Chapter 0: Following Brother
They ran with Qin Gou to an unpopulated area. Zhao Xinting’s breathing was rapid and his cheeks were flushed. This wasn’t entirely due to the strenuous exercise from running just now; his inner excitement and thrill were also partly responsible.
Back when he was still a mortal, he was always the one being bullied.
After becoming a cultivator, he ascended like a child of destiny, crushing all opposition, unable to find an opponent.
This was the first time in his life he experienced the thrill of running away after playing a prank, then fading away like a hero, leaving no trace, dancing on the edge of a knife. Thinking about it made him feel a little thrilled.
The two opened the fat merchant’s money bag, and over a dozen silver shards scattered before their eyes.
Zhao Xinting felt like he had been doused with a basin of cold water, greatly disappointed. He sighed, “Is this your grand plan? After all this effort, this is all we got.”
The fat merchant was not their first target. They had been kindly sent back their money bags by good Samaritans, and had also been seen through by discerning eyes. Each time they had to move to a new location and find a new fat sheep, which was very time-consuming.
These silver shards, while perhaps a considerable sum to ordinary people, were, in the eyes of Zhao Xinting and Qin Gou, two renowned wealthy figures of the Cultivation World, meager in comparison to the time they had invested.
Qin Gou, like a seasoned master con artist, smiled nonchalantly and said, “This silver is more than enough for a hearty meal, but to taste true delicacies, we still need spirit stones. So, our plan has just begun, and this silver can only be considered our entry fee.”
“Spirit stones?” Zhao Xinting said, disbelievingly, “Are you crazy? Where would we two mortals get spirit stones? In this city, I’m afraid only the top elites would have them.”
“You certainly can’t get them. I can’t get them alone either,” Qin Gou said, his mind brimming with confidence. “But as long as we combine our efforts, we definitely can!”
Zhao Xinting gave Qin Gou a disdainful look. “You can tell that to those naive little girls who know nothing of the world.”
“Enough nonsense,” Qin Gou grabbed the money bag and said with great bravado, “Follow brother, I’ll take you to the brothel!”
“Ah?”
…
“Didn’t you say we needed to find a way to get spirit stones? Why are you taking me to a brothel in broad daylight? Let me make this clear first, I have no interest in those pitiable women of the wind and dust.” Zhao Xinting asked, full of confusion.
Qin Gou smiled calmly. “Yes, even someone like you, who has no interest in women of the wind and dust, knows that a brothel is most interesting only at night. So, think carefully, who can only come during the day?”
“Oh?”
“Naturally, it would be men who have someone waiting for them at home at night, and cannot go out seeking pleasure.”
“A bunch of guys who are afraid of their wives?”
“In this era, aside from cultivators and immortals, ordinary people still adhere to the principle of male superiority. Having three wives and four concubines is commonplace. What kind of man would be afraid of his wife? There is only one possibility: the woman’s family is extremely influential, and the man is utterly dominated by her. Such a man must be wealthy and powerful. Although he has the desire and the gall for illicit affairs, that gall is as small as a sesame seed. He is our perfect target.”
Hearing this, Zhao Xinting suddenly realized, a glint flashing in his eyes. He asked curiously, “How do you know so many devious methods?”
“I’m a scoundrel,” Qin Gou replied, not bothering to explain, and stated righteously, “Remember, I won’t give you a look to signal you to speak. Just act like you’re mute.”
Zhao Xinting’s gaze was serious, and he nodded forcefully, feeling greatly enlightened. He had initially thought that the dignified Purple Extreme Demon Lord was already the ultimate villain in the world. He never expected that there were such eccentric and extraordinary people in the mundane world. He couldn’t help but feel admiration.
Moreover, being with this shameless guy was a hundred times more exhilarating than washing the feet of those stinky women at the Mystic Maiden Palace.
They entered the pavilion, with red sleeves fluttering and fragrant scents filling the air. Inside, there was a constant hum of girly chatter, singing, and dancing.
An elderly woman in charge of reception came up to them and was immediately surprised. A peerless beauty and a scruffy guy visiting a brothel… what kind of combination was this?
Qin Gou directly took out most of the silver they had just acquired from their money bag and threw it to the woman. He said nonchalantly, “Bring some fruit first. My distinguished guest and I will listen to some music. We’re not in a hurry to ‘get started’.”
“Yes,” the woman, hearing Qin Gou speak like an insider and seeing his generous hand, suppressed her doubts and temporarily left.
However, before they even finished listening to a song, Qin Gou had found his target.
A middle-aged man, adorned with gold and jewels, and with a stout physique. First, this man was clearly not a cultivator, yet everyone around him treated him with respect. He perfectly fit Qin Gou’s requirements.
The middle-aged man, with a beautiful courtesan in his arms, went upstairs with smug satisfaction.
Qin Gou waited until the end of the alluring song, then patted Zhao Xinting on the shoulder, and the two walked upstairs together.
“You two. You can’t go upstairs without a girl accompanying you,” a pimp in a green robe sneered at Zhao Xinting. How could such a celestial beauty be one of their courtesans?
Qin Gou’s expression turned as dark as water. “Are you blind? How dare you block my family’s head wife? Are you tired of living?” he said, casting a faint glance at Zhao Xinting.
Zhao Xinting let out a cold laugh and said grimly, “Today, one of us will die by my hand. Do you want to take the blame for that scoundrel upstairs?”
The pimp’s face turned as green as his robe. So, it was the wife from home coming to find him. He had indeed encountered many such troublesome situations and couldn’t avoid them. They always ended up being quite the commotion.
At that moment, Qin Gou suddenly shoved some silver shards into the pimp’s hand and said with a smile, “Your mother died, and you’re rushing back to attend the funeral, right?”
“I…” The pimp’s expression changed slightly. He had been trying to avoid this situation, and now he had an unexpected bonus. He weighed the silver, gave a dry cough, and without another word, hurried away.
Qin Gou and Zhao Xinting exchanged glances, and before they could be discovered, they quickly ascended to the second floor and headed straight for the room the middle-aged man had entered.
“Bang!”
Qin Gou kicked open the door. The man had already stripped down to his underclothes. Qin Gou immediately let out a scream of feigned terror, “My lord, bad news! Your esteemed wife is already downstairs. You… hurry and leave! This humble establishment has small profits and thin margins, and truly cannot afford any trouble!”
The fat on the man’s face jiggled three times, as if he had heard the most terrifying words in the world. He was so terrified that his soul almost left his body, his face turning ashen. “How is that possible? I clearly told her I had official business today…”
“My lord, hurry out. At the end of the corridor to the left, there is a room. There’s a secret passage under the bed!” Qin Gou said hurriedly, pulling the man out the door.
The man cast a grateful glance at Qin Gou and didn’t even bother with his outer clothes. However, it was easy to imagine that the people in this brothel understood the rules and wouldn’t touch his belongings, so he focused solely on escaping.
Meanwhile, Qin Gou and Zhao Xinting entered the room with mischievous grins and ruthlessly ransacked the man’s outer clothes, money bag, and all other valuables.
On the bed, the courtesan, with her clothes half-undone, looked at them in astonishment. “Who exactly are you people? Our secret passage is clearly not there.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Gou and Zhao Xinting exchanged a smile.
Zhao Xinting ‘swished’ and pulled out a sharp dagger.
Qin Gou ‘rustled’ and produced several taels of silver.
The knife and the silver pointed simultaneously at the dumbfounded girl.
“Kindly tell us, where is the real secret passage?”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll stab you.”
“If you tell me, you’ll get money!”
