Chapter 96

Hong Yushin frowned involuntarily.

“Are you saying he visited the Water Lotus Pavilion? When?”

“Half a shichen ago.”

“Then why are you only reporting it now?”

“I ran here as fast as I could, Captain!”

The Steward of the Water Lotus Pavilion explained, sweating profusely.

“Did you find out why the bastard came to the Water Lotus Pavilion?”

“I’m not sure about that. Cho-hyang, the top courtesan of the Water Lotus Pavilion, has been sent in, so we should be able to find out soon.”

“Is this girl, Cho-hyang, trustworthy?”

“She is the top courtesan of the Water Lotus Pavilion. She was born with a natural coquettishness and has received special training from the main branch, so she is trustworthy.”

“Hmm!”

Hong Yushin let out a low groan, his brow furrowed.

Cho-hyang was not only exceptionally beautiful but also outstanding in martial arts, making her a talent highly valued by the Hao Clan.

With such a talent deployed, it was worth trusting and waiting. But Hong Yushin couldn’t bear to wait patiently and shot up from his seat.

“I will go myself.”

“Pardon? What do you mean…”

“I mean I will go to the Water Lotus Pavilion myself and observe the situation.”

Sometimes in life, one gets a strangely unsettling premonition.

Now was one of those times.

Hong Yushin was enveloped in an unusually anxious feeling.

He immediately left his residence and headed for the Water Lotus Pavilion.

“You’ve arrived?”

The madam was the first to greet him.

“Where is he?”

“He is in the Plum Blossom Room right now.”

“You’re saying the girl named Cho-hyang is handling him?”

“Yes! We’ve served him plenty of alcohol, so he should be drunk soon. When that happens, Cho-hyang will use her Seduction Technique, and he’ll spill everything he knows.”

The Seduction Technique was a Secret Transmission of the Hao Clan, similar in nature to bewitchment arts. The difference was that it maximized beauty and coquetry to enthrall the target.

Cho-hyang was particularly skilled in the Seduction Technique.

After hearing the whole story, Hong Yushin nodded.

“Good! I will wait here, so report to me immediately if anything unusual happens.”

“Understood.”

The madam bowed deeply and withdrew.

Left alone, Hong Yushin tapped his fingers on the table.

“Why did you come here? Surely you didn’t come here by chance, not knowing this is a branch of the Hao Clan, did you?”

A perplexed expression appeared on Hong Yushin’s face.

He waited for the madam to return with good news. But he waited for one shichen, then over two shichen, and still, the madam did not return.

In the end, he stayed up all night and greeted the morning.

The madam came to his room with a haggard expression.

“Where is he?”

“I apologize.”

“What happened?”

“Cho-hyang didn’t come out.”

“Was she harmed?”

“No. It’s just…”

The madam’s face turned red.

Her face was filled with embarrassment.

It was because Cho-hyang’s moans of pleasure had not ceased from the Plum Blossom Room all night.

She was sent to seduce a man, but instead, she fell for him and writhed in pleasure all night long.

When the exhausted Cho-hyang was asked if she had found out anything, she just shook her head weakly.

And she only repeated these words.

“He’s not human. Not human…”

Cho-hyang then returned to her quarters and passed out.

She was completely drained from how much Pyo Wol had worn her out.

“I… apologize.”

The madam bowed her head.

Hong Yushin suddenly stood up.

“I’m going to him. Lead the way!”

“Pardon?”

“I think he came looking for me. Guide me to his room.”

“Ah, understood.”

The madam hurriedly guided Hong Yushin.

From inside the Plum Blossom Room where Pyo Wol was staying, the laughter of courtesans could be heard.

Other courtesans had been sent in to replace Cho-hyang.

Hong Yushin opened the door without any warning. The situation inside the room was laid bare.

Pyo Wol was sitting at an angle with his top off, and half-naked courtesans were attending to him on his left and right.

Even though Hong Yushin had entered so suddenly, Pyo Wol’s expression did not change one bit.

Hong Yushin confirmed that his guess was correct.

“So you did come looking for me, I see.”

“Sit!”

“How did you know about this place?”

“Your body carried the scent of the powder from the courtesans here.”

“Were you a dog in your past life? Is that even possible?”

“It is for me!”

“Hah! You truly are an astonishing person.”

Hong Yushin shook his head and sat down in front of Pyo Wol.

He gestured to the courtesans with his chin. They stood up and went outside. Their faces were full of disappointment.

They had been captivated by Pyo Wol in a short time.

“That face is a scam. A total scam! If it wears a skirt, it gets bewitched. Dammit! By any chance, are you interested in joining the Hao Clan? I’ll give you the best treatment.”

“Stop with the nonsense and just sit down.”

“Yes! Yes! But didn’t you threaten to kill me if I approached? I’m not sure if it’s okay for me to sit down.”

“If you don’t sit, I’ll kill you right now.”

“I’m sitting. I’m sitting, I said. Dammit!”

Hong Yushin’s face crumpled.

It was the first time he had dealt with someone so unreasonable.

He hadn’t realized it would be this hard to regain the upper hand he had lost.

Hong Yushin looked at the disheveled bedding and muttered.

“Looks like you had a very hot night.”

“She was the one who held on and wouldn’t let go.”

“It seems I’ll have to re-educate her. I told her to seduce the man, not fall for him.”

“You deal with that on your own…”

Pyo Wol’s voice lowered.

Instantly, Hong Yushin’s expression hardened like a stone. He sensed that this was the real reason Pyo Wol had come.

“Tell me about the Seven Stars Hall.”

“Why do you ask?”

“You don’t need to know the reason.”

“Then I can’t tell you.”

“You must want to die.”

“It’s no use even if you take my head. Although I may have shown a pathetic side, the Hao Clan is not a place you can use as you please.”

“…”

“Killing me will be useless. Even if you kill all the courtesans here, you won’t get what you want.”

“So?”

“Let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Yes! We give and take what we each need. Shouldn’t we have at least that much flexibility?”

“Fine! Tell me what you want.”

As Pyo Wol readily agreed, it was Hong Yushin who was flustered.

“What is this? What are you plotting? Why are you being so nice?”

“Didn’t you suggest a deal?”

“Well, yes, but…”

Hong Yushin’s voice trailed off.

In that moment, Pyo Wol’s voice sank low.

“You only get one chance. You’d better think carefully before you speak.”

“Alright. What is your goal?”

“Goal?”

“I’m asking about your ultimate goal.”

“I don’t have one!”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve never lived with a grand goal in the first place.”

“Still, shouldn’t a man who has achieved as much as you dream of becoming the hegemon of Jianghu, or ruling over it?”

“I learned martial arts to survive. I’ve lived tenaciously to get revenge. Now that my revenge is over, there’s nothing left in my heart. You could say that even the last remaining wick has burned away.”

Hong Yushin stared intently at Pyo Wol’s face.

“You’re… serious.”

“There’s no reason to lie.”

“Do you have no other goals?”

“None!”

“Not even a thought of wanting to become the hegemon of Sichuan Province, for instance?”

“Too much trouble!”

“Hah! This is a huge loss for me.”

“I’m just telling you the truth.”

“Hoo!”

Hong Yushin sighed once more.

His expression was one of disappointment, but inwardly, he was relieved.

He knew all too well what would happen if someone like Pyo Wol harbored great ambitions.

The more Hong Yushin delved into what Pyo Wol had done in Chengdu, the more fear he felt.

The meticulous planning and preparation, the decisiveness to actually carry out the plan, and the powerful martial arts to back it all up.

The more he learned about Pyo Wol, the more he seemed like a walking disaster.

It was by no means a coincidence or luck that the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect had simultaneously suffered great damage and sealed their gates.

The existence of Pyo Wol had made the impossible possible.

That’s why he was afraid. He knew what great chaos would erupt if such a being held great ambitions and schemed for Jianghu. That was why he couldn’t leave Chengdu and had been keeping a close watch on Pyo Wol.

Hong Yushin asked.

“What about the Seven Stars Hall are you curious about?”

“Their purpose for coming here.”

“If I ask why you’re curious, will you answer?”

“I just have a feeling I’m going to get entangled with them.”

“Just because of a feeling?”

“That feeling is what has kept me alive until now. My premonitions tend to be quite accurate.”

“Understood. I’ll look into it. As it happens, we were also curious about why they came to Chengdu, where they have no connections.”

Hong Yushin nodded.

He knew very well how accurate the intuition of a martial artist who had reached a very high level of martial arts could be.

Martial artists who had reached their level of mastery could grasp their surroundings, the atmosphere, and people’s psychology and actions with outstanding insight, drawing conclusions that ordinary people couldn’t even begin to guess.

Even they themselves didn’t know exactly how they reached such conclusions, but the answers they unconsciously produced were almost always frighteningly accurate.

Hong Yushin thought Pyo Wol was one such case.

He didn’t know why Pyo Wol thought the Seven Stars Hall would get entangled with him, but it was clear that he had felt some kind of connection to them, even if he didn’t know it himself.

“By the way, isn’t it about time you returned it?”

“What?”

“The Capital Martial Artists Registry. If I can’t retrieve it, it’ll be troublesome for us as well.”

As soon as Hong Yushin finished speaking, Pyo Wol took a yellowed book from his robes and tossed it onto the table.

It was the Capital Martial Artists Registry that Hong Yushin had been searching for so desperately.

He had already memorized all its contents, so he returned it without any lingering attachment.

Hong Yushin tucked the book into his robes and said,

“Can I consider this a significant improvement in our relationship?”

“You could say we’ve moved past the worst.”

“Not bad.”

Hong Yushin smiled faintly.

Considering their first meeting was the absolute worst, even this much progress could be considered a miracle.

Hong Yushin stood up from his seat and said,

“Well then, enjoy your stay. Oh! You do know that the cost of enjoying yourself at the Water Lotus Pavilion is quite expensive, right? As long as you settle the bill properly, there won’t be any problem.”

“They said there’s no need for that.”

“Pardon?”

“They told me not to worry about the money and just stay as long as possible.”

“Who said that?”

“All the women who came into my room. They begged me to stay, saying they’d cover the bill with their own money.”

“Damn it!”

Hong Yushin cursed without realizing it, then quickly forced an awkward smile.

“Ah! I wasn’t talking to you. It’s just… it just suddenly occurred to me how unfair the world is. Some people have to calculate everything and squeeze out courage they don’t have just to talk to a woman, and it’s still a toss-up. But for someone else, it seems so easy…”

The corners of Hong Yushin’s eyes grew moist.

Pyo Wol looked at Hong Yushin indifferently.

Looking at Pyo Wol’s face, Hong Yushin once again felt keenly how absurd the world was.

He couldn’t help but think that if he were a woman, he would automatically loosen his skirt strings at the sight of that face.

‘Still, his thing must be small. It has to be. If there’s truly such a thing as heavenly balance, it should at least maintain that much equilibrium.’

But his hope was brutally shattered by the voices of the courtesans he heard from outside.

“Cho-hyang unnie said it’s huge.”

“What is?”

“That…”

Hong Yushin squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Damn it…’