and fifth floors, casually sipped their tea while scanning the guests below on the first and second floors. Wu Yuan naturally caught their attention. His steps lack solidity, his gait is unsteady, his strength is mediocre. Not an Adept. The two men exchanged a knowing glance, determining that Wu Yuan was nothing more than a bumbling fool dressed as a cavalier.
...On the third floor, Wu Yuan entered a private room next to a window, surrounded by five or six women. He opened the window, simultaneously engaging in flirtatious banter with the women and admiring the talented dancers on the stage below. He had to admit, the standards of the performers were high.
All three gazes have shifted away. Wu Yuan lowered his head to sip his wine, his gaze falling on the clear liquid. Are these all the guards in Moonlit Haven? They should no longer pay attention to me now.
Ordinary people could not detect the watchful eyes of these guards, but how could Wu Yuan miss them? He had detected their piercing gazes the moment he stepped foot inside, and instinctively feigned ignorance, heading straight to the private rooms on the third floor.
There's no need to rush. I should carefully assess my surroundings and determine the number of experts present in the Moonlit Haven. Wu Yuan was calm and unhurried. According to my intelligence, Bald Wolf Wang Xian and the second family head Bai Yuxian have been residing in the Fragrant Zither Mansion for the past few days. How extravagant.
The main building of the Moonlit Haven occupied a large area and catered to regular guests who, at most, would shell out a few hundred silver taels in a single night.
But the true elite clientele? They were escorted to the area adjacent to the main building. This section, roughly the size of a side street, was lined with dozens of courtyard houses, each hosted by a woman of exceptional talent and beauty. These courtyards were the heart and soul of the Moonlit Haven's business, the source of its worldwide renown.
Wu Yuan chose not to head directly toward the courtyard houses. Firstly, he lacked a comprehensive understanding of the Moonlit Haven's security measures and had no intention of acting rashly. Secondly, making a brazen entrance into the courtyard house would draw too much attention, easily catching the eye of the ever-vigilant guards.
"Sir, come, lend your ear to the melody."
"Come, have a drink."
As Wu Yuan beckoned for more indulgences, he calmed his mind and delicately extended his senses throughout the entirety of the brothel, gradually spreading his consciousness. He did not rely solely on his vision and hearing.
Experts. Wu Yuan felt a growing certainty. Within this main building, there are five people with extraordinary auras. They are at least second-rate Adepts.
Wu Yuan could not confirm whether there were any first-rate Adepts. The surroundings buzzed with commotion, and the rooms were meticulously soundproofed; thus, Wu Yuan could not discern any noises from neighboring rooms.
He was perceiving his surroundings with soul sense, a method of mental perception that Wu Yuan had gradually developed after his soul had grown stronger following the opening of his upper dantian lobe. Though this method only allowed him to gain a vague sense of his environment, it was sometimes miraculously effective.
After the third round of drinks, Wu Yuan decided that the time had come.
He put down his drink and stood up. "Girls, wait here for a moment. I'm going for a walk and will come back soon. Don't run away," Wu Yuan's face was slightly flushed, a little drunk.
The group of women began to protest, but then they spied Wu Yuan retrieving a bundle of silver notes from his bosom, some worth ten taels, others twenty. In total, they estimated the value to be around 200 taels.
Joy spread across their faces. They hadn’t even done anything specific yet, and he was already this generous?
"Sir, would you like some company?" a woman asked as she snatched up the silver notes.
"No need," Wu Yuan waved his hand and left. The women in the room naturally did not pry further.
Wu Yuan emerged from the private room. Instead of returning to the main hall on the first floor by the same route, he walked to the end of the corridor on the third floor and went straight to the side of the main building. Through the window, he got a clear view of the courtyard below. Here, another staircase led directly to a quiet lane in the courtyard that saw far fewer visitors.
Like a drunken man, Wu Yuan staggered down the stairs. The people who passed by him on the stairs paid little attention to him. Once he reached the ground floor, Wu Yuan entered the quiet lane in the courtyard.
Though he appeared tipsy and intoxicated, Wu Yuan's senses were exceptionally clear. He constantly observed his surroundings, watching for signs that the experts from the Moonlit Haven had their eye on him.
The atmosphere within these rows of connected courtyard houses was far more serene and elegant. Those who frequented this place often dressed as wealthy merchants or scholars. Given Wu Yuan’s attire, he stood out somewhat, but not egregiously so.
After a short while, Wu Yuan halted near a specific courtyard house. The sign on the entrance read 'Fragrant Zither Mansion' in elegant, small characters. The slightly ajar courtyard door revealed a tastefully furnished interior.
Extending his soul sense, Wu Yuan detected two powerful auras inside the courtyard house, both somewhat intimidating. They were at least second-rate Adepts. The target was here.
"Is this the place? The abode of Fairy Fragrant Zither?" Wu Yuan mumbled to himself, pretending to be inebriated as he staggered toward the entrance.
"Who is this drunkard? Halt!" Two fierce guards at the gate blocked Wu Yuan's path, looking ready for a fight.
Unlike the other courtyard houses, where only servants guarded the gate at most, this Fragrant Zither Mansion had uncommonly aggressive guards. Judging from their attire, it was clear they differed from the Moonlit Haven's regular guards.
"Oh? There are people here." Wu Yuan shook his head slightly, seemingly about to turn around.
A flash of disdain crossed the eyes of the two guards. Where did this drunkard come from?
Before Wu Yuan turned completely, an eerie yet restrained blade ray flashed. Before the two guards could register it, their throats were already slit. Their faces still retained their original expressions, but their lifeless forms toppled forward involuntarily.
"Are they all drunk?" Wu Yuan muttered. The saber at his waist looked completely untouched.
With both hands, he nonchalantly held the shoulders of the two guards, cradling them as one would handle chicks, and silently pivoted them around.
He pushed the door, entered the courtyard, and closed the door in one breath. Even the two scholarly-looking guests standing slightly more than ten meters away failed to register anything out of the ordinary.
Bang~ The courtyard door closed shut. Only then did Wu Yuan casually discard the bodies of the two guards near the entrance.
At that precise moment, a slender trickle of blood traced down from their necks. They were no longer breathing.
Since they joined a bandit gang, they should be prepared for this. Wu Yuan's heart remained as tranquil as a placid lake.
From the intelligence, he already knew that the two family heads of the Bloodwolf Gang had come to the provincial city to enjoy themselves, bringing along more than ten gang members as guards. These guards were not here to protect the Bloodwolf Gang's two family heads, but to serve as errand runners.
Wu Yuan's motive for joining the Pleiades Guild was simple: to utilize their vast intelligence network in order to filter out the remorseless killers from the rest. The Bloodwolf Gang's tactics were far more merciless compared to the Vicious Tiger Gang of Li City.
Within an exquisite private chamber that occupied one side of the hall stood a large bed. A faint fragrance permeated the air, and the decorations were dainty and elegant.
"Mn!" an extraordinarily beautiful woman endured the pain, her slender fingers tightly clutching the sheets. Meanwhile, a bald middle-aged man engrossed himself in pleasure.
Another man, roughly 30 years old with a handsome face and dressed in white robes, reclined in a chair with his eyes closed.
“Hmm?" The man in white robes abruptly opened his eyes, his voice filled with suspicion. "Third Brother, something feels amiss."
The bald man was slightly startled, while the woman didn't respond, still disoriented.
Before his last word fell, the door burst open with a resounding bang. Both men instinctively turned their heads towards the disturbance, only to be met with the sight of a burly figure, unkempt hair framing his face.
"Where did this trash come from?" The bald man cursed angrily, scrambling to find his clothes.
"Who are you, Sir? What is the meaning of this?" The man in the white robes calmly asked. He was keenly aware that something wasn't right, his hand already instinctively reaching for the long sword at his side.
"I have come to claim your life!" A gruff voice echoed through the room as a blade ray streaked through the air, aiming for the man in white robes.